Steel_Wind
Legend
To the extent that WotC has competition, Paizo is certainly the largest. To be sure, Paizo has played a more effective role as a competitor in the marketplace in the past than they are right now. Still, Paizo isn't giving up.Paizo releases very little content for 5e (there's the stuff for Kingmaker and I think that's it?) and if I had to guess who the "large corporations" WOTC is angry at are, I'd guess Paizo tops the list. So I'm not at all sure that they had the kind of privileged access to info that this thread is suggesting, except insofar as they may have been told about it by other industry players.
Abomination Vaults for 5e, as well, would be the next most important product from Paizo. It's coming out this June, 2023.
The Kingmaker 5e version was authorized long ago and caught up in development hell during covid. AV is much more recent. In both cases (and especially with AV), what Paizo is doing is trying to get the best of its products into the hands of a great many entirely NEW players and DMs of 5e who are unfamiliar with Paizo products. And to do so with a relatively inexpensive one volume hardcover (which is what AV promises to be)
Most users of ENWorld are well aware of Paizo (though I do think many 5e fans here think they know more about PF2 and its products than they actually do).
Still, ENWorld grognards are NOT the main target market here. New 5e players brought in by Critical Role and MCDM, et al would be far more likely to be the target market for these marketing efforts.
You can say what you want about 5e vs PF1 or PF2 rule systems. But the one thing which WotC copied from Paizo (and not as well, imo, other than reducing the overall length) is Paizo's approach to Adventures.
Adventures are in Paizo's wheelhouse. Pathfinder Adventuire Path is their flagship product line - always has been. They do them better than anybody else, including WotC, imo. Paizo's production values are very high and there are a lot of new players who entered the hobby to play 5e who likely don't know that.
Paizo thinks (translation: Erik Mona thinks) that if they can get their best adventures into the hands of new players (Abomination Vaults Vol 1 would definitely fulfill that plan), then Paizo might get some new permanent business out of it - and maybe entice customers away from 5e to PF2.
If not, they create brand awareness and increase their good will --- and sell some books, the artwork for which is already a sunk cost. Win-Win.
To be clear, I think Abomination Vaults, Vol 1, is one of the best adventure products of the past 20 years. It's an excellent adventure written by James Jacobs, who is a master of his craft. (Sadly, Vol 2 isn't up to the same standard, imo). I express no opinion on Vol 3 by Stephen Radney-McFarland as I have not run it yet nor read it with the granular level of detail required for a truly in depth assessment.
Vol 1 though? :Chef's kiss!: You should get it for just that first part of the adventure. It's GREAT.
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