So what do you think the good people at Pazio will do with Pathfinder when D&D next comes out?

Do you think they will be compelled to put out a new edition of pathfinder?

If 5e is a big hit do you think they will make a comparable clone - or will they go with a re-imagined version of the 3e rules set?

Will they make a 2e Pathfinder if 5e is met with a lukewarm reception?

Personally I think that they will make a new edition of some kind, but it will come out a year or so after Next.

It would be really interesting if they were working in secret on a new edition that came out the same year as D&D next.

Everyone Speculate!


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Quote from: Jaeger;684925So what do you think the good people at Pazio will do with Pathfinder when D&D next comes out?

Do you think they will be compelled to put out a new edition of pathfinder?

If 5e is a big hit do you think they will make a comparable clone - or will they go with a re-imagined version of the 3e rules set?

Will they make a 2e Pathfinder if 5e is met with a lukewarm reception?

Personally I think that they will make a new edition of some kind, but it will come out a year or so after Next.

It would be really interesting if they were working in secret on a new edition that came out the same year as D&D next.

Everyone Speculate!


.

The only thing Paizo needs to do is what it's already doing. They have absolutely nothing to worry about. 5e is a non-issue. I mean, really....how soon will it be before we see a 6e?

If they decide to make a Pathfinder 2e in the next two years (unlikely), then it would likely just be an errata'd version of the first one. They're primarily aiming for the 3.x market, which contains the lion's share of D&D players. It's a winning strategy.

But who knows? Maybe Paizo will become cosmically stupid, and prematurely abandon a winning formula.

*If* there is a generally open license for 5e *and* 5e seems to eat heavily into their sales, I think you will see a slow migration over, probably starting with duel stated books.

How likely either of those is, it is hard to tell right now.

Paizo shouldn't be patting themselves on the back too much over their success: they had very little to do with it. They poached the 3.0 artist and reprinted the rules with minimal changes. If 4e hadn't been such a clusterfuck Pathfinder would be making the same money that Castles and Crusades or Dark Descents makes-- not much. Keep in mind that most people don't stick with Pathfinder out of any great love of the system. They're there because it's not 4e.  

4e's existence and short lifespan are aberrations, not the new normal.
Once the campaigns for 5e start getting released: Dark Sun, Eberron, Dragonlance and the like, Paizo will very much have to watch their back.

Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;684932The only thing Paizo needs to do is what it's already doing.

Basically.

All Pathfinder has to do is come out with Pathfinder Basic. A light rules RPG that is completely compatible with Pathfinder core (Advanced) rules.  And the best part, they wouldn't need two years to make it.  Doing that, they will make sure to keep and add those that want a rules light system. As long as they keep it high quality, there is nothing to worry about.

Quote from: Benoist;684936Basically.

So you think they can sustain indefinitely with a two new full-size player option books every three months (on average - it's two a month, but they are small, so takes three of them to add up to one full-length book); and can also sustain their current trend of referencing those additional non-core books in their new adventures at what seems to be an increasing rate with each new AP?

I don't.  That's not a good long-term strategy, it's a short-term to mid-term one.  That's a strategy that, if maintained, has historically always led to a new edition.

Quote from: Mistwell;684939So you think they can sustain indefinitely with a two new full-size player option books every three months (on average - it's two a month, but they are small, so takes three of them to add up to one full-length book); and can also sustain their current trend of referencing those additional non-core books in their new adventures at what seems to be an increasing rate with each new AP?

Well I'm not their target audience. It seems to me that what they are doing caters to the fandom they are after, namely the people who want more 3.x, more rules options, more prestige classes, and so on, as well as those who want more adventure paths, more 2e-style setting gazetteers, story-telling and so on.

Neither of these crowds show any sign of wanting the supplement mill to slow down or stop altogether. I mean, as a former compulsive buyer of 3e stuff some ten years ago, I think I own all the game books and rules stuff I would ever need if I ran 3e/Pathfinder again (which if I did, I probably would limit to core-only, admitedly, with specific PrCs and stuff adapted for my settings' needs, of course), while the adventure paths might represent more actual value to me for ideas of adventure set-ups and the like, but I'm not their customer right now.

It's quite obvious that some people like this stuff, want this stuff, and despite almost 15 years of d20-compatible products to choose from, will want more and more of this stuff for the years to come. If they've kept on buying this stuff for 15 years, I don't see why they would suddenly stop doing so.

I really have no dog in this fight, because as a gamer I'm looking for something else right now, and as a designer I want to bring something different from what Paizo's offering at people's gaming tables, so take that as you will. It really seems to me Paizo is doing good business for itself, and it doesn't show any sign - from what I can tell, as an outsider - of slowing down or stopping any time soon.

Quote from: Benoist;684942Well I'm not their target audience. It seems to me that what they are doing caters to the fandom they are after, namely the people who want more 3.x, more rules options, more prestige classes, and so on, as well as those who want more adventure paths, more 2e-style setting gazetteers, story-telling and so on.

Neither of these crowds show any sign of wanting the supplement mill to slow down or stop altogether. I mean, as a former compulsive buyer of 3e stuff some ten years ago, I think I own all the game books and rules stuff I would ever need if I ran 3e/Pathfinder again (which if I did, I probably would limit to core-only, admitedly, with specific PrCs and stuff adapted for my settings' needs, of course), while the adventure paths might represent more actual value to me for ideas of adventure set-ups and the like, but I'm not their customer right now.

It's quite obvious that some people like this stuff, want this stuff, and despite almost 15 years of d20-compatible products to choose from at this point, will want more and more of this stuff for the years to come. If they've kept on buying this stuff for 15 years, I don't see why they would suddenly stop doing so.

I really have no dog in this fight, because as a gamer I'm looking for something else right now, and as a designer I want to bring something different from what Paizo's offering at people's gaming tables, so take that as you will. It really seems to me Paizo is doing good business for itself, and it doesn't show any sign - from what I can tell, as an outsider - of slowing down or stopping any time soon.

I figure that if anything, Paizo will come out with another RPG that won't compete in Pathfinder's space.  A SF or Modern oriented game, perhaps.

Paizo isn't going to kill the golden goose by coming out with Pathfinder v2.0.  They saw what WotC did and obviously learned what WotC did wrong.

Let me rephrase this question:

Why is Pathfinder more successful than any of the other OGL hanger's on?

Quote from: JonWake;684946Let me rephrase this question:

Why is Pathfinder more successful than any of the other OGL hanger's on?

when they worked for WotC they got all the marketing information on who buys what, which gave them a massive inside edge. They also got a good reputation while inside the WotC umbrella which was pretty much enhanced when WotC cut them loose as part of the transition over to 4th edition, which lets face it did not make WotC many friends.

Most other OGL companies* either had a reputation for mass producing poor products, or for jumping on the OGL bandwagon.

*there are probably exceptions to this, as an example Green Ronin springs to mind.

It doesn't look like Next will offer much for the hardcore char op crowd. So Paizo has them locked up. The question is how much of their fanbase (especially the DMs) hold their nose at the system in order to enjoy the adventures. If Next hits a couple early adventures out of the park, or comes up with their own take on the adventure path, you could see DMs start to drift back to the old country.

And every game needs to replenish its player-base to offset attrition. In the long run, the publisher best able to attract and gain new players will win.

Quote from: Haffrung;684948The question is how much of their fanbase (especially the DMs) hold their nose at the system in order to enjoy the adventures.

The playtest material seems to have been received quite warmly on Pazio's forums. You a,so see a lot of people asking for Pathfinder Basic... although the fact that Pazio has never really gone down that route suggests that they don't think their are enough to make the risk viable.

Quote from: jadrax;684947when they worked for WotC they got all the marketing information on who buys what, which gave them a massive inside edge. They also got a good reputation while inside the WotC umbrella which was pretty much enhanced when WotC cut them loose as part of the transition over to 4th edition, which lets face it did not make WotC many friends.

Most other OGL companies* either had a reputation for mass producing poor products, or for jumping on the OGL bandwagon.

*there are probably exceptions to this, as an example Green Ronin springs to mind.

Green Ronin did well with Mutants and Masterminds, but they've never even approached the kind of numbers Pathfinder gets.

Quote from: JonWake;684946Why is Pathfinder more successful than any of the other OGL hanger's on?

Paizo was well-established and highly regarded by 3e players long before 4e was announced.

It didn't help that Whizbros spit in their collective eye by taking Dragon and Dungeon digital and substituting for the OGL with whatever license it was they came up with for 4e products.

It also doesn't hurt, that by all accounts, they seem to publish stuff that many gamers like.