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Warm Seasonal Wishes from the Paizo Crew!

Friday, December 22, 2017

Another year is coming to a close, and 2017 has been a landmark year for us at the Paizo office! In the last few weeks, we've begun reflecting on and collecting memories from the last 12 months, and the support that you, our community of amazing fans, have given to our projects. We're blown away by it all, and before we begin our recap blogs for the year, we want to take a moment to say: thank you!

These "adorable" little skittermanders are ready for the winter festivities!
Illustration by Kent Hamilton

The release of a new roleplaying game is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and it is no understatement that the reception for Starfinder has exceeded our expectations many times over. While we plan on recapping our projects from this year in another blog, it's notable that the gamers we've seen at conventions, organized play events, game stores, and patronizing paizo.com seem to really enjoy this crazy, wonderful, spacey adventure we've put so much work into. The next year is definitely going to be full of even more Starfinder (and of course, Pathfinder) excitement to come.

This widening community of gamers is what makes it possible for everyone at Paizo to keep aspiring for bigger and better goals. To show our appreciation, you can now use the holiday18 promotional code at checkout to receive a discount on an order from paizo.com.*

Once again, and we can't say it enough, thank you! We wish you all safe travels, critical hits, and all the adventure that the holiday season brings!

Best wishes and happy gaming,
The Paizo Staff

*The holiday18 code stacks with Pathfinder Advantage. This discount does not apply to subscriptions, backorders, preorders, or third-party downloads.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Paizo employees are working remotely, and our warehouse is closed for physical order fulfillment until April 13th, 2020. For more information on how this impacts our retail operations, please visit: our status update thread in the customer service forums.

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Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa, Part 3

Fri, Apr 3, 2020, 12:00 pm

I wasn’t planning to hit you with a weekly update when I started these, but things keep changing so quickly and new information is reaching us almost daily, that I felt that you needed an update, especially with our new April products scheduled to release in a few weeks.

Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa, Part 3

Friday, April 3, 2020

I wasn’t planning to hit you with a weekly update when I started these, but things keep changing so quickly and new information is reaching us almost daily, that I felt that you needed an update, especially with our new April products scheduled to release in a few weeks.

As many of you are probably aware, various shutdowns of nonessential businesses across the world have left many brick and mortar hobby game stores and bookstores closed for an indefinite period of time. Some stores are still open, while others have pivoted to online sales, doing curbside pick-up, or even hand-delivering game products to customer’s homes! If your local stores are finding creative ways to get our products into your hands, please support them in these tough times!

However, the temporary shutdown of many of these stores, as well as local shutdowns of nonessential businesses, has forced most of our distribution partners to close their operations temporarily. This means that most won’t be ordering our new releases when they come out at the end of April unless things improve before then. For the last three weeks, Amazon has stopped all restocks of nonessential items to give their warehouses the opportunity to provide their customers with essential products to get through this pandemic. To complicate matters, even when Amazon starts restocking our products, the distributor which sells to them for us has been shut down for who knows how long.

The long and short of all of this is that it may be difficult for you to find our new products while traditional distribution is mostly shut down. We are hopeful about being able to open up our warehouse to start shipping products in a week or two if the local situation continues to improve as it has lately (all while practicing safe social distancing). So with a bit of luck, we will be shipping all orders of new product in the second half of April, both for orders you placed through paizo.com and for distributors and retailers that remain open. Hobby game stores can also buy directly from us by registering their store at Paizo.com/retailers.

If you are interested in any of our new April products, then please reach out to your local hobby game store to see if they will be stocking them. Paizo ships our e-commerce all over the world, so if we are open to ship, then that is also an option for you. And finally, for those that are interested in PDF versions of our April releases, those should be available at the end of the month as usual.

April New Releases

PZO2217 Pathfinder Chase Cards

PZO90154 Pathfinder Adventure Path #154: Siege of the Dinosaurs

PZO30106 Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Bigger Ancient Dungeon

PZO7416 Starfinder: Attack of the Swarm! Pawn Collection

PZO7227 Starfinder Adventure Path #27: Deceiver’s Moon

Hopefully this information helps you track down our new April products. Remember that the situation is fluid and some channels that are closed now might reopen, so keep in touch with your FLGS. Feel free to ask in our Customer Service Forums on paizo.com and we will do our best to help you figure things out.

Once again, thanks for your continued amazing support. I know our staff appreciates it! Stay safe.

Lisa Stevens
CEO, Paizo Inc.

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Foolish Monsters, In April

Wed, Apr 1, 2020, 10:30 am

Every now and then, someone makes a typo and realizes that they’ve accidentally created a pun or joke so bad that they must immediately drop it into their team’s work chat, triggering a wave of snickering from some corner of the office. Whenever it sounds like a monster (or something else you wouldn’t want to see in a dungeon), we’ve offhandedly said “add it to the April Fool’s Bestiary.” But surely, we’d never actually stat them up and put them into a blog or some other format for them to run rampant on the internet, right? Well, against our better judgement, here are a few of the monsters that didn’t quite make the cut for Bestiaries or Alien Archives, born of typos, inside jokes, or meetings that started before the coffee pot was quite done brewing.

Foolish Monsters, In April

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Every now and then, someone makes a typo and realizes that they’ve accidentally created a pun or joke so bad that they must immediately drop it into their team’s work chat, triggering a wave of snickering from some corner of the office. Whenever it sounds like a monster (or something else you wouldn’t want to see in a dungeon), we’ve offhandedly said “add it to the April Fool’s Bestiary.” But surely, we’d never actually stat them up and put them into a blog or some other format for them to run rampant on the internet, right? Well, against our better judgement, here are a few of the monsters that didn’t quite make the cut for Bestiaries or Alien Archives, born of typos, inside jokes, or meetings that started before the coffee pot was quite done brewing.

James Case
Organized Play Developer

Blarghest (2) Creature 2

When a writer has run up against a particularly tough bit of text, they sometimes let out that most cathartic and universally understood of all sounds... “blargh”. When too many such sighs are uttered at a single desk, they can form into a beast that seeks to bring apathy to all it sees, as long as it doesn’t seem like too much work.

CE, Medium, Fiend
Perception +10; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Languages Abyssal, Common, Goblin
Skills Deception +9, Diplomacy +7, Intimidation +9, Stealth +8, Survival +7
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +3

AC 18; Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +7
HP 30; Immunities emotion; Resistances fire 3, physical 3 (except magical)
Slack of Opportunity [reaction] Trigger A creature targets the blarghest with a hostile action; Effect The blarghest rolls its eyes and sighs, imposing a deep sense of... blargh... upon the attacker. The attacker must attempt a DC 18 Will save; on a failure, it decides its action is too much work and the triggering action is lost. On a critical failure, the creature is also overcome with lethargy, becoming stunned until the start of its next turn

Speed 15 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +11, Damage 1d8+4 piercing
Melee [one-action] claw +11 (agile), Damage 1d6+4 slashing
Divine Innate Spells DC 18, attack +10; 1st charm, command; Cantrips (1st) message, prestidigitation
Consider Shape [one-action] (concentrate, mental) The blarghest thinks about taking on the shape of a goblinoid (a goblin, hobgoblin, or bugbear) or a wolf, but it ultimately decides that actually doing so is too much work.
Placeholder [two-actions] The blarghest shouts “Blargh!” to produce the effects of any cantrip that has a verbal component. This action gains the traits of that spell

Lyz Liddell
Designer

Demom Creature 3

Demoms are the mothers that birthed all demons. All creatures that know of demoms simultaneously love and fear them. They seem to never sleep, lying in wait for unsuspecting targets to stay out too late or make poor life choices. It is said that demoms can cook a mean green-bean casserole.

CE, Medium, Demon, Fiend
Perception +15; darkvision, true seeing
Languages Abyssal, Common; telepathy 100 feet (knows what you’re thinking)
Skills Diplomacy +7, Intimidation +8, Medicine +10, Stealth +8
Str +3, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +1

AC 19; Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +7
HP 50; Immune disease, excuses, mental, sleep; Resistances cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Maternal Aura (aura) 50 feet. All creatures who have a tragic backstory in which they’ve lost their parents take a –4 penalty to all Will saves as they are suddenly overcome with feelings of maternal love.
Shut It [reaction] Trigger A creature targets the demom with a hostile spell that has a verbal component.
Effect The demom says, “Don’t talk back to me!” The caster must attempt a DC 18 Will save; on a failure, it promptly shuts its mouth and stares at the ground contemplating how it doesn’t deserve this.

Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] hug +10, Damage 2d4+4 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] stern look +10, Damage 1d10+3 fire
Ground Target [three-actions] The demom narrows its eyes at a target and declared “You’re grounded!” The target creature must attempt a DC 18 Will save; on a failure, it must lay down its weapons, set up camp, and sit in its tent.
There, There [one-action] (mental, emotion, healing) Requirements The demom has a creature grabbed. Effect The demom embraces the creature and pats its back soothingly as it whispers reassurances, restoring 10 Hit Points to the creature.

Joan Hong
Customer Service Representative

Cacaodaemon Creature 1

A cacaodaemon appears at first glance to be an ordinary cacao pod, burnt-red in color and shaped like a football. But don’t let the promise of a sweet treat fool you—what looks like a crack in the rind is really a hideous maw filled with dozens of craggy, brown nib teeth. However, when extracted and roasted, the teeth are actually quite delicious.

NE, Tiny, Daemon, Fiend
Perception +2
Languages Common, Daemonic; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Deception +7 (+10 to appear as an inanimate object), Nature +3, Religion +4, Stealth +5
Str +3, Dex +1, Con +4, Int –2, Wis +0, Cha +1

AC 16; Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +4
HP 22; Immunities death effects; Resistances bludgeoning +2
Aromatic When a cacaodaemon is reduced to half its HP, the ruptures to its rind exude a fragrant tropical scent. Creatures within 10 feet of the cacaodaemon take a –1 circumstance penalty to Will saving throws until the cacaodaemon dies or is healed above half its HP.

Speed 5 feet, fly 40 feet
Melee [one-action] nib teeth +9, Damage 1d6+3 piercing plus bitter heart
Bitter Heart (poison) The dissonance between the cacaodaemon’s sweet scent and bitter inside drains the victim’s spirit; Saving Throw DC 17 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 1d8 mental damage and flat-footed (1 round); Stage 2 1d8 mental damage and stupefied 1(1 round); Stage 3 1d12 mental damage and stupefied 2 (1 round)

Avi Kool
Editor

SKITTERGOBLIN DECKCUTTER CR 3

In response to the Gap, a cosmic event that erased memories and records across the planes, the multiverse reflexively attempted to rectify the countless paradoxes and uncertainties like a blind surgeon stapling flesh. Among the results were skittergoblins, amalgams of several impetuously innovative humanoids that combine goblins’ destructive curiosity with skittermanders’ compulsive drive to help out. The boldest of these creatures (known as deckcutters) haplessly learn how to bridge time and space, tumbling through infinite realities where even the underlying multiverse’s mechanics vary wildly—and in rare cases drawing bystanders into these alien realms.

XP 800
CN Small humanoid
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

Defense HP 32

EAC 13; KAC 14
Fort +2; Ref +4; Will +6

OFFENSE

Speed30 ft.
Melee dogslicer +5 (1d4+4 S)
Ranged card +7 (1d4+3 S; critical wound)
Offensive Abilities three-action gambit
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd)
1/day—plane shift 3/day—shifting surgeCOM

STATISTICS

Str +1; Dex +3; Con +0; Int +1; Wis +0; Cha +4
Skills Acrobatics +8, Mysticism +13, Stealth +8
Languages Common, Goblin, Vesk
Other Abilities multiarmed (6)

ECOLOGY

Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, or shuffle (3–6)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Card Shark (Ex) A skittergoblin deckcutter transforms playing cards into deadly weapons, treating them as special one-handed weapons with a range of 20 feet, the wound critical hit effect, and the analog, operative, quick reload, and thrown special weapon properties.
Supernatural Scramble (Su) For brief moments, a skittergoblin can follow the rules of other realities to perform awesome feats, often causing others to perceive ephemeral afterimages. Once per day before attempting a Strength- or Dexterity-based skill check, a skittergoblin can use its Mysticism modifier in place of its normal bonus.
Three-Action Gambit (Su) Once per day when making a full attack, a skittergoblin can make up to three attacks instead of two attacks. Instead of these attacks taking a –4 penalty, the first attack takes a –2 penalty, the second attack takes a –4 penalty, and the third attack takes a –6 penalty. If the skittergoblin has another ability that allows them to make three or more attacks, the skittergoblin takes reduces the attack penalties for three-action gambit by 1.

John Compton
Starfinder Senior Developer

Squirrelwind Creature 10

Few phenomena are as feared as the deadly squirrelwind. The exact nature of squirrelwinds is a subject of some debate; many scholars believe they are intentionally created by vengeful druids, while others believe they are a bizarre but natural phenomenon created when a tornado touches down in an area rich in both magical energy and heavily populated in squirrels. Despite their deadly and destructive nature and reputation, squirrelwinds are responsible for surprisingly few casualties outside of plants and wildlife, as their chittering can be heard for miles around.

N, Large, Air, Animal, Elemental
Perception +19; darkvision
Skills Acrobatics +22, Stealth +16
Str +6, Dex +7, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +0

AC 32; Fort +15, Ref +23, Will +17
HP 130; Immunities paralyzed, poison, precision, sickened, sleep, swarm mind; Resistances physical 10
Chittering (aura, auditory) 60 feet. The chitters of wind-buffeted squirrels disrupts the senses, making air and ground within the emanation difficult terrain for all creatures that hear the sound.

Speed fly 75 feet; swiftness
Melee [one-action] gust +22 (finesse, reach 20 feet), Damage 2d12+10 bludgeoning plus Push 10 feet
Ranged [one-action] squirrel +22 (deadly 1d10, thrown, range increment 30 feet, versatile S), Damage 2d4+10 bludgeoning
Squirrel Surge [one-action] (flourish) Each enemy within the squirrelwind’s chittering aura takes 1d8 slashing damage.
Swiftness The squirrelwind’s movement doesn’t trigger reactions.

Michael Sayre
Pathfinder Society Developer

Weredigo Creature 15

The weredigo, a relative of the wendigo, is a monstrosity that lurks in the shadows of large cities where the options for fine dining are overwhelming. When a group of indecisive adventurers reaches a culinary crossroads and can't decide which tavern to peruse for post-dungeon drinks, a weredigo is destined to appear and put these foolish foodies out of their misery. The monster gets its name from the last words uttered by its victims, who continue to ponder their gastronomical dilemma even in death: "Where to go, where to go..."

Uncommon, CN, Large, Beast
Perception +29; darkvision, hungersight
Languages Aklo, Common, Jotun; telepathy 1 mile
Skills Acrobatics +30, Intimidation +30, Restaurant Lore +31, Society +31
Str +6, Dex +7, Con +8, Int +6, Wis +8, Cha +7
Coven A weredigo adds create food, enhance victuals, and ghoulish cravings to its coven’s spells. In addition, a weredigo, wendigo, and hoodigo coven can perform a unique ritual to enter the dreams of a creature responsible for hosting an upcoming party and curse them incurable planning indecision.
Hungersight (divination, primal) A weredigo can precisely sense peckish creatures.

AC 37; Fort +29, Ref +28, Will +31
HP 280; Immunities indecision; Weaknesses any diner who has a “regular” order; Resistances hunger 20
Speed fly 100 feet

Melee [one-action] jaws +29 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d10+14 piercing plus weredigo torment
Melee [one-action] fork +29 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d6+14 piercing plus Grab
Melee [one-action] knife +29 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d6+14 slashing
Reduce Options [two-actions] Requirements The weredigo is adjacent to two creatures that can’t decide where to get brunch. Effect The weredigo makes two fork Strikes and two knife Strikes against one of the adjacent creatures. These attacks don’t count toward the weredigo’s multiple attack penalty.
Weredigo Torment (curse, enchantment, mental, primal) A creature affected by weredigo torment can’t recover beyond stage 1 until it has been restored to full HP. Saving Throw Will DC 35; Stage 1 Stupefied 4 (1 day); Stage 2 As stage 1 (1 day); Stage 3 The creature becomes permanently afflicted with analysis paralysis, unable to make even the simplest of dining decisions, absentmindedly sipping their water whenever asked for their order.

Patrick Renie
Developer

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Humble Conquer COVID-19 Bundle

Tue, Mar 31, 2020, 01:00 pm

Help fight the COVID-19 and rescue lives worldwide.

Humble Conquer COVID-19 Bundle

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Help fight the COVID-19 and rescue lives worldwide.

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. – Robin Williams

In the wake of COVID-19 and its effects around the world, Humble Bundle has teamed up with a team of developers, publishers, and creators to raise funds to support organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. We at Paizo are contributing the Starfinder: Pact Worlds campaign setting PDF.

The Pact Worlds are the beating heart of the Starfinder RPG campaign setting, a solar system full of citizens both familiar and bizarre. From the cosmopolitan corridors of Absalom Station to the carnivorous jungles of Castrovel or the floating cloud-cities of the gas giant Bretheda, this hardcover rulebook is your guide to Starfinder's core worlds and civilizations, and the perfect place to launch any adventure. Contains 14 intriguing worlds, unique character themes, new playable alien races, new archetypes, starships, equipment and more! A perfect introduction to the worlds of Starfinder!

This special one-week bundle features $1,071 USD worth of games and ebooks for just $30 USD. 100% of the proceeds from your bundle purchase go to support organizations responding to COVID-19. For example, delivering protective gear to safeguard healthcare workers and providing medical care to infected patients.

Interested in knowing more about how the charities in this bundle are using funds to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help those affected? Learn more about how Direct Relief, International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders, and Partners In Health are responding at the Humble Conquer COVID-19 Bundle page.

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PaizoCon 2020 Cancelled

Fri, Mar 27, 2020, 11:00 am

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Paizo has made the decision to cancel PaizoCon 2020. We look forward to this celebration with our gaming community every year, and while it’s hard to cancel an event like this, we feel this is the best course of action given the global situation.

PaizoCon 2020 Cancelled

Friday, March 27, 2020

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Paizo has made the decision to cancel PaizoCon 2020. We look forward to this celebration with our gaming community every year, and while it’s hard to cancel an event like this, we feel this is the best course of action given the global situation.

The Seattle Airport Doubletree by Hilton will cancel all PaizoCon 2020 room reservations en masse. If you have follow up questions regarding your hotel reservation, please contact the hotel.

We’re looking into some options for things we might be able to do digitally over Memorial Day weekend that would still allow us to connect with our fans. With the rapid changes occurring both locally and globally, we have not yet come to any conclusions on the feasibility of providing digital content. Once we make a determination, we will let you know.

There’s also likely to be some questions about what this means for 2021. We’re doing our best to adapt to these challenging times, and we’ll update folks when we have more details for next year’s PaizoCon, May 28th-31st, 2021. For fans who plan to attend next year’s convention and choose to push their 2020 4-day Badge forward to 2021, we’ll have an enhanced swag bag at the show to express our appreciation. We know that many in our community are facing uncertainties with their future plans and may not yet know if they will be able to attend next year’s PaizoCon. There’s no pressure to make a decision about what to do with your Badge: all 2020 PaizoCon Badges and preview Banquet Tickets that have been issued will automatically work for PaizoCon 2021. If you determine that you need to return a Badge or a Banquet Ticket, just follow the instructions below for requesting a refund.

If you would prefer to receive a refund for a purchased PaizoCon 2020 Badge or Preview Banquet Ticket, please review the following instructions to process your return:

Refunding PaizoCon 2020 Badges or Preview Banquet Tickets if you do not want to push them forward to PaizoCon 2021:
Please note, once we have processed a request for a refund for a Badge or Banquet Ticket, we cannot reinstate the order at a later time.

If the Badge or Banquet Ticket is currently on the account of the purchaser:

Email customer.service@paizo.com and let us know if you would like your refund applied to the payment method used on the order or as store credit.

Provide the order number when possible.

If the Badge or Preview Banquet Ticket has been transferred and is no longer on the account of the purchaser:

The recipient of the Badge or ticket can transfer the item(s) back to the account of the purchaser.

If the recipient is having difficulties with transferring the Badge back to the purchaser, they can contact customer.service@paizo.com for assistance.

We cannot initiate transfers for Badges or tickets unless the account that currently has possession of the Badge or ticket requests it directly.

Once the Badge or Banquet Ticket has been transferred back to the purchaser, the purchaser can contact customer service and request a refund.

Be sure to include if the refund should be applied to the payment method or as store credit.

If you are the recipient of a transferred Badge or preview Banquet Ticket purchased on paizo.com, and you would like a refund applied to your account:

If eligible for a refund, transferred Badges or Banquet Tickets will be refunded as store credit to your paizo.com account in the original purchase amount. Contact customer.service@paizo.com to request the refund.

If you have additional questions or concerns, just let us know at customer.service@paizo.com.

Thank you to all our fans and community members who support Paizo. We’ll miss seeing you at PaizoCon 2020, and hope to see you in 2021!

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Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa, Part 2

Thu, Mar 26, 2020, 12:00 pm

I just wanted to update you with new information about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Paizo and what it means for you. As you know, the situation is changing rapidly and the team here at Paizo is having to take in new government rules, regulations, and health department guidance on almost a daily basis.

Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa, Part 2

Thursday, March 26, 2020

I just wanted to update you with new information about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Paizo and what it means for you. As you know, the situation is changing rapidly and the team here at Paizo is having to take in new government rules, regulations, and health department guidance on almost a daily basis.

On Monday, March 23rd, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued a stay-at-home order for non-essential businesses. Most of Paizo has been working from home for a while now, but our warehouse team had been continuing to ship orders to distributors and paizo.com customers. Paizo will now be closing our warehouse for two weeks starting on the evening of Wednesday, March 25 and put those workers on a paid furlough during that time. The team is working hard to finish March subscription shipments before this shutdown. After two weeks, we plan to resume warehouse shipments unless the situation dictates that we do otherwise. Our customer service team will continue to work from home answering your questions. They have a thread on our forums to keep customers updated with their progress on customer requests: Paizo Customer Service Status Updates & What to Do.

We can still fulfill PDF sales, and we will be launching a PDF sale later this week. Buying PDFs is a great way to help Paizo get through these troubling times as well as getting great gaming products at great prices! Watch for an email announcing the sale in your inbox later this week.

I must also announce that we have made the decision to cancel PaizoCon 2020. Though we and our partners at the DoubleTree Hotel believe this is the best course of action for the safety of our staff and attendees, this is particularly sad for us because we at Paizo really enjoy having the chance to hang out with all of you and play games for a weekend. There will be a number of options for dealing with your badge and banquet ticket purchases, including rolling it forward to next year with a nice gift waiting for you at PaizoCon 2021 to thank you for sticking with us through these times. If you have purchased a badge, look for an email explaining your options soon. Our customer service team would greatly appreciate if you could wait to contact them about PaizoCon badge options until after we have sent out the email to badge holders.

The staff has been hard at work from home. The Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide and the Starfinder Starship Operations Manual have both been sent to the printer to be delivered in time for Gen Con, and other products are going to the printer each week. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and we want to make sure that there are new roleplaying game products there for you to enjoy when we get through it.

Once again, thanks so much for your kind words of support and your continued patronage of our products. Together, we can get through these difficult times. We look forward to seeing many of you at the gaming table soon.

Lisa Stevens
CEO, Paizo Inc.

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Pathfinder & Starfinder Home Gaming Guide

Tue, Mar 24, 2020, 04:00 pm

Hi everyone! I’m Payton, your Social Media Producer. Just like us here at Paizo, you are probably stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meaning your weekly game sessions with friends around the table might have stopped. So I wanted to help people find ways to help your friends continue the adventure.

Pathfinder & Starfinder Home Gaming Guide

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Hi everyone! I’m Payton, your Social Media Producer. Just like us here at Paizo, you are probably stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meaning your weekly game sessions with friends around the table might have stopped. So I wanted to help people find ways to help your friends continue the adventure.

This Pathfinder & Starfinder Home Gaming Guide is built to help introduce you to various tools and tips to smoothly get your campaign back on track. Since I have generally played tabletop RPGs online, I want to share what I’ve learned with all of you.

If you have any tips and tricks you’d like to add to this guide, please leave a comment down below this blog, or help out another fellow player on social media!

Virtual Tabletop Options

Astral currently only supports just the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook, but it has a lot of amazing tools and features to manage your campaign. Features like animated maps, weather effects, line of sight, an intuitive interface to help keep up with the game’s rules, and so much more! I have been using Astral to run demos of Pathfinder Second Edition, and I love it more and more every session. With its easy drag and drop interface, I find myself being able to Game Master fairly efficiently with my improv style storytelling.

Astral as of this time is opening up their paid features for free until the end of April, so for newbies and veterans of virtual tabletop, now is the time to give Astral a try.

For those needing help learning how to use Astral, I highly recommend checking out Astral’s tutorials provided here to help you get started.

Astral looks absolutely stellar!

Roll20 is a popular option for many players. If you want to quickly pick up a Starfinder or Pathfinder Adventure and play, you will find that Roll20 supports a large number of Pathfinder & Starfinder products. Several of our adventures are ready for you and your group to play right now!

Roll20 has a lot of easy to use features!

For those wishing to set up homebrewed campaigns, Roll 20 has various features to help keep your games organized. Along with a large assortment of tools to build your maps in-game, such as line-of-sight, lighting, support for animated images, 3d dice rolling, turn orders, character sheets, and so on. The list is vast, making many campaigns I’ve run so much easier thanks to Roll20.

You can find Starfinder and Pathfinder Second Edition content prepped and ready for you within Roll20’s marketplace.
Pathfinder Second Edition: https://roll20.net/pathfinder2
Starfinder: https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?keywords=Starfinder

Fantasy Grounds is an incredible virtual tabletop system. The amount of tools and features it supports is too vast to list in the blog, but let me link you to their feature list for you to browse yourself here.

Fantasy Grounds makes it easy to share character art and information between players.

One of my favorite things about Fantasy Grounds is that nearly every Adventure Path Paizo has put out is fully converted and prepared in Fantasy Grounds. So for those wanting to play through Pathfinder Second Edition’s Extinction Curse Adventure Path or any other Adventure Path you can do so fully prepared for your Game Master and players in Fantasy Grounds. The support for Starfinder & Pathfinder is huge on this platform, and we highly recommend it for those looking to get set up with a premade adventure as quickly as possible.

Having the map and monsters already set up for really helps shorten prep time for your GM!

D20PRO is a fantastic platform that helps automate a lot of Starfinder’s systems to help you focus on the role-playing aspect of your campaign. Along with saving you time during your play sessions. You can find a list of their features here.

They currently only support Starfinder at the time of writing this blog, in which you can start your star-fairing adventures here.

These are the majority of the virtual tabletop platforms that have support for Pathfinder or Starfinder. We encourage you to pick and choose whichever one of these best fits your group.

Voice Chat Options

Discord is a popular communication platform that hosts tons of servers dedicated to various topics. Also, shout out to all the Pathfinder & Starfinder fan-made discords out there (I’m lurking in a few of them). Discord allows you to host private chats & calls to help organize your tabletop RPG campaigns. And the best part is that the entire service is free! One of the significant advantages of Discord is the ability to find games within various servers. Check your favorite fan websites or fan groups, and see if they have a Discord server. Then ask if anyone is up for playing a game! Discord is a great platform to find like-minded communities, gaming sessions, and friends!

Additional Resources

You can add a bit of flair to your gaming sessions with dramatic sounds, use additional tools to make character creation easier, or use tools to make looking up rules and details a breeze. Here is a collection of resources that can help improve your gaming experience.

Syrinscape is a fantastic source for music and sounds to help enhance your Starfinder and Pathfinder gaming sessions. You can take a look at their collection for Pathfinder here, along with Starfinder here.

Now you can be your very own DJ for your campaign!

Hero Lab Online is a great tool to help create your Pathfinder and Starfinder characters. I use all the time when drafting characters and when playing our in-office Extinction Curse Adventure Path campaign. Hero Lab also has support for player-content from our books such as backgrounds, classes, and options found in Pathfinder Lost Omens Gods & Magic or Starfinder’s Character Operations Manual.

Hero Lab keeps track of what is correct or incorrect for your character, helping those new to character creation.

Archives of Nethys is our official system reference document (SRD) for all your rules needs. If you are looking to look up a rule, affliction, or effect quickly, this is one of the most useful tools in your arsenal.

For Pathfinder: http://pfrd.info/
For Starfinder: http://sfrd.info/

Whew! That’s a lot of resources to take in, but once you utilize and practice with all of these tools in your gaming workshop, you’ll wonder how you ever gamed without them.

Of course, the community itself has made a lot of amazing tools that make your gaming sessions a lot easier. There are just too many to list in this blog, and we’d hate to play favorites. So I encourage you to post your preferences in the comments down below! We’d love to hear about your favorite tools.

Please be safe out there, and please prioritize your health and safety.

May you forever continue being a critical success!

Payton Smith
Social Media Producer

This is a first in a series of blogs on online gaming. Next up, two blogs on using these resources and finding games from Organized Play on Thursday!

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks
Marketing and Media Manager

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Sleep No More

Fri, Mar 20, 2020, 11:15 am

Discover Goblin Gulp, Geek Grind Coffee, and the Stay Cafe Promotion!

Sleep No More

Friday, March 20, 2020

Discover Goblin Gulp, Geek Grind Coffee, and the Stay Cafe Promotion!

Goblin thirst is quite the thing;
Works up quickly when we sing!
Pour a cup and gulp it down;
Goblin Gulp’s the best around!

We are excited to introduce our new licensed partner, Geek Grind Coffee Company! Their limited-edition whole bean Goblin Gulp Coffee is hand-harvested in Colombia and will arrive in April 2020. You can pre-order right now at a special discount price with early-bird pricing.

Goblin Gulp Coffee Pre-Orders are Now Open.

Goblin Gulp is 100% Colombian coffee which Geek Grind Coffee Company harvests in the mountains, sun-dried and roasted to perfection. The taste notes are ripe red fruits, green apple, and vanilla, with medium body, low acidity. The caffeine content is somewhat higher than average for a 100% Colombian. It is smooth, delicious, and perfect for breakfast or after dinner via drip or french press. It is also outstanding for espresso shots. The coffee is whole bean so you can grind as needed, according to your use and brew style.

You can also get your gulp on with this large, durable ceramic mug—the best way to drink your grind!

Pathfinder Goblin Gulp Coffee Mug

In the photo above Armando, who is a roasting, tasting and horticulture expert, checks the baby coffee plants which soon will be ready to be planted on the mountainside.

Experts In Their Field
Geek Grid operates at the highest levels of innovation related to ecological protection as well as social advocacy for their farmers and community of growers. They support and invest in the schools, infrastructure, and lives of their neighbors and community. The Geek Grind family are mountain farm owners and intimately understand the day to day needs and opportunities that the world of coffee delivers.

Above, the team on a recent trip to Colombia discuss the timing of the harvest and the opportunity for new blends.

A Family Business
The Geek Grind family has been a leader in the coffee cultivation and farmer advocacy forefront for more than 40 years. They continue to provide that leadership today in both the US and Colombia. Their desire is to introduce the finest coffee in the world, Colombian high elevation Arabica, to you and those you care about. We love gaming and we love coffee. They support women in management positions and feel very fortunate to be in an industry that can touch all out passions.

A very close farmer friend of ours, in the photo above prepares the beans to be sun-dried as they have done for generations.

Only Natural Methods
A lot has changed in the world of coffee in the last hundred years but the best way to get from farm to your cup is not necessarily one of them. Handpicked, hand dried in the sun, carefully sorted and roasted quickly in small batches; this is how they do it. Sometimes the old way is still the best way. This is as true today for Geek Grind Coffee as it was when they started more than 40 years ago.

We Empower Women In Coffee
Geek Grind proudly supports every facet of childhood education, industry training, and women in management positions in Colombia.

Welcome to the Stay Cafe promotion!

To make the most of a difficult situation Goblin Gulp has launched a "Welcome to the Stay Cafe!" promotion since so many are needing to stay home at this time. We might as well have great coffee if we are stuck at home right?

Buy any 12oz bag of any Geek Grind coffee blend and get one free. Use code "StayCafe" at checkout and get a free bag of 12oz coffee with any 12oz bag purchased.

You can also use "StayCafeK" and get a free box of Dragons Roast Kcups with the purchase of two boxes of Dragons Roast Kcups.

No end date for this special has been set at this time. Shop now at www.GeekGrindCoffee.com

US shipping only at this time. Shipping to Canada is not available yet but Geek Grind is working on it. You can also go to info@geekgrindcoffee.com if needed for questions or service.

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks
Marketing and Media Manager

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Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa

Thu, Mar 19, 2020, 04:30 pm

Apologies in advance for adding yet another COVID-19 email into your inbox, but it’s important that I let you know how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Paizo and what we are doing about it.

Paizo Update on COVID-19 from Lisa

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Apologies in advance for adding yet another COVID-19 email into your inbox, but it’s important that I let you know how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Paizo and what we are doing about it.

As you know, social distancing is the most important way that we, as a society, have to fight this new viral threat. Three weeks ago, I started the process of shifting almost all Paizo employees from working in our Redmond offices to working from home; they will continue to do so until we believe it is safe to congregate in our office again. For now, our small-but-valiant warehouse team remains in place, shipping orders to both customers and distributors. Even in the warehouse, we practice social distancing, staggering work schedules and limiting the number of people in each area of the warehouse; if we are given cause to believe that their safety is compromised, we will cease warehouse operations until the crisis passes.

As for the products and packages our warehouse team is handling (including products made in China and other countries), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that “In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures... Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.” (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html for more information.)

Working from home does require Paizo to sacrifice some of our normal procedures. Our customer service team can’t answer the phones from home, so until we are able to move back to the office, customer service is available only by email (customer.service@paizo.com) and via the Customer Service forum on paizo.com. We have also unfortunately had to cancel all of our visits to gaming conventions and trade shows for the foreseeable future.

Which brings us to PaizoCon. The safety of our attendees and staff is of paramount importance, and we are working closely with our host hotel and monitoring local, state, and federal government guidelines on a daily basis. The Washington State government is currently prohibiting gatherings of 50 or more people, though the timeframe does not yet approach the announced dates for PaizoCon (May 22–25). If the gathering ban or other concerns suggest that we should cancel or postpone PaizoCon, we will inform the community as soon as we can.

While Paizo is currently able to carry on with relatively few issues, many game stores are unfortunately at risk of going out of business if the pandemic goes on for an extended period of time. If your local store is still open, please help them out by buying from them when you can.

Please also keep in mind that social distancing doesn’t have to mean the end of social gaming. Our partners at Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, and D20PRO provide great tools for playing roleplaying games online. Paizo also hosts some great play-by-post campaigns, so you can practice social distancing and still have a great time gaming with your friends.

We are at the start of one of the more difficult moments in the history of the world. We are going to have to help our neighbors, our local businesses, and each other get through this. It won’t be easy, but Paizo will be here fighting to keep great RPG products coming into your homes.

Thank you for your continued friendship and business. We will update you when the situation changes.

Lisa Stevens
CEO, Paizo Inc.

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Paizo People: Additions and Promotions

Feb 6, 2020, 10:00 am

Please join us in welcoming our new-hires and celebrating the career advancement of some staff here at Paizo Inc.

Paizo People: Additions and Promotions

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Please join us in welcoming our new-hires and celebrating the career advancement of some staff here at Paizo Inc.

Logan Bonner, Pathfinder Lead Designer

Hello! I’m Logan Bonner, the new Pathfinder Lead Designer. My job is to see to the health of the game’s ruleset, make sure we’re putting out inspiring new rules for you, and monitor where and how new concepts enter the rules space as the game grows so it stays fresh and exciting, but manageable to understand, run, and play. I’ve been at Paizo for a long while now, with my first big book (as an editor) being Ultimate Equipment. Designing Second Edition with Jason, Mark Seifter, and Stephen Radney-MacFarland was the biggest job in my time here, and the new places we can take the game are really exciting! We want to surprise people and deliver new concepts as well as bringing back the best of Pathfinder First Edition. The best place to find my design discussions is Twitter, where I’m @loganbonner.

James Case, Developer

We were pleased to announce his transfer in our blog: Introducing Our New Org Play Developer!

Glenn Elliot, Program Manager

Hi, I’m Glenn, and for the past two years, I’ve been the Licensing Manager here at Paizo. I’m now switching roles to build a Project Management Office for the company and look forward to the challenge! I’ve been a Producer or Project Manager at various companies over the last 15 years including several small (now defunct) mobile game companies, PopCap Games, the Bluetooth SIG, and Microsoft. Before that, I was in R&D at Wizards of the Coast where I was the lead designer for RoboRally and the BattleTech trading card game, and before that, I was a software engineer at Boeing. I’m a computer gamer and roleplaying gamer, and in my free time I’m also a Master BBQ Judge for both the PNWBA and KCBS, as well as a fan of port wine. My wife and I love to travel, especially to Portugal, but really anywhere with sun and a warm beach is fine with us!

Maryssa Lagervall, Web Content Manager

Hey guys, I’ve adopted the website ala Bruce Wayne tragic orphan style. A new super suit and alter ego are pending. Until then, come yell with me about comics, movies, and any other pop culture thing you can think of @maryssamari

Patrick Hurley, Editor

Hi, I’m Patrick! I’m delighted and amazed to be an editor at Paizo. I’ve been writing science fiction and fantasy for over a decade and have also helped edit some great IP, including Star Wars, Marvel, and Star Trek. Along with Paizo short fiction, I’ve had stories published in the magazines Galaxy’s Edge, Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores, New Myths, Frozen Wavelets, Stupefying Stories, and Abyss & Apex, the book anthologies Portals, Battling In All Her Finery, and Murder & Mayhem, and the podcasts The Overcast and The Drabblecast. I live in Seattle and I’m a member of SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America), the Dreamcrashers, and I’m a 2017 graduate of the Taos Toolbox Writer's Workshop.

Kieran Newton, Editor

Hello “gamers.” My name is kieran (he/him), and to become Paizo’s newest editor, I bought a car and drove 2600ish miles over the course of five days, from New York City. I think I have surprised even myself with my level of commitment to this particular bit. I’ve been editing for a long time, but I’m *really* excited to finally be able to do that in games, and on products as vastly cool and complex as Pathfinder and Starfinder. I’m just learning my way around these weird worlds and their canon, but I can’t wait to help folks tell weird, complicated, and most importantly, challenging stories here. For now, though, feel free to follow me on twitter @kierantnewton, where I mostly yell about video games and make weird jokes, and on twitch at twitch.tv/eyelur0, where I mostly yell at video games and make weird jokes.

Michael Nzazi, Project Coordinator

Hi, I am Michael, the new Project Coordinator working with the Project Management Office team. I am a French-born speaker originally from Congo, and I have lived in Portland, OR and Boston, MA before settling myself in Seattle. Before joining Paizo, I was working at Microsoft. I enjoy doing project management work and will be supporting the team to build a strong PMO. I am excited to be part of the organization!

Mark Seifter, Design Manager

I'm Mark Seifter, one of the four leads on the creation of Pathfinder Second Edition and the new Design Manager. As Design Manager, I'm in charge of design consistency across all our various products and games, as well as departmental outreach and the design process. If you have any thoughts or ideas you'd like to share, you can hit me up on social media (@markseifter on Twitter, or Mark Seifter, Game Designer on Facebook). Also, be sure to check out my twitch stream with Linda Zayas-Palmer, Arcane Mark, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific, and Saturdays at 10 a.m. Pacific at https://www.twitch.tv/arcanemark. We cover a variety of RPG and Pathfinder topics on Tuesdays and Saturdays, chosen by the viewers, with interviews on Thursdays!

Aaron Shanks, Marketing and Media Manager

I became Paizo’s part-time Public Relations Manager in 2018 and the full-time Marketing and Media Manger golem this year. I have a hand in managing news, reviews, interviews, and the multitude of our business communications. I have spent over twenty years working for economic development and arts nonprofits in marketing, communications, and the performing arts. Roleplaying games have been a part of my life since I was ten and I’ve have been in a player in an ongoing homebrew game for over 25 years. I’m at @aaronwshanks on Twitter. (he/him)

There are more Additions and Promotions ahead! Stay tuned, we are not done yet!

With gratitude for our customers,

Aaron Shanks,
Marketing and Media Manager

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Happy Holidays from Paizo!

Dec 24, 2019, 11:45 am

Happy Holidays from Paizo! Thank you for making 2019 such a critical success! We hope that you are safe, happy, and playing what you love!

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The Black Friday 2019 sale on paizo.com

Nov 28, 2019, 05:00 pm

The store at paizo.com is an online retail hobby destination for gamers that carries the latest products from top hobby game publishers. You can also find the newest releases, as well as accessories like dice and maps, miniatures, T-shirts, and goblin plush toys, to quickly replenish your adventuring supplies for the next dungeon run.

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Paizo People: Celebrating Staffing Additions and Promotions

Oct 10, 2019, 12:00 pm

We here at Paizo value collaboration, genuine interest in the advancement of gaming, and technical knowledge and skills, among many other qualities. Please join us in welcoming our new-hires and celebrating the advancement of some of the Paizo staff.

Paizo People: Celebrating Staffing Additions and Promotions

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Art

Kent Hamilton, Art Director

“Hi, I am Kent Hamilton, the new Art Director joining the creative team. I am also the first in-house artist, which means I’ll be creating new characters and creatures for you all to enjoy. I am a Seattle boy and love the ocean. My time is now split helping create the look of the fantastical monsters in our games and scuba diving locally to see real-world monsters face-to-face. I am very excited to be here, fulfilling a long time dream. Cheers, all!”

Tony Barnett, Production Artist

“Hi, everyone! I’m Tony, a production artist working with the art team! I’ve lived all around the country, but consider the Pacific Northwest home as it is where I grew up. Paizo is my first full-time job after graduating from college, and prior to that I had a year and a half of internships, two of which were in Los Angeles. When I’m not designing, you’ll find me at any random coffee shop in the Seattle area, hiking, camping, shopping, and traveling! Happy to be a part of the team!”

Customer Service

Joan Hong, Customer Service Representative

“As July drew to a close and we were sorting out when our new Customer Service Representative could come in for her first day of work at Paizo, I realized with dismay that her start date was going to fall on the first day of Gen Con and the launch of Pathfinder Second Edition—a day we anticipated would be one of the busiest days of the year for customer service. But I also knew that based on what I saw in her interview, if anyone could handle the challenge, it would be Joan!

“Joan comes to Paizo with a wealth of knowledge and skills from her experiences in the nonprofit sector, including her volunteer work as Co-Founder and Social Media Manager for Outdoor Asian. In the two months she’s been a part of our customer service team, I’ve been impressed with the speed at which she’s picked up Paizo’s complex custom software and her ability to remain even-keeled and steadfast, even in the face of a service request backlog mounting into quadruple digits. As we get ready to gear up for PaizoCon 2020, I’m looking forward to seeing what her experience as an event planner will bring to the team.

“Joan joins Diego, Sam, and Virginia in one of the best customer service departments I’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of. Welcome to Paizo, Joan!”

—Sara Marie, Customer Service and Community Manager

“I have three great loves in my life: food, gaming and the outdoors. There's never a shortage of great food around here and I volunteer outdoors, so landing a position at Paizo was the perfect way to complete my trifecta!

Pathfinder’s Shattered Star Adventure Path was my first TTRPG adventure back in college, so I am especially thrilled to be immersed in the action here. Already, I have learned so much and have had so many new and exciting opportunities open up for me. It has been such an absolute joy working with Virginia, Diego, Sam and Sara Marie in CS thus far, and I’m grateful to be part of such a fun, compassionate and incredibly talented work family.”

—Joan Hong, Customer Service Representative

Design

Lyz Liddell, Pathfinder Designer

“We are excited to announce that the design team, responsible for creating all of the rules for the Pathfinder RPG, has added a new member! Lyz Liddell has accepted a position on the team and has already moved in with the crew. Lyz played a pivotal role in the creation of the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook serving as both an editor and a developer, and we are thrilled to have her as a part of the team full time, helping us to create new and exciting rules for the game. Lyz has been working with Paizo for several years now, first as a freelance editor, then as a full-time member of the staff, and while she has already been introduced to all of you, we would like to give her a moment to talk about this new opportunity!”

—Jason Bulmahn, Director of Game Design

“What a strange road this has been! I came to RPGs as a player, and I came to Paizo as an editor. I love games and I love working with them, but it wasn’t until I got the chance to work on Starfinder that I realized how much I love working with games as they’re being built. It wasn’t until the Pathfinder Playtest that I realized how much I have to offer during that process (I still have my sheaf of development notes!), and it wasn’t until the production of Pathfinder Second Edition that I realized how much I love really digging into the rules of a game. I hadn’t ever considered myself a designer—or even a potential designer—until this position opened up and my coworkers starting saying I should apply for it. That got my gears turning, and from there I realized how much I enjoy this aspect of my work and how good I can be at it.

“I’m very excited to be at the leading edge of the new edition of Pathfinder. I love how streamlined and elegant the game is at its core: it’s fun for Pathfinder veterans and accessible to new gamers. I’m looking forward to expanding the core ruleset to make more options available—after all, that’s a huge part of what makes Pathfinder the game it is! I’m also hopeful that I can help inspire others who never imagined themselves in a particular creative role to step up and go for it”.

Lyz Liddell, Pathfinder Designer

Joe Pasini, Starfinder Lead Designer

“With his keen mind for rules mechanics, his meticulous attention to detail, and his laser-like focus on helping organize and track every project he touches, Joe is absolutely perfect for Starfinder’s Lead Designer role. In the weeks since he’s been promoted into that position—and even before he officially got word—Joe has been firing on all cylinders to make the Starfinder RPG the absolute best that it can be, from looking at sticky rules questions to considering the major mechanical direction of the game to everything in between. The Starfinder team and all of its fans are much better for having Joe’s careful and conscientious hand at the rules rudder, and I can’t wait to see what great things he does next!”

—Amanda Hamon, Starfinder Managing Developer

“I counted recently: I've had 5 desks and 4 jobs in my 3 years at Paizo, working on 2 game systems with 1 goal: to help a bunch of amazing people make fantastic games that are for absolutely everyone. I've been lucky to have supportive managers (Judy Bauer, Amanda Hamon, and Adam Daigle), patient mentors (Jason Keeley and Owen K.C. Stephens), and many friends across the company. Now I couldn't be happier to be in a position to drive the design of the game I love in an impactful way, working alongside all its other producers and players.”

—Joe Pasini, Starfinder Lead Designer

Development

Jason “Jake” Tondro, Starfinder Developer

“Even before we officially had an opening on the Starfinder team for an Adventure Path developer, Jason—or Jake, as we call him at the office now!—showed an incredible passion for the game and made it clear that his goal was to sit in one of the Star Chamber’s developer chairs. And from his very first day at Paizo, everything from Jake’s love of editing Starfinder to his work to publish third-party Starfinder RPG products has always been energizing. What’s more, that work gave him the demonstrated experience, skill, and insight to be ready for this hectic gig from day one. It’s been so exciting to have Jake on our team, where his passion, enthusiasm, and positive attitude are a boon to us all. Welcome, Jake, and it’s fantastic to have you on the team!”

—Amanda Hamon, Starfinder Managing Developer

“Here’s a true story: When I was recruited onto the editing team, they asked me what product line I was most looking forward to working on. “Starfinder!” was my reply. The game had just come out, and I could get in on the ground floor. Soon after I moved to Seattle, I started a regular Starfinder campaign with old friends, which I used to test ideas I published through a third party press. Mentored by Chris Sims, who sat at the desk I sit at now, I wrote two Starfinder AP volumes, two Starfinder Society scenarios, and a bunch of back matter articles. What I’m trying to say is, when the chance came to join the Star Chamber, I was positioned.

“And I was on the job for one week when I was told to pitch my first Starfinder Adventure Path! What I came up with, my colleagues are calling “ambitious,” “bold,” and “so dope.” Jason Keeley and Rob McCreary have helped me bang it into shape and I really think you are all going to love it.”

—Jason “Jake” Tondro, Starfinder Developer

John Compton, Starfinder Senior Developer

“I have a secret: Before he joined us, I’d been strategizing to pull John onto the Starfinder team for quite some time. As one of the world’s foremost experts on tabletop adventures and one of Paizo’s most veteran developers, John has an incredible amount to offer the Star Chamber (you can thank former Starfinder Design Lead Owen K.C. Stephens for that moniker!). Finally, in August, the science-fantasy stars aligned, and John accepted a promotion to Starfinder Senior Developer. Now, every day he demonstrates the incredible value to Starfinder of his general sensibilities for what’s cool, his rules and adventure expertise, his Organized Play background, and his general professionalism. The Starfinder team is much better for it all, and we’re so happy to have you on the team, John!”

—Amanda Hamon, Starfinder Managing Developer

Editing

Avi Kool, Editor

“Avi is not a new face at Paizo—they provided invaluable assistance during the wild ride that was editing the Second Edition launch products. Their skill at both technical and conscientious editing and their dauntless enthusiasm in the face of ambitious deadlines, snowstorms, and long indexes won us over, so I was waiting for a chance to bring them onboard full time. When Jake’s move to the Starfinder team created an opening, the time was right! Avi is a boon to the editing team, and we’re all excited to have them back!”

—Judy Bauer, Managing Editor

Online Store

Katina Davis, Webstore Coordinator

“Katina’s love and excitement for games combined with her attention to detail has made her the perfect fit for Webstore Coordinator. After working with her for all these years in our beloved Customer Service department, I knew she had the temperament, patience, and the smarts to excel in the job. And I was right, cuz she’s crushing it! I can’t wait to see how her involvement helps shape the store side of paizo.com over the next several years.”

—Jeff Alvarez, Chief Operations Officer

Organized Play

Tonya Woldridge, Organized Play Manager, previously announced changes to her team here.

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Welcome to Lyz Liddell!

May 20, 2019, 10:30 am

It's been over a year since we introduced a new Paizo editor to you all, but it's now my great pleasure to announce our latest hire: Senior Editor Lyz Liddell, who has officially joined our ranks here in house after almost 6 years of working with us remotely, first as a freelancer and then as a contractor! I'll let her introduce herself in her own words...

Welcome to Lyz Liddell!

Monday, May 20, 2019

Hullo, folks! I'm Lyz, and I'm sorta new around here! I just started as a Real Employee™ this month, but I've been editing for Paizo in ever-growing quantities for close to 6 years now, lurking in the wild realms of Contract Employment (also known as Columbus, Ohio). Before that I was a freelance editor for a whole bunch of d20/3.5 publishers, going back to the 3.5 heyday of the early aughties. I've been gaming since high school, starting with 2nd Edition D&D, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Shadowrun as my go-to games. I've been riding the Pathfinder wave since the days of the playtest for the original game (yeah, that paperback beta rulebook in 2008). So I'm both a veteran and a noob, but either way, I'm excited to be here!

As an editor, I make the words good, with a healthy dose of also making sure the words work well in the context of the game and society at large—I'm a huge proponent of inclusivity in gaming and work to throw out habits and tropes that marginalize people or perpetuate harmful stereotypes. My hope, as an editor, is that you never notice my work as you're enjoying the latest Pathfinder and Starfinder products—because we've succeeded in presenting things clearly and cleanly with a minimum of errors.

When I'm not editing, I'm often writing (mostly fantasy novels and RPG material), cycling, cooking, canoeing, costuming, hiking, or performing weird old music (I specialize in medieval, renaissance, and baroque woodwinds). I realized my 3-year goal of driving to the office last month (a journey of 2,400 miles), and I am loving the Pacific Northwest! Even more, I'm loving the (admittedly surreal at times) reality of sharing a workspace with the fantastic Paizo staff.

Please join all of us in welcoming Lyz to Paizo!

Judy Bauer
Managing Editor

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Join Team Paizo for the 2019 Gauntlet!

May 14, 2019, 01:00 pm

May is a busy time for us Paizonians, with convention season ramping up and PaizoCon just around the corner, there's so much to do! One thing I always look forward to at this time of year is the Mox Gauntlet, and it's coming up THIS SUNDAY!

Join Team Paizo for the 2019 Gauntlet!

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Each year, the folks at ENGAGE bring together up to 20 teams from local gaming companies for an all-day charity boardgame tournament to raise funds for and bring awareness to a non-profit organization that directly affects our community. This year, proceeds are going to El Centro de la Raza, an organization dedicated to building unity across racial and economic sectors, as well as empowering the most vulnerable and marginalized populations. From education and youth-focused programs to community building and development, they strive to offer aid to the Seattle community and beyond. Each $100 donated to the Gauntlet provides an hour of after-school programming for low-income middle school students with comprehensive academic support and pro-social activities.

I am very proud to be captain of Team Paizo for the 2nd year in a row, and what a great team we have this year! We've got Pathfinder Developer Ron Lundeen, Starfinder Developer Joe Pasini, and System Administrator Whitney Chatterjee on board to kick butt at board games and raise money for kids. Plus, rumor has it that Whitney is working on a pretty awesome costume to fit with this year's vintage circus theme! Only two games have been announced, and we've been practicing as much as we can. There's Photosynthesis, a beautiful board game where you play as trees and try to grow yourself a mighty forest. Then there's Parade, an Alice in Wonderland themed card game where the goal is to get the least amount of points. There will be a trivia round, as well as a mystery game which we'll have to learn and play on the day of the event. In the past, these have been anything from entirely made up games, to full-on puzzle-solving, clue-finding, puzzle room. Anything goes!

If you're interested in watching the shenanigans go down, there are a couple of ways you can do that. If you're local, Mox Boardinghouse in Bellevue will have plenty of fun in-house activities going on that day for anybody who wishes to come down and join us, including games and raffles! Don't worry if you're more remote, the entire event will be live-streamed on Twitch. Donations are open through the end of the event, and not only do they help the cause, but they also give Team Paizo a shot at awesome power-ups which will help us gain an edge in the games. Please feel free to browse and share Paizo's team page.

We are incredibly grateful for everyone who makes this event possible, and for those who donate to benefit El Centro de la Raza. Thanks so much, and we'll see you this Sunday!

Katina Davis
Customer Service Representative

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Farewell and Warm Wishes to Christopher Carey!

Jan 24, 2019, 12:00 pm

A few weeks ago, Christopher Carey let me know he was leaving Paizo to begin a new adventure in California. My heart was heavy, since Chris has been a mentor and friend throughout my time here, but it was also full of joy for him, since he and his (Top Secret) new opportunity are a perfect match!

Farewell and Warm Wishes to Christopher Carey!

Thursday, January 24, 2019

From the Paizo crew...

Jason Bulmahn (Director of Game Design): "Chris has been an institution at Paizo, or at least it seems that way. I remember when he first started, back in our old offices and one of his first tasks was editing the Core Rulebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. It seems like forever ago, and it was. Since then, he has touched nearly every book we've made, and all of them have been improved by his efforts, by his insight, and by his skill. As he leaves for an exciting opportunity, I have to wish him all the best, but I am sad to see him go. Best wishes my good man."

John Compton (Lead Developer): "Neither Chris nor I are terribly good at small talk, so when we both slumped into lobby chairs at Gen Con 2014(?) after a long day, we just spent a long while enjoying the silence. At some point one of us prompted the other along the lines of "We work together, but I don't feel I know you. So, tell me about yourself?" And so the floodgates opened as we swapped life stories, nerded out about our shared backgrounds in archaeology, discussed fiction, and talked way later than either of us had intended. Whether it's trying to determine what the proper demonym of a made up region should be, just walking into the other's work area to listen in on an interesting conversation about historical nuance, or explaining "yes, this NPC's purposefully acting this way, but you're right that it could do with more context," I will miss working with you Chris and have learned a lot from you. All the best in your future endeavors!"

Adam Daigle (Managing Developer): "It's been great getting to know and work with Chris over all these years. Editors are largely invisible unless you find a mistake, but they are among the most valuable part of the process of making books. They make us writers and designers look good and keep us from embarrassing ourselves. Chris has made me look like a better writer over the course of ten years (from freelancer to developer).

"It's going to be weird not having Chris here. He's been with the company over ten years, so he's taking a lot of institutional knowledge and experience with him, but I know that he's bringing skill, charm, and an amazing calmness to his next venture. We'll miss you tons, Chris! Don't be a stranger!"

Leo Glass (Editor): "When Chris interviewed me for my position at Paizo, he remarked, 'We are all so lucky to have careers working in tabletop games, working here at Paizo.' He followed those comments with a story of how almost 10 years ago he met Paizo's Publisher, Erik Mona, at a convention, spent hours talking about pulp fiction, and was subsequently hired as an editor at Paizo. The thought occurred to me that at almost every interview I've ever had, someone has remarked how fortunate they were to work where they were. But in Chris's tone, I inferred a subtle vulnerability, a sense of transparency and genuine gratitude as if he was pulling back some sort of invisible curtain, revealing to me how much working for Paizo had changed his life for the better. And he wanted to share that with me. When my offer came, those words were a big part of why I leaped off the cliff and moved whatever belongings I couldn't part with 1,600 miles across the country to join the Paizo family.

"I didn't realize it then, but after a year of working in a cubicle a few feet behind him, I have come to realize that with Chris, there is no curtain. He wasn't just being open and honest during the interview. He is consistently and steadfastly genuine every day. He treats every editor, every colleague, as an old friend, no matter how long they've been there. When he followed me on a pass, he never hesitated to compassionately and patiently walk me through what I could have improved on or what might have been missed, not to point out a flaw, but because he was invested in my success and continual improvement as an editor and Paizo's commitment to producing excellent products. As a mentor, Chris has taught me so much about how to fine-tune a sentence, edit rules text, and make sure every table, every character, every rule, is perfect. He is a fierce and meticulous defender of grammar, concision, consistency, and eloquence, and I hope that in learning from his example, I can hope to help carry on his legacy. In addition to all that, he's also damn funny, and laughing with him, especially when we were both deliriously tired right before a big deadline, always made whatever mountain of words we were climbing at the time seem a little smaller.

"Thanks Chris, for your friendship, guidance, professionalism, and mentorship. I wish you all the best in your next endeavor and can't wait to hear tales of your adventures shaping the Burroughs 'verse over a beer soon. You were right. We are lucky to work at Paizo because of people like you who make it a great place to be—who make it a family. Until we meet again, my friend."

Amanda Hamon (Managing Developer): Chris Carey is one of the most quietly loud people I know. Sound confusing? To explain: Chris has a quiet, thoughtful, and kind demeanor that enhances his skills as one of the best editors I know. In his understated but self-assured way, he always suggests the best ways to clarify game text's intended meaning—often making me, as the developer or designer, say, "Aha! Yes! That's so much better. Please use that phrase." Chris's intellectual methods and approach have helped me become a better editor myself, whether it's editing my own work or floating to Paizo's team of editors, as I did regularly early in my tenure at the company. All that doesn't even touch the second part of my assertion, though. Chris is indeed a consummate and quietly assured editor, but it wasn't until I had worked at the company for a while that I realized he's also a big deal as a fiction author. Google "Christopher Paul Carey" and you'll find reams of novels, novellas, short stories, and more that bear Chris's name. He's written an authorized sequel to Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Moon Maid—how cool is that? Chris is such a metaphorically loud authorial and editorial presence, but you'd never know it from meeting him. Chris, we're going to miss that presence here in the office, but I know you're going to go on to do even more amazing things. I can't wait to hear what they are!

James Jacobs (Creative Director): "I can't say that I remember the day Chris joined Paizo like it was yesterday, because it was over a decade ago and I've gotten that much older since then. I do remember his interview though, and being incredibly impressed by his passion for genre fiction and his attention to detail. Over the years, between the good (Bigfoot day and Lovecraft Film Festival trips even if the festival was sold out by the time we got there being but the most recent examples) and the not so good (wisdom teeth! AIEEEE! Where's a tooth fairy when you need one?), I've had the honor of calling Chris not just a co-worker, but a great friend. He played the ranger Zandu Vorcyon in my Shadows Under Sandpoint game back in the day, a man haunted by the ghouls who orphaned him. When he was building his character and agonizing over the choice of favored enemy, I mostly let him choose his own path there—knowing that whatever he chose would end up playing a significant role in the campaign to come. I suspect he chose ghouls because of the evocative illustration of them Wayne Reynolds did for the cover of Skinsaw Murders, but whatever the reason, the campaign certainly developed a ghoulish tinge. Trips to Pauper's Graves, explorations of unexpected tunnels under the Sandpoint Cathedral, and a big bad end boss of a ghoul alchemist were but three ways Chris's character decision not only helped to shape the campaign, but build up lore surrounding Sandpoint. Since this ghoulish alchemist, Kanker (see the Sandpoint book for his stats!), ended up blowing up Sean K Reynold's cleric in the campaign's climactic battle, you can, in a way, say that Chris was responsible for killing of the party's cleric! Thanks for the monster ammo, Chris! And never fear… Zandu is in good hands. Hands that might inflict paralysis as they reach up out of the loamy sod from a shallow grave, but… well, no. They're chaotic evil hands. Still, I'm sure Zandu can take care of himself and persevere and triumph. If only because I know that you will as well, Chris, in what comes next! Congrats, man, and I'll miss ya!"

Jason Keeley (Developer): "I began my career at Paizo as an editor sitting right next to Chris, so he was constantly subjected to my questions about style and grammar and for that, I thank him. Later, I pestered him into letting me write one of the Pathfinder's Journals for the Strange Aeons Adventure Path and for that, I am so grateful. Chris is a talented, thoughtful person and we are going to miss him so much here!"

Lyz Liddell (Editor): "Chris is a rock—in all the best ways! He's been around for so long that it's hard to imagine our team without him, and he has the institutional knowledge and experience that comes with having worked on an entire edition of the game. He's always been around to answer questions, provide helpful insights, and carry on even when things get really rough. He's also tremendously supportive, both in words and in actions, as a team member and as a colleague and friend. I'm hugely excited to see him move on to a job that is such a phenomenally good fit for him, but we're gonna miss him like crazy!!"

Ron Lundeen (Developer): "Chris is the kind of editor every developer wants to work with. He certainly has the skill and tenure to say, "you did this wrong, we should do it this way," but that's not Chris's style. He's both collaborative and thoughtful, and he's eager to entertain discussions about how to approach a final product with the ultimate user—the gamers who will use it at their table—in mind. I'll always value my discussions with Chris about how to make a product both clear and compelling. Thanks, Chris, and I know you'll excel in your next adventure!"

Robert G. McCreary (Creative Director): "Just over 9 years ago, I was hired as an assistant editor for Paizo, and I joined James L. Sutter and Chris Carey as the third member of the editorial team. Since that time, many things have changed—I moved to the development side of things, Chris became senior editor, and the editorial team has grown much larger than just three people. But what hasn't changed is the high regard I have for Chris, both as a professional colleague and a friend. Since my very first day at Paizo, Chris has shared his exceptional knowledge and editorial mastery with me, making me both a better editor and better developer. Of course, I'm not the only one who has benefited from Chris's expertise, as Paizo's entire editorial staff can attest.

"Chris was also my first Gen Con roommate as a Paizo employee, and our late nights after the con discussing our favorite pulp and sci-fi authors blossomed into a true friendship that I will always treasure. I'm so excited for Chris about the new opportunities that have opened up for him, and while I'll miss him, I know he'll continue to excel in what I hope is his true dream job. Good luck, Chris, and if I ever wake up confused on Mars like another Virginian, I know who to get in touch with!"

Sonja Morris (Art Director): "Chris is awesome, both as an editor and a person—I will miss him very much."

Adrian Ng (Editor): "Chris, thank you for being a mentor and a friend during our time together at Paizo. I wish you the best in your adventures on Barsoom—no doubt, you'll do great!"

Patrick Renie (Developer): "Chris Carey is a great editor and a fantastic guy. During my first GenCon with Paizo in 2011, Chris was basically my rock; we were rooming together and I was totally overwhelmed by the convention but Chris taught me the way to stay sane during it all (go to bed early and drink lots of water). I'll never forget our desperate search around the convention center for a Starbucks, a cafe, one of those Seattle's Best vending machines—anywhere we could get a latte. (We had to settle for energy drinks.) His ability to consistently write and edit so much fiction is nothing short of awesome, and I'm not sure he knows how much of an inspiration he is to me when it comes to getting words on paper. While his departure makes my heart ache, I am so excited for his next adventure, since I know that anywhere Chris goes magic is sure to follow."

Michael Sayre (Developer): "I am really, really bad at saying goodbye, but I feel like I would regret not saying something about Chris and the positive impact he had on me during this last year. Chris and I bonded over a shared love of Edgar Rice Burroughs stories. We had a lot of great conversations that built from this, especially during a few evenings at GenCon where other people with similar shared interests were able to join us. Chris is someone whose quiet wisdom is readily appreciated, and will be sorely missed in his absence. I regret that we didn't have more time and opportunities to converse, since every time we did I felt like I left the conversation a little better off than before we spoke. Best of luck in your future endeavors my friend!"

Owen K.C. Stephens (Starfinder Design Lead): When I first arrived at Paizo there was a tricky transition for me, from freelancer who never had to touch a manuscript after I turned it over to developer who needed to shepherd it and answer questions about it at every step, including editing. Chris was a crucial part of my coming to understand how that process worked, and I will always be grateful to him for his professionalism, vast knowledge base, and friendly approach to such collaboration. It's safe to say Chris made me a better writer, and a better developer. All of that in addition, of course, to being someone with who I could discuss John Carter, Opar, and Carson of Venus. :)"

Jason Tondro (Editor): "Professionally, working with Chris has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am, quite simply, a much better editor now than I was a year ago when I was hired, and most of that is due to Chris's guidance. He's been a wonderful mentor, but also a good friend. Chris and I are only a month apart in age, and that meant we had a lot of shared experiences. I could always count on him to know my TOS references, and he could count on me to know who Tars Tarkas was. I remember, when I interviewed for this job, I quoted Francis Bacon. He thought I was sucking up to him, because he was working on a Bacon-related project and had been for years. No, we had just both read all the same books! I will miss Chris every day. But I count myself incredibly fortunate I got to work with him at all, and there is no one in the world more qualified for his new position. Congratulations, my friend."

Pierce Watters (Director of Sales): "Best regards to Ignatius Donnelly. Break a leg!"

Chris started at Paizo in the last week of the first Campaign Setting book, then launched straight into the playtest for First Edition. During the 10+ years since then, he has helped us through two playtests and the birth of Starfinder, has edited about 150 Adventure Path volumes, and has shepherded Pathfinder Tales and Pathfinder Comics—plus working on over a thousand other products. (Phew!) During that decade, Chris has been a voice of reason and professionalism, working smoothly with everyone in the department no matter how stressed out and wild-eyed we've gotten. He mentored many of us when we started out here, ensuring we learned good habits and set high standards—but also building up our self-confidence. And in addition to his expertise at editing, he is a font of surprising knowledge, ranging from Mongolian history and Baconian conspiracies to how to determine the gender of a skeleton from its skull.

On top of all that, Chris has also maintained a simultaneous career as an author of numerous novels, novellas, short stories, and comics, and as an editor of several short story compilations—check out his work!

On a more personal level, Chris has been a rock for me during my time at Paizo. He has taught me a ton about editing, and about when to compromise and when to stick to my guns. He's also funny, kind, and compassionate, and has been there for me during family crises and whenever I needed a sympathetic ear. I'm a better person for having known him, and I'm going to miss him heaps.

Good luck and best wishes, Chris!

Judy Bauer
Managing Editor

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A Few of Our Favorite Things (Of 2018), Part 2

Dec 28, 2018, 12:00 pm

This past year has been a wild ride. As a look back on the year, I wanted to use this space to let the Paizo editorial team (developers, designers, editors, and art team) share some of our favorite things that we made or did during 2018. If you missed part 1 of this two-part blog, check it out here!

Thanks to Sonja and Emily on the art team for selecting the accompanying art, and thanks to all of you out there that have supported us in our endeavors. Happy Holidays!

A Few of Our Favorite Things (Of 2018), Part 2

Friday, December 28, 2018

Thanks to Sonja and Emily on the art team for selecting the accompanying art, and thanks to all of you out there that have supported us in our endeavors. Happy Holidays!

Illustration by Artur Nakhodkin

Jason Keeley (Developer)

The project I am proudest of this year is the release of the Signal of Screams Adventure Path for Starfinder. I've been working on the Starfinder adventures for a bit now, but this particular set of adventures were the first ones I concepted and outlined on my own. I got to indulge my love of horror and all things dark and terrible, as well as tell a type of story we hadn't yet told in Starfinder. Of course, this Adventure Path wouldn't exist at all without the efforts of the rest of the Starfinder team, everyone else here at Paizo, and my terrific authors, but I feel a certain sense of ownership over SoS (see what I did there?). Plus, I got to contribute to this awesome trailer.

As night settles over the land so very early in this cold and wintry days, why not fix yourself a mug of steaming hot liquid, wrap yourself up tightly in a blanket, and open up a volume of the Signal of Screams Adventure Path near your very vulnerable face? Really, what's the worst that could happen?

Lacy Pellazar (Editor)

What a year 2018 has been! There were ups, there were downs, there were "oh no what is happening who am I what day is it"s. I've had my hands in a ton of new products, both as an editor and a writer, but I must say my magnum opus (at least for this year) are my contributions to the Starfinder Alien Archive 2: my bug children, the osharus and bolidas! I also got to refine my metaphorical juggling game in working on the Pathfinder Playtest, the Starfinder Armory (two words: BATTLE RIBBON), and the nail-biting-intrigue-filled War for the Crown APs all at the same time. I had a go at the Starfinder Beginner Box, and seeing it go from ideas floating in the Paizo brainverse to a real, tangible product is simply surreal! Last but not least, I gotta say the best part of my 2018 at Paizo was the addition of my new team members, James, Jason, and Leo! Shout out to my grammarsmith fam! We couldn't have made it through this rollercoaster of a year without y'all. =)

Chris Sims (Developer)

I dove into the Vast this last year, starting with Starfinder Armory and Alien Archive 2. It was fun to create the quorlu and the velstrac anchorite, and to watch Armory disappear at Gen Con. That said, I'm grateful that my colleague and Adventure Path mentor Jason Keeley "made" me write The Diaspora Strain adventure. Not only did I learn a lot, but I also got to delve into making horror for what's normally magical space opera. I hope my goal of affecting the players, rather than just the characters, plays out. Players should enjoy the adventure most of all, but I also want them to be a little harrowed and grateful the characters survived. It's a different feeling than most heroic adventure stories, much like it was a different feeling to write that adventure. And after that trip into darkness, I get to take players straight into the Pact Worlds sun in 2019. Ah, it is good to be a Starfinder developer.

Illustration by Federico Musetti

Amanda Hamon Kunz (Starfinder Managing Developer)

I can hardly believe that 2018 was just one year! In that span, I've had the privilege of officially moving back onto the Starfinder team, and being the game's managing developer has been a fantastic ride of creativity, teamwork, crunchy projects, challenging deadlines, and some of the best times I've had all year with the team's amazing game professionals: Rob McCreary, Owen K.C. Stephens, Thurston Hillman (PAIZO NORTH!), Jason Keeley, Joe Pasini, and Chris Sims. Gen Con this year was another incredible one for us, as we sold out of the Starfinder Armory on Day 1, and the year rolled on as we faced some mammoth beasts including the Starfinder Beginner Box, class design on the Character Operations Manual and now those classes' playtest, Adventure Path development, and more things that I can't even talk about yet! It has been a crazy year, but a great one. Here's to 2019!

Illustration by Vlada Hladkova

Adam Daigle (Pathfinder Managing Developer)

2018 has been a wild year. The announcement of the upcoming new edition and the Pathfinder Playtest this past March was exciting and quite a relief. I'm honestly surprised that the news didn't leak prior to the announcement (though I'm certain that many people were expecting a new edition on the horizon). It's hard keeping a secret for that long.

In addition to that, this year saw the release of my very first Adventure Path adventure Pathfinder Adventure Path #133: Secrets of Roderic's Cove. I've written plenty of articles and monsters over the years and have developed over a dozen Adventure Path adventures, but never managed to write one. Let me tell you, they're no easy thing to do.

While that was cool, I think my favorite part of 2018 was adding new faces to the developer ranks! Having Ron, Luis, Eleanor, Mike, and Chris join the team this year has been awesome. I'm very happy to be working alongside them and the rest of the best damn team of developers in the industry.

Thurston Hillman (Starfinder Society Developer)

2018 really saw the Starfinder Society kick into high gear! I'm grateful for the past year and getting to see a ton of really inspiring scenarios get played across the world, and hearing the ensuing feedback from all our fans. I just want to give a big thanks to all our fans and people who help keep Starfinder Society Organized Play growing. On a more personal note, I also had the opportunity to put together an exclusive Starfinder Society special scenario (#1-98: Into the Perplexity) which has become something of a hit among the conventions I've run it at. For 2019, I'm really looking forward to bringing the Scoured Stars season to its climactic conclusion, and moving forward into the unknown, including a very special #2-98 Perplexity sequel, that I'm already putting together for PaizoCon 2019!

Mark Moreland (Franchise Manager)

Every year comes with far more highlights than I could ever fit into a single highlight blog, from the launch of new Adventure Paths to new faces in the Paizo offices. For me personally, however, 2018 will always stand out as the first year that two large licensed projects I had a sizable hand in producing came out, both iterations of the Kingmaker Adventure Path from way back in 2010. You see, the Kingmaker Player's Guide was one of three consecutive "first assignments" I had writing for Paizo, so it's always held a special place in my heart. When I switched roles from development to franchise management toward the end of last year, the fact that two of the projects I'd be working on would be Kingmaker-related made me even more happy!

Illustration by Josef Kucera

The first Kingmaker release to come out this year was by far the largest license Paizo has ever done, and one of the most robust projects I've ever worked on: Pathfinder: Kingmaker, an immersive and expansive CRPG adaptation of the Kingmaker AP. I came into the process long after the Owlcats had begun development, but I worked closely with their narrative team to approve storylines, dialogue, and in-world texts before the game's launch. At one point, I had a 10-inch stack of printed in-game text on my desk for approval. I won't pretend I read all 800,000 words, but it was certainly enough to keep me busy! After playing through the prologue and chapter one about seven times in alpha and beta builds, seeing the game in the wild, with tens of thousands of players worldwide was really something to behold. I'm still involved with the game's updates and expansions, but for the most part, I'm just enjoying my own journey through the Stolen Lands in my personal playthrough.

The second major Kingmaker release was Pathfinder Battles: Kingmaker, which was the first major prepainted plastic minis set I worked extensively on. While I didn't make the initial setlist, I was heavily involved in modifying it and approving the sculpts and paint masters. Again, seeing the set in the wild and reading and hearing fan reactions to it really made all the attention to detail and time poring over reference art for any room for improvement worth it!

As we look to a new year on the horizon, I'm already deep in the next few projects (including some we haven't announced yet!) so it's nice to stop for a minute and reflect on what made 2018 such a fantastic year to be Paizo's franchise manager.

Leo Glass (Editor)

My first year as an Editor at Paizo is in the books, and I can't believe how amazing it's been to collaborate with so many incredible professionals who deeply love Pathfinder and Starfinder! I had a blast editing sections of Pathfinder Playtest Adventure: Doomsday Dawn, Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook, Pathfinder Playtest Bestiary, Starfinder Alien Archive 2, Starfinder Armory, Starfinder Beginner Box, and numerous other Pathfinder and Starfinder adventure paths and scenarios. I loved working on the Starfinder Critical Hit Deck, because 1) author Owen K.C. Stephens is one of the most creative and intelligent folks I've ever worked with and 2) who doesn't appreciate an accessory that enables you to horribly eviscerate your foes? Finally, I also got the chance to write one of four quests in Pathfinder Society Playtest Scenario #1: The Rose Street Revenge, marking my first professional foray into adventure writing. Thanks to everyone whose contributions made these products successful!

2019 is going to be a great year for Pathfinder and Starfinder, and I can't wait to gush about all of the amazing products on the horizon. Until then, I hope everyone has a happy and safe new year. Oh, and if anyone knows how to train a squox to hold a red pen, DM me. See you at PaizoCon!

Illustration by Helge C. Balzer

Linda Zayas-Palmer (Organized Play Developer)

This year's certainly been a busy one. When it comes to the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, we've been bouncing back and forth between the current campaign and the future of the Pathfinder Society. Wrapping up season 9 and rolling into season 10, we've been focused on bringing exciting conclusions to some of the campaign's looming threats and answering some of its mysteries. And when it comes to looking forward, we've spent plenty of time planning how to improve the Pathfinder Society experience in the future. We couldn't do it without all of you guys, which is why we've also been running quite a few surveys to gather your feedback. To all of you who have participated in those surveys, thank you very much for taking the time to share your perspectives and ideas with us.

When it comes to what I'm most proud of that I worked on this year, The Hao Jin Cataclysm certainly takes the cake. I developed both the Roleplaying Guild and Adventure Card Guild components of it, making it both my first interactive special as a developer and the moment when I took over the reins of Adventure Card Guild development. It was great fun to pick up a bunch of plot threads and NPCs from past adventures in the Hao Jin Tapestry and continue their stories. The experience of overseeing it at Gen Con was something I'll never forget.

I'm looking forward to what we have coming down the pike for you in 2019, and to when I can talk more about our plans for this year's convention season. But for now, happy holidays, everyone!

Illustration by Marko Horvatin

Gabriel Waluconis (Project Manager)

As the project manager my red-hot favorite was implementing project management software across the entire editorial team. What's that? People aren't here to read about that sort of work? Oh dearie me. Ahem.

As the project manager I don't have much to do with the creative aspects of any products. But I was quite happy to work with the good folk here to push out the Construct Handbook. I really like constructs. Like, you don't even know. I've also enjoyed working alongside my talented co-workers in tackling the logistical challenges of releasing a new edition for Pathfinder, having two playtests back to back (Pathfinder Playtest and the Character Operations Manual), all while continuing our normal release schedule.

But in the end, my absolute red-hot favorite is seeing a finished product on my desk. Knowing it couldn't happen without all of the departments here at Paizo. From editorial, customer service, finance, marketing, web team, IT team, to our awesome warehouse staff.

Jason Bulmahn (Director of Game Design)

Going into this year, I think that everyone on the design team was a bundle of nerves. We had been quietly working on the playtest for almost two years, but the hardest part was yet to come. All my experience with the first edition playtest told me that it was going to be fine, that the playtest was a good thing, something to help us better understand our game, but you just don't know until it is out there. What parts were going to work? What rules were going to end up in Pharasma's Boneyard? Only the playtest would reveal the truth. Since the day we announced, the rest of the year has been a blur. There have been ups and downs, and a lot of late nights spent pouring through survey results to tease out how the game was actually performing, but I can honestly say that we are leaving the year with a game that is leagues ahead of where we started… and it is all thanks to you! We have been hammering away at this game, but it was all of you helped us understand what needed to be fixed. So, I want to close out by looking forward. 2019 is going to be a great year for Pathfinder and speaking for the design team, we can't wait for you to see the Pathfinder 2nd Edition.

James Case (Editor)

That was a thing! I started at Paizo on the first (work) day of the year, only to find out that a second edition was in the pipeline about ten minutes into my first meeting. Getting the chance to work on a whole new edition from the ground up isn't something that happens often, and it was great to GM delves at PaizoCon and finally see so many players get to try out the playtest for the first time. In fact, having never gone to a gaming convention before, just seeing everyone enjoying Pathfinder and Starfinder at PaizoCon and Gen Con was exhilarating. My first piece of RPG writing was also published this year, a writeup for the aphorite race in Plane-Hopper's Handbook (curiously, the art ended up looking not entirely unlike a golder version of me, despite being ordered long before I was assigned to write the piece). I'm looking forward to the next year!

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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Wishing You Happy Holidays and New Year!

Dec 21, 2018, 02:00 pm

From a whole new adventure the Paizo crew has taken on with the announcement of the Pathfinder Playtest early this year, to new Pathfinder and Starfinder Adventure Path campaigns, and now our current Starfinder Playtest, 2018 has been an amazingly busy and exciting time. Earlier this afternoon we began sharing our retrospectives from the last 12 months and it's always so wonderfully surprising how quickly they've gone by. We also get to think on how grateful we are for the encouragement and feedback our community has extended to us as we explore new systems and ideas within our games, our community, and of course paizo.com. It's important to everyone in our office to take this moment to say: THANK YOU!

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A Few of Our Favorite Things (Of 2018), Part 1

Dec 21, 2018, 12:00 pm

This past year has been a wild ride. As a look back on the year, I wanted to use this space to let the Paizo editorial team (developers, designers, editors, and art team) share some of our favorite things that we made or did during 2018. When asking the team for contributions to the blog, I received so many that we're going to break this blog into two parts, with the second part dropping next Friday.

A Few of Our Favorite Things (Of 2018), Part 1

Friday, December 21, 2018

This past year has been a wild ride. As a look back on the year, I wanted to use this space to let the Paizo editorial team (developers, designers, editors, and art team) share some of our favorite things that we made or did during 2018. When asking the team for contributions to the blog, I received so many that we're going to break this blog into two parts, with the second part dropping next Friday.

Thanks to Sonja and Emily on the art team for selecting the accompanying art, and thanks to all of you out there that have supported us in our endeavors. Happy Holidays!

Illustration by Jay Epperson

Illustration by Hannah Boving

James Jacobs (Pathfinder Creative Director)

It's been a strange year, with the Pathfinder Playtest causing all sorts of excitement and shenanigans both in and out of the office. And while there's a lot of amazing products coming soon (the ones I'm most excited about haven't even been announced yet, and I'm plenty excited about the ones we HAVE announced!), it's comforting to know that the more things change, the more things stay the same. The thing I'm the most proud about this year that I've done for Paizo is the Sandpoint, Light of the Lost Coast book. My original outline for this book was having trouble getting in everything I wanted to say in 320 pages, and in a weird way shrinking it down to 96 pages helped me focus on the heart of the content (while simultaneously keeping a big chunk of it on the proverbial back burner, hopefully, for something in the future!) and get it done in time to be one of the final 1st edition products. Of course, the bulk of the book's information is just as viable in 2nd edition or whatever version of whatever RPG you prefer to run your adventures in! It's actually kinda tough for me to pick my favorite part of my favorite book of the year. Between things like the Shroud and the Red Bishop and Kanker and new art of Ameiko and that rhyme about the Mutterer and so much more, though, my favorite is the amazing piece of art by Roberto Pitturru who opens up the book—a beautiful shot of the town of Sandpoint itself! Thankfully it wasn't a shot of the city on one of its many foggy days!

Ron Lundeen (Developer)

So much for my first year! It's gone by in a whirlwind of encounter design, art ordering, math balancing, and world building. My favorite work, by far, is adventure development for the Tyrant's Grasp Adventure Path. I love sending out the first edition with a bang! I wrote the first adventure for Tyrant's Grasp and turned it in to Crystal early in 2018, without realizing that developing it would be the last thing Crystal did before she departed and handed the rest of the AP over to me. She'd left me with her carefully structured outline and some absolutely stellar freelance authors, whose work I've been delighted to develop these past couple of months. And I get to share it with you all in the new year!

Jason Tondro (Editor)

This has been a big year for me. I only arrived at Paizo in March, when the whole editorial team was working overtime to get the playtest rules, bestiary, and adventure out to all of you in time for Gen Con. Holding those books in my hand was an incredible feeling. But since then, I've also written 60,000 words for Paizo in my night job as a freelancer! I started by writing Assault on the Crucible, the climax of the Dawn of Flame Adventure Path, and have also contributed articles and monsters to the back matter of Starfinder Adventure Paths, written an organized play adventure, and contributed to several other projects that haven't even been announced yet. And I've got even bigger stuff in the works! So as exciting as this year has been, I have to admit that 2019 is looking even better, as all the stuff I've been writing this year finally gets out into the world where all of you can play it. Happy holidays, everyone.

Illustration by Marko Horvatin

Owen K.C. Stephens (Starfinder Design Lead)

This was an amazing year for me professionally, with so many things I could pick as a favorite. Starfinder turned a year old, and we launched our first class playtest for it. My first Adventure Path adventure, Empire of Bones was released. I got kanabo into Alien Archive 2. In most years, any one of those things could easily rank as my favorite. But this year, they all fall short of my very favorite thing.

Wonder grenades.

They're in Starfinder Armory, on page 127. I didn't write them, develop them, or edit them.

But I invented the idea.

At my Into the Emerald Star Spire events at PaizoCon in 2017, before the Starfinder Core Rulebook was released, I was converting Pathfinder rules to Starfinder on-the-fly as I ran the game. I needed to replace some scrolls with something, and I wanted it to be more interesting than just spell gems. I knew I wanted it to be something that screamed "science-fantasy," something you'd never run into in a standard fantasy game or pure science-fiction setting. But as the players got the cache, I still hadn't decided what to use. I opened my mouth, prepared to just give them one-shot spell gems.

"They're grenades of wonder," I said, much to my own surprise.

"They're WHAT?!"

One-shot rod of wonder effects, I explained. Totally random. Illegal on many worlds. Pull the pin, throw, and no telling what'll happen.

The players loved them.

When I told the story to then-Creative Director James Sutter, he loved them. When I later told the new Creative Director, Robert G. McCreary, he loved them.

So they were added to the Armory outline. And I managed to avoid having anything to do with them, so when the wonder grenades came out in the print book, they got to be new to me all over again.

And that's my favorite thing of the year.

Mark Seifter (Designer)

This year was all about Pathfinder 2nd Edition for me. It was exhilarating, terrifying, gratifying, an entire whirlwind of emotions to create this new game, working not only with the design team and the rest of the creative staff at Paizo but also with thousands of fans through the open playtest. The game has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the dedication and keen insight of our playtesters and our many sleepless nights and weekends of hard work.

Illustration by Kez Laczin

Logan Bonner (Designer)

Oh, man. What a year! Early in the year, we were sending the first step toward a new edition to the printer, and that was somehow the easy part! Once the Pathfinder Playtest came out, we got to see all sorts of opinions and data, positive and negative. And getting to watch so many people play the same adventure was so rewarding! This year has been all about collecting fan impressions and surveys, putting together streams so you could watch us play the Playtest, and doing demos at conventions. It's a lot of playtesting in a relatively short time—including actual, difficult stress testing—and we appreciate every one of you for taking the ride along with us. Everything we learned goes into a set of changes that's going to make the final game incredible. We're implementing changes as big as altering the whole proficiency system to making minor tweaks to the prestidigitation spell, all due to what you out there (and those of us in the office) found as you played and read the book.

My first personal highlight for the year was seeing data from surveys. We rarely get a chance to see how people are actually playing at home. Being able to see what people thought separated out from the noise of a messageboard conversation is something we haven't really had for previous playtests. Putting the surveys together took a lot of work, but has paid off.

My second personal highlight was going to PaizoCon UK in Birmingham. What a delightful, welcoming group of people and a fun convention! I had so many great conversations and played and ran delightful games.

Things haven't slowed down around the office, and we're hard at work polishing the final version of the game. We, and Pathfinder 2nd edition, will see you next year!

Lyz Lydell (Editor)

In 2018, I wrote my first Pathfinder Society Scenario, and it was a pretty big undertaking: resolving the metaplot for a longstanding and complicated faction leader in a Tier 7-11 scenario! Pathfinder Society Scenario 9-20: Fury of the Final Blade released right before PaizoCon. One night at the con, I happened across a table of GMs playing it and stopped by to watch for a while—without telling them I had written it. It let me see folks who have tons of experience with Pathfinder Society interact with the challenges and opponents I had built, and I was able to see them respond in a totally genuine way. Seeing their reactions when a certain monster showed up was absolutely priceless! I paraphrase: "Whaaaaaaaat!?" But even better was the next morning, when several of them came to find me—having learned that the quiet observer was actually the author—and let me know how much they had enjoyed the whole thing. I never thought I'd see people engaging with things I created like this, and knowing I've made a few lasting marks on Golarion.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland (Senior Designer)

It's been a whirlwind of a year. Not only did the Pathfinder Playtest see the light of day and created a ton of feedback (and even more work), this year saw the launch of the Flip-Tiles products. This is a project I had wanted to do for a few years now, and in short order, we saw three base sets and a couple of expansion, which much, much more to come. Then there was and my contribution to the Starfinder Dead Suns Adventure Path, The Thirteenth Gate, which I'm happy to hear folks are enjoying. In between, I worked seven conventions, ran more games of Pathfinder Playtest than I can remember, did a whole bunch of podcasts, and ran a session of the Pathfinder Playtest over at Penny Arcade for their Club PA members. That one was particularly enjoyable, as I reskinned the Beginner Box adventure (swapping goblins with kobolds and the black dragon with a red one) and ran the entire adventure in a little over four hours. Not bad considering one player had never played an RPG before and none of the other players had much Pathfinder experience. On a more personal note, my lovely girlfriend, Beth, bought me a special birthday present this year: Wayne Reynold's original art for the background cover of my Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path volume, For Queen & Empire. All in all, a pretty good year. Yep. Pretty, pretty good.

Illustration by Robert Lazzaretti

Patrick Renie (Developer)

One of my favorite parts of being a Pathfinder developer is writing requests for new art assets. Devising the physical details of an NPC or new monster, working with our talented art staff, and seeing what our amazing artists come up with never gets old. The art that comes in is inevitably even better than I could envision, and these illustrations really add another dimension to the stories we write for the Pathfinder world. Sometimes the art we receive is so vividly and imaginatively rendered that we rewrite whole chunks of the subject in question to better suit the art (rather than asking the artist to adjust the art to match the text). It's a uniquely synergistic craft that's as much a challenge as a joy to take part in.

Eleanor Ferron (Developer)

Ever since I started working at Paizo in January of this year, Luis and I have had the bittersweet honor of developing the final Pathfinder 1e Campaign Settings and Player Companions, doing our best to give the edition the best sendoff we could. It was a fun, if challenging, exercise to ensure every book would have fresh and exciting material for both players and GMs, and I'm hoping they will inspire fun new characters and campaigns going forward. But the things I am proudest of have to go to Starfinder, where I not only got to write the showstopper Starfinder Scenario #1-14: Star Sugar Heartlove!!! but also my very first adventure path volume, Starfinder Adventure Path #8: Escape from the Prison Moon.

John Compton (Organized Play Lead Developer)

Although I've had an active hand in developing slightly fewer scenarios as the organized play team expands, I've had a blast working on a bunch of these. One that really captured my imagination was Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-08: The Cost of Prestige by Matt Duval, which is a deep dive into Hell's politics and the city of Dis. Showing that the outer planes—including the evil-aligned ones—are functional albeit dangerous societies is really fun for me, and Matt did a great job with this one. Just be warned that it runs pretty long.

From a personal perspective, I got to write a lot of really fun material this year. Although I really enjoyed my Faiths of Golarion contribution and will cover a favorite scenario in a blog later this month, I want to highlight Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Realms, a book I pitched in early 2017 to highlight extraplanar "landing cities" from which to launch adventures. Although Thurston Hillman and I each wrote our own entries (Shadow Absalom and Yulgamot respectively), it's the Maelstrom archipelago of Basrakal that really highlights the fun we have when collaborating directly. And if you like what we create together, get excited for 2019's Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Druma, Profit and Prophecy!

Illustration by Leon Tukker

Joe Pasini (Developer)

2018 has been a heck* of a year! (*That's all I'm allowed to call it.)

First, it saw the release of the first major projects I worked on as a Starfinder developer:

Starfinder Armory! I especially enjoyed ordering art for the keytar (check out the band sticker).

Alien Archive 2: I got to write a bunch of fun stuff for this (pahtra and vlaka and [uplifted bears], oh my!) and develop even more.

Second, the majority of my attention and effort this year went into work that won't be out in the world until next year.

The Starfinder Beginner Box was a massive effort that nearly consumed me whole. The result is a box full of goodies that I hope will be a great way for folks new to Starfinder—and those new to tabletop roleplaying games—to see what all the fuss is about.

I had the privilege to work with a number of talented people on [unannounced product], and even got to make my own contribution. I'm excited for this to be known to the wider world—mostly so I can brag on the aforementioned talented people.

I wrote my first character class, the vanguard (available for playtest through January 16th [my birthday week]!). Lucky for all of us, the inimitable Owen K.C. Stephens developed it into something, you know, playable.

I wrote my first Starfinder Adventure Path volume, Starfinder Adventure Path #15: Sun Divers. I work with prolific, creative people who seem to author several of these a year, but for an average Joe like me, this was no mean feat! Eternal gratitude to Chris Sims for developing the adventure, which must've been at least as harrowing as writing it.

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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New Office, New Faces: Coming Home From Distant Places

Nov 27, 2018, 12:00 pm

Hello! Hello. Hello again, to some of you. It's been a while since I've done this, written a blog for Paizo. About four years, in fact, which seems at once unbelievably historic but also just yesterday. Four years ago is when I said goodbye to Paizo so I could go out and see the world. Now, I have returned to find a place both strange and familiar, filled with faces I recognize and a few I don't. The cubicles are on the other side of the building now. There is a new Costco next door. The post office across the street seems smaller, though it isn't.

New Office, New Faces: Coming Home From Distant Places

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Hello! Hello. Hello again, to some of you.

It's been a while since I've done this, written a blog for Paizo. About four years, in fact, which seems at once unbelievably historic but also just yesterday. Four years ago is when I said goodbye to Paizo so I could go out and see the world. Now, I have returned to find a place both strange and familiar, filled with faces I recognize and a few I don't. The cubicles are on the other side of the building now. There is a new Costco next door. The post office across the street seems smaller, though it isn't.

The first thing I noticed upon reentering Paizo's doors is how quiet the office still is. This observation may sound sobering, but it is in fact quite a good thing, no, a great thing. There's a hum of patient discipline within these halls, where the vibration of the air conditioner is punctuated by the clicking of mice and the tapping of keyboards, the shuffling of papers and the murmur of creative consultation. This is a stark contrast to the world outside, which is fast, loud, and impatient, where you can pay at the register and have your soy vanilla no-foam no-milk latte in your hands in ninety seconds, where you must listen to the sounds of the city outside your window, the crash of trash in the garbage bin and strangers yelling into the night and neighbors playing strange, nauseating music. Between the cocoon-like walls of Paizo, though, there is a ward against the everyday annoyances of the outside world. There is a scholarly tranquility here that I have yet to find almost anywhere else.

Where have I been, anyway? Around, mostly. I tried a stint in marketing. I lived on a farm in Hawaii for eight months. Most people ask me about that. The farming, not the marketing.

Many people say they wish to move to Hawaii, but few actually make it past the first step. In September of 2017, my wife and I sold all our belongings, put what little was left in storage, and took a one-way flight to the Big Island. We had no return date, no idea whether we'd even want to return. We were prepared to make a go of living in this strange new world and carving out a home of our own amid palm trees and lava rocks. And we were prepared to face many trials on our quest, an adventure that would have us labor upon rocky soil and live beneath a tarp alongside wild nocturnal pigs.

There are many monsters in Hawaii, a fact which may surprise you. Big beautiful fish and big ugly centipedes alike are found in abundance. Powerful volcanic goddesses and mythical pygmy natives and invisible animal spirits lurk in the verdant hills. An array of amazing birds can be seen only on these remote isles: handsome 'io, brooding pueo, humble nene, and dazzling i'iwi. There are green spotted geckos, of course, but also color-shifting chameleons and draconian anoles and boisterous coqui frogs. Vermin like the Asian tiger mosquito and the cane spider and hundreds of species of semi-slug can give you quite a fright. It is a magical land as rife with beasts as it is steeped in legends.

During my time in Kona, I swam with manta rays and tiger sharks, explored volcanos ancient and active, witnessed flash floods and dry lightning, and sank my hands into literally tons of dirt. The fauna of Hawaii are loud and skittish but the people are quiet and friendly. It is an atmosphere of relaxation, where importance is placed on family, friends, food, and maintaining a healthy balance between mind and body, a phenomenon generally known as the spirit of aloha.

Spending countless days dozing in a hammock slung between two palm trees by the beach does strange things to you, it turns out. I quickly realized that voyages of the mind are just as important as voyages to physical locales, if not more so, for maintaining the aforementioned mind-body balance. A good book can teach you as much about life as an expedition to remote islands and can take you to equally amazing places. It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes using less energy and taking things slowly, rather than continually pushing yourself to the limit, can make you a better, faster learner. This stillness of the heart is mandatory to appreciate the quietest things in life—gazing at the stars, swimming in the ocean, writing. Stillness is a skill that can be picked up quickly but that must be pursued relentlessly and with the understanding that there is no such thing as mastery.

Coming back to the mainland, I have discovered that you do not need to go as far as the middle of the ocean to uncover the wonders that surround us. In Seattle, gunmetal gray condos and shiny Teslas meet you at every turn, but it is still a rare day that you do not stumble upon some natural beauty—bands of cirrus streaking across a green sunset, a red-winged blackbird flitting to and from its nest, a coyote prowling raised gardens in a dusky neighborhood. But go far enough away from the city and you will encounter the stuff that promises to burn most brightly in the tangles of your memory—the reflection of the impossibly blue sky in a glacial lake, a lonely goat trekking a foreboding snowy ridgeline, the galactic core of our galaxy bursting from a layer of forest fire haze.

Based on my limited life experience, I have some basic advice for anyone who wants to take a step back from the grindstone and try to get re-centered: Take walks. Read old novels. Nap daily. Stretch your back. Watch birds. Breathe. Play.

The things I saw and heard and smelled and touched during my sabbatical reminded me why I love games like Pathfinder so much—because roleplaying games can take us to places that make us wonder, make us think, make us still. Sitting at a table with friends, away from the distractions of modernity, rolling lucky dice and maneuvering precious figurines, is a form of mindfulness that I think everyone should have the chance to enjoy. As I said before, you don't need to travel far to discover magic.

As any good adventuring party knows, it is vital to have a good home base from which to launch expeditions and to which to return for resupply. Perhaps that is why I have returned to Paizo's staff as a developer on the Adventure Path line. At Paizo, I can retreat to these sacred hallways, to the welcoming arms of likeminded explorers of fantastic universes, for potions of creativity and psychic salves. The journeys we writers undertake here are those of the human condition, of stories and games and characters and challenges that help players consider their own role in worlds both imaginary and real. Our efforts are of the utmost importance, I believe, because we create worlds that inspire people to look around as well as within.

I return to Paizo after four years of discovery—both self-discovery and discovery of others. Four years may not seem long to those of you who have been running the same campaign for decades, but it is long enough, perhaps, to return to an ancient craft with clear eyes and fresh breath. Enough to reexplore past passions and imbue future works with warm, steady energy. And enough, certainly enough, to once again brave the unknown with friends new and old.

Patrick Renie
Developer

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Big Pathfinder/Starfinder Reference Document News!

Sep 13, 2018, 12:00 pm

As a fan and a community advocate, you grow attachments to things you wouldn't have ever imagined you would. One of the projects I've gotten the opportunity to make my mark on at Paizo is neatly nestled into that fan/community/design challenge niche: the Pathfinder Reference Document. As it became obvious in this last year of architecting and laying out the plans for the future of paizo.com, and as the time increased between that "last updated" date and our resources began to shift course, a problem arose that we needed to solve: how do we provide our community a free, up-to-date online version of the rules for our games? Well, I finally get to share the answer with you all!

Big Pathfinder/Starfinder Reference Document News!

Thursday, September 13, 2018

As a fan and a community advocate, you grow attachments to things you wouldn't have ever imagined you would. One of the projects I've gotten the opportunity to make my mark on at Paizo is neatly nestled into that fan/community/design challenge niche: the Pathfinder Reference Document. As it became obvious in this last year of architecting and laying out the plans for the future of paizo.com, and as the time increased between that "last updated" date and our resources began to shift course, a problem arose that we needed to solve: how do we provide our community a free, up-to-date online version of the rules for our games? Well, I finally get to share the answer with you all!

Paizo is pleased to announce that Blake Davis and the Archives of Nethys will be maintaining the Pathfinder and Starfinder Reference Documents!

As an official licensed partner, the Archives of Nethys includes setting-specific rules content as well as Open Game Content, so you'll be able to find the Golarion- and Pact Worlds–specific rules you're looking for quickly and easily.

Eventually, these reference documents will become more integrated into the paizo.com website, but for the near future, we will be redirecting PRD and SFRD requests to the Archives of Nethys website:

Pathfinder Reference Document: pfrd.info
Starfinder Reference Document: sfrd.info

During this transition, you will not be able to search the PRD or the SFRD using the paizo.com search tool—you'll need to use the Archives of Nethys search tool instead for Pathfinder content; the search engine for the Starfinder site is still in development and is expected to go live in the next 1-2 weeks.

(The AON will not be hosting a Pathfinder Playtest reference document, as those rules are transitory, but we are planning to launch the reference document for Pathfinder Second Edition with them next year.)

Both reference documents on the Archives of Nethys will remain a completely free resource, but you can help support their future growth on Patreon.

I'm so excited to see our new partnership with Archives of Nethys and our online offerings to the Pathfinder and Starfinder communities evolve! Be sure to check out the AON, update your bookmarks, and keep up with the Paizo blog for future announcements.

Chris Lambertz
Web Product Manager

9/14/2018 Update: After reviewing community feedback, the legacy PRD website has now been made available at legacy.aonprd.com. It does not contain the search functionality, however.

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Pathfinder Playtest Preorder Update

Aug 1, 2018, 06:00 pm

When Paizo was planning this year's Pathfinder Playtest, we expected to exceed our own ability to fulfill orders on a timely basis, so we decided to use Fulfillment by Amazon. Unfortunately, Amazon's reports indicate that most customers will not be receiving their orders by tomorrow's release date.

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Riddle Me This

Jul 19, 2018, 12:00 pm

Attendees of PaizoCon 2018 might have noticed something new and unusual in the program booklet: a page with a map of Varisia overlaid with a grid, accompanied by a challenge to seek out a packet of puzzles and solve the mystery of the virtuous sihedron.

Riddle Me This

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Attendees of PaizoCon 2018 might have noticed something new and unusual in the program booklet: a page with a map of Varisia overlaid with a grid, accompanied by a challenge to seek out a packet of puzzles and solve the mystery of the virtuous sihedron.

Why, that was just the annual PaizoCon Puzzle Hunt coming back strong! We debuted this event last year, and it went over so well, we were able to increase its exposure and present an even more exciting and involved set of puzzles. But we know not everyone can make it to the convention, so we are proud to present the entire thing here for you! Check the link below, which contains everything you need to participate in this year's puzzle hunt... except, of course, your wits. Unfortunately, we can't offer any prizes for completing this puzzle hunt (or for discovering the secret secondary puzzle that hides within), but rest assured we will be back in 2019 with another set, as well as some new partners in this endeavor!

Download the PaizoCon 2018 Puzzle Hunt! — 3.1 MB zip/PDF

What is a puzzle hunt?

A puzzle hunt is a series of linked puzzles, with the answer to each being a word or phrase. Those words and phrases are used in the puzzle on the first page of the PDF to generate the hunt's final solution. Figuring out how that puzzle works is part of the challenge!

Who made this, anyway?

Once again, that's us! We challenged ourselves from last year to add more visual elements to these new puzzles, creating what we hope are a diverse array of interesting mind-bending enigmas. But we couldn't have done it without the aid of Art Director Sonja Morris, who created all of the puzzle hunt's outstanding graphics!

What do I do if get stuck?

First, put the puzzle down and come back at it in an hour or so with a fresh mind. Perhaps you'll spot something you hadn't seen before. Be sure to reread the instructions at the top of the page; sometimes clues are hidden in there! If all that fails, feel free to ask for a hint on the Paizo.com forums. There's no shame in getting a nudge from a fellow solver, and perhaps you can help her in return with a different puzzle!

Jason Keeley and Joe Pasini
Developers

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Farewell to Crystal

Jul 3, 2018, 12:00 pm

A couple of weeks ago Crystal Frasier let me know that she'd be moving on from Paizo to focus on her freelancer career. I was terribly saddened by this news, but I can't say I was wholly surprised. Crystal is an excellent developer and writer, but she's also an amazing artist, illustrator, cartographer, and has been knocking it out of the park with her comics. However, don't fret too much, Crystal has told me that she still wants to write for us as a freelancer, so you'll still be getting her top-notch adventures, monsters, and articles on some of the things she loves. As we do here at Paizo when one of our greats departs, I've collected some heartfelt thoughts and well wishes from the staff to send Crystal off!

Farewell to Crystal

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

A couple of weeks ago Crystal Frasier let me know that she'd be moving on from Paizo to focus on her freelancing career. I was terribly saddened by this news, but I can't say I was wholly surprised. Crystal is an excellent developer and writer, but she's also an amazing artist, illustrator, cartographer, and has been knocking it out of the park with her comics. However, don't fret too much, Crystal has told me that she still wants to write for us as a freelancer, so you'll still be getting her top-notch adventures, monsters, and articles on some of the things she loves. As we do here at Paizo when one of our greats departs, I've collected some heartfelt thoughts and well wishes from the staff to send Crystal off!

Jason Tondro (Editor): "I've only had the pleasure of knowing Crystal as a coworker for a few months, but I have long admired her work in and for the industry. Crystal has made gaming both smarter and more just, and it's no surprise that she's now got so much work on her plate that she can't afford to stay with us here at Paizo. But in this case, what's bad for Paizo is good for everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Crystal's work on an even larger stage. Sincere congratulations, Crystal, and please just keep on doing what you're doing."

Chris Sims (Developer): "Unfortunately for me, I don't yet know Crystal as well as I might have liked. I do know she brings a ton of craft and skill to this team. More than that, though, she adds a lot of humor and insight. I can't count how many times we've all enjoyed a moment of levity or I've been left rethinking something because of what Crystal said during a conversation or meeting. It's plain we're all better off with her here. It's also clear we'll miss her when she's not. That said, we're lucky she'll still be available for freelance gigs. Don't forget about us, Crystal! All the best to you, too!"

Owen KC Stephens (Starfinder Design Lead): "Crystal was one of the people I was most excited to get to work with when I was hired at Paizo, and I can safely say the experience has been very much worth it. Her game industry career goes back longer than mine does and she's succeeded at many more roles, giving her a vast wealth of knowledge and experience I've been happy to draw on and learn from. As sad as I am to lose her from my daily work routine, I am excited to see what she does in her new endeavors!

We'll miss you Crystal!"

Adam Daigle (Managing Developer): "I'm not crying, YOU'RE CRYING!

Over the years I have known Crystal as a friend, freelancer, and then coworker. When I first came to Paizo, Crystal was in another department, so I didn't get to see her that much during the normal workday, but when she moved into the editorial department as a developer, we sat right next to each other. We were both working on the Adventure Paths and had each other to cheer on, commiserate with, and of course crack jokes with. We both grew up on the Gulf Coast and have a shared love for trash animals, and we often loved to confuse and weird out other members of the crew with our strange bayou lore. I'm not only going to miss not having my swamp sister around for those reasons, but also because Crystal is brilliantly creative, extremely funny, and one of the most skilled storytellers I've had the pleasure to read and work with. Kick ass on your future endeavors, Crystal! I can't wait to see what you create!"

Mark Seifter (Designer): "I first learned who Crystal was roughly 7 years ago, when I started to realize that so many of my favorite Pathfinder Society scenarios, and my favorite module The Harrowing, were written by the same author, and I first met her when she gave me a Harrow reading at the Paizocon Grand Convocation. I later learned that Crystal is as talented at so many other aspects of adventure development as she is at writing adventures, whether it be maps and art, characterization, plotline, you name it. For my money, Crystal's adventures are some of the best in the business, and it's really no surprise that my Pathfinder group opted to play Ironfang Invasion followed by War for the Crown. Those Adventure Paths are just that good, and if you're reading this and haven't checked them out yet, you should. Crystal leaving to pursue full-time freelance is a loss for Paizo, but our loss is the freelancing community's gain. I'll be looking for her name on all sorts of exciting new projects now, just like 7 years ago. But honestly? I never stopped."

Sonja Morris (Art Director): "When I started at Paizo, Crystal was a member of the art department, and she helped me navigate the complex web that was our file storage system. Without Crystal's assistance, I am certain the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords would not have made it to the printer on time, and I don't know what I would have done without her help! Her quick wit is always good for a giggle, or a belly laugh, depending on the gag. Over the years, as she's moved around the company, I have seen her grow both professionally and personally and I can't wait to see what she does next. I am sure what ever it is it will be magnificent!"

Ron Lundeen (Developer): "I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Crystal, and that probably frustrates her a lot. We've worked closely together as freelancer-developer for years, and as cubicle mates for just over 6 months. She's highly regarded in this industry (and others!) precisely because she's insightful, talented, and really, really hardworking. Early on, Crystal insisted that my relentless optimism wouldn't spoil her crusty pessimism (you'll see she put a Pessimist campaign trait in the Tyrant's Grasp Player's Guide to reinforce her position). And oh, how I've tried! In the end, though, I'm counting her departure as a checkmark on the optimism side of the board, because she's going on to exciting products, fun work, and a great life—you'll see!"

Linda Zayas-Palmer (Developer): "The first time I talked to Crystal was right after a panel at PaizoCon 5 or 6 years ago. I'd recently had a wonderful time running a module she wrote, the Harrowing. I remember sitting there starstruck for a while, psyching myself up to go up to her and tell her how much I loved her writing and to compliment her awesome purple hair. I can't really call this meeting Crystal, since in my excitement, I forgot to introduce myself and just awkwardly fangirled over her for a few minutes. She was very nice about it though :)

I met Crystal for real when she started working as a developer right around the same time that I joined Paizo. And I have to say, I admire her more now than I did as a fan. Crystal is a compassionate, funny, and extremely talented person. She is a wellspring of creative ideas, lovely art, punny humor, and references to 80's and 90's pop culture. It's been a pleasure to be on a team with her. We'll miss you, Crystal! Whatever projects you take on next, I'm sure you'll knock them out of the park."

Jason Keeley (Developer): "I have only known Crystal for a couple of years, but the nice things I have to say about her could probably fill a hardcover. She is talented, funny, clever, and only threatened to drink me under the table like once or twice. We are going to miss her so much. Hopefully, I will still get to game with her so this better not be goodbye forever! We still have that "Pigs in Space" campaign to do!"

Lyz Liddell (Editor): "Crystal is the game designer I want to be when I grow up. She's brilliant, creative, fun, passionate, clever, dedicated to positive and diverse representation in our products, and not afraid to speak her mind. I've learned a ton by working on the materials she's developed, and I'm going to miss working with her."

Leo Glass (Editor): "While I haven't worked with Crystal long, it was clear on day one how her endless creativity and sense of humor make the world around her a better place. I will miss all the laughter she brought to our team, but wish her the best of luck with her next journey. (And look forward to reading all of the super-awesome products she plans to write!)"

Stephen Radney-MacFarland (Senior Designer): "I met Crystal before I came to Paizo. She was in the first game design class I ever taught at the Art Institute of Seattle. She was a fantastic student, someone who I always knew would go far in any pursuit. She had this tremendous mix of analytical force and creative talent that I enjoyed and respected. Hell, I still do. She's only gotten better at her various crafts. Crystal leaving Paizo is a loss for us as a company, but is to the benefit of all the rest of geekdom and beyond. Go forth and conquer, Crystal. It is your destiny."

John Compton (Organized Play Lead Developer): "Before I joined Paizo in 2013, I only knew Crystal by reputation, from her module-writing fame to fan's gushing experiences about her Harrow readings at PaizoCon. After five years with her as my colleague, I can confirm that whatever positive things you've heard? They're true. Anything negative? You can't prove it; we helped her hide the bodies.

Crystal's a wonderful coworker and collaborator, especially in smaller meetings where we can feed on one another's enthusiasm and build upon each other's ideas as happened with projects like War for the Crown. She brings a playfulness to brainstorming, passion to adventures, and a range of accents to the gaming table—all while being so practiced in visual arts that she can idly illustrate characters or sketch maps with more skill than the rest of us can manage with our undivided attention. Beyond that, she's been an outspoken advocate for diversity in Paizo's products, promoting minorities' visibility in our stories in positive ways and showing the rest of us how we can do the same.

Crystal has been a source of inspiration and wisdom in my time at Paizo, and it's helped push me to try and return the favor at least half as often. I hope that we'll have more opportunities to collaborate in the future."

Logan Bonner (Designer): "What an utterly delightful person. What a talented, engaged, and thoughtful coworker. What a champion for justice and compassion. Since I came to Paizo, I've been amazed by Crystal over and over. She's an excellent example, out there being an inspiration to new writers that not only can they do this, they might someday be almost as good as Crystal Frasier.

Crystal has been an institution here at Paizo, and now she's going off to become her own institution. A majestic, terrifying institution.

As she sails off into the sunset aboard her Footski, I can almost hear her cursing our names, but kindly, as is her way. We'll miss that clever cursing. Thank you for being a friend, a colleague, and a force of nature. Dammit, we'll miss you!"

Amanda Hamon Kunz (Managing Developer): "When I first started working at Paizo three years ago, I was star struck by the thought that I would be working with the Crystal Frasier. Crystal was a titan of the industry—a woman who had done so much, from designing and laying out products to creating awesome art to writing some truly impressive first- and third-party products. But once I walked into the office, I realized that not only are all of those things absolutely true, even more than I realized as a freelancer, but that Crystal is also one of the most creative, most energetic, most uniquely awesome people I have met. As the months and years rolled on, Crystal taught me a lot about being a creative, but she also taught me how to be a better person and how to always fight for what I believe is right. She became one of my closest friends in the office, and I'm a better person for it. Crystal, as sad as I am to see you leave, and as much as I will deeply miss your incredible presence here, I know that you have fantastic things ahead of you. I can't wait to see what you do next. I will always be here to cheer you along from the sidelines."

Judy Bauer (Managing Editor): "Crystal cares a LOT, and it shows. Her writing is always exciting, with frequent moments of hilarity (the attack of the crawling hands in Pathfinder Adventure Path #79!), but when it's serious, it's SERIOUS—her foreword to Pathfinder Adventure Path #117 brought me to tears. It also shows in her relationships at work: she's been a mentor, a friend, and a source of inspiration for many at Paizo over the years. And it shows in her life: she's politically active, and a strong voice for representation and justice. I'm going to miss her enthusiasm and intensity so much!

Crystal, all the best luck with your (many) new ventures, and I hope to get to edit much more of your awesome writing in the future!"

Chris Carey (Senior Editor): "I've known Crystal for almost ten years now. She first came on board as an intern in Paizo's art department when we were still over at the old office building, and I think she may be the most recent hire to be able to still remember the stained carpets and the tiny, cramped workspace that penned in the editorial staff over there. Of course, Crystal left the art department back in the day and has been an outstanding game developer and Pathfinder writer for years now, both developing and authoring some of the most enjoyable and creative turnovers to come across the editors' desks. But more than that, she has made Paizo a more enjoyable place to work with her laughter and wit and uniquely Crystal sense of humor. I'll miss you, Crystal, but I'm excited for the path that lies ahead of you!"

Mark Moreland (Franchise Manager): "I first met Crystal at the second PaizoCon, way back in 2009. I recall her approaching Erik Mona and Sarah Robinson about possibly interning at Paizo and how envious I was of her simply for living in close proximity to the office and having the guts to get a foot in the door. Just over a year later, I moved across the country to join her at Paizo, and she was one of my most helpful cube-mates until the first of many desk reshuffles happened. Every time the ongoing game of musical cubes put us near one another, I was always ecstatic. There are many fun people in this office, but few are as funny, intelligent, and creative as Crystal, and she has an aura effect that gives morale bonuses to these same stats to everyone in a 30-foot radius.

I first developed Crystal's work when I tackled her innovative Pathfinder Society Scenario, Below the Silver Tarn just a few months after I took over the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign back in 2010. Her unique encounter designs, incredible mapping skills, and layered storytelling quickly put her at the top of my "would work with again" list, and made her the ideal candidate to write one of my all-time favorite Pathfinder adventures, Pathfinder Module: The Harrowing. We knew we wanted to make an adventure wherein the PCs travel inside a harrow deck and meet the creatures and threats on the cards themselves, and there was no one else on the list of potential authors other than Crystal. Her ability to interweave 54 random illustrations into a cohesive narrative with a deep, expansive mythology and a subsystem of using the harrow deck itself to augment gameplay resulted in a product I am incredibly proud to have worked on.

That's not the only time Crystal made me look good, either. I had the pleasure of working closely with her on the back matter of the Ironfang Invasion and War for the Crown adventure paths, and she developed Taldor, The First Empire into a better final book. She's also had an immeasurable influence on how I look at issues of inclusion and diversity in game design, and the different perspectives she brought to the creative process over the years has made an indelible mark on my narrative sensibilities.

I'll miss having you around the office, Crystal, but am overjoyed that you've promised to continue writing for both Pathfinder and Starfinder in your newfound free(lance) time. The future for someone with your myriad talents is certainly bright, and I wish you all the best. Don't be a stranger!"

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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New Paizo Faces, Part 3

Jun 12, 2018, 12:00 pm

Over the past few weeks we've introduced a passel of new developers and admitted to ourselves that former editors Jason Keeley and Joe Pasini really are developers now. Of course, whenever we're suddenly creating more content—like a whole new game and a new edition—we also need more editors to polish up all those words!

New Paizo Faces, Part 3

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Over the past few weeks we've introduced a passel of new developers and admitted to ourselves that former editors Jason Keeley and Joe Pasini really are developers now. Of course, whenever we're suddenly creating more content—like a whole new game and a new edition—we also need more editors to polish up all those words!

James Case, Editor

Hi everyone! I'm James, and I'm a recent addition to the editing team.

I just moved here to the Seattle area after six years overseas in Tokyo, where I edited biomedical research. It's quite a change being back stateside, but as a longtime player and GM who's been playing Pathfinder since its playtest, I'm super excited to be in the editor's chair, helping to make the games I love alongside the rest of the awesome people here at Paizo.

When I'm not RPing, I can be usually be found translating and reviewing Japanese music with my headphones in or blowing giant soap bubbles in a park. Occasionally both at the same time!

Leo Glass, Editor

Hi! I'm Leo Glass, an editor at Paizo. I'm honored and humbled to be a part of this amazing team.

I've worked as an editor or writer for the last seven years. Most recently, I edited research grants at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before that, I worked as a writer/designer at an independent PC game studio.

My passion for tabletop RPGs was born during college, when my best friend invited me to play an adventure. While I loved fantasy and science fiction, I didn't know a critical hit from a Fortitude save. Once my first character, an elven monk, survived his first dungeon, I was hooked. Fifteen years later, I've played in or GMed more than 25 different RPG systems. It's this hunger for all things tabletop that inspired my love affair with Pathfinder and Starfinder.

Besides RPGs, I write short fiction and enjoy cycling, gaming, graphic design, hiking, and reading. I also have a cat named Pixel. I recently moved to Seattle from Nebraska, only to discover that I forgot my umbrella, so if you see me around Redmond doing my best wet dog impression, now you know why.

Adrian Ng, Editor

Hi, everyone! My name's Adrian Ng. I grew up in northwest Ohio, and I moved to Seattle in 2013. Prior to working at Paizo, I was a game tester and copy editor at Nintendo of America. I began working at Paizo about a year ago as a temporary editor and was hired on as a full-time editor after PaizoCon 2017. When I'm not gaming, I enjoy making music, running and hiking, and consuming speculative fiction in all forms. Glad to meet you all!

Lacy Pellazar, Editor

Hi! I'm Lacy, and I've actually been at Paizo for a year now! After editing for a little over 4 years at Nintendo of America, I joined Paizo last year to work on the Starfinder Core Rulebook, and it's been a blast (get it? Like rockets?) ever since. Some of my favorite things include: birds, bugs/arachnids (yes, even spiders. ESPECIALLY SPIDERS), cyberpunk, horror/paranormal, and Pokémon. If you like video games, self-deprecating humor, and some occasional art, feel free to follow me over on Twitter @mahousloth!

Jason Tondro, Editor

Hey everybody. I've spent the last five years as an English professor at a small state college in Georgia, where I taught writing, film, British Lit, and comics & graphic novels. But I've been gaming since I was 11 and freelancing in the RPG business for twenty years. Along the way I have written for Hero System, Middle Earth Role Playing, Steve Jackson Games, Mutants & Masterminds, Icons, 3e, and most recently Fate Core.

But like some others here at Paizo, I finally decided to turn my second job into my first job and work with RPGs full time. I'm originally from California and moving back to the West Coast—where I have many old friends and an amazing new job here at Paizo—has turned out to be just what I needed. This is a fantastic, artistically inspiring, community and coming here has felt like coming home.

Judy Bauer
Managing Editor

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New Paizo Faces, Part 2

May 17, 2018, 02:00 pm

In our last blog about some of the new faces here at Paizo, you got to learn some more about the newest developers. However, there are a couple of folks that have been here longer, working in other capacities, who haven't been formally introduced in their new roles as developers.

New Paizo Faces, Part 2

Thursday, May 17, 2018

In our last blog about some of the new faces here at Paizo, you got to learn some more about the newest developers. However, there are a couple of folks that have been here longer, working in other capacities, who haven't been formally introduced in their new roles as developers.

Jason Keeley, Developer

I'm not exactly new to Paizo; I was hired an editor about three years ago. They even let me introduce myself back then. I'm not even that new to development. After all, I got hijacked into helping the Starfinder RPG along around the end of 2016. And I think I developed a couple of Pathfinder RPG Player Companions around that time too. I didn't get the official title of developer until the middle of last year, however. So, of all the new faces being introduced in this blog, I'm definitely the oldest.

But that doesn't mean I don't have something exciting to say! With Rob McCreary becoming the Starfinder creative director, I tricked everyone into letting me develop the next few volumes of the Starfinder adventure path! They then told me the AP is going monthly, so I guess the joke is on me.

There is so much happening right now. Dead Suns is coming to an explosive finale that is sure to thrill players. We're starting to see the adventures for Against the Aeon Throne, and I'm already rooting hard for the rebels of Madelon's Landing, because the Azlanti Star Empire is a bunch of jerks. I'm also putting the finishing touches on the outline for the adventure path after that, which I can't wait to tell you about!

It's going to be an exciting year. IN SPACE!

Joe Pasini, Developer

Hi! I'm Joe, and I totally belong here.

I snuck in to Paizo in late 2016, so I'm quite excited for the opportunity to say hello!

Here's an abridged timeline of what I've gotten away with thus far.

September 2016: I joined Paizo as a temporary editor, just as Starfinder hit the editorial fan, and I fell in love with the game right away.

March 2017: I became an official Paizo employee, and the Golem whispered its great secrets into my ear as it instilled me with a small fraction of its power. There was tea and biscuits afterward.

June 2017: After eight months of putting up with me—and during a period of great change—the powers that be drew straws, and the development team won (or lost): I became a developer! I worked on a couple Player Companions and then became the back-matter developer for the first half of the War for the Crown Adventure Path.

December 2017: I joined the Starfinder dev team! Now it's aliens and lasers, all day, erryday, and I love it.

Before getting to work with the incredible folks here at Paizo, my biggest accomplishment was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, which I can talk about for far too long if you let me. I also play a ton of board games, love etymology, and (with Jason Keeley) will be bringing you Paizo Con Puzzle Hunts as long as they let us.

I'm partially engaged on Twitter (@joeadultman), where I am open to suggestions—especially how those of us in the industry can make our games more accessible, inclusive, and fun!

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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Origins and Gen Con Convention Offerings!

May 11, 2018, 12:00 pm

Over the past few months, we announced the launch of the new season of Starfinder Society at Origins Game Faire and previewed some of the PaizoCon 2018 organized play offerings, including our newest scenarios. Tickets for events at Origins and Gen Con went live this past week, so this week's blog focuses on offerings at those conventions.

Origins and Gen Con Convention Offerings!

Friday, May 11, 2018

Over the past few months, we announced the launch of the new season of Starfinder Society at Origins Game Faire and previewed some of the PaizoCon 2018 organized play offerings, including our newest scenarios. Tickets for events at Origins and Gen Con went live this past week, so this week's blog focuses on offerings at those conventions.

Origins Game Faire

In prior years, Pathfinder Society at Origins focused on a mix of older season favorites with a sprinkling of the current season. This year, we've extended that idea across Starfinder Society as well. Given that Starfinder Society doesn't have the depth of scenarios, given that we are not even a full year into the campaign, this means we scheduled the entire Starfinder Society catalog. So if you haven't explored Absalom Station, sailed through the Drift, or met celebrity maven Zo!, now is your chance.

As Starfinder Society developer Thurston Hillman discussed in the Starfinder Launch blog, the limited release meant we hadn't finished the story of the Scoured Stars. So instead of launching a new season with a new theme, we are extending the Year of the Scoured Stars for another 12 months and pivoting the storyline with the release of interactive specialStarfinder Society Scenario #1-99: The Scoured Stars Invasionby veteran Society writer Mikko Kallio. Thurston finished up development on this adventure this week and from his reactions, players are in for a treat! Besides #1-99, we have two new scenarios debuting at Origins—Starfinder Society Scenario #1-16: Dreaming of the Future is a 4-part quest pack for character levels 1-4 (replayable with 1st level characters) and Starfinder Society Scenario #1-17: Reclaiming the Time-Lost Tear, a continuation of the season metaplot involving the First Seeker [elect] Luwazi Elsebo's mission to return to the Scoured Stars.

Pathfinder Society players have the opportunity to experience the next installment of the modular interactive special Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-99C: The Solstice Scar, version C on Friday night. Besides a selection of offerings from Seasons 0-8, Season 9 scenarios highlighting the Liberty's Edge, Concordance, and Dark Archive Factions are scheduled. In addition, each block a Paizo staff member is running a table of Pathfinder Society Playtest Scenario #1: Rose Street Revenge. That's so secret, there isn't even a product page made for it yet. If you aren't able to get tickets to one of the Rose Street tables, consider trying out a 2-hour Pathfinder Playtest Demo.

Origins attendees need to purchase a badge and then purchase tickets for each event they wish to participate in. Visit the Origins website for more information on attending the convention.

Gen Con 2018

The schedule at Gen Con is choc-a-bloc with offerings. The latter half of Pathfinder Society Year of Faction's Favor makes a showing, as well as the first three scenarios in the not-yet-announced Season Ten storyline. Thursday sees an encore run of the modular interactive special Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-99C: The Solstice Scar, version C. The interactive special Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-00: The Hao-Jin Cataclysm makes its debut on Friday night.

On the Starfinder front, Saturday night is the interactive special Starfinder Society Scenario #1-99: The Scoured Stars Invasion. Year of Scoured Stars is well represented, including the debut of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-20: Duskmire Accord 9 and Starfinder Society Scenario #1-21: Yesteryear's Sorrow.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild offerings include the PACG Open Tournament, the interactive special Pathfinder Society Scenario #10-00: The Hao-Jin Cataclysm on Friday night, and the launch of the newest Season (name to be announced at PaizoCon). Plus tables of prior season play!

Prior years saw Paizo staff participating in a wide range of panels and seminars in room 212 and this year is no different. While we haven't posted the schedule yet (something about a Playtest taking up quite a bit of time and attention) we are hoping to do so in the very near future.

In looking at ticket sales, we have sold out some events, including specific tiers in each of the interactive specials. I'm working with the Gen Con events team to reallocate our GMs from less sold events to sold out events and more tickets to sold out items should release shortly.

We still have a need for Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society GMs! Volunteers receive benefits based on how many blocks they contribute. Rewards include 4-day badges, 1/4 hotel rooms in the downtown Westin, credit to paizo.com, a copy of a Paizo print product Interested? Check here for more information and to complete a volunteer questionnaire.

As with Origins, attendees at Gen Con must purchase a badge and then buy tickets for each game they wish to participate in. We will take generic tickets on a space available basis, so I encourage anyone to sign up for the games they really want. For more info, check the Gen Con 2018 website.

Whew! So many options, I'm glad I don't have to choose which to play! I'm looking forward to a bustling convention season and hope to see many of you at a convention soon!

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
  Organized Play Manager

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New Paizo Faces, Part 1

May 8, 2018, 02:00 pm

Things have been busy here for a while and we knew we needed to bolster our forces if we wanted to keep apace of our production schedules, so in recent months we've added a few new faces to the development team. Some of you keen-eyed readers might have noticed new names in our credits, and now's the time to let them introduce themselves. Welcome the newest faces of Paizo!

New Paizo Faces, Part 1

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Things have been busy here for a while and we knew we needed to bolster our forces if we wanted to keep apace of our production schedules, so in recent months we've added a few new faces to the development team. Some of you keen-eyed readers might have noticed new names in our credits, and now's the time to let them introduce themselves. Welcome the newest faces of Paizo!

Eleanor Ferron, Developer

Hello! My name is Eleanor Ferron. I just joined Paizo back in January as a new developer, and it hasn't quite sunk in for me yet. I'm amazed to be a part of this team!

I got into tabletop roleplaying back when I was ten years old, when my brother started buying RPG books and bringing them home. As I was dedicated to my role of annoying younger sibling, I promptly stole all of his books when he wasn't home and read through them as well. I wasn't able to play until much later in life, but I was fortunate in joining a dedicated RPG club, which exposed me to all sorts of RPG systems and styles. In 2015, I started freelancing for Paizo, and it's been exhilarating to share my creations with the Paizo community.

I originally was trying to break into the RPG industry as an artist; I've illustrated RPGs such as Short Order Heroes and the Queen's Cavaliers. The fact I have now been hired as a Paizo writer is a clue to how well that went.

Luis Loza, Developer

Hail and well met! My name is Luis Loza and I'm happy to be your new developer! I've been playing tabletop RPGs in some form for almost 15 years. My first experience with Pathfinder was a random picture I found online which featured the cover art of The Skinsaw Murders with a caption proclaiming it to be the scariest night your characters would ever have. My interest was piqued and I was fully hooked shortly thereafter. I jumped into Pathfinder, fell in love with the setting, and never looked back.

My first freelancing gig with Paizo was writing spells for the Giant Hunter's Handbook and I've done plenty more since then! (I keep a list of my credits on my profile page.) I guess Paizo liked me enough to bring me on as a developer and I'm excited to get to work! (Note: This is actually my second time on the Paizo blog, the first being a random picture of me from PaizoCon years back. I told myself I would mention this fact if I eventually worked for Paizo, so here's to you, Luis from 2013!)

Ron Lundeen, Developer

Adam Daigle didn't believe me when I said I wanted to come work for him full time. He knew I had a career as an in-house attorney for a large company, but he didn't know that all my freelance writing, freelance developing, and blog post authorship was part of a long-ranging scheme to live my dream by working at Paizo. My wife, in particular, was more supportive than I deserve when I told her I was angling to pursue my dream job. And now I've done it! I've moved my family from Chicago (where the winters are cold enough to kill people and the summers are hot enough to kill people) to the Pacific Northwest. We were greeted with a Christmastime snowfall robust enough to build a snowman with my kids. That's a rarity here, I've been told.

I've been hurled into the deep end of Adventure Path development—more specifically, the back end of the Adventure Paths, where the articles, gazetteers, new monsters, and "what's coming next month" all go. I see a lot of variety packed into the backmatter, from articles about noble spy networks to flaming ghost monsters to wicked halfling gods. It's a rush to see all the goodies Paizo's stellar freelancers have created, and still a bit of shock to realize that coordinating and developing it all is my actual job now.

Everyone at Paizo has been incredibly open and helpful, from setting up useful macros to showing me around the cavernous warehouse, and from talking about bicycle trails to work to explaining what a "Fred Meyer" is. I'm thrilled to be with such an energetic and friendly group, and I can't wait to bring these wonders to you!

Michael Sayre, Developer

Hello! My name is Michael Sayre. Before joining Paizo as the new organized play developer, I've worked as a lead designer for Dreamscarred Press and Drop Dead Studios, and done freelance design and development for companies like Amora Games, Lost Spheres Publishing, and Rogue Genius Games. If you're a fan of third-party materials you might recognize my name from projects like Dreamscarred's Akashic Mysteries, Drop Dead's Spheres of Might, or Lost Sphere's recent City of 7 Seraphs Kickstarter. Working here at Paizo is going to present me with some amazing opportunities to help develop and grow the adventures for the organized play community and I'm looking forward to helping the team as we work on the current and future seasons.

Chris Sims, Developer

Life is weird. It's like a strange dream moving along unexpected paths. I'm a Starfinder developer now. How did that happen?

I knew from an early age that I wanted to work in games, but in a massive failure of imagination, I didn't ponder the design and development route. I trained as a graphic artist, thinking that was my road to a game job. When D&D's third edition came out, it revitalized my love of the game. I delved deep, and I reviewed d20 products. Owners of a few such products asked me to edit or develop for them. I did.

Then, Wizards of the Coast issued an open call for freelance editors. I answered. The rest is history.

For fifteen years, now, I've been in games. I've worked on Magic, D&D for the last three editions, Pathfinder, and a few digital offerings, including the upcoming State of Decay 2 video game. With plenty of ups and downs, I've been a freelancer and an in-house contributor. I've had the privilege to know a lot of fine folks in this industry.

It's to these relationships that I feel I owe many of my past successes and my current lucky arrival here on the Paizo Starfinder team. Yeah, I have experience and skill, but being a known variable helped, I'm sure.

Anyway, that's enough history and philosophy. I'm excited to be delving into a new game yet again. My work on Starfinder is supposed to focus on Adventure Paths, which is right up my alley. Since I started, though, I've been developing and designing all kinds of game elements, from hybrid items to aliens, starships to new rules. Like an explorer looking for that big find in the Vast, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. And, I can't wait to show you what I discover.

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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May Stars, Volunteers, Conventions & More!

May 2, 2018, 05:00 pm

I'm currently neck deep in convention preparation for PaizoCon, UK Games Expo, Origins, and Gen Con, as well as pulling travel plans together for PaizoCon UK. So many spreadsheets! But I don't have them printed out on my bedsheets (yet) so I think I'm still safe.

May Stars, Volunteers, Conventions & More!

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

I'm currently neck deep in convention preparation for PaizoCon, UK Games Expo, Origins, and Gen Con, as well as pulling travel plans together for PaizoCon UK. So many spreadsheets! But I don't have them printed out on my bedsheets (yet) so I think I'm still safe.

On the subject of PaizoCon's—after holding PaizoCon Oz 2017 in New Zealand, the team approached me about widening the locational mandate and rotating the event throughout the greater Asia-Pacific region. Home office was happy to agree to their request, so from here on out, PaizoCon Oz is now PaizoCon Asia-Pacific! I've got it on good authority that they will release specifics soon. Hope to see some of you in Brisbane, Australia, this October!

In March, we lost a dedicated society volunteer to suicide. David Setty was a tireless GM and supported his local community in Cincinnati with all his efforts. While you may not recognize the name, if you attended Gen Con in the past few years, you probably saw David GMing in the Sagamore Ballroom. He was the red-haired GM wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a bright smile. In recognition of his importance to their community and to raise funds for suicide prevention, the local lodge is holding the David Setty Memorial Game Day. More information is available via their Facebook event. You can help by donating to their fundraising efforts. If you aren't close enough to attend, consider taking a moment to tell the people around you how much you appreciate them. It may make all the difference in the world! For more information, email Venture-Captain Brent Bowser.

Campaign Coin

This past weekend, I attended Quad Cities Gamefest in Davenport, Iowa. While there, I had the distinct pleasure of awarding a Campaign Service Coin to an extremely active volunteer. During his tenure as Venture-Captain of the Quad Cities Society, the group expanded and grew from the base laid by the original venture-captain, James Martin. The recipient fosters good relationships with game storeowners and works to help out in the greater geographic area to expand Society to places that haven't had organized play before. For their service and dedication to the growth of their community, we recognize VC Troy Schnack with a Campaign Service Coin and organized play number 787 in recognition of his service.

If you know a deserving member of your community, please email me at organizedplay@paizo.com with their name, location, and the reasons you feel they should be recognized for their service. If you are able, please include what events they may attend in 2018. This is especially helpful if they will be at an event with a member of the organized play team (see further down the blog for that list of events.)

Stars and Novas

This month we only have one new addition to the 5-star GM roster. They earned the accolade this weekend, making them the newest addition to the island. Huge congratulations on achieving your fifth star.

To achieve this milestone, GMs facilitate 150 games, of which at least 50 must be unique scenarios and 10 are special scenarios, as well as run a game for a venture-captain. A conservative estimate of time needed to reach 5-stars is 650 hours! To the GM listed below, thank you very much for the time and energy you spend running Pathfinder Society games! Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Nick Sullivan

I've been watching the reporting data for Starfinder Society and we don't have anyone approaching 5-nova GM status yet, but the team knows it is coming soon. We hope to have more information in the next few weeks, as we keep discussing both the nova requirements and the future of GM stars in organized play. Once determined, we will include the information in a future update blog.

Volunteer Opportunities

We still have badges and rooms available for Gen Con volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering to run Pathifner Socity or Starfinder Society events, please visit the Gen Con 2018 volunteer questionnaire for more information and to register.

PaizoCon, Origins, Gen Con update

Event catalogs for PaizoCon, Origins, and Gen Con went live this week. If you want to run a mid-slot game at PaizoCon, a limited number of tables will be available for on-site signups. Origins offerings should be complete. I'm holding back on listing the newest season of ACG launching at Gen Con until after the PaizoCon Banquet, where we announce the new season information. So know there will be several tables each morning and afternoon block of Gen Con that we have dedicated to the new season ACG launch. We also haven't uploaded our seminar offerings and hope to do that this week.

Badges for PaizoCon and Origins dropped already. Gen Cons are currently ongoing. If you are expecting a badge and don't have it by Friday, please let me know by emailing organizedplay@paizo.com with your name, paizo.com email, and convention you are volunteering at.

Convention Listing

Hard to believe we are almost halfway through 2018. Time is a flying! Never fear, there are plenty of conventions scheduled for the second half of the year. I've updated the list with all the event support requests I've received to date. All of the conventions on the list maintain some type of web presence, be it website, social media page, or Warhorn listing, so if you are interested in attending in either capacity, check out their websites or contact the local venture-officer for more information! If you know of a convention running Society games that is not on this list, encourage the organizer to contact me at organizedplay@paizo.com to discuss their event.

Convention Name Location Start Date

Chupacabracon V (2018) Round Rock, TX 5/4/18

ConTRAPtion 2018 Worthing, United Kingdom 5/4/18

Demicon 29 (2018) Urbandale, Iowa 5/4/18

Heroicon 2018 Decatur, IL 5/4/18

NoBrandCon 2018 Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 5/4/18

David Setty Memorial Game Day (2018) Cincinnati, OH 5/6/18

BLFC 2018 Reno, NV 5/11/18

Microcon 2018 Turku Finland 5/11/18

SFERAKON 2018 Zagreb, Croatia, EU 5/11/18

the Seelie Court 2018 Philadelphia, PA 5/11/18

KoboldCon 2018 Colorado Springs, CO 5/12/18

RusCon 2018 Moscow, Russia 5/12/18

Tri Con 2018 Bay City, MI 5/12/18

BeholderCon 2018 Boise, ID 5/18/18

Kevätmaracon mk. II 2018 Finland, Oulu 5/18/18

Mallicon 2018 Cincinnati, OH 5/18/18

Mutli-Table Specials - Sydney and Brisbane Brisbane and Sydney, Australia 5/19/18

CoreCon Fargo, ND 5/24/18

MegaCon 2018 Orlando, FL 5/24/18

MomoCon 2018 Atlanta, GA 5/24/18

Phoenix Comic Fest 2018 Phoenix, AZ 5/24/18

Cherry Capital Comic Con (2018) ACME, MI 5/25/18

Comicpalooza 2018 Houston, TX 5/25/18

Gamex 2018 Los Angeles, CA 5/25/18

KublaCon 2018 Burlingame, CA 5/25/18

Mobicon 2018 Mobile, AL 5/25/18

Parece Con Leon, Spain 5/25/18

Seekerpalooza 2 (2018) Montreat, NC 5/25/18

Summer Wolfcon 2018 Chicago, IL 5/26/18

Nexus Game Fair 2018 Milwaukee WI 5/31/18

ConCarolinas 2018 Charlotte, NC 6/1/18

UK Games Expo 2018 Birmingham, NEC, United Kingdom 6/1/18

Die Con 18 (2018) Collinsville, IL 6/8/18

Magic City Con Birmingham, AL 6/8/18

RAGECON 2018 Reno, NV 6/22/18

VrockCon 2018 - Are You Thursty? Flat Rock, NC 6/30/18

InConJunction 2018 Indianapolis, IN 7/6/18

MidSummer ConQuest Sacramento, CA 7/20/18

Summerfest 2018 Richland, WA 7/20/18

2018 Organized Play Staff Travel

I've updated the organized play staff itinerary for the rest of 2018. These aren't all the events that will have Paizo staffers in attendance and some of the events have staff members beyond the organized play team. If you're at any of the events listed below, please stop by the booth or organized play room and say hi!

If you are an event organizer and want to invite us out at your event in 2019, drop an email to organizedplay@paizo.com before next summer. We review our schedule in the fall and try to get all decisions wrapped by the end of the year.

Convention Name Location Start Date OP Staff

PaizoCon Sea-Tac, WA 5/25 Tonya, John, Linda, Michael (+Paizo staffers)

UK Games Expo Birmingham, England 6/1 Tonya (+Paizo staffers)

Origins Columbus, OH 6/13 Tonya, John (+Paizo staffers)

PaizoCon UK Birmingham, England 7/20 Tonya (+Paizo staffer)

Gen Con Indianapolis, IN 8/2 Tonya, John, Linda, Michael (+Paizo staffers)

DragonCon Atlanta, GA 8/30 John (+Paizo staffer)

Fan Expo Toronto, Ontario, Canada 8/31 TBD

SkalCon Minnaepolis-St. Paul, MN 9/14 Tonya

Hurricon Tampa, FL 9/27 Tonya

PaizoCOn OZ Brisbane, Australia 10/19 Tonya

U-Con Ann Arbor, MI 11/16 Tonya

PAX Unplugged Phiadelphia, PA 11/30 Tonya (+Paizo staffers)

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
  Organized Play Manager

More Paizo Blog.

Tags: Conventions Organized Play Paizo Pathfinder Society

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Organized Play at PaizoCon 2018!

Apr 18, 2018, 01:30 pm

Convention planning involves lots of juggling, starting with what scenarios to offer. As an organizer, you want to schedule games players can participate in. The need for schedule juggling amplifies when we look at the Paizo-sponsored conventions—PaizoCon, Origins, and Gen Con. For those, we need several spotlight events, new scenarios, and a balance of the current season's offerings. At one of the organized team meetings a few months back, we decorated a white board with products releasing by August 2018 and started shuffling things around.

Organized Play at PaizoCon 2018!

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Convention planning involves lots of juggling, starting with what scenarios to offer. As an organizer, you want to schedule games players can participate in. The need for schedule juggling amplifies when we look at the Paizo-sponsored conventions—PaizoCon, Origins, and Gen Con. For those, we need several spotlight events, new scenarios, and a balance of the current season's offerings. At one of the organized team meetings a few months back, we decorated a white board with products releasing by August 2018 and started shuffling things around.

One of our top considerations is what the season meta-plot looks like and making sure we have coherent story paths. For Year of the Serpent, we included all the meta-plot scenarios at both PaizoCon and Gen Con. For Year of the Stolen Storm, we tried to make sure we had a variety of elemental scenarios together so that con attendees could see each of the elemental planes. This year, for Year of the Faction, there wasn't an overarching meta-plot outside of the factions helping the Pathfinder Society, and there weren't multi-scenario arcs in the vein of #8-18: Champion's Chalice Part 1 and #8-21: Champion's Chalice Part 2. So we looked at each factions' story arc and tried scheduling them together.

For PaizoCon, we offered the newest scenarios, including previews of #9-20: Fury of the Final Blade and #9-21: In the Grandmaster's Name. I'm especially excited to see the reaction to the latter, as Grandmaster Torch's name elicits such varied responses from our playerbase. Plus, the premier of the third installment of our modular special on Sunday night! 50 tables running the same event—#8-99C: The Solstice Scar—Version C! Come see what has befallen Medda and crew in the past year!

Speaking of premiers—join GMs John Compton, Linda Zayas-Palmer, Lyz Liddell, Leo Glass, and Chris Sims as they preview the first of the Pathfinder Society Playtest Adventures—#1 Rose Street Revenge. These are lottery events using pregenerated 1st level characters. Look for them in the catalog when it goes live. A small teaser from the soon to be product page:

Less than a year has passed since the Fiendflesh Siege, in which Absalom fended off an invading coalition of demonflesh constructs and the living dead. The siege lord offered freedom to any slave in Absalom willing to aid in the city's defense, and since that grand manumission, the city's slave trade has practically disappeared. The Pathfinder Society is one of many organizations that opened its doors to Absalom's newest citizens. However, several of the ex-slaves have been turning up dead, in other cases disappearing entirely. The Society doesn't often investigate serial killings, but one of its newest recruits is the latest victim. It's time for a band of Pathfinders to follow the clues, uncover these crimes, and end this threat.

On the Starfinder side, we have most of the recent catalog and previews of #1-14: Star Sugar Heartlove!!! and Save the Renkrodas. Who doesn't love some Strawberry Machine Cake?

To help you schedule your convention to the fullest, here is the full list of offerings for PaizoCon:

System Scenario # Title

PFS #6-10 The Wounded Wisp

PFS #7-10 The Consortium Compact

PFS #8-16 House of Harmonious Wisdom

PFS PSA Pathfinder Society Academy

PFS #9-09 Beyond the Halflight Path

PFS #9-14 Down the Verdant Path

PFS #9-15 Bloodcove Blockade

PFS #9-16 Fallen Family, Broken Name

PFS #9-17 Oath of the Overwatched

PFS #9-18 Scourge of the Farheavens

PFS #9-19 Clash in Kaimuko Wood

PFS #9-20 Fury of the Final Blade

PFS #9-21 In the Grandmaster's Name

PFS #8-99C The Solstice Scar, Version C

SFS SFQ Into the Unknown

SFS #1-01 The Commencement

SFS #1-09 Live Exploration Extreme!

SFS #1-10 The Half-Alive Streets

SFS #1-11 In Pursuit of the Scoured Past

SFS #1-12 Ashes of Discovery

SFS #1-13 On the Trail of History

SFS #1-14 Star Sugar Heartlove!!!

Besides scenarios running in the ballroom, there are many other special events featuring the organized play crew. There are panels on Starfinder Society, Pathfinder Society (with bonus Pathfinder Society Playtest information) and Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. In addition, the 10,000 Lakes Gaming Crew (those Minnesota people!) have sponsored an afternoon's worth of games. If you wish to add a game to the schedule, follow this link for more information.

Interested but haven't gotten your tickets? Here's a handy link to the main PaizoCon 2018 page for all your ticketing and informational needs.

Volunteer Opportunities

GMs should have received their PaizoCon schedules last week. There are a few GMs that are "waitlisted" pending schedule acceptance. We had more volunteers than scheduled games. This is mixed result, as I hate to turn volunteers away, but I'm pleased we won't have empty tables.

Gen Con is a different matter. We still need volunteers! While we filled the demo team and XX, there is still room to run Pathfinder Society Playtest Adventures, Starfinder Society fare, or Pathfinder Society Year of Factions' Favor and the soon to be announced next season! Volunteers receive benefits based on how many blocks they contribute. Rewards include 4-day badges, ¼ hotel rooms in the downtown Westin, credit to paizo.com, a copy of a Paizo print product (choices include Pathfinder Playtest Standard Hardcover Edition, Pathfinder RPG Planar Adventures, Starfinder RPG Armory, or a bundle of 3Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Add-On Decks. Interested? Check here for more information and to complete a volunteer questionnaire.

So I thought there would be room to cover Origins' offerings as well as PaizoCon, but looking at the length I think this blog is long enough. I'll save the Origins' information for another blog.

Tune in next week when we preview April's Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society scenarios.

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
  Organized Play Manager

More Paizo Blog.

Tags: Conventions Organized Play Paizo PaizoCon Pathfinder Society Starfinder Society

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A New Face, Stars, Conventions, and More!

Apr 11, 2018, 12:00 pm

I know time flies quickly, but when our new developer, Michael Sayre, noted that he started 7 weeks ago, it caught me by surprise. Then I realized while I've gotten to know Michael, we hadn't introduced him to our organized play family. So I asked him to describe himself in a few sentences and encourage those of you attending PaizoCon or Gen Con to come by and say hi to the newest person behind organized play!

A New Face, Stars, Conventions, and More!

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

I know time flies quickly, but when our new developer, Michael Sayre, noted that he started 7 weeks ago, it caught me by surprise. Then I realized while I've gotten to know Michael, we hadn't introduced him to our organized play family. So I asked him to describe himself in a few sentences and encourage those of you attending PaizoCon or Gen Con to come by and say hi to the newest person behind organized play!

From Michael...

"Hello! I'm Michael Sayre, the newest member of the organized play team. My work with Pathfinder includes designing and developing products for several third-party publishers, including Amora Games, Dreamscarred Press, Drop Dead Studios, and Rogue Genius Games, as well as doing editing work for the Wayfinder fanzine. Since joining the team I've been tackling sanctioning on some of the more recent adventure paths and doing development on several scenarios, starting with the recently released #9–16: Fallen Family, Broken Name. It's been an exciting (and busy!) run so far and I'm looking forward to continuing to help the OP team produce and sanction great new content for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game."

Pathfinder Society GM Stars

A cornerstone of the Pathfinder Society is the Game Masters who To achieve this milestone, GMs facilitate 150 games, of which at least 50 must be unique scenarios and 10 are special scenarios, as well as run a game for a venture-captain. A conservative estimate of time needed to reach 5-stars is 650 hours! To the GM listed below, thank you very much for the time and energy you devote to running Pathfinder Society games! Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

David Breuning

Steven Johnson

Curtis Jones

Nigel Loh

James Martin

Amanda Plageman

Scott Romanowski

Congratulations! Once again, thank you for spending hours running games for your community!

Conventions

Convention season started in earnest on 1 March, when the number of requests for event support doubled. Which is wonderful news for our gaming community, as there are even more places to play Pathfinder and Starfinder Society! We encourage you to check out the list and see if any conventions appeal to you. All of the conventions on the list maintain some type of web presence, be it website, social media page, or Warhorn listing, so if you are interested in attending in either capacity, check out their websites or contact the local venture-officer for more information! If you know of a convention running Society games that is not on this list, encourage the organizer to contact me at organizedplay@paizo.com to discuss their event.

Convention Name Location Start Date

1D4 Con 2018 Martinsburg, WV 4/13/2018

CODCON 2018 Glen Ellyn, IL 4/13/2018

Pathcon 4.5 (2018) Salt Lake City, UT 4/13/2018

Springfest 2018 Tri Cities, WA 4/13/2018

GameOn-Icon 2018 Plymouth, NH 4/14/2018

TriCon 3: The TriCon Rises (2018) High Point, NC 4/14/2018

Kingdom Con 2018 San Diego, CA 4/19/2018

Cape Comic Con 2018 Cape Girardeau, MO 4/20/2018

Lexicon Gaming Convention 2018 Lexington, KY 4/20/2018

Main Würfel Convention 2018 Germany 4/20/2018

Gaming for Conservation 2018 Newington, NH 4/21/2018

HMGS-South Recon 2018 Kissimmee, FL 4/26/2018

Farmageddon V (2018) Farmer City, IL 4/27/2018

Gaming Hoopla 2018 Mundelein, IL 4/27/2018

Konocti-Con 2018 Lakeport, CA 4/27/2018

Mepacon Spring 2018 Scranton, PA 4/27/2018

Pretzcon 2018 Omaha, NE 4/27/2018

QC Gamefest 2018 Quad Cities, IA 4/27/2018

2018 D8 Summit Utica, IL 4/28/2018

GameCon X (2018) Colorado Springs, CO 4/28/2018

NRVcon 2018 (2018) Blacksburg, VA 4/28/2018

Chupacabracon V (2018) Unknown 5/4/2018

ConTRAPtion 2018 Worthing, UK 5/4/2018

Demicon 29 Urbandale, Iowa 5/4/2018

Heroicon 2018 Decatur, IL 5/4/2018

David Setty Memorial Game Day (2018) Cincinnati, OH 5/6/2018

BLFC 2018 Reno, NV 5/11/2018

Microcon 2018 Turku Finland 5/11/2018

KoboldCon 2018 Colorado Springs, CO 5/12/2018

RusCon 2018 Moscow, Russia 5/12/2018

Tri Con 2018 Bay City, MI 5/12/2018

BeholderCon Boise, Idaho 5/18/2018

Mallicon 2018 Cincinnati, OH 5/18/2018

Cherry Capital Comic Con (2018) ACME, MI 5/25/2018

Comicpalooza 2018 Houston, TX 5/25/2018

KublaCon 2018 Burlingame, CA 5/25/2018

Seekerpalooza 2 (2018) Montreat, NC 5/25/2018

Summer Wolfcon 2018 Chicago, IL 5/26/2018

Nexus Game Fair 2018 Milwaukee, WI 5/31/2018

Die Con 18 (2018) Collinsville, IL 6/8/2018

RAGECON 2018 Reno, NV 6/22/2018

InConJunction 2018 Indianapolis, IN 7/6/2018

MidSummer ConQuest Sacramento,CA 7/20/2018

1D4 Con 2018 Martinsburg, WV 4/13/2018

CODCON 2018 Glen Ellyn, IL 4/13/2018

Pathcon 4.5 (2018) Salt Lake City, UT 4/13/2018

Springfest 2018 Tri Cities, WA 4/13/2018

GameOn-Icon 2018 Plymouth, NH 4/14/2018

Konocti-Con 2018 Lakeport, CA 4/27/2018

Volunteer Opportunities

We still need volunteers for Gen Con 2018! If you want the chance to run Pathfinder Society Playtest adventures, see the launch of Pathfinder Society Season Ten, or experience the Starfinder Society interactive scenario in a room with 1,154 other people, this is the convention for you. Follow this link for more information on how to volunteer.

PaizoCon schedules are going out tomorrow. Check your email if you filled in the questionnaire!

2018 Organized Play Staff Travel

With the addition of Michael to the team and the announcement of Pathfinder Playtest/Pathfinder 2nd edition, I've updated the staff travel roster to reflect where you can find Paizo staff and potentially a playtest opportunity (or two!).

If you are an event organizer and want to invite us out at your event in 2019, drop an email to organizedplay@paizo.com before next summer. We review our schedule in the fall and try to get all decisions wrapped by the end of the year.

Convention Name Location Start Date Org Play Staff

Quad Cities Game Fest Quad Cities, IA 4/27/2018 Tonya

PaizoCon Sea-Tac, WA 5/25/2018 Tonya, John, Linda, Michael

UK Games Expo Birmingham, England 6/1/2018 Tonya (+Paizo staffers)

Origins Columbus, OH 6/13/2018 Tonya, John (+ Paizo staffers)

PaizoCon UK Birmingham, England 7/20/2018 Tonya (+ Paizo staffer)

Gen Con Indianapolis, IN 8/2/2018 Tonya, John, Linda, Michael

DragonCon Atlanta, GA 8/30/2018 John (+Paizo staffer)

Fan Expo Toronto, Ontario, Canada 8/31/2018 TBD

SkalCon Minnaepolis-St. Paul, MN 9/14/2018 Tonya

Hurricon Tampa, FL 9/27/2018 Tonya

PaizoCon OZ Melbourne, Australia 10/19/2018 Tonya

U-Con Ann Arbor, MI 11/16/2018 Tonya

PAX Unplugged Philadelphia, PA 11/30/2018 Tonya (+Paizo staffers)

Pathfiner Society Playtest Discussion

After the announcement of the Pathfinder Playtest, the team opened up a new forum for Playtest discussion. Thank you to everyone who is expressing their opinions! If you aren't familiar with these topics, you can read the basics here While we aren't actively posting in the threads, the team spends some time each week reviewing the posts and compiling the feedback for discussion at our weekly meetings. Knowing the thoughts of our community helps us shape policy. Please keep up the discussions!

Next week, we will preview event offerings at PaizoCon & Origins!

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
  Organized Play Manager

More Paizo Blog.

Tags: Conventions Organized Play Paizo Pathfinder Society

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Celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility!

Mar 31, 2018, 12:00 pm

Here at Paizo, we value and are proud of the many and varied perspectives that our employees, contributors, and community provide. Since March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility, we'd like to take this opportunity to celebrate and showcase transgender members of our community. Here are their thoughts in their own words!

Celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility!

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Here at Paizo, we value and are proud of the many and varied perspectives that our employees, contributors, and community provide. Since March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility, we'd like to take this opportunity to celebrate and showcase transgender members of our community. Here are their thoughts in their own words!

Rigby Bendele, Venture-Captain: Gaming and queer experiences have always been tightly tied for me. After all, I've chosen to focus on the intersections of queer theory and gaming in my scholarship for a reason. RPGs offer possibility. Play is a way to try on new identities and explore areas of myself that I don't explore otherwise. Play has served as testing ground for me to decide what was and wasn't safe to disclose. I've found benefit in the failures I've experienced in RPGs. I learned what gender expressions didn't feel right for me through exploration in RPGs. These failed attempts at creating fantasized versions of myself helped me learn more about who I was and who I wanted to be. RPGs, particularly Pathfinder, offered me the opportunity of endless, unquestioned exploration. Without this, I wouldn't have been able to find a space for me that exists outside of the hegemonic gender categories we're placed into.

Since coming out publicly as nonbinary two years ago, I've found my role in my local gaming community a way to both educate others and provide support to other trans people. While I'll never claim that gaming alone can save us, it's important to me to ensure gaming communities are just. As a Venture-Captain, I've used my own standing in the community to create a more welcoming environment. As a result, I've had several members of my local area's organized play community feel safe enough to come out as trans. They've said that watching me live openly as trans made them see transition as a possibility for their own life. While being one of the first visible trans members of this community has come with rough spots, knowing that my visibility makes it possible for other people to be themselves has made all the challenges worthwhile.

Crystal Frasier, Author: Tabletop gaming was an important support for me when I was young and lonely and hurt by the world. I hated myself a lot back then, and RPGs gave me a brief few hours to not be myself and be someone I liked instead. In retrospect, it was pretty hilarious that the only times I felt like I wasn't pretending to be someone else were when I was pretending to be an elf or a superhero or a grizzled, postapocalyptic powersuit pilot. Now that I like myself and don't feel a need to hide, I draw on those same experiences of isolation, alienation, desperation, drive, and triumph to help inform my writing. While the circumstances of transitioning are unique to transgender and some intersex people, those emotions and experiences behind it are universal and powerful.

Melissa Guillet, Systems Administrator: I first began playing tabletop games in earnest shortly after 2nd edition AD&D came out back in 1991. I worked in the local small-town bookstore, and I met the man who would be my GM when he ordered the new books through us. He told me that I could play once I reached sixteen, and so when I passed my driver's test, I joined his group. I played with that group for about 15 years. They were mostly Army/Air Force guys, and they were my best friends who saw me through high school and a lot of other transitions in my life. I had a hard time at about nineteen when I was trying to figure out how I was going to make this all work, being poor and stuck in a small town in the Southwest. I hermitted away, and my gaming friends were the ones that came around, got me out of the house, and told me that whatever was the deal, they'd be okay with me. I didn't tell them during that time, but their kindness did put me at ease. That's when I began exploring more feminine aspects of myself in game; I started playing more and more women characters. One day, some friends asked me why I was starting to play more female characters all of a sudden. I played coy at first but couldn't quite bring myself to tell them—not yet. My best friend in the group, who was basically a brother to me, deserved to know first. If I could tell him and he would be okay with it, then, well, everything else would be okay. This was way back in the late 90s, I think, so things were quite a bit different. I wrote a letter and drove to his house and gave it to him, and then I sat in his living room while he read through the pages. I poured my heart out, and he told me that, no matter what, he'd always be there for me. And then one by one, I told my gaming friends. Not everyone was immediately supportive, but they all cared and loved me, and that was about as powerful a story for gaming and togetherness as I can make. Gaming meant having the support of people who loved me and wanted the best for me. So this story goes out to Gerald, Ben, Wade, Lanell, Mark, Keith, and some guy named GM (he's really named JD). I miss you guys. Thanks for being a powerful force in my life.

Sasha Lindley Hall, Venture-Agent: I feel that one of the biggest intersections between my gender identity and my love of gaming is in how I approach the details. Both of them are constantly evolving and changing and moving forward; as our understanding of gender and ability to extend our ideas grows, in parallel are the supposed limits of gaming (mechanically and culturally, both in game and out) pushed and discarded. At their core, gaming and gender are about freedom to me—the freedom to explore beyond myself and within myself. With them as prominent driving forces in my life, I am growing better every day.

Violet Hargrave, Author: While there were obvious-in-retrospect signs all throughout my life, what really made it click that I was trans was playing Pathfinder. I used to alternate playing men and women "for variety" until it sank in that all the women were fully fleshed-out characters I was really at ease inhabiting, while the men were all slight, shy, and weirdly prone to amassing magical and nonmagical disguises "just in case." Once you articulate to yourself, "I'm always a lot more comfortable as a woman," it's a lot easier to realize that it applies to more than just RPGs.

Isabelle Lee, Author: For me, roleplaying games and my trans identity are very closely linked. Gaming has been an outlet for that part of me for as long as I can remember, allowing me to experience the idea of life as a woman before I even knew I needed it and introducing me to the possibility of leaving one's assigned gender behind, while my transition has inspired a few of my creations in my time as a contributor. Accepting my gender identity gave me the confidence to decide that I wanted to be part of this game and this industry, and the friends I've made in the process (both of transitioning and of writing for Pathfinder) have enriched my life more than I can describe. I know I've been an inspiration to people, as both a writer and a trans woman, and I hope to keep on being one for a long time to come. ^_^

Jen McTeague, Author: Pathfinder was a large part of how I explored being trans in the first place. Komana Higgenstrom was my first female Pathfinder character, and I really enjoyed playing her more than the vast majority of my other characters. I didn't quite understand why at the time. After all, it would still be a year or two before I realized that I was trans. But when I started to question my gender and look back in my past for signs, those game sessions where I played Komana were a major clue that I was headed on the right track.

Nowadays, my trans identity affects a lot about how I play PFS. Since coming out, I've met a bunch of trans PFS players, and we've been supporting each other. In addition, while I'm no longer a VO, I still try to make the communities I'm a part of more friendly to trans people. This includes both talking with other organizers and pushing back against unfortunate words that are said at the table. After all, I had the great opportunity to use PFS as a jumping point for my transition, and I want other people to have the same opportunity.

Please join us in celebrating these incredible voices!

—The Paizo Staff

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These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things (of 2017)

Dec 26, 2017, 12:00 pm

This past year has been a big wild ride. We launched Starfinder to great success, had a busy Gen Con watching the book fly off the shelves, and put out some amazing books that aren't set in space. We've even had some changes in our line-up, with changing job titles and responsibilities that helped a number of us take a step up. 2017 has been full of excitement (and a little chaos, but what creative endeavor doesn't have at least a little chaos?). It's been a busy year for everyone here at Paizo, and I wanted to give the developers and designers a chance to talk about some of the projects they've worked on this year that they've enjoyed working on the most. Being a creator can be rough sometimes, and it's important to feel pride about the things you've helped make.

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things (of 2017)

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

This past year has been a big wild ride. We launched Starfinder to great success, had a busy Gen Con watching the book fly off the shelves, and put out some amazing books that aren't set in space. We've even had some changes in our line-up, with changing job titles and responsibilities that helped a number of us take a step up. 2017 has been full of excitement (and a little chaos, but what creative endeavor doesn't have at least a little chaos?). It's been a busy year for everyone here at Paizo, and I wanted to give the developers and designers a chance to talk about some of the projects they've worked on this year that they've enjoyed working on the most. Being a creator can be rough sometimes, and it's important to feel pride about the things you've helped make.

*Any developer or designer not included in this blog was far too busy to contribute to this blog I sprung on them. Sorry folks!

Logan Bonner (Designer)
Most of my stuff that came out in 2017 feels like I worked on it a million years ago. I had a big hand in the underlying math and class design of Starfinder, and it was so much fun going into deep design and play with foundational concepts in a way we rarely get to do with the more established Pathfinder. I also worked up the monster creation rules, based on work I initially did for Pathfinder Unchained, during the Starfinder Core Rulebook creation process. Seeing them make their way to the public in Alien Archive was exciting! And speaking of exciting, the highlight of the year was seeing Starfinder fly off the shelves at its Gen Con launch. I was there Thursday morning, went on my scheduled break, and when I came back, it was gone! Mind-blowing!

Jason Bulmahn (Director of Game Design)
2017 has been a truly exciting year in the game design mines... but as with most years, the things I have been working on have yet to even be announced! So, here is to 2018 and all of the amazing things I am looking forward to sharing with all of you in the coming months!

John Compton (Organized Play Lead Developer)
Although its copyright date shows 2016, Pathfinder Adventure Path #113: What Grows Within ended up hitting shelves in 2017, marking not only the first Adventure Path volume of the year but also the first one I wrote. It was a great experience and a great opportunity to create some really weird characters (including Hoshbagh) and present desperate PCs with desperate situations. The process also prepared me for writing the second volume of the Starfinder Adventure Path, Temple of the Twelve, which let me draw on my archaeology training to invent a host of academics—both qualified and absurd—and a lost culture on a hitherto undocumented continent.

On the organized play front, I'm proud of helping Thurston Hillman get the Starfinder Society program up and running, especially in the changes we incorporated into the Guide (like the new approach to boons) and the plans we've set in motion for more than a year of great adventures. In the meantime, Pathfinder Society's been creating great adventures and accomplishing big things. In 2017 we wrapped up the Season 8 plotline, culminating in the excellent Pathfinder Society Scenario #8–25: Unleashing the Untouchable that has ramifications across the inner planes.

Adam Daigle (Managing Developer)
I had a hand in thirteen books that came out in 2017, by either being the developer for the whole book or pitching in on a book with another development lead. (I had a lighter hand in a whole bunch more, but those contributions aren't terribly noteworthy and are frankly quite boring.) Of all of these, I'd have to say that the one thing I'm most proud of is the Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path. This was the first Adventure Path where I got to fully run the show, so to speak. I got to outline the Adventure Path and form the excellent team of writers who brought it to life. Working with all of them was a developer's dream, and seeing this Adventure Path go from ideas to real books that people are playing and enjoying has been a highlight of my work year. I was also happy to get more information about my lil' fear babies, the sahkils, in Book of the Damned.

My favorite personal development over this past year has been stepping up to lead the best damn group of developers in the business. I can't wait to share some of our efforts in 2018. Onward and upward!

Thurston Hillman (Starfinder Society Developer)
As many know, this was my first year working for Paizo. I had been freelancing for Paizo for a while, but this was the year I took on the Starfinder Society Developer position and got to work on helping to build an entirely new Organized Play program (alongside Tonya, John, Linda, and several others.) It's hard to pinpoint a single "best moment” in this year, but I think I have to go with Gen Con 2017, where we officially launched the Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild. Along with getting to see our new game in action, it was an incredible experience seeing GMs from across the world coming to help run the first games of Starfinder Society. Given how we've just announced several (but not all) of our plans for 2018, I suspect next year's PaizoCon, Origins, and Gen Con (ok, and SkålCon) will be full of new Starfinder Society stories!

Amanda Hamon Kunz (Development Coordinator)
Wow, 2017 has been busy! I've worked on a whole bunch of products, but I think the highlight for me has to be the Starfinder RPG. I really enjoyed working on some of the core system design of our new science-fantasy game as a member of the Starfinder design team; you'll see my fingerprints all over the Starfinder Core Rulebook's tactical rules, equipment, and magic chapters, as well as chunks of the character creation and setting chapters and beyond. It's very rewarding to see our game's positive reception among fans, and to be involved with so many great Paizo team members to help create it and get it out into the world. Similarly, writing the third Starfinder Adventure Path volume, Splintered Worlds, was also a huge highlight of 2017 for me. I had a ton of fun creating the creepy atmospheres and plots that pervade that adventure, from a Dead Space-inspired cultist base to macabre adventures among the undead residents of Eox. I'll avoid spoilers and stop there! Regardless, a lot happened in 2017, and it's exciting to think about what 2018 may bring.

Jason Keeley (Developer)
Of course, I am very proud about the release of Starfinder, whose popularity has surpassed all of our expectations. But while we were putting the finish touches of the Starfinder Core Rulebook, I was already up to my waist in Alien Archive, corralling most of those weird beasties and fascinating aliens. I couldn't be more excited to have worked on a roleplaying game where a party can consist of a floating jellyfish being, an albino minotaur, a humongous brain, and a lizard person that can shoot blood out of her eye! On a personal note, I am also thrilled to have written the articles on Hadregash and Cyth-V'sug that appeared in the Ironfang Invasion Adventure Path. Two different evil gods, but both so fun to write. And one of them let me indulge in writing some very gross stuff. I'll leave it to you to figure out which deity is more disgusting: the militaristic barghest or the demon lord of fungus and parasites.

Rob McCreary (Creative Director, Starfinder)
This past year was all about Starfinder for me, most notably the Starfinder Core Rulebook. But I'm especially happy with Incident at Absalom Station, the adventure I wrote for the Dead Suns Adventure Path. Besides kicking off the Starfinder Adventure Path, Incident at Absalom Station was also the very first adventure published for Starfinder. The project presented a number of challenges, not the least of which was the fact that we didn't have the final Starfinder rules when I started writing it! But that didn't stop me, and it did give me the chance to bring one particular monster from Pathfinder to Starfinder—the akata, which I've loved ever since it first appeared back in Pathfinder Adventure Path #14: Children of the Void. I also had a lot of fun designing the PCs' first starship, the Sunrise Maiden, which is the Starfinder iconic characters' ship too. I've really enjoyed hearing about people's experiences running and playing the adventure on the messageboards, and can't wait to see how people respond to the rest of the adventures in the Dead Suns campaign!

Joe Pasini (Developer)
In the first few months of this year, I was a contract editor for Paizo, hustling with a fantastic group of people to get Starfinder, a brand new RPG, out the door. Now, as the year comes to a close, I'm a developer for that same RPG, and I couldn't be more proud of the collective effort (including my small part) that it took to bring this game to the world.

In the summer and fall, I got to work with Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, and Amanda Hamon Kunz (listed alphabetically, because I'll always be an editor at heart) to put out a couple rad Player Companions (Antihero's Handbook and People of the Wastes) and the back matter of the first volumes of the War for the Crown Adventure Path. Learning at the feet of such titans of the industry was enlightening, humbling—and frickin' awesome.

Here's to an epic 2018!

Owen K.C. Stephens (Starfinder Design Lead)
It likely comes as no surprise that the thing I am proudest of that I worked on in 2017 is Starfinder. My work on the Starfinder Core Rulebook was mostly done in 2016, though some of that work bled into the early weeks of this year, but I'm not even talking about just the rulebooks. With Starfinder, I have gotten to be on the ground floor of a new RPG line again, and that comes with a lot of work beyond the rulebooks. I have enjoyed being part of planning a universe, and expanding it to new places, brainstorming new concepts and new adventures, discussing which of the things we don't have yet we want (and which we don't), and when and how to present them. I'm part of a brilliant team that's setting the tone and course for a brand new venture, and I am proud of both the work we've done and what we have in the pipeline.

Linda Zayas-Palmer (Developer)
I'm bad at picking favorites, so I won't pick just one. I'm pumped about Season 9 of Pathfinder Society, the Year of Factions' Favor, and proud of the work I put into building the overarching story. After seeing the reception to several scenarios, especially Pathfinder Society Scenario #9-02: A Case of Missing Persons, I'm looking forward to seeing what people think of the ways these plots in unfold later in the season. Another fun project I worked on this year was a pair of flexible Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild adventures, #4–P1: Murder in the Marketplace and #4–P2: Dangerous Cargo. I play the ACG almost every week, and there's something amazing about watching my friends have fun with something I wrote. And finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my first published race: the vine leshy from Ultimate Wilderness. More leshys makes for a better game.

Mark Seifter (Designer)
"The math is going to be completely different, but also it needs to be fully compatible with all the Pathfinder monsters." Doing both of those things in Starfinder seemed like a tall order, so one of my absolutely coolest moments was when I plugged all the required constraints together, working alongside Logan, and tweaked all the variables along until finally…it clicked! I found an arrangement that would allow the brand new combat math, no longer balanced around making attacks at –10 or –15 at higher levels, to mesh directly with numbers right out of the table in the back of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. There was literally a single path to victory, a ray of light in the sea of numbers. I was able to lay it out, and sure enough, Starfinder characters have math that interacts completely smoothly with the numbers on Pathfinder foes, while retaining a combat dynamic all their own!

Adam Daigle
Managing Developer

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Happy Holidays from the Paizo Crew!

Dec 22, 2017, 12:00 pm

Another year is coming to a close, and 2017 has been a landmark year for us at the Paizo office! In the last few weeks, we've begun reflecting on and collecting memories from the last 12 months, and the support that you, our community of amazing fans, have given to our projects. We're blown away by it all, and before we begin our recap blogs for the year, we want to take a moment to say: thank you!

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What Pathfinder Society Means to Me

Nov 22, 2017, 12:00 pm

Hi All! With Thanksgiving just around the corner for us in the Paizo office, I wanted to do a blog that was more personal. I'm a pretty private person by nature, so this isn't easy for me to write, but it's worthwhile.

What Pathfinder Society Means to Me

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Hi All! With Thanksgiving just around the corner for us in the Paizo office, I wanted to do a blog that was more personal. I'm a pretty private person by nature, so this isn't easy for me to write, but it's worthwhile.

To say one more thing up front: anxiety and depression affect a lot of people, and for those of us who deal with them, society sometimes gives us a sense that they are something that needs to be hidden away, or that they are something we should "just get over". Or, the real kicker for me, that because there are people out there who have a harder life than we do, that our feelings are somehow not valid. These ideas are preposterous and unfair. They are not something that people can "just get over", and I hope that by talking about my experiences, I can help someone else know that they are far from alone, and that there is hope. If you are struggling alone, please reach out and talk to someone you trust. People want to help a lot more than your mind might let you realize.

This blog is primarily about my experience with Pathfinder Society and the way it has benefitted my life, so it doesn't go much into the other ways that I've sought help over the years. It's not the whole story by a long shot, but it's an important piece.

When I first started off with Pathfinder Society, it was a fun activity I did at Gen Con with a group of friends. Then, when my home gaming group started scattering to the winds, we turned to Pathfinder Society to recruit new people with something way less daunting than our typical multi-year campaigns.

It was around this time that our local and freshly minted Centure-Captain Don Walker put a request on the messageboards for people to join him in an inaugural game at Pandemonium Books and Games. To be honest, I wasn't really that sure about the idea of playing in a group of mostly strangers. I was worried about whether they would accept me, and if I could open up around them. But I wanted to give it a try, so I went to that game, and I had a great time. And I kept going to games at Pandy, week after week. Over time, my confidence grew to the point where I took up the GMing mantle and became the store's organizer.

After graduating from college, I really struggled. I'd had an idea of what I would be doing with my life, but nothing was coming together the way I'd expected it. Anxiety and depression, which I'd been dealing with on and off since my early teens, hit me hard. There were a lot of weeks where the only thing that was able to draw me out of my apartment was my Sunday Pathfinder Society game. I kept signing up to GM week after week, even though I would spend every morning before the game filled with dread that, even though my last 10 games or so had gone well, this one, THIS one I would definitely botch. Once the game started going, though, I fell into a familiar groove. For those few hours, no matter what else was going on, I could laugh and have a good time with familiar and new players alike. After the games, I sometimes confided in the people I trusted most about what was going on inside my mind, and their supportive words helped push me to get the help I needed to claw back onto a better path in life. I don't know if I ever really told them how much that support meant to me. So, to all of my friends in the Boston Lodge, thank you.

Eventually, I became a Venture-Lieutenant, taking on more responsibilities like organizing conventions and overseeing interactive specials. I also started GMing at conventions, and getting to know a lot more people in the community. And I have to say, you guys are pretty great. I know I only know a handful of you, but I look forward to meeting more of you each time I make it to a convention. I went from thinking that I would just GM at stores sometimes to plotting out my path to the 10 specials needed for my 5th star.

When the job posting for Paizo came up, I wasn't going to apply. My anxiety told me that it would be a waste of Paizo's time, and that there was no way they would hire me. But I was convinced to at least try. And, as you all know, Paizo hired me. I knew I wanted to work with Organized Play, and I was fortunate enough to get placed doing exactly that. Thank you, everyone at Paizo, and especially John Compton, for showing me the ropes. Thank you for making this a truly amazing place to work.

I don't want to give the impression that everything is always sunny, or that I have somehow erased my tendencies toward anxiety and depression from my mind. But when they flare up, just as before, the Pathfinder Society community helps me get back on my feet. About a year ago, when I was walking home from work, I got hit by a car. I had a concussion, and a few things in my head got knocked out of whack. Among other things, I became intensely fearful, particularly of being any significant distance from my house. Fortunately, the Paizo offices aren't that far from home, so I was able to transition back to work after the holidays. In February, though, I had committed to fly out to TotalCon, and I was not going to cancel on that unless I absolutely had to. So, I went. Lisa and David Neilson hosted me in their home before the convention started, and helped me cope with the storm inside my head. I didn't want to color the convention experience of the new people I met with my anxieties, so I did what I had learned to do back after college. I put on my game face and I let my experience as a GM take over until I could push the fear back. And I confided in my friends from the community. That cross-country flight was the first thing to pull me more than 3 miles from my apartment in 4 months, and many of the experiences I had at TotalCon were immensely helpful in pulling myself back together. So, to those I spoke with and gamed with at TotalCon, and to Lisa and David in particular, thank you.

One of the best things about wearing the "blue shirt" is being able to dedicate much of my time to the Pathfinder Society community. It's sitting with John and Thursty and cackling with glee as we come up with new and exciting plots to throw at your characters. It's working together with freelancers to make the best scenarios we can for you. It's learning from experience, and especially from your feedback, how to make things better for the future. And it's getting to meet so many more of you in person. So, to all of you, thank you for being awesome.

What are you grateful for in our community? What has Pathfinder Society brought to your life? Are there any particular community members you would like to call out for their positive influence?

Linda Zayas-Palmer
Developer

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25 Hour Paizo Live-Stream Starts November 4th!

Oct 27, 2017, 12:00 pm

On November 4th, Team Paizo and a host of other teams will invade Twitch to stream for a full 25 hours. The purpose? To raise money for the Children's Miracle Network by way of Extra Life. With your donations, you can help us make a real difference in the lives of children in need.

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Bound and Determined

Sep 18, 2017, 03:00 pm

Shortly after we began shipping Starfinder Core Rulebooks out, our customers started reporting issues with the binding, in both the regular and limited editions. Unfortunately, no manufacturing process is perfect, so there are always going to be a handful of issues, but by the time we came back from Gen Con, we had received more complaints than we would expect for a print run this size. We talked to our printer about it, and sent them some samples demonstrating the issue. They agreed that there was a problem, and they are doing everything they can to help us make it right for anyone who was affected.

Bound and Determined

Monday, September 18, 2017

Starfinder is doing phenomenally well. Player feedback has been great, sales have been great... but one thing has not been great.
Shortly after we began shipping Starfinder Core Rulebooks out, our customers started reporting issues with the binding, in both the regular and limited editions. Unfortunately, no manufacturing process is perfect, so there are always going to be a handful of issues, but by the time we came back from Gen Con, we had received more complaints than we would expect for a print run this size. We talked to our printer about it, and sent them some samples demonstrating the issue. They agreed that there was a problem, and they are doing everything they can to help us make it right for anyone who was affected.

What's the Problem?

Our hardcovers use a method called case binding. First, each group of 16 pages (a signature) is sewn together. Next, all of the book's signatures are stacked into a book block, and the book block is stitched together. Then, a fabric reinforcement strip called a spine lining is adhered to the book block to give it additional stability, and the book block is attached to the cover by adhering the book's endpapers to it. (Note that the spine lining itself is not glued to the spine of the book. This is intentional: it helps the book lie flatter when open.)

The problem some customers are seeing with their Starfinder Core Rulebooks is that the fabric lining strip isn't properly attached to the book block, separating after minimal use. This issue is occurring only with a small fraction of Starfinder Core Rulebooks, so if you have been using your book and it doesn't currently show any sign of the lining strip separating, it probably won't occur with normal use.

In this photo of a book with a defective binding, the pages of the book are not attached to the yellow-and-white fabric lining strip at the bottom.

How Do I Get My Book Replaced?

If you have a Starfinder Core Rulebook with a defective binding, don't hesitate to have it replaced.

If you bought it from Paizo at Gen Con or through paizo.com, please send a picture or two demonstrating the problem with your book to customer.service@paizo.com. (Please be aware that our customer service team is currently working through a significant backlog, so it may take several days for us to respond.)

If you bought it from a store, return it to that store by Friday, October 27. You should be able to get an exchange from them or reserve a replacement if the retailer is out of stock. They will in turn receive an exchange or credit from the distributor they bought it from, and the distributor will do the same with us. (We have already contacted our distributors regarding this issue, so your store should be able to work with them to address this issue.) If your store remains unable or unwilling to help you let us know at customer.service@paizo.com; include the store's name and location so we can work with our distributors to ensure everyone is on the same page.

When Will My Book Be Replaced?

If you bought the regular edition from paizo.com, we will send out your replacement as quickly as possible, likely within 1 to 6 business days of responding to your email.

If you bought the regular edition from a store, they may be able to replace it for you immediately. However, the Starfinder Core Rulebook is sold out in many places, and we don't expect the reprint to reach stores until the second half of November; if your store is sold out, you may need to wait until then. Check with them to be sure.

If you bought the limited edition from paizo.com or at Gen Con, we currently don't have replacement stock. Our printer is going to ship us replacement copies of the limited edition along with the regular edition reprint, which we currently estimate will reach our warehouse in the first half of November.

Should I Wait for the Reprint to Arrive?

There's no need to wait for the reprint before requesting to have your book replaced. We are checking the books we're sending out, and you should be able to check any replacement your retailer has. And in the case of the limited edition, though we won't be able to ship your replacement right away, we can put the order into the system at any time so it will be ready to go when stock arrives. (The reprint will not have any changes apart from than the words "Second Printing" on the masthead page—it should otherwise be identical to a properly bound first-printing copy in every way.)

Paizo and our printer have high standards for quality, and we are very sorry for this inconvenience. We will do what we can to make getting replacements a quick and easy process.

—The Paizo Team

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Sutter's Send-off

Sep 11, 2017, 04:00 pm

Last Friday, James Sutter announced that he was leaving the Paizo family and moving on to focus on his writing career. We will miss James and wish him the best, so we decided to send Sutter off the best way we knew how—with embarrassing stories and photos—and the occasional heartfelt goodbye.

Sutter's Send-off

Monday, September 11, 2017

Last Friday, James Sutter announced that he was leaving the Paizo family and moving on to focus on his writing career. We will miss James and wish him the best, so we decided to send Sutter off the best way we knew how—with embarrassing stories and photos—and the occasional heartfelt goodbye.

My earliest memories of James L. Sutter are of a childlike gelfling spirit with an emo haircut, some kid recruited into Paizo through back channels by Lisa Stevens to fill whatever role she thought necessary at the time. These were the early days of Paizo, where our business was magazines and our org chart was a circle with everybody's name in it. Those without a specific duty inherited from our previous incarnation as the Periodicals Department of Wizards of the Coast tended to flit from job to job, doing what needed to be done, eventually accruing enough responsibility and expertise for a job description to calcify around previously unclaimed duties that had essentially fallen to the floor. James helped with some of the company's non-D&D magazines, with customer service, and with getting Reaper miniatures uploaded onto the new paizo.com webstore, but he'd never really worked on the magazines I oversaw at the time. That all changed when we needed an assistant editor, and Sutter was only too happy to join our staff. In fact, this was about the same time that I formally became Publisher at Paizo, which netted me a private office down the hall and a tearful goodbye to the Editorial Pit, the tiny room that once housed our entire gaming-mag operation. Sutter himself sat in my old desk next to James Jacobs, and for a few years he even had to tolerate a couple of drawers filled with a half-decade of junk I was too busy (or lazy, take your pick) to clean out.

The young kid from the Seattle Stranger's editorial office took to the drawer-sharing situation with aplomb and a great attitude, traits that I would come to appreciate (and rely on) in the future. But then he was just Young James Sutter, an intern-made-good who frankly reminded me a lot of myself, and who, over time, I began to realize could have a huge future at Paizo. Once upon a time, after all, I had been the youngest guy on the D&D team, and the youngest member of my creative team in the Dark Days of public relations, before I managed to turn D&D freelancing into a career. And here, somehow, I'd found myself in charge of the whole editorial operation. What might the future hold for this ambitious young editor?

As it turned out, the launch of the Pathfinder RPG gave James plenty of opportunities to impress me even more. He'd already helped me (along with Pierce Watters and Chris Carey) run the editorial side of Planet Stories, Paizo's short-lived but much-loved classic sci-fi and fantasy reprint series, and with a new game coming we knew we'd need a fiction line to accompany it. Free web fiction, at first, but even at the very start I knew we wanted to have novels eventually, and that Sutter—already with a reputation as one of the strongest among a coterie of strong writers—would be just the guy to helm it.

There was only one problem. James Sutter was a rock star.

I don't mean a figurative rock star, like a guy who always overdelivers on his turnovers or an editor who routinely improves the work of some of the industry's top writers. I mean an actual, literal rock star for a series of local heavy metal bands that always seemed (at least to me and my fellow Paizo senior managers) like they were a lucky break away from making it big. I saw big things for James Sutter here at Paizo, but if he wanted to take advantage of them, he needed to go in with open eyes and every part of his being. We gave him a choice: Rock star or RPG star. James chose RPG star, and we've all been the richer for it over these past 13 years, during which James has been absolutely essential.

Like Golarion's star system? You can thank me for the idea of giving the planets equal treatment to the outer planes, but beyond a couple of tired pulp pastiches (my specialty!) of Mars and Venus, that's pretty much all Sutter.

Enjoyed the Pathfinder Tales line? Sutter wrote two of the novels himself, but he also edited every single one and contributed creative ideas to all of them. There literally would not have been a Pathfinder Tales line without him, and even now, as his days at Paizo dwindle into hours, he's still helping me find a new publishing partner to continue the line in the future, no doubt with future James Sutter Pathfinder stories yet to be told.

Enjoy the fun fiction bits at the side of the two-page chapter openers in all our hardcover books? James wrote about 95% of those. Love our comics? James wrote about a quarter of those, too.

Oh, did you like Starfinder? I put James in charge of Paizo's biggest product launch ever because of the success he had brought to all of those projects listed above, because he created the planets that form the core of the primary star system, because I knew he knew enough about the creative and business sides of publishing to make it work, and because I knew, after all these years, that he really was a rock star, and one that blazed with the incandescent creative power of a sun.

It turns out, after 13 years, that this rock star really cannot be contained by the band he's toured with this past decade or so. Having grown to something considerably more adult than a gelfling intern, Sutter leaves Paizo as one of its greatest champions, a face on a growing Mt. Rushmore of gaming whose contributions will last far longer than his time here in the office. You'll recognize his face on that mountain as the one with the expression of a master player in the middle of the sweetest solo he has ever played. Our rock star is all grown up and about to break out on a solo career. You'll see him out there in the wilderness at the center of the spotlight, with a legion of fans throwing the horns in his direction.

And you'll also see him here, in the pages of Pathfinder products yet to come and in the timeless creations he leaves behind. Pathfinder wouldn't be Pathfinder without James L. Sutter. Paizo wouldn't be Paizo, either.

So long, James L. Sutter. Thanks for everything you have done for Paizo, for me, and for all of our players and fans. I think I speak for all of us when I say we can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Erik Mona
Publisher & Chief Creative Officer

Once upon a time, there was a mystical, magical land called Jamestopia. Here, agents of Operation Banjo Thug wandered where they wished, content in the knowledge that their domain was protected and that the impromptu puppet shows they had become known for could be performed without fear. In Jamestopia, the view of the river was unparalleled, even if for some time the smell of sewage wafting in from sources unknown (likely other, lesser realms which didn't have the word "James” in their title) got distracting. And even when the world changed and we moved offices and Jamestopia fractured (AKA Sutter and I ended up sitting in different parts of the building), the concept of Jamestopia remained. Even when James Sutter drifted even further from the land of dragons and elves into the land of SPACE dragons and SPACE elves… the concept remained.

But now, Jamestopia has suffered a mortal blow, and there remains but one agent of Operation Banjo Thug to hold back the onrushing advent of the mundane. It's not going to be the same, representing the whimsical and nonsensical on my own.

There are a lot of fond memories, be they mice in the drawers or orange skin from too much carrot juice or adventures in creative sitting posture or impromptu discussions about the possibility of there being a space elevator somewhere in Varisia, and while Jamestopia is going away, those memories will remain.

I'll miss ya lots, Sutter!

And you DO REALIZE that now I get to do whatever I want with a certain LAWFUL EVIL gold dragon, right? MWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

My first real encounter with James was when he reviewed my editing test for Paizo with me at a New Year's party (Seattle's a small world) while wearing a Steampunk officer's uniform and a sword.

While his dress sense in the office is more conservative, he has always brought the same flair, sense of fun, and dedication to doing and being all the things all the time. Since that disconcerting day, James has been my peer, my boss, and then my peer again, but always a friend, a mentor, and an ally. We've commiserated about impossible deadlines and tough decisions, cried on each other's shoulders about family crises, and cheered each other's successes. Dude, I'm going to miss you here so much, so you'd better do tons of amazing things (including writing for us!)

Judy Bauer
Managing Editor

Sutter has always been friendly and upbeat, even during those unfortunate crunch times. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be at Paizo, and I'll miss him sorely. Good luck out there, pal!

Jason Keeley
Developer

I first met Sutter at PaizoCon 2008, when I was still a "super-fan”, known for my message board handle and my involvement in the PathfinderWiki. I remember his enthusiasm when I showed him the print-on-demand paperback Pathfinder's Journal compilation I'd made to more easily read Eando Kline's adventures during my New York City commute. I like to think I was the inspiration for the Pathfinder Tales line he would eventually helm.

During that convention's Grand Convocation event, a bemused Wes sat at his assigned station, providing Harrow readings (with a glass of wine, of course) for eager Pathfinder Society players like myself. Next to him, over-the-top Sean K Reynolds acted out the part of a medium, channeling the gods in a live-action casting of commune. Enter Sutter, who had been lurking over Wes's shoulder as "Chumley”, Herr Schneider's loyal imp companion. When I approached Sean and asked him to channel Zon-Kuthon, Chumley took the opportunity to possess the open divine vessel and puppet him into giving me entirely non-Kuthite responses. Needless to say, the photos I got of Sutter manipulating Sean like a marionette were priceless.

And the hijinks haven't slowed down ever since. Sutter has always been a constant source of new ways of looking at seemingly old, unsolvable problems, and has never been shy about his more eccentric personal traits—communal living, dumpster diving, and Star Trek body painted naked bike rides not the least among them. He's taught me a lot about the creative process, the logistics of getting books made, building one's online persona, and more. I'll miss him in the office, but know that as long as we keep putting out books about space and the First World, he won't be too far away.

Mark Moreland
Franchise Manager

Sutter's had my back since I first started freelancing with Paizo. He's always been tremendously supportive, encouraging, positive, and willing to take time out of his (incredibly busy) schedule to encourage and advise. He's a model for how to give credit where credit is due—though he really could stand to give himself his share of that credit. I'm lucky to have been able to work with him and even more lucky that I can count him as a friend.

Lyz Liddell
Editor

Meeting James Sutter is like being swept up in a cyclone made of flashing neon lights, skydivers' screams, and pulsing electronic dance music: you have no damn idea what's going on, but whoa are things fun. Sutter's enthusiasm for everything creative immediately struck me the day I met him. Since then, it seems like the cyclone hasn't stopped, as we've worked on everything together from brainstorming Pathfinder canon to the massive undertaking that was the Starfinder RPG. As that project took shape, I also learned a thing or two about managing from Sutter, and the admirable depths of his experience for Paizo.

In the end, when push came to shove, I knew I could be my weird self around Sutter. And, I'll let you all in on a little secret: it's because he's weird, too!

Yeah, I know, Sutter. I'm rude!

Amanda Hamon Kunz
Development Coordinator

I've only been working at Paizo for a few months now, so I don't have the awesome, "way back when” stories that others are sharing. However, I did work with Sutter quite a bit for the marketing of Starfinder. I can say that there were evenings when I would burst into his office and say, "They need a 700-word article, in an hour!!” and Sutter would give me a look. The look was a combination of annoyed, tired, amused, and determined. In every one of those situations, I got the 700-word article with time to spare. The guy is a machine that creates and creates. It's been a blast working with him and he'll be missed.

Dan Tharp
Marketing Coordinator

When James L. Sutter started at Paizo, he looked like he was about 12 years old. To top it off, we already had a few James' in the office, so he got relegated to being referred to as Sutter or Young James. Well, Sutter eventually turned 21 and discovered the wonders of alcohol, and being 21 he also thought that he was invincible. And so the stage was set for one of the most epic nights of drinking the editors of Dragon and Dungeon had ever seen.

We in the developer's pit would sometimes take jokes a bit too far. Such was the case with our quoting of the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic "Total Recall”. Responding to any deadline with "Two Weeks" was common practice. Crying out like Arnold at any injury was accepted as normal. We enjoyed the flick so much that we thought it would be a great idea to get together and watch the movie, complete with mars themed drinks and food. Seeing as we are all gamers, I dug up the rules for a Total Recall themed drinking game. We gathered at Wes' place late one Saturday to partake in our favored film.

It all started great until we realized that drinking every time the word "recall” or "mars” was said was going to lead to disaster. Well, many of us realized that… but not Sutter. He vowed to keep pace with me, matching drink for drink. He was, after all, invincible, despite the fact that he was literally half my weight and about a foot shorter than me. As the movie drew to a close, I was quite tipsy. Sutter… well, Sutter was ruined. Incapable of coherent speech and unsteady on his feet, it was clear that he had drank more than enough. Soon after, it was Wes' kitchen sink that paid the price.

A lot has happened since those early days of Paizo. Sutter went on from editing dungeon to working on Pathfinder and eventually managing our fiction lines and overseeing the creation of Starfinder. He may not have been invincible then, but he sure seems like it now.

Jason Bulmahn
Director of Game Design

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Sutter's Last Blog

Sep 8, 2017, 03:00 pm

See that photograph? That's the oldest picture I have of me in the Paizo offices, taken by former Paizo Art Director Sean Glenn back in early 2006. At that point, I had already been at Paizo for a year and a half, working my way up from website image wrangler and editorial intern to Paizo's sole customer service person, then at last into a coveted Assistant Editorship on Dungeon. Much like Jon Snow, I knew nothing. While I'd spent my college years practicing to be a journalist, and had a whole adolescence of RPG gaming under my belt, I was a rank amateur when it came to professional game design—living proof of the "fake it till you make it" strategy. (I actually bought my first 3.5 rulebooks with the money from "Shut In," the first Dungeon adventure I co-wrote with Wes Schneider.)

Sutter's Last Blog

Friday, September 8, 2017

See that photograph? That's the oldest picture I have of me in the Paizo offices, taken by former Paizo Art Director Sean Glenn back in early 2006. At that point, I had already been at Paizo for a year and a half, working my way up from website image wrangler and editorial intern to Paizo's sole customer service person, then at last into a coveted Assistant Editorship on Dungeon. Much like Jon Snow, I knew nothing. While I'd spent my college years practicing to be a journalist, and had a whole adolescence of RPG gaming under my belt, I was a rank amateur when it came to professional game design—living proof of the "fake it till you make it" strategy. (I actually bought my first 3.5 rulebooks with the money from "Shut In," the first Dungeon adventure I co-wrote with Wes Schneider.)

It was a crazy time. All of us in the Editorial Pit were pretty much broke—until Paizo brought me on full-time, I'd been teaching SAT prep classes at night and living off some modest Wheel of Fortune winnings—but it didn't matter, because I was spending every day learning about games and world-building from my coworkers. Folks like James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Wes Schneider, and Jason Bulmahn, who remain in my eyes some of the world's foremost experts on what makes fantasy cool. We would argue furiously. We would go out drinking (once I finally turned 21, that is). We would occasionally all ditch work—with Lisa's approval—and go to the movies in the middle of the day. Wes would orchestrate elaborate pranks. Jacobs and I taped off our combined cubicle and declared it the Independent Republic of Jameslandia, within which he would draw me sticky-note cartoons or perform impromptu puppet shows with his collection of Godzilla plushies.

It was, in short, freakin' magical.

Smash cut to September of 2017, and I've been at Paizo for 13 years, almost to the day. A lot's changed. The company is huge. Pathfinder's a household name in RPG circles. I've run a novel line, managed critical teams through high times and crises, written probably millions of words about Golarion, and now find myself Creative Director of Starfinder—a game which, after more than a year of grueling (but exciting!) work, has just had one of the biggest launches of anything Paizo's ever done. Watching the frenzy at Gen Con this year, walking down the line signing autographs and chatting with folks who'd been waiting for two hours or more to buy the Starfinder Core Rulebook, was one of the most satisfying moments of my career.

Which is why it's time for me to leave. As of September 12th, I'll be stepping down as Starfinder's Creative Director and resigning from Paizo to write full-time.

Sound crazy? Let me explain:

As a kid, I was heartbroken when Bill Watterson ended Calvin & Hobbes. I couldn't understand how somebody could do such great work—work that touched so many people—and then just stop. In the last few years, however, I think I've finally begun to understand. By walking away when he did, Watterson ensured that Calvin & Hobbes would never slowly slide into mediocrity. He'd never burn out and start to resent it. He gave us the best of what he had to give in that arena, and then he moved on. So even as I miss those characters, I salute his artistic integrity. And it's in that same spirit that I'm now leaving Paizo.

I'm extremely proud of everything I've helped to create here at Paizo, but of course Starfinder is my most recent baby. While the world is just now getting its first taste of the game, the production times involved mean that we on the Starfinder team have been living it for a year and a half, and I've actually already overseen the whole first year of releases. But as much as there's still plenty more I'd love to explore with Starfinder, I can't escape the fact that I've been making RPGs at Paizo for my entire adult life, and it's time now to devote more than a few scattered hours each week to my other artistic loves—particularly fiction and comics.

Does that mean I'm done writing for Pathfinder and Starfinder? Heck no! If anything, I hope that no longer working for Paizo full-time means I'll have more time to write for both games as a freelancer. And while it's hard to give up Starfinder's captain's chair, I'm positive that Rob, Sarah, Owen, Jason, and the rest of the team are going to continue to take the game in amazing new directions. As both a fan and a freelancer, I can't wait to see where they go.

After 13 years, there are far too many people to thank, so I hope everyone will forgive me if I keep this short and just shout out a few of my fellow old-timers. To Lisa, who scraped together a job for an ambitious kid. To Erik, the editor-in-chief who slapped a copy of his own adventure "The Whispering Cairn" down on the new editorial intern's desk and challenged him to find things wrong with it. To Jacobs, for educational movie nights and teaching me what makes adventures fun. To Sarah, who taught me how to work well with artists, and Bulmahn, who taught me that you should never bring algebra to a drinking contest. To my longtime partner in creative crime, Wes Schneider, for always having my back and consistently forcing me to up my game. To Chris Carey for being my fiction buddy, and Judy Bauer for kindly but firmly teaching me to be a better, more mindful person. And to everyone else—thank you. There's no one here that I haven't learned from or laughed with at some point.

Last of all, I want to say one giant thank you to everyone reading this. I've always found the Paizo community unbelievably supportive, and for the last 13 years you've been the reason I'm able to live the dream. Whether you're one of the superfans who sent us pizzas during those first big Pathfinder crunches or a new friend trying out Starfinder for the first time—thanks.

All right, no more stalling. It's time for me to cue up the Annie Lennox track from the end of Return of the King and sail off into the west. I hope some of you will continue to drop in and say hi on my Twitter at @jameslsutter and my Facebook author page, or keep up with my latest work on jameslsutter.com.

It's been an amazing adventure. Now on to the next!

James L. Sutter
Creative Director Emeritus

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The Golem Send-off

May 19, 2017, 07:30 pm

As you may know from yesterday's Paizo blog, F. Wesley Schneider has begun a new and exciting journey, leaving the offices of the Paizo building behind. And as you may have gleaned from that blog, remaining Paizonians have some words for Wes. And, without further delay, here they are!

The Golem Send-off

Friday, May 19, 2017

As you may know from yesterday's Paizo blog, former Editor-in-Chief F. Wesley Schneider has begun a new and exciting journey, leaving the offices of the Paizo building behind. And as you may have gleaned from that blog, remaining Paizonians have some words for Wes. And, without further delay, here they are!

Wes Schneider had been at Paizo less than a year the first time I completely changed his job and basically required him to be a superhero. It was a trend that would continue for more than a decade, but the difference is, that first time, I wasn't 100% certain it would work. Truth be told, although Wes had, at that point, served as an assistant editor on Dragon magazine for a half-dozen issues, I still wasn't 100% certain I could tell the difference between Wes and the magazine's other assistant editor, the late great Mike McArtor. Both had come to the company at the same time to do the same job, both were irritatingly young in a way that made me realize I was no longer the youngest scamp working on D&D in an official capacity, and both pretty much had the exact same haircut and facial hair. Both Wes and Mike had also worked with the previous Dragon editor to "relaunch" the magazine with an almost completely player-focused approach with Dragon #323. The only trouble was, as a long-time GM and lifetime reader of Dragon, I didn't really care for that approach. Fresh off my own relaunch of Dungeon, I knew that improving Dragon to be the magazine I thought it could be, I'd need to completely undo a lot of the work the previous team had done, within only about two months of them doing it in the first place. And I needed to figure out a way to have Wes and Mike do a lot of the dirty work for me. I took the two young lads out for lunch at the local Thai spot and said, essentially, "You know that relaunch you guys have been working so hard on? We're not going to do that anymore. Instead, we're going to do THIS."

It could have been an utter disaster. But Wes took the news like a champ, saw the potential in the changes I was proposing, and ably stepped up to the challenge. I was so impressed with Wes's attitude I made him the section editor of Dragon's First Watch column. I did this mostly because I knew he could handle coordinating reams of monthly RPG industry news and new product reviews, but I also did it because I knew we couldn't pay Wes what he was worth and that the position would put Wes in the path of mountains of cool free stuff that people sent to the magazine in hopes of getting coverage. Things like gaming books, board games, soundtracks, action figures—you know, nerd stuff.

Thirteen years later, as I sit here writing this within hours of Wes's going away lunch, several of those dubious treasures are sitting on the "Free Table" right outside my office. Some of these well-loved artifacts are coated with a decade of dust, while others are well-loved desk trinkets looking for a new home. In the time between that first Dragon issue and today, as Wes prepares to move on to exciting new career and creative challenges, I've set countless near-impossibly outlandish tasks before Wes, and he has not just risen to the occasion each time, but he's basically one-shotted all of these monsters with style, grace, and aplomb. I'll miss Wes's level-headed clarity, his compassion for his fellow employees, his values, and his phenomenal creative contributions to the Pathfinder line, which alas will now have to come in the form of what I hope will be many freelance assignments.

And while I'll also miss Wes's amazing, can-do attitude and ability to achieve the impossible, I'm less worried about the impact of not having that around. You see, in the last 13 years Wes has been setting his own series of impossible challenges for his own staff of editors and developers. Following his example, they also exceed my expectations on a daily basis. Even though Wes will no longer be walking Paizo's halls after today, the clarity, compassion, values, and ability to achieve the impossible with grace and aplomb lives on thanks to his amazing example.

Thanks for helping me with Dragon magazine, Wes, and for Pathfinder and everything in between. We'll miss you terribly, but you've made such a huge impact on all of us here at Paizo that your legacy will continue for many years to come!

Erik Mona
Publisher

Maybe 10 years ago, Wes took me aside and let me know that he'd accepted a job at Privateer Press, and would be leaving the company. I got all weepy and hugged him, making a big scene. A few hours later he told me he'd lied just to see what I'd do. ("I can't believe I got a hug out of it!" he mused.) So you can understand why I won't quite believe he's leaving until I see his office empty.

Wes was one of the first friends I made at Paizo, back when I was 20 years old and he was only a few years older, the two of us banding together to embrace our role as the department's hipster children. We actually shared our Dungeon magazine debut, co-writing the adventure "Shut-In" together in issue #128. (We would also write our first Adventure Path installment together, "The Lightless Depths" in Dungeon's Savage Tide AP, but we eventually started talking to each other again after that one, so all's well that ends well.) I often say that my first years at Paizo were spent learning what was cool, and Wes was my primary teacher in that regard, hosting Educational Movie Nights in which he and Jacobs attempted to correct my character flaws by showing me classic horror films. For the last 13 years, we've constantly learned from each other, propping each other up as we stumbled our way into managing departments, exploring social media, or writing comics. He taught me how to write adventures. I taught him how to write novels. He taught me how to buy jeans that fit. I taught him how to stop using that terrible crunchy hair gel that made him look damp all the time. He taught me to accept my own sexuality. I taught him that his garbage disposal was a perfectly acceptable place to vomit after challenging Jason Bulmahn to a drinking contest. (Wes has never accepted my explanation that, since I was half Jason's size at the time and drunkenness is a factor of body weight, I'd actually won mathematically.)

2008—Wes and I at Erik Mona Day and Gen Con 2008, respectively.
2010—Wes and I just boldly hiked over the hill behind the Paizo offices and discovered the fabled Treasure Mounds—colorful hills of broken glass for the nearby recycling plant.

I'm pretty sure that at every convention we've ever been to together, someone has mistaken us for each other (most notably one of his longtime family friends, leading to what may well have been Gen Con's Most Awkward Hug). And the weird thing is, it kind of makes sense—after this many years of friendship and collaboration, probably half my verbal tics and gestures come from Wes, to the point where I can't even remember which half. So Wes, while moving on is always bittersweet, you can take comfort in knowing that part of you will live on in this building long after you leave. (I'm talking about your office couch. I'm pretty sure the courts will give me joint custody.)

James L. Sutter
Creative Director

Most of my best memories of working with Wes at Paizo are probably better left off this blog, so I'll keep this short. Wes has been a tireless advocate for the editorial team over the years, and more than that, a rock-solid friend who somehow always has the perfect piece of unexpected dry wit to get you through the rough patches. We'll miss you, Wes, but I'm happy for the bright and rewarding future you have ahead of you.

Christopher Carey
Senior Editor

How do you pay adequate tribute to someone like Wes? Charming as hell; endlessly creative; never lazy in the work of making life better for his colleagues or repairing broken aspects of our games, our industry, and our world; always present as the company therapist (to be fair, Wes, you brought that one on yourself by putting a couch in your office); hilarious, especially in moments where humor and perspective were needed; generous to a fault with his time, brilliance, wisdom, and wit; creator of the best margin notes and doodles; deeply kind; mind-blowingly clever; and stunningly insightful.

He has been the genius loci of this place and this team for as long as I've been here, and we are all richer in spirit and creativity for having had the chance to work with him. May we do justice, as we go forward, to everything he's taught us.

Jessica Price
Project Manager

Wes was one of the first people I worked with at Paizo. Together with Mike McArtor, we were the team behind Dragon up through its final print issue. While all of us had various jobs developing and editing the articles, Wes had an extra special assignment. He got us stuff! Back then, a section of the magazine was dedicated to new and exciting releases in the game industry and nerd culture in general. Wes put together these articles, which often entailed getting samples from the various companies. Once the articles were done and the products revealed, these samples would often be put up for grabs (if Wes didn't keep them himself). To this day, I still have a Monty Python Horse Action Figure, that Wes got as part of a big contest, hiding in my desk. That was over a decade ago. Over the years, Wes has been part of the bedrock of Paizo and while I am sad to see him go, I am excited for him and his future endeavors. Now if I can just get him to send us some swag from his new job...

Monty Python Horse Action Figure

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

Wes was the first Paizo editor to reach out to me and the rest of the PathfinderWiki team asking if there was anything we needed in the site's earliest days, providing us with specially tailored blog posts and shoutouts to increase our content and traffic. He was also one of the first Paizo developers to give me a shot as a freelancer (he, Josh Frost, and Sean K Reynolds all gave me small assignments about the same time), so my career in the industry owes much to him recognizing my potential. In our time working together, Wes has taught me countless things, both relevant to the publishing industry and the creative process in general. But above all, Wes has been a great friend, hosting the absolute best themed 80s movie marathons and geeking out over the same comics and movies and video games that I do.

I'm sad to see you go, Wes, but excited for the opportunities that lie in your future. And I can't wait to play the games you'll make, engross myself in the stories you'll tell, and enjoy the worlds you are sure to create wherever you may go.

Mark Moreland
Developer

As a fan, it's easy to gloss over a book's credits page. I did it for several years as I eagerly flipped straight to the newest classes, feats, and archetypes, rarely giving more than a casual glance at who the developers, authors, or editors were. Even so, I had friends who had played in Wes's PaizoCon games (and buzzed excitedly about it for days afterward), and when he chimed in on the messageboards, fans snapped to attention. I couldn't understand quite how important he was to Paizo until I started working here. Wes has been a tireless advocate for each of us, whether conveying conveying our needs to the executives or trumpeting our accomplishments to the world. He's always proven accommodating and encouraging to us, urging us to make our mark on the world and make the most of the setting—even the pieces that are his creations.

I may sass him often—probably as often as he returns the favor—but for all the snark, we all know that he's been there for us when we've needed it and given us space when we just needed to get things done. Paizo shall continue, and though we will feel his absence for years to come, we're ready for whatever lies ahead thanks to the example he set.

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer

Wes has been a patient mentor and fierce advocate for those of us on his team, and an able peacekeeper between people who care deeply but in different directions about what we do (which is to say, everyone at Paizo). Despite his attempts to maintain a Machiavellian image, his visible distress whenever he had to ask us to do anything particularly arduous always gave away of his concern for us. Wes, I wish you the best, will miss you heaps, and hope your future collaborators appreciate you as much as you deserve! (P.s. No take-backs on the feathers—they must find a new surprise home.)

Judy Bauer
Managing Editor

It's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that Wes is headed out of Paizo's doors soon for the final time. For what seemed like forever, Wes was Paizo, in my worldview.

Back at Gen Con 2011, he was the first friend from Paizo I met when I was digging for ways to break into the gaming industry. Luckily for me, the email thread that spawned with Wes from that meeting turned into one gig, and then many others. Then, the phone call (again, with Wes), and here I am in Redmond. I've always kept that first email thread with Wes in my inbox because it marked a turning point in my life, and so did meeting Wes.

Since that first Gen Con, I have unabashedly looked up to Wes personally and professionally, admired him, and felt a creative kinship with him. When we moved to Redmond, Wes became one of my best friends.

It is likely that I would not be in the tabletop gaming industry without Wes. It is almost certain that I would not work for Paizo as a developer if it were not for him. In many ways, Wes helped me discover who I want to be as a professional and as a creative.

You might be leaving the office, Wes, but you'll always be on the hook for that. And, before you can say it: How dare you?!

Amanda Hamon Kunz
Developer

Wes, I will greatly miss working with you. You've taught me so much in the five years that I've been here (and even more in the previous years while I was an up-and-coming freelancer). I thank you for giving me some my first pieces of freelance work for Paizo, always supporting my and other freelancer's work and ultimately giving me a job here. I quite literally wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.

This has been a wonderful experience and your leadership and guidance over the time has made all the difference. We've come up with cool ideas together and imagined and developed wonderfully disturbing characters, stories, and monsters. As you go on to your next big thing, know that I'll keep a creepy lantern burning to attract all the scary monsters!

Adam Daigle
Developer

When I only knew F. Wesley Schneider as a name on a book byline, I imagined a very different man. With a tough and academic name like F. Wesley Schneider and a writing style that was witty and confrontational, clearly he would be enormous and muscular, jolly and well-read, but probably kind of a douche. Years later, at my first PaizoCon, I spent a good thirty minutes chatting with the sweetest, most optimistic, nonthreatening, well-dressed man at the entire hotel, talking about games and then... I want to say Zelda and Castlevania? Then he had to run to a panel, and I realized I'd never asked his name.

"Oh, I'm Wes Schneider," he said, as if he were stunned that anyone in the world didn't know who he was.

"Wait, you're Wes Schneider," I responded, dumbstruck that he was a foot shorter than me. Then I ran off to get my copy of Seven Days to the Grave and made him sign it after his panel.

Ever since that day, I've rested comfortably in the knowledge that I could crush F. Wesley Schneider with my bare hands should the need arise. And thankfully, since that day, the need never has.

Wes Schneider is a unique man, above and beyond his extraordinary way with words and keen wit. He is gifted with deep empathy, and more compassion than any one person should be burdened with. He shepherds the best traits in others, and helps them find what they need in themselves. He teaches in a way that leaves you feeling empowered rather than chastised. He takes care of those around him, sacrificing his own health and time to do so.

He's my friend, and he has helped me become a better person. Working alongside him has been an extraordinary blessing.

Also, he's frustratingly good at Battletoads.

Crystal Frasier
Developer

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 (OGL)

Wes's Last Words

May 18, 2017, 05:30 pm

I could write one heck of a self-indulgent retrospective. I'd start by going on about how I've been working at Paizo since November 2003 (I would have been 22) and how my first credit was as an assistant editor on Dragon Magazine #316. (I'd probably illustrate that section with that issue's cover.) Then I'd go on to talk about writing a ton of D&D stuff, starting to write adventures, and learning how magazine work is actually time travel. After that would be the scary but exciting times—starting Pathfinder Adventure Path, disguising a game as a textbook, long lines, yada yada. Things got wild after that.

Wes's Last Words

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Tomorrow's my last day working at Paizo Inc.

How's that for not burying the lede?

I could write one heck of a self-indulgent retrospective. I'd start by going on about how I've been working at Paizo since November 2003 (I would have been 22) and how my first credit was as an assistant editor on Dragon Magazine #316. (I'd probably illustrate that section with that issue's cover.) Then I'd go on to talk about writing a ton of D&D stuff, starting to write adventures, and learning how magazine work is actually time travel. After that would be the scary but exciting times—starting Pathfinder Adventure Path, disguising a game as a textbook, long lines, yada yada. Things got wild after that.

But there's not really time for all of that. I've learned a lot in my time at Paizo, but two oft-stated truths have proven out again and again: one, never piss off your editor; two, I work with a bunch of jackals.

About this time tomorrow, there's going to be another blog right here. At that time, a bunch of folks who've had to look at me everyday—some for well over a decade—are going to have their opportunity to say their bon voyages.

And they're going to thoroughly roast me.

I didn't get here being stupid. I've been documenting, hoarding, recording, and preparing for this moment for most of my adult life. And I know that if you're going to get into a blog fight, fire first.

To that end, here are the secrets.

Adam Daigle: Adam knows the time and place for everything—for getting things done, for getting a drink, for getting your abdomen severed from your thorax, and for not backing up claims that you're a bad-@#% cook. Most folks don't know that Adam is responsible for more issues of Dragon Magazine releasing on time than some people who worked on that magazine's staff. More than once something went down on a Friday and by Monday morning Adam just had it handled. He definitely knows the curse of becoming an editor's go-to guy. I have boundless respect for Adam's unique blend of solid writing and creepy swamp witchery and look forward to his next big thing, be it a mega-adventure, restaurant chain, or the burgeoning fiction career he's no good at hiding!

Adam Vick & Emily Crowell: Adam and Emily might be two of the only truly sane souls at Paizo—stark comparisons against the rest of the company's wards. They both do fantastic work, but they're also the second generation of an experiment into how long it takes for normal designers to be infected with RPG gibberish. (Sarah was part of the initial research, but now she can tell you all about driders and bullywugs.) There's not much of an end goal here, and we couldn't ask for more in regard to design finesse, but I know there's collectively a lot of interest in debating the finer points of Bloodrager feats and outsider subtypes with Adam and Emily down the road.

Amanda Hamon Kunz: Amanda's one of the most clever, most capable, most quietly depraved people I've ever had a pleasure of knowing. She wears a ring of mind shielding, but she's quick to say she just likes the look. (To quote Jessica Price, "There's a darkness in her.") I've thrown Amanda more—much more—than her fair share of trash-fires and she's never once so much as sighed or stabbed me in the face. Early on in our working arrangement I asked that, when the time comes, she make my end quiet and quick. She couldn't make any promises. I respect that. I'd say to watch out for Amanda, but it will be far less stressful to just let the inevitable come.

Chris Lambertz: Chris cultivates the best stuffed critter shelf at Paizo. Her miniature army helps her fend off the endless press of tiny typhoons that endlessly wash across her desk. Her hordes also defend dual hidden fonts, one of boundless pragmatism and the other of boundless optimism. She uses these to look forward to better things even as she wrangles the calamity du jour. You might not know Chris, but she believes in you, the great person you are, and the better person you can be. If you ever receive moderation from her, count yourself lucky... then consider making deep spiritual improvements in your life.

Christopher Carey: Aside from being a phenomenal editor, Chris is the most accomplished Paizo author you probably haven't read. He has several weighty tomes under his belt—go buy them. Whether it's editing a massive mess of a document or working on his next literary behemoth, Chris proves the results of building your house one brick at a time. How such a reliable, determined professional wound up editing our nerd-books has always slightly baffled me, but much of Paizo's editorial quality and consistency stems directly from his red pen.

Cosmo Eisele: Cosmo deserves less blame than he accepts... but only a little. That's probably just part of being legitimately one of the nicest chaps at Paizo. He's traveling the world much more these days, so if you get the chance to meet up with him, buy him a drink—he gets more sass than he deserves.

Crystal Frasier: I don't really believe in talent. There's failure, there's determination, there's improvement, there's even inborn advantage, but there aren't really magical gifts. And I refuse to factor Crystal Frasier into that algebra. You could say she's a double threat, or a triple threat, but then you keep counting and once you get to calling people septuple or octuple threats you start sounding silly. Crystal's a great writer, an incredible artist, a skilled graphic designer, a killer cartographer, an adept editor, a riveting storyteller, a terrifying bare-knuckle scrapper, and so forth. She can pretty much do it all—and largely has. At some point, the rest of us are largely around just because it'd be too time consuming for her to handle absolutely everything by herself. And none of this comports with my understanding of how creatives learn and improve over time. So, the secret is that maybe some people do have magical gifts. That's the only way Crystal Frasier makes any sense.

Dan Tharp: Dan's actually a mimic. I would have said doppleganger, but he's largely a communications dude, so something with a big mouth seemed more suiting. Paizo's been around for a long time and many folks have been there forever. I wouldn't call it unfriendly, but the ruts and grooves, the routines and methods are ground in both procedurally and socially. It can be daunting coming in, like attending a new school in a town you didn't grow up in. But somehow Dan sauntered in and convinced everybody he's been there the whole time. He's got an easy confidence, an "I can do that!" attitude, and that sort of expressive enthusiasm that both gamers and game makers love. A lot of folks have a lot of opinions about what Paizo's Outreach Coordinator should and could do, so we're lucky to have found a shapeshifter up to doing it and being it all!

Dean Ludwig, Don Hayes, Erik Keith, & Gary Teter: The legend goes that Paizo.com was birthed amid sparks, three scotch-taped Magnavox Odyssey consoles, and 36 feet of string cheese. I can't speak much toward legends, but there's often a hint of hidden truth (perhaps not in this case, but often). In any case, the tech team has worked wonders under the cover of code to assure that Paizo can do all the varied things the company needs to do and then some and then some again. Few can say how many countless nights and weekends the team's put in, but I'm certain that without them we'd all be filling out subscription renewal cards to this day.

Erik Mona: Here's a good one: You think you know roleplaying games. You don't. Erik Mona knows roleplaying games. The history, the characters, the origins, the inspirations, the characters, the players, the pedigrees, the big successes, the dismal failures, the dark secrets. Erik hasn't just stumbled across this info, he's collected it—he's horded it. He knows more than he could ever tell you, and he knows the roots and shadowy grit beneath that. The game industry and everything in its orbit has been his game, his obsession, for a long time. And no one plays a game for that long without getting damn good at it. As a result, though, Erik's path has lead him down a businessmanly road, a route upon that's made him more of a behind-the-scenes player than a name you see on lots of covers these days—with the exception of Pathfinder Worldscape, which is now officially required reading. In my opinion, though, gaming could use a few more Greyhawk Gazetteers and Mutants & Masterminds: Crooks. It could certainly use a Nex book. Probably some old-school trap riddled adventures, too. Just sayin'.

Erik's been my boss for a long time. We've worked well together and have pulled off some pretty cool stunts. I could chalk up this long, successful partnership to shared tastes and work ethics, but I know there's a secret, a deceptively simple mantra Erik ingrains in everyone on his crew: Do your job, Be exceptional, Wear shoes. Words to live, to work, and to manage by that have had a profound impact on my life. Over the years, Erik's been a ready collaborator, an open-minded listener, a font of fascinating stories, and a good friend, and even though I won't be working at Paizo next week, I don't expect any of those things to change.

James Jacobs: One of my favorite stories about starting at Paizo is that in 2003 I moved 3,000 miles from Baltimore, Maryland to Renton, Washington... and blindly into the apartment next door to James Jacobs. For much of my time living in Washington, my front door has been within 200 steps of James's (and often far closer). For more of that time, James's desk has been within 20 steps of mine (and often far closer). James is a fire hose of cool stuff, whether it's these hundred games you have to play or these thousand movies you need to see. It's impossible for that sort of tsunami to not influence an assistant editor in his twenties, which is likely partially why we've worked so well together for so long—whether collaborating on adventures for Dungeon, sculpting the Pathfinder Adventure Path series, building corners of the Pathfinder world, or tinkering with a thousand other projects. James also quickly learned that "carpool buddy" and "confessor" mean pretty much the same thing to me. As a result, he knows where more of the skeletons are buried than anyone else. That, time, proximity, and shared dementia make him a friend, a brother, and a man too dangerous to antagonize. Therefore, it is in my best interest to keep James's secrets well guarded.

James L. Sutter: Despite all evidence to the contrary, Sutter and I are, in fact, two different people. Shocking, but true. The root of the confusion seems to be that we both have brownish hair and wear the same size jeans. We've also collaborated on one or two projects, from "Shut In" in Dungeon #128 (2005) to, well, today—you're all picking up Pathfinder Runescars, right?! I coached Sutter through his first adventure, Sutter coached me through my first novel, and we both endlessly tell the other that all his ideas are stupid. But when either of us say that, the other knows it's not just being mean, it's also being honest. We've both had more than our share of missteps on the road to the next big or new or fun thing and we've been upfront with each other about those blunders. When I've mucked something up, I tell Sutter it didn't work. When Sutter mucks something up, he tells me not to do that. We've been climbing over each other's corpses for a long time. Undoubtedly I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today, or have done half of what I've done, without Sutter's advice, example, edits, and encouragement. But for @#$%'s sake, people, he's got a beard! We don't look anything alike!

Jason Bulmahn: Sometimes, after spending a decade gaslighting a man, you have regrets. In the best cases, though, you look back, satisfied at a job well done. Efforts proceeded in thorough, themed campaigns—spiders, tokkens, ponies, letter transposition, tokkens 2, tokkens 3 (there were clearly favorites). Jason brought this harassment on himself in two ways. First, he gift-wrapped my cube in 2006 (there are probably pictures). Second, he does everything "big." He designs big games, he makes big books, he draws big maps, and he has big reactions. Jason never stopped being an architect; he's always been addicted to scale. Go big or go home is pretty much the Bulmahn motto—perhaps followed closely by "the ends justify the means." He's certainly got a track record with far more gigantic successes than colossal failures, which I'm certain spurs him to do more ever bigger. I can't wait to see what gargantuan he's working on next, and am relatively certain that I haven't been swept up in his madness for the last time. But what's the secret? Well, there's sort of a lot here, but if you want something concrete: we legally changed the spelling of Jason's last name in 2008.

Jason Keeley: Someday you'll all know Jason Keeley as the world's most effective method ad-lib actor. I'm not sure that he's actually employed at Paizo, but the bit's been running for so long that it hardly matters now. "Yes, and..." is pretty much in Jason's blood.

"Jason, you're an editor," it started.
"Yes, and..." he said.
"Now you're doing development, too."
"Yes, and..."
"Now you're one of the leads on Starfinder."
"Yes, and..."

I can't predict where this is all going, but every step of the way Jason's jumped right in, rolled with things, and done an exemplary (and utterly believable) job. I look forward to his inevitable design and management performances. Though it's going to be an awkward day when he finally calls "scene" and no one's knows what he's talking about. You can check out Jason's previous performances, like Fortune's Fool at Pantheon Press.

Jeff Alvarez: Jeff keeps a secret few folks at Paizo know: Paizo isn't a company, it's a train. There are big mechanical parts, tons of fuel, numerous cars, and track—endless track. For anything to work, it's all got to work together—maybe not perfectly, but as well as possible. Jeff is Mr. Make-It-Happen, whether that's helping to plot a route or being part of the team laying track ahead of the locomotive. He's never been too good to help pack a crate or too careless not to consider how a strategy might affect every part of the machine. He also knows that sometimes the crew just needs to blow off steam, and if that's going happen, there better be good food and even better drink. It's been said that Jeff's in charge of everything "that's real" at Paizo. That's one hell of a responsibility, and it can surely be a loud, dirty, and relentless a job. But one thing's for sure, the Paizo engine would have skipped the tracks a long time ago without him.

Jenny Bendel: You will never have more friends than Jenny Bendel. Every time I've ever been anywhere with Jenny she's had to step away to greet some new-coming mover-and-shaker, gaming legend, '90s rock icon, or other charmer. It's easy to see why, though, as Jenny's one of the most easily enthusiastic people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She also has a second sense for knowing "the place to be," which leads her on all manner of adventures. Unfortunately, I don't get to see Jenny often, but when she's in town, she always brings the best stories.

Jessica Price: Here's a secret for those of you who haven't been paying attention: Jessica Price does not want to hear about your character. Jessica's the smartest person in a room full of people used to being the smartest person in the room. She doesn't care how it's always been done, she doesn't care about momentum or tradition, she doesn't care about well enough, she cares about what works, how it could work better, and how to build things cooler than what's come before. It might not be easy and some tables might need to be flipped, but it'll be worth it in the end. Jessica has challenged me on my ideas and my methods, she's criticized my calls, she's pointed out my screw-ups, she's slammed my office door—and I can't thank her enough. I'm no genius, but if there's one thing I know is worth its weight is gold, it's a smart critic (and woe betide those who dismiss cagey critics). Jessica has walked me through basic concepts for the fiftieth time, she's dealt with important things I can't give my full attention, she's coached me through handling public gaffs, and she's strategized how to do better the next time. She's committed enough to have written thousands of words of cover copy and solicitation text, able enough to have developed whole hardcover books, and invested enough to spend her own time developing the Pathfinder world (you've all picked up Qadira, right?!). And she's done all this, while getting Paizo's products more consistently on schedule than ever before. Jessica has been a collaborator, a noble friend, and my fearless champion. I can't thank her enough for all that she's done—that which I know and that which I'll never know. But a word to the wise: don't waste Jessica's time with characters you've been playing for thirty years. Instead, share what cool ideas you have for the new thing you're trying tomorrow (and even then, keep it short).

Joe Pasini: I'm undecided here, as he and I haven't worked together for terribly long, but I'm pretty convinced that Joe's either a truth wizard or the Platonic spirit of editorship. Joe can make anything, no matter how ludicrous, sound perfectly earnest—even sensible. I chalk this up to either weird powers of manipulation, or his fundamental mastery of an editor's ability to bring even the most bizarre concepts to linguistic heel. I'm leaning toward truth wizard, though—especially after I found myself thanking him and Jason Keeley for letting me be a guest on a podcast they don't have. (Yet?)

John Compton: If you know when and how to look, you'll realize that John Compton is the reincarnation of Roman Emperor Antoninus Augustus Pius. It's most obvious in the Pathfinder Society room at Gen Con—the combination of public speaking, raised platforms, and scurrying governors is something of a give away. John has his predecessor's flair for empire building, for management on a massive scale, for oratory, for diplomacy, and for decisive justice. Where most would crack under the pressure of so many responsibilities, John weathers it all with the marble facade equal to his forebearer's sculptures. Many have expected great things from John, and all of them had their expectations exceeded. John is also an amazing game designer, adventure crafter, and perhaps Paizo's best Game Master, but unfortunately comparison of these virtues to Emperor Antoninus Pius is beyond my scholarship. In short, hail Caesar, long may he reign.

John Parrish: John comes from a much realer, more sensible world than most folks at Paizo are accustomed to or wholly comfortable with. As a reprehensive of the real, John exudes competency, efficiently, and trustworthiness. If John says something's the case, I'm confident it's the case, and no amount of flailing is going to change the matter. There's real comfort to that in an industry where so much is made up and rules exist to be bent. Despite all this, John wears his adventurous streak like an Iron Maiden tie tack and his rare jokes are a characteristically reliable vein of comedy gold. Paizo couldn't be luckier to have him—wherever he's from.

Judy Bauer: You do not mess with Judy Bauer. Judy Bauer's desk is decorated in things made from thread she wove herself and carrion. Judy Bauer once stabbed a god in the eye with a hypodermic needle because she was curious about science. Judy Bauer is never not wearing her poker face. Judy is one of the world's hyper-competents, and the rest of us rely on good people like her to accomplish absolutely anything at all. You—wise soul that you are—do not mess with Judy Bauer. And neither do I. As such, Judy's secrets remain her own.

Laura Carey, Mika Hawkins, Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, & Kevin Underwood: Are the names of the oft-referenced cave raptors that stalk the warehouse. They are the second most affable contingent of Paizo staffers, but the most thoroughly and elaborately armed. Their smiles prove they have sharp teeth and know that soft-skinned creatives keep to their carpet-covered places. They're known for their quick, sturdy caliber of sass and for accomplishing the impossible month after month. They're certainly not known for any unidentifiable packing-tape mummies above the downstairs kitchen.

Linda Zayas-Palmer: You wouldn't guess it from her quick grin or unabashed love of leshies, but beneath that "I'd leave her alone with my kids" exterior, Linda is made of knives. Not so much the stabbing kind of knives, more the "let's put googley eyes on this and give it a squeaky voice" sort of knives. But, you know, still knives. Linda's got a sharp mind for systems and readily sees how every little thing works. If she's not designing her own bizarrely elegant games already, I expect she will be very soon.

Lisa Stevens: Lisa's seen it all, done it all, and is always up for doing it all again. That's probably why every year her "Auntie Lisa's Story Hour" gets just a little bit longer. By 2030 you can look forward to a fifth day of PaizoCon composed entirely of that event. Despite her incredible experience, though, Lisa's never let "been there, done that" or "know-it-all-ism" set in. She's cultivated a beautiful, diverse asylum at Paizo, and her willingness to listen and try things new ways are undoubtedly secrets behind her company's success. I'm far from unique in this regard, but I wouldn't be where I am today without Lisa's hard work, her boundless enthusiasm for games, and her eye for good people. For all that, I'm beyond grateful.

Lissa Guillet: While I'm not sure of the specifics, Lissa did something and now computers fear her. I've tested this on multiple occasions. No sooner does Lissa walk into a room than rowdy technology gets back in line. For now she's largely using her leverage for good. For now.

Logan Bonner: Logan is precision instrument—like a scalpel or a really big scalpel. Amid teams prone to flights of fancy, to overelaboration, to using a thousand words where ten would do, Logan excels at getting to the meat of the matter and to excising the fat. He's a veteran game maker, so a lot of that is simply second nature at this point. But if you look at what he designs, you'll find a lot of him in the work—systems with complex subtlety that get the job done and have the potential to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Mark Moreland: Mark's also a collector and chronicler—and that makes him dangerous. He likes knowing the details, putting them in order, and figuring out the secrets. Mark's revealed countless holes in supposedly foolproof plots over the years and is more than willing to share his mind. He's like a favorite cousin who has a knack for pissing off your parents. I jokingly tell Mark to shut up with some frequency, but I don't know that I've ever told him he's wrong. Too often we can't see the specifics of the pictures we paint, but Mark's got a damn keen eye for details.

Mark Seifter: Seifter is radiation. Not, like, the bad kind, but the sort of sci-fi radiation that makes things grow in brilliantly unpredictable ways. Rather than growing plants or Hulks, though, Mark grows intricate rules systems, transforming the mundane into marvels. Fortunately, this boundless energy has been a boon to those in need, from fellow designers to questioning forum posters. Whether in brainstorms or on the convention floor, Mark's vigor is unignorable and promises a future vibrant with mighty things.

Mike Kenway: Kenway thinks I've been ignoring his emails, IMs, and sticky notes all this time as a joke. The secret is that I haven't been. I've been ignoring them for real. I'll miss filling your chair cushions with woodlice, Kenway—that's the god's honest truth.

Owen KC Stephens: Owen got his job by doing solid design work and being a damn nice guy. He then proved himself to have an utterly insufferable combination of intelligence, outspokenness, experience, and relentlessness that's led him to positively reshape every project he's been a part of. Owen plays the guru well, but he's most at home in the thick of things, testing, debating, and redesigning. He's nothing short of a powerhouse. And then we put him in the same room with Rob McCreary and from their debates a secret source of endless—but largely unmarketable—energy was achieved.

Pierce Watters: More trivia than a secret: You're probably only one step removed from personally knowing somebody who personally knows Pierce Watters. Pierce knows everybody, has been everywhere, has done everything, and is happy to tell you why that thing is either a fantastic idea or a fantastically horrible idea. If there ever is or ever was a publishing and gaming equivalent of gonzo journalism, Pierce would be one of the greats. I haven't always grokked everything Pierce has told me stories about, but I've always appreciated being invited along for the ride.

Rick Kunz: Rick Kunz is an intellect ouroboros. Rick's one of those guys who can look at a system, analyze it, and find the best solution in 5 minutes. If there's something he doesn't know, he'll teach himself. If there's information someone else has, he'll get it out of them and iterate something better. If there's a problem that needs fixing, he'll find a solution. Rick's one of those guys who can do or could do anything... and who also calls himself a dumb guy. Which leads me to believe that he either has a low opinion of his brilliance or he's smart enough to know the value of being underestimated. A cagey enigma, that one, but well worth keeping an eye on.

Robert G. McCreary: Rob hasn't aged a day since washing up on the shore near Hampton amid the wreckage of the USS Cumberland. In the years since, he's eluded a lucrative, globetrotting career as a hand model to become the world's most deliberate RPG adventure developer. Rob is host to multitudes, which means he can argue anything from any angle. It also gives him a breadth of perspective that makes him one of the best character creators and editors in the biz.

Sara Marie: In a cynical world of customers who are "always"—audible eyeroll—"right" and companies that put patrons first(-ish), it's hard to consider standards of customer service much more than marketing ploys. But that's not the case for Sara Marie. Giving everybody a fair shake, bending over backward to address an issue, and working long hours to organize a fan-focused show like PaizoCon, they're all something akin to duty for her. That's one of the most difficult to believe secrets I've written today: that for Sara Marie, doing right by Paizo's customers isn't a gimmick, it's the honest truth.

Sarah Robinson: Sarah has like thirty super powers. The greatest, though, is that she can walk into a restaurant, glance at a menu, and instantly know the best thing on it. (If you ever go get food with Sarah, order what she's having.) She can also create art and laid-out pages by force of will, but activating it usually comes at a price in developer skins. The economics here get tricky. Regardless, Sarah's one of the top three secrets to Paizo's success. If you've ever picked up a Pathfinder or Starfinder book, leafed through, and said "wow" within the first minute, it's probably because of her.

Sharaya Copas, Katina Davis, Diego Valdez, & Scott Keim: Aside from being several of the champions that keep Paizo running from day to day, our Customer Service team, Sharaya, Katina, and Diego, and Data Entry Clerk Scott Keim are some of the company's best. They're always beyond friendly and are endlessly willing—even eager—to pitch in, to playtest a game, and to give honest feedback. Those of us in editorial might not get to interact with them as often, but some of Paizo's most major products would be entirely different without their efforts and insight.

Sonja Morris: Sonja's captain of Team Bombproof. Any project or in-process fire can land on her desk and everyone will be confident that she'll handle it. It's not always glamorous, but it's appreciated far more than people say. Add to that Sonja's ability to work with anyone on anything, her years of experience, and her quiet dark streak, and you've got the makings of one of Paizo's true superstars. I'll miss our cyclical rounds of "What do you need? No, what do you need?"

Stephen Radney-MacFarland: Perhaps not a huge secret, but Stephen has one of the best s@#%-sniffers in the business. He's a fantastic critic, and doesn't care about your intention or your opinion. In the aftermath of a project, there's no disguising his judgments. Before that, though, while there's work to be done, Stephen's one of the best project wranglers and design sculptors what there is. You don't want collaborators who are only going to be half-enthused about your work, and Stephen's not interested in half measures. If it's good, it's done. If it's bad, he'll help you fix it... maybe. It's an uncomplicated arrangement, but it's one that's led me to trust Stephen's opinion more than most.

Tonya Woldridge: Many folks know Tonya has a military background—most Venture-Officers have firsthand experience with her knack for organization. No one ever ask what century's military her experience is with, though. An expert time traveler, Tonya has clear access to a repository of excess hours. There's no other explanation for how she attends to all manner of Organized Play business at all hours of the day and night, weekdays and weekends, time zones be damned. Organized Play programs of the past, present, and future has never been in more able hands. Now if only she'd share her chronomasterful ways.

Vic Wertz: If it's a job at Paizo, Vic's probably done it. He's edited books, he's designed games, he's moderated the forums, he's architected the website, he's pitched projects, he's set strategy, he's done it all and has schemes for what's come next. Vic has as keen sense of the Paizo that Paizo could be and is eager to get there. So, if helping to edit an article or move a box full of board games is the next hurdle in the company's path, he's happy to help clear it. The same goes for Paizo's entire executive team, but with Vic there's always a matter-of-factness, a "this is happening" attitude that makes it clear no hurdle's insurmountable.

Will Chase: You're not going to impress Will Chase. Will has this seen-it-all, done-it-all air. On top of that, dude manages a warehouse full of games and has the keys to a forklift with a Cthulhu bumper sticker. He doesn't wow easy. There's a difference between people who get things done and people with a "let's not make this a problem" attitude. It's the difference between knowing the way to a place, but also knowing the back roads. Will knows all the roads, so it's probably in your best interest to buy him a drink.

And that about does it. While it probably doesn't forestall tomorrow's abuse, at the very least it should leave the scales karmically even.

Even though I won't be at Paizo day to day anymore, it's not like I'm frickin' dying. I'll certainly still be around on the boards and likely in print every now and then. You can also keep up with my schemes in all the places I usually haunt—most obviously on Twitter and Tumblr, but also on YouTube and Patreon, and Sundays at 3:00 PST on Twitch. Feel free to give me a follow wherever your social stuff takes you.

So that's it for now. Thanks again to everyone at Paizo, to all the incredible Paizo authors and artists, and to those in the wider Paizo community for what's been an amazing ride. I couldn't be more awestruck by all your incredible work or more excited for what's to come.

Keep up all the awesome.

~W

F. Wesley Schneider
Former Editor-in-Chief

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Help us Win the Gauntlet Infinity!

May 4, 2017, 12:00 pm

When last we left our heroes, they were locked in a fight with a cunning and powerful warlord from the depths of space who had claimed the all-powerful Gauntlet: Infinity and was planning to use it to rule the universe! Can our heroes triumph to reclaim the gauntlet? Will they survive the daylong battle, subsisting only on snacks and caffeine? Will you help them achieve victory?

Help us Win the Gauntlet Infinity!

Thursday, May 4, 2017

When last we left our heroes, they were locked in a fight with a cunning and powerful warlord from the depths of space who had claimed the all-powerful Gauntlet: Infinity and was planning to use it to rule the universe! Can our heroes triumph to reclaim the gauntlet? Will they survive the daylong battle, subsisting only on snacks and caffeine? Will you help them achieve victory?

Every year, Paizo puts together a team to do battle with others from the greater game community around Seattle for a board game tournament at the Mox Boarding House. This year's Gauntlet: Infinity tournament is set to go down on May 21!

Gauntlet: Infinity poster art by Justin Treadway. Used with Permission. Copyright Mox Boarding House 2017.

To the victor goes the Gauntlet, and actual metal trophy. We've had the honor of wearing it in the past, and this is our chance to take it back! You can help by donating to our team. Every donation goes toward earning us a number of "power-ups" or special advantages that help us during the games. Better still, all of your donations go to support Treehouse, a local charity organization dedicated to helping foster kids graduate high school!

Let me introduce you to this year's Paizo team:

Katina Davis

"The Pink PUNisher"

Katina Davis grew up nerdy in the Northwest. She has been a Customer Service Representative at Paizo for 3 years now, and enjoys torturing her coworkers with puns. When she's not doing that, you'll find her hiking, reading, writing, drawing, practicing foreign languages, belting out showtunes in her car, or playing video games. You can support the Pink PUNisher here!

Jason Keeley

"The Puzzler"

Jason Keeley is an editor and developer at Paizo, changing hats as the needs arise. He is excited to have been on the team that worked on the Starfinder Core Rulebook, and is currently knee-deep in creatures from other worlds for the upcoming Alien Archive. Jason lives in Redmond with his wife, Paula, and their adorable dog, Bigby. You can support The Puzzler here!

Sharaya Copas

"The Azure Avenger"

Sharaya Copas is a Midwest transplant trying to build a life in the Pacific Northwest. She has been a Customer Service Representative at Paizo for over 3 years now. Her hobbies and interests include playing board and card games, painting miniatures, playing Fallout, reading, DIY projects, and hiking. You can support the Azure Avenger here!

Jason Bulmahn

"The Mighty Minotaur"

Jason Bulmahn has been with Paizo for over 12 years, crafting the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from within his cunning maze, filled with monsters and deadly traps. He frequently gets lost in it though and spends far too much time playing just about anything with the word game in the title. You can support the Mighty Minotaur here!

These amazing heroes need your help! Go to the Paizo Gauntlet page, select your favorite hero and donate today!

Free Gauntlet Adventure

As a thank you for your support (now and in the past), we are releasing a FREE 16-page Pathfinder adventure, The Gauntlet! Your heroes have been selected to take the Pathfinder Society's most dangerous test to see if you have what it takes to be a awarded some of their most secretive missions! Can your characters survive The Gauntlet!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

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Happy Holidays from Paizo!

Dec 22, 2016, 02:00 pm

What a year 2016 has been! The latter half of the year is always a time where we reflect upon the wonderful support of our community, customers, and fans. And while many of us are still hustling to get the outstanding last-minute goblins in check before taking a much-needed break, we realize that without you, it wouldn't be nearly as awesome!

Happy Holidays from Paizo!

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

What a year 2016 has been! The latter half of the year is always a time where we reflect upon the wonderful support of our community, customers, and fans. And while many of us are still hustling to get the outstanding last-minute goblins in check before taking a much-needed break, we realize that without you, it wouldn't be nearly as awesome!

While we plan on recapping this years releases in another blog, some of the highlights of 2016 include: journeying back to a much-loved Adventure Path in the hardcover edition of Curse of the Crimson Throne, beginning sanity-bending adventures in Strange Aeons and Horror Adventures. And in the summer, we announced our next great adventure in gaming with the upcoming Starfinder Roleplaying Game for release in August 2017!

The most amazing experience of 2016 had to have been February's Humble Bundle benefitting Extra Life and Camden's Concert. At launch, members of our Creative staff pushed through a 12+ hour gaming marathon to raise awareness of the bundle, and words cannot express the palpable excitement and awe as we watched the amount of people who participated tick ever higher over from the start of the stream and over those two weeks. Members of our Community, Customer Service, Tech, and Warehouse teams pulled out all the stops (and many hard hours) to provide support this initiative, and we are so grateful to everyone who chipped in to support both organizations. This effort brought many new faces to our community, saw the launch of our new Twitch channel, and opened the door for new opportunities for our games.

You are what makes it possible for everyone at Paizo to keep reaching for bigger and better goals. To show our appreciation, you can now use the holiday17 promotional code at checkout to receive a discount on an order from paizo.com.*

Once again, thank you! We wish you all safe travels, natural 20s, and all the wonders that the holiday season brings!

Best wishes and happy gaming,
The Paizo Staff

*The holiday17 code stacks with Pathfinder Advantage. This discount does not apply to subscriptions, backorders, preorders, or third-party downloads.

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And Miles to Go

Sep 13, 2016, 12:00 pm

Six years ago, Paizo welcomed prolific Pathfinder super-fan, PaizoCon and Wayfinder co-champion, and overall badass Liz Courts to our offices. Today, Liz treks on to her next adventure—pursuing her creative passions and leaving her trademark gninja style on whatever she sets her mind to. We are so proud to have been able to work side-by-side with her, and are just as excited to see what she does next. Because while in that blog post all that time ago, she hoped that the "awesomeness" would rub off on her, her "awesomness" has more than made it's mark on everyone in our office, our conventions, and the community.

And Miles to Go

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Six years ago, Paizo welcomed prolific Pathfinder super-fan, PaizoCon and Wayfinder co-champion, and overall badass Liz Courts to our offices. Today, Liz treks on to her next adventure—pursuing her creative passions and leaving her trademark gninja style on whatever she sets her mind to. We are so proud to have been able to work side-by-side with her, and are just as excited to see what she does next. Because while in that blog post all that time ago, she hoped that the "awesomeness" would rub off on her, her "awesomness" has more than made it's mark on everyone in our office, our conventions, and the community.

Left to Right: Liz, Lisa, and Adam at Gen Con 2012; Tim Nightengale, Liz, and Mark receive their Paizo Volunteer of the Year awards at PaizoCon 2012; The illustration by Liz (@lilith-darkmoon) outside of her and Sara's office

Liz is one of the reasons that I'm here at Paizo. We had been friends online since the magazine days and way back then I proposed the idea of making a chat room for a group of fans to be able to chat off the messageboards, which we were on all the time anyway. After making the post, Liz stepped up and built it. Back in the early days of the chatroom she, along with a few other folks, first encouraged me to get into freelancing. After I decided to do so, I booked a trip to GenCon where I'd finally meet Liz and a couple other close friends in person for the first time.

Liz didn't just make a chatroom for Paizo fans and make the messageboards a fun place, she also started Wayfinder with Hugo Solis. I was happy to be around for that magazine's infancy and help out with editing for the first half-dozen issues. Liz is also responsible for wrangling me into the secret project where she and I and a couple of other Werecabbages got a credit in the Core Rulebook!

With such a commitment to the community, it's no surprise that six years ago, Liz got picked up by the big purple golem. We were so happy for her and knew that she would kick ass there and it was great to see her making a positive change in her life exploring a new career. Starting off in Customer Service, she went to Webstore Specialist to Community Manager (and wore a bunch of other hats along the way).

A few years later, Liz was one of the first people I got in touch with when I was offered a job here, because I knew that she'd give it to me straight about what it was like at Paizo.

Even though we don't work in the same department, I've greatly enjoyed working with Liz. We get to work side by side at conventions (where she has frequently taken pictures of me in boxes and posted them to the blog). Liz has always been a hard worker who gives a damn about what she's doing. I'm going to miss having her here as someone to talk to and rely on for a solid opinion on something. She always has a level head and makes good calls. It's going to be tough to fill her shoes. I'm gonna miss you, Liz!

Adam Daigle
Developer

It's hard to imagine the Paizo office without Liz because she was already such an integral part of it by the time I showed up. Her influence in the Pathfinder community stretches so far and wide, that I admit I was a bit intimidated when I first met her. I had heard tales of her fiercely loyal friendship and delicious baked goods, and Liz wasted no time in extending that sense of community and family to me when I stepped in the door.

Since that day she has been a fount of knowledge, advice, creativity, inspiration, and encouragement. She's not one to sit idly by and watch a peer suffer. She'll give you all the tricks she has up her sleeve to help, and if that doesn't do it she'll know which direction to point you. She spreads such joy and enthusiasm about the game, about art, and about life, and has always been the first to encourage those around her to do what they love. I know that I'm not alone in feeling that the time I've been honored to work with her has had a deep impact on me, both personally and professionally. As selfishly sad as I am that I won't be able to see her every day at work, I am beyond thrilled for the future that lies in pursuing her craft. I know that wherever there are rooms full of gamers sharing laughs and rolling dice, Liz won't ever be too far away.

Katina Davis
Customer Service Representative

Liz was my friend before I ever started at Paizo, and was the bedrock of the Paizo fan community when I first started getting into Golarion. She was also a kickass roommate for many years, even if we did argue constantly over cat-rearing philosophies. It was amazing when we ended up coworkers. She's been so smart and passionate and friendly at every turn. The office is going to feel a lot emptier without her here, but I'm thrilled that she's moving on to bigger and better things!

Crystal Frasier
Developer

I first interacted with Liz as a third-party publisher of Pathfinder-compatible material. I wasn't joking when I dubbed her Paizo's Patron Saint of 3PP. Her professionalism, vast knowledge base, and friendly assistance with any issue or question I had as publisher of Rogue Genius Games had a major impact on our success, and on the success of Pathfinder-compatible third-party efforts in general. A endless round of thanks and applause, Liz!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer

LIZ! Thank you so much for helping keep Paizo fans happy, and for keeping Paizo employees happy! You will be missed, but hopefully this means you'll have LOTS of free time now to draw me LOTS more Merisiel pictures, right? Well... even if you don't, have fun and good luck and keep gaming!

James Jacobs
Creative Director

My very first experience with Liz was at Gen Con 2014. It was my first Gen Con and I was a bit starstruck seeing all these people who make the game I love. I went to the Paizo booth a few times, and ended up at the register Liz was running more than once. When I went to pickup my subscription was one of those times. I told her I was picking up my subs and gave her my name. She then, without looking anything up, said my email address and asked if that was me. Liz Courts liked my email address and had remembered it! LIZ COURTS liked my email address and remembered it! I spent what was probably a few hours making starstruck fanboy squeals at my friends. There were even more of those squeals this past Christmas. I love Star Wars. I love Pathfinder. Amiri is my favorite iconic. On my desk right now is a wonderful piece of Liz art (Liz is a wonderful artist!) of Amiri as an X-Wing pilot that she gave me for Christmas!

Liz, I feel very fortunate for having been able to work with you, and more importantly be friends with you. It has always amazed me how much information you have hanging out in your head. That you remember every single item on our website is amazing. That you remember every single fandom of everyone around you is also amazing (and it makes every wallet attack you make a critical hit!)! I would wish you luck with your future endeavors but you are such a talented writer and artist that I know you don't need luck. The work you have put in to your craft will take you wherever you want to go. I will miss talking about Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and all of the fandoms. Thank you for everything, Liz! Peace and long life!

Diego Valdez
Customer Service Representative

When I think of Liz, I immediately think of the Gen Con many years ago when she somehow got a hold of a creepy dolphin puppet, which she proceeded to wield like Pam from the cartoon Archer. A whole crew of us spent that last night of the show hanging around someone's hotel room, shooting the breeze while she made the dolphin puppet leer at us, turning every innocent comment into innuendo by virtue of its smarmy, knows-too-much smile. So while I could say all sorts of things about how awesome Liz has been for the company and the community, or how talented she is in a variety of fields, I'd be lying if I didn't say my first association with the name Liz Courts is "raunchy dolphin puppet."

And I think that, in itself, may be the greatest praise.

James L. Sutter
Creative Director

I met Liz for the first time at PaizoCon 2009 where she GM'd my very first convention game. Since then she has been an enthusiastic, supportive and amazing coworker, officemate and friend. I've been lucky enough to get to witness her growth as an artist and author and while I'm excited to see where her talent and dedication and love of gaming leads her, I'm going to miss the heck out of seeing her smile every time I peak over my computer.

Sara Marie
Customer Service Manager

I will miss that Liz always has a relevant gif handy to help bring humor or sympathy to situations. And will I miss things like delicious brownies from the Department of Morale Adjustment. However, my wallet will NOT miss sneaky wallet gninja attacks, that are perfectly relevant-to-interests™.

Sharaya
Customer Service Representative

Left to Right: Crystal and Liz at the PaizoCon 2012 Grand Convocation; Liz sharing her signature cackle with the rest of the world at PaizoCon 2016; Liz, champion of plushies, at PaizoCon 2013

Liz was a guide when I first began at Paizo—sharing her fervor for Pathfinder, Paizo, the greater hobby of tabletop gaming, and helping me grow to truly care about and champion for our community. Over the last two years, our combined hopes to be the best Community Team we can be have driven us forward, and what is public-facing hasn't even scratched the surface of the passion behind the team and the ideas we've come up with together. I've learned professional and life lessons from Liz, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had to be her manager for this short while. She is a force, and I know whatever she does after today will be just as amazing as she is.

Please join us as we applaud Liz Courts and wish her luck on the next great unknown!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

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Mega Map Madness

Sep 8, 2016, 05:48 pm

Before Adam Smith from the Order of the Amber Die had the first adventure of Strange Aeons sent to him, Adam Daigle warned him that the Briarstone Asylum was pretty detailed and complicated. After seeing the maps for the previous Giantslayer marathon, we knew that he put a ton of work into his maps, and apologized ahead of time for how much time he'd spend with the asylum.

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Gen Con and Thanks for All the Fish

Aug 16, 2016, 03:00 pm

Gen Con 2016 is in the books (and Delta's computer failure gave me and many other Paizonians a lovely bonus day or two in the fabulous airport waiting areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and/or Salt Lake City) and what a show it was! Demos of the upcoming Mummy's Mask Base Set were a huge hit in the exhibit hall, with 10 tables of action running basically at capacity for four straight days. Many thanks to Dominick Trascritti and his skilled demo team for giving fans old and new an excellent introduction to Mummy's Mask.

Gen Con and Thanks for All the Fish

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Gen Con 2016 is in the books (and Delta's computer failure gave me and many other Paizonians a lovely bonus day or two in the fabulous airport waiting areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and/or Salt Lake City) and what a show it was! Demos of the upcoming Mummy's Mask Base Set were a huge hit in the exhibit hall, with 10 tables of action running basically at capacity for four straight days. Many thanks to Dominick Trascritti and his skilled demo team for giving fans old and new an excellent introduction to Mummy's Mask.

Action in the Sagamore Ballroom was also hopping, with the Adventure Card Guild area serving up more tables of Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild play than ever before. We showcased the epic final adventures of Season of the Runelords. We debuted the insane Season of the Goblins, written by Tyler Beck, David Jacobson, and Keith Richmond... and let's just say that people were not expecting to eat that many slugs. (For those of you who didn't make it to Gen Con, these adventures will be available for sale soon!)

We debuted a multimodal special event, The Cosmic Captive, mixing RPG and ACG tables to great effect. We got a ton of great feedback on how to improve the ACG side of future such events, so thank you all for being our guinea pigs on that. Venture-Lieutenant Kevin Hanley and his phenomenal volunteer staff did a spectacular job marshaling and managing the area, as well as the trial by fire that was running multiple tables simultaneously. (The Cosmic Captive will be available exclusively to conventions for the next year.) It was a privilege and a pleasure to work with so many enthusiastic and talented Pathfinder Society folk this year. (To my Special GMs: JUMP!)

We also brought back the ACG Open for a second year, to the delight and chagrin of dedicated players. This year's tournament, "The Cayden Cailean Way," took 64 players through a variety of tests in honor of the Lucky Drunk. In case you need to be terrified, this year's event had rounds written by Chad Brown, Keith Richmond, and Mike Selinker, with a little synthesis done by yours truly. The final round featured last year's runner-up team, Level 5, against an upstart team of pick-up players called Team One. Both teams completed the final scenario within one minute of each other, but Team One won the day with a higher overall score. Level 5, I am rooting for you to level up next year!

The 2016 Adventure Card Game Open finalists.

This year's Gen Con (my nineteenth, yipes!) was bittersweet for me, because it marked an ending and a beginning for me. I'm starting a new adventure this fall: nursing school. Unfortunately, the demands of school and the demands of ACG players are a little too much to handle at once, so I'm bidding farewell to Paizo's hallowed halls. I leave the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game in the capable hands of Vic and the Sharks, and the Adventure Card Guild in the capable hands of Organized Play Coordinator Tonya Woldridge. Being a member of the ACG and Pathfinder Society teams has been a joy, and I couldn't ask for better stewards.

Thank you all for allowing me to strain your brains and add fun to your days with the Class Decks and the Adventure Card Guild. I've really enjoyed doing it, and I look forward to playing with you all at a convention soon. Onward to adventure!

Tanis O'Connor
Adventure Card Game Designer

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Tags: Adventure Card Guild Conventions Gen Con Gen Con 2016 Paizo Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

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Help Paizo Reclaim the Gauntlet!

May 5, 2016, 12:00 pm

Two years ago, the brave forces of Paizo took the field of battle, fighting off skilled foes sent by other game companies from around Seattle to claim the Gauntlet, a fabled prize of glory and power. When the dust settled, we were victorious. The Gauntlet was ours!

Help Paizo Reclaim the Gauntlet!

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Two years ago, the brave forces of Paizo took the field of battle, fighting off skilled foes sent by other game companies from around Seattle to claim the Gauntlet, a fabled prize of glory and power. When the dust settled, we were victorious. The Gauntlet was ours!

But such triumphs were not made to last...

Last year, we once again took the field, raising money for charity, fending off an even greater field of contenders. It was a day of hard fought battles and although we fought valiantly, we were defeated. The team from the Removed From Play podcast had cast us down into ruin. They took the Gauntlet from us.

Now, the time has come once again. We go to do battle in less that two weeks and we need your help to once again battle for the Gauntlet. You can help by donating to the Gauntlet charity in the name of Paizo (or by selecting one of the individual team members). The more money we raise, the more "power ups" we will get during the event to help us win! A lot of the other teams have gotten a bit of a head start on us this year, but we are confident you will help to see us through. The team for this year has seen some changes as well, adding fresh blood to our stable of champions. While Erik Mona and I will be returning, we are happy to add Katina Davis (Customer Service Representative) and Jason Keely (Editor) to the Gauntlet team.

Go and, select a team member and donate today! Every little bit helps and it all goes to support YouthCare, a great charity that helps homeless kids!

Last year, we promised a short dungeon adventure as a reward for helping us with the tournament and we have not forgotten about this commitment. Although our responsibilities at Paizo have delayed us, I am happy to announce that the adventure is currently going through editing and will be available for FREE in just a few weeks. Take a look at the awesome map for this exciting adventure!

We look forward to fighting for the Gauntlet and thank you for helping us out!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer, Paizo Gauntlet Team Captain

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Goblins Invade Geek Nation!

Mar 4, 2016, 12:00 pm

Last Friday I had the pleasure of invading the radio studio of 99.9 KISW ("The Rock of Seattle") to introduce members of their morning show crew to Pathfinder. A staple of the rock radio scene since I was a kid, radio host BJ Shea now also runs a podcast called Geek Nation along with longtime co-hosts the Reverend Enfuego, Vicky Barcelona, and more.

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Seasons Greetings from the Paizo Crew!

Dec 23, 2015, 02:30 pm

This year we ventured back to Cheliax for a fight against the forces of evil in Hell's Rebels (to be followed by an accompanying foray as the forces of evil in Hell's Vengeance in early 2016), kicked demon butt in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game with Wrath of the Righteous, detailed the peoples and races of Golarion in Inner Sea Races, shook up the Pathfinder RPG with Pathfinder Unchained, as well as pulled back the veil on the world beyond in Occult Adventures. We also struck partnerships with Audible and TOR to bring you Pathfinder Tales in exciting new formats (like Kindle and Audible Audiobook), and explored the world of our iconic characters in the Pathfinder Origins comic series.

Seasons Greetings from the Paizo Crew!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Illustration by Dave Allsop

It's that time of the year where all of us at Paizo stop to reflect. Whether it's the outpouring of support we receive from our community, customers, and fans, or the products and projects we've gotten out of our doors and into your hands—it's all these things that make our year that much more awesome.

This year we ventured back to Cheliax for a fight against the forces of evil in Hell's Rebels (to be followed by an accompanying foray as the forces of evil in Hell's Vengeance in early 2016), kicked demon butt in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game with Wrath of the Righteous, detailed the peoples and races of Golarion in Inner Sea Races, shook up the Pathfinder RPG with Pathfinder Unchained, as well as pulled back the veil on the world beyond in Occult Adventures. We also struck partnerships with Audible and TOR to bring you Pathfinder Tales in exciting new formats (like Kindle and Audible Audiobook), and explored the world of our iconic characters in the Pathfinder Origins comic series.

Our community shined bright in 2015! PaizoCon and Gen Con were amazing successes for Paizo, turning out an ever growing number of gamers, and leaving our staff in awe of the wonderful folk out there who support Pathfinder and Paizo. In fact, this year we formed a dedicated community team just to accommodate you all and plan for future community events, provide online support, and outreach through more outlets than before.

This year also meant a lot of new Paizo faces. We've added three new developers (Amanda Hamon Kunz, Crystal Frasier, and Linda Zayas-Palmer) who work on our Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Society, and other various lines, as well as two new editors (Jason Keeley and Josh Vogt). We also welcomed our new Organized Play Coordinator Tonya Woldridge in October!

None of the achievements we've made in 2015 would have been possible or as special to us without you. To show our appreciation, you can now use the holiday16 promotional code at checkout to receive a discount on an order from paizo.com.*

Part of our "skeleton" Paizo crew over the holidays!

Thank you very much from everyone here at Paizo for the continued support! We have a great deal of folks out there traveling for the holidays, and wish them and all of you safe travels and a wonderful holiday season!

We cannot wait until you see what's coming in 2016!

Best wishes and happy gaming,
The Paizo Staff

*This discount doesn't apply to backorders, downloads from other companies, preorders, or subscriptions.

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Pathfinder Adventure Path #100: A Song of Silver (Hell's Rebels 4 of 6) (PFRPG)

A Silver Centennial

Dec 11, 2015, 12:00 pm

It surely doesn't feel like 100 months have passed since "Burnt Offerings," the first volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path, showed up on my desk. A lot has changed for me in those 100 months—I've moved my place of residence, my job's moved ITS place of residence, I've lost more than 150 pounds, I've gained countless new friends and industry contacts, and more. It hasn't all been good—some friends are gone, some doors have closed, and as THEY are fond of saying, "mistakes were made." But sitting here now, looking at the 100th volume of Pathfinder, I can categorically state that overall, things have gone really quite well over those past 100 months. I couldn't be prouder of how this volume turned out... or more nervous, frankly. I hope folks like the adventure!

A Silver Centennial

Friday, December 11, 2015

Time flies when you're on a deadline every single month.

It surely doesn't feel like 100 months have passed since "Burnt Offerings," the first volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path, showed up on my desk. A lot has changed for me in those 100 months—I've moved my place of residence, my job's moved ITS place of residence, I've lost more than 150 pounds, I've gained countless new friends and industry contacts, and more. It hasn't all been good—some friends are gone, some doors have closed, and as THEY are fond of saying, "mistakes were made." But sitting here now, looking at the 100th volume of Pathfinder, I can categorically state that overall, things have gone really quite well over those past 100 months. I couldn't be prouder of how this volume turned out... or more nervous, frankly. I hope folks like the adventure!

It was as early as Wrath of the Righteous that Erik Mona started putting the 100 Bug in my head, of course. At that time, it was still years in the future, but it was pretty obvious that, barring cataclysmic apocalypse-related events, we WERE going to make it to that stage. "What should we do for volume 100?" became an increasingly pressing question. The answer was more complicated than one might initially think, since the way math works meant that volume 100 of Pathfinder Adventure Path wouldn't coincide nicely with any other significant event—it wasn't going to be the first or last volume of an Adventure Path, nor would it sync up with any other notable Paizo-related anniversaries. It was, in fact, smack in the middle of an Adventure Path, and that raised some challenges.

The end result, of course, is now out for folks to see. Pathfinder Adventure Path #100 is 32 pages longer than any other volume of the Adventure Path. It's the first one to contain a foldout poster (presenting an awesome depiction of the first 102 volumes of the Adventure Path along with a minis-scale map of an encounter area that plays a key role three times in the campaign—twice in this adventure!). It's the first one where we've spent more than half a page discussing one of the setting's most talked-about and mysterious characters—the dead god Aroden. (And no, we still don't tell you HOW he died.)

And of course, I fully admit to certain self-indulgences I made along the way. What's the point of being Creative Director if you can't claim volume 100's adventure as one you write? Or if you can't put one of your favorite characters in the adventure? Of course, I went even beyond that—I wrote the adventure, one of the commemorative NPCs, and two of the monsters (Adam will be around later to talk more about that half of the book and more). And I didn't just put one of my favorite characters in the adventure—I put her on the cover.

Anyway, enough about that! There's a lot more going on in "A Song of Silver" than my pet NPCs—so go grab your copy and check it out! Or if you don't have a copy handy yet... then check out some of the incredible art from volume 100 below!

Illustrations by Jaime Martinez, Wayne Reynolds, Ekaterina Burmak, and Miguel Regodón Harkness

James Jacobs
Creative Director

Editorial Note: For the last 100 volumes of Pathfinder, I've been changing Jacobs's ENTHUSIASTIC ALL CAPS to italics, in editorials and elsewhere. Given the festiveness of the occasion, however, I've decided to make an exception, just this once. Congratulations, Jacobs! Don't get used to it!—Sutter

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Tags: Ekaterina Burmak Hell's Rebels Jaime Martinez Miguel Regodón Harkness Paizo Pathfinder Adventure Path Wayne Reynolds

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Welcome Our New Editor—Josh Vogt!

Oct 20, 2015, 12:00 pm

I've journeyed long from Denver, CO, to be here and am excited to join the team. Ever since college, my career has always involved writing and editing in some fashion, veering from journalism to copywriting to my own fiction and full-time freelancing for RPG developers and otherwise. Some of you might also recognize me as the author of the Pathfinder Tales novel Forge of Ashes, as well as several of the stories in the Web Fiction series. Alongside that, I continue to work on my own wordsmithing, including The Cleaners series, with "Enter the Janitor" and The Maids of Wrath bringing a little supernatural sanitation twist to urban fantasy.

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Welcome Our New Organized Play Coordinator—Tonya Woldridge!

Oct 5, 2015, 03:00 pm

Hail and well met to the Paizo community! My name is Tonya Woldridge and I am the new Organized Play Coordinator for the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild.

Welcome Our New Organized Play Coordinator—Tonya Woldridge!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Hail and well met to the Paizo community! My name is Tonya Woldridge and I am the new Organized Play Coordinator for the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild.

I am honored to be chosen and will strive to step up and swing for the fences. The creativity of my Pathfinder Society teammates, John Compton, Linda Zayas Palmer, and Tanis O'Connor, defies words. The dedication of the "Venture Officer Corp" is the stuff of legend. Together, we are working to bring you the best campaign possible and I look forward to unveiling more over the upcoming months.

Working at Paizo is returning to my roots. I grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, about 5 hours from the Paizo office, and spent 2 years at the relatively local University of Puget Sound. My extended family is dotted throughout the Pacific Northwest. I love the rain, mist, and mountains! If you want a beautiful vacation destination, the Olympic Peninsula is the best.

My gaming journey started in high school with 2nd Edition AD&D. Over the years, my various home groups worked their way through Earthdawn, and 3.0/3.5. We were on the Shackled City Adventure Path when Pathfinder Beta released, and our GM (My husband, 5-Star GM extraordinaire "Crispy3ed") converted the campaign from 3.5 to Pathfinder. I went to the third PaizoCon UK and was hooked on organized play. Since then, I've been a Venture-Lieutenant in the United Kingdom, a Venture-Captain in Canada, a Gen Con HQ volunteer for the past three years, and achieved 5 Star GM status. When the Adventure Card Game released, we started with the Runelords box set and have continued through the next editions.

My husband is a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and we have 2 children. As a military spouse, my family has been fortunate enough to travel the world, spending 14 of the past 18 years living in England, Canada, and Korea. Our US posts include Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. While not fluent in foreign languages, I understand Korean, German, French, and several varieties of English.

Outside of Pathfinder, I enjoy reading books across a variety of genres, with Anne McCaffrey, Sharon Shinn, George R. R. Martin, David Gross, and Diana Gabaldon all in my top 10 author list. Another hobby is researching historical methods of crafting, sewing, brewing, dancing, singing, and cooking. I have been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism for over 20 years. This love of all things medieval led to getting a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Maryland. I also have a Bachelor's in Asian Studies, as I fell in love with Korea when we lived there and needed to know more.

I thank the leadership at Paizo for their trust and support as we strive to bring a fantastic experience to the community.

Cheers!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Coordinator

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Pathfinder Adventure Path #97: In Hell's Bright Shadow (Hell's Rebels 1 of 6) (PFRPG)

Behind the Art of Hell's Rebels

Aug 27, 2015, 03:00 pm

The launch of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path is special for a number of reasons. Most significant, of course, is that this series will include the long-awaited issue number 100! It's taken a lot of hard work from many talented people to get Pathfinder this far, and I am extremely grateful to have been here to see issue 100 take shape.

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Tags: Caio Maciel Monteiro Ekaterina Burmak Hell's Rebels Kiki Moch Rizky Paizo Pathfinder Adventure Path Will O'Brien

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Tales from Gen Con

Jul 19, 2015, 12:00 pm

I have a long relationship with Gen Con, stretching back into the previous century. That relationship is tied very closely to the progress of my career, from fan, to freelancer, to Paizo developer. Like many good stories, my tales from Gen Con are best told in reverse.

Tales from Gen Con

Sunday, July 19, 2015

I have a long relationship with Gen Con, stretching back into the previous century. That relationship is tied very closely to the progress of my career, from fan, to freelancer, to Paizo developer. Like many good stories, my tales from Gen Con are best told in reverse.

Last year was my first time at Gen Con as an employee of Paizo, and I spent most of it helping the amazing volunteers running Pathfinder Society events in the Sagamore Ballroom. Watching more than 1,400 tables of people playing Pathfinder together over the course of the convention was an awe-inspiring sight. Watching people spend hours of blood, sweat, and tears to make sure their fellow PFS members had a good time was actually emotionally moving for me. The entire point of RPGs is to play games together, and seeing dozens of people take hour and hours out of their convention fun to help other people's game experiences run smoothly was immensely fulfilling.

Last year was also the first Gen Con where freelance writers struck up conversations with me on the hallway, often getting around to asking if I would have writing opportunities to assign anytime soon. I remember being on the other end of that conversation, and I have to say most Paizo freelancers seem better at it than I remember being.

For many years before I was an employee at Paizo, that kind of networking with developers and editors was the main thing I did at Gen Con. The convention is one of the few places where multiple RPG companies have editors and developers present all in one building, so for a freelance RPG writer it's a target-rich environment. For a decade I considered travel to Gen Con less a vacation (though I always ended up having a great time), and more a necessary business trip. Thankfully I was well-enough known to be invited to the occasional private event, but mostly I went to places where editors and developers were likely to be found (dealer's room booths, the ENnie Awards, bars), and asked if anyone needed anything. I discovered that if developers know you well enough to ask if you can grab them a bottle of water, helping out often later results in being invited to a quick lunch or an event you'd otherwise have missed.

Such impromptu gatherings are amazing opportunities to get to better know people in the industry, and were instrumental in my building a network of people who might offer me work or who I could go to for career or design advice. Of course you have to follow up on such contacts, and don't miss out on opportunities closer to home. At one casual Gen Con gathering a few years ago, I realized that I never spoke to Greg Vaughn, who lived no more than 30 minutes from my house, except when we were both in Indianapolis, hundreds of miles from where we lived. He and I had a good laugh about that, but I also made sure to have lunch with him before the next Gen Con.

In 2010 when I was part of the Industry Insider program of seminars I also discovered there was a second level of networking at well, between peers who already have some success in the industry. Every seminar panel included some time just before and just after talking to the crowd where the panelists would say hi, exchange business cards, and sometimes see what meal plans fellow panelists had. I didn't follow-up on as many of those opportunities as I should have, but I did learn a lot over just a few shared lunches.

The chance to be at such social gatherings evolved slowly over the years I've attended Gen Con. Before anyone knew me by name, I spent most of my time at the convention listening to seminars, playing demo games (often run by luminaries in the industry who already held the kinds of positions I aspired to), and getting to know other gamers. I had some advantage because I worked for Wizards of the Coast briefly in 2000-2001, but for the most part my early Gen Con opportunities came from being in the right place at the right time. I found that the last panel of the day was a particularly good time to be visible and friendly, and more than once got invited to impromptu gatherings of fans and professionals just because everyone was hungry. In one of my early trips to Gen Con I managed to be invited (along with most of the front row of fans) to have dinner with Dave Arneson after he gave a seminar about his experiences with roleplaying games, dating back to his early experiments with Braunstein. I hadn't planned to try to go to dinner with one of the godfathers of my favorite hobby, I just got lucky because I stood around politely when the seminar came to an end.

In fact, my best moments at Gen Con have almost always been things I not only didn't plan for, but didn't even dream might happen. There's aren't that many opportunities for fans of tabletop games to rub elbows with their favorite designers and artists, but Gen Con brings so many people together that you always have a chance at an amazing encounter.

So it was at my very first Gen Con, sometime in the 1990s, I had the honor of playing an RPG with Gary Gygax... for about 90 seconds.

He was at a table in-or-near the TSR/WotC Castle (a magnificent structure used as the TSR/WotC booth in the Dealer's Room at the time), and I believe he was running some edition of D&D. A crowd of us were watching. He was an energetic and exciting storyteller, and just watching him run a game was a lot of fun. Someone's character died (killed mysteriously in the darkness, having walked away from the PCs' campfire and only light source). That player gave up a spot at the table, and Mr. Gygax pointed at me and boomed "You want to play!?"

Of course I did.

A character sheet was slapped in front of me. My turn came soon enough. THINGS were circling our camp. I was a warrior of some type—I think a ranger, but I didn't last long enough to get acquainted with my character. As my one action, I grabbed a burning log from our campfire and hurled it out at the multiple sets of red eyes stalking us. "Good!" Mr. Gygax shouted approvingly, and had me roll a d20. I have no idea what I rolled.

It wasn't good enough to hit any of the red-eyed threats, but it was enough to illuminate them. Massive black wolves, snarling and, we realized talking.

"Kill that one!" Mr. Gygax snarled, pointing at me and explaining the words came from the biggest wolf, directed at the rest of the pack.

And they did.

I lasted exactly one round. Mr. Gygax smiled, told me I was dead, and I should let someone else play.

I've been hooked on Gen Con ever since.

Owen KC Stephens
Developer

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Portuguese Pathfinder Launches in Brazil!

Jul 18, 2015, 12:00 pm

This past weekend, I was honored to attend EIRPG, a game convention that takes place inside the gigantic Anime Friends convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil! This show heralded the release of the official Portuguese translation of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game!

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Gen Con for Everyone

Jul 7, 2015, 03:00 pm

As gigantic as Gen Con Indy has become, it's not hard to say that the show has something for everyone. If it's a game or style of gaming you're looking for, you're more likely than not to find it there. The convention's courting of younger fans, families, and even non-gamers has gone a long way in making the show feel like an event for everyone. In the past several years, Gen Con has grown into a fantastic meeting place for gamers of all shapes, genders, sexual preferences, ethnicities, and ages. If you love gaming, there's sure to be a community at Gen Con for you.

Gen Con for Everyone

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

As gigantic as Gen Con Indy has become, it's not hard to say that the show has something for everyone. If it's a game or style of gaming you're looking for, you're more likely than not to find it there. The convention's courting of younger fans, families, and even non-gamers has gone a long way in making the show feel like an event for everyone. In the past several years, Gen Con has grown into a fantastic meeting place for gamers of all shapes, genders, sexual preferences, ethnicities, and ages. If you love gaming, there's sure to be a community at Gen Con for you.

This year, though, Gen Con's vociferous welcome to gamers of all stripes proved to be about more than just marketing.

In March, when Indiana passed its controversial SB 101 bill—which, in part, protects businesses that wish to discriminate against same-sex couples—Gen Con wasn't quiet about it. The company issued a letter to Indiana's Governor Mike Pence, asking that he reconsider his support of the bill. They went on to explain that "Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years." As the largest annual convention held at the Indianapolis Convention Center—one that draws an estimated 50 million dollars to the city—Gen Con has some weight to put behind its words. That said, the convention also has a contract with the city of Indianapolis that lasts until 2020, so whatever action Gen Con chooses to take in response to SB 101—which remains Indiana state law—will take some time. Acknowledging such, Gen Con CEO and Owner Adrian Swartout issued a letter to Gen Con attendees, restating the convention's commitment to inclusivity and asking con-goers to contact Gen Con regarding both positive and negative experiences they have with local hospitality (you can see the complete letter here).

As a young gamer, Gen Con always felt like a place where I was accepted for who I was. Today, as a married gay man, it still does. I've always had an especially warm welcome in Indianapolis, and I don't see the passage of March's law changing that. At the same time, though, I also can't overstate how much I appreciate Gen Con standing up for all its attendees.

For the past several years it's been my honor to be a panelist on the popular Queer as a Three-Sided Die seminar, as well as on Paizo's own Diversity in Gaming panel. These discussions and events like them have been forums for enthusiastic feedback and invaluable criticism. They've been eye-opening and, at times, emotional experiences attended by folks who haven't always felt welcomed by their own fandoms. They've helped calibrate my perspective as a writer, game maker, and editor, and have had a direct, positive impact on the content of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. And they've all happened with the help of the supportive, earnest allies at Gen Con—both those who make the show happen and those who come to the show year after year. These events have become highlights of the show for me, not just because they're tremendously energetic, but because they've been a way to prove that, no matter who you are, you're absolutely welcome at the game table.

This year, I expect Gen Con to be the same as it always is—filled with amazing people, awesome events, and a community that knows what's really important: having great times with the people you care about. But even though this year has been filled with fantastic changes for many, that doesn't mean that your support or that of events like Gen Con is any less important. So be sure to swing by any of the great diversity or LGBTQ events going on at the show (a few can be found at TabletopGaymers.org, but be sure to post others you know of in the comments below). You can also nab your very own rainbow Gaymer ribbon at the Rogue Judges HQ table in Hall C—I know I'll have mine.

That Gen Con is so dedicated to fostering one big welcoming gamer community—well, for me, that's part of what really makes it the Best Four Days in Gaming.

Hope to see you all in Indy!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

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Fair Winds and Following Seas

Jun 29, 2015, 12:00 pm

Last October the Venture-Officers became aware of some family health issues that caused a change in my employment status at Paizo and I was allowed to telecommute. This change led my family and I to make the move from Seattle to the New Orleans area. This has worked fairly well for almost a year as I traveled to Paizo from New Orleans regularly but, as with most situations, things continue to evolve and my work status is changing yet again.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Monday, June 29, 2015

Illustration by Eva Widermann

Last October the Venture-Officers became aware of some family health issues that caused a change in my employment status at Paizo and I was allowed to telecommute. This change led my family and I to make the move from Seattle to the New Orleans area. This has worked fairly well for almost a year as I traveled to Paizo from New Orleans regularly but, as with most situations, things continue to evolve and my work status is changing yet again.

It is with a sad heart I announce today that my tenure with Paizo will end on August 7. This should allow me to say personal goodbyes at both PaizoCon UK and Gen Con. The day after I leave my position, I will be closing my public Campaign Coordinator Facebook page as well.

It has been a pleasure working with, and for, all of you. I was always taught to leave a situation better than I entered it. I hope I have done that. Some changes I take pride in being heavily involved with are:

Updating the Guide with a more professional appearance and outline

Implementing GM 101, GM 201 and Kid's Track (with the help of some awesome VOs)

Expanding our volunteer base from 13 VOs to more than 470

Growing the playerbase from around 12,000 to more than 60,000

Expanding Pathfinder Society's presence from 5 countries with an active PFS presence to 29 (including regions that had little or no prior Organized Play)

I have also taken a great deal of pride in watching PFS expand from one small room of 30 tables at Gen Con, to taking over the entire Sagamore Ballroom (with 180 tables of PFS gaming this year!), as well as numerous other activities planned for the space

Additionally, I've been working with our Tech Team over the past few months on an array of improvements to the Pathfinder Society section of paizo.com, and think you will approve of the changes that are coming

There are many other changes that I have initiated and been a part of, and I think have improved the overall quality of Pathfinder Society, but are too numerous to list here.

I wish you all well. Again, thanks for the opportunity of letting me be the Global Organized Play Coordinator for almost 4 full years.

Mike Brock
Global Organized Play Coordinator

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Help Paizo Defend the Gauntlet!

Apr 30, 2015, 01:00 pm

Just over one year ago, a team from Paizo made a pilgrimage to Card Kingdom to do battle for the Gauntlet. There we fought for honor, for glory, and most importantly, for charity. After facing off against other game companies from around the Seattle area, we emerged victorious! The Gauntlet was ours, and it has rested in the hallowed halls of Paizo ever since.

Help Paizo Defend the Gauntlet!

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Just over one year ago, a team from Paizo made a pilgrimage to Card Kingdom to do battle for the Gauntlet. There we fought for honor, for glory, and most importantly, for charity. After facing off against other game companies from around the Seattle area, we emerged victorious! The Gauntlet was ours, and it has rested in the hallowed halls of Paizo ever since.

But now, we must defend it!

The time has come for Paizo to defend our title. If we fail, we will have to give up the Gauntlet, forfeiting our title as champions. We can't let that happen and we need your help!

Card Kingdom is once again hosting the tournament and each team (and team member) can raise money for charity to earn power ups for their team. Last year, these advantages were crucial in our victory. The more we raise the more power ups we will earn, giving us an edge in the games we must play against the other teams. This year, all of the money raised will go to Hopelink, a charity whose mission is to support homeless and low-income families on their way to self-sufficiency.

Of course, we want to reward you for supporting us in our quest to defend the Gauntlet. So, the Gauntlet team is putting together a special dungeon adventure, "The Champion's Gauntlet," and if you pledge at least $20 to our team (any one of the team members), you can get access to a PDF of this adventure on your paizo.com account later this summer!

To receive this PDF, you must use the same email address for the charity site as you use for your paizo.com account. We cannot send you the adventure unless you have a paizo.com account and you use the same email address! If you need to update your email address, you may do so on your Personal Settings page.

As of right now, this will be the only way to get your hands on this exclusive adventure! To sweeten the deal, the dungeon will grow larger and larger as the team raises more and more money. Here is how it will work.

Regardless of how much money we raise, all four team members (Jason Bulmahn, Erik Mona, Jessica Price, and Stephen Radney-MacFarland) will each design one room for the dungeon. Depending on how much the Paizo team raises, each team member will design more rooms.

Team Total Rooms Per Member

$1,000 2

$2,000 3

$3,000 4

$5,000 5

$8,000 6

$12,000 7

In addition, each team member has personal goals. Check out their individual pledge pages for details on some of the great thank-you rewards you can score.

The fundraising ends at noon on May 17th, with the tournament happening that afternoon at the Mox Boarding House in Bellevue, WA. Donate today and if you are in the area on the 17th, stop by to cheer on our team. You can donate through any of the following links!

http://thegauntlet2015.causevox.com/team/Paizo
http://thegauntlet2015.causevox.com/jason-bulmahn
http://thegauntlet2015.causevox.com/erik-mona
http://thegauntlet2015.causevox.com/jessica-price
http://thegauntlet2015.causevox.com/stephen-radneymacfarland

Thanks again for donating!

Jason Bulmahn
Proud Bearer of the Gauntlet
Paizo Team Captain

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By Our Powers Combined!

Apr 23, 2015, 12:00 pm

Changes have been brewing here at Paizo, and I'm please to finally share some of them with the paizo.com community!

By Our Powers Combined!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Changes have been brewing here at Paizo, and I'm pleased to finally share some of them with the paizo.com community!

Illustration by Liz Courts

Up until recently, the people who are behind the curtain, looking at flagged posts, responding to your emails, and peeking through tweets and Facebook comments have been doing so in addition to their regular day-to-day tasks—including getting products out the door, providing the best Customer Service possible, and working on integral parts of paizo.com and within the company. This kind of tactic has been challenging, and as our community has grown, we've recognized it's been changing and has different/new needs. Because of all that, it's become a real necessity for us to change as well.

We had to find someone who fit the role of Community Manager and also had an intimate knowledge and investment in our own community. Liz Courts is someone who has been invaluable to our community over the years. She's a presence that's been around on paizo.com for nearly as long as we've had forums, has been greeting newcomers with cookies, has worked and laid groundwork for the fan magazine, Wayfinder, and helped shape what PaizoCon has become today. And, I'm excited to announce that she's been moved to this position officially as of a few weeks ago!

As Community Manager, Liz will be on the front lines for forum issues, reaching out through our social media outlets, and coming up with new ideas for us to better communicate with you guys. She'll also be be working on not-yet-announced projects and initiatives for the community. Having someone who is as deeply passionate about gaming and the gaming community is a great opportunity for pushing us forward.

There's also another change that goes in hand with Liz's new role. Though you mostly see me posting "out of character" on our forums when things get hairy, I've also been creating and maintaining our digital products, generating and scheduling website content, and providing an array of customer-facing and internal support. Now, in order to assist and enable Liz to do awesome things for you guys, herd more cats related to all of the content on paizo.com, and guide our overall community policies and goals, I've been made into Paizo's Community & Digital Content Director.

These changes are brand new to Paizo, and our goal as the new "Community Team" is to make sure you feel like you're being heard and supported. We have come up with some really exciting things in these first few weeks (which we've only just begun), and I'm so, so excited for you all to start seeing the results!

Chris Lambertz
Community & Digital Content Director

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Welcome Amanda Hamon Kunz!

Apr 1, 2015, 03:38 pm

The most-welcome invasion of new Paizonians continues! You've already meet Linda and Crystal, but today long-time freelancer Amanda Hamon Kunz joins us as our newest assistant developer!

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Welcome Julie Iaccarino!

Mar 26, 2015, 12:00 pm

As any good secret society knows, a cult just isn't a cult without a regular influx of fresh me... er... dangerously motivated new team members. As such, I am pleased to announce the newest member of Paizo's technology team Julie Iaccarino! Julie amazed us with her technical savvy, enthusiastic personality, and daunting knowledge of gaming essentials.

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Remembering Mike McArtor

Mar 24, 2015, 03:00 pm

Yesterday brought the sad news that our old colleague, Mike McArtor, had passed away. Mike joined the Paizo staff back in the "magazine days," as an editor on Dragon Magazine. He was a mainstay of office campaigns, a pillar of our editorial operation, and once the magazines went away, Mike was one of the earliest architects of Pathfinder and the world of Golarion. He left Paizo in 2008, on the eve of the Core Rulebook launch, but his creative legacy remains an important part of the DNA of the Pathfinder world. His positive attitude and welcoming friendliness, I hope, also helped to shape the DNA of Paizo itself. We're a much larger, much different company than we were in those now nearly mythical magazine days, but we like to think Mike's spirit hung around and continued to influence the company years after he left.

Remembering Mike McArtor

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Yesterday brought the sad news that our old colleague, Mike McArtor, had passed away. Mike joined the Paizo staff back in the "magazine days," as an editor on Dragon Magazine. He was a mainstay of office campaigns, a pillar of our editorial operation, and once the magazines went away, Mike was one of the earliest architects of Pathfinder and the world of Golarion. He left Paizo in 2008, on the eve of the Core Rulebook launch, but his creative legacy remains an important part of the DNA of the Pathfinder world. His positive attitude and welcoming friendliness, I hope, also helped to shape the DNA of Paizo itself. We're a much larger, much different company than we were in those now nearly mythical magazine days, but we like to think Mike's spirit hung around and continued to influence the company years after he left.

In recent years, Mike was an editor for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. That kept him in the Seattle game professional orbit, and many of us found ourselves running into Mike again and again at public events and parties. He was always a warm, friendly guy, and it was fantastic to see him still working in the field, obviously loving his job.

News of Mike's death yesterday hit many of us hard, and it wasn't long before some of Mike's friends and former colleagues shared some remembrances of his time at Paizo and the quality of his character. (Or, in the case of a guy who went through at least four characters in our office Age of Worms campaign, the quality of several of his characters.)

Here are some of those remembrances:

James Jacobs

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Mike McArtor is gone. Been thinking back on all the antics and shenanigans we all got up to back in the early days of Paizo, and I realized that Mike was not only one of the first people I ever gamed with at Paizo after I started working here... he was also the first Paizo GM I ever had. His game was a crazy one—his only real rule was that none of the player characters could be humans, because in the campaign he wanted to run, the humans were the monsters. We all got to pretty much choose anything we wanted as far as our character's race, and he used various books and house rules to help us build the characters we thought up... pretty much anything and everything was on the table. Our group had, among others, an air elemental, an ogre mage, a gold dragon, and some sort of dwarfataur thing (part dwarf, part lion, part beard). My character was Torak, an awakened deinonychus who had hopes of some day growing himself a pair of wings so he could fly.

Mike was instrumental in helping us all make it through when we shifted away from the magazines and started working on our own brand of products for Paizo. He was one of the three folks who handled the module line and the campaign setting line in those days, and in fact he pretty much single-handedly got the first hardcover version of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting put together—he wrangled all the freelancers and handled much of the book's initial developing and editing. He also wrote the second installment of the Second Darkness Adventure Path—you know, the one where you get trapped in a lighthouse that breaks off its foundation and rolls down a hill into the ocean, and oh yeah, the lighthouse is filled with alien dog monsters whose bite turns you into zombies?

But if there was one book I'd have to pick that Mike worked on as my personal favorite, that'd hands-down be the Guide to Korvosa. It's still one of my favorite books in the campaign setting line; the amount of details he packed into that thing were invaluable in helping me build the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path, and it's a book I still reference today whenever I'm looking at designing new cities for the setting. While the city of Korvosa itself is from my homebrew setting, and while I was originally the one who was going to write the book, it became quickly apparent that I wouldn't have time... and Mike brought things to Korvosa that I never would have imagined. Things that, today, are what Korvosa is all about. From the little things, like the names for coins or those fun little squabbles between imps and pseudodragons, all the way up to elements that have become defining and iconic staples of our campaign world, like the name Jeggare or the infernal-minded Acadamae itself.

After I heard the news that he'd passed away, I went looking through my computer for any pictures I had of Mike, and it was tough. He never did like his picture to be taken, and I mostly respected that by not taking many pictures of him... I kinda wish I'd taken more now though. The only two I found, though, sum up Mike perfectly.

He was cool, and he was just about one of the friendliest, most peaceful guys I've ever known.

So indeed, Mike, my friend.

Stay cool, and be at peace.

F. Wesley Schneider

Mike and I started at Paizo the same week in 2003, joining Dragon magazine as assistant editors. You couldn't have chosen two people with more diametrically opposed tastes. We didn't agree on much, but that can be a good thing more often than you might think—especially when it comes to telling stories. Mike edited the same articles as me for years. Every day I found pages covered with his blue notes on my desk, challenging my design, correcting my grammar, and suggesting that maybe my articles needed more obscure historical factoids... or ninjas... or gnomes. Usually gnomes.

Our birthdays were the same week, too. When I was new here, Mike guaranteed I never spent a birthday alone.

Mike's most of the reason I know anything about editing. He taught me to see the value in other people's passions. He baffled me with how he could make friends with anyone. He proved that no matter the game, you can always play a ninja. He forced me to accept that some people can wear Micky Mouse sweaters unironically. Even now, there's plenty I'd argue with him about, and I doubt either of us would ever budge. But, even so, for all the candid corrections, all the enthusiastic suggestions, all the contrary perspectives, and all the countless other ways he was an honest, accepting, loving guy, I'll always be grateful.

Stephen Radney-Macfarland

I never had the opportunity to work with Mike McArtor. I worked at Wizards while he was at Paizo, and I was at Paizo during his stint with Wizards. But I did game with him, and always enjoyed the way we played and sometimes clashed at the table. Over my many years of chucking dice and playing roles amid a pile of books and the scattering of miniatures, I've found you can learn the measure of a person by gaming with them on a regular basis. I can tell you that Mike was one of the kindest, most sincere, and generous people I have ever had the opportunity to know. I will always cherish the roles he played around the table and the life he lived. Goodbye, my friend. You are missed.

Liz Courts

Mike was a sensei. In the very earliest days when I stepped into the Paizo board community pool, he was a warm and inviting presence. While my first attempts to pitch an article to Dragon Magazine died when the license ended, he still encouraged me to continue writing, a bit of motivation that later led to the formation of the (now ENnie Award-winning)Wayfinder fanzine. Without him, the tongue-in-cheek appellation of "gninja" that I use to this day would not be a thing, and marks of his subtle touch are everywhere, in both Pathfinder and in the Paizo community. He is sorely missed.

James L. Sutter

Mike McArtor was one of the first friends I made at Paizo: a majestic Assistant Editor of Dragon who deigned to take notice of a lowly editorial intern. Early on, he did me two big favors: the first when he let me write a Class Act article—and the second when he quietly killed it rather than let me embarrass myself in front of the rest of the staff with my own ignorance.

As time went on and I joined the editorial team in earnest, Mike and I bonded over a lot of things. We co-wrote articles. We formed a writers group with James Jacobs to work on our fiction. We codified The Rule—Paizo's system for when to use numerals versus spelling out numbers—and posted it on a support pillar with all the ceremony of Martin Luther nailing The Ninety-Five Theses to a church door. (Many years and an office change later, it still hangs in the Editorial Pit.) He would teach me about game balance and grammar, and in exchange I would try to shock him with tales of bohemian adventures and advise him on how to talk to girls. It was a good system.

Something you need to understand about Mike was that he was, at heart, a paladin. Or maybe a samurai. The point is, he believed in being a Good Guy, and honestly lived according to a code of honor. He was nice to everybody, and if you were his friend, there was never any question that he'd be there for you.

But let's not make this too mushy. If anything, Paizo's editorial team was built on its sense of humor, and there were pranks galore in the early days. One of my favorite memories of Mike was when, due to scheduling conflicts, I had to drop out of Jason Bulmahn's Eberron game that we'd been in together for years. To have some fun with it, I secretly arranged with Jason to punk everyone by killing off my character (tellingly named "The Kid") in the most spectacular way possible. When the time came, halfway through the session, everyone was shocked as my character was reduced to smoldering ruin.

But none more so than Mike. After a heartfelt, Darth-Vader-esque "NOOOOOOOO!", he tried desperately to save me, only to fail at every turn. I think there were actually tears in his eyes as I cleaned up my dice and walked—apparently heartbroken—out of the game. It was some of my best acting, and when Jason and I revealed the next morning that it had all been a setup, folks had a good laugh.

Except for Mike, who missed the explanation, and who later tracked me down to offer earnest condolences and make sure I was all right. I felt like a total jerk explaining the truth (even though he agreed it was pretty funny), but it drove home what I already knew: that Mike was a thoughtful guy who legitimately cared about people.

Mike moved on from Paizo while Pathfinder was still in its infancy, but if you've ever run a game in Korvosa, or worshiped Shelyn, or fought dragons, or interacted with any of a thousand other elements he contributed to the game, then you've been touched by his creativity.

Thank you, Mike. It was a privilege to know you, and none of us would be where we are without you. And as was drunkenly pointed out at many a joint birthday party—you had a heart of gold.

Jason Bulmahn

Just over 10 years ago, I moved to Seattle and one of the first friends I made out here was Mike McArtor. Mike and I both worked on Dragon. Along with Wes we were the ones responsible for developing the entire magazine month after month.

Being gamers, I soon started up an office game set in Eberron and Mike was one of my players. A lot of friendships were forged around that table and Mike, with his easy smile and good nature, was a huge part of that. I also killed Mike's characters... a lot. Mike had a tendency to make characters that would rush headlong into danger and I ended up using his PC as the "example" of how hard core my game was on more than one occasion. Mike would always laugh when his character was mulched, disintegrated, or charred. He always had another ready for the next session.

Years later, we both played in the office Age of Worms playtest. Mike's first character was a mute ninja (Mike loved ninjas). I honestly can't remember how he died.. but I am sure it was "quietly". His second character was a druid that was killed by his own animal companion. His third was Frothlethimble, a murderous, backstabbing gnome.

How I hated that character. Mike loved to goad on my honorable dwarf with his nasally gnome voice. We had a damn fine time going back and forth threatening to kill one another. At one point I even forced a confrontation with the rest of the party over which one of us would stay. After that, Frothlethimble promised to kill me in my sleep. Gar (my dwarf) had heard enough. In the next fight, against a mindflayer, the entire party was stunned except Gar. After putting down the aberration, Gar turned to Frothlethimble and his axe swung one more time.

Its the only time I have ever intentionally killed a fellow PC.

Mike laughed and laughed. That is what I loved about Mike. He was kind, he was honest, and he was a good man. I will miss him.

Erik Mona
Publisher

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Welcome Jason Keeley!

Mar 19, 2015, 01:00 pm

In the last week, you may have noticed Wes introducing two new developers here on this blog. Sadly, this has led the editorial team to the only logical conclusion: the developers must be bolstering their forces in preparation for an assault across the cube wall, in which they'll attempt to annex editor space. I can assure you, however, that the editors aren't about to go down without a fight, which is why we've hired a brand new word-warrior: editor Jason Keeley!

Welcome Jason Keeley!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

In the last week, you may have noticed Wes introducing two new developers here on this blog. Sadly, this has led the editorial team to the only logical conclusion: the developers must be bolstering their forces in preparation for an assault across the cube wall, in which they'll attempt to annex editor space. I can assure you, however, that the editors aren't about to go down without a fight, which is why we've hired a brand new word-warrior: editor Jason Keeley!

While I go secure the perimeter defenses, here's Jason to introduce himself:

Hello! I'm Jason Keeley, the newest editor here at Paizo. I'm thrilled to be working with this group of talented people.

I was introduced to RPGs shortly after college. Before that, I had only played video games like Might & Magic and Baldur's Gate, so I was familiar with the concept, but I didn't realize how quickly tabletop gaming would become such a huge part of my life. Soon after, I discovered Paizo through Dungeon magazine, and started running the Savage Tide Adventure Path. Many, many APs later (I even ran two at once!), I felt ready to begin contributing to the game I enjoyed so much. I contributed a short story and a monster to issues of Wayfinder, wrote a grimoire of spells for Fat Goblin Games' Vathak setting, and, most recently, made it to the top 16 of RPG Superstar 2015. I would have liked to continue in the contest, but, as you can see, the Golem came calling for me!

Outside of Pathfinder-related material, I edit stories for the swords-and-sorcery e-zine Worlds Without Master, as well as function as the editor-in-chief of my own (small) imprint, Pantheon Press. Our flagship product, Fortune's Fool, a Tarot-based RPG, won a Judge's Choice ENnie in 2011!

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, all kinds of gaming, and looking at funny pictures on the internet. Especially funny pictures of dogs.

Jason Keeley
Editor

Please help us welcome Jason to Paizo! With any luck, he'll survive the initial skirmishes. (If the photo is any indication, he's clearly no stranger to international espionage...)

James L. Sutter
Managing Editor

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They Still Appreciate My Mastery Of Fire

Mar 9, 2015, 04:45 pm

We've got a few new faces in the editorial pit these days. One you've already met and a few we'll introduce soon, but we couldn't hope to pull off all our upcoming schemes without inviting back at least one familiar soul.

They Still Appreciate My Mastery Of Fire

Monday, March 9, 2015

We've got a few new faces in the editorial pit these days. One you've already met and a few we'll introduce soon, but we couldn't hope to pull off all our upcoming schemes without inviting back at least one familiar soul.

Some of you may recall an upstart goblin poking around the Paizo offices some five years ago, stealing ears and feeding the cave raptors. A goblin who vanished—under mysterious circumstances no less—after her ill-advised journey into the wildest depths of the warehouse.

That goblin was me. I have returned! Rejoice!

For those of you less versed in goblin lore: I am Crystal Frasier, author, illustrator, cartographer, and Paizo's newest assistant developer. What does an assistant developer do, you ask? That is an excellent question! I'm glad you asked! Moving on...

As I mentioned, I spent a fun five years working for Paizo as a production assistant and digital products assistant before leaving for a spell to make it on my own as a freelance writer, artist, and general awesome girl. But a freelancer's life is an isolated one, and without my shining smile to warm their days, Paizo employees began to wilt.* So for my own good and theirs, I have returned to beam my glorious radiance down. Also to develop books and edit statblocks—but mostly the beaming.

I've been gaming since the early nineties, when my love of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics lead me into the seedy world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness roleplaying game. From this harmless gateway RPG, I explored Dungeons & Dragons, Silver Age Sentinels, GURPS, West End's Star Wars, and eventually Pathfinder. In those few minutes a week when I'm not playing tabletop games, reading game manuals, running games, writing game material, or dreaming about running games for Hayley Atwell, I like to read comics, make candy, and walk my corgi, Calamity.

It's good to be back.

Someone's got to feed those cave raptors!

Crystal Frasier
Assistant Developer

Please join us in welcoming Crystal back to Paizo!

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

*Wes's Note: We value imagination in our storytellers.

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Welcome Linda Zayas-Palmer!

Mar 5, 2015, 02:47 pm

We're thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Pathfinder development team: Linda Zayas-Palmer! Linda blew us away with the development, design and editing chops she demonstrated on our blind test for the position. She also chose a nosoi psychopomp for her avatar, proving we chose well.

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Bright and Happy Holidays from Paizo!

Dec 25, 2014, 12:00 pm

As 2014 comes to a close we've taken the time to reflect on our community, our customers, the products and projects we've spent countless hours on, and all the moments in between that have made this year so special.

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Welcome Joe Homes!

Nov 19, 2014, 12:00 pm

Hi, I'm Joe Homes, the newest Paizo editor! I joined the editing crew quietly about 9 months ago as a contractor, but I'm really happy to be officially joining the team!

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The Goblin: An Unexpected Journey

Nov 3, 2014, 04:23 pm

In a condo in Florida there lived a goblin. Not a nasty, dirty, wet condo, filled with strange substances in corners and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy condo with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a gamer condo, and that means Cheetos.

The Goblin: An Unexpected Journey

Monday, November 3, 2014

In a condo in Florida there lived a goblin. Not a nasty, dirty, wet condo, filled with strange substances in corners and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy condo with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a gamer condo, and that means Cheetos.

This all came to an end when the human owner of the condo was summoned to the lands of the Northwest, there to take up employ in the kingdom of Paizo. And so began the goblin's 3,150 mile journey to the home of the Creators, a Quest fraught with peril and many a Subway sandwich.

Along the way there were inns for rest with a lovely stopover at Victoria Cottage in the Elven territory of Kansas where the human's sister provided hospitality and pumpkins.

The goblin took point with his keen eyesight and hearing, ever on the lookout for something interesting, like Bear Lake in Idaho/Utah, where there were no bears.

At other times, he just relaxed and enjoyed the scenery, something Ray, the human's travelling companion and driver, should NOT have been doing.

At last, they reached the point where they could travel no farther, the mighty Pacific Ocean.

His travels were almost over, but one last obstacle stood in his way.

Success!

Well, maybe more than one obstacle...

Until at last he made his way to the Cave of Finance and found a place where he could watch humans push dead trees about. And a big stapler.

A precious stapler. The one stapler to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, in the Land of Paizo where the Raptors lie.

So ends his adventure, as well as my own journey to become a new employee here at Paizo. I've always been an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, but only discovered tabletop RPGs around four years ago. Since then I've fully immersed myself in roleplaying and am currently a 3-star GM in Pathfinder Society. I also enjoy board games, especially cooperative ones, crosswords, and puns. Which all means I think I'll like it here.

Scott Keim
Data Entry Clerk

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The Legend of Erik: A Link Between Departments

Sep 5, 2014, 11:25 am

I'm happy to announce that Erik Keith, who has been a pillar of the Customer Service team, is moving over and up into new and exciting things. At the beginning of September, Erik transitioned into his new role as Paizo's Software Test Engineer. I am both excited for him as he takes on this new role, and also a little sad that I will no longer get to work next to someone who has become not only someone I enjoy working with, but a friend as well. While Erik won't be directly assisting customers with their orders or issues, he will still be helping fans and the Paizo community, albeit in a more abstract manner. He will be using his extensive knowledge of our internal software to help the Tech Team test new code and features that will make our customers and our employees' experience better.

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It's a Brand New Day!

Aug 21, 2014, 01:27 pm

If you're a regular poster to the paizo.com messageboards, you may have noticed that we now have a link to our Community Guidelines in the reply box to each thread and private message. What is this change exactly? Well, we've aggregated a lot of feedback from our Website Feedback forum, email, and among our staff and these new guidelines are the result.

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Please Support Paizo by Voting for the ENnies Today!

Jul 28, 2014, 03:09 pm

Every year, the ENnie Awards recognize the greatest achievements in tabletop gaming, and this year we're up for several important awards. A talented crew of judges chooses the nominations in each category, but the final awards are granted based on a popular vote. Please help Paizo's hard-working staff take home some awards this year by following the link at the bottom of his message and showing your support!

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Welcome Mark Seifter!

Jun 16, 2014, 05:00 pm

Hi, I'm Mark Seifter, the newest Pathfinder RPG Designer. Nice to meet you! You might know me better as Rogue Eidolon on the boards. Clearly a "Promoted Fanboy", I have plenty of experience in the field as a 5 Star PFS GM and have authored several popular products as a 3pp designer. Until now, I served with my girlfriend Linda as co-Venture Lieutenant of Boston (Boston Lodge represent!).

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Victory For Paizo! Victory For The Kids!

May 21, 2014, 01:00 pm

The Gauntlet was awarded on Sunday, and with your help, Paizo brought home this mighty trophy! Sponsored by Card Kingdom, the Gauntlet tournament featured competitors from a wide array of local game companies and groups. Funds raised by all of the teams went to support Child's Play, a charity that donates games and toys to sick kids in hospitals around the world. On top of furthering such a great cause, donations also earned each team a number of "Power Ups" to use during the event, granting an edge against the opposition.

Victory For Paizo! Victory For The Kids!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The Gauntlet was awarded on Sunday, and with your help, Paizo brought home this mighty trophy! Sponsored by Card Kingdom, the Gauntlet tournament featured competitors from a wide array of local game companies and groups. Funds raised by all of the teams went to support Child's Play, a charity that donates games and toys to sick kids in hospitals around the world. On top of furthering such a great cause, donations also earned each team a number of "Power Ups" to use during the event, granting an edge against the opposition.

And let me tell you: the competition was fierce! Before the tournament even started, the team from the Removed From Play podcast surged into the lead, raffling off an amazing Warmachine army. We fought back, but in the end, neither of our teams were prepared for Bungie's fundraising juggernaut. Raising over $6,000 in just the last few days before the competition, they earned the top spot, which came with 5 bonus points and a mountain of power ups to use during the event.

Fundraising alone, however, would not win you The Gauntlet.

As the clock struck 3pm, the battle was joined. I sat down to play Magic against one member of each other team, while Stephen played Ticket to Ride and Erik and Jessica proved their superiority in geek trivia. Both Stephen and I did well, earning a total of 13 points for our team, but Erik and Jessica dominated at trivia, earning 20 points! Stephen then joined Erik and Jessica to play Ugg-tect, a game in which the players take on the role of caveman architects trying to construct monuments using only grunts and body language. They built well, but in the end, we earned only 8 points from the game.

We had a total of 41 points, but that was only enough for 2nd place. The Removed From Play team was hot on our heels with 40, while Bungie held the lead with 42. Before the final game, the winners of the best costume were announced and Bungie pulled even further ahead (to 47) with their excellent Doctor Horrible ensemble. The final game was Suspend, a game in which you must balance wire playing-pieces on a precarious pole. The first team to hang all of their pieces would earn 20 points, but the other teams would earn points too, depending on how fast they could finish their game. We were in trouble. We not only needed to win the final game, but we needed to win by a wide margin to overcome the 6-point lead Bungie had built.

As the countdown reached zero, each team went into a flurry of building. If a piece fell, you lost a team member, meaning that you had to be fast, but steady. As Erik, Jessica, Stephen, and I began to rapidly put together our sculpture, we could not help but keep an eye on Bungie, who were just next to us on the same table. Our practice paid off. We had played Suspend for a few hours earlier that week, becoming skilled at building rapidly, but also figuring out the best way to make the structure stable. As a team, we shouted "JUDGE" as our last piece came to rest. We were first, but it was not over yet. If Bungie came in second, they would earn enough points to claim The Gauntlet. We waited, watching the other teams intently. Then Removed From Play finished their game.

We had done it. The Gauntlet was ours!

We had a great time participating in The Gauntlet. It was a hard-fought battle, but everyone was very friendly and good-natured. After all, the real winner this day was the children. The Paizo team would like to thank all of the other teams for a truly awesome time and a great competition: Bungie, Café Mox Regulars, Card Kingdom, GeekGirlCon, Lady Planeswalkers, Penny Arcade, Removed From Play, Sucker Punch, and Wizards of the Coast. Special thanks go out to everyone at Card Kingdom who spent countless hours setting up this fantastic event. We look forward to defending our title (and The Gauntlet itself) next year!

You can watch a video of the entire event at this link over on The Gauntlet page. The final event starts at around 3:17:30 and you can hear the Paizo team call for a judge at around 3:20:00. You can also catch The Gauntlet being presented at around 3:40:00.

Of course, now that we have The Gauntlet, we thought it only appropriate to show you how it has made life better for us around the Paizo offices (and beyond!).

Our winning Suspend sculpture Celebrating the victory! I find this ominous... Winding down after the tournament

Driving to work Typing is hard Planning my home game Scheduling with an iron fist!

Erik Mona shows off our business plan Our fearless leader, Lisa Stevens Accounting just got serious Don't mess with the webstore!

Erik Keith will not be wearing The Gauntlet again Your shipment, packed with care... with The Gauntlet I'm not sure which is more dangerous... That is a tasty beverage

Owen gears up for trouble Gauntlet + Dog Slicer = Angry James Jacobs Wesley's last words: "Groovy" The Gauntlet is kitty approved!

Finally, we had a wide variety of awards to give you, the fans, for helping us reach certain funding goals during the event. On Friday, we posted a Primitive Human Race for use in your Pathfinder games. We also promised a number of spoilers from the upcoming Advanced Class Guide. You can find some of the spoilers in this thread, but the rest are posted below.

In the playtest for the Advanced Class Guide, the new classes were called hybrid classes, since each is a mix of two parent classes. In the playtest, you could not take levels in either of the parent classes if you had levels in the hybrid class. In the final version, we removed this restriction.

The Shaman's spell list changed several times during the playtest. In the final version, we gave the class its own unique spell list to better suit its theme. This includes a number of spells drawn from the cleric list, the druid list, and the witch list, but it also includes a number of brand new spells found in the book.

The Skald got access to a few more powers from its parent classes, including versatile performance and uncanny dodge. It also got a few new songs that it can use in place of its raging song, such as the song of the fallen. Check it out!

Song of the Fallen (Su): At 14th level, a skald can temporarily revive dead allies to continue fighting, with the same limitations as raise dead. The skald selects a dead ally within 60 feet and expends 1 round of raging song to bring that ally back to life. The revived ally is alive but staggered. Each round, the skald may expend another 1 round of raging song to keep that ally alive for another round. The ally automatically dies if the skald ends this performance or is interrupted. The skald may revive multiple allies with this ability (either at the same time or over successive rounds) but must expend 1 round of raging song per revived ally per round to maintain the effect.

There are a wide variety of great options for every character in this book, from archetypes to feats, spells, and magic items. Just to give you a taste, here is one of the more interesting spells in the book.

Path of Glory

School conjuration (healing); Level bard 2, cleric 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch (see text)
Area four 5-ft. squares/level (see text)
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You cause four 5-foot squares (one of which must be your space) to glow with dim illumination. Starting on your next turn, as a swift action you can extend the glowing area by an additional four 5-foot squares; each new square must be adjacent to a square that was previously glowing. Allies that end their turns on a glowing square (including one who falls unconscious in the square) are healed of 1 point of damage.

Well, that about wraps up our coverage of The Gauntlet.

Wait... what's that?

Stephen wants to say something about me needing to get punched with the Gauntlet. That sounds like a nasty rumor. I am sure nothing like that would happen within the next few weeks for all of you to watch. I am sure of it. Anyway, I want to thank all of you who helped make this victory possible. Look for The Gauntlet to make a number of appearances in this blog over the coming year. We are looking forward to defending our title next year, hopefully allowing us to keep this mighty trophy. We know that you will be here to support us!

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

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The Gauntlet Will Be Ours!

May 16, 2014, 06:10 pm

This Sunday, four members of the Paizo staff will do glorious battle with teams from other game companies for the right to claim The Gauntlet! Over the past week, we've been collecting donations to help our team improve its chances. These donations go directly to Child's Play, a charity that helps sick kids in hospitals around the world by supplying them with toys and games! So far we've raised over $3,000 for the Paizo team, which has earned us 8 "Power Ups" to use during the event. Reaching these goals has also unlocked some rewards for you!

The Gauntlet Will Be Ours!

Friday, May 16, 2014

This Sunday, four members of the Paizo staff will do glorious battle with teams from other game companies for the right to claim The Gauntlet! Over the past week, we've been collecting donations to help our team improve its chances. These donations go directly to Child's Play, a charity that helps sick kids in hospitals around the world by supplying them with toys and games! So far we've raised over $3,000 for the Paizo team, which has earned us 8 "Power Ups" to use during the event. Reaching these goals has also unlocked some rewards for you!

As part of this event, we promised to release a primitive human race for use in your Pathfinder game if we reached $3,000. This is in honor of Ugg-tect, one of the games we will be playing on Sunday during the tournament in which the players take on the role of a caveman building primitive structures.

Download the Primitive Human PDF!

Of course, there are still plenty of other goals we can reach before the event begins on Sunday, including the following:

$3,500—Spoiler Reward: Spoilers about the upcoming Advanced Class Guide.

$4,000—Card Reward: We will release a PDF featuring the Gauntlet team members as new Ally cards compatible with the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.

$4,500—Spoiler Reward: Even more spoilers about the upcoming Advanced Class Guide.

$5,000—Audio Reward: We will put together a "dramatic reading" of a chapter from one of our Pathfinder Tales novels, featuring members of the Paizo staff as the characters.

Remember, every dollar donated goes to support Child's Play. If you want to help our team, go to this link, enter your donation and make sure to put "For Paizo" in the comment box so that your donation goes to help our team.

Finally, you will be able to watch the event this Sunday, starting at 3pm (PST). It is being broadcast on twitch.tv through the NPCcast. During the event, we will also be auctioning off a number of Paizo prize packs live during the event. Check out the great products we are putting up for auction!

1. A Core Rulebook signed by the Paizo staff

2. The Ultimate Wrath of the Righteous game pack including

Pathfinder RPG: Mythic Adventures

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Volumes 73-78

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Worldwound

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Wrath of the Righteous Poster Map Folio

Pathfinder Cards: Wrath of the Righteous Face Cards

Pathfinder Cards: Wrath of the Righteous Item Cards

Pathfinder Pawn: Wrath of the Righteous Pawn Collection (which is not even out yet!)

3. Pathfinder Battles Ultimate Dragon Pack including

Pathfinder Battles: White Dragon Evolution 3-pack

Pathfinder Battles: Red Dragon Evolution 3-pack

Pathfinder Battles: Gargantuan Green Dragon Limited Edition Figure

Pathfinder Battles: Gargantuan Blue Dragon Limited Edition Figure

Pathfinder Battles: Gargantuan Skeletal Dragon Limited Edition Figure

All proceeds from the auction will go to Child's Play, so make sure to tune in and bid for these great prizes! Thanks again from the team for helping us in the event. We hope to do you proud and bring home The Gauntlet!

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The Fight for the Gauntlet Rages On!

May 12, 2014, 12:36 pm

I can truly say that the team was astounded when you helped us raise over $2000 in a single day for The Gauntlet charity tournament event coming up on May 18th. With that, we have earned a number of "power ups" that are going to help us in the tournament to claim The Gauntlet. Alas, the fight is not over yet!

The Fight for the Gauntlet Rages On!

Monday, May 12, 2014

I can truly say that the team was astounded when you helped us raise over $2000 in a single day for The Gauntlet charity tournament event coming up on May 18th. With that, we have earned a number of "power ups" that are going to help us in the tournament to claim The Gauntlet. Alas, the fight is not over yet!

In the past few days, we've seen our competition enter the fray, getting a mountain of donations. One in particular, has surged past us! While we commend them for helping to raise money for Child's Play, we still want to beat them and show that Paizo fans are some of the most awesome and charitable fans in the world!

To that end, we've decided to announce some special goals, to help raise some more money for this event! If we raise the following totals, we will unlock the goals and give everyone some awesome rewards! Check out these exciting funding goals!

$3,000—Caveman Reward: In honor of Ugg-tect, one of the games we will be playing in which the participants are caveman architects, we will put together a free PDF of a "caveman" humanoid race for use in your Pathfinder games.

$4,000—Card Game Reward: We will release a PDF featuring the Gauntlet team members as new Ally cards compatible with the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.

$5,000—Audio Reward: We will put together a "dramatic reading" of a chapter from one of our Pathfinder Tales novels, featuring members of the Paizo staff as the characters.

In addition to these great rewards, at $2,500, $3,500 and every $1,000 dollars thereafter I will post up some tantalizing spoilers from the upcoming Advanced Class Guide right here in the thread associated with this blog post! Expect to see those shortly after we reach each goal. The bigger rewards will take a little bit of time for us to put together (especially the Audio Reward), but you should expect them in the coming weeks.

The Gauntlet event is this Sunday, May 18th, starting at around 3pm PST. We've learned you will be able to watch the event live on Twitch.tv and take part in some truly awesome auctions during the event. We hope that you tune in and cheer us on through the chat and social media. Thanks again for donating and proving that Paizo has some of the best fans in the world!

Click here to donate and make sure to put "For Paizo" in the comment line so that your donation goes to our team!

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Help Paizo Take the Gauntlet

May 6, 2014, 04:15 pm

We here at Paizo take gaming seriously, and when we heard about an opportunity to play games for charity, we just could not resist. On May 18th, a four-member team of elite goblin commandos will descend upon Card Kingdom in Seattle to do battle with other teams for the right to claim The Gauntlet, a truly epic trophy made from an actual gauntlet. With foes like Bungie, GeekGirlCon, the Lady Planeswalkers, Wizards of the Coast, and Penny Arcade, we are going to be facing off against some serious opponents. That is where you come in. You can help us achieve victory for the goblin horde!

Help Paizo Take the Gauntlet

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

We here at Paizo take gaming seriously, and when we heard about an opportunity to play games for charity, we just could not resist. On May 18th, a four-member team of elite goblin commandos will descend upon Card Kingdom in Seattle to do battle with other teams for the right to claim The Gauntlet, a truly epic trophy made from an actual gauntlet. With foes like Bungie, GeekGirlCon, the Lady Planeswalkers, Wizards of the Coast, and Penny Arcade, we are going to be facing off against some serious opponents. That is where you come in. You can help us achieve victory for the goblin horde!

From now until May 18th, you can donate to the Child's Play charity, a great organization that donates toys and games to children in hospitals all around the world. Money that you donate can help the Paizo team earn "Power Ups" during the tournament, giving us the edge we need to win! Make sure to put "Donated to the Paizo team" in the comment box so it is applied to our team.

Ready to Donate? Follow this link!

We've got an exciting team of goblins ready to do battle in this event. We've been hunting horses and burning down villages for weeks in anticipation of this tournament (that will be an event right?). Here's a look at the Paizo team!

Jason Bulmahn

"The Giant"
Lead Designer of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and overall troublemaker, Jason Bulmahn has been with Paizo since the days of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Renowned among all the tribes, this massive goblin made a name for himself by devouring anybody who beat him at a game. He is also the only goblin with reach, which is pretty handy.

Erik Mona

"The Suit"
Erik Mona is the Publisher at Paizo, a former editor of Dragon, Dungeon, and Polyhedron magazines, and a co-creator of the Pathfinder world. These days he spends more time on business than on games, but like any corporate mastermind, he can stab you in the back at a moment's notice, gaining the upper hand in any challenge. With a coat, vest, and tie, Mona swears to put his evil powers to good use in the vicious scrum for the Gauntlet. For charity. But most importantly, for the children.

Jessica Price

"The Whip"
Jessica Price is the Project Manager at Paizo, where she keeps the wheels of progress turning. In former lives, she was a games writer at Microsoft Studios, an editor, an animated series showrunner, an alternate reality game designer, and other things that she may or may not admit to if you bribe her with chocolate. She plans to triumph in the Gauntlet—for the children, of course—through logic, skill, planning, and occasional devious manipulation, which should make it just like her day job.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland

"The Antipaladin"
Stephen Radney-MacFarland is a designer at Paizo, where he regularly inserts more evil into everything he touches. When reached for comment, he just began to chant the following: "Burn 'em! Bite 'em! Cut ‘em to tiny bits! Long ago, someone told this goblin games were fun for everyone. That someone gone now. Games only fun for the one left standing!"

Thank you for donating to this great cause. For more information on The Gauntlet, go to their webpage at thegauntlet.me. We will be updating our progress through this blog and on facebook as we get closer to the event, but we need your help now to secure an edge! Donate Today!

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Warmest Wishes and Fondest Farewells to Sean K Reynolds

Mar 14, 2014, 10:00 am

Today marks Sean K Reynolds's last day as a member of Paizo's design team, as he leaves us for new adventures in the East. Sean's been an invaluable member of the Paizo crew since 2008, lending his experience, insights, innovations, and insanity to hundreds of products, as well as being a key contributor to the Pathfinder RPG's most major successes. While we'll all certainly be seeing plenty more of Sean on the message boards and in future Paizo products, for those of us used to seeing him everyday today's exciting but also a little sad. So, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of our favorite Sean memories and wish him all the best in what comes next.

Warmest Wishes and Fondest Farewells to Sean K Reynolds

Friday, March 14, 2014

Today marks Sean K Reynolds's last day as a member of Paizo's design team, as he leaves us for new adventures in the East. Sean's been an invaluable member of the Paizo crew since 2008, lending his experience, insights, innovations, and insanity to hundreds of products, as well as being a key contributor to the Pathfinder RPG's most major successes. While we'll all certainly be seeing plenty more of Sean on the message boards and in future Paizo products, for those of us used to seeing him everyday today's exciting but also a little sad. So, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of our favorite Sean memories and wish him all the best in what comes next.

(Video compiled by Jessica Price)

From Sean's Friends

"Sean K Reynolds has been a constant in the business since I first joined in the late 90s. Heck, Sean even hired me for my first "real" RPG job, as a TSRO moderator on the old TSR AOL site. I saw his TSR web policy seminar at my first Gen Con, worked with him on the rebirth of Greyhawk, and co-wrote the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer with him. When I finally got a job at WotC in '99, Sean was one of the few people I knew coming in, and he did a great job making me feel at home. When we had a chance to bring him on to the Paizo staff, I leapt at it. In the years since, we've worked together, gamed together, and traded minis tips together. It's going to be weird not having him around. Sean, thanks for the years of friendship and professional support. You're a great guy, destined for great things. And since you're moving to Indy, at least we know we'll always have Gen Con!"

—Erik Mona, Publisher

"In the 90s Sean was my favorite designer at TSR and early WotC—I used Children of the Night: Ghosts and Lords of Darkness until they were practically in tatters. In the low 00s, Sean's Ghostwalk article "The Bloody Swords" in Dragon #315 was the first article I read on my first day working at Paizo. Years later, his Greyhawk deity articles finally won me over on D&D's original campaign setting. Sean was one of the first authors to help us in exploring the world of Golarion and it wasn't long after that he joined James, Jason, Sutter, Chris, Sarah, and I in a cramped cube-divided office, making Pathfinder full-time.

"That first year we were roommates at Gen Con and I admit to still being more than slightly starstruck. They screwed up our room, though, giving us a single bed and a rickety iron cot. Sean dashed for the cot. There was no way though. The 16-year-old fanboy in me wasn't about to let that happen. The politest argument of my life transpired, one which only ended when I had to confess that there was no way I was going to let him sleep on the cot simply "Because you're Sean K Reynolds." I claimed my cot amid the resulting blushing.

"In the years since, Sean has been a font of awesome ideas, a mouthpiece for alien insanity, an office-place peacemaker, a dauntless romantic, a Post-It note artiste, a promoter of great Indian food, a friend to baristas, a passenger-seat virtuoso, a plastic-wrap elitist, a lead-footed cleric, a vital part of our every victory, and one of the most selfless friends anyone could ever wish for.

"Best wishes, man. If you ever need anything, just yell."

—F. Wesley Schneider, Editor-in-Chief

"Sean joined the design team in the early days of the Pathfinder RPG. To say that he was pivotal in its design and implementation is a bit of an understatement. He's been a critical part of the design team, tirelessly working to ensure our game is the best it can be. From assigning work to freelancers to maintaining an incredibly useful stat-block generator, Sean's value to the team and to Paizo will surely be missed. I want to wish Sean all the best in his future endeavors, your skill and expertise will be missed (as will your hilarious, bizarre, and ridiculous carpool stories)."

—Jason Bulmahn, Lead Designer

A Goblin Song for Sean
Goblins gray or goblins green,
Doesn't matter, we're all mean.
Always seeking to demean...
And so that's why we call you Sean!

"Don't let them out there be goblins too, Sean! Don't let them mispronounce your name! Seeya on the internets, farming crops!"

—James Jacobs, Creative Director

"Bye Sean! I'll miss your dancing!"

—Sarah Robinson, Senior Art Director

"When Sean first started here, it was up to me to take him under my wing and show him what this whole 'RPG developer' business was about. Fortunately, he was a quick learner, and after his first Paizocon we decide to let him start using his own arms for simple tasks. You will be missed, Sean!"

—James Sutter, Managing Editor

"I'll miss Sean's pithy humor and refreshing honesty (as well as the hilarious post-its he was always leaving on my desk), but I'll miss the kindness under the wit even more. From my first day at Paizo, Sean was supportive and patient, willing to take the time to answer my newbie questions, and ready to volunteer answers to the questions I didn't know enough to ask. I wish him the best and hope we'll get to hang out with him at Gen Con for many years to come."

—Jessica Price, Project Manager

"There are so many things I'm going to miss about Sean, it's hard to pick just one. So I won't. I'll miss our rules discussions and arguments. I'll miss the heavy sighs as he reviews message board posts. I'll miss the big grin he gets when he says something (he thinks is) really funny. Then again, he gave me a bunch of cool minis stuff that he didn't want to take to Indy, and I'll have my own office for a short while, so I guess it all evens out. Good luck, sir!"

—Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Designer

"Who's going to make fun of my "Europe-ness" now? Take care, Sean, and I'll think of you the next time I'm in Europe!"

—Rob McCreary, Senior Developer

"Sean is one of the greats in the land of fantasy RPGs, and getting a chance to work with him has been a blast. His rules knowledge and the thought he puts in constantly impress me, as does his ability to analyze and revisit our twisting, sprawling collection of rules. He's most definitely the wizard in the design team's party! I wish him the best of luck as he steps out with his bags of loot (mostly miniatures and pieces of terrain) for the wilds that will be his new home. Happy trails, Sean! It's been a pleasure and I look forward to seeing you again whenever the percentile rolls dictate."

—Logan Bonner, Developer

"Sean has a much-loved talent for dropping in on a discussion and contributing an inspired observation or a brief anecdote. From his gifts of victory candy to his smiling responses even to tough questions, he has helped to make Paizo Publishing a positive place to work."

—John Compton, Developer

"You and Wes were the first people at Paizo to give me work, and you were incredibly helpful getting me started and teaching me the right way to do things. I will miss having you in the office since I won't get to see your silly dances and hear you poking fun at Rob about Europe. I'm at least glad you'll still be writing for me."

—Adam Daigle, Developer

"My biggest fear is that without Sean to scare them off, the protestors will return to the post office in greater numbers and with even more mustaches.

"Most of all, though, I'm gonna miss the way Sean says, 'Hey man.'"
—Patrick Renie, Developer

"I'll miss you, Sean. You were the first friend I had at Paizo, and I'll never forget meeting you right after you managed to knock yourself unconscious. Safe travels, hamdoctor.

—Crystal Frasier, Digital Products Assistant

"Sean, thanks for your patient mentoring over the years! I'll miss your unflagging sense of humor and surrealist song-and-dance routine!"

—Judy Bauer, Associate Editor

"Sean came aboard the good ship Paizo only about a month after I began working here as an editor. At the time, I had no idea of his renown in the gaming industry. I think my first question to him was, "Can I hyphenate the term 'bull rush' when it's used as a verb...you know, like in real English?" I'm sure he wondered, "Who is this guy?" Instead, he politely explained to me that hyphenating such game terms wasn't a traditional practice, and I sighed and went back to my cube and cried (okay, not really). Over the years, Sean has (at least outwardly) put up with all of my pesky editing questions with unflappable tolerance, and has also been a good friend through both calm and stormy weather.

I have no idea know where this sailing metaphor is coming from, so I'll just end this here by saying: Bon voyage, Sean! Looking forward to seeing you the next time the good ship Paizo ports in Indy!"

—Chris Carey, Associate Editor

"Sean is one of the kindest and thoughtful humans I've worked with in gaming. He made me feel welcome at Paizo, and carpooling with him was often a...treat. Dude tells weird stories, and I suspect half are made up on the spot. But anyway, I will miss Sean's "manic pixie game designer"-ness in the office."

—Ryan Macklin, Editor

SKR Haiku
one of the nicest
most opinionated men
I have ever known

—Sonja Morris, Graphic Designer

When I first came on board as a developer here, Sean was incredibly welcoming and helped me hit the ground running. To this day, almost 4 years into the job, I still go to him several times a week with questions about rules, the industry, and specific elements of Golarion canon he had a hand in creating (namely the gods). While I'll miss having him as a resource on hand when I need him, I'll miss more his unique sense of humor, matter-of-fact demeanor, and the dependability of having him in the office to assist with whatever I might need.

Best of luck to you, Sean! I look forward to catching up at GenCon every year (and maybe some Paizo Cons if you ever return for it). Don't give anyone else that banana bread recipe, please.

—Mark Moreland, Developer

All our best, Sean, from all of us at Paizo. There will always be a place for you here and in our future adventures.

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News about Gen Con 2014 and Official Call for Gen Con 2014 Volunteers

Mar 3, 2014, 01:08 pm

For Gen Con 2013, I advised last year that we planned to make it the biggest and best Gen Con yet. And it certainly was. We scheduled 1,400 tables of Pathfinder Society over the four days. We showed the world our GM 101 and GM 201 workshops, Kid's Beginner & Advanced Tracks, and Beginner Box Introductions, Parts 1 and 2. Gen Con was definitely a success and Paizo's biggest showing in history. But we can make it bigger and better!

News about Gen Con 2014 and Official Call for Gen Con 2014 Volunteers

Monday, March 3, 2014

For Gen Con 2013, I advised last year that we planned to make it the biggest and best Gen Con yet. And it certainly was. We scheduled 1,400 tables of Pathfinder Society over the four days. We showed the world our GM 101 and GM 201 workshops, Kid's Beginner & Advanced Tracks, and Beginner Box Introductions, Parts 1 and 2. Gen Con was definitely a success and Paizo's biggest showing in history. But we can make it bigger and better!

Paizo will once again be a cosponsor at this year's show. What does that mean for Pathfinder Society? It means we return to the Sagamore Ballroom! We increase our playspace size, scheduling 150 to 170 tables per slot. Additionally, we also have two of the seven rooms that were used for Pathfinder Society last year. One of them will be used exclusively for Paizo seminars. The other room will have 10 tables and will be utilized for Pathfinder Adventure Card Game play.

We are planning to schedule 20 different scenarios, two Gen Con Specials, one Gen Con Exclusive, and two modules, We Be Goblins! and We Be Goblins Too! throughout the course of the convention.

The beginning of Season 6 Gen Con Special, The Paths We Choose, scheduled for Thursday night, will help us kick off Season 6 by showing off the achievements of many of the factions' Season 5 goals. As a tease, here is the short description as it will appear in the Gen Con catalog:

The failure of Mendev's wardstones set in motion not only a new crusade, but also catalyzed a change in the Society's various factions.

More information on the factions and surpirses upcoming will be offered in a series of blog posts later this year. This special is designed for levels 3—7.

The end of Season 5 Gen Con Special, Legacy of the Stonelords, scheduled for Friday night, will help us close Season 5 inside the Worldwound!

As a tease, here is the long description as it will appear in the Gen Con catalog:

At long last, the Pathfinders have reached the lost Sky Citadel Jormurdun only to find it already occupied by fiends and subterranean foes. The Society must mount an epic offense to explore the immense subterranean city while simultaneously driving off the squatters within. If they succeed, the Pathfinders may discover that the greatest prize is not the mountain fortress itself but the treasure that lies at its heart. The adventure concludes Season 5, Year of the Demon.

This Special is designed for levels 1—11.

The scenarios being scheduled for Gen Con are as follows:

Season 5

#5—06: You Have What You Hold

#5—08: The Confirmation

#5—09: The Traitor's Lodge

#5—10: Where Mammoths Dare Not Tread

#5—12: Destiny of the Sands, Part 1: A Bitter Bargain

#5—13: Weapon in the Rift

#5—15: Destiny of the Sands, Part 2: Race to Seeker's Folly

#5—16: Destiny of the Sands, Part 3: Sanctum of the Sages

#5—17: Fate of the Fiend

#5—18: The Stranger Within

#5—19: The Horn of Aroden

#5—20: The Sealed Gate

#5—21: The Merchant's Wake

#5—22: Scars of the Third Crusade

#5—23: Cairn of Shadows

#5—24: Assault on the Wound

#5—25: Vengeance at Sundered Crag

Season 6

#6—01: Trial by Machine

#6—02: The Silver Mount Collection

#6—03: The Technic Siege

We will be offering one exclusive on Saturday night. We will follow up Ruins of Bonekeep, Levels 1 and 2, with Bonekeep, Level 3: The Wakening Tomb also written by Jason. It is being designed for Tier 5—9 characters and again, will be particularly challenging and lethal. Ruins of Bonekeep, Level 3 will make its debut at Gen Con. We will only run level three one time at Gen Con so it will be a truly limited and exclusive event. On a side note, we will have a few tables running all three of the new Season 6 scenarios if you would rather not participate in this exclusive.

In regard to the Beginner Box Introductions, we have two different offerings again this year. During seven slots at Gen Con, we are setting aside six tables for these Beginner Box Introduction events. Both parts are scheduled with new players in mind. For Beginner Box Introductions, Part 1, it will allow for the first 45—60 minutes to be an exploration of the contents of the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box, explaining the rules, and reviewing the pregenerated characters. The final 4 hours of each slot will be playing through the four, 1-hour adventures. For Beginner Box Introductions, Part 2, the GM will assist players in advancing their character to third level. The Beginner Box Transitions, Player Pack, and GM Kit will be reviewed. Once those three free documents have been briefly covered, we will be offering up five 1-hour adventures as time permits. Much like the four adventures in part one, these will be utilizing only the Beginner Box rules.

For the Pathfinder's Kids' Track, we will be setting aside six tables at seven slots during the convention. We are focusing on players aged 6—12 and we will be using the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box for this as well. The Kids' Track is divided into two parts: the Beginner Track and the Advanced Track. Each kid's beginner track slot will be 2 hours long and each player will receive a check-off card. The first hour of each of the seven Kids' Beginner Track sessions teaches roleplay and rules, and reviews the pregenerated characters found in the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box. During the second hour, one of the four, 1-hour adventures used during the Beginner Box Bash will be played.

For the Kids' Advanced Track, we are focusing on children who participated in last year's Kids' Beginner Track, at a local Kids' Beginner Track session near their home, or for older children that have prior experience with Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The GM at each of the 2-hour slots will help the children level their chosen character to third level. After leveling is complete, the GM will run one of five new adventures designed using the Beginner Box rules.

We will be running each of the nine different adventures multiple times throughout the convention to allow flexible scheduling for children and parents. We will be restricting tables to four children players and are requiring a parent or guardian be present with their child (or multiple children if they have two or more interested in participating) for the entire 2 hours. The parent or guardian will assist the child when needed. But, we want to make this a good and memorable experience for the kids that attend Gen Con, who often find little they can participate in, especially with others their own age. We will be scheduling 24, 2-hour tables per day on Thursday through Saturday, and 12, 2-hour tables on Sunday, for the Kids' Track, divided between the Beginner and Advanced Tracks.

If a child plays all four different adventures in the Beginner's Track, he will be able to present his check-off card to HQ and receive a special certificate that celebrates his accomplishments. If a child plays all five different adventures in the advanced track, she will be able to present her check-off card to HQ and receive a second, different special certificate. Both certificates can be used on the child's Pathfinder Society character if they did to advance from the Beginner Box to the full Core Rulebook rules and participate in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. We may also have other give-aways or special prizes, such as dice and miniatures, similar to last year. I will be very picky when choosing volunteer GMs for the Kids' Track. I prefer to have school teachers and other professionals with experience dealing with children. I will consider GMs who are parents even if they do not deal with children regularly in their profession. If you are volunteering to GM the Kids' Track, please make sure to include all of your credentials. Also, since these are scheduled as 2-hour blocks, a GM will be required to run two Kids' Track slots back to back in a 4-hour block to count as one slot of credit toward GM rewards.

We will be running a new set of Pathfinder Quests inside the Sagamore and I do have a very few spots of 5-hour blocks for any GM interested in running those for players as they show up and fill the quests tables.

We are also bringing back the popular GM 101 and GM 201 seminars and need instructors to oversee the running of both. Both seminars will be offered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Finally, I need volunteers who have experience with the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, to run demos in the Dealer Hall next to Paizo's booth, as well as run tables in a break out room next to Paizo's Seminar Room, from 8 a.m. until midnight Thursday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday. You can volunteer to work one or two 5-hour blocks each day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sunday ends at 4 pm) in the Dealer Hall. Volunteering for any demo time will count toward your GM reward credit below, but you still must have a minimum of seven, 5-hour sessions to qualify for a hotel room as a Tier 2 volunteer.

Now, let's talk about the GMs and volunteers we need to pull all of the above off and make it the biggest and best Gen Con ever.

I need a minimum of 350 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society games, Beginner Box Introductions, Kids' Track events, GM 101 and 201, and Pathfinder Adventure Card Game demos. I'll continue taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled, at which point I will create a waiting list in the event that a scheduled GM has to cancel their Gen Con trip for whatever reason. I also need a few Volunteer Assistants for each slot of the show. These folks will not GM during their volunteer slots, but will instead help me run Pathfinder Society HQ, including marshalling, collecting tickets, distributing GM packs, entering tracking sheets into the database, and will be our go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. Keep in mind these are very limited and likely to fill up in the first hour after the blog goes live.

Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at Gen Con 2014. Keep in mind that you're volunteering for slots, not a specific event. Those that are able to spice up their event by adding 3-D terrain, props that stand out and the like, will be given first consideration for specific events. I will let you know the slots and scenarios you have been assigned as soon as possible. You may designate what tier scenarios you wish to GM but this is not guaranteed to be filled. I will do the best I can to accommodate your requests. My target date to have all GMs their assigned schedules is April 4. This should allow you plenty of time to plan a schedule, before the May 18 event registration, with your friends and family who are also attending Gen Con 2014. Please let me know via email which days you will be at the convention and how many slots you are volunteering for at Gen Con 2014.

When you email me, I need you to include the following information in your email:

1) What email is tied to your Gen Con account.

2) What email is tied to your Paizo.com account and what your message board user name is.

3) I need to know if you have received the purple goblin Pathfinder Society volunteer shirts at a previous show. If not, I need to know what size you wear.

Volunteer Tiers and Rewards

Tier 1 GM Volunteers

Tier 1 GM volunteers are invaluable to making the show a success. Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 8 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 8 slots if they so desire. I only have room for 160 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you won't be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2014 badge

A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room in the Marriott or J.W. Marriott Hotels

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

A FREE Advanced Class Guide hardcover

Four FREE limited edition purple goblin Paizo Publishing Pathfinder Society Volunteer T-Shirts (if not previously received)

A special PFS boon that gives the option of choosing a one-time complete rebuild of any level character OR the choice to create a character from one of the following races: grippli, ratfolk, samsaran, suli, or vishkanya.

Tier 2 GM Volunteers

Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 7 slots. I only have room for 120 Tier 2 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier — it fills up very quickly. Tier 2 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2014 badge

A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room in the Marriott or J.W. Marriott Hotels

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

A FREE Advanced Class Guide hardcover

Four FREE limited edition purple goblin Paizo Publishing Pathfinder Society Volunteer T-Shirts (if not previously received)

A special Pathfinder Society boon that gives the choice to create a character from one of the following races: grippli, ratfolk, suli, or vishkanya.

Tier 3 GM Volunteers

While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 3. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 6 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2014 badge

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

A FREE Advanced Class Guide hardcover

Four FREE limited edition purple goblin Paizo Publishing Pathfinder Society Volunteer T-Shirts (if not previously received)

A special Pathfinder Society boon that gives the choice to create a character from one of the following races: grippli, suli or vishkanya.

Tier 4 GM Volunteers

Tier 4 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 5 slots. Tier 4 GMs receive:

A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2014 badge

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

Four FREE limited edition purple goblin Paizo Publishing Pathfinder Society Volunteer T-Shirts (if not previously received)

A special Pathfinder Society boon that gives the choice to create a character from one of the following races: suli or vishkanya.

Tier 5 GM Volunteers

This is the minimum volunteer level to receive shirts. Tier 5 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 5 GMs receive:

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

Four FREE limited edition purple goblin Paizo Publishing Pathfinder Society Volunteer T-Shirts (if not previously received)

A special Pathfinder Society boon that gives the choice to create a character from one of the following races: suli or vishkanya.

Volunteering for One, Two, or Three Slots

A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions

A special PFS boon that gives the choice to create a character from one of the following races: suli or vishkanya.

When Volunteering...

Again, please be specific about what days and how many slots you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to slots and scenarios on an as-needed basis. I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. You must have a gencon.com account and you must include your email tied to your Gen Con account in your email or I won't be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 5 or more slots). Include your Paizo.com email account so I can make sure you receive the scenarios in your downloads. Finally, I need to know if you have received the purple goblin Pathfinder Society volunteer shirst in the past. If not, I need to know what size.

The time slots are as follows:

Slot 1: Thursday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Slot 2: Thursday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.

Slot 3: Thursday 7 P.M. to Midnight (Gen Con Exclusive #1 and three new Season 5 scenarios)

Slot 4: Friday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Slot 5: Friday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.

Slot 6: Friday 7 P.M. to Midnight (Gen Con Special)

Slot 7: Saturday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Slot 8: Saturday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.

Slot 9: Saturday 7 P.M. to Midnight (Gen Con Exclusive #2 and three new Season 5 scenarios)

Slot 10: Sunday 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.

All Gen Con 2014 volunteers please email me at mike.brock@paizo.com with the subject line “Gen Con Volunteer - Tier X.”

Thanks in advance for volunteering and have a great spring and summer convention season!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

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Official Call for PaizoCon 2014 Volunteers

Jan 27, 2014, 10:00 am

For PaizoCon 2014, we plan to make this bigger than last year! I am scheduling 210 tables of Pathfinder Society over three days. We will be offering all season five scenarios multiple times, including the debut of the final four scenarios for season five. We will also be debuting a playtest of one of the Season 6 Gen Con Specials on Friday night. This is similar to the multi-table special that will be run as one of the Gen Con specials, but like last year, there will be changes made to polish the adventure for its final publication. Finally, we be offering the GM 101 and GM 201 sessions again. It should be an awesome time.

Official Call for PaizoCon 2014 Volunteers

Monday, January 27, 2014

For PaizoCon 2014, we plan to make this bigger than last year! I am scheduling 210 tables of Pathfinder Society over three days. We will be offering all season five scenarios multiple times, including the debut of the final four scenarios for season five. We will also be debuting a playtest of one of the Season 6 Gen Con Specials on Friday night. This is similar to the multi-table special that will be run as one of the Gen Con specials, but like last year, there will be changes made to polish the adventure for its final publication. Finally, we be offering the GM 101 and GM 201 sessions again. It should be an awesome time.

I need a minimum of 75 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society games and I'll keep taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled! I also need 4 Volunteer Assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead help me run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be our go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. Finally, we need 6-8 volunteers for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.

Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at PaizoCon 2014. Keep in mind that you're volunteering for slots, not a specific event. We will let you know the slots you have been assigned to before the lottery goes live. This should allow you plenty of time to plan a schedule with your friends who are also attending PaizoCon 2014. Please let me know via email which days you will be at the convention and how many slots you are volunteering for at PaizoCon 2014.

Volunteer Tiers and Rewards

Volunteer Assistant: 4 needed, treated as a Tier 1 GM

Tier 1 GM Volunteers: Tier 1 GM volunteers are my everyday GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success! Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 5 slots. I only have room for 30 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you'll be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:

A FREE 3-day PaizoCon 2014 badge

A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions.

A FREE copy of one printed Paizo product of your choice valued at $49.99 or less.

A FREE PFS goblin volunteer t-shirt.

A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.

Tier 2 GM Volunteers: While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 2. Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:

A FREE 3-day PaizoCon 2014 badge.

A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions.

A FREE PFS goblin volunteer t-shirt.

A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.

Tier 3 GM Volunteers: This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 2 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:

A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including subscriptions.

A FREE PFS goblin volunteer t-shirt.

A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.

While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one slot during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.

When volunteering, please be specific about what days you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to scenarios on an as-needed basis, so you really only need to tell me the day(s) you're volunteering for. You may also include the tier of scenarios you are most comfortable GMing and I will try to assign you that schedule accordingly. I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. You must have a paizo.com account and you must include your paizo.com email and message board name in your email to me, or I won't be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 4 or more slots).

Slot 1: Friday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Slot 2: Friday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.

Slot 3: Friday 7 P.M. to 12 A.M.

Slot 4: Saturday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Slot 5: Saturday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.

Slot 6: Sunday 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.

All PaizoCon 2014 volunteers please email me at mike.brock@paizo.com with the subject line PaizoCon Volunteer.

Thanks in advance for volunteering, good luck, and have a great spring convention season!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

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So You Want to Work at a Game Company?

Jan 9, 2014, 10:00 am

So You Want to Work at a Game Company? Thursday, January 9, 2014 Think you have what it takes to work for the company that publishes the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game? Roll for initiative as Paizo is hiring for several open positions! Now going into its 12th year, Paizo is growing again and we have openings in several departments. We're looking to find the best and brightest to join a superstar staff. ... Four positions are currently open and accepting resumes and you can view each job listing...

So You Want to Work at a Game Company?

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Think you have what it takes to work for the company that publishes the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game? Roll for initiative as Paizo is hiring for several open positions! Now going into its 12th year, Paizo is growing again and we have openings in several departments. We're looking to find the best and brightest to join a superstar staff.

Four positions are currently open and accepting resumes and you can view each job listing on our Job Opportunities page. All positions are full time and include perks like health, dental and vision insurance, access to a 401K plan with employer matching, employee discount on paizo.com and of course everyone's favorite; copies of all products produced by Paizo Publishing. None of these positions are remote, you'll need to be able to come into the Paizo office located in Redmond, Washington during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. If you aren't familiar with the area, Redmond is a bustling town neighboring two of Washington's largest cities, Seattle and Bellevue.

Software Developer: The tech team is the backbone of Paizo's daily operations and the software developer position helps maintain and create Paizo's codebase supporting not only paizo.com but also our custom internal software. This position is salaried.

Digital Products Assistant: The Digital Products Assistants are the magically grafted on octopus arms of the tech team.^* Focused on the production, delivery and support for Paizo's digital products, this position also assists with a wide variety of ongoing projects and events appearing on paizo.com. This position is salaried.
*A wizard did it

Customer Service Representative: Responsible for directly interfacing with customers and fans of Paizo, this position requires the desire to help people on a daily basis and the ability to quickly adapt to new tools and responsibilities. If the tech team is the backbone of operations, customer service is the studded leather armor (custom made to accommodate the octopus arms). This position is hourly.

Graphic Designer: Tasked with making our products look their best, the Graphic Designer works on a variety of projects including books and other gaming accessories. Fast-paced with new and exciting projects to work on constantly, this position requires attention to detail and a love for challenges. This position is salaried.

If you're interested in one of these positions make sure to get your resume submitted right away! Check each listing for further requirements and details on where to send your resume.

Will you have what it takes to be the next Paizo Employee?

Sara Marie
Customer Service Manager

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Meet Our New Editorial Interns!

Dec 28, 2013, 10:00 am

The editorial team is excited to announce our two new interns, Austin Bridges and Kate Sprague.

Meet Our New Editorial Interns!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

The editorial team is excited to announce our two new interns, Austin Bridges and Kate Sprague.

Here's Austin:

Greetings! Austin Bridges here, your brand new editorial intern for the winter. I'm incredibly excited to join the team and get to know all of you, so allow me to kick things off with a personal introduction.

I graduated from Western Washington University in 2012 with a Theatre/Playwriting major and a minor in German. After college I wrote for The Cheezburger Network's The Daily What Geek news blog, and more recently spent the last year at Amazon working for the Kindle Direct Publishing and Kindle Worlds platforms. Outside of work, I spend my time reading comics, playing tabletop and PC games, going on podcast binges, writing sketches, and listening to mashups with the theme music from Space Jam. Currently, I'm crafting seasonal adult beverages and developing a radio play about mermaids. In the near future, I'd like to move to Los Angeles to pursue television writing. Or honestly just whoever will hire me to write.

I'm well acquainted with other tabletop roleplaying games, but only recently discovered Paizo and Pathfinder through the release of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. I got hooked pretty quickly, and now I'm happily crash-coursing all that Golarion has to offer. Please be gentle! I'm just a sunken-eyed, bearded child scampering around the Paizo office eating crusts, but I can't wait to get started and begin currying your favor!

And here's Kate:

Hello, my name is Kate Sprague. I am currently a student at Bellevue College, studying Digital Media Arts. I'm particularly interested in game design, and have pursued this internship due to my enduring love of tabletop roleplaying games.

I started playing Pathfinder a little over two years ago with a group at our local game store. Not long after that, my husband and I found our way to a weekly Pathfinder Society meetup in Redmond. Our early experiences with Pathfinder led us to assemble a weekly home game. Currently, we are following the Kingmaker Adventure Path through the River Kingdoms.

My most played class is hands down the Druid. Currently, I have five pathfinder society Druids. My favorite is Dr. Chrysanthemum Moonbeam; an elderly aasimar practitioner of gnomeopathy whose day job is representing the ‘Make a Limited Wish Foundation.' Her animal companion, Tasha, is a sabertooth tiger who unfortunately suffers from a terminal case of gigantism.

I'm looking forward to contributing here at Paizo, and will work tirelessly towards making the Druid class not only a good choice, but a mandatory one.

Austin and Kate will be helping us out for the next few months, so please feel free to say hi to them on the messageboards!

Jessica Price
Project Manager

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Gen Con Special: Let Me Tell You About Our Characters

Aug 14, 2013, 12:00 pm

This week marks my 19th consecutive annual appearance at Gen Con, and my 15th as a professional in the gaming field. As a fan, Gen Con is literally what they say on the tin: The Best Four Days of Gaming. For professionals, it's a chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, and a great way to recharge the batteries. It's an open secret that work in the RPG field can be tedious and frustrating at times. Meeting all the great players and fans is an excellent way to remind yourself why all of the late hours and crushing deadlines are worth it. Hearing from you about how much Pathfinder means to you and your friends literally keeps us going, and even though we work harder this week than any other in the whole year, we always come back reinvigorated and ready to take on the next challenge.

Gen Con Special: Let Me Tell You About Our Characters

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

This week marks my 19th consecutive annual appearance at Gen Con, and my 15th as a professional in the gaming field. As a fan, Gen Con is literally what they say on the tin: The Best Four Days of Gaming. For professionals, it's a chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, and a great way to recharge the batteries. It's an open secret that work in the RPG field can be tedious and frustrating at times. Meeting all the great players and fans is an excellent way to remind yourself why all of the late hours and crushing deadlines are worth it. Hearing from you about how much Pathfinder means to you and your friends literally keeps us going, and even though we work harder this week than any other in the whole year, we always come back reinvigorated and ready to take on the next challenge.

This year, I'm pleased to announce that the original artist of the Pathfinder comic, Andrew Huerta, will be at the Paizo booth all weekend long to sign comics and sketch player characters. Last year, as he sketched heroes for happy Gen Con attendees, I worked with Andrew to create special presents for many of my fellow Paizo campaigners by having him draw several of our characters.

Since it's a long-running joke among game business pros that it can be dangerous to let a fan trap you in a conversation about his characters, I figure I'd preemptively tell you about OUR characters and show off Andrew's work from last year. If you like what you see, swing by booth #203 and he'll be happy (for a reasonable fee) to create an image of your favorite character.

Here are some of mine, broken down by the campaign in question.

Shadows Under Sandpoint/Sands of the Scorpion God

This is, for my money, THE Paizo editorial campaign. I say that not just because it is the longest-running ever campaign played at the office, and not just because it involves more than a dozen players over three distinct campaign arcs. No, I say it because of all the games currently running at Paizo, this is the one that I play in, so of course it is the most important to ME.

Anyway, it's brilliant. Our Creative Director James Jacobs launched the campaign years ago with a sprawling campaign centered around Varisia's town of Sandpoint and the nearby Devil's Platter. It started with investigating a haunted house on the outskirts of town and ended with a battle against the dreaded Sandpoint Devil and the conclusion of a huge dungeon crawl near its lair. About a year ago, around when we were about 10th level, James split the extremely large group into two different games running parallel to one another on different days of the week. My half turned into "Sands of the Scorpion God," which is sort of James's way of saying "Gary Gygax's Necropolis," a diabolical campaign adventure set in Ancient Egyptian lands (or, in the case of Golarion, Osirion). James has made numerous modifications to the already insanely deadly super-adventure, and even though we're now all 15th level, there's still plenty of adventuring left to do.

Here are the group's heroes, starting with the most important (to me).

Here we have MY character, the barbarian Ostog the Unslain. Ostog uses the savage barbarian archetype from the Advanced Player's Guide and a few other tricks to pull off the shirtless barbarian look so common on book covers and in media, but which prior to Pathfinder was almost always doomed to failure in the Armor Class department.

Ostog is arrogant but good-hearted, boastful but dependable (for the most part). He wields the magic sword Gnarlfang, a +1 keen frost greatsword in desperate need of a better enhancement bonus. James tells me that there are probably about a dozen game sessions left in Sands of the Scorpion God. Ostog has already survived 42 game sessions without wearing any armor. Only. A few. Sessions. Left. I'm confident I can make it, thanks in no small part to Ostog's fantastic companions.

This is Editor-in-Chief F. Wesley Schneider's bard, Styrian Kindler. In the course of our examinations under Sandpoint, we discovered several half-formed clones of Styrian, so none of us is really sure if the one in our party is the original or simply some knock-off copy of an original that we've never met. For his part, Wes is quiet and cagey about our theories, quickly turning the topic to other subjects to avoid such delicate discussions.

More importantly to me, Styrian is the group's historian and chronicler. Ostog is always shouting to Styrian to "remember this for my saga!", but it seems like Styrian seldom writes anything down about these great feats. It must be because he has such a great memory.

PaizoCon founder and designated F.O.P. (Friend of Paizo) Tim Nightengale plays one of the group's most amusing characters, Howell Talbot III, paladin of Abadar. Tim plays Howell with the perfect voice of Mr. Howell, the Gilligan's Island character most likely to worship Abadar. Howell is good for clearing up Ostog's "witch's trails" when he spends too much time cavorting with the wrong element during the group's increasingly frequent teleportation trips back to civilization. Ostog doesn't have much appreciation for the wealth-obsessed cult of Abadar, but over 40+ sessions both Ostog and Erik are in awe of Howell's mighty powers. With frequent use of his smite evil ability, Howell is likely the highest melee damage vector in the party, and I asked Andrew to convey real martial mastery in his depiction.

When Ostog is getting in trouble in the, um, "festhalls" of civilization, he is often in the company of the group's able Chelaxian sorcerer, Velmarius Elazarin, played expertly by Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn. Jason is one of my favorite types of players—a guy who knows the rules and tactics perfectly every time, but who never lets the sheer mechanics of a situation get in the way of a good experience at the table. I've seen Jason make sub-optimal tactical and even character advancement choices simply to stay in character, and I think that's great.

I do wish he (the character to be clear) was a bit less of a bastard, but he does take Ostog to the nicest places in town on our days off…

Pathfinder Adventure Path developer Rob McCreary doesn't like to play the same character for too long. He's the most recent addition to the group, and yet he's changed characters three times. His latest, the Taldan gunslinger Thalestris, pictured above, has had a tougher run than most in Gary Gygax's Necropolis, even managing to have her soul sucked out of her body.

Naturally, Rob started talking about making a new character at this point. Since Thalestris is, by far, the highest damage-dealing character in the party, it doesn't suit my interests to let him change into something else. Thus I paid Andrew Huerta money to draw and color a picture of Thalestris, and Rob is too guilty about the situation to make a change.

So the plan is a success, is what I'm saying.

Kirin the Heretic is Senior Editor James L. Sutter's ill-fated atheist rogue. This masked fellow, prone to sleeping in alleyways, left the group during the switch between James Jacobs's major campaign arcs, but his presence can still be felt now and again. He made enemies with the Sanpoint-area mothman known as the Red Bishop, and he was poisoned more times than the rest of the party put together.

When last Ostog saw Kirin, the rogue was babbling on about traveling to Absalom to take the Test of the Starstone. I'd like to think he was ultimately successful, and that the only reason we haven't seen a new god appear on the list is that Kirin was such an atheist he turned it down.

This here is Vorn, a cleric of Gorum played by Sean K. Reynolds. Vorn was the only player character to actually die in Shadow Under Sandpoint (he got better), and at the conclusion of that arc Vorn moved into the other weekly group, who are exploring a nearby Egyptian-themed adventure completely different from the one our group is exploring.

Did I mention that Vorn is the combined group's only cleric? And that we're on an adventure called "Necropolis," which is filled with the expected number of undead, which is to say "all of them". So not having a cleric has been something of a liability for us. I'm sure he's doing great for the other team, and since Vorn and Ostog usually got along well (he was the original cure for Ostog's Witch's Trails), I miss him a ton.

This is Zandu Vorcyon, the ghoul-hating ranger creation of Paizo Editor Christopher Paul Carey. Zandu was Chris's first Pathfinder character, and he managed to make it all the way through the Shadows Under Sandpoint campaign before bowing out at the switchover due to time constraints. It was really fun and interesting to throw a first-time player into our group of seasoned veterans, and Chris always brought a freshness and interesting beginner approach to his character in a way that greatly enhanced the campaign. I just love the way Andrew Huerta captured this character.

Kings of Absalom

With all eight characters from James's campaign covered, I knew I still had two illustrations to get out of the way before my task was complete. The first would be for James Jacobs, our stalwart Game Master, without whom none of these characters would exist. But he's the GM, so which character to illustrate? Sure there were villains and NPCs aplenty, but none of them struck me as equal in cool-factor to an illustration of a player character.

To do that, I would need to switch from Sands of the Scorpion God to another campaign—my own. Kings of Absalom started last summer as a way for me to play Pathfinder with as many friends as possible. I design enough material to cover 4 or 5 sessions, play the adventure with a team of 5 friends, and then put the campaign on pause while I run several other groups of 5 players through the same adventure, roughly at the same time. I debuted my first installment, "The Lowest of the Low," last year, casting the heroes in the roles of prisoners in a duergar mining colony far below the streets of Absalom. Up first was a group of Paizo pals (James Jacobs, Jeff Alvarez, James Sutter, Rob McCreary, and Wes Schneider). After they finished, I moved on to other groups of friends, and I've now run the event five times.

I haven't managed to debut this year's installment yet, but it's a major project for when I get back from Gen Con and have a little more time to dedicate to fun rather than work. Here is one character from my Paizo group: James Jacobs's Shensen.

Shensen is one of James's favorite characters, a veteran of many campaigns. This time around the half-elf is a dawnflower dervish bard. She's smart, charismatic, and a bit impulsive. Like almost all of the characters mentioned above, you can find out more about her background in the NPC Guide. That version reflects a much higher-level character than the one currently running around in the caves below Absalom, but a lot of the broad strokes are the same. Of all of Andrew's illustrations, this one is among my absolute favorites.

The last image is a special one for me, since it represents Zarzeny, the rogue character played by my girlfriend, Danica. Zarzeny is Danica's first Pathfinder character, created to adventure with long-time players like Jason Bulmahn in my local Seattle campaign. Danica started off a bit nervous, but it's been hilarious to see her develop into the sort of kleptomaniac thief character most of us are so familiar with. She's always the character pushing the group to violate a sacred crypt ("hey, there may be treasure in there!") or ambush an NPC whose pockets appear to be laden with treasure. She absconded with at least one piece of hugely cursed treasure pilfered from said crypt (the only character out of 25 to do so, I might add) simply because she decided her character was greedy and she doesn't have the experience with the game to know when she is being set up for a fall. I can't wait for the other shoe to drop!

So, those are our characters, illustrated by Pathfinder comics artist Andrew Huerta. Be sure to stop by booth #203 this weekend at Gen Con to get your own original illustrations, and feel free to use the comment thread here to tell us about YOUR favorite characters.

We're all ears, at least until the end of the convention.

And if you do stop by the booth, please be sure to say hi to our staff. We love hearing your thoughts on the game, where we should take it, and yes, we even like hearing about your characters.

See you soon!

Erik Mona
Publisher

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MisCon 2013

Jun 30, 2013, 10:00 am

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Adam Daigle, John Compton, and I went to MisCon 27, in Missoula, Montana. Without a doubt, it's one of the finest and most fun regional conventions I've been to. There were around 1,200 attendees, but you wouldn't know it—the way the con organizers use the space makes it feel pretty intimate.

MisCon 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Adam Daigle, John Compton, and I went to MisCon 27, in Missoula, Montana. Without a doubt, it's one of the finest and most fun regional conventions I've been to. There were around 1,200 attendees, but you wouldn't know it—the way the con organizers use the space makes it feel pretty intimate.

Venture Captain Kyle Elliot was there, as a madman running Pathfinder constantly for longtime fans and enthusiastic new players. Here's what he had to say about that"

"Pathfinder Society is soon to be a growing trend in the great state of Montana. Muse: Comics and Games is the newest hotspot for PFS in the city of Missoula, hosting games every Sunday. MisCon 27 was a great starting point to meet fans of the game and get them involved in a local community. I ran across several gaming clubs that connect gamers to one another across this spread out state. From Hamilton Gamers Guild or the crew at Black Shield Productions these folks were great examples of what type of amazing community that is waiting for more to join. I've already set my travel plans for MisCon next year, and I hope to see y'all there too."

Dave Gross, author of the Pathfinder Tales novels Prince of Wolves, Master of Devils, and Queen of Thorns, joined our happy quartet for the Paizo Ask Us Anything panel, where we talked about upcoming books, rules questions, life cycle of products, things like that. It was a good crowd, and because it was such a nice day, the convention staff held that panel outdoors.

Photos Courtesy of the Gamerati

We each have particular convention highlights. From Adam:
"I had such a great time talking to people during the weekend, especially all the people that came to my panels and stuck around to talk when they were over. I think we all came up with some fun ideas during the monster design panel, and though Monday was a bit slower as people went back to their normal lives. We had some good talks with people about writing for publication. I was most touched when Erik Evjen found me on Friday and presented me with a sweet thank you card, on behalf of all Montana gamers, to bring back to the office and share with my coworkers (along with a bottle of booze!)."

From John:
"MisCon 27 was my first opportunity to represent Paizo while wearing the blue shirt, and I enjoyed the experience immensely. All of the panels that I participated in were lively, informative, and well attended. Of particular note were the monster design panel that I ran with Adam, a "how to make paladins fun" panel, and the ever-infamous Deck of Many Situations exercise that concluded an expanded series of GM 101 seminars. Missoula was an excellent host, and I look forward to returning in the future."

And I personally had a lot of fun during my two-hour Improvisational GMing seminar. That's always a blast, but the crowd at MisCon was especially fun to work with, because they jumped right in with the improv exercises. There were also a few people running The Dresden Files RPG non-stop over the convention, so I stopped by at the end of the show and high-fived them. Finally, I got to meet and talk with Jim Butcher, which was a real treat after reading his books for years and working on the game about his world.

And, of course, we all enjoyed the after-hours shindigs, sitting around and chatting with fans and newfound friends.

If you get a chance to go to MisCon, we cannot recommend it enough.

Ryan Macklin,
Developer

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Ratfolk and Catfolk and Race Boons Oh My

Jun 3, 2013, 10:00 am

Of all the feedback I receive about Pathfinder Society Organized Play, whether it be in person when I am visiting different regions, through emails, or on the messageboards, what I hear most is that non-convention-goers have little to no chance to obtain some of the convention-only boons that are offered at regional shows. The most popular of these boons are the racial boons, which open up the player's options to choose a unique race. I have thought long and hard on how we can even out things for those players who are not able to attend a convention for whatever reason.

Ratfolk and Catfolk and Race Boons Oh My

Monday, June 3, 2013

Of all the feedback I receive about Pathfinder Society Organized Play, whether it be in person when I am visiting different regions, through emails, or on the messageboards, what I hear most is that non-convention-goers have little to no chance to obtain some of the convention-only boons that are offered at regional shows. The most popular of these boons are the racial boons, which open up the player's options to choose a unique race. I have thought long and hard on how we can even out things for those players who are not able to attend a convention for whatever reason.

First, let me clarify that we will always have special boons that can only be obtained at conventions. These will consist of a multitude of various options, from extending the range of the Day Job earnings chart to unique races. Our regional and national conventions and larger game days are where we garner the biggest PR for our game. But that doesn't mean I don't want to offer the chance of getting cool boons, especially racial boons, to members of our player base who don't attend conventions.

At these regional conventions, players only receive approximately a 10% chance to receive any boon that is provided at the convention. I don't think it is unreasonable to offer a similar chance to non-convention players.

One tool that has finally been opened to me is I am able to filter play of individual scenarios, and to see every reported table and every Pathfinder Society number that was at that table. I am also able to filter dates so I can see exactly how many tables of a specific scenario were reported over a specified time. Playing around with this new tool got me to thinking about how I could utilize it for the benefit of the entire Pathfinder Society player base.

My initial thought is that when a scenario presents something unique, such as helping a race like ratfolk, catfolk, or dhampirs (and no, I am not advising one way or another whether either of these races will make an appearance in Season 5), it might be possible to offer these races (or whatever races were aided in a specified scenario) via a lottery type of system. While I certainly don't want to flood the OP with a zoo of races (such as making them available on a Chronicle sheet for everyone who plays the specified scenario), I don't think it is a bad thing to occassionally give a limited pool of players the chance to play a new race, similar to the Grippli boon at Gen Con this year, as long as we control the flow of how many become available. With that said, my thinking is that after the first month or two of a specified scenario, I would randomly select from all tables that reported success in the specified scenario. All the players and GMs of the randomly selected tables would then have the unique Chronicle sheet sent directly to them.

Maybe this is or isn't the best way to offer unique boons to the entire playerbase, especially those who can't or won't attend conventions. However, it is the start of a working idea I am still toying with that would offer an equal chance to everyone who plays the specified scenario in a specified time limit. If you think this is a horrible idea, please offer a solution for how we can make it better. I would very much like to hear your feedback on what you think of the above system, or hear your thoughts on any other suggestions you might have for how to best utilize this new tool I have been given. As always, your feedback and comments help to strengthen the community at large, and without your feedback and participation, Pathfinder Society wouldn't be as awesome as it is today. I look forward to reading all of your comments.

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

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Welcome Our New Intern, Jay!

May 11, 2013, 10:00 am

Greetings one and all! My name is Jay Loomis, and I'm one of the new editorial interns here at Paizo HQ. I share a desk with Cassidy, whom you have already met (though I haven't, due to a temporal displacement in our schedules).

Welcome Our New Intern, Jay!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Greetings one and all! My name is Jay Loomis, and I'm one of the new editorial interns here at Paizo HQ. I share a desk with Cassidy, whom you have already met (though I haven't, due to a temporal displacement in our schedules).

I'm a graduate student at the University of Washington, Bothell in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Poetics program. My path to grad school was long and winding, and involved a ton of professional experience in technical and expository writing, management and team dynamics, desktop publishing and a smidgeon of graphic design, among many other areas. That's a roundabout way of saying that I'm kind of old for an intern. I look forward to bringing my experience to bear as I learn more about the world of RPG publishing.

Coming to Paizo is one step in the fulfillment of a dream to make RPGs that started when I was 10. That was a long time ago (here's a hint: that was the year that I got Star Frontiers, Marvel Superheroes [the original in the yellow box], and The Adventures of Indiana Jones Role-Playing Game, all published by TSR) so it feels really good. My interest in design hasn't lain dormant in the intervening years. I'm always designing games of one sort or another. I have accumulated a lot of theory, and have helped my peers learn about designing games as the president of the Game Design Club at school. Last year I was fortunate enough to be the editor of the critically acclaimed Dungeon World, published by Sage Kobold designs.

In the rare moments that I am not playing or talking about roleplaying games or doing homework (or playing or talking about other tabletop games) I enjoy blacksmithing, stage combat and European martial arts (swords!). I like making things with my hands and (when time allows) walking in nature and relaxing at home with my wife and two cats.

I can't wait to dive deeper into the inner workings of Pathfinder and to tell you about it here on the blog!

Jay Loomis
Editorial Intern

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We Survived!

May 10, 2013, 10:00 am

The last six weeks have been quite a slog for the development and editorial pits here at Paizo. We worked day and night, and most weekends, getting over two dozen products scheduled for Gen Con ready to go. To celebrate, many of us are going to kick back and actually take a whole weekend to unwind—maybe soak up the Seattle sun while it's out (yeah, we get sun sometimes!), go catch Iron Man 3, or even just sleep in while we can.

We Survived!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Gen Con Crunch breakfast! Liz made delicious pancakes!

Happy editors and developers working on some exciting products due out this summer.

The last six weeks have been quite a slog for the development and editorial pits here at Paizo. We worked day and night, and most weekends, getting over two dozen products scheduled for Gen Con ready to go. To celebrate, many of us are going to kick back and actually take a whole weekend to unwind—maybe soak up the Seattle sun while it's out (yeah, we get sun sometimes!), go catch Iron Man 3, or even just sleep in while we can.

On behalf of the editing staff, I'm pretty stoked to say that we're proud of the work we've done. We're not just happy that the slog is over; we're happy that we knocked this year's product schedule out of the park!

What did we survive, you ask?

We have a host of Pathfinder Player Companions just waiting to jump into your hands: Kobolds of Golarion, Quests & Campaigns, Dragonslayer's Handbook, Pathfinder Society Primer, Faiths & Philosophies, and Demon Hunter's Handbook. There's something in this hot group of titles for everyone, no matter what you're playing in your Pathfinder campaign.

But hey, we can't be adventurers if we don't have places to go adventuring! For that, we've worked hard on these Pathfinder Campaign Setting books: Castles of the Inner Sea, Dragons Unleashed, The Worldwound, and Demons Revisited.

You like adventures? You're going to see a double-sized module in Pathfinder Modules: The Dragon's Demand. Of course, we've got the exciting end to the Reign of Winter Adventure Path in Pathfinder Adventure Path #71: Rasputin Must Die! and Pathfinder Adventure Path #72: The Witch Queen's Revenge. And we kick off the next Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous with Pathfinder Adventure Path #73: The Worldwound Incursion.

Sometimes we don't get to game, and for those times, it's nice to curl up to a good book. Check out Pathfinder Tales: The Wizard's Mask by that wizard of fantasy, Ed Greenwood.

We also shipped off a number of accessories to enhance your experience at the table, including Map Packs (Forest Trails and Evil Ruins), Flip-Mats (Arcane Dungeons and Thieves' Guild), and four Pathfinder Card sets: (Animal Allies Face Cards, Dragon's Demand Campaign Cards, and Iconic Equipment and Wrath of the Righteous Item Cards.

Last, but certainly not least, are two massive beasts we were happy to slay and present to you: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set—plus the PFACG Character Add-On Deck—and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Mythic Adventures. Plus, for all you art lovers out there, there's Visions of WAR: The Art of Wayne Reynolds.

In case any of you out there are wondering, here're the names of the Gen Con heroes who've worked 50+ hour weeks to put more awesome into your gaming lives:

Judy Bauer, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Christopher Carey, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Crystal Frasier, James Jacobs, Ryan Macklin, Rob McCreary, Mark Moreland, Erik Mona, Jessica Price, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sonja Morris, Sean K Reynolds, Sarah E. Robinson, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, Patrick Renie, and Andrew Vallas, along with our interns Jay Loomis and Cassidy Werner.

We hope you enjoy the books and accessories! If you'll be at Gen Con, come by and say hi!

Ryan Macklin
Editor

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Welcome Aslan, Intern Champion!

Apr 27, 2013, 10:00 am

Greetings! I am Aslan. Cassidy (Mom) told me she introduced herself to all of you, but I was far more popular than she could ever hope to be. Considering she's one of my subjects, I think this is only fitting.

Welcome Aslan, Intern Champion!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Behold the symbol of my dominance.

Greetings! I am Aslan. Cassidy (Mom) told me she introduced herself to all of you, but I was far more popular than she could ever hope to be. Considering she's one of my subjects, I think this is only fitting.

Mom brought me home earlier this year. All she was looking for when she walked into the pet store was a puppy fix, but per my previous brainwashing of the pet store staff, they put me in her arms instead. That she could be easily manipulated was immediately obvious. I pretended to be a loving, docile creature like all the other rabbits and ten minutes later, we were en route to my new domain.

Once we arrived, I put my master plan into action, transforming a previously unsophisticated realm into the grand kingdom of Livingroom. I used my powers of persuasion and adorably fluffy ears to secure my influence over Mom and her fiancé (Dad). I arranged for daily tribute deliveries of pellets, hay, and leafy greens. A castle was built in my honor. Cassidy's mother, who has become a powerful ally and my Grand Minion, intervened during my castle's construction to insist I be given a turret. While I was initially annoyed at her presumption, the turret has become one the most important pillars of my rule as it allows me survey my domain. Grand Minion will be spared my wrath.

Chew Toy Dragon is defeated!

After ensuring my own kingdom's stability and training my minions to see to its day-to-day administration, I set forth to forge relations with a neighboring realm. Random, their dignitary, traveled from the far-off land of Duvall to meet with me. (Between you and me, he's the funniest-looking rabbit I've ever met.) After establishing both trade and security treaties, we cemented our bond by joining forces to purge Livingroom of its greatest threat: Chew Toy Dragon. Together, we defeated the abomination, stripping it of its teeth and forcing it to pledge its fealty to us.

Currently, I'm working on my greatest challenge yet: communicating my insatiable need for carrots and raisins to Mom and Dad. Though they seem earnest in their attempts to please me and provide me with these items on occasion, I am beginning to suspect they are taking directives from The Vet, self-appointed court dietician and my greatest enemy. Despite my suspicions, I will allow Mom and Dad to remain in my kingdom... for now. In the meantime, I will lurk in my castle, plotting new conquests and my next campaign with Random.

Until next time, loyal subjects.

Aslan
Emperor of Livingroom
Nibbler of Dragons
Lord and Master of all He Surveys

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New Intern Alert!

Apr 18, 2013, 10:28 am

I'm Cassidy Werner, one of the new interns at Paizo. I'd like to say that I, along with my counterpart Jay, am one of the new rulers of Internistan. Unfortunately, our office has been relocated away from the warehouse and we have yet to find the Internistan flag.

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Introducing Justin Riddler

Apr 16, 2013, 10:00 am

I'm originally from St. Charles, MO and went to the University of Missouri—St. Louis where I got my Bachelors in Psychology and Theatre, and my Masters in Education with a focus on Andragogy. I have had many jobs in my 25 years of life, from opera singer to security guard, and now I am the newest customer service representative at Paizo, having left my previous job as a receptionist at Microsoft.

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Who is John Compton?

Feb 28, 2013, 10:00 am

The whole Pathfinder Society community has been buzzing about the new addition to the Pathfinder Society team here at the Paizo offices. But who is John Compton, our newest developer? We'll let him tell you...

Who is John Compton?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The whole Pathfinder Society community has been buzzing about the new addition to the Pathfinder Society team here at the Paizo offices. But who is John Compton, our newest developer? We'll let him tell you...

F. Wesley Schneider
Editor-in-Chief

My roleplaying experience began with a bequeathed copy of the 1981 Dungeons & Dragons Expert Rules from my older cousin Tim. It wasn’t until the end of middle school that I found a regular gaming group, and it was Kyle Pratt, one of the founding members and now co-Venture-Captain of Georgia, who introduced me to Pathfinder and later Pathfinder Society in early 2010. Given my training as an archaeologist, Pathfinder Society had an instant appeal. Despite an ally nearly killing off the entire party in The Prince of Augustana, our first scenario, I was hooked.

From there we, along with Nani Pratt, acted as store liaisons under Mike Brock’s leadership as then-VC. When he took on the weighty mantle of Campaign Coordinator, I cheerfully offered my services in adapting modules, writing Chronicle sheets for Pathfinder Tales, and other small-scale odds and ends, and I continued to write supplementary material behind the scenes until PaizoCon 2012. I was already excited that weekend. Not only had I participated as a suitor in the Grand Convocation the night before, but I was also still buzzed from some amazing conversations in person with the esteemed Painlord and Shivok from the messageboards. Then, Mark Moreland snagged me during the lunch break, offered me a chance to write a scenario, and asked me to write the Season 4 convention boons.

In early January, I received an exciting series of emails. First, it was Mark asking if at some point in the future, budget willing, I would be interested in a bit of freelance, part-time development work. Sure! Then I heard from Wes asking me to send in a resume for a full-time developer position. Done! A few interviews later, I was hired and swapping ideas with Mike to continue Pathfinder Society’s growth and improve the experience even more.

John Compton
Developer

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Please Welcome Our New Pathfinder Society Developer!

Feb 22, 2013, 10:00 am

Today is an exciting day for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Pathfinder Society has been given a new developer who will be dedicated solely to helping me strengthen and grow organized play. John Compton comes to Paizo from Atlanta, GA. This is not the first time I have worked with John. When I was the acting Venture-Captain in Atlanta, John was one of my store liaisons. The store where he helped coordinate, along with current Georgia co-Venture-Captains Kyle and Nani Pratt, has been the fastest-growing store and currently has the largest regular player base in Georgia.

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Welcome Ryan Macklin!

Feb 14, 2013, 10:00 am

There's a new soldier here in the Paizo editorial trenches. Help me welcome game designer and editor Ryan Macklin to the Paizo crew. For the past several months Ryan has been working to make our products even more awesome as a contractor. We've been so impressed by his skill, his twisted imagination, and his pleasant smelling pipe that we've pulled out a chair to make him a full-fleged member of the Paizo team.

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Paizo Tours the USS Nimitz

Dec 23, 2012, 10:00 am

A few weeks ago I gave Pathfinder fan and friend of many of us here at Paizo, Paris Crenshaw, a tour of our office. Last Saturday, Commander Crenshaw returned the favor by giving a bunch of Paizonians a tour of his workplace, the USS Nimitz!

Paizo Tours the USS Nimitz

Sunday, December 23, 2012

A few weeks ago I gave Pathfinder fan and friend of many of us here at Paizo, Paris Crenshaw, a tour of our office. Last Saturday, Commander Crenshaw returned the favor by giving a bunch of Paizonians a tour of his workplace, the USS Nimitz!

The weather was quite frightful—pouring rain and freezing winds—but inside the supercarrier was delightful. Paris gave us an amazing tour, assisted by Lieutenant Commander Lucas Jung, RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32.

Approaching the USS Nimitz on the pier at the Naval Station in Everett, WA.
We paused for a group photo up in the flag mess where the Admiral's staff dines.

We stopped by the Admiral's office where the décor included a table whose surface was covered in challenge coins.

The fact that Pathfinder Society Challenge Coins would be totally awesome was not lost on any of us.
How can you knot be impressed by this fancy rope-work!

Winding our way through the ship we got to see the nerve center where the fleet is monitored from, the tactics center, and some other fancy control rooms. The banks of computers, switches, radar screens, and buttons made a truly impressive sight to behold, but sadly, no pictures allowed.

It was a good thing Paris and Lucas were there to show us around, as the interior is easy to get lost in.

Looking down the length of the ship.
Scuttle holes allow for emergency access in case regular exits are blocked.

Possibly the most exciting part of the tour was getting to go up to the pilot house, the bridge, and the air traffic control room at the very top of the ship’s tower. While we couldn’t sit in the Admiral’s chair on the bridge, we did get the opportunity to sit in the Air Boss’s chair and see what he sees from his perch in the air traffic control room.

Sutter feels the need, the need for speed.
Myself and my son Mikey by the USS Nimitz bell.

Everyone had a wonderful time and we are incredibly grateful to Paris and Lucas for showing us around. It was quite an amazing experience! (And of course, we left a nice big box of rulebooks for the crew to enjoy in their library after we left).

Sara Marie
Customer Carebear

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From the Publisher: Changes Are Coming!

Nov 2, 2012, 12:45 pm

From the Publisher: Changes Are Coming! Friday, November 2, 2012 As we move into the last two months of 2012, the editorial staff is hard at work on the playtest for next year’s Mythic Adventures, the warehouse staff is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our big winter hardcover, the NPC Codex, and the web team is cranking away at the exciting new Paizo Game Space virtual tabletop. Everyone has smiles on their face as they complete major tasks for 2012 and as they begin to think about what’s...

From the Publisher: Changes Are Coming!

Friday, November 2, 2012

As we move into the last two months of 2012, the editorial staff is hard at work on the playtest for next year’s Mythic Adventures, the warehouse staff is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our big winter hardcover, the NPC Codex, and the web team is cranking away at the exciting new Paizo Game Space virtual tabletop. Everyone has smiles on their face as they complete major tasks for 2012 and as they begin to think about what’s coming in 2013.

The management and finance teams, in the meantime, are hard at work finalizing 2013’s budget. This multi-month process involves solidifying the editorial schedule for the year, making go or no-go decisions on marketing programs, new employee hires, and everything else with a cost associated with it. While we always remain open to new opportunities on short deadlines, when the budget for a year closes, you end up with a good snapshot of every product, employee, convention, or other initiative we plan to do in the year. It’s a time when things get locked in, and when decisions can no longer be put off into the future.

As a result, it’s the best time to make important changes to Paizo’s product lines and general strategy. Since we’re about to put the lid on the 2012 budget, I wanted to take some time here in the Paizo Blog to speak with my “publisher voice” and let you in on a few important developments that are scheduled to hit in 2013.

Branding Changes for GameMastery

Paizo’s line of GameMastery accessories dates back to the time before Pathfinder, when we were a magazine publisher just dipping our toes into the RPG game publishing field for the first time. The maps and card products released under the GameMastery line were designed to work with any fantasy RPG, and we wanted a name for the line that suggested the widest appeal to the widest number of customers, regardless of what system they played. Since its launch, we’ve released more than 100 Map Packs and Flip-Mats, and dozens of Item Cards, Face Cards, and other card-based accessories to help you run your campaigns.

Card and map subscriptions are at an all-time high, and the design department keeps finding ways to make each release improve upon those that came before it. We have plenty of terrain types, dungeon maps, and other settings yet to go, and if anything the rate of card sets will increase in the future. We now plan to produce a set of Item Cards and Face Cards for every Adventure Path we publish, with additional rules-oriented releases similar to Chase Cards, Condition Cards, and the Critical Hit deck in development as I write this.

As time has gone on, and as the Pathfinder RPG has become not just a dominant brand here at the Paizo offices but also in the game industry in general, more and more of our GameMastery accessory releases have started to tie into Pathfinder adventures or the Pathfinder rules themselves. As a result, we’ve decided to retire the GameMastery brand, and beginning in February of next year, GameMastery Map Packs, Flip-Mats, and Card releases will come out under the Pathfinder brand.

This change allows us to reexamine how we package our maps, and gives us the chance to improve them to make using the products easier. For Flip-Mats this means packaging the maps with a wrap-around cover similar to the one used for our Pathfinder GM Screen, which gives us more space to preview what the maps look like, highlight key features, and (really importantly) to allow customers (and retailers) to shelve their maps “spine out” for easier sorting. Map Packs will feature a similar packaging metamorphosis, and will now come in a small box for easier storage and display.

Many (even most) of Pathfinder Map Pack, Flip-Mat, and Card releases will still be “rules agnostic” and suitable for use with a variety of systems, but the truth is that the Pathfinder brand has a cachet with buyers, distributors, and customers that GameMastery does not, and this change will allow us to get our products into a wider network of stores. When they make it into those stores, they’ll also be shelved with other Pathfinder products, making it easier than ever for Paizo fans to find what they’re looking for.

Pricing Changes

A close look at our budgets has convinced us that we need to make some price changes on some of our product lines to keep up with rising production costs. Starting in February 2013, Pathfinder Map Packs and Pathfinder Flip-Mats will rise in price from $12.99 to $13.99.

Also starting in February, the monthly Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes, which have held steady in price for 66 consecutive volumes, will increase to $22.99 (subscribers will pay the new discounted price of $15.99, plus their other subscription benefits like the Pathfinder Advantage discount and free PDFs). Additionally, the monthly Pathfinder Player Companion line will shift from $10.99 to $12.99.

This is the first time we have ever raised prices on the Adventure Path, and we agonized over the decision. In truth, we probably should have raised the price a few years back when the cost of paper and printing increased with inflation and increased global demand at the end of 2008, but we wanted to hold the line as long as possible. We must do it now to keep the high standard of quality we publish each month, and we hope that you’ll find the few extra bucks well worth the investment.

Keep your eyes on the Paizo Blog for more updates about upcoming products and exciting new releases for 2013. It promises to be a huge year for Paizo and the Pathfinder RPG, and we can’t wait to share some of our exciting plans with you.

Your support has been integral to the Paizo story these last 10 years, and we look forward to sharing the next 10 years with you!

Sincerely,

Erik Mona
Publisher
P.S.: Look for your regularly scheduled Friday Pathfinder Battles miniature preview blog right here later this afternoon.

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Lisa Stevens Gamerati Interview

Jun 21, 2012, 10:00 am

Lisa Stevens Gamerati Interview Thursday, June 21, 2012A few weeks back Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens joined a hangout on Gamerati+ where Gen Con owner Peter Adkison and numerous other participants asked her a variety of questions about Paizo, Pathfinder Online, her gaming history, and whatever else came to mind. Check out what was asked and what insider info she had to share! ... You can check out the rest of the video interview at the Paizo Publishing channel on YouTube. Thanks to Ed Healy for...

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Meet the Intern: Savannah

Jun 14, 2012, 10:00 am

Meet the Intern: Savannah Thursday, June 14, 2012Hello all! ... I'm Savannah Broadway, the newest resident of Internistan, which was established by my fellow intern, Jerome. For those of you that were wondering, he's still alive and well as far as I know—our schedules don't often overlap, lest we be forced to knife-fight to the death over the computer. I don't know if you all remember the pictures of the desks of previous interns, but our realm has relocated to the warehouse. On the...

Meet the Intern: Savannah

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Hello all!

I'm Savannah Broadway, the newest resident of Internistan, which was established by my fellow intern, Jerome. For those of you that were wondering, he's still alive and well as far as I know—our schedules don't often overlap, lest we be forced to knife-fight to the death over the computer. I don't know if you all remember the pictures of the desks of previous interns, but our realm has relocated to the warehouse. On the plus side, this means access to a lovely set of windows that mostly overlook bushes and bit of the parking lot, and getting to listen in on whatever music the warehouse crew is currently playing.

I'm new to the state of Washington, having temporarily relocated here from tiny southern Illinois. Next fall will be my junior year at Southern Illinois University Carbondale studying Creative Writing and working in the Preservation lab. I've been into reading and writing for as long as I can remember, but I started roleplaying games about two and a half years ago. Since then I've loved the storytelling aspect of the game, both as a player and a GM. I enjoy running bards, barbarians, a few sorcerers, and once a chaotic good necromancer with an undead dodo familiar named Percy.

Working at Paizo (even for the week or so that I've been at it) has been a blast. The first time I pulled into the parking lot I saw that the car next to me sported a pair of fuzzy d20s and knew that I had found the right building. My tasks so far have been writing summaries for some of the Pathfinder Tales, working on maps, and updating the infamous Rules Database. Also on the list is braving Cosmo, who hasn't quite given up on insisting that I bring him coffee and likes to try to act like a ninja. On another note, you'll be able to see my very first work for Paizo in the upcoming Pathfinder Adventure Path #59: The Price of Infamy.

All in all, I'm sure that this summer will be a blast. The database may be intimidating and the mouse wheel may refuse to scroll down, but I can't think of any other place I'd rather intern. With any luck, I'll see you all at PaizoCon!

Welcome to our newest Intern, Savannah!

Savannah Broadway
Editorial Intern

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Fuel for the Machine!

May 21, 2012, 10:00 am

Fuel for the Machine! Monday, May 21, 2012A gigantic, pepperoni-, tomato-, and beer-scented thank you from all of us here at Paizo to Venture-Captain Jason Roeder (kikai13 on the boards) and the entire Missouri Pathfinder Lodge for the surprise stack of more than a dozen pizzas that showed up for lunch today. It's been a hectic series of weeks here at the office, with teams getting our year's major hardcover release—Ultimate Equipment—out the door, starting up a Kickstarter for...

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Kicking Off Pathfinder Online

May 9, 2012, 04:45 pm

Kicking Off Pathfinder Online Wednesday, May 9, 2012You've probably heard that Paizo is working with Goblinworks to produce Pathfinder Online, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. Goblinworks has been giving you snippets of our plans in the biweekly blog posts on goblinworks.com, and we've been getting your feedback on the Pathfinder Online messageboards here on paizo.com. Well, we're now ready to kick off the next phase of Pathfinder Online. ... Today we announced a Kickstarter...

Kicking Off Pathfinder Online

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

You've probably heard that Paizo is working with Goblinworks to produce Pathfinder Online, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. Goblinworks has been giving you snippets of our plans in the biweekly blog posts on goblinworks.com, and we've been getting your feedback on the Pathfinder Online messageboards here on paizo.com. Well, we're now ready to kick off the next phase of Pathfinder Online.

Today we announced a Kickstarter project to help us build the Pathfinder Online Technology Demo. Go take a look at the press release or visit the Kickstarter project page to find out what this Kickstarter is all about, and then come back here so I can share some details you'll want to know. Don’t worry, I’ll wait right here...

...Did you read it? Pretty darn cool, huh?

Goblinworks.com has its own blog today talking about the Kickstarter, so head over there when you're done here for more details on that. What I want to talk about here is the Thornkeep book!

Since the Pathfinder Online Technology Demo itself isn’t something that we can offer to Kickstarter patrons, we had to go outside the box for our Kickstarter rewards, and the Thornkeep book seemed like the perfect answer.

Thornkeep has a Pathfinder Online logo on the cover, but make no mistake—Paizo is handling this book just like any of our other Pathfinder products. It's set in the very same world of Golarion as our other roleplaying products, and contains 100% official Pathfinder campaign setting material for use with the Pathfinder RPG.

The first half of the 64-page Thornkeep book is a Pathfinder RPG sourcebook covering the town of Thornkeep and its surrounding area. Thornkeep is part of the River Kingdoms area, which is the setting for Pathfinder Online. (You could also drop Thornkeep into almost any wooded area in your own campaign setting.) As we mentioned in one of our earliest Pathfinder Online blog posts, Thornkeep is one of three starting locations for PCs in the MMO—it's the chaotic frontier town that Ryan dubbed our "hive of scum and villainy" (think a fantasy version of Deadwood). (You even helped us name Thornkeep in our first online poll!)

We thought it would be cool to allow folks to explore Thornkeep's various dark corners in their Pathfinder RPG sessions before Pathfinder Online is released. We will be using this book as our guide when we're building its digital equivalent. We're even going to have a small dungeon in this book that will map directly to the one featured in the Technology Demo. So not only will you be getting a guide to one of the towns in Pathfinder Online, but you'll also be getting the first look at how content from the RPG transitions to Pathfinder Online, as well as how content from the MMO might find its way to your gaming table!

Rich Baker, author of Thornkeep!

When we were looking for somebody to write the sourcebook material for us, we went to our good friend Rich Baker. This is Rich's first time working on Pathfinder, but he has been involved with classic D&D campaign settings from the Forgotten Realms to Birthright, and we figured it would be fun to see how he would approach Thornkeep! I've seen his partial turnovers already, and they're awesome!

So what about the second half of the book? That's going to be a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Pathfinder Online, including excerpts from our internal design document, plus design sketches and early artwork for the MMO, as well as essays from Goblinworks and Paizo team members designed to give you insight into the making of the MMO. Consider this a backstage pass to all of the goings-on at Goblinworks!

Of course, we couldn’t have a cool product like this without a Wayne Reynolds cover. The cover image you see here is a mock-up—Wayne should have the real Thornkeep cover done by PaizoCon, and we plan to unveil it at our banquet!

Thornkeep isn't the only Kickstarter reward, though. There are lots of fun rewards for folks at all levels of pledge support! You could even come to Paizo for a day, play a Pathfinder game with your dream Paizo GM, and have a four-hour dinner with your GM, Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey, and myself. Check out all of the Kickstarter rewards and help us get to the next step in the development of Pathfinder Online. We wouldn’t be here without you!

Lisa Stevens
Paizo CEO
Goblinworks COO

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Daigle Comes Calling

Mar 19, 2012, 10:00 am

Daigle Comes Calling Monday, March 19, 2012You may have already heard that longstanding Paizo freelancer, messageboard crusader, flumph preservationist, and all around great guy Adam Daigle has officially signed on as Paizo’s newest developer. Well, this week he showed up at the office, terrified and disheveled after several straight days of driving all his belongings up from Texas in a truck he’s absolutely not qualified to drive. ... In order to show him what swell folks we are, a couple of...

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Welcome to the Screaming Jungle

Jan 31, 2012, 10:00 am

Welcome to the Screaming Jungle Tuesday, January 31, 2012Behold, the beaming excitement of the new interns! (Shhhh... Don’t tell them that enthusiasm is about to wither away as they enter the Editorial Pit of Despair known as crosschecking every feat, spell, trait, and magic item in the Advanced Race Guide.) Everybody, please give a warm welcome Alexandra and Jerome! ... Christopher Carey ... Editor ... Hi, I’m Alexandra and I’m a new Paizo intern here in the Editorial Department. I’m not...

Welcome to the Screaming Jungle

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Behold, the beaming excitement of the new interns! (Shhhh... Don’t tell them that enthusiasm is about to wither away as they enter the Editorial Pit of Despair known as crosschecking every feat, spell, trait, and magic item in the Advanced Race Guide.) Everybody, please give a warm welcome Alexandra and Jerome!

Christopher Carey
Editor

Hi, I’m Alexandra and I’m a new Paizo intern here in the Editorial Department. I’m not quite sure exactly everything I’ll be doing, but I’m very excited! I’ll know I’ll be showing up around the messageboards so here’s a little about me:

I’m currently going to college and finishing up my AA in Digital Gaming while working about 25 hours a week at my part-time job, doing this internship, and trying to have a social life. In my free time, I love to play RPG games and post on Tumblr. My friends and I run a Dragon Age fan blog there. Dragon Age is one of my favorite games but I’m currently playing Skyrim whenever I can. I really like to read fanfiction and write my own short stories. My favorite TV show is Supernatural, and even though it’s totally ruined now I still love it.

I’ve lived in the same place forever, so after I get settled with my life, I hope to do a lot of traveling and exploring of other cultures to feed my inspiration. I’d love to go all over Europe and Southeast Asia and check out all the fashion and food. I’m Jewish, so I’d also love to visit Israel and finally learn Hebrew.

Well, there’s me. Thanks for reading!

Alexandra Schecterson
Editorial Intern

Hello!

This is Jerome, one of the new interns here at Paizo Publishing. It’s my first month on the job, and I’m excited to discover what makes Pathfinder tick. At first blush, the answers seem to be coffee, banter, and hoards of figurines!

I’m a relative neophyte to the RPG scene, having discovered Pathfinder only a few years ago. However, in the short time that I’ve been playing and GMing, I’ve become enamored of the creativity and collaborative spirit that Pathfinder brings out in people. I’m excited to see those same attitudes at work within the Paizo staff.

I’m a long-time strategy and athletic gamer with roots in Go, soccer, and 8-bit cartridges. I continue to game regularly, and have burgeoning interest in independent game design. I’ve also pursued (with varying degrees of success) kung fu, story games, Starcraft, ballroom dancing, and girls. My childhood habit of reading has blossomed into a love of writing that promises to delight and infuriate me to the grave and beyond. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to try my hand at writing for Paizo someday soon!

I’m excited to be working with Paizo, and look forward to seeing you all on the messageboards!

Good Gaming,

Jerome Virnich
Editorial Intern

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Encounters with Flying Cats

Aug 30, 2011, 10:45 am

Encounters with Flying Cats Tuesday, August 30, 2011 ... Fresh meat! We have to keep the cave raptors downstairs fed!Hi there! My name is Meredith Kniest, and I'm the latest edition of the Paizo Intern. I've been asked to explain a bit about myself and my experience at Paizo so far, which frankly is an awesome relief from staring at Excel spreadsheets. Oh, the joys of interning. ... I'm currently a senior at the University of Washington studying English and French. After having scoured...

Encounters with Flying Cats

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fresh meat! We have to keep the cave raptors downstairs fed!

Hi there! My name is Meredith Kniest, and I'm the latest edition of the Paizo Intern. I've been asked to explain a bit about myself and my experience at Paizo so far, which frankly is an awesome relief from staring at Excel spreadsheets. Oh, the joys of interning.

I'm currently a senior at the University of Washington studying English and French. After having scoured internship postings in the greater Seattle area for months, and with gloomy national job forecasts echoing about my brain in the available space between Shakespeare and Balzac, I was beginning to resign myself to a long and dismal job search. That's when I came across Wesley's ad for an editing internship with Paizo. With a peculiar amount of trepidation did I apply—after all, the closest I've ever come to playing a tabletop RPG was creating fantasy adventures for my little brother using Playmobil people and Lincoln Logs, long ago, in the dusty days before Zelda took her first three-dimensional step, when Doug was the best show on television.

Three weeks into the position, I've learned a great deal about the Pathfinder universe, though I still feel like the greenest noob since Leeroy Jenkins, especially around the other Paizo employees, whose daily conversation—Hey, have we ever used flying cats as monsters? and Do we have a rule for wading through water?—flits by my ears like Miles Davis at a fifth-grade band concert.

My first intern assignment is to continue a job begun by interns of yesteryear: cataloging all of the Pathfinder rules not included in the Core Rulebook.

Yes, ALL of them.

It took me a couple of days to comprehend the daunting scale of this task. It's doubtful that it will be finished by me. Or by anyone, ever. I was discouraged, I won't lie. I had hoped to really wow my new employers with amazing ninja cataloging skills. (Hey, I take pride in my work. It keeps me going after caffeine has worn off.

However, I've been finding solace and diversion in the compelling, sometimes morbid storytelling that seems to make Pathfinder unique. I'm used to video game storytelling. Pathfinder is on a whole new, deeper, infinitely more variable and complex level than video games are capable of. Often I completely forget to catalog a rule or a stat block because I'm gripped by the lycanthropy of Duristan Silvio Ariesir or the perversions of the Runelords of Runeforge.

Feel free to send me your prayers, your derision, or any obscure Pathfinder rules you can think of. I'll be here, reading about the Blood Veil in Korvosa and, possibly, forgetting to do my job.

Meredith Kniest
Editorial Intern

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PaizoCon Is Here!

Jun 10, 2011, 01:00 pm

... Illustration by Tyler Walpole. Widescreen version here. ... PaizoCon Is Here! Friday, June 10, 2011PaizoCon 2011 starts today! The massive event schedule lists all of the awesome activities attendees can expect to take part in, but here are some of the real gems that I'm looking forward to. ... At the show guests and Paizo staff will have the opportunity to wine and dine together during Saturday's banquet. One of the reasons I'm excited about the banquet is the opportunity to meet and...

Illustration by Tyler Walpole. Widescreen version here.

PaizoCon Is Here!

Friday, June 10, 2011

PaizoCon 2011 starts today! The massive event schedule lists all of the awesome activities attendees can expect to take part in, but here are some of the real gems that I'm looking forward to.

At the show guests and Paizo staff will have the opportunity to wine and dine together during Saturday's banquet. One of the reasons I'm excited about the banquet is the opportunity to meet and hang out with fellow Paizonians. Having gotten to know so many of you on the messageboards, it will be fun to finally meet some of you face to face! In addition to CEO Lisa Stevens's welcome and Publisher Erik Mona's preview of upcoming Pathfinder products, James Jacobs and Jason Bulmahn will be showcasing some really cool things about our upcoming products. I can't say here what they'll be, but you all should be very excited!

One of the neatest things about PaizoCon is the myriad opportunities to get the inside scoop on Pathfinder, Paizo, and the old days at TSR. Between “The Future of Paizo" on Friday, and seminars on writing for Paizo throughout the entire weekend, on Saturday there's a seminar on the "Secrets of TSR" with the likes of Ed Greenwood, Lisa Stevens, Ryan Dancey and maybe even Jeff Grubb himself!

Speaking of seminars, there are quite a few about the history of the industry, how to begin writing for RPGs, and breaking into the game industry. Here's a brief list of some of the seminars that you should try and get to: "Publishing in Kobold Quarterly," "Secrets of a Small Press Publisher," "Writing for the Pathfinder Society," and "Auntie Lisa's Story Hour" with Paizo CEO Lisa Steven's herself!

Finally (and perhaps best of all), expect to play lots and lots of games. Pathfinder Society scenarios will be run every day throughout the convention, and special events such as Stephen Radney-MacFarland's "Shootout in Old Korvosa," Jason Bulmahn's "Cursed Lot IV," and master of horror James Jacobs's "The Siege of Windy Hollow" (a Pathfinder RPG variant set in an apocalyptic earth ravaged by the Elder Mythos) are sure to be crowd pleasers. I might even have to sit in and watch some of these games being played—they sound that awesome.

We're super excited about this show and will be updating the blog throughout the weekend with news-bites, pictures, and updates. For those of you who can't make it, here's a wallpaper of the PaizoCon 2011 mascot: Unk the goblin!

See you at the show!

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

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Relief!

May 19, 2011, 10:00 am

Relief! Thursday, May 19, 2011We’re all still reeling from the big push to get our Gen Con releases out the door, but you know what never gets old? Signing books. ... You may remember that a while back we put up a bunch of autographed books (including the gold-foil Special Edition copies seen here) as an auction to try to raise money for tsunami relief efforts in Japan. Well, it turns out that the Paizo community members found it in their hearts to give most generously, and now we’re holding...

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Volunteer or Run an Event at PaizoCon 2011!

Apr 13, 2011, 10:00 am

... Volunteer or Run an Event at PaizoCon 2011! Wednesday, April 13, 2011Are you attending PaizoCon 2011? (If not, tickets are still available!) If yes, have you thought about volunteering to run an event at the show? What makes PaizoCon so great isn't just the interaction with the Paizo staff or the ability to play in a staff-run game, it's also the ability to sit and game with your fellow Paizo community members as well as run a game for those community members! We're not beholden to a...

Volunteer or Run an Event at PaizoCon 2011!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Are you attending PaizoCon 2011? (If not, tickets are still available!) If yes, have you thought about volunteering to run an event at the show? What makes PaizoCon so great isn't just the interaction with the Paizo staff or the ability to play in a staff-run game, it's also the ability to sit and game with your fellow Paizo community members as well as run a game for those community members! We're not beholden to a single system at PaizoCon. Want to run a Pathfinder RPG one-off? Great! How about a board game slot where you teach some folks your favorite board game ever? Also great! How about you playtest an upcoming scene in your home campaign with a willing audience? Perfect! There's no end to the ideas you could develop and run at PaizoCon 2011.

We're only taking event submissions until April 27, 2011 (2 weeks from today). So post below in the following format:

Title:
System:
Short Description:
Number of Players (Min/Max):
Character Level:
Pregens Provided (yes/no):
Maturity Rating (Everyone (6+)/Teen (13+)/Mature (18+)):

This is the also the official call for Pathfinder Society volunteers for PAIZOCON 2011! Volunteers will receive $10 in Paizo.com store credit useable whenever they want to use it, for each slot they volunteer for, plus an awesome volunteer package of product in addition to the attendee bag o' goodies. (And I mean AWESOME! As in, we only had to drive it 3 miles from our warehouse AWESOME. Like, we're really close to the show so we can bring really cool stuff AWESOME!)

Look through the list below and email me the games/slots you can volunteer for!

Here's where we need help:

Friday 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Need: 16

Friday 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Need: 16

Friday 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. (Grand Melee)
Need: 16

Saturday 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Need: 16

Saturday 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Need: 16

Sunday 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Need: 16

There are 6 slots in which we need volunteer assistance. In order to get the goody bag mentioned above, you need to volunteer for a minimum of 2. The more volunteers I get for these events, the more events we can run. So please take some time to run one or two events and help Paizo and the Pathfinder Society make this the best PaizoCon possible!

We hope to have the event schedule live for sign-ups very soon. Details forthcoming.

At this time we're only seeking volunteers from those who have purchased a badge and plan to attend the show.

All volunteers can email me: hyrum.savage@paizo.com with the subject line PAIZOCON 2011 Volunteer.

Hyrum Savage
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Combat (OGL)

Special Charity Event Ends Today!

Apr 7, 2011, 12:00 am

Special Charity Event Ends Today! Thursday, April 7, 2011 ... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds I'd like to take a moment to remind folks about the Japan Quake and Tsunami Relief Auction we started last week. For those of you that don't remember, last Thursday we announced that Paizo would be auctioning off the Wayne Reynolds original painting of Nakayama Hayato, the iconic samurai found in Ultimate Combat, our 256-page hardcover release for Gen Con 2011 and three copies each of a special...

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Paizo Annouces Japan Relief Auction

Mar 31, 2011, 10:00 am

Paizo Annouces Japan Relief Auction Thursday March 31, 2011Yesterday we published on the blog the official Meet the Iconics for Nakayama Hayato, the iconic samurai from the city of Oda in distant Minkai. The son of the chief falconer and his wife, Hayato—whose name means falcon—quickly proved just as proficient with the dangerous birds as his father, emulating their proud and fierce natures. In time, Hayato grew to become a powerful warrior, rising to the position of head samurai...

Paizo Annouces Japan Relief Auction

Thursday March 31, 2011

Yesterday we published on the blog the official "Meet the Iconics" for Nakayama Hayato, the iconic samurai from the city of Oda in distant Minkai. The son of the chief falconer and his wife, Hayato—whose name means "falcon"—quickly proved just as proficient with the dangerous birds as his father, emulating their proud and fierce natures. In time, Hayato grew to become a powerful warrior, rising to the position of head samurai of the Nakayama holdings. When his master's son died in a drunken duel at the age of twenty, Lord Nakayama began to look more and more to Hayato as a son, even allowing him to take the family name. Hayato no longer lives in Minkai but now makes his home in the Inner Sea region, upholding the samurai code he has sworn.

In yesterday's blog post we announced that, in partnership with Wayne Reynolds, Paizo would auction the original painting of Hayato, along with staff-signed Special Edition copies of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. These special edition copies of the rulebooks are limited to fewer than 100 copies each, and available only to Paizo staff members. But now, you can own a copy, too! With gilt pages and gold foil cover lettering, and signed by the entire Paizo staff and cover artist Wayne Reynolds, this collectible first printing merits a special place on your gaming bookshelf. All proceeds from the auctions will be donated to the Red Cross Society, an organization with extraordinary disaster response capabilities. It has mobilized eleven teams to heavily damaged communities in Japan to provide assessments and first aid and to supply emotional support and relief.

"All of us at Paizo have been devastated by the recent events in Japan, and when Wayne Reynolds contacted me with the idea to auction his original Pathfinder art, I knew this was a tangible way Paizo could help those impacted by the destruction," said CEO Lisa Stevens. "We're hoping to harness the power of our fans in an effort of goodwill to help those in need."

Hayato will appear in August 2011's Ultimate Combat, a 256-page hardcover reference that reveals the martial secrets of the Pathfinder RPG rules like never before. Hayato represents the samurai class, a warrior with more honor, dedication, and resolve than any other. Trained from an early age in the art of war and sworn to the service of a lord, the samurai holds a position of power and respect. In him, the common folk see honor and sacrifice. He is an honorable warrior, dedicated to the realm and the leaders that guide it.

To take part in this special charity auction please visit the Paizo eBay storefront and the Paizo website at paizo.com.

Hyrum Savage.
Marketing and Organized Play Manager

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Meet the Iconics: Hayato

Mar 30, 2011, 10:00 am

Meet the Iconics: Hayato Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 Honor is strength. It is a maxim that Nakayama Hayato has known since birth, and one whose barbs he still feels deep in his flesh. Yet Hayato also knows a deeper truth: that just as a sword must bend to avoid breaking, so too must honor. And the more rigid the steel, the easier it shatters. ... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds Hayato was born a retainer on the estate of Lord Nakayama Hitoshi, just a few days' ride from the great city of Oda...

Meet the Iconics: Hayato

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Honor is strength. It is a maxim that Nakayama Hayato has known since birth, and one whose barbs he still feels deep in his flesh. Yet Hayato also knows a deeper truth: that just as a sword must bend to avoid breaking, so too must honor. And the more rigid the steel, the easier it shatters.

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

Hayato was born a retainer on the estate of Lord Nakayama Hitoshi, just a few days' ride from the great city of Oda in Minkai. The son of the chief falconer and his wife, Hayato—whose name means "falcon"—quickly proved just as proficient with the dangerous birds as his father, emulating their proud and fierce natures.

It was while accompanying his father on one of Lord Nakayama's hawking outings that he first came to the lord's attention. At eight years old, Hayato was assigned the honor of being the personal attendant to the lord's son, Masao, assisting the privileged child with his falcon. All went well until the noble son, still new to the sport, mishandled his bird and nearly lost an eye for his trouble. The furious lordling prepared to kill the falcon then and there, but Hayato interceded, explaining the boy's error. Enraged even further, Masao began beating Hayato, drawing the attention of the rest of the hunting party. Though Hayato bowed low and accepted the savage blows of his master, he neither cried out nor begged for mercy. When Masao finally tired, Lord Nakayama himself addressed the bloody servant child, asking him why he had been so bold as to correct his superior. Without faltering, Hayato bowed to the lord and said simply, "Because it was the truth."

From that point on, Lord Nakayama took the young Hayato under his wing, frequently assigning him duties within the manor house, engaging him as a companion for his son, and seeing to his education in matters both martial and intellectual. In time, Hayato grew to become a powerful warrior, rising to the position of head samurai of the Nakayama holdings. When Masao died in a drunken duel at the age of twenty, thus depriving Lord Nakayama of an official heir, the bereaved lord began to look more and more to Hayato as a son, even allowing him to take the family name.

Yet Masao's death was only the beginning of the Nakayama family's misfortune. It was shortly after this episode that the Nakayama estate was visited by Kaneka Yoshiro, a traveling lord and government official with a position high in the Imperial Court. With considerably more prestige and official sway than Nakayama, Kaneka was received with full honors—yet it quickly became apparent that the guest was interested in more than just hospitality. Within a few days, Kaneka's cunning insults, lewd advances toward Nakayama's wife, and barely concealed challenges to Nakayama himself left Hayato's lord with no choice. Honor forbade him from allowing the slights to stand unanswered, yet challenging a governmental superior was as good as a death sentence.

In the end, honor won out, just as Kaneka knew it would. Nakayama challenged Kaneka to a duel, and was quickly slain by the talented swordsman. In recompense for the "insult" Kaneka had suffered, the Imperial Court allotted all the Nakayama holdings to Kaneka. Nakayama's widow, faced with the prospect of a dishonored existence among peasants, had no choice but to accept Kaneka's proposal of marriage if she wanted to retain her position.

Though the Nakayama samurai were bound by direct order of the court to honor their new arrangement—and plied with substantial gifts by their new master—Hayato saw the theft for what it was. Several nights later, having watched Kaneka's celebrating guards drink themselves into unconsciousness, Hayato crept into his former master's bedchamber and confronted the usurper even as he lay sleeping with his new wife. Though Kaneka screamed for his retainers, in the end it became clear that his only option was to fight. Taking up the sword that Hayato tossed onto the bed, Kaneka did everything he could to kill the samurai quickly, yet Hayato would not be denied his revenge. At last, bleeding from several terrible wounds, Hayato succeeded in getting past the noble's guard, ending his short-lived dominion over the Nakayama estate in a fine spray of blood.

As Kaneka fell to the floor, pink froth spilling from his lips, Hayato dropped his sword and knelt beside it. Knowing that to attack any lord in this manner—let alone the man the government considered his rightful master—would bring sure execution, he drew his tanto and prepared to die with his honor intact.

A hand on his shoulder stayed his blade. When Hayato looked up, he beheld Lady Nakayama—now Lady Kaneka—in her dressing gown, its yellow silk stained with the blood of her most recent husband. With tears in her eyes, she thanked Hayato for avenging Lord Nakayama and returning the estate to her control. Yet with her next breath, she condemned him forever. Taking his hand in her own—an undreamed-of show of affection and familiarity—the noblewoman forbade Hayato from taking his own life. Instead, she snuck him out of the manor and into a carriage bound for Oda, with only a string of coins, his armor, and a command to live as best he could. When the morning sun rose, it found Hayato on a caravan traveling north, bound for the icy reaches of the Crown of the World and from there on to the mysterious lands of the Inner Sea.

Now in his mid-thirties, Hayato is a hard man who keeps to himself. Though he has long since learned to speak Taldane, he remains terse by nature, feeling that everyone in his new home speaks too much but says too little. He operates as a fearless and talented mercenary—or ronin, as he terms it—for those whose cause seem righteous, yet refuses to bow to anyone regardless of status, saying only that he has had his fill of masters. Hayato is loyal to those few friends who can get past his stone-faced demeanor, yet remains secretly tortured by his conflicting senses of honor. To continue living as a masterless samurai—let alone one who has committed a great crime—is shameful, yet to deny Lady Nakayama's command would be equally shameful. With no clear answer, Hayato has temporarily shelved the problem. Yet deep in his heart, he harbors a secret hope: that perhaps one day he might raise an army of champions and take it back over the Crown of the World, rooting out the corrupt politicians of his homeland and restoring the honor of himself, his adopted family, and the samurai code he was born to uphold.

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

NOTE: Artist Wayne Reynolds and Paizo Publishing will be auctioning off the original art for Hayato, with all auction proceeds being donated to the Red Cross to help Japan recover from the earthquake and tsunami—check this blog tomorrow for details on how you can help!

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Bark at the Moon!

Mar 4, 2011, 12:00 am

... Illustration by Dan Scott. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here. ... Bark at the Moon! Friday, March 4, 2011Last 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,...

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Tags: Crystal Frasier Dan Scott Dave Gross Elves Howard Andrew Jones Monsters Paizo Pathfinder Tales Prince of Wolves Rogues Tieflings Wallpapers Wizards

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The Pathfinder Society Needs You!

Feb 11, 2011, 12:00 am

... Illustrations by Christophe Swal. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. Widescreen version here. ... The Pathfinder Society Needs You! Friday, February 11, 2011One of my duties here at Paizo is to oversee the Pathfinder Society, the organized play program for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, your character is a member of the Pathfinder Society, seeking fortune and glory all over the face of Golarion. Pathfinders are a diverse bunch of scoundrels and...

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