tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post4526057780302436925..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: REVIEW: Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign SettingJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52596643105870799452008-12-20T14:52:00.000-05:002008-12-20T14:52:00.000-05:00And there are parts of 4e that suggest even Wizard...<I>And there are parts of 4e that suggest even Wizards isn’t as committed to that position as they once were.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't believe any edition of <I>D&D</I> has ever, as written anyway, denied the sovereignty of the referee or outright claimed that only official products/rulings were best. However, in practice, as the games have been marketed, this has been the approach and I would be amazed if 4e, which is probably the first edition of the game to have been designed primarily to maximize profits, somehow managed to avoid this same fate.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-62965232930234432872008-12-19T07:58:00.000-05:002008-12-19T07:58:00.000-05:00And even the 3e PHB—which was admittedly designed ...And even the 3e PHB—which was admittedly designed to “take the DM out of the equation”—started with “step zero: check with your DM”.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-5925477501486145732008-12-19T07:54:00.000-05:002008-12-19T07:54:00.000-05:00“Over the last 20 years, if not longer, game compa...“<B>Over the last 20 years, if not longer, game companies have been making ‘official’ into a word of ever greater importance and downgrading the importance of the referee not only to create his game world as he sees fit but also to interpret the rules according to his own lights.</B>”<BR/><BR/>o_O<BR/><BR/>Isn’t this really mostly confined to Wizards of the Coast? And maybe a few of the companies that have done little but try to ride their coat-tails.<BR/><BR/>And there are parts of 4e that suggest even Wizards isn’t as committed to that position as they once were.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73100275303561397442008-12-13T14:23:00.000-05:002008-12-13T14:23:00.000-05:00You know, I have a really hard time accepting this...<I>You know, I have a really hard time accepting this argument. A player who seriously can’t accept it that we’re playing in the referee’s setting no matter what it may be inspired by is going to have trouble getting along with any group. Neither the industry or the hobby should concern itself with such things. Except for making clear that it is not a tenable position for a player to take.</I><BR/><BR/>The problem is that the industry hasn't been making clear that this is not a tenable position. Over the last 20 years, if not longer, game companies have been making "official" into a word of ever greater importance and downgrading the importance of the referee not only to create his game world as he sees fit but also to interpret the rules according to his own lights. "Convention style" play is now the driver of game design and it's given many players an expectation that whatever's in a book ought also to be in his campaign as well.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66972453177273923632008-12-10T08:58:00.000-05:002008-12-10T08:58:00.000-05:00“However, after a certain point, I have no doubt t...“<B>However, after a certain point, I have no doubt that this will become harder and harder, if only because many players have a tendency to think that, if it's in a printed product, it's true and the referee must abide by it.</B>”<BR/><BR/>You know, I have a really hard time accepting this argument. A player who seriously can’t accept it that we’re playing in the referee’s setting no matter what it may be inspired by is going to have trouble getting along with any group. Neither the industry or the hobby should concern itself with such things. Except for making clear that it is not a tenable position for a player to take.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50351478275622780952008-12-03T20:14:00.000-05:002008-12-03T20:14:00.000-05:00James to your comment on over saturation, I blogge...James to your comment on over saturation, I blogged a bit about this yesterday. I think they will see a surge in sales (with the release of PFRPG) followed a leveling out for precisely this point. I think they will have to look at another flagship product in order to keep growing their business.Mr Baronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07502432352346301026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80174936008823788752008-12-03T15:02:00.000-05:002008-12-03T15:02:00.000-05:00All in all I think that as the hobby continues to ...<I>All in all I think that as the hobby continues to age, this is what the majority of customers will need to keep playing.</I><BR/><BR/>This presumes that there isn't new blood being injected into the hobby, which I think, at this point in time, is a fair assessment. I don't think that's a good thing, though, and, had I the money and savvy to do so, I'd be concentrating on finding ways to make tabletop RPGs attractive to younger folks rather than catering to the buying habits of better off, older gamers.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31762900816702134262008-12-03T15:00:00.000-05:002008-12-03T15:00:00.000-05:00I think for any small company, they have to provid...<I>I think for any small company, they have to provide continued support for their flag ship product in order to keep their dorrs open. That becomes their business model by default. They have to sell to stay in business. So, we will definitely get a lot of Pathfinder material.</I><BR/><BR/>Definitely. Ultimately, I don't know how sustainable such a model is. I suspect they'll need to come out with other product lines eventually, because they approach they've chosen (out of necessity, perhaps) is one that could easily saturate the market for <I>Pathfinder</I> and thus dry up sales long-term.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13948574796630198122008-12-03T14:58:00.000-05:002008-12-03T14:58:00.000-05:00Anyway, if they're going to do a product line ...<I>Anyway, if they're going to do a product line targeted at those who feel exiled from their D&D, Paizo spelling 97% of it all out over time is giving the customer what they want. Furthermore, it's probably key to their businessplan... those who desire canon are also those who will buy almost everything to keep up.</I><BR/><BR/>Oh, agreed. I don't think Paizo is stupid and I also know full well that they're not trying to grab the old school market, so I completely understand why they publish as they do. I'm simply voicing my concerns as someone who appreciates their work and wishes that it were presented in a fashion more compatible with my own gaming style.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31375787508893787082008-12-03T14:50:00.000-05:002008-12-03T14:50:00.000-05:00I know for me the main reason I like books like th...I know for me the main reason I like books like the PFCS is that I'm way busier now than I was 20 years ago. With 4 kids, a side business, and other responsibilities, I just don't have the time to make everything up and having a crutch helps keep me in the hobby.<BR/><BR/>All in all I think that as the hobby continues to age, this is what the majority of customers will need to keep playing.Savage Party of 6https://www.blogger.com/profile/11723038902172382137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28950006116021276522008-12-03T12:34:00.000-05:002008-12-03T12:34:00.000-05:00As for cost, if you don't mind not directly suppor...As for cost, if you don't mind not directly supporting Paizo, you can get it for $20 cheaper over on Nobleknight.Hamlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05135081554790749914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-83191600633011745192008-12-03T11:01:00.000-05:002008-12-03T11:01:00.000-05:00I was a full Paizo subscriber until the release of...I was a full Paizo subscriber until the release of this book. When I saw the content of this book I decided that I didn't need any of the other "Supplement" material. While I am still a subscriber to thier adventures (both the paths and their standalone adventures) as well as the Planet Stories, there was more than enough info in the Gaz as well as this book for many years of gaming if I choose to use Golarion.<BR/><BR/>I understand their business plan and wish them success - even if just to make sure I keep getting my Planet Stories. But, there is more info in this book than there was in the Greyhawk folio - why do I need more? I loved, loved, loved the way that Greyhawk was revealed through the modules and I decided the same method would be good enough for "my" Golarion.<BR/><BR/>And I agree with the previous poster about 3.x DM's wanting everything spelled out. It seems that with a system that has a rule for everything, everything has to be included in the published material.P_Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12374589162025099763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-36054214491841178452008-12-03T03:19:00.000-05:002008-12-03T03:19:00.000-05:00I think for any small company, they have to provid...I think for any small company, they have to provide continued support for their flag ship product in order to keep their dorrs open. That becomes their business model by default. They have to sell to stay in business. So, we will definitely get a lot of Pathfinder material. <BR/><BR/>For the individual game designers that self publish on the side, they have greater flexibility and can be more selective on what they product, as their livelyhood is not dependant on RPG sales. Selling 200 copies of something is fine, but for Paizo, this clearly will not work.Mr Baronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07502432352346301026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56602150690597151882008-12-02T19:48:00.000-05:002008-12-02T19:48:00.000-05:00re: the canon trap, "...if only because many playe...re: the canon trap, <I>"...if only because many players have a tendency to think that, if it's in a printed product, it's true and the referee must abide by it."</I><BR/><BR/>It seems to me, though, that they know their target audience. I took some time off of gaming, only came back to it this year. I never lived through 3.x. But it seems to me -- and I apologize in advance for the huge generalization -- that a good majority of 3.x fans <B>want</B> everything to be canonized for them. They want everything spelled out in detail and a RAW to fall back on. Again, sorry for the generalization (I could go really nuts on this subject alone; this change I perceive in RPG player psyche was the strangest thing to see when I came "home").<BR/><BR/>Anyway, if they're going to do a product line targeted at those who feel exiled from their D&D, Paizo spelling 97% of it all out over time is giving the customer what they want. Furthermore, it's probably key to their businessplan... those who desire canon are also those who will buy almost everything to keep up.Robert Saint Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16063044279947754807noreply@blogger.com