Pathfinder 1E So the question is... why is pathfinder selling so well?

[Evenglare]

So, it seems that pretty much every thread on here devolves into how irredeemably awful and broken beyond repair pathfinder is. So why is it the most successful product in the tabletop RPG world right now? I'm pretty sure the answer here is something along the lines of starting with 3.5 and justify keeping all the old books, or something along those lines. But that really doesn't fit the crime, or in this case the terrible quality of the pathfinder system. If it's so god awful beyond help why are people still buying this stuff in droves? I mean, the way it's talked about here makes it seem virtually unplayable that everyone would abandon ship to something else.

Thoughts?

 

[Morrus]

I don't agree with your premise that everybody here hates Pathfinder - plenty of us are playing it and love it.

That said, this thread really feels like somebody trying hard to pick a fight. It's dripping with sarcasm and defensiveness. I honestly can't see any good coming out of it, but I'll leave it open... for the moment. I expect it won't last long.

 

[Evenglare]

I don't agree with your premise that everybody here hates Pathfinder - plenty of us are playing it and love it.

That said, this thread really feels like somebody trying hard to pick a fight. It's dripping with sarcasm and defensiveness. I honestly can't see any good coming out of it, but I'll leave it open... for the moment. I expect it won't last long.

I don't agree with it either. I love pathfinder, I just want to know why people are still playing it, why would anyone play it if it's broken beyond repair as the internet claims it is. I really want to know. This thread was made after reading that huge "Problems with pathfinder and we will fix it" thread. I know that when someone gets defensive about something they like they tend to automatically think that the person who has concerns and questions, is trolling. I'm not trolling at all, I want a serious answer.

Also if you close this topic, can you please point me to a forum that will answer my question?

 

[Ahnehnois]

Simple: a lot of people feel the need to buy gaming products on a regular basis, and PF has produced the best gaming products on the market since its inception.

Just because they're not perfect or even if they're flawed in some significant ways doesn't mean they're not the best. It's been a lean six years or so for the gaming community.

 

[Morrus]

I don't agree with it either. I love pathfinder, I just want to know why people are still playing it, why would anyone play it if it's broken beyond repair as the internet claims it is. I really want to know. This thread was made after reading that huge "Problems with pathfinder and we will fix it" thread.

One thread doesn't make a consensus. There's hundreds of very positive Pathfinder threads full of people talking about and enjoying the game, and tons of people actively playing it in the PbP forums here. I think this is a pretty pro-Pathfinder board.

 

[Imaro]

Simple: a lot of people feel the need to buy gaming products on a regular basis, and PF has produced the best gaming products on the market since its inception.

Just because they're not perfect or even if they're flawed in some significant ways doesn't mean they're not the best. It's been a lean six years or so for the gaming community.

Why do you contend that the past six years have been "lean" for the gaming community... from my recollection there have been tons of new and good rpg's that have come out since the creation of PF... or am I not understanding your usage of lean here?

 

[Evenglare]

One thread doesn't make a consensus. There's hundreds of very positive Pathfinder threads full of people talking about and enjoying the game, and tons of people actively playing it in the PbP forums here. I think this is a pretty pro-Pathfinder board.

You are absolutely correct that one thread is not a consensus, I'd drop the question if that were the case. The truth is though, anywhere you go be it Wizards forums, Paizo's forums, /tg/, here at enworld, gamefaqs' tabletop forum people are discussing similar issues about the brokenness of the game. I'd find it hard to believe that people have never run into this before.

 

[DMZ2112]

D&D speaks to people. They might not stick with it; they might become more savvy gamers and move on, deciding that FATE or Savage Worlds is a "better" system, but D&D has tremendous presence. It's in the same category as WoD1, RIFTS, and Shadowrun -- games that make you think, "I know what I would do with that if I had it," by virtue of their presentation.

Other games might be better designed, but presenting a system that genuinely inspires is a rare opportunity.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Why do you contend that the past six years have been "lean" for the gaming community... from my recollection there have been tons of new and good rpg's that have come out since the creation of PF... or am I not understanding your usage of lean here?

I've seen a sprinkling of nice small-niche things that never took off or were never intended to, but I've not seen much. Certainly not for people who aren't willing to leave the D&D umbrella, which is a lot of people.

 

[billd91]

I think it's selling well because, simply enough, people enjoy the D&D experience it provides well enough to buy it. And it is clear to me, no matter if you're a critic of PF or of 4e, gamers seem to want to be part of or have an ongoing D&D experience. That desire, call it brand identification if you want, drives people to debate how to change something to be the game they want it to be - or preserve it from such change - rather than seek out games that fit their preferences better than D&D/whatever D&D is changing into.

Actually, I'd argue that a lot of people who didn't like 4e did just that - they moved to PF because they didn't like what D&D was changing into. But that's a complicated issue because PF is explicitly the torchbearer for 3e-style D&D and is being treated as and considered to be D&D by a lot of the D&D-fan community. So, ultimately, I'm lumping 4e-critics/PF-fans into the same issue of wanting to be D&D players and wanting D&D to be the D&D of their preference.

EDIT: And, of course, Paizo's a good company, that provides good customer service, and makes good products. What's not to like?