Pathfinder 1E School me on Pathfinder

[JeffB]

I don't mean the actual rules-set, as it holds little interest to me (no offense, just not my thing)

However I'm a bit confused by the product line. Specifically I'm trying to figure out the Companion and Chronicles line.

I saw a product that caught my eye on Amazon called Osirion- which looks to be a region specific GAZ re: a desert based area- my questions are:

1)Are all the "companion" products these small GAZ type books?

2) Do the Companion products work well as a "generic" plug into your own campaign setting type book?

3) Do the Companion books assume the use of the Golarion hardback setting (which I didn't care much for-too much detail)) ? or will these work well with the less detailed Golarion Gazetteer (which I like)?

4) the Chronicles series also seems to be regional Gazetteers? How are the Chronicles and Companions different? Is one tied to the Adventure Paths? or both?

5) Are the Companions and Chronicles series very "crunch" heavy? I don't run/play 3.5/PF or the adventure Paths Paizo makes. How useful are they to someone running 4E, C&C or some retro-clone?

TIA for any help folks could give me

 

[BryonD]

They are topic specific, not necessarily "gaz", but frequently. It is generally pretty obvious from the title. For example, Osirion is about the "Egypt" (+/-) area, whereas there is also a Companion on elves, Chronicles on the planes, dragons, classic monsters, etc...

The defining difference is page count: Companions are 32 and Chronicles are 64. (at least best I call tell, both lines seem to have geography and non-geography topics)

They all define elements of the Golarian setting, but I can not recall anything that requires a connection to the hard back book. Though the names are setting specific, they should be pretty easy to drop into any setting.

They are crunch lite. There is crunch in every one. But I'd say it ranges between 80-95% setting. Frequently you will have several pages of descriptive text and then a feat of something like it in a sidebar. Though some titles also include a PClass or the like and maybe a few pages of spells, items, etc... It varies.

The one disconnect I potentially see is that you said you liked the gaz more than the hardback because the hardback had too much detail. The gaz has just under a page on Osirion. The campaign setting has 2 pages on Osirion. The Osirion book has 32 pages (9 that are predominately crunch, higher than normal). So if two pages was too much detail, then 23 pages of further detail may not be your thing.

 

[freyar]

Ok, I'm not quite the right person to ask about the difference between the Companions and Chronicles because I just can't afford to delve into all of these that I'd like, but I'll take a stab since I have the Osirion book.

1) I think so.
2-3) Definitely Golarion-specific, but focuses on a pretty specific region. I don't recall (or see on a quick flip-through) a whole lot related to the rest of Golarion other than the religions, so you could probably plug into a homebrew world without a huge amount of work. I imagine these books would work just fine with the Gazetteer if you want to focus on one area, and they're not an overkill of info (only 32 pages, after all!).
4) Not quite sure.
5) The Osirion Companion is more than 2/3 fluff. Of the 30 pages of gaming text (subtracting TOC, OGL, and previews), there's a 1.5 page NPC statblock, 2 pages of feats, 2 pages of spells, a bit more than half a page of magic items, and 2 pages of a PrC. Some of that you could probably convert to another system without a gigantic amount of trouble, that that's the extend of the 3.5 mechanics in any event.

 

[JeffB]

Hey thanks everyone for the info- it def helped me sort out the line a little better.

The one disconnect I potentially see is that you said you liked the gaz more than the hardback because the hardback had too much detail. The gaz has just under a page on Osirion. The campaign setting has 2 pages on Osirion. The Osirion book has 32 pages (9 that are predominately crunch, higher than normal). So if two pages was too much detail, then 23 pages of further detail may not be your thing.

Yeah I guess that sounds contradictory-the way I said that. The best way I can explain it is- I never want too much information in setting books- I prefer the original GH folio over Garys box- or the OGB FR over any later version, or The Scarred Lands GAZ over the hardcover, etc. In general I like a lot of room to do what I want-give me a general overview and tons of hooks, and let ME fill in the details. -however there are certain times I like more detail if the subject/area interests me-like in the case of Osirion. And I Like being able to CHOOSE to add that level of detail- Its easier to add, than subtract and say "this doesnt apply, this is not the way it is in MY version of X", etc.

Not sure if that makes sense, but thats the best I can explain it

 

[Dimitris]

In my opinion, the Pathfinder Campaign Guide is small. I mean you could see that Golarion is very large, not only in space but in the number of different cultures and concepts it is incorporating in the world. You may find the CS at the level of detail you prefer.

Dimitris

 

[Perram]

I don't mean the actual rules-set, as it holds little interest to me (no offense, just not my thing)

However I'm a bit confused by the product line. Specifically I'm trying to figure out the Companion and Chronicles line.

I saw a product that caught my eye on Amazon called Osirion- which looks to be a region specific GAZ re: a desert based area- my questions are:

1)Are all the "companion" products these small GAZ type books?

The Companion books are player focused books, and they are all generally 32 page soft covers. Sometimes they focus on a region corresponding with a Pathfinder Society faction, and sometimes a race, etc... but they are meant to books to help you as a player. GMs will find them useful, of course, as well.

2) Do the Companion products work well as a "generic" plug into your own campaign setting type book?

Not so much, the companion books are pretty setting specific, while you could probably plug the topics into a home brew world, it would only work as well as plugging any other campaign specific element into it.

3) Do the Companion books assume the use of the Golarion hardback setting (which I didn't care much for-too much detail)) ? or will these work well with the less detailed Golarion Gazetteer (which I like)?

They assume the use of the Golarion setting. While you would certainly find more info int he Hard Back than the Gazetteer, I don't think its required if you are happily using the Gazetteer. However, as a poster above me pointed out, these are meant to give you even MORE detail than the hardback, so I'm not sure you would be happy with it.

4) the Chronicles series also seems to be regional Gazetteers? How are the Chronicles and Companions different? Is one tied to the Adventure Paths? or both?

The Chronicles setting is the main 'campaign setting' line. It comes out much more frequently than the Companion products, they are larger books, and are meant to expand the campaign setting, whereas the companion books are meant to provide information for players.

5) Are the Companions and Chronicles series very "crunch" heavy? I don't run/play 3.5/PF or the adventure Paths Paizo makes. How useful are they to someone running 4E, C&C or some retro-clone?

This varies from book to book, but as a general rule, no, they are not very crunch heavy at all, especially the chronicles line.

TIA for any help folks could give me

I hope that helps.

 

[ancientvaults]

I don't see why one would use this setting, but not the rules. As a setting it is ok, but nothing that cannot be cobbled together on your own. The rules set isn't that bad at all, and for a retro-clone, the presentation is pretty flash compared to the others.

 

[JeffB]

Thanks folks for the detail- def better helps me understand the PF lineup!

I don't see why one would use this setting, but not the rules. As a setting it is ok, but nothing that cannot be cobbled together on your own. The rules set isn't that bad at all, and for a retro-clone, the presentation is pretty flash compared to the others.

I'm just not a big fan of the 3.0/3.5 game - however I'm a sucker for good fluff/setting material