Gold Fever!

Monday, February 8, 2010

As I write this the finishing touches are going in on our newest Pathfinder Module, City of Golden Death, the climactic conclusion to the Price of Immortality campaign arc. Written by our own Events Manager, Joshua J. Frost, the adventure takes the PCs to the notorious Isle of Terror, where they'll face agents of the Living God Razmir, ageless menaces from ancient Thassilon, the undying machinations of the Whispering Tyrant himself, and even greater perils! Here's a sneak peak of some of the scenes your PCs can expect to face when the module releases in just a few short weeks. Enjoy!

Illustration by Andres Espara

Illustration by Jorge Maese

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Good Maps Make for Good Adventures

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Nothing ruins a session of Pathfinder RPG more than a badly drawn map. You sit in your chair, your character sheet and dice firmly in hand, and stare at the crudely drawn map the GM sketched on the mat, struggling to discern exactly what those squiggles on the board are supposed to be.

"So, where's the door?" you ask and the GM points to a series of more complicated squiggles in the mass of squiggles. You put your mini down on the map and your GM sighs and says something like, "That's not even a room," and moves your mini over a few squares—like you could even see a room in the spaghetti shapes spattered on the mat.

Good maps make for good adventures. A bad map, whether it's drawn on a mat by your GM or published in a printed adventure, can ruin everything. If you can't tell where anything is supposed to be or what those squares, lines, tags, squiggles, or eraser marks are supposed to represent, it's going to be awfully difficult to explain them to your players—or, heck, to even figure them out for yourself. Pathfinder RPG, like its predecessor, is a game wherein eventually minis come out, get placed on 5-foot squares, and action happens. That action can either happen in a lavishly detailed temple of Cayden Cailean, or it can happen on a board that looks like a cross between a blood stain and a chalk board full of combinatory mathematics.

I have a handful of authors for the Pathfinder Society scenarios who turn over absolutely amazing maps with every adventure—sometimes these maps are so good I question why we're sending them to a professional cartographer to, essentially, just be colored. Tim Hitchcock is easily my best author-turned-map artist. The sample map below was his turnover for the temple of Cayden Cailean in Absalom for Pathfinder Society Scenario #40: The Hall of Drunken Heroes. As soon as I opened that image I knew exactly what the hall looked like, where everything was, how to get in and out, and where every set of stairs, every door, and every window was. In my art order to Mike Schley, the Pathfinder Society cartographer (and an amazing artist), I simply said, "Awesome author turnover—follow his lead."

Turnover by Tim Hitchcock

I wish I could say it was always like that. I wish I could say every turnover we receive at Paizo is art and requires no extra work on the part of the developers. I wish I could say every turnover had a one-line art order to the cartographer like mine above. Unfortunately, we receive a lot of really bad maps. That's not to say we have a lot of really bad designers or anything—far from it. It's more to say that perhaps we haven't emphasized enough what a gargantuan pain in the tail slap a bad map turnover is. Let's say you're designing a small 5,000-person city for us. Your map turnover comes in with 5 box shapes, a circle, and a few smudges. Now, we can read through your text and pull out all of the relevant tags and information about the city and add those to the map (which we'd rather not do, mind you) but, in the end, we're going to have to redraw that map ourselves—which is time we should be spending making the adventure or city write-up better, rather than fixing the turnover.

A good map, like Tim's, tells us immediately everything we need to know about the location. I don't have to redraw his map and I don't have to send a novel with the map order that includes tags and descriptions for every room so the cartographer can get the map right. Were we to send our cartographers the bad map example from above, without also sending along the entire article that goes with it, we'd get back a nicely drawn, full-color drawing of 5 box shapes, a circle, and a few smudges. Our cartographers are awesome, but their base for quality is only as good as the hand-drawn map they receive. A cartographer should be able to open the author's map and immediately get to work turning a good map into a great map rather than reading a wall of text and then turning a terrible map into a mediocre map.

A lesson for all of you would-be future Paizo authors and current Paizo freelancers: a map turnover can make or break your submission. When you're done drawing it, look it over with a careful, discerning, player-focused eye. If you drew that map for your table of players, would they have any idea what it was on first glance or would they, like the first example, put their mini in the wrong place when combat started? Your map doesn't have to be a work of art—it just has to be interpretable so our artists can make it one.

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

Illustration by Anthony Jones

Developer's Diary: Tentacles from the Deep

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

As one of my new duties here in Paizo's editorial pit, I've been asked to take on the development for the upcoming Pathfinder Module From Shore to Sea, designed and developed with the assistance of the patrons at Wolfgang Baur's Open Design Studio . The adventure is a fun-filled romp (some might say a terrifying delve) through sunken ruins, with ancient Azlanti technology and undersea abominations thrown in for good measure, and I thought now was a good time to share a little bit of the process that goes into developing a Pathfinder Module.

We've already done the art and map orders for the adventure, helped in no small part by author Brandon Hodge's detailed and descriptive turnovers. Which leads us to the adventure itself. I'm still wading around in the shallow waters of the module (just getting my feet wet, so to speak), but I've already ventured into spooky, seaside villages, dealt with their insular, ichthyic inhabitants (some preliminary sketches appear below), and wrestled with giant tentacles from beneath the waves. From Shore to Sea has already had extensive playtesting as part of the design process at Open Design, so most of my development work so far has involved arranging things in a more Pathfinder-friendly format, clarifying rules issues, and making a few minor adjustments here and there to make a cool adventure even cooler.

It's looking like a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to diving even further into the adventure to see what ancient Azlanti wonders and eldritch horrors come to light from out of its abyssal depths. Maybe I'll even get a chance to run some unfortunate players through it myself eventually. Now all I have to do is keep James Jacobs from throwing a tylosaurus into the adventure...

Rob McCreary
Assistant Editor

RPG Superstar™ 2010: 16 finalists advance to Round 3!

Round 3 contestants will create monster stat blocks

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Our Top 32 contestants submitted their Round 2 entries in the form of monster concepts for use with Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. In addition to regular judges Clark Peterson, Sean K Reynolds, and Wes Schneider, guest judge Greg Vaughan commented on each contestant's submission. You voted for your favorites, selecting our Top 16 contestants; the ultimate winner will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo's upcoming Pathfinder Modules!

Advanced Player’s Guide Playtest, Bonus Round!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Although the playtest of the six base classes set to appear in the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide was scheduled to be over yesterday, we have decided to extend it by two weeks to give you a chance to review and playtest the changes from the previous three rounds. We took all of your feedback and ideas and implemented a number of changes to the classes, combining them into one handy reference PDF. You can find the PDF right here.

You have two weeks to playtest and comment on these revisions in the Final Playtest messageboard forum. Make sure to post your feedback on in the correct forum, because we might miss it if you place it in one of the older forums. On February 15th, all of the forums will be closed.

As with previous playtests, this process has been a huge benefit to the development of these classes. I hope that you have enjoyed participating in the process. Look for previews of the final book to start appearing in June, ramping up to the final release in August.

See you on the boards.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Voting Booth Closes Today for RPG Superstar Monsters

Monday, February 1, 2010

Just a quick reminder—the voting for Round 2 of RPG Superstar 2010 ends today at 2 p.m. Pacific Time! If you haven't visited the voting booth yet, there's still a little time left! Tomorrow, we announce the Top 16 competitors who advance to Round 3!

Sean K Reynolds
RPG Superstar Judge

River Kingdoms of the Fellnight Queen

Friday, January 29, 2010

It's a busy week here at Paizo, and that means it's time for an art blog! So enjoy this sneak peek at some artwork from the upcoming Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen and Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to the River Kingdoms!

	Illustration by Andrew Kim
Illustration by Jorge Maese	Illustration by Andres Espara

Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Chronicles and Pathfinder Modules

Fan Made: Miniatures

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

As the new Reaper Pathfinder minis roll into (and just as quickly out of) the warehouse, it makes me appreciate how crafty Paizo fans can be. With all the miniatures, sets, props, and stage plays we've seen kitbashed together around here, it's easy for even the unstoppable Paizo warband to feel humbled. And of all these projects, miniatures occupy a special place in most gamers' hearts. Something about having that 25mm scale representation of your character touches a special, squishy place in every geek's heart. My own collection of painted minis rivals even that of Czarina Catherine the Great (little known fact: Cat was gonzo for 1st Edition, and ran a game of Traveller every other Thursday), but EPA lead regulations and simple goblin humility prevent me from sharing them here.

To get you geared up for your brand new Pathfinder Reaper minis, here's a quick collection of links to help teach and inspire every crafty Paizo fan.

In the last few weeks, the Paizo messageboards have been buzzing with painting tips, tricks, and (most of all), examples. With active discussions and a welcoming group familiar with the Pathfinder line, this is your best place to get started and learn from a friendly group you might already know. Even the official Paizo Paintmeister, Sean K Reynolds contributes to the discussions and offers insider tips. If you don't need to pick up the basics, it never hurts to hobnob with fellow Paizonians, show off your work, bask in the admiration of the faceless masses, and know for just a brief moment how it feels to be a world-famous goblin blogger and production specialist. Also it facilitates that sense of community that makes Paizo fans the best of the best.

If you love the idea of having a tiny metal avatar of yourself, but don't know where to start, then one of the best places to learn is the Miniature Painting Guild. They feature several handy tutorials for all skills levels, as well as forums and a large gallery. My personal favorite: a catalog of "restored" miniatures, rescued from terrible paint jobs by the Guild's loyal members. And if you're simply one of the Paizonians with more time than money, the Miniature Painting Guild also offers professional paintings services on commission.

Once you're comfortable with the basics, Reaper Miniatures offers some of the best figures in the industry, covering hundreds of niches and character archetypes. Searching the Reaper catalog the old-fashioned way, while exciting, can take weeks, so be sure to try out their Figure Finder to pick out exactly the right miniature for your character needs. Or just browse through their Inspirational Gallery for ideas to customize your own painting work. Once you know what models you want, you can order most any of them here in the Paizo storefront and combine them with the latest Pathfinder supplements and GameMastery items you'll doubtless be using with them.

Of course, old-fashioned pewter miniatures are only the beginning: everything from repurposed game tokens and children's toys to your favorite illustrations can be turned into prime gaming minis with a little creativity and know-how. I've seen a man run a game with nothing but miniatures molded by his own, gnarled hands from Sculpy, and my great-grandmother ran tactical table wargames with an entire Napoleonic regiment made from the piled entrails of her fallen enemies. The smell was horrendous, but it gave her a certain psychological edge. As gamers, we share a lot of creative outlets, but few that are so easily appreciated and constantly in play as our minis. For some of us, minis were even that neat little gimmick that first got us into gaming. So lay your hands on some lead and show off your skills in the forums, and let us revel in this common facet of gaming culture. As the immortal Steve Martin put it: Let's get small.

Crystal Frasier
Production Specialist

Memories

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

As many of you know, having followed this internship period with great fervor (I have been assaulted by paparazzi no less than seven times), I will soon be vanishing from this land.

There are some benefits to my departure. Once more I will be addressed by other people as "Matt" and not "starving intern," which is less of a title really and more of the beginnings to a declarative statement (read: "Starving interns, bookmark this PDF!").

Some of my best memories were those times when I could ride someone's coattails into the building, having been given no keys of my own. This I savored in lieu of the alternative: braving the main entrance thorough the customer service lair, wherein waits Cosmo, destroyer of worlds. Though I was threatened only once by way of nerf gun, I was also accosted in the name of a ham sandwich, which I have yet to procure. It would be incorrect for me to suggest that I tremble at every sound I hear, but at times I do flinch and shrink away from what I fear may be the inevitability of Cosmo's ham-sandwichless wrath.

I remember relearning a lot of gaming. It's a well-kept secret (among staff here, even) that I landed this internship without much gaming experience at all. So little, in fact, that I had only three d20 Modern sessions under my belt and one 3.5 session. By that token, I'm completely thrilled to have been given this opportunity, as well as to have played in Crystal's campaign (mentioned by Tyler here).

I remember the sparse but consistently entertaining vignettes of the life experiences of Sean K Reynolds. I remember data entry, copy edits, development meetings, manuscript styling, playtests, teaching myself Photoshop on a whim, arranging battles between weresabretooth tigers and the lava dragon on my desk, drinking lots of tea, bookmarking PDFs, and repairing Planet Stories manuscripts. I remember teaching Wes the intern's point of view on free food: "Do not question free food, for it is both free, and food." I remember my first editorial pass on Pathfinder Society Scenario #36: Voice in the Void. I remember how its writer soon came to work for us. I remember the occasional free meal, sometimes paid for by you, the wonderful fans.

In fact, I remember everything fondly with the exception of Highway 520, that notoriously temperamental highway and bridge that separates the Paizo offices from "mainland" Seattle. To the hour of traffic I sat in each night after departing, I bid you adieu.

To all my fellow Pathfinder fans, I'll likely see you on the messageboards, and to the rest of the staff... I'll see you at PaizoCon '10. Wish me luck in my senior year of college, and more than that, luck in finding a job afterwards!

Matthew Lund
Editorial Intern

Round Two: Vote for your favorite monsters!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Our Top 32 contestants submitted their Round 2 entries in the form of monster concepts for use with Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. In addition to regular judges Clark Peterson, Sean K Reynolds, and Wesley Schneider, guest judge Greg Vaughan has commented on each contestant's submission. And now you can read and critique the top 32, and then vote for your four favorites! The 16 designers garnering the most votes will continue on to Round 3 and the ultimate winner will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo's upcoming Pathfinder Modules!

Alexander MacLeod (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)—Ardorwesp Alex Shideler (Springfield, Virginia, USA)—Prismwing, Larvae Andrew Sun (Springfield, Missouri, USA)—Carapace Devil Benjamin Bruck (Boise, Idaho, USA)—Chymick Brian Hoffman (Altoona, Wisconsin, USA)—Spitfire Revenant Chris Mortika (Coralville, Iowa, USA)—Lantern Thrall David Posener (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)—Haga Dennis Baker (Stockton, California, USA)—Brown Urus Eric Hindley (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)—Sensory Stalker Erik Randall (Missoula, Montana, USA)—Sin-Fallen Angel of Gluttony James Martin (Durham, North Carolina, USA)—Wyrmhiri Jared Goodwin (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)—Tremagguan Jason Schimmel (Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA)—Caltrop Golem Jeff Spencer (Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands)—Marrow worm Jesse Benner—Chaitrakhan Jim Groves (Ontario, Oregon, USA)—Skintaker

Joe Wells (Saint Louis, Missouri, USA)—Necrotic Tempest Joshua Kitchens (Centerville, Georgia, USA)—Astrumal Kevin Akemann (Hartford, Wisconsin, USA)—Echo Drinkers Lief Clennon (Garberville, California, USA)—Rotling Matt Goodall (Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia)—Churjiir Matthew McGee (Davis, California, USA)—Ossuary Golem Matthew Morris (Columbus, Ohio, USA)—Lahamu Nick Waln—Mind Reaper Nicolas Quimby (Anson, Maine, USA)—Liesinger RC Higgins (Stanton, Kentucky, USA)—Fearmonger Richard Hunt (Plano, Texas, USA)—Splorudra Sean McGowan (New York, New York, USA)—Rictus Seth White (Plymouth, Minnesota, USA)—Crysalis Stephen Sheahan—Corpse Sticher Tobias Mullen (Boulder, Colorado, USA)—Deathleech Puppeteer Tom Phillips (Orange Park, Florida, USA)—Slithering Horror

Vote now!

Round Two Begins!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Just a heads up to everybody that this afternoon, at 2:00 Pacific time, voting begins on the second round of RPG Superstar! We've got in a nasty bunch of beasties from our 32 Superstar competitors, Clark, Sean, guest judge Greg A. Vaughan, and I have gone through and made our comments, and now its time to cast your vote! You have until February 1st to make your choice known, after which we'll reveal our top 16 contestants. So check back here at 2:00 p.m. and let the monster melee begin!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Photography by James Jacobs

New Addition to the Paizo Family!

Monday, January 25, 2009

I have a pet pseudodragon! He guards my desk against unwanted intruders, shreds lackluster manuscripts for nesting material, chirps when I forget to go home at night, helps with insomnia, and spell checks documents for me! And if I can brag a bit... he was made by my mom for my birthday a few weeks ago! Apparently, it took her two years on and off to get him just right, with articulated and posable wings and legs, a tail filled with sand from the Point Arena beach (washed and cleaned, of course!), and sparkly hair that doesn’t quite show up as well in the photo as it does in real life. His name is Gwangi. Gaze upon his majesty!

And PS: That’s a map of the entire Stolen Lands just behind Gwangi. Think of it as an "accidental Kingmaker preview," even if you can’t really make out the details.

James Jacobs
Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief

In with the New

Friday, January 22, 2010

I recently had the "opportunity" to run into yoda8myhead, extra pervasive poster on these boards and mastermind behind the Pathfinder Wiki. Besieged with the usual onslaught of questions and accusations also came a request for a few more pieces of art previewing some of our upcoming products (and perhaps in some cases "past-viewing" some recent releases). Ask and ye shall receive… ya harpy. :P

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

From Classic Horrors Revisited	From Cities of Golarion	From NPC Guide
Illustration by Tyler Walpole	Illustration by Craig J. Spearing	Illustration by Kyushik Shin

Illustration by Sarah Otterstätter

O Ugly Bird!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Since Who Fears the Devil? by Manly Wade Wellman, the next book due out from Planet Stories, is at the printer as we speak, it seemed about time we put down our manuscripts for a few minutes and did another blog post about it. But seeing as I already sang my paean to Manly Wade Wellman last month, I thought I might be better off trading my thousand words for a picture—in this case, Sara Otterstätter's amazing opening illustration of the book's hero, Silver John, doing battle with the Ugly Bird.

This is just one of five new illustrations and dozens of new monsters in Wellman's epic collection of backwoods Appalachian ghost stories. Preorder it now and see why a pulp storyteller would be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize!

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

The Top 32

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The 2010 RPG Superstar contest drew in hundreds of entries from around the world in a contest to crown the ultimate new roleplaying game design talent. The judges spent the better part of six weeks whittling down the entries to a top 32 finalists and 4 alternates. With their hard work done, the onus now rests on the public to crown the next RPG Superstar!

Alexander MacLeod (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)—Scapular of True Devotion Alex Shideler (Springfield, Virginia, USA)—Crystal Chalice of Dawnflower Dew Andrew Sun (Springfield, Missouri, USA)—Muse of the Solemn Vessel Benjamin Bruck (Boise, Idaho, USA)—Steadfast Gut-stone Brian Hoffman (Altoona, Wisconsin, USA)—Stone of Alliance  Chris Mortika (Coralville, Iowa, USA)—Sublime Phial David Posener (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)—Starborn Seeds of Manifest Denial Dennis Baker (Stockton, California, USA)—Pharasma's Blessing Eric Hindley (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)—Hourglass of the Insightful Conjurer Erik Randall (Missoula, Montana, USA)—Gloves of the Shortened Path James Martin (Durham, North Carolina, USA)—Runcible Spoon Jared Goodwin (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)—Lyre of Truth-Telling Jason Schimmel (Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA)—Bracelet of Smoke and Mirrors Jeff Spencer (Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands)—Amulet of Sparkling Deceit Jesse Benner—Snapleaf Jim Groves (Ontario, Oregon, USA)—Seducer’s Bane Joe Wells (Saint Louis, Missouri, USA)—Nightingale's Tongue

Joshua Kitchens (Centerville, Georgia, USA)—Locket of the Umbral Kiss Kevin Akemann (Hartford, Wisconsin, USA)—Sal's Master Key Lief Clennon (Garberville, California, USA)—Seven Thousand Blossoms Matt Goodall (Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia)—Spellstrike Vambraces Matthew McGee (Davis, California, USA)—Batrachian Helm Matthew Morris (Columbus, Ohio, USA)—Tankard of the Cheerful Duelist Nick Waln—Gloves of the Deceiver Nicolas Quimby (Anson, Maine, USA)—Goblin Skull Bomb RC Higgins (Stanton, Kentucky, USA)—Waters of Transfiguration Richard Hunt (Plano, Texas, USA)—Needles of the Ebon Strand Sean McGowan (New York, New York, USA)—Cacophonous Monkey Seth White (Plymouth, Minnesota, USA)—Vessel of the Deep Stephen Sheahan—Spell Component Powder (Pixie Dust) Tobias Mullen (Boulder, Colorado, USA)—Gem of Immediate Defense Tom Phillips (Orange Park, Florida, USA)—Troll Fingers

Andrew Black, Bill Dodds, Blake Davis, and Patrice Lazure were selected as alternates. (Names are listed in alphabetical order.)

RPG Superstar Round 2 Starts Today!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hundreds of people submitted a wondrous item for RPG Superstar 2010. Today at 2 p.m., we reveal the Top 32 contestants, their items, and comments from the judges (Clark Peterson, Sean K Reynolds, and Wes Schneider) and guest judges (RPG Superstar 2009 Top 4 finalists Eric Bailey, Kevin Carter, and Matthew Stinson and RPG Superstar 2009 winner Neil Spicer).

The next challenge for the Top 32 contestants is a bit of a mystery this year. In previous year, contestants knew ahead of time what all of the challenges would be. In this year's competition, the challenge is revealed at 2 p.m.—the same time as when we reveal the Top 32! Those who make it to this round have three days to complete the next design challenge by this Friday! Next week the public voting begins!

Stay tuned!

Sean K Reynolds
RPG Superstar Judge

Illustration by Dave Rapoza

Hail to the Queen, Baby

Friday, January 15, 2010

Ramping up to Tuesday's announcement of this year's RPG Superstar first-round winners, I wanted to remind everybody what all the hype is about. Here we see the cover to Realm of the Fellnight Queen in all its splendor, part of the "trophy" for 2009's Superstar winner Neil Spicer. Neil's winning proposal debuts in just a few short weeks, and it looks absolutely incredible. So that's the prize folks! The chance to bring your villain, hero, monster, story, or whatever to life with some of the best artists and editors in the biz. So check back on Tuesday, and we'll see if this is the year your adventure comes to life!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

The Deed Is Done!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

After weeks of shuffling and dissection, scrutiny and head scratching, we RPG Superstar judges have whittled the word count of this year's avalanche of wondrous item submissions down from several hundreds of thousands to a precious few thousand. As always, there's been an incredible amount of discussion and debate, finally elevating an impressive selection of 32 especially wondrous items. On behalf of the judges and all of us here at Paizo, I wanted to thank everyone who participated for making the judges' jobs at times so very, very difficult and deluging us with such a wide range and imaginative ocean of submissions.

So what's next? Why aren't we announcing the 32 at this very second? How can we contain our enthusiasm!? Well, it's hard, but will be all worth while, as between now and next Tuesday, last year's final four superstars (Eric Bailey, Kevin Carter, Neil Spicer, and Matthew Stinson) will be adding their voices to Sean's, Clark's, and my comments, prepping each for the first round of voting on January 26th. Exciting stuff! So tune in next Tuesday to see if your item made the cut and to help us choose this year's RPG Superstar!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Dramatis Personae: Software Developers

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

As we all know, the business environment changed radically when the Internet achieved sentience back in '03. Suddenly, the clean, predictable world of code became a tangled, heaving jungle of logic chains and creeping ads. Companies suddenly found themselves in want of both a competent programmer and an experienced survival expert. Luckily, Paizo has both.

This week I caught up with Ross Byers, Paizo's assistant software developer. Though he rarely disconnects his neural link to the server, he agreed to share what he could about the inner workings of Paizo's cyber-bwanas.

"It's a blast! I love working here." Ross had just finished carving out a virtual farmstead for the PaizoCon '10 protocol, and allowed me to interview him while he relaxed with a few protein pills. Originally hailing from the primordial swamps of central Florida, Ross is no stranger to life-or-death struggles against an oppressive environment. Now instead of wrestling 'gators, he turns his life experience toward Paizo's digital settlement. Like any small settlement in a strange world, the Paizo website and forums can be challenging to oversee, but Ross considers them among the better places to code a family. "Sometimes people get a little crazy, but generally [they] keep it on an even temper. They're nice to one another."

Software development is no easy job: from plague-bearing mosquitoes to deadly jungle predators, Ross risks his health and safety keeping Paizo.com prosperous. Though his duty is life threatening, he still finds time for fun. The smurf filter, beloved by the messageboard regulars, started as an April Fool's Day gag, but is now maintained and lovingly updated by Ross. "I also get to see the blogs 12 hours before they go up."

Ross first approached Paizo during the 2008 RPG Supersar competition, where he landed as one of the top 32 finalists. Having been a regular face in the frontier saloon that is the Unofficial Paizo chat room, Ross and his rugged style impressed the Paizo founders, and he eventually found himself shanghaied to the remote digital outpost he tends today.

Paizo's web presence, even in these turbulent times, is a factor in its success. Or, as Ross phrases it: "We require the [online] store for people to give us money. If we didn't have the store, people couldn't give us money. That's very bad for a commercial enterprise," although even he readily admits that Paizo's success hinges entirely on "high quality products to sell." Still, the Paizo website combines quality products from dozens of companies, including treasures that even the Amazon.com Imperium doesn't stock. With Ross's loving care and everything carefully organized by Jeff Alvarez and Vic Wertz (more on them later), this holdout frontier town has blossomed into a thriving community under some of the worst conditions.

Ross serves as the right hand of the unphotographable Gary Teter.

Crystal Frasier
Production Specialist

Illustration by Tyler Clark

GM Guide Spoilers!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

As editorial intern, it's sometimes my job to oversee the first formatting/editing/obvious-problem-catching pass on certain items, one of which is chapter nine of the GameMastery Guide! Woo! Super exciting. As a brief introduction, it includes a large number of common NPC stat blocks of various levels and classes meant to accommodate an unpredictable player group or campaign. When your players decide that the fisherman ferrying them to the Isle of Terror is suspicious, his full stat block is merely a quick page-flip away. Needless to say, all of the free-form GMs out there will find it a handy tool when the players decide to enter a town you expected them to avoid, try to pick fights with a priest, or get run out of town by the village militia. They want to enter in the arena? Well, there are three different gladiators in the chapter already. Does the barmaid you winked at try to help you in the all-too-predictable drunken brawl? Yes, and she has Throw Anything.

Tyler Clark
Editorial Intern

I ♥ Planet Stories

Monday, January 11, 2010

It takes a delicate hand to do certain things in writing, especially in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. Aside from character development, plotting, dialogue, description, pacing, and theme, science fiction and fantasy must overcome the additional hurtle which is world building. As an aspiring writer, I can tell you that world building is tough. Never mind how easy the other guys here make it look. Never mind all the wonderful freelancers we work with, or the submissions for RPG Superstar or Pathfinder Society Open Call—these people are all conspiring to get you to believe the lie that world building happens at the drop of a hat.

It just doesn't work that way.

Not to say that good world building isn't rewarding, both for the creator and the consumer. Who can say they don't enjoy a fantastical world? And yet, as difficult as it is to write good science fiction or fantasy, some authors choose to take on an additional challenge; to marry the two together in an attempt to weave a seamless narrative of swords and spaceships.

Illustration by Kieran Yanner

Piers Anthony's Steppe takes on this challenge with bravado (though more sword than spaceship), using a future simulation of the past to explore both history and imagination. In his imagined year 2332, society revolves around the "Game" of history, where players have to reenact genuinely historical battles without having access to knowledge of that history. Literal twenty to thirty year chunks of time are periodically erased from the society's history in order to facilitate fair play. Enter, Alp: our Ender-Wigginesque (though created before Card was milling about) middle-aged battle-trained warrior from a 9th century mid-Asia steppe (hence, the title) with a really cool horse. How's that for hybridization?

I began reading Steppe for a few reasons (not least of all, the fact that a free copy of the book was among my compensations as an unpaid intern). Additionally, having read little other than academic theory for the past three years (graduation, you elusive tunnel light you!), I was thrilled both by the newness of this 1976 gem, and by the fact that all the research into finding the text had been done for me already; by the wonderfully conceived Planet Stories line. This is cultural archaeology at its finest, folks. It brings light to the shadowy places that academic canon does not reach into. And if nothing else, it opens us up to traditions we didn't know existed (to say nothing bad of Asimov or Clarke, it's nice to mix things up a bit).

Therefore, I can say with certainty that when my time here ends (and I stop getting free stuff), I'll be picking up a Planet Stories subscription for these exact reasons.

Matthew Lund
Editorial Intern

Illustration by Christopher Burdett

The Game Is Afoot

Friday, December 8, 2009

I know it's been a while—whole months in fact—since we dropped a huge hardback tome on you all, but rest assured, we've got more in the works! Right now, on top of all the usual Pathfinder swag you've come to expect from month to month, we're also working away on our third huge tome, the GameMastery Guide. Meant to be the go-to source for Game Masters of all stripes and skill levels, the GameMastery Guide is in invaluable resource and toolbox offering hundreds of pages of new subsystems, common stats, advice, tables, and tons more, all from some of the biggest names in gaming. We're already elbow deep in the book's construction and over the course of the coming weeks will have plenty more of the content and awesome art to show off. For now, though, check out the cover on the GameMastery product page and one of this book's mascots, every tricky GM's favorite beastie, the mimic.

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

A Trickle of Submissions

Thursday, January 7, 2010

I love RPG Superstar. I love reading the RPG Superstar threads, I love reading the new ideas, I love the discussions, arguments, and the passion involved in every post. There is a small side effect to RPG Superstar, however, that I'm not sure everyone is aware of: open call submissions for Pathfinder Society vanish.

What's that mean for you? Well, let's assume 500 people submitted to RPG Superstar (I'm not going to reveal the actual number). The odds that one of those 500 people will make it past the initial round is (rounded up) 1 in 16—not bad, but still kind of a long shot. It also means that more than 450 of you won't make it—it's just a mathematical fact.

Here's another mathematical fact: of the last 10 submissions I received for the open call, I accepted 2 of them. That's 1 in 5. Those are good odds. If you don't make it past round one of RPG Superstar (or, heck, round 2, 3, 4, etc.), don't give up! There's another avenue out there to see your name on a Paizo publication and that's the Pathfinder Society Organized Play open call. Give it a shot—the worst I'm going to do is say no.

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

Illustraction by Vincent Dutrait

In with the New

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Pretty much the last thing we did in 2009—before we ran screaming from the office, that is—was to pack Pathfinder Adventure Path #31: "Stolen Land", the first volume of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, off to the printer. So, to refresh your desktop for the new year, check out its incredible cover scene from artist Vincent Dutrait. Enjoy!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Happy New Ears'!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Illustration by Crystal Frasier

Cave raptors are sated; it's time to blog!

The holidays are an important time in every culture; they remind us of the things that really matter in life and remind us why we stay far, far away from our families most of the time. But aside from those core elements, every culture celebrates its holidays differently. As Paizo's only practicing member of the Reformed Church of Lamashtu, it falls upon me to explain Lamashtan holy days. In the interest of spreading tolerance and understanding, it seems a good idea to share that information with Paizo's fanbase as well.

A lot of myths and slander float around about Reformed Lamashtans. Rumors about blood sacrifice and stealing babies. Most of it is true, but we obsess far less over boring ceremony than Orthodox Lamashtans. A few quick cuts, a muttered "death to all," and then we move on the dinner and drinking, and we haven't used real baby since I was in junior high. Within the hour, Uncle Rax is drunk and telling his old stories about the '70s and the kids are torturing the holiday halfling. Good times, and not altogether different from the family celebrations of friends I've visited.

This past weekend marked one of my favorite family holidays: New Ears' Eve. One night a year, goblins gather together to celebrate the passage of another 12 months in the traditional way: By comparing the ears they've collected that year. Ear collecting, as you well know, goes back thousands of years. Young goblins receive their first Heary-Thing Jar during their earmitzvah, which marks a goblin's coming of age. Though the brine is changed out periodically, and few gobbers can resist the lure of the occasional pickled hearing, the jar itself is treasured and kept safe for a lifetime. Ears of victims, debtors, and civil servants are collected as keepsakes of important events or remarkably gassy days, then added to the preservative fluid. By the time New Ears' rolls around, most of us can boast half a dozen or more new additions.

Traditionally, the pecking order for the coming year is hashed out by comparing the number, size, variety, and stories surrounding the most recent audial acquisitions. Orthodox Lamashtans settle ties with the holiest of rituals: the drunken knife-fight. In the Reformed Church, the family order is largely unaffected by collections, aside from determining the favorite child for the year to come. New Ears' Eve instead gives the family an excuse to get together, talk, and enjoy ear-based cuisine (like grandma's cochleabread men and shepard's pinnea). Noisemakers are passed around so everyone can be sure they have both ears. Festive hats are worn both to gloat over the continued possession of both ears and because hats are the most sacred of head coverings. As midnight approaches, we pick the juiciest trophies from the winner's Jar, set them on fire, then let the delighted children throw them around the room. The smell of burning earwax fills the home and reminds us how lucky we are to still have a loving family. And our ears.

This lovely tradition not only brings families closer together, but it associate a sense of community and togetherness with an activity everyone loves anyway: cutting off ears and stuffing them in a jar of cold, stagnant vinegar. To this day, whenever I mutilate the body of an enemy or someone who has served me cold coffee, I can't help but think of my loving family and smile.

So, from all of us here at Paizo, to all of you out there in the Internet: Happy New Ears', and may your Heary-Thing Jar never grow waxy!

Crystal Frasier
Production Specialist

And We're Back!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Hey hey everybody! It's a brand new year and we're already back at it. We're elbows deep in the next volume of Kingmaker, the GameMastery Guide and Advanced Player's Guide are both coming together, the NPC Folio is nearing completion, we got new Pathfinder Society Scenarios up just before the new year, and a ton of other things we're not quite ready to show off yet are simmering away. It's nice to be back in the thick of things.

But more than anything, what's already floored me this year are our fantastic players and readers.

In regards to two bizarre personal items I, for some reason, prove especially particular: key chains and calendars. I suspect it's because these are things I have to look at every day, so I want things I'll more than just like. At the same time they're essentially personal accessories, so they should also reflect their owner's tastes and character. It's this kind of over thinking that typically means I have no keychain and often leads me to go for years without a physical calendar.

Not this year, though! I returned from my vacation to a package containing a flattering letter and a calendar from one of the players in my Bastardhall Playtest from PaizoCon '09. Aside from being a jaw-droppingly, spot-on, I-couldn't-have-done-better-myself calendar (full of awesome black-and-white moody photos of haunted real-world castles and sites), the fact that someone remembered and enjoyed that cobbled together playtest so much was a fantastic compliment. So much so, that it's energized me to set to work outlining Ustalav in much greater depth and prepping a new monthly Pathfinder campaign to carry on where my fantastic playtesters left off.

So thanks to Jason R. for the incredible New Year's gift (it's totally going on my office wall) and to everyone here on the boards who reads our stuff month after month and keeps us going not just with subscription dollars, but with endless support, enthusiasm, shared stories, well-considered feedback, and countless other surprises. Thanks again everybody and I can't wait to see what you all come up with in 2010!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Last Chance to Enter RPG Superstar 2010

Thursday, December 31, 2009

This is just a reminder that the deadline to enter RPG Superstar 2010 is tomorrow—Friday, January 1st, 2010, at 2 p.m. Pacific Time. If you want to have a chance to show your designer chops and possibly earn the grand prize—a gig writing a 32-page adventure for Paizo—you must submit a wondrous item by the deadline!

And good luck to everyone who's already entered!

Sean K Reynolds
Judge, RPG Superstar 2010

Home for the Holidays

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

With most of the Paizo editorial staff being transplants from across the country, the holidays tend to be the one time of the year where we put aside talk of goblins and statblocks and deadlines for a few days (or at least try to). With much of the crew making treks across the country to spend a few days with much neglected family members, things might get a little spotty here on the blog up through the New Year. Even with the dedicated folks staying behind to man the walls, the holiday fever can get a little distracting, so to tide things over till January 4th, here's Eva Widermann's fantastic artwork for our 2009 holiday card. But that's it from us for 2009, everybody! Thanks to everyone for an incredible year, and do me a favor and yell at James Jacobs if you see him on the boards over the course of the next week. Happy holidays from all of us here at Paizo and we'll see you in 2010!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor