Alzrius
The EN World kitten
For a while, it really seemed like 3.5 was in its death throes after the advent of 4E. We saw a lot of companies, large and small, that had put out great 3.5 material migrate away, instead dedicating themselves to 4E material, or to other systems that they'd grown more invested in. It really seemed like the 3.5 market was finished.
But I don't think that way anymore. In fact, lately I'm wondering if the best is yet to come, because as it turns out there's a lot to be excited about.
The big one is Paizo releasing the final version of their Pathfinder RPG. Really, if there was a single reason why 3.5 is still going to be viable, it's because of this. Paizo is a company with some serious heavyweights working for it, and they put out great material in a consistent, timely manner. Knowing that they're giving everything they've got to Pathfinder has given 3.5 a new lease on life.
They're not the only ones, either. Monte Cook's new Dungeon-A-Day just went live, and it's already looking spectacular. Having Monte back making new 3.5 material all the time is nothing short of a minor miracle, and really makes me excited for what he's going to unleash in the days, months, and years down the road for this new project. I'm already a charter member, and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
While it's not daily, Kobold Quarterly is still coming out with great new stuff every few months. While it's had some sporadic 4E material, the bulk of each magazine is still firmly 3.5-centric. Likewise, Wolfgang Baur's Open Design continues to have 3.5 projects for patronage; for the last project, patrons voted which edition to have it be, and 3.5 won hands-down, showing that there's still plenty of demand for the system out there!
And those are just some of the bigger names still putting out material for 3.5. Bad Axe Games just posted a preview of Trailblazer, their book of fixes to 3.5 that answer a lot of the problems in the system. Nick Logue's Sinister Adventures may be a bit behind schedule, but he's still got some great new adventures and sourcebooks in the works. Stat block guru John Cooper is finally getting his compendium of corrected 3.5 monster stat blocks out in Cooper's Compendium of Corrected Creatures series (now up to K!). Small publisher Myth Merchant Press has released a big hit with SORD, the document that reorganizes 3.5 combat rules into such a great layout that they guarantee it'll shave 10-15 minutes off your combats (and for you Pathfinder Beta players, check out SORD Plus 1.0).
That's just a sampling of some of the great stuff that's out now or is going to be released soon, and I think they're some of the most exciting products that 3.5 has seen in years. I'm really jazzed about the future of 3.5, and I can't wait to see what's next!
But I don't think that way anymore. In fact, lately I'm wondering if the best is yet to come, because as it turns out there's a lot to be excited about.
The big one is Paizo releasing the final version of their Pathfinder RPG. Really, if there was a single reason why 3.5 is still going to be viable, it's because of this. Paizo is a company with some serious heavyweights working for it, and they put out great material in a consistent, timely manner. Knowing that they're giving everything they've got to Pathfinder has given 3.5 a new lease on life.
They're not the only ones, either. Monte Cook's new Dungeon-A-Day just went live, and it's already looking spectacular. Having Monte back making new 3.5 material all the time is nothing short of a minor miracle, and really makes me excited for what he's going to unleash in the days, months, and years down the road for this new project. I'm already a charter member, and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
While it's not daily, Kobold Quarterly is still coming out with great new stuff every few months. While it's had some sporadic 4E material, the bulk of each magazine is still firmly 3.5-centric. Likewise, Wolfgang Baur's Open Design continues to have 3.5 projects for patronage; for the last project, patrons voted which edition to have it be, and 3.5 won hands-down, showing that there's still plenty of demand for the system out there!
And those are just some of the bigger names still putting out material for 3.5. Bad Axe Games just posted a preview of Trailblazer, their book of fixes to 3.5 that answer a lot of the problems in the system. Nick Logue's Sinister Adventures may be a bit behind schedule, but he's still got some great new adventures and sourcebooks in the works. Stat block guru John Cooper is finally getting his compendium of corrected 3.5 monster stat blocks out in Cooper's Compendium of Corrected Creatures series (now up to K!). Small publisher Myth Merchant Press has released a big hit with SORD, the document that reorganizes 3.5 combat rules into such a great layout that they guarantee it'll shave 10-15 minutes off your combats (and for you Pathfinder Beta players, check out SORD Plus 1.0).
That's just a sampling of some of the great stuff that's out now or is going to be released soon, and I think they're some of the most exciting products that 3.5 has seen in years. I'm really jazzed about the future of 3.5, and I can't wait to see what's next!
