Pathfinder has some good ideas- They try to "even out" the character races, which is a plus. I am not sure how I feel about sorcerer & wizard going to d6.. If gnomes get magic abilities right off the bat, why can't elves- a race much more ancient and infused w/ magic? AND in the past I could believe that a sorcerer might have a dragon lineage. But now it can have the lineage that really belongs to genasi (elemental), aasimar (celestial), tiefling (abyssal/infernal) and even undead. Way to amp up the sorcerer and leave the wizard eating dust!

I don't understand why everybody says that Pathfinder keeps to the Dungeons and Dragons feel unlike D&D 4E, I think there are more similarities than one might think.

Pathfinder gives characters more hit points at first level, wow it's so cool! You don't die at first level anymore! They also do the same thing in Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition!

Pathfinder tries to balance out the classes and fix the Fighter are good at low levels but horrible at higher levels thing. But, has it truly been fixed? Sorcerers and Wizards are still more overpowered than the Fighters and now they have more hit points! Woo for Balance! At least D&D 4E did it better.

What about the other problems with 3.5 such as grappling, tripping and many others? Some aren't even really fixed and most are houseruled. Seriously, do you need a company to houserule Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 for you?

All in all, Pathfinder is loaded with all the new fixes from 4E, except Wizards of the Coast thought of them and did it first. And some of the major problems aren't really fixed. So would you get the release product that is just copied from another version of D&D (4E)? I wouldn't.

I really do like what I see here. This represents an excellent start and can not wait to see the finished product.

That being said because this is beta, it still has issues. But still far better than 3.5 for balance matters and preparations on the DM side.

I am not a D&D fan, I haven't been playing the game for 20-30 years, and I believe D&D was never the best system out there for any genre; it is just the most popular. So if you're like me, read on. If you've been a long time D&D fan, read the others who can give you a view point from a more similar perspective to yours.

This is a nicely presented product, even though it is just the beta version. The products in this series look very pretty and I like the art styles found in most of them. They didn't skim on production value; but that also makes things more expensive.

Going from AD&D to 3e was a big change. 3e was its own thing, but the gaming paradigm, how things work in the game, were essentially the same; just handled with different rules. Though they were different you can still see 3e as D&D. Not so with 4e. The fundamental workings of the game, the paradigm, has been changed to a sort of simulation of MMORPGs. The whole thing is different. It isn't D&D as anyone knows it. But it IS the new D&D.

But who cares. D&D was never the best, and it still isnt.

So on the same note, PF is not the best. And they probably arent trying to be. They are just making a logical next step in the evolution of 3.5; and on that I think they are very successful.

Coming in though as a "non-fan" though, I can see PF as its own thing: not as a replacement for 3.5, but as a system in itself. So hows PF. It is pretty good. Much better than 3.5 and a good system to use.

1 advantage it has over other "indie" systems is that it will not be hard to find players who are willing to learn the system; because most people already know 3.5, finding players will not be a problem like so many other games (especially in areas like mine where people seem to play only the big games). This is a big advantage over other systems, even 4e itself, since the player base who knows the system is bigger than those who know 4e (4e player base = 3.5 player base - those who didnt

I sent a link to a couple of my players saying "you might like to check this out" before I left on vacation.

When I returned two weeks later, the campaign had been hijacked and switched over to Pathfinder.

We regret being too late to participate in the playtest.

A pat on the back to all involved. This is something that plays well, feels like D&D, and provides all kinds of new tweaks that make the core classes--all classes--playable again.

Thanks to everyone.

I have been searching for a replacement world/campaign in which to play once the 4th ed transition took place. This game exceeds my expectations and it brings back the nostalgia of my early gaming days (back in the ol' 80's).

Thank you, very, very, very, very, very, you get the point... much!

I fall into the camp as a person who actually likes 4e & PFRPG. That being said, This product really has me excited. I get to use all of my 3.Xe material that I have around. The streamlined skills are something I have been houseruling for years. The CMB is another sweet spot. This is overall, is a VERY well designed ruleset. Especially true for a Beta Playtest. I wish I could give it 6 out of 5 stars, lol.