Announcing Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite

Doooooo eeeeeet

Oh no the pressure x'D

Welp gotta try then

These scenarios will eventually be for sale, correct?

This looks like Paizo's equivalent to WotC's DM's Guild. I guess we should get details of how the two are alike and different next week.

There is already a lot of details given if you follow the links provided in the blog post.

If someone else asked or answered this sorry.

But since the site this works through does print on demand any chance of Paizo offering out of print Adventure Path books or any books for that matter as Print on demand products?

This looks like Paizo's equivalent to WotC's DM's Guild. I guess we should get details of how the two are alike and different next week.

I can tell you right now that a huge difference from the FAQ between the two programs is that Infinite also fiction, novels, and creative projects where the Guild does not. My reading also says that 3D printable files like STLs and OBJs are also allowed, although I would like to query that to be sure.

So if you ever wanted to write a YA novel in Numeria, now is the time. Although I'm assuming a tawdry romance novel will be a no-go unless you ditch the tawdry part.

If I am understanding this correctly, since it is not a direct copy it would be OK to publish PACG conversions of old APs? I'm not the one to do it, but I would definitely give some money to some of the writer's out there.

Oh wow, this would be great for some of the content ideas I had.

Exploring all these locations that get briefly visited, in travel guide style *cackles in Desnan*.

Finally, this means that Dance Halls of Golarion will come to be.

Starring Wang Chung.

“Doom Doom Doom
Let’s go back to The Tomb*
You can drink blood all night
And I’ll dance with my wight…”

*Not very notorious Ustalav underground (literally the entrance is a decrepit mausoleum) dance hall/twerkshop. Alluded to in Yamnottabagh’s Book of the Dirge, Dancehalls of Golarion III: The Grim(e).

I would particularly be interested if STLs are allowable. There is a distinct lack of Starfinder miniatures being made.

I would particularly be interested if STLs are allowable. There is a distinct lack of Starfinder miniatures being made.

Or 3D Printable cosplay objects...

However, how will the actual formatting and presentation of the submissions work? Will there be an interface on Pathfidner infinite or will will have to invest in a variety of PDF editing software to submit our entries? I am worried this will be a roadblock for me and other people.

I have read the FAQ's but I am just not following it's advice very well.

Noting that I am a freelancer and third-party publisher, not someone running this program:

You still need to make a finished pdf product yourself before putting it up for sale. There will be some templates and guidelines to help but, yes, ultimately you need to either figure out some editing/layout software and skills, or work with someone who can do that for you.

Since the system is capable of diving income among multiple creators, one option would be to form a collaboration with a graphic artist or publisher, and do the writing and editing, but have a partner do layout, and split the income in some agreed-upon fashion.

There are people whose job is layout; if they’re open, ask them what their rates are for your pagecount and pay them… or learn to do your own. I work full-time, so all of my releases have done the former.

Welcome to the tabletop industry!

Storyteller Vault's, Storypath Nexus, and the DM's Guild all have Facebook groups for creators. I'm certain you could reach out to a layout person there. I'm also certain there will be one for Infinite sooner or later.

Ok, I'm back in the office after a long weekend, and will attempt to answer these questions from the bottom up, editing this post to add more answers until the edit window closes. Thanks for the interest and for bringing your questions here for clarification!

Storyteller Vault's, Storypath Nexus, and the DM's Guild all have Facebook groups for creators. I'm certain you could reach out to a layout person there. I'm also certain there will be one for Infinite sooner or later.

The Facebook group already exists here.

If I am understanding this correctly, since it is not a direct copy it would be OK to publish PACG conversions of old APs? I'm not the one to do it, but I would definitely give some money to some of the writer's out there.

That would be permitted, but the creator of that content would not be able to use most of our official art from the AP. They'd also have to retell the story in the campaign storybook and couldn't just copy it out of the original product.

But since the site this works through does print on demand any chance of Paizo offering out of print Adventure Path books or any books for that matter as Print on demand products?

There's a good chance of this, but we don't have any products currently available for that. We have a very large back catalog of out-of-print titles, and getting them reformatted for POD is something we'd have to balance with our existing workload. If we do this, we'll make sure to post a blog about it and announce it on our social media accounts, so stay tuned!

What about other languages? Or just English?

The Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite license is not limited to English-language products, but it doesn't grant you translation rights to existing Paizo material. So you can create new content in any language, but it can only be based on Paizo-produced (English) material and other community works released on either Infinite storefront. You wouldn't be able to make content based on existing translated material (such as that released by Ulisses Spiele or Black Book Editions) because those translations are not owned by Paizo and thus can't be licensed to Infinite members to use.

However, how will the actual formatting and presentation of the submissions work? Will there be an interface on Pathfidner infinite or will will have to invest in a variety of PDF editing software to submit our entries? I am worried this will be a roadblock for me and other people.

We have provided templates for creating Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite products in Microsoft Word, so you don't need top-end layout software like Adobe Indesign to make something that looks professional. If other community content programs are any indication, it should just be a matter of time before other community members adapt these templates to work with other word processing and layout programs to make PDF creation that much easier for the rest of the community.

Thanks for taking the time Mark! The content guidelines say we can sell "new game aids and accessories." Does that include non-textual aids? I am specifically thinking about 3D printable OBJ and STL files, which DTRPG does have the infrastructure to host and could be used to create unique miniatures and props.

Really looking forward to this. I have already released a couple of simple adventures under the Pathfinder Second Edition Compatibility License on DTRPG and being able to access Lost Omens lore and Paizo artworks is going to be a boon IMHO.

I also see the Word Templates now include the Pathfinder Icons font, though you might want to add in some explanation on how to use them as it can be hard to find this information on the Paizo website :) I use word for all my titles and it's a simple and inexpensive way to get into it.

Might also be nice, though not sure how much of a task it would be, to have all artworks and allowable Paizo content in an easy to find location with some text that explains it's use. I've seen so many questions about useage of art and the like come up on the DMsGuild forums because they just haven't explained what can and can't be used in simple terms, I'd even go as far as maybe showing some examples.

We have provided templates for creating Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite products in Microsoft Word, so you don't need top-end layout software like Adobe Indesign to make something that looks professional. If other community content programs are any indication, it should just be a matter of time before other community members adapt these templates to work with other word processing and layout programs to make PDF creation that much easier for the rest of the community.

Mark, these templates use certain fonts but do not provide them, at least I did not see them at DTRPG. Hardly surprising, as fonts usually are expensive. Are the templates supposed to be used with Word default fonts? Or will this result in a wide variety of fonts being used by authors, with documents not really looking similar in style in the end?

Markon Phoenix wrote:

What about other languages? Or just English?

The Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite license is not limited to English-language products, but it doesn't grant you translation rights to existing Paizo material. So you can create new content in any language, but it can only be based on Paizo-produced (English) material and other community works released on either Infinite storefront. You wouldn't be able to make content based on existing translated material (such as that released by Ulisses Spiele or Black Book Editions) because those translations are not owned by Paizo and thus can't be licensed to Infinite members to use.

Just to clarify what I understood correctly.

Why do I specify. It's just that your Compatibility License has different conditions for non-English-language products.

Mark Moreland wrote:

We have provided templates for creating Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite products in Microsoft Word, so you don't need top-end layout software like Adobe Indesign to make something that looks professional. If other community content programs are any indication, it should just be a matter of time before other community members adapt these templates to work with other word processing and layout programs to make PDF creation that much easier for the rest of the community.

Mark, these templates use certain fonts but do not provide them, at least I did not see them at DTRPG. Hardly surprising, as fonts usually are expensive. Are the templates supposed to be used with Word default fonts? Or will this result in a wide variety of fonts being used by authors, with documents not really looking similar in style in the end?

The fonts used in this template are free for commercial use and can be found at the links below:

Pathfinder 2e

Brasspounder
Kirsty
EB Garamond
Oswald

Pathfinder 1e

Laconick-NormalA
Eagle Lake
Cryptik
Seshat
Oswald

They're on the landing page to the templates.

Thanks, Cori Marie! I missed that, obviously.

No problem! The links on the landing page weren't actually clickable, so I made it even easier!

thaX wrote:

Can we adapt past scenarios from PF1 into PF2 scenarios through this, giving credit to original authors?

The FAQ covers this but the answer is "sort of."

The original remains a copyrighted work that you don't have permission to reprint. The rules are covered by the OGL, and the Product Identity is fair game under the Infinity license, but the original work is not.

I am wondering 'playstyle` reworks of APs would be considered fair game. As an example, my Iron Gods players were pretty uninterested in the 'infiltrate Starfall' section of book 5 (parts 1&2). It necessitated some hefty reworks that I've shared. I'd be interested in presenting the stuff in Pathfinder Infinite, even if it means charging $0.00

What's the difference between publishing character options for Infinite rather than just using the OGL?

You can actually use Golarion lore and assets with Infinite.

Is there any chance the document templates can be made available as InDesign files?

Is there any chance the document templates can be made available as InDesign files?

I expect that members of the community will adapt the existing templates to work with a number of different word processing or layout programs, but those won't be able to go live until 10/13 when the marketplace officially opens up. We opted to provide Word templates because it presents to lowest possible barrier to entry for potential content creators, but if other communities are any indication, there will be templates soon for myriad other programs.

Will Paizo or OBS/DriveThru be making a copy of the Community Content Agreement public before Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite launch on Oct. 13?

Normally when you publish under a Community Content Creator program for One Book Shelf/DriveThruRPG, you're asked to verify that you meet the terms of the Community Content Agreement for that program (DMsGuild, Cypher, etc.) when you upload your title. Since Pathfinder Infinite isn't active yet, there's not a way to view the Agreement. I know that y'all have done a great job putting out FAQs, but I'd like to make sure that what I'm doing meets all the terms of the agreement before I invest a significant amount of time into it.

Are translations, ok? Because I've already did some work translating handouts and read aluod parts while GMing for my non-english speaking friends.

Already answered.

Markon Phoenix wrote:

What about other languages? Or just English?

The Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite license is not limited to English-language products, but it doesn't grant you translation rights to existing Paizo material. So you can create new content in any language, but it can only be based on Paizo-produced...

I don't think this has been asked yet (although Emrik Allwatcher kinda touched on this), so - how do existing Paizo art assets work with all this?

For example, can I take some pieces of official Paizo art that have been featured in Blog posts (and are therefore a part of some existing Community Use agreement, right?) and then clumsily photoshop them together myself - can I use that composite in something I put up for free on Infinite? What if it's put up for sale on Infinite?

Like, say I have a cool idea for a spell that targets mechs, and I want to kludge together an art piece to accompany the write-up. Can I take a shot of Zemir casting a spell, from his intro blog, and photoshop him into the cover image from Tech Revolution from this blog post, and use that in a pdf on Infinite? Does it matter if the PDF is free or not?

I don't think this has been asked yet (although Emrik Allwatcher kinda touched on this), so - how do existing Paizo art assets work with all this?

For example, can I take some pieces of official Paizo art that have been featured in Blog posts (and are therefore a part of some existing Community Use agreement, right?) and then clumsily photoshop them together myself - can I use that composite in something I put up for free on Infinite? What if it's put up for sale on Infinite?

Technically, you can modify images from the blog, but we'd prefer you not do so climsily, as it doesn't reflect well upon the brand. But the terms of the license will allow you to use use content released either by DriveThru or in the Community Use Package as you wish (with a few exceptions, see below).

Like, say I have a cool idea for a spell that targets mechs, and I want to kludge together an art piece to accompany the write-up. Can I take a shot of Zemir casting a spell, from his intro blog, and photoshop him into the cover image from Tech Revolution from this blog post, and use that in a pdf on Infinite? Does it matter if the PDF is free or not?

The cover image you cite has logos on it, so you're not going to be able to use that in any Infinite product, as Paizo's trademarked logos are specifically called out as not being usable in Infinite publications.

Mark, do you folks plan on making any maps available as art resources?

If I never, ever have to make my own enemy stat blocks ever again, I'm in for this 100%!

Thanks for taking the time Mark! The content guidelines say we can sell "new game aids and accessories." Does that include non-textual aids? I am specifically thinking about 3D printable OBJ and STL files, which DTRPG does have the infrastructure to host and could be used to create unique miniatures and props.

For those curious, I got a response from Mark in the FB group. STLs and OBJs currently not allowed, but they are chatting with their miniature partners to see how they'd feel about it. Probably won't see any movement on this from until after launch (which is entirely understandable and reasonable).

Are you considering publishing under the Infinite programs? Do you have questions about what you can and cannot use? Are you unsure about where the limits lie? Check out what one reader called "Gamemasters' Guides for the Real World." These guides introduce American intellectual property law and how it operates in the roleplaying game design arena. Right now there is an overview of USA intellectual property law, advice on hiring your attorney (which I am not), and a deeper dive on the difference between publishing under an open gaming license that covers some sections of the OGL (the same one used when producing third-party products for Dungeons and Dragons and for Pathfinder). Once DriveThruRPG/One Book Shelf and Paizo release the full text of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite Community Content Agreements, I'll be releasing a follow up product that covers the details of those specific licenses, too.

Disclaimer: these guides are meant to be general and educational in nature. They do not apply the law to your specific situation. Events in your situation may--and likely do--change how the law might apply to your particular project. I AM NOT YOUR ATTORNEY. If you have questions about your specific situation, I refer you to the second guide listed below, Attorney Hiring Tips, the contents of which should be pretty self-evident.

Intellectual Property in RPGs ($4.99/Pay What You Will) This guide covers the very basics of the USA's intellectual property law, as applied to roleplaying games. The guide covers copyrights, trademarks, patents, and how they apply in the RPG world. The guide then goes over a few types of pre-existing material that creators can leverage in their own creations without incurring legal liability, such as stock characters and publicly-licensed content.

It's PWYW because I want this to be for everybody. If you grab a free copy, please take the time to rate or review it!, I published it on DriveThruRPG.com as a Pay What You Will Product. It's been reasonably popular. This is my original post from the the r/RPGdesign subreddit (here) in the spring, reformatted and updated to be more user-friendly. Because the underlying content here is publicly available and because I believe that game designers deserve a good primer on interacting with the law, this product will always be a Pay What You Will title. That said, one of the best ways motivators that I have for publishing future products is the success of my current products. So, if you are in a position where you can spare $5, send it my way. It'll get reinvested in a future guide. I'm not making money off of these things!

Attorney Hiring Tips (FREE) This guide presents some of the things I would consider when looking for professional representation as a game designer. One of the few ways a lawyer can provide legal advice without accidentally forming an attorney-client relationship is by advising someone on tips and tricks for choosing their attorney. I'd feel pretty bad telling people to pay me for tips on how they can pay someone else (though, to be fair, I also have a few tips on how you might find pro bono representation), so this product will always be a completely free title.

Publishing Under an Open Game License: Pros and Cons ($7.99) This guide expands on my Intellectual Property for RPG Designers guide, exploring what it means to publish under a license. It contains a section-by-section review of the Wizards of the Coast Open Gaming License 1.0. If you are an RPG designer considering whether to publish under the OGL or under base intellectual property principles, this guide offers a basic exploration of the top-level issues.

How "big" can the setting for an adventure be before it's no longer "setting neutral" and thus not eligible for the Pathfinder Infinite program?

I'm thinking of a set of 2-3 adventures that would incorporate dungeons, a couple communities/cities, and a wilderness are area or three.

How "big" can the setting for an adventure be before it's no longer "setting neutral" and thus not eligible for the Pathfinder Infinite program?

I'm thinking of a set of 2-3 adventures that would incorporate dungeons, a couple communities/cities, and a wilderness are area or three.

Would you be able to maybe grab an area of the existing map that has the communities and wilderness style you want? I'd think throwing a dungeon in would be pretty okay, but using existing communities might even allow you to build up your own flavor using small snippets that already exist. Not every community is as detailed as Sandpoint or Falcon's Hollow, there are plenty of small towns that just have names or a paragraph of text.

Will there be a sub-forum here specifically for listing and promotion of Infinite (both PF and SF) products?

I'd love to see a sub-forum that was also devoted to the creating of products. A place where creators can gather and ask questions and advice.

Definitely deserves its own forum :)

There are a few places such as reddit, discord and facebook that have PI/SI creator threads, but especially with discord/reddit, I've noticed a lot of caveats with getting access to promotional aspects of your titles.

Sure, I understand it's important not to flood a thread with constant promo posts but it would be nice to have a centralised location of promoted titles that doesn't require the creator having to sit on social media constantly to get enough points to allow them to post. I personally don't have time to sit on 3 or 4 various social media sites daily just to be able to ask questions or gain enough kudos to be able to promote a title. I'd rather create stuff for people to play. And because I'm just one guy, it's hard to do it all.

With something like this being on Paizo's forums, it shows that they are valuing the contribution made through the PI/SI community content outlet.

Would be good to see a bunch of Paizo based forums around the Infinite program, whether it be promotion, an FAQ forum, collab forum etc etc.

Sorry, had a bit of a rant there ;)

I wanted to say I love Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite so far!

Want to tell the story of Kyra and Merisiel’s adventures on what they’d hoped would be a restful honeymoon? Now you can!

Huh, did they get married without us knowing about it O_O ?

Quote:

Want to tell the story of Kyra and Merisiel’s adventures on what they’d hoped would be a restful honeymoon? Now you can!

Huh, did they get married without us knowing about it O_O ?

It's in one of the fiction blogs. There's art of it too (Advanced Player's Guide IIRC)

Lots of people know, there was a web fiction blog on it ^w^

Moving this to the next page