PaizoCon Announcement Predictions


PaizoCon General Discussion

Jon Brazer Enterprises

So PaizoCon is this weekend. The big announcement dinner is this Saturday. What do you think will be the big reveals? I am not talking details about books we already know about. I'm sure we'll hear details about the new Pathfinder Kingmaker videogame, starfinder society, new pathfinder society, details about previously announced hardcovers/APs. We know that is all coming. I'm asking about what you think will be announced that is previously unknown.

Disclaimer: I have no direct knowledge of any of this. This is my own speculation. I could be on the mark on everything or totally off base on all of it. Somewhere in the middle is most likely.

My thoughts:

1) Starfinder Spring Hardcover: Starfinder GMG. I expect this to be like the GameMastery Guide that immediately came out after the Pathfinder RPG. This should be a catch-all book of stuff that a game master needs with advice on build their own universe, creating adventures, books/tv shows/movies to gain inspiration, and a decent amount of the book being a kind of NPC Codex.

2) Pathfinder Spring AP: Crystal Frazier Flavored. While I have no clue what it would be, with her running it, I would expect it to be both off the wall and freaking awesome. Planes are certainly not out of the question. Neither is mythic, time travel, and dwarves.

3) Pathfinder Spring Hardcover: Another Plane or Environment Book. James Jacobs is heading this up. Maybe a new class, but probably just new archetypes, but lots of details on the environment. I'd say there's an outside chance of a Spell Compendium, which I'd rather it be, but I don't believe that will be the case for the Spring release. The GenCon release is more likely.

4) Wildcard: Pathfinder 2e. Jason Bulmahn and crew take the stage and talk about their 2019 release of Pathfinder 2e. This game is being rewritten from the ground up and while it will feel familiar, it will have many of the frequent problem bits smoothed out. Things like monster design/several core classes will now use a variation on what we saw in Pathfinder Unchained. Magic items are getting an overhaul. Combat will be sped up, somehow. Rogues will be relevant, bards will be useful, and every core book will include a free kitten.

Those are my predictions. What are yours?

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32

A lot about Starfinder and a GMG is a good guess. I'd say also some electronic assets to use on a VTT.

The Pathfinder MMO will be talked about a lot, but even though I doubt it, I'd be tickled to see a Starfinder MMO announcement too.

I think the time is ripe for Mythic to reveal itself again...not as an AP though. Maybe an Unchained style book for Mythic.

AP-wise...I could see something laying the foundation for what could eventually be the origin of Pathfinders in Space.

2e will not happen! :)

My wildcard...James Jacobs' post apoc game is announced as finally ready to reveal to the public :)


I'm really hoping that Crystal's next AP is set in Taldor. I've been warned not to get my hopes up, but that's not going to stop me. :)

In terms of big announcements I think it will mainly focus on bedding down Starfinder next year. I think if some equivalent "next big thing" was announced, there might be a sudden burst of collective hysteria.

I'm hoping there's some kind of "Yay us!" anniversary celebration too. The 100th AP seemed to pass without us noticing, but this is the 10th Paizocon (and the 15th year of Paizo's existence or something?)

I'd like a moment to pause and recognise how much the company and the staff have achieved in that time. Given the ongoing ructions in the RPG industry and the economy more broadly over that period, it's astonishing if you think about it.

Silver Crusade

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On the card game front, here's hoping we get an announcement of the next box set, as well as whatever is coming for organized play after Season of the Plundered Tombs.

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

I think the next Starfinder book will actually be some kind of ship guide.

Silver Crusade RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16

I really REALLY don't want to see a 2nd edition. Like ever. Ever ever.

As far as your other predictions, I'm on board with all of them. And Eliandra definitely has said what we WANT to see from the card game side... let's just hope it's happening!

I also guarantee they'll talk about the new Pathfinder CRPG that was just announced. Perhaps we'll even see a gameplay video! I know they're supposed to have demos of it at the con!

Grand Lodge

What do you guys think are the chances of us seeing a hardback (or anything big) on the Spire of Nex and Absalom? Either written by Mona with some assistants or his just deciding to let someone else do it since he will never have the time.

Jon Brazer Enterprises

Rusty Ironpants wrote:
I think the next Starfinder book will actually be some kind of ship guide.

I could see ships in a GMG first. But there are too many things that a gm needs for the game before a full specialized book.

Jon Brazer Enterprises

cartmanbeck wrote:
I also guarantee they'll talk about the new Pathfinder CRPG that was just announced. Perhaps we'll even see a gameplay video! I know they're supposed to have demos of it at the con!

We already know that that is the case. But that was previously announced.

Dark Archive

Hmm predictions, I think they will have a module for PF to cross over with Starfinder. Talking of modules, I think they will announce a Starfinder module line to come in for the end of next year. Final prediction Starfinder organised play modules.

Silver Crusade RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16

Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
cartmanbeck wrote:
I also guarantee they'll talk about the new Pathfinder CRPG that was just announced. Perhaps we'll even see a gameplay video! I know they're supposed to have demos of it at the con!
We already know that that is the case. But that was previously announced.

Yeah, they're having a panel, but I also hope they give us some info about it at the banquet, since I can't attend that panel. :)

Contributor

James Jacobs mentioned they aren't going to Alkenstar any time soon, which kills my hope for a steampunk AP in the Mana Wastes. So I'm hoping for either more Tian-Xia material (most of us have been vocal in wanting it despite Jade Regent sales) or something in Land of the Linnorm Kings/Realm of the Mammoth Lords. A nice Viking flavored AP would be welcome.

Also really hoping they'll announce that RPG SuperStar will be returning in 2018. We budding writers miss that outlet.

Liberty's Edge

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Starfinder Superscriber

Kittens of Golarion

Silver Crusade

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Wait, bards will be useful? Bards are one of the best classes in game. Who have you been playing with that doesn't know how to play a bard?

Scarab Sages

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Wild prediction:
New adventure path will focus on an invasion of the Land of the Linnorm Kings by a Lashunta army. It's Aliens VS Vikings, and the victor must fight Fafnir, Father of All Linnorms, in a duel to the death!


Something on Saruman, please. Every fantasy game does Asia, Europe etc. never an Australia analogue

Liberty's Edge

Starfinder Superscriber

Recently we've had the hard-core city rebellion APs (the two Cheliax Hell's APs), then Lovecraftian horror, and thenthe rugged-wilderness-fighting-humanoid-invasion AP (Ironfang in progress). Before that was old-school Against the Giants type action, and before that AIs and tech in Numeria.

Observation: we've been in Avistan for 3 years (at least so far as where we started).

Next is Ruins of Azlant, which sails off to the west; I expect it will be rich with the history of humanity, perhaps with some revelations about Aroden, perhaps with Secret Masters... we'll find out as it starts to get published.

I would expect the next AP after that either to be back down in Garund, or to venture to other parts of the world. A lot of people would be happy to see an AP that returns to -- or even starts in! -- Tien Xia. There could be a rich dragony AP out there.

Or, perhaps we'll venture down the east coast of Garund; last time the AP went there, if I'm not mistaken, was Legacy of Fire, which is at least three aeons ago in game system time. Maybe a massive defend-the-world-from-Geb undead AP? Perhaps mixed with a wizards-of-Nex sort of thing? Hard to imagine how that would happen without involving Alkenstar and all of that, what with it being kind of stuck in the middle.

I don't really expect a Distant Worlds sort of AP. That territory was hit with Reign of Winter, and is being seriously explored (sorta) with the release of Starfinder. But... a planehopping AP would be really cool. Maybe that's the announcement. Yeah, that's where I'm going to put down my chips and bet. A planehopping AP, with PCs starting on Golarion but making their way to Axis before the end of the first installment.

Paizo Employee Publisher, Chief Creative Officer

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W E Ray wrote:
What do you guys think are the chances of us seeing a hardback (or anything big) on the Spire of Nex and Absalom? Either written by Mona with some assistants or his just deciding to let someone else do it since he will never have the time.

Never say never. My Pathfinder Worldscape comic takes place almost entirely within the Spire of Nex (albeit subtly so), and I have been working on lots of Nex stuff in my notebooks lately.

While an Absalom book would be a full team effort (especially including Owen KC Stephens, who wrote the original Guide), and a Full treatment of the Spire is still several years off, I'm eyeing the product schedule and my own free time (such as it is) to get some Nexian goodness out in the wild in the not-too-distant future.

We won't be discussing that at the PaizoCon banquet, though.


The return of Aroden.
When he stays for dessert after the banquet then takes over as MC for the quiz.

And the demise of Aroden.
When he sacrificed himself to stop Absalom from going the way of rest of Golarian (and discovering too much lactose was in that dessert).

Jon Brazer Enterprises

Erik Mona wrote:
stuff

I literally said to my wife about 4 hours ago, "It's not like anyone from Paizo is going to read my thread."

Whoops.

Liberty's Edge

Remember ... with great power, comes great responsibility :)

Grand Lodge

You know I have never been into comics, even gaming comics, but I'm going to have to check out this Pathfinder Worldscape comic.

Thank you Erik Mona!


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W E Ray wrote:

You know I have never been into comics, even gaming comics, but I'm going to have to check out this Pathfinder Worldscape comic.

Thank you Erik Mona!

It's well worth a look, although as Erik says, the Nex stuff is pretty subtle/peripheral.

I'd also strongly recommend The Hollow Mountain Series. There's some great Golarion lore, plus it's got a good representation of exploring a megadungeon (without it getting tedious), in my opinion.

Scarab Sages

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Oh man I so much want a plane hopping AP

Liberty's Edge

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Starfinder Superscriber

And the PCs could have a chat and maybe do some things for Salim while they're in Axis!

Plane hopping AP would be very cool.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

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Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
Erik Mona wrote:
stuff

I literally said to my wife about 4 hours ago, "It's not like anyone from Paizo is going to read my thread."

Whoops.

I *definitely* haven't read it.

Liberty's Edge

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Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
4) Wildcard: Pathfinder 2e. Jason Bulmahn and crew take the stage and talk about their 2019 release of Pathfinder 2e.

You do realize you are talking about a company who went from publishing two magazines under license to being the biggest RPG publisher in the world, based on one thing: gamers are grognards and don't want to move to a new edition so they stuck with people who offered them a chance to stay with the same old?

Literally their entire business is founded on the concept of gamers not wanting to move to a new edition. That very concept paid all of their houses and cars.

And you think they're now going to do a 4e of their own?

Riiiiight.

Dark Archive

Samy wrote:
Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
4) Wildcard: Pathfinder 2e. Jason Bulmahn and crew take the stage and talk about their 2019 release of Pathfinder 2e.

You do realize you are talking about a company who went from publishing two magazines under license to being the biggest RPG publisher in the world, based on one thing: gamers are grognards and don't want to move to a new edition so they stuck with people who offered them a chance to stay with the same old?

Literally their entire business is founded on the concept of gamers not wanting to move to a new edition. That very concept paid all of their houses and cars.

And you think they're now going to do a 4e of their own?

Riiiiight.

It will happen eventually. But not so soon. The most logical step is to use the (hopefully) more streamlined rules of Starfinder together with Pathfinder Unchained (which was a well received foray into a 2nd edition).

Personally more and more of my campaigns are breaking down in book 5 of an AP, as the prep time is way too long, combat breaks down because of too many, too complicated spells and people are not enjoying gameplay anymore.
Starfinder having only 6 spell levels sounds very good to me.

Back on topic: I expect renders from the next "Pathfinder Battles: Maze of Death" miniatures set and actual Starfinder minis pictures! :-)


I hate Unchained.

But seriously, they aren't going to release or announce a new edition two days after rolling out announcements for something like fifteen New pocket editions.

If they did that, say goodbye to all those preorders, because as soon as they announce a new edition those are all going poof.


Samy wrote:

Literally their entire business is founded on the concept of gamers not wanting to move to a new edition. That very concept paid all of their houses and cars.
Riiiiight.

Every single person who switched from 3.5 to Pathfinder is open to new editions, because they all switched editions to get to Pathfinder. If Paizo's customer base were really against new editions, then none of them would have bought Pathfinder. They'd just have stayed with 3.5. Or 3.0. Or Chainmail. Or whatever game system they started with. But the fact is, you do buy in to new editions, or else you wouldn't be here.

Anyhow, I'm predicting that they'll announce what the heck is going on with the module line. Beyond a vague "we're changing it to tie it into Golarion."

Silver Crusade

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Pathfinder was an extension of 3.5, not a completely new from the ground up system, which is why people flocked to it. The other editions you mentioned most people migrated to in no small part probably because the edition they were playing was no longer supported with new products.

And the modules have been Golarion centric for... awhile now. Or did you mean the Core line?

Liberty's Edge

Starfinder Superscriber

In retrospect, Pathfinder 2.0 should have happened a year or two ago....

In reality, it's happening as a continuous process. Which is ok for home games, if messy. It's repeatedly very aggravating for PFS.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Maybe for next year's Paizocon (This year is too soon, since Starfinder hasn't even been publicly released yet):

The Paizo RPG System: This book would adapt the Starfinder rule system for lower tech settings like the traditional Pathfinder/Golarion setting.

Three factors would affect how likely a book like this would be:

1) How popular the Starfinder game is, and

2) How compatible that system is with Pathfinder -- It would need to be different enough to justify actually publishing a book for the conversion but similar enough that the conversion for material not directly covered is trivially obvious.

3) Relative level of complexity of Starfinder rules: If a dozen or more different Pathfinder options would collapse into a single Starfinder option, that might suggest a fundamental incompatibility that would keep this book from working.

If this book is a hit, they would effectively have their second edition.


I have completely lost interest in Starfinder but I have been enjoying the stuff they have been talking about for Ultimate Wilderness. I hope this PaizoCon will have some more interesting news that is not Starfinder related.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Dragon78 wrote:
I have completely lost interest in Starfinder but I have been enjoying the stuff they have been talking about for Ultimate Wilderness. I hope this PaizoCon will have some more interesting news that is not Starfinder related.

They had an Ultimate Wilderness preview panel yesterday. Check the Ultimate Wilderness product thread for spoilers from that panel.

And surely tonight's banquet will have something besides just more Starfinder stuff. To avoid this year's banquet being a major letdown compared to last year's Starfinder announcement, they need to announce a "WOW!" book in the Pathfinder RPG line.

Liberty's Edge

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137ben wrote:
Every single person who switched from 3.5 to Pathfinder is open to new editions, because they all switched editions to get to Pathfinder.

That doesn't prove anything. I still use my 3.5 manuals most of the time. I still haven't bought the Pathfinder CRB. The two systems are 95% interchangeable. Being on board for PF is no proof of being on board for a new edition.

Unless the new edition was a decimal incrementation, like 3.0 -> 3.5 -> 3.PF -> 3.9?, then probably yes. But a full up 2e -> 3e level of edition change? You can't support that with the Pathfinder migration.


David knott 242, yeah I know about the Ultimate Wilderness.

So what did they talk about at the banquet?


Are they not revealing adventure paths anymore. I could care less about all the Ultimate Yukon or Starfinder reveals (I'm avoiding spoilers for it so I can pop it open in August and be happily blown away).


They have revealed the next AP, it is in the AP section of the site.


captain yesterday wrote:
Are they not revealing adventure paths anymore. I could care less about all the Ultimate Yukon or Starfinder reveals (I'm avoiding spoilers for it so I can pop it open in August and be happily blown away).

I'm also avoiding most spoilers about Starfinder.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Dragon78 wrote:

David knott 242, yeah I know about the Ultimate Wilderness.

So what did they talk about at the banquet?

I only know what they posted on Twitter.

Liberty's Edge

They revealed an upcoming AP set in Taldor called War for the Crown which got a big reaction ...

Silver Crusade

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssss!

Sovereign Court

So what was actually said ? Besides the Taldor AP which is great news !

Grand Lodge

I got quite a few bits of info on the Taldor AP in the 'Adventure Path Q&A' Seminar. I took notes.

Tonight when I get home from work I'll pull out the notes and start a thread (or use this one) giving away the small handful of bits of info (title and author of each volume and a few elements).

Grand Lodge

How 'bout this....

One of the developers tried, tried, TRIED to title the AP War of the Crown but, despite all his best efforts, Jacobs & Mona black-walled that and they made it War for the Crown instead.

The reason the developer wanted to make it 'of the' instead of for the' is great -- and of course, is the same reason Jacobs and Mona had to say "No."

.

EDIT: But that has absolutely nothing at all to do with the actual adventure path.

Jon Brazer Enterprises

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Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
4) Wildcard: Pathfinder 2e. Jason Bulmahn and crew take the stage and talk about their 2019 release of Pathfinder 2e.

While I was wrong on the announcement date, I was right on saying when it was coming. ;)

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