Pathfinder STRATEGY GUIDE Preview

Paizo has posted a brief look at how the upcoming Pathfinder Strategy Guide helps players to build characters. It include a character theme quiz, then walks thorugh the selection of race, class, equipment, and specific combat tips. The book itself, a 160-page hardcover, is due out later this month and was written by Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, John Compton, Jessica Price, and Sean K Reynolds.
The rest of the preview can be found here.

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[dwayne]

WOW a book to help with books to help making a character from all the other books that this book covers. You know that's something is over done when you need a book to tell you which book to use to make or find something in, hello over done 3.x. Too many supplements even though the quality is good there is no way I will buy all those books like I did with 3.5 now that 5th is much more my style and the rule system far less cluttered with over reaching unnecessary rule to over complicate it. The 5th puts the power in the GM hands and leaves the rules as a guide not and iron bound contract that can be exploited by others. I will pass on this and every other pathfinder book from now on as a true D&D edition has made its way here finally, too bad pathfinder I had hoped you would have done better.

 

[Crucius]

As much as I think this will be a useful tool for new players, veteran players have enough experience creating their own characters or searching for free online resources that I think the major value of this book is going to be lost.

New players are much less likely to buy a book that isn't incredibly important to the overall function of the game, at least not until they are more familiar with the game. And by that point, I don't think this book will be very important.

I like where it's coming from, but I don't know that we needed the 160 page expensive hardcover book to accomplish what it's trying to.

 

[timbannock]

As much as I think this will be a useful tool for new players, veteran players have enough experience creating their own characters or searching for free online resources that I think the major value of this book is going to be lost.

New players are much less likely to buy a book that isn't incredibly important to the overall function of the game, at least not until they are more familiar with the game. And by that point, I don't think this book will be very important.

I like where it's coming from, but I don't know that we needed the 160 page expensive hardcover book to accomplish what it's trying to.

I think I agree. Great idea; fantastic, high-quality presentation. But it's utility lies in the fact that it is the perfect "gateway" from the Beginner Box to the Full Game(TM)...so why not make it a free web resource, a free PDF, or some other means of making the barrier from a simpler game to a more complex game WAAAAYYY less of a thing.

 

[DaveMage]

Looks like the perfect book to make character creation less intimidating.

I like it!

 

[Ezequielramone]

I think I agree. Great idea; fantastic, high-quality presentation. But it's utility lies in the fact that it is the perfect "gateway" from the Beginner Box to the Full Game(TM)...so why not make it a free web resource, a free PDF, or some other means of making the barrier from a simpler game to a more complex game WAAAAYYY less of a thing.

They puts online every rulebook. So it's kind of free stuff. The material book is a "luxury". BTW I agree this could be that kind of gateway.

I'm going to buy it. I love pathfinder books,even if I don't have the time to read them all. These are wonderful. I don't think this have something I could really use apart of a good reading and some inspiration. But I can use it with my players.

 

[timbannock]

They puts online every rulebook. So it's kind of free stuff. The material book is a "luxury". BTW I agree this could be that kind of gateway.

I mean, I could certainly be mistaken, but this isn't a rulebook, per se. It's a guide to character creation, character optimization, "character concept realization," and all that. Maybe there's some new rules material, maybe not, but it's primary purpose is to guide a player through the existing rules to create the character they want to play.

That doesn't seem like something they'll somehow add to the Pathfinder SRD...although I certainly think it's something they *should*.

 

[Ezequielramone]

I mean, I could certainly be mistaken, but this isn't a rulebook, per se. It's a guide to character creation, character optimization, "character concept realization," and all that. Maybe there's some new rules material, maybe not, but it's primary purpose is to guide a player through the existing rules to create the character they want to play.

That doesn't seem like something they'll somehow add to the Pathfinder SRD...although I certainly think it's something they *should*.

You have a point. Still I BELIEVE they will put it in their srd since it has the "pathfinder roleplaying game" label And they have put all the stuffs with that label online and I don't think they will break that. Still is a belief, you have a good point and I may be wrong.
Remember that that don't cut flavor in the srd so I still believe we'll see this on it.

Edit: I really like your avatar.

 

[Barachiel]

WOW a book to help with books to help making a character from all the other books that this book covers. You know that's something is over done when you need a book to tell you which book to use to make or find something in, hello over done 3.x. Too many supplements even though the quality is good there is no way I will buy all those books like I did with 3.5 now that 5th is much more my style and the rule system far less cluttered with over reaching unnecessary rule to over complicate it. The 5th puts the power in the GM hands and leaves the rules as a guide not and iron bound contract that can be exploited by others. I will pass on this and every other pathfinder book from now on as a true D&D edition has made its way here finally, too bad pathfinder I had hoped you would have done better.

Dude...you do not have to buy all the books. All of their game material is OGL. Just go to Archives of Nethys, for example. Even their monsters are OGL.

WotC should have done that with 3e/3.5e but they didn't. (They hoarded the beholder, displacer beasts, githyanki and githzerai, mind flayers, etc.). Instead they run around shutting down websites that was doing that to an extent (DnDtools for example). Which is pretty desperate and overreaching on their part.

Nah, Paizo is doing it right still.

 

[Starfox]

Seems interesting. The question "what class/build do I use for concept X" is quite relevant. Even experienced Pathfinder players think class first, concept second, which can lead to unsatisfying characters.