Dave2's page

For me it came down to a space thing. Had to make room for the new addition of Pathfinder. The pocket editions really save on shelf space. Got about 80 percent what I wanted in pocket. The rest in the hardbacks. Was able to get 2 hardbacks of ultimate magic. About to do this for Starfinder. Although will keep the pocket editions do have of Starfinder.

I was able to recently get 2 Ultimate Magic Hardcovers. So that pretty much completed the run of Pathfinder books for me. Would still like it in pocket but at least have the hardcover.

I had sold off all my pathfinder books when Pathfinder 2nd came out. This month went back and picked up allot of the pathfinder books in pocket format. Hard backs of the mythic, unchained, and ultimate campaign. Did not pick up the horror, ultimate intrigue, and the book with the shifter in it. I do have those in PDF. The only one left to pick up is ultimate Magic. It was sold out everywhere in pocket. Will maybe get it in hardback format next month. Getting about 90 percent of the books in pocket did help the wallet out. I get multiples of the books and think spent around 300. Also got good deals on the hardbacks so did pick up.

My start was Holmes Blue box then AD&D. In high school in the 80s. Played Role Master did not play AD&D much at all. missed out on 2nd entirely. Played allot of games other than AD&D. Played a heavily home brew version of Warhammer Fantasy RPG in College in the 90s along with Cyberpunk 2013 and Friday night fire fights. When I moved back to the Dallas area to work for state of Texas (was able work 25 years and retire) went to local game store and found group wanting to play the new D&D 3.0. 3.0/3.5 is the version played the most. Met the gaming group through it and life long friends. Played allot of other games with the group. Savage Worlds, Rifts, various Apocalypse world games, and the AGE system to name a few. The group met through 3.0 though. When 4th Ed D&D game out we played that then switched to Pathfinder eventually.

Sorry above should be 25 not 26

To me 26 year old engine 3.0/3.5 would be old school. Most OSR folks consider the Without Number Series OSR. I think it is heavily influenced by 3.0/3.5. Same with Castles & Crusades although there is less consensus on whether or not it is OSR or not.

So if we are going to consider 25 years old falling within that time line of OSR. Than as I said above to me the best OSR is Pathfinder. I was able to pick up about 95 percent what I wanted. Bulk through pocket edition. Got full sized Hardbacks of Ultimate campaign (had it listed as paper back) got it for 17 new for great price. Then today the Mythic and unchained are coming in Hardback. Not sure those two will be done in pocket. The only thing is trying to get Ultimate Magic. Amazon has some hardback versions may try to get next month.

I would agree from BECMI to AD&D not allot added. From the 1974 original white box addition of the rules, I think quite bit was added. BECMI came after BX and was around when AD&D was out and maybe even came out around 2nd A&D. Not sure on that one though.

I like BECMI quite a bit. I would say they rules wise it has as much as AD&D maybe more. However, AD&D 2nd had allot of options with the complete books. Such as complete fighter and all the kit books. It also had several optional books toward the end that added allot toward skills and combat. So AD&D 2nd gets close to 3.0/3.5 option wise.

I do think allot was added with AD&D compared to original 1974 white box.

For me around from the start of Pathfinder. Had the beta. Was at the Gen Con Pathfinder debut, we had played a bunch of 3.0/3.5. Convinced friend to pick it up. I was subscriber and had the core already.

I think that the case of rulings over rules is something discussed
Quite bit in OSR. However, the case could be made that original D&D/white box had far less rules than AD&D and AD&D 2nd. They have allot more rule than BX also. So if AD&D 1 and 2nd are OSR than the case could be made that 3/3.5 are OSR in terms of rules.

I think going from Original D&D to AD&D 1 and 2 added as much rules as going from AD&D 1 and 2 to 3rd. That is just my take though. I view OSR as time thing more than an amount of rules. I think being 25 years old might make it Old School.

I also have never understood rulings over rules. At least if you have a rule goes at least you have a rules frame work to make a ruling.

I also am fan of having characters have cool things on the character sheet to inspire them.

I would agree that there is very big Play Style change between AD &D and AD&D 2nd and 3.0/3.5. That could also be said about Original White Box D&D and AD&D and how original was much less rules light and quicker.

I do think that maybe another category for games similar to 3.0/3.5 could make sense. Maybe something like mid school rival could work. Games like Castles & Crusades, the Without Number Series, 3.0/3.5 and Pathfinder might fit in this category.

Thanks

David

Old School is term associated with Original D&D, Basic Expert, and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Also to some degree Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd. I have not heard anyone say that D&D 3rd and 3.5 were old school. D&D 3.0 is close to 25 years old. I believe it came out in 2000. I can remember when EN world was run by Eric Noah. My nostalgia game was 3.0 rather than AD&D or any of the other old school games. At the time AD&D and AD&D 2nd were out. I was in High school and much more into Role Master. I was never a fan of AD&D or AD&D 2nd. When I really started to play D&D was 3rd. Since it is around 25 years old. now I would consider that old school. So my preferred Old School system is 3.0/3.5 I think there are some good games based on this engine. The Without Number Games. Worlds Without Number. Stars Without Number, and Cities Without number. I also like Castles and Crusades. It has some elements of AD&D like differing experience progressions based on your class. Some classes require less experience to level. It does have allot of elements of 3.0/3.5.

However, to me the best version of 3.0/3.5 is Pathfinder. When Pathfinder 2 came out I sold all of my Pathfinder books to make room for for Pathfinder 2. I still am huge fan of Pathfinder 2 and the Remaster. I did start thinking of 3.0 games and the best one is Pathfinder. So why not get to me the best Old School game Pathfinder. The pocket editions allowed me to get physical copies again. I still have all the PDFs. I think the pocket editions was great way to get the Pathfinder books again. I saved money and shelf space. I also think they have errata incorporated into the books. Have all want except for Ultimate Magic Pocket Edition. II have not been able to find it in stock anywhere.

So Paizo please reprint Ultimate Magic Pocket.

Hasbro/WOTC does not own the OGL it is a contract. They cannot revoke 1.0 or 1.0a. Or it is very very unlikely. Ryan Dancy the original co-contributor along with the Lawyer Bryan Lewis have indicated that it was meant to be a continues license that was not revokable and cannot be deauthorized. The authorization clause was put in for the drafts going around at the time of the original OGL. So you had to use an authorized version not a draft. They Hasbro/WOTC also had an FAQ indicating this and people could use previous version of OGL if they did not like the new one.

So business were built on the OGL 1.0 and 1.0a contract. It was based on the contract not be revokable and continues. A new version of the OGL can be sone, but anew version of he OGL could be done, however, if you did not like it you could publish under an previous authorized OGL such as 1.0 and 1.0a. If this was not the case no one would have sated a business are done OLG. This is what the original architect had indicted Ryan Dancy.

So you have the co authors of the OGL saying what the contract intent was. In essence what you are saying is valid contracts do not have any value and cannot be up held or enforced. That would be a chilling president to set don't you think. Not sure a Judge would want to attach their name to it.

I would encourage you to check out Roll for Combat that has allot of outstanding guest that talk about this. to include Ryan Dancy

There are many that do agree with me. I suggest you watch roll for combat.

Also did said lawyer do the research and look at what the original other was and the intent of the author of the OGL intend. This is what matters not what Hasbro/WOTC new layers think. So if you and I enter an agreement that you say is like long and non revokable. I base my company on it then 23 year later you say well i am going to revoke the agreement. Good luck in court. I think the cases want make it to court. Remember. you have the original authors of it (1.0 and 1.0a). Also internal documents from WOTC/Hasbro saying 1.0 and 1.0a cannot be revoked.

So a few layers saying they can would not worry me. Maybe they did not do their research.

The thing is Hasbro will not be able to revoke 1.0 or 1.0a. The authors of both have said the original intent as it to be ongoing and not revokable. there have been internet archives that show then saying this. They can also just ask the original authors of the OGl the intent. the issue would actually not be the OGL itself but the SRD that was used. PF2 does not have that much in common with the SRD neither does Starfinder for that matter. There are certain terns that might be debatable. Magic Missile maybe and fireball even less likely. Certain spell names. the spells work mechanically different than 5e so not sure Hasbro/WOTC be able to say there is any kind of copy right issues. Beyond that they (Hasbro/WOTC the SRD in 1.0 and 1.0a said these terms could be used Fireball Magic Missile. Game Mechanics cannot be copyrighted. This has been decided in court already. Terms like Magic Missile Fireball maybe. So there are several things here. It is highly unlikely Hasbro/WOTC could revoke OGL 1.0 and 1.0a. Their own statements on the matter and the Origanl authors saying it was written with that intent it could be unilaterally revoked by WOTC/Hasbro. Publishers entered into that contract with that understanding. I would think that Hasbro/WOTC could be sued for breach of said contract for attempting to revoke it and force publishers into a new less favorable contract. If it were me. I might pull whatever little SRD stuff is in Starfinder and Pathfinder 2 and come up with my OWN pathfinder and Starfinder Open game license.
Then I might start to reach out to certain streaming companies hint hint critical role about moving over to Pathfinder. Come back home. Also there are a bunch of 5e content streamer that are none two happy with Hasbro/WOTC since the leak of OGL 1.1.

I think they will have feats that require levels also. They talked about having more powerful feats that way. There was an unearthed arcana few months back where they had this. Also think will tweak some subclasses like the champion. I do agree backgrounds to give feat and probably stat increase.

An independent built from ground up rework of 5e was level up Advanced 5e by EN Publishing. I think I like this better than 5e.

PF2 still favorite d20 system.

I would love to see a Mythic book. Still think about year off. So maybe the book announced Gen Con 2023 for release in Summer 24. This announcement will be classes dealing Blood Magic. Blood Rager and maybe caster. They mentioned blood Magic was coming in upcoming book.

I think mythic set of rules could go along way toward having over the top characters.

I have always framed d20 games as fantasy sup hero games. Can start humble beginnings and grow into epic heroes. I did kind of house rule to where not everyone is capable of leveling beyond 3rd level which are elite soldiers. Only those touched by gods can go beyond 3rd level. Kinda like Dan Machi. Pathfinder society identifies the divine touched and largest organization of such beings. Say around 200, 000 south beings not including monsters. Pathfinder society sends Devine touched out to deal with monsters that normal people cannot. Characters can have allot of lower level encounters that can make them feel powerful based on how PF2 scales.

I think casters are just fine. Still best utility and healers. No longer the best at everything. That is fine with me. It is ok to have party think hard about not having Champion, Fighter, or Barbarian in the party. AD&D to Pathfinder 1e required casters in the Party.

I would be very happy with a Mythic book. I am pretty happy with the state of things after the release of Secrets of Magic and Guns and Gears. The book of the dead was the icing on the cake.

With the Secrets of Magic and Guns and Gears coming back to back like they did and Dark Archive releasing soon. I think we are on the 2 class a year release schedule now. That book with the 2 classes typically has released in the summer around Gen Con.

I do hope the book they talk about releasing is Mythic but may still be too early yet.

Does anyone remember how many years into Pathfinder 1e it released in. I want to say year 4?

The fix to this is not have every npc be able to raise levels. D20 games in general are very poor at simulating more realistic combat. a game like the Witcher RPGs is much better at it with more lethal combat. What d20 games do emulate very well and why I think they are so poplar is fantasy super heroes. Quite simply put do not have the heroes fight 20th level town guards because there is no such thing.

Here is the campaign rues I have

Pathfinder 2 Campaign.

Champions

Characters are champions. They are touched by the divine. This allows them to go well beyond the limits of mortals. They can take multiple sword blows that would kill the normal mortal. They can soar to the rank of being able to take on Giants and Dragons. Divine Touched/Champions come form all ancestries and heritages. They are often held in high regard by the inhabitants of Golarion. They are legends o be passed down though the generations.
-These champions that are touched by the Gods with their divine spark are identified at a very young age and incorporated into the Guild/Pathfinder Society. They are taken from their families and raised and trained by the Guild/Pathfinder Society. A more senior member of the Guild/Pathfinder Society will often oversea and raise young members in groups of 20 called a House. These 20 members are divided into smaller adventuring parties that go on missions for the Guild/Pathfinder Society. There are houses in most major settlements for Golarion. The number of houses may range from 1 to as many as10 for the largest settlements/cities such as Absalom.
-The Guild/Pathfinder Society is the most powerful and far-reaching entity in Golarion. It has the overwhelming majority of divine touched champions in Golarion. There are approximately 500,000 divine touched/Champions that are part of the Guild/Pathfinder Society. There are 20,000 divine touched/champions who have separated from the Guild/Pathfinder Society in Golarion.
-Golarion has approximately 30,000,000 million inhabitants. They are broken down into tiers of power.
Tier I Level 1 to 5
Tier II Level 5 to 10
Tier III Level 10 to 15
Tier IV is 15 to 20.
-Devine touched/Champions are the only beings that can go beyond level 1 which is the pinnacle of mortal training. At Tier IV the divine touched are often seen as avatars of the divine. Gods may often be in direct contact with them.
-Many Gods are involved with and support the Guild/Pathfinder Society. Many of their divine touched children are part of it or soon will be. The Guild/Pathfinder Society is a way to gain and exert influence in the world at large.
-The Guild/Pathfinder Society has divine touched/champions of all alignment form Lawful Evil to Lawful Good and the same goes for the deities who support and back it. It has created equilibrium amongst the gods and stopped open warfare amongst the gods/divine wars. There are still wars amongst mortals.
-The Guild/Pathfinder Society does a variety of missions for the mortals. They can be from
-Slaying Monsters (who are not part of the Guild/Pathfinder Society) but extremely powerful and often only Guild/Pathfinder Society can defeat them.
-Exploring lost temples and ruins.
-Taking care of rogue divine touched champions that threaten society.
-Depending on the circumstance taking out political rivals.
All of this for the right price and or influence.

I do think there will be more character options and rules variants in 5.5. How much it leans into this depends on how people respond in the survey.

I would agree.

I watched a streamer talk about how Pathfinder Nexus may be a way of phasing out physical book sales. Since the PDF was 30 on nexus. I do not see this for several reasons. First is we do not know how much Paizo gets of the 30. Also does Paizo get any of the PDF sales on Nexus because it was part of the licensing deal up front. Either way I think it will still be profitable for Paizo to sell physical books. The rising cost of printing and shipping from China. This is not the only place to print books. Europe, Canada, and the US have become more competitive as far as printing goes since shipping has jumped up so much. There was small kickstart for Genefunk that raised 40,000 and produced a 190 page offset print book. So there some different places Paizo could go to print books if China becomes too expensive.

I will say that D&D beyond attracts allot of streamers and does have some players that only play using it. Maybe Pathfinder Nexus can provide that same option.

I do think the ranger will get reworked and allot of the additional features added in Tashas will be added to 5.5 where you could swap out class features. I think Tashas may be the base for some of the rangers changes. My hope was that the new addition people who were on the fence and wanted more options would take the chance and try PF2.

I think as others have pointed out it is more like D&D beyond and character generator. It will maybe have feature like beyond and have the books incorporated into it also. I do not think it is going to compete as VTT against Foundy, Fantasy Grounds, Roll20 or other VTTs

Ahh. Thanks. We will have to see. One of the groups I play with gets more use out of VTTs. Not sure how much of benefit Pathfinder Nexus will be. We will have to see. I think it launches pretty soon.

What do people think that Pathfinder 2 official online tool. Pathfinder nexus?

It is maybe similar to D&D beyond. Not sure if it is a virtual table top like roll 20 or Foundry.

Me too. I will go back to playing Pathfinder 2 and Starfinder. The Union has been recognized and this is something staff and freelancers wanted. Hopefully it will lead to happier and more engaged staff.

If different policies can be shown that that manager had for one group versus another. Yes that is an issue. Do we know if that manager is still there?

Also there are two managers mentioned. Is there 3 or just two and one with multiple instances.

True if they know that employee is phobic.

A company is not responsible for career growth out side the company. Were they denied positions within the company based on that. Yes it would be discriminatory.

As far as husband and wife staying in same room would not be viewed as risk. Even though they are different genders since they are marred. It is possible that that manager got advice that was not forward thinking. This was also 4 to 5 years ago. The advice they may have gotten would be different now.

As far as the employee that was let go so the manager could higher her friend. I am not sure on that, but can say if they indicated that is why they were let go and there was no performance issues sited. Then that employee wins their unemployment case and has an EEOC case and likely settlement.

So it has not been said that certain employees at Paizo are phobic. It has been Paizo is phobic.

I think the Union can be a resource for both staff and Management to go to if they need guidance on possible future situations.

I am very happy Union was recognized. It is great for the staff and Paizo.

As far as Crystals account. It is widely agreed that they were not allowed to share a room. Do we know the reasons behind not sharing a room? Was it due to a certain view of risk and advice they may have got. Or was it due to negative views they held. I do not know. Neither does anyone else. Also one or two bad managers does not make a company and it’s many new employees who may not been there at the time phobic. Even the managers who were there at the time are more than likely not all phobic.

Congratulations to Paizo and staff for the Union which can have a pitiless impact in dealing with these issues.

Great news on the best day of the week. Friday (at least this is when I read it) Congratulations!!!!

As far as addressing prior harm. I think the developing some policies along with the Union and broader Union resources can help. This is a benefit for both Staff and Management. Beyond that I do not think much can be done with employees and management and staff that may not be there.

If it is current management. An investigation will need to be done for negative actions to be done.

Based on the Unions first goals was salary so that is the first thing being done. Taking a look at having more staff work from home can go along way with having salaries stretch farther.

Anyhow congratulations again on the Union.

Thank you thejeff. That is good to hear. I happen to be in state where Unions do not have allot support if any from the legislature. I am glad that is not the case in Washington. Hopefully Paizo staff will have good news soon on the Union.

Does anyone know if the State of Washington is strong Union State that has the support of the Legislature. It can have an impact into how much Union can do. I would think that Management as well as staff organization the Union push have looked at this.

As I have said before I would recognize the Union since this is something a large part staff want. Hopefully the Union would be able to do the things they want.

On the site issue. I did in another post indicate that working from home and thus not needing to live in the area could help with cost of living. They could use Microsoft TEAMs or Zoom. I do think that is something the Union could definitely do. It may save money for Paizo if the could get smaller office since more staff would be working off site.

So I have said that I fully support the Union because the employees are behind it. Happy employees tend to be more engaged and productive. Paizo and their staff would benefit.

The Union however is one step. As I have said they do not have the authority to investigate managers and their misconduct. They could mediate maybe. This would be more when disciplinary actions are involved rather than harassment or abuse. In those cases it more than likely be investigated by management. If staff are not comfortable with that. Then you can reach out to the EEOC. There are big and small cases on their web site.

https://www.eeoc.gov/

So I do support the Union. It is an important step. It is a step though. Other resources may be needed.

I would encourage customers to send email support for the Union to Paizo management.

An EEOC case does not have to be the most wide spread or egregious case. There just has to be evidence that employee A was treated different than employee B due to being discriminated against (Protected Class). So if employee A was suspended for 9 months for an action and employee B did the same action and was suspended for 2 months. You could possibly have an EEOC case. Or for example you have different policies for contract work because someone is part of protected class. You could have case. The evidence can be multiple witnesses to the incident. Emails or the disciplinary action itself. The process starts off by filing the compliant (there is time limit). The EEOC reviews the case and decides if there is evidence support compliant or not. The next step is typically mediation between the employer and compliant. So you do not need a mountain of evidence. Nor is it fantasy for the EEOC to take a case. How do I know. I have been involved in State and Federal EEOC cases. It can help the case if the employer has had multiple compliants filed with the EEOC.

As far as the freelancers go. I agree it is limited pool. There are also limited employers for freelancers in the Rpg field. Two biggest Paizo and Wizards.

So, the EEOC and Labor Board and the fair labor and standards act allows the Union to have laws to back them. The union does not have allot to do with investigating Managers.

I believe thejeff was the one who indicated Paizo would go out business if the management would not recognize the Union. I do not think that will happen. That is how I took one of the post. Maybe I misread it.

In regards to the freelancers. Unfortunately they can find other freelancers. If the freelancers stop work they could look for other freelancers and or redistribute work to staff. I surely hope that does not happen.

Why not show how a Union could benefit the Management by employees be engaged and happy at work. This generally leads to more productive staff.

Finally if for whatever reason the Management does not recognize the Union. It does not mean they have to be in unsafe or abusive work environment. They can reach out to the EEOC and Labor board. Also to take any kind of action against an abusive manager an investigation will need to be done. If staff is not comfortable with management doing the investigation then there is labor board and EEOC. They can also offer protection to staff who filed the compliant.

I am happy to say that I got my replacement order and it had the 2 missing books. The order is complete. When UPS had the order not tracking information was available. When they handed it off to USPS the package showed up on their tracking system. USPS is trackable if you sign up for informed delivery a free service.

I did have a quick question. If more than one book is being shipped with a subscription does it still go out USPS priority or does the shipping method need to be changed?

My guess is that me. Even if it is more than people who post here. Most have not canceled yet. Also the bulk of their sales probably goes through Amazon who if they have said anything (which I doubt) please post the link. So even if everyone saying they are going to cancel on Twitter does. They will still not go out of business. Also I do not know of any other distributors that have said anything about it. We are also assuming that those on Twitter are the majority of the subscribers. I am not sure they are. So yes I am comfortable in saying Paizo will not go out of business if they do not recognize the Union.

However, as a company Paizo should want happy and engaged staff. This is why they should recognize the Union. Some customers will be happy with them recognizing the Union some will not be. Ultimately the goal should be happy engaged staff who will be more productive and have better products. Which will lead to happier customers.

The Union would look at hiring practices and working conditions. But enforcement would be done by the EEOC and Labor Board. To access those agencies you do not need a Union

Also Paizo will not go out of business because they do not support the Union. The majority of subscribers have not posted here or about this. Also none of the distributors have said anything. So even if everyone who posted in this thread stopped all their subscriptions. Paizo would not go out of business.

The reason I feel they should recognize the Union is employees who are comfortable and happy at work are more engaged and productive employees. Based on the list of Paizo staff at various levels there are concerns about the work place. Recognizes the Union can be a good first step in helping the Paizo staff be more engaged and happy at work.

It is for this reason among others I hope the Union is recognized.

Also the fair labor and standards act by Rosevelt. This is what made it more uniform and enforcement possible. There are many states that do not have a strong Union and enjoy 40 hours week, overtime, and days off thanks to the fair labor and standards act as well as the Unions which Rosevelt supported the idea. So without the Union the fair labor and standards act may never have happened. Without the fair labor and standards act Unions and workers would lack legal protection from working more than 40 without overtime.

So I do hope Washington is strong Union state for Paizo Union.

Many credit the 40 hour work week starting with Henry Ford 1937 who thought workers would be more productive with 40 hour week instead of 48. Then Union was negotiating with GM about working conditions and had sit in strike. To strengthen this idea Franklin Rosevelt did the fair labor standards act in 1938 which strengthen it.

The Union is one step. As I have said many times. The labor board and EEOC are an effective way to create change. Even when the Union is in place. To create change with the problem Managers you are going to need some kind of evidence to discipline that Manager (emails/multiple witnesses to the incident). If the staff does not feel comfortable with upper management doing that investigation than another avenue is the labor board and EEOC.

Having a full time HR staff is also a needed step. Having a non trained person in HR is not going to benefit anyone.

Once the Union is formed and there are issues that the Union and Management do not agree on. The labor board and EEOC can resolve the issue especially if they can afford a lawyer.

I hope the Union is recognized and Washington is strong Union state. The state I am in is not pro Union. I am member of the Union in the state. They do not do much more than inform on legislation that may in pact state agencies.

I do not think Wizards/Hasbro is clear on how much will change or be added. They are sending out more surveys in 2022. I think the feedback they get will guide how many options are added and tweaks made.

Is there anyway to know when the warehouse may ship this replacement order. Since it is going media mail and I ship priority mail it is going to take a little longer to get to me?

Thanks

Thank you. Was about to post this had been resolved.

Is there any reason customer service is not responding to post where Paizo has taken money and not provided the products. If I have not heard anything by Friday will dispute the credit card charge.

I should have 3 books in the order. 1 Grand Bazaar and 2 Guns and Gears. The order says complete and 3 items. I only got 1 Guns and Gears. I still need 1 Grand Bazar and 1 Guns and Gears. Can this please get resolved ASAP.

I think Wizards is not to set on how far changes will go at this point. I do not think it will be anything too drastic. One interesting idea is to use proficiency dice instead of set number. This is optional rule in DMG. The new Transformers, Power Ranger, and GI Joe use it. If it is popular in those games it may make its way into 5.5/6. I do not think that would do anything more than that as far as changes to the system goes. I do see more character options, maybe rebalancing, more feats, and more combat options.