Video: Pathfinder is Going Full Woke, But They Were Doomed to Brokeness
Today's video is in response to how a lot of people have been asking me about Pathfinder's playtest and its preachy SJW material. But I think it's irrelevant, they're already doomed, and in this video I explain why.
So check it out, and share it!
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From the playtest material, PF2 is looking like it's basically going to be PF1—changed up juuust enough to invalidate the material you already own—with some superficial 5e stuff clumsily bolted onto the already creaking hull. It's the worst of both worlds; an absolute monstrosity of a system.
Despite sticking a few 5e feathers in their cap to try to appeal to that crowd, Paizo is doubling down on the rules complexity. So they're not going to pull in any 5e fans (after the initial curiosity purchases), PLUS they're going to alienate a huge portion of existing PF fans, because the new system will be incompatible with the old and you'll have to re-buy a bunch of books that you essentially already own. Of course, such is the case with any edition "upgrade," but PF was literally FOUNDED on the idea of reverse compatibility with 3e, so this is an extra huge slap in the face to their most loyal fans who have been with them from the beginning.
Of course, Paizo isn't going to kick down anyone's door and take away their PF1 books. You could totally ignore PF2 and continue playing PF1 until the end of time, and I expect a lot of people will do just that. Paizo seems to have forgotten that people rejecting the new edition in favor of the old, is the entire reason they even exist. WOTC breaking their player base with an incompatible edition worked out SO well for them, didn't it? I expect we'll see a "PF OSR" crop up not too long after the new edition drops.
It's going to be a disaster of 4e proportions. The only reason I can foresee Paizo surviving, is because organized play is such a huge draw for them. People whose only opportunity to game is through the Pathfinder Society, will have no choice but to bend over and buy the new stuff if they want to continue having a hobby.
That would be a wonderful turnabout and I'd love to see some upstart company whipping Paizo's ass just as hard as Paizo whipped WOTC's during the 4e years.
I'm a 3.5e man myself. I think most of PF1's changes were unneccesary at best and downright damaging at worst, but I'm willing to play it if that's what someone wants to run.
Also instead of sending out another edition of Pathfinder which I agree will kill them. They should create a new campaign world. All pathfinder currently takes place on the same vanilla fantasy world, change that. They should create a SJW world in which pseudo-Europe is not the dominant play-area. Make a semi-real asia, india, or wheverever. Have a female/trans dominated Euro-standing. Add a second world and include a new Monster Manual dedicated to that world.
If they did it right they can translate the whole thing into Japanese, Chinese and Hindi and open new markets. If they do it wrong they haven't tanked the company as Pathfinder and the old vanilla world are still there to milk a bit longer.
"They should create a SJW world in which pseudo-Europe is not the dominant play-area. Make a semi-real asia, india, or wheverever. Have a female/trans dominated Euro-standing. Add a second world and include a new Monster Manual dedicated to that world."
They'd never do that in a million years, because they know it wouldn't sell and would prove to the whole industry beyond a shadow of a doubt that "Get woke, go broke" is a truism and not just an anti-SJW catchphrase.
Then again, maybe they WOULD do that... They obviously aren't making the best decisions these days.
From the playtest material, PF2 is looking like it's basically going to be PF1—changed up juuust enough to invalidate the material you already own—with some superficial 5e stuff clumsily bolted onto the already creaking hull. It's the worst of both worlds; an absolute monstrosity of a system.
ReplyDeleteDespite sticking a few 5e feathers in their cap to try to appeal to that crowd, Paizo is doubling down on the rules complexity. So they're not going to pull in any 5e fans (after the initial curiosity purchases), PLUS they're going to alienate a huge portion of existing PF fans, because the new system will be incompatible with the old and you'll have to re-buy a bunch of books that you essentially already own. Of course, such is the case with any edition "upgrade," but PF was literally FOUNDED on the idea of reverse compatibility with 3e, so this is an extra huge slap in the face to their most loyal fans who have been with them from the beginning.
Of course, Paizo isn't going to kick down anyone's door and take away their PF1 books. You could totally ignore PF2 and continue playing PF1 until the end of time, and I expect a lot of people will do just that. Paizo seems to have forgotten that people rejecting the new edition in favor of the old, is the entire reason they even exist. WOTC breaking their player base with an incompatible edition worked out SO well for them, didn't it? I expect we'll see a "PF OSR" crop up not too long after the new edition drops.
It's going to be a disaster of 4e proportions. The only reason I can foresee Paizo surviving, is because organized play is such a huge draw for them. People whose only opportunity to game is through the Pathfinder Society, will have no choice but to bend over and buy the new stuff if they want to continue having a hobby.
It would be a funny if another company took the PF1 SRD and created an alternate game just as Piazo did with 3.5.
DeleteI've never played Pathfinder but the SRD has a lot of neat bits. Bits that need work, but still.
That would be a wonderful turnabout and I'd love to see some upstart company whipping Paizo's ass just as hard as Paizo whipped WOTC's during the 4e years.
DeleteI'm a 3.5e man myself. I think most of PF1's changes were unneccesary at best and downright damaging at worst, but I'm willing to play it if that's what someone wants to run.
I agree they should down-size the company a lot.
ReplyDeleteAlso instead of sending out another edition of Pathfinder which I agree will kill them. They should create a new campaign world. All pathfinder currently takes place on the same vanilla fantasy world, change that. They should create a SJW world in which pseudo-Europe is not the dominant play-area. Make a semi-real asia, india, or wheverever. Have a female/trans dominated Euro-standing. Add a second world and include a new Monster Manual dedicated to that world.
If they did it right they can translate the whole thing into Japanese, Chinese and Hindi and open new markets. If they do it wrong they haven't tanked the company as Pathfinder and the old vanilla world are still there to milk a bit longer.
"They should create a SJW world in which pseudo-Europe is not the dominant play-area. Make a semi-real asia, india, or wheverever. Have a female/trans dominated Euro-standing. Add a second world and include a new Monster Manual dedicated to that world."
DeleteThey'd never do that in a million years, because they know it wouldn't sell and would prove to the whole industry beyond a shadow of a doubt that "Get woke, go broke" is a truism and not just an anti-SJW catchphrase.
Then again, maybe they WOULD do that... They obviously aren't making the best decisions these days.
If they are going to Woke their ruleset they will get to bankrupcy with no safety net. That is SJW thinking.
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