Pathfinder Author Chat Next Monday!

Thursday, September 21st, 2011

Hey there, fiction fans! This coming Monday, September 26th, Pathfinder Tales author Dave Gross has set up an awesome Pathfinder Tales round table discussion in the Paizo chat room. Starting at 6:00pm PST, this is your chance to catch all of the current Pathfinder Tales novelists in one place, to offer your opinions and ask your burning questions (such as the all-important “Who would win, Elyana or Ellasif?”). The floor will be entirely open, and your questions will determine what we talk about, so drop by http://chat.dmtools.org/ on Monday night to chat with Dave Gross (Prince of Wolves, Master of Devils, Winter Witch), Elaine Cunningham (Winter Witch), Howard Andrew Jones (Plague of Shadows), Robin D. Laws (The Worldwound Gambit), and yours truly (Death’s Heretic, Fiction Editor). (Once you get there, be sure to type /join PFTales to enter the side room hosting the discussion.) It’s guaranteed to be a riotous, educational, and undeniably literary affair.

I’ll be there—will you?

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

Illustration by Dan Scott. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here.

Bark at the Moon!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Last week we showcased the cover art from Howard Andrew Jones' Pathfinder Tales novel Plague of Shadows. This week we go back to the beginning and give you a wallpaper based on Prince of Wolves by Dave Gross, the novel that launched the entire line. If you haven't read it yet you really should. It's got fighting, murder, mystery, true love, werewolves, ancient magics, curses from beyond the grave, and even dead Pathfinders! Best of all, if you know any Pathfinder Tales subscribers, they may have received a free copy to give away...

And tune into this spot on Monday as Pathfinder Designer Stephen Radney-MacFarland guest-blogs and things get... explosive.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The past year has been a great one for Paizo and Pathfinder and we've been happy to help spread the Pathfinder message far and wide. Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with the fine folks from the Atomic Array podcast. It's their 50th episode and they wanted to make it a Pathfinder show, so we had James Jacobs take the time to talk to them about the upcoming Inner Sea World Guide hardcover (due in February). They also had Greg Vaughan on to talk about his just released module, The Witchwar Legacy. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

With the holiday season already here, we couldn't be happier to have been featured on Wired.com's Geek Dad Holiday Buying Guide. Every year the Geek Dad site puts together a list of the coolest products available that year. This year we had 5 products mentioned, a Paizo first!

Guide #2: Yetisburg

Guide #3: Falling

Guide #4: Pathfinder RPG Corebook and Advanced Player's Guide

  

Guide #5: Prince of Wolves

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite gamer, you could do worse than checking out Geek Dad's recommendations.

Until next time True Believers!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

Illustration by Dan Scott

The Future Is Here!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Perhaps you've been saying to yourself, "Gosh, I think I'd really love Pathfinder Tales novels, but I just can't bring myself to buy a paper novel when my e-reader is so much more convenient!" Maybe you're desperately curious about the further adventures of Radovan and Jeggare following the Pathfinder's Journal in Council of Thieves, but your eco-friendly ideology can't justify buying the story when it's printed on dead trees.

Never fear! As part of Paizo's continuing efforts to bring you the future in a timely and convenient fashion, Pathfinder Tales novels are now available in ePub and PDF format, as well as on Apple's iBookstore! Whether you want to download them from iBooks or purchase the files directly from us on paizo.com, each new Pathfinder Tales novel that comes out will be available in a variety of formats. (At the moment, we don't yet support the Kindle, but we're looking into it.) What's more, subscribers to the print Pathfinder Tales line will also receive electronic copies of their books absolutely free.

But that's not all—starting with Dave Gross's "The Lost Pathfinder," completed web fiction stories are also going to be available in all the same formats, downloadable for a nominal fee. (Of course, for those who want to read them in a web browser, all the stories will continue to be both free and archived in perpetuity—this just offers one more way to read them.)

The future: it's here, and it's all about carrying your bookshelf in your pocket. So bust out those comlogs and tricorders and check out Prince of Wolves and "The Lost Pathfinder."

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

Digital Dice and Downloaded Dragons

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Because convention season should never end, Erik, Sarah, and I spent a good part of our long weekend checking out the Penny Arcade Expo here in Seattle, previewing lots of incredible-looking games and hanging out with thousands of gamers gripping both joysticks and rolling dice. I also made another delightful discovery downtown. Here are some of the highlights!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor

Cruel Fate

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Look what advance copies happened to arrive in the office today, just when our indolent Fiction Editor, James Sutter, decided to fly the coop and go on vacation!

Christopher Paul Carey
Editor

Prince of Wolves Sample Chapter!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Illustration by Dan Scott

Free Pathfinder fiction is everywhere! In the interest of showing off the premiere novel in the new Pathfinder Tales book line, we've decided to post up a free, downloadable sample chapter from Dave Gross's Prince of Wolves! If you haven't already been following the excitement, Prince of Wolves follows Dave's mystery-solving duo of half-elven Pathfinder Varian Jeggare and his tiefling bodyguard Radovan as they adventure through the eerie, gothic landscape of Ustalav in pursuit of a deadly secret. For even more of a preview, see Dave's new story in the free Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction, starring the same characters in an adventure of assassination among the Chelish nobility...

James L. Sutter
Fiction Editor

Pathfinder Tales Are Here!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

As you may have noticed, along with a host of other changes to the website that rolled out yesterday, the front page of paizo.com now has a new addition—Pathfinder Tales web fiction!

Here's the deal: Every Wednesday, we're going to bring you new serialized, illustrated short stories set in the Pathfinder campaign setting, written by some of the best authors around. These stories will also be archived in perpetuity, allowing you to read each multi-chapter story as it comes out, as well as go back and reread your favorites in their entirety. Add in fun little toys like an RSS feed that allows you to easily check out the latest action, and you've got a pretty cool new feature, especially when you consider that it's all absolutely free.

To kick things off, we enlisted our old pal Dave Gross, author of the "Hell's Pawns" series in the Council of Thieves Pathfinder's Journal, as well as the upcoming debut novel for the Pathfinder Tales book line, Prince of Wolves. His new story, "The Lost Pathfinder," once again stars Pathfinder Varian Jeggare and his tiefling bodyguard Radovan, and bridges the gap between the journal and the novel (though all three works stand alone).

I couldn't be more excited about all the new Pathfinder stories, and I hope that you are as well. To sound off and let us know what you like—or would like to see more of—head on over to the Pathfinder Tales messageboards, or click here to dive in and start reading!

James L. Sutter
Fiction Editor

Over the Mountain

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Working at Paizo is awesome—there can be no question about that. Most days—those days when I'm in my happy-hippie, all-is-right-with-the-world mood—I show up to work and think, "Wow, we're all so lucky to be editing RPGs all day! How did we ever get so lucky?" That's most days.

And some days, we *&#@ing earn it.

Last Saturday was one of those days. Every year around this time, we start to reach the mission critical phase on our Gen Con products, and it's all hands on deck trying to get them out the door in time for the do-or-die ship date which will allow them to be at Gen Con. This year is no exception, and while most of the big products (such as Dave Gross's Prince of Wolves—more on that soon!) have already been put to bed, the Advanced Player's Guide is still in the last, messy phases of its birth. Thus it was that Saturday found me, Rob McCreary, Judy Bauer, Sarah Robinson, Wes Schneider, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona in here for more than 11 hours on Saturday to try and get things handled. (It should be noted that Chris Carey was in his Fortress of Editorial Solitude, having been saddled with the final proofing of Before They Were Giants, and Sean was busy moving. I'm pretty sure Jason was in a coma somewhere.)

Even with most of the Editorial Pit on hand, weekend workdays still feel different than normal ones. Everything's a little looser, and what professionalism we cultivate tends to get abandoned (though I did not, as originally planned, wear my jammie pants).

All of this is necessary to explain the photographs, I promise.

You see, when we moved into our new office last September, it was immediately noted that the otherwise normal-looking office building is bordered on two sides by a big field of brambles (reportedly haunted by vagabonds and feral corgis) and a big grassy ridge. At several points since the move, Wes and I have looked up at the ridge and wondered what mysteries might lie, Narnia-like, just over its crest.

Around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, having just finished editing chunks of the classes chapter of the APG until my eyes were ready to bleed, I decided I needed something stronger than caffeine to keep me going, and stormed into Wes's office.

"Wes," I said, in my most inspiring voice, "It is time. We're going over the mountain."

Wes looked at me for a moment.

"Yeah, okay," he said.

Thus it was that everyone save Erik and Sarah (who had left for the evening) and Jacobs (who's too old and wise for such things) trooped outside on our Voyage of Discovery. Leaping over the drainage ditch, we scrabbled up the steep, grassy rise and came out into a magical wonderland!

Photography by Rob McCreary

Well, okay, maybe it was a gravel pit. But the point was, we had gone over the mountain! And for what it's worth, the gravel pit was pretty cool. Wes and I spent a few minutes running up the mountain of rubble to get a view of the surrounding countryside, then noticed the idling dump trucks and realized it was an active gravel pit—one which might not appreciate a bunch of trespassing nerds—and beat a hasty retreat to recommence editing.

And there you have it—the wild excitement of a Saturday at the Paizo offices!

(EDITORIAL NOTE: Sutter and Wes would like any authority figures to know that the preceding anecdote is entirely fictional; that they in no way condone trespassing, accidental or otherwise; and that they're both too pretty for jail.)

James L. Sutter
Fiction Editor

Winter 2010 Releases: An Early Look!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

This week Paizo posted new product descriptions for dozens of products to be released in the third trimester of 2010, including new hardcover books, a revision of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, and a brand new line of Pathfinder novels!

We've been hard at work on these items for months, and even though you'll have to wait until at least September before they hit your game table, we're thrilled to finally be able to discuss some of this stuff in public. The suspense has been killing us!

Folks are already discussing some of our new releases on the paizo.com messageboards, but as the commentary has been flying fast and furious over the last couple days, I figured it might be helpful to post a broad overview of our new offerings here on the blog, with direct links to the products in question.

So without further ado, let's plug ourselves into the future-caster time machine and take a journey forward to September through December 2010. Bring your dice and a few character sheets. You're going to need them!

PATHFINDER FICTION
The biggest announcement is a brand new line of Pathfinder novels written by some of the biggest names in fantasy fiction! The first book, Winter Witch, by New York Times best-selling author Elaine Cunningham, explores the tale of a barbarian shield maiden who ventures from Varisia to the winter-locked land of Irrisen to rescue a possessed sister—and the canny young cartographer who follows her into that haunted land. The book formally releases in September, but we'll have copies on hand at this year's Gen Con Game Fair as a special preview. October sees the release of Prince of Wolves, by former Amazing Stories and Dragon editor Dave Gross, which revisits the Pathfinder agent Varian Jeggare and his tiefling assistant Radovan, last seen in the Pathfinder Journal section of the Council of Thieves Adventure Path. Additional novels will follow in 2011 from well-known authors including Paul S. Kemp and other familiar faces. Stay tuned for more info!

NEW HARDCOVERS
Following up on the forthcoming GameMastery Guide and Advanced Player's Guide, 2010 will see the release of one more hardcover rulebook in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line: Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2! Like the first Bestiary, Bestiary 2 will include more than 300 monsters for use with the Pathfinder RPG, including old favorites like the hippogriff and new planar creatures like the aeons and proteans. This book will cover most of the standard monsters from the history of the game that we couldn't fit in the first Bestiary, as well as tons of other great monsters you've never seen before. Each monster will receive a full page or a 2-page spread, using the same format as the original book.

Supplies of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting hardcover are dwindling faster than we can count, so in September we'll release a revised edition in the form of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting World Guide: The Inner Sea. Fully updated to the Pathfinder RPG rules and with expanded coverage of nearly every nation, the latest version of this book contains a new cover from Wayne Reynolds, an updated map, fixed errata from the first edition, and more than 300 pages packed with tons of information about the lands, peoples, beliefs, and cultures of the world of Golarion. Paizo Creative Director James Jacobs is giving this project his personal finish, making sure our campaign setting book is a solid bedrock of our publishing operation for years to come. We're really pleased with the early development of this book, and think it will be an ideal resource for all Pathfinder players and game masters.

PATHFINDER CHRONICLES
In addition to the revised campaign setting, in late 2010 we'll release the Inner Sea Map Folio, a massive 32-panel map of the Inner Sea region containing all "canonical" locations from every Pathfinder product published to date! This monster is sure to brighten up the gaming room or man-cave of any Pathfinder enthusiast, and its "four poster" format will even allow for easy reference at the game table for those lacking the wall space to do it justice. The Campaign Setting product line will also see a new Classic Monsters-style book in the form of Misfit Monsters Redeemed (and you won't believe what that's about until you read the description, believe me) as well as Lost Cities of Golarion, which explores six adventure locales from throughout the world of Golarion.

PATHFINDER PLAYER COMPANION
We can't let the GMs have all the fun, after all, so we've also planned a couple of sure-fire player's guides for the last third of 2010 that will be must-buys for Pathfinder RPG players. October sees the release of the Inner Sea Primer, a slimmed-down overview of the Pathfinder world designed specifically for players. This book will include tons of new character traits tied to the regions and religions of Golarion, and will provide a perfect "gist" of the setting for those looking to dip a toe in the water without needing to buy a big hardcover book. December sees the release of Halflings of Golarion, which rounds out the player's guides to the standard "demihuman" player character races in the Pathfinder RPG with plenty of details on how to integrate them into Golarion campaigns. Lots of fun equipment and lore in this one for fans of halflings (and everyone else, too)!

PATHFINDER MODULES

Gamers have been asking for a high-level Pathfinder adventure since the very beginning, and now I'm pleased to report that the time has come at last! Shipping in September, The Witchwar Legacy takes 17th-level player characters to the snow-shrouded witch kingdom of Irrisen to thwart a plan by the Ice Queen involving the insidious Baba Yaga herself! If that's not enough, in November we'll release a brand-new 1st-level starter adventure called The Godsmouth Heresy, set in the shadowy city of Kaer Maga, site of June's City of Strangers sourcebook!

GAMEMASTERY ACCESSORIES
Paizo's popular map products keep on coming in the last part of 2010, including the first-ever crossover between the Map Pack and Flip-Mat lines! Everything starts innocently enough in September with the release of Flip-Mat: Forest, but things really get interesting in October, with Map Pack: Shops. This 18-tile map set includes the interiors for several different stores, apothecaries, taverns, and the like, but things become super-special when you combine this pack with November's Flip-Mat: City Streets, which details a mercantile district suitable for use with other city Flip-Mats. The roofed buildings on this Flip-Mat (suitable for rooftop chases) correspond exactly to the interiors presented in Map Pack: Shops, providing a uniquely immersive tabletop experience. And if that's not enough to impress your jaded players, spring December's Map Pack: Ambush Sites on them. They probably deserve it.

GameMastery Cards keep coming as well, this time in the form of new GameMastery Condition Cards, handy reference cards for all of the various conditions in the Pathfinder RPG rules.

PATHFINDER ADVENTURE PATH
And, of course, we haven't forgotten the date that brought us to the big dance in the first place. The last trimester of 2010 will see plenty of action in the Pathfinder Adventure Path line, as the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path takes a jungle trail toward its stunning conclusion! Ruined Azlanti cities, Red Mantis assassins, monkey-men, the Pathfinder Society, ancient serpentfolk, and one very, very angry Gorilla King are all in store in a quartet of adventures by Tim Hitchcock, Kevin Kulp, Greg A. Vaughan, and Graeme Davis! The Serpent's Skull is a return to classic-style adventuring in the Pathfinder tradition, and we can't wait to get you guys into the jungle!

I'm saving our Planet Stories releases for tomorrow's blog, so be sure to tune in then for some of the biggest Planet Stories news we've had yet!

So much is happening here at Paizo these days that it's difficult to remember the uncertainty and horror of the last few years, with major changes to our business, our game system, and our lives. All of us really appreciate the support you have shown us so far, and we look forward to more exciting products in the months and years to come!

Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing

Fact and Fiction

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Those of you who recognize a striking similarity between the title of this blog post and Pathfinder Adventure Path #29's editorial have no doubt already inferred what I'm about to say, but I've been waiting almost a year to say it, so here goes:

Pathfinder Fiction is here.

Not here in the warehouse, of course—you'll have to wait until Gen Con Indy to get your hands on the first book in the line. But for the first time ever, you can now visit the Pathfinder Fiction page, post on the Pathfinder Fiction messageboards, and preorder both of the new books that have been announced.

And what an announcement it is! First up, releasing officially in September but with early preview copies slated for a Gen Con release, is Winter Witch from New York Times best selling author Elaine Cunningham. Journey to the icy land of Irrisen with a barbarian shield maiden and her ne'er-do-well (but magically gifted) accomplice on a quest to save the woman's sister from the sinister daughters of Baba Yaga!

Immediately after that, we have the triumphant return of Dave Gross's mystery-solving duo, half-elven noble Varian Jeggare and the tiefling Radovan, in the gothic adventure Prince of Wolves. Something is rotten in Ustalav, and only Egorian's greatest detective team can delve into the haunted hills to uncover the truth—and make it out alive...

Each Pathfinder Fiction novel is a mass market paperback, completely standalone, and costs just $9.99. What's more, very soon we'll be launching the ability to subscribe to the line, with subscribers receiving a free PDF of each book they buy.

While we've only announced two of the books so far, I can also say with authority that the party is just getting started. In addition to several fabulous authors currently in negotiations and development, it's my pleasure to also introduce the addition of fan favorite Paul S. Kemp to the line. Though we're not ready to share any details about books beyond the initial two just now, rest assured that more news will continue to come as we get closer to the line's official launch at Gen Con Indy.

In the meantime, rather than joining me in counting the days until the release, why not head on over to the Pathfinder Fiction messageboards and let us know what you think? Who would you like to see writing in the line? What regions seem ripest for a novel? As with everything we do at Paizo, we're always listening.

James Sutter
Fiction Editor