What's New With Obsidian's Adventure Card Game?

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

We've been admittedly pretty quiet since we showed the game at Gen Con and then PAX back in August. There's been a fair bit of speculation about it. So I guess first I'll clear some stuff up.

We won't be releasing the game in fall 2015... and that's a good thing!

Time for context!

Back when we started this project, I worked out the scope of the game with the execs at Obsidian. André Nguyen created a great mockup of gameplay in Flash that helped get everyone at Obsidian and at Paizo on board (I may share some screens from that version at some point). We agreed on a pretty limited set of features to begin with—enough so that you could play through the Base deck of Rise of the Runelords. I knew a three-scenario game would be enough to prove the game out, but not enough to bring to market. As development continued and our confidence in the product grew, we kept building upon what we had piece by piece, carefully increasing the scope over time. With each additional piece, we added a lot more content and improved presentation—well beyond our original plans.

So that brings us up to today, and more importantly, a release date that we're moving to early 2016. Why is that a good thing?

Well, behind the scenes at Obsidian, we are now planning a better, stronger launch than ever before. And I gotta tell you, I'm excited! There are so many cool things in the works, including some that will let you experience the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game in new ways. First, there's this cool new...

Feargus (CEO, Obsidian Entertainment): Davis! Not yet!

Ah, right. There's a whole plan for talking about this.

In the meantime, I think there are some new things I can "leak."

We've been working closely with Paizo and Lone Shark to make this game as awesome as possible. In most cases, that means staying true to the original rules and intent. There are times where the limitations of interface (over a tabletop) mean it's better if we change the mechanics of the card to fit our game. A simple example of this comes from the "Cloud" spells.


"Don't you know that you're toxic?" ...yep, the card game blog got a Britney reference.

From a mechanics perspective, we removed the "when a character encounters" part of the spell and made it work more like other displayed spells such as Strength and Glibness. It’s a minor change in functionality, but a large benefit for our interface: instead of stopping gameplay whenever a bane is encountered in order to see if the character with this spell wants to play it, it’s now available before or after an exploration or on a combat check. You’ll also notice that we've made some changes to the card layout; for the most part, we've done this to give the card art a bit more room. We also introduced icons for the different card types, as there are places where our user interface really benefits from that. And Paizo has updated the wording where appropriate.

The folks at Paizo have also given us opportunities to add cards here and there that are unique to the digital game. Here are some of my favorites so far:


Rusted Chain doesn't care about your armor proficiency.

The original game has a lot of standard chain mail. We switched out some of them with minor mechanical changes and art revisions. As you know from playing the game, anything that adds to the thrill of discovery is a good thing.

And speaking of thrilling, our artist, Lindsey Laney, was inspired to create the art for a new card in her free time. I can only describe it as a move for gender equality.


In case you ever wondered what a half-orc with high Charisma looks like.

Now let me tell you about who's playable in the tutorial...

Feargus: Davis! Back to work!

Alrighty! Gotta go! More information to come.

Nathan Davis
Multiclass Designer-Producer
Obsidian Entertainment
@nathan_J_davis
(Previously Harsk in Rise of the Runelords and Ranzak in Skull & Shackles; currently Alain in Wrath of the Righteous)

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Tags: Licensed Products Obsidian Entertainment Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Rise of the Runelords
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You'd be wise to stay away from the shopkeeper's daughter and tough to get past the blacksmith's son.

I look forward to playing it next year. Although I'm not sure I'll really play it over the real thing, but maybe once I try the digital version I'll love it.


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I never knew that I wanted to know what a half-orc with high Charisma looked like! ^_~


Looks good! Any news on other platforms yet?

Developer, Obsidian Entertainment

5 people marked this as a favorite.
CockyRooster wrote:
Looks good! Any news on other platforms yet?

None yet, but I can confidently say we have the long game in mind and don't plan to stop at tablets.


That Sir is awesome news!


3 people marked this as a favorite.

Is it bad that I really like the card type symbols so much that I want them in the physical game?

Also, having the card type name, deck number next to the traits is also really good because often these things will be looked at together.


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Interesting that the Blacksmith's Son is a Constitution check instead of a Wisdom check to defeat...


Wait... Half-orc blacksmith's son with high Charisma... Glon?


Anywhere to sign up as a beta tester? :)

Obsidian Entertainment

First World Bard wrote:
Interesting that the Blacksmith's Son is a Constitution check instead of a Wisdom check to defeat...

Oh there is a story there.... ;)

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

Nathan Davis wrote:
CockyRooster wrote:
Looks good! Any news on other platforms yet?
None yet, but I can confidently say we have the long game in mind and don't plan to stop at tablets.

Good to hear.

While you're at it, any news on the next Obsidian Pathfinder game? Or at least a hint as to when that news will drop? We've been waiting 16 months and are impatient gamers who want to give you our money for it.

Dark Archive

I am sad that it is not going to be released soon. But I can wait for its release. I did have a question about if this will have multiplayer so I can play with family in other cities/states?


Looking forward to this game. Having said that, I'd rather they bring the product to market than to make changes like Rusty Chainmail or Blacksmith's Son.

A multi-player option over the internet with a good queuing system (where you could do other stuff while waiting for other players to join a game/scenario) is what would put this game over the top.

Sovereign Court

Pathfinder Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
StormbringerGT wrote:
First World Bard wrote:
Interesting that the Blacksmith's Son is a Constitution check instead of a Wisdom check to defeat...
Oh there is a story there.... ;)

Look up "Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic"

Sovereign Court

I'm not big on adding, and especially dislike changing, cards, but I'm glad at least to get a progress update.

Adventure Card Game Designer

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Andrew L Klein wrote:
I'm not big on adding, and especially dislike changing, cards, but I'm glad at least to get a progress update.

My advice to Nathan: "Whatever you do, let your first priority be making the most awesome PACG digital game possible." So if a card doesn't work in the digital game, it's DOA. If a card could work better in the digital game, it's going to be better.

Adventure Card Game Designer

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zeroth_hour wrote:
Is it bad that I really like the card type symbols so much that I want them in the physical game?

Not as much as Chad wants them.


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This game will be a total best of the decade if me, my wife and my kids can play together the same game online, each of us on his/her own tablet, even if my kids are working in some other remote city somewhere in France or elsewhere.

You pretty much have 6 licences of it already sold if the game can support that.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

And an idea for Not-this-Mike and others :
Since indeed

Nathan wrote:
The original game has a lot of standard chain mail.

especially for those of us who bought character add-ons and class decks, I recommend you fill future class decks, base sets and character add-ons with the digitaly created variants.

Then we can redispatch all those various chain mails in the different existing base sets, so that all of them benefits from increased variety of boons.

Just an idea, but why waste a potential good one?


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Mike Selinker wrote:
zeroth_hour wrote:
Is it bad that I really like the card type symbols so much that I want them in the physical game?
Not as much as Chad wants them.

Let me add my voice to those supporting the Obsidian digital card design/layout for Mummy's Mask...

Grand Lodge

Frencois wrote:

And an idea for Not-this-Mike and others :

Since indeed
Nathan wrote:
The original game has a lot of standard chain mail.

especially for those of us who bought character add-ons and class decks, I recommend you fill future class decks, base sets and character add-ons with the digitaly created variants.

Then we can redispatch all those various chain mails in the different existing base sets, so that all of them benefits from increased variety of boons.

Just an idea, but why waste a potential good one?

Agreed.

Also, very excited about this game. I like playing the physical game with friends, but it's hard to get everyone's schedule to line up.

Finally, I hope you can keep it under $25.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Developer

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Mike Selinker wrote:
zeroth_hour wrote:
Is it bad that I really like the card type symbols so much that I want them in the physical game?
Not as much as Chad wants them.

Truth.

Scarab Sages

I don't play the card game in RL, but I can't wait to get digital version on my iPad. Looks fantastic.

Scarab Sages

We recently went on a trip, and I was looking for some good games to load on my wife's Android tablet. It's tough to find good ones. Maybe Card City Nights, Deep Dungeons of Doom, Sword & Sworcery EP, and Kingdom Rush. The Star Realms card game app is good, but the Ascension one leaves a bit to be desired. I think the PACG app has the opportunity to shine in a field which may appear crowded at first glance but is mostly crowded with junk.


I could see Multiplayer thrive on Xbox Live or Playstation Network like the MtG Duels of the Planeswalkers games on the consoles.

IIRC, that game had/has up to 4 players per game on the consoles.


So is the Blacksmith's Son an actual character in Sandpoint? I'm interested to know this.

Not sure why its required for "gender diversity" as the original adventure path has the shopkeeper's daughter involved with a PC as an adventure Seed for book 2

Grand Lodge

2 people marked this as a favorite.

What does it matter, honestly? I mean, a RPG GM could easily swap the shopkeeper's daughter for a blacksmith's son as a romantic story hook if they wanted, so why can't the card game? Besides, that art for the daughter has always been one of the worst parts of an otherwise great book.

Any opportunity to get away from such blatant "omg da b00biez" art is worthwhile, IMO.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Mavrickindigo wrote:

So is the Blacksmith's Son an actual character in Sandpoint? I'm interested to know this.

Not sure why its required for "gender diversity" as the original adventure path has the shopkeeper's daughter involved with a PC as an adventure Seed for book 2

Bernie Sanders came and forced to include him by holding everybody at a gunpoint. There, plausible "compassionate-conservative-friendly" explanation provided, can we move along? :)

Silver Crusade RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16

They didn't say they were getting rid of the Shopkeeper's daughter card, just that they're adding the Blacksmith's Son, right? I'd personally hate to see the poor daughter left out just because there's a strapping young lad to take her place completely. LOL

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Blacksmith's Son is an addition, not a replacement.

Jason S wrote:
...I'd rather they bring the product to market than to make changes like Rusty Chainmail or Blacksmith's Son.

Little things like this are completely outside the critical path (meaning they don't affect the schedule at all)... but even if they did, the total time spent on them is minimal.

Sovereign Court

My only issue is that I hate seeing items in a digital version of physical games that isn't part of the original physical game. My thought process is "It wasn't in Rise of the Runelords PACG, why is it here?"

It's not some horrible thing, I know, but it bugs me to see anything like that.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Andrew L Klein wrote:
My thought process is "It wasn't in Rise of the Runelords PACG, why is it here?"

There are three common answers to that question, and when you see new things, one or more of them will apply:

1: We have learned a lot since we made RotR.
2: Obsidian lacks certain limitations that we had to deal with.
3: Obsidian's version of the game occasionally has slightly different requirements than our own.

Sovereign Court

#3 I can understand, and is probably the biggest reason it doesn't bug me too much. A video game can't always work if you duplicate the original. #1 I don't like, I'd rather it be a different product in title than be called the same thing when it's different. #2 follows #1.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

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So if we did a second edition of Rise of the Runelords*, and made these or other such changes, would you say it's not Rise of the Runelords?

Because if adding a "second edition" tag makes it okay, then I'd suggest you mentally append "digital edition" to Obsidian's version. 'Cause that's what you're getting—the same game, with some changes.

*No, we don't have one planned.


Vic Wertz wrote:
...*No, we don't have one planned.

Yes, we know, you don't have to stabb us in the back again by repeating it... :-)

Sovereign Court

I wouldn't say it's not, only that I wish it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm still buying this for the right price!

Contributor

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Andrew L Klein wrote:
I wouldn't say it's not, only that I wish it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm still buying this for the right price!

Heck, I'm buying it at any price. I'm quite excited for this!

Adventure Card Game Designer

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Vic Wertz wrote:

There are three common answers to that question, and when you see new things, one or more of them will apply:

1: We have learned a lot since we made RotR.
2: Obsidian lacks certain limitations that we had to deal with.
3: Obsidian's version of the game occasionally has slightly different requirements than our own.

One thing that we get criticized a lot for is our difficulty settings. Runelords 1 and 2 are too easy, people say, and Wrath B is too hard, other people say. That's because we have to decide those things before they get to you.

Obsidian doesn't have to have fixed answers to those questions. They can mod checks to defeat and acquire. They can include different quantities of everything. They can think, "Well, if we seed more Rusted armors then the game is harder, and if we seed more Masterwork armors then the game is easier." And they can make those decisions differently for individual games depending on who you are and what you've done. All of that would make cards look different to the player of the physical card game. But it's undoubtedly an improvement over the card game, and one I would love to have in real life.


Obsidian can even include a "settings" menu that would let you adapt the difficulty by letting you change some numerical values for example (level of checks, number of locations or cards within locations, hand sizes, you name it...).
I would see that as a nice improvement (although nothing prevents me do do it) to the physical game.

Grand Lodge

Vic Wertz wrote:
critical path

This is precisely the tool I never knew I always wanted.


For toxic cloud, was the change of the discard condition from "end of this turn" to "end of your turn" deliberate? It looks like a significant buff.

Unless I've been reading "end of your turn" wrong and those cards were never mean to be basically full round effects.


It's matched by a (sometimes) significant debuff. Since you no longer play it "When a character encounters a bane", you now have to play it either before the explore or during the encounter, meaning you can no longer use it in encounters that restrict you from playing cards with the Arcane or Attack traits. Unless you knew it was coming and played it before exploring, of course.


Not long now.


Thanks as always for the heads up. Can't wait to play this


nondeskript wrote:
It's matched by a (sometimes) significant debuff. Since you no longer play it "When a character encounters a bane", you now have to play it either before the explore or during the encounter, meaning you can no longer use it in encounters that restrict you from playing cards with the Arcane or Attack traits. Unless you knew it was coming and played it before exploring, of course.

Oh and now you also can't play it if you are playing another spell on the check, at least according to RAW for the physical game.


True, but you can also play it outside of an encounter now this way.


Hawkmoon269 wrote:
Not long now.

Oh yes!!

Waiting with money in hand :-)

Dark Archive

I really want them to start working on a Pathfinder CRPG after they finish the card game.


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Ok so you have to buy each adventure Path separately like in real game. "Obsidian is also dedicated to supporting Pathfinder Adventures with the regular release of new adventure decks for purchase that will take the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path to its climactic final encounter." Interesting to see the price.
Also there is confirmation about the multiplayer. "Pathfinder Adventures will initially launch as a single-player or pass-and-play experience with online multiplayer support being added in the coming months."

Adventure Card Game Designer

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We are gleeful about the news.

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