tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post1506158617495775057..comments2024-03-14T10:32:29.233-05:00Comments on Blood of Prokopius: Meditating on PathfinderFrDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459281821319914530noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-68892025566015676192012-01-13T09:57:15.985-06:002012-01-13T09:57:15.985-06:00I have to admit, I laughed myself. Having discover...I have to admit, I laughed myself. Having discovered this technical glitch, you now have a responsibility to come up with some kind of in-game magical/narcotic substance called Blood of pork opium and its affects... ;)FrDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459281821319914530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-33622122137583031432012-01-12T17:10:28.884-06:002012-01-12T17:10:28.884-06:00Unrelated but humorous story:
I was using my iPho...Unrelated but humorous story:<br /><br />I was using my iPhone to send a note to myself about your Conan & Alignment post. "Blood of Prokopius" was autocorrected to "Blood of pork opium" which I find insanely funny for some reason.Necropraxishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12716340801054739658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-24259777408836299522012-01-12T12:02:14.083-06:002012-01-12T12:02:14.083-06:00Thanks for the info. I might need to pick this up ...Thanks for the info. I might need to pick this up some time then. So far, my only Pathfinder purchase has been the GameMastery Guide, which I found to be somewhat disappointing.Necropraxishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12716340801054739658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-72328999234309810002012-01-11T13:17:55.533-06:002012-01-11T13:17:55.533-06:00@Brendan
The other Adventure Paths I have played d...@Brendan<br />The other Adventure Paths I have played do tend to be a bit railroady.<br /><br />As I understand it, the different Kingmaker books deal with specific areas within the sandbox. I don't know this, but I think there is also a progression in difficulty from book to book. This progression is difficult to discern as a player, however. We have had encounters with things as weak as kobolds and with things as powerful as a group of trolls and the errant will-o-the-wisp. If one doesn't take to heart the mantra "run away, live to fight another day" you are very likely to see a TPK virtually anywhere on the map...FrDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459281821319914530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-1586057125725966832012-01-10T16:07:07.711-06:002012-01-10T16:07:07.711-06:00Interesting comments on Kingmaker here. I have so ...Interesting comments on Kingmaker here. I have so far totally ignored the Adventure Paths, assuming that they were the epitome of railroading. Is there no implied order in the path books, and if so what does the numbering mean?Necropraxishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12716340801054739658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-17127999066869575592012-01-10T09:21:29.728-06:002012-01-10T09:21:29.728-06:00@Matthew
So far I think it does succeed as a sandb...@Matthew<br />So far I think it does succeed as a sandbox. The whole point of the campaign is to explore a particular territory. How you do that and what you do when you get there is entirely up to you. As a player, I feel absolutely no obligation to do things in a particular way or in a particular order. Thus, I am free to interact with the world in whatever way I choose. I have played other Paizo Adventure Paths, and this one has a significantly different feel, which is one of the reasons why the campaign has been so entertaining for me.FrDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459281821319914530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-75319633308428982012012-01-10T08:18:33.820-06:002012-01-10T08:18:33.820-06:00Does Kingmaker succeed at being a sandbox or is it...Does Kingmaker succeed at being a sandbox or is it just a sandboxy path (if that makes any sense)?Matthew Slepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04056247825064943944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-47082499589859418282012-01-10T07:54:47.380-06:002012-01-10T07:54:47.380-06:00Smart comments, I am of your generation and played...Smart comments, I am of your generation and played CAR WARS, MEKTON, and many other "build-y" games alongside 1e AD&D. <br /><br />I also think Pal has it right when he says that a big part of Paizo's success is its attitude toward its clients / fans.Carter Soleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-26859141619977760712012-01-10T07:29:42.262-06:002012-01-10T07:29:42.262-06:00@LoE
For me I can't help but feel that D&D...@LoE<br /><i>For me I can't help but feel that D&D is terminally ill</i><br />The brand may be, but I don't believe the hobby is. Grant it, it is a niche hobby, but unlike other niche hobbies it is very inexpensive to get involved and to stay involved. I would also add, that in my own experience, once people (of any age) get a taste of the old ways they not only see it as a legitimate option, but in many cases the better option.<br /><br />@Aaron<br />Exactly. Paizo saw WotC make a marketing mistake when they abandoned 3.5 and its customer base. Paizo took advantage, treated those jilted customers with utmost respect and reaped the benefits.<br /><br />@Mel<br /><i>Personally, I think that where Paizo shines is in their accessories.</i><br />Exactly. Their products are some of the best in the industry; however, they haven't done anything that I need or want for my particular style of play. That quality and their attitude towards the community has me always looking, though.<br /><br /><i> I'd tie the notion of "character builds" though to Magic and other CCGs. </i><br />So would I. It isn't a coincidence that an edition of D&D produced by the company that brought us Magic has elements of CCGs. <br /><br />In a way, this only reinforces my point. CCGs are the least satisfying way to "test builds" out there. While several of them are entertaining, I could never get over the feeling that I was being ripped off even when I wasn't paying for the decks I was using. 3e is a much more satisfying way to spend your money on builds.FrDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459281821319914530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-79630000639210949212012-01-10T06:58:16.598-06:002012-01-10T06:58:16.598-06:00Personally, I think that where Paizo shines is in ...Personally, I think that where Paizo shines is in their accessories. I've never played Pathfinder. I never intend to play Pathfinder. But I've purchased decks of items and NPCs. I've purchased battle mats. I've purchased some of their modules and "fluff books". I've purchased a few of their re-printed books of pulp classics. The way I see it is that they are providing value, by offering me content that I can not readily produce myself, and which make my games more interesting.<br /><br />Dave, I agree with you on the generational shift notion. I'd tie the notion of "character builds" though to Magic and other CCGs. Characters essentially become a collection of skills / traits in much the same way that a CCGs emphasize a deck-engine built out of specific cards. This style of play is infiltrating not just RPGs but boardgames more generally (e.g., Dominion, Race for the Galaxy, etc.). The games are cheaper to manufacture and easier to play test. Personally, I mostly dislike this style of game because the barriers to entry are high. To play a game well requires that a player be familiar with all the pieces of the game, but there are some interesting hybrids (e.g., Twilight Struggles). Like you, I grew up with war games that involved stacks of "chits" and which rules defined relatively generic interactions with an environment.Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06551480034601737297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-6790228953549391472012-01-09T23:57:22.625-06:002012-01-09T23:57:22.625-06:00Yes, i'm not sure that Pathfinder is doing so ...Yes, i'm not sure that Pathfinder is doing so well because it is a better game. Rather, they are doing well because they treat their clients with more respect.Aaron E. Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789462075611254929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290828421410624791.post-65594887916632400552012-01-09T22:17:48.763-06:002012-01-09T22:17:48.763-06:00I agree with you and have had a similar experience...I agree with you and have had a similar experience to your own it sounds. Though I have to say I haven't played any of the OSR stuff. I like the concept of LL, LotFP, OSRIC, C&C, etc. etc. but getting people to play them in my own gaming group has been a non-starter. We had a brief run of success with 4e, where the game did what it does ... ran like a miniature D&D board game. Being a group with a healthy mix of mini wargamers we found some things to like about that. For me though D&D has never been the same since the days of 2nd ed ended. The grid killed D&D for me .. though I've probably played in 20 3.0-4e era D&D campaigns (I've lived in two towns and had to rebuild a group, so I've been through alot of games). I feel the same way you do about Paizo. I like the company and the guys running it and the way they treat their customers and community ... I own the fat rulebook and have played a single six session campaign. It was OK ... it was as you say like a 3.5 game but a little better. For me I can't help but feel that D&D is terminally ill ... the version wars are killing it ... and the endless onslaught of video games is going to slowly tear down all tabletop gaming. Getting gamers to not be total flakes, to agree on things, and to put down the keyboard and controller long enough to do some face to face gaming is getting harder and harder. I think the demise of 4e and the eventual roll out of 5th ed is too little too late. For me I think the only D&D I'll play for the rest of my life will probably be D&D with my children when they get a bit older ... other than that it is just a fading memory for me now ... so try as I might I can't take joy in the death of 4th ed or the announcement that 5th ed is coming with a focus on reunification.The Lord of Excesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12844701226225155792noreply@blogger.com