Pathfinder Adventures—The Tiniest Table

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Hi there! I'm Ryan Rucinski, producer of Pathfinder Adventures, the digital version of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and we are happy to announce that Pathfinder Adventures is now available for Windows and macOS!

Additionally, there is a rather large update to the existing iOS and Android versions that includes all the updates we have been working on in conjunction with the Windows/macOS release.

Enjoy!

That's right, we've brought the digital version of Pathfinder Adventures to Windows and macOS... but what does that mean?

Windows & macOS: The interface has been modified for the desktop. This was no small feat. If we had released a straight port of the mobile version, we would have been flambéed. The team added hotkeys, scrollbars, and scroll wheel support. It's available now on Steam, and you'll soon be able to purchase it on GoG and the Mac App Store. (Of course, you can still buy the mobile version on Google Play and Apple's App Store.)

The pricing for the Windows/macOS versions differs from the mobile versions because we don't use in-game purchases. The base version of the desktop game includes the complete Rise of the Runelords content—all the cards and scenarios that were in the original mobile Rise of the Runelords bundle, plus all the uncommon and rare treasure cards. Two additional DLC packages are available: one with all the iconic alts and some legendary dice, and the other with the rare epic and legendary treasure cards and other legendary dice.

An Obsidian Edition is also available; it includes everything in the base version, plus the two DLC packages, and three promo cards (two of which are Edér and Pallegina from Pillars of Eternity—yeah!), as well as three legendary items and a bunch of runes, charms, and gold, and another DLC pack that will be available in the near future.

We plan on keeping content parity between all platforms in the future, meaning that new content will become available for Windows, macOS, and mobile users at the same time.

We also tackled some of the interfaces that people had issues with, including the Party Creation and Character Selection screens. While the implementation we had was functional, it wasn't making a very good impression on newer users, and was merely tolerated by current players. We've come up with a more streamlined process, reflected on all platforms.

Account Merging: All platforms can use a single PlayFab account, meaning that all of the content and your progression in the game can be shared between them.

It used to be kind rough if a user spent a lot of time on one platform: When they moved to another, they would have to start from scratch, or contact our support team. It was doubly rough if they had unlocked a lot of content on each platform. We say, no more! One account, all platforms!

The Stash: In our faithfulness to the original card game, we had the exact same valid deck check in the digital version. But that didn't work so great after we expanded the content with treasure cards (which can be ignored in Story Mode for those who want to mirror the tabletop experience). When you opened a treasure chest, you didn't actually get to use its treasure cards immediately—you just got the chance to find these cards in your adventures. Unless you were really familiar with the system, it was a hard concept to grasp. So we created the Stash, which can hold a selection of cards that you're not currently using in your decks. This means you can now keep some of the more specialized cards that you're not quite ready to use. And when you open a treasure chest, a copy of each treasure card is sent to the Stash for immediate use. This will hopefully make opening treasure chests more gratifying.

The Stash also helps alleviate the need for "mule" characters—characters that people created solely to store some of the cards that people wanted to keep, but didn't want to use just yet. Plus, it's just a bit more intuitive for the digital-verse.

The Stash is set at 10 slots right now and includes an Unclaimed tab. Unclaimed cards cannot be used by any characters until they are officially moved to the Stash. You can open up a hundred chests, and all the new cards will be waiting for you in the Unclaimed tab.

If you happen to go over your Stash limit, you will meet a happy vendor who will give you gold for your unwanted cards.

Charms and Runes: Ever have that roll you really, really needed to succeed at, lest your permadeath character bite it? Or maybe you're a turn or two away from kicking Ghlorofaex to the curb, but the blessings deck is on empty? We might just have the charm you are looking for.

Charms are one-time-use consumables that have an immediate effect on your current action. They vary from adding a bonus to a check to adding a card to the blessings deck. They have a gold cost associated with their power: adding an extra d4 to a roll might cost only 50 gold, while adding to the blessings deck would run you 500 gold.

Runes differ from Charms in that they have a time limit associated with them; they almost act like a pseudo scenario power. The Rune of Wealth doubles your gold acquisition while it's in effect, while the Rune of Shielding will reduce damage by 1 for four hours.

These will be available in the store and during play for in-game gold (though runes have to be set up prior to starting a scenario).

Tutorial: The tutorial was previously required when starting the game, and a good three-quarters of the people who were forced to play it were never seen playing our game again. No kidding.

The tutorial is now 100% more skippable. Yes, that's right, if you don't want to play the tutorial, or your are already familiar with the game, we have a skip button that is just right for you.

This new super-rad version of the tutorial is also cut up into five bite-sized scenarios that each teach specific elements of the game in a clear and concise way. You'll even get special rewards for completing all of them. (And we don't consider just being allowed to play the beginning scenario a reward.)

Other Stuff: Our dice really are random!

See that? We're now showing you your chance of success at each check. Sure, I still sometimes fail checks where I have a 97% chance of succeeding, but at least I no longer go confidently into situations where a 20% chance is glaring at me.

It's a minor feature but it really does make your decisions a little more clear: you can really see that one additional d4 that Lini can throw in is actually a huge improvement.

These are just some of the things we have been working on—expect to hear more announcements in the near future!

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, and happy adventuring!

Cheers!

Ryan Rucinski
Producer, Pathfinder Adventures
Obsidian Entertainment