It's worth saying that most players (including every single one I know) don't give a damn if they are "validating Paizo's decision". No one is trying to sabotage Paizo. We simply don't like PF2e. At least not as much as we like PF1e. And certainly not enough to spend hundreds/thousands of dollars on it. Paizo is free to sell whatever product they want. If I like it, I will buy it. If I don't, I won't. If Paizo can make do without the money from those that didn't join PF2e, good for them! If they can't... Tough luck. I don't care either way. I just want to play and support a game I love, and PF2e isn't it.
I currently have 3 gaming groups. I've been playing with two of them almost since the release of PF. We now play mostly through Discord and Roll20. It really helps. My advice is finding people interested in the hobby and use online tools to play. That's how I manage to play 2~3 games every week. I even have invited some people to join us... But we use a lot of house-rules, 3pp and homebrew material, so most long-time players hesitate because they are used to different gameplay style and/or have a different view on game design/balance. I understand their PoV, but at the same time I can't help but think "Why don't you try it? You're not playing anything! What do you have to lose?". Paizo not releasing new books doesn't bother me. There's still a lot of material out there, specially with 3pp and homebrew included. In fact, one of our GM creates homebrew all the time as a hobby and the groups help him playtest and balance it. It's a lot of fun! Besides... Honestly... Paizo hasn't exactly impressed me with their non-AP releases for a while now. - - - And if I (or my groups) get tired of PF1, I'll just play 5e instead.
Honestly... It seems like this is a fight Paizo just can't win. Sadly, PF's decline in sales and popularity is probably irreversible at this point. The 800 lb gorilla is back in town, and this time it didn't shoot itself in the foot. The Golem is no match. It's quite possible that Paizo simply won't be able regain the ground they lost to WotC. In fact, it's quite possible that they will continue to lose ground. Unfortunately, downsizing seems inevitable to Paizo. It's just a question of "when" and "how much". Then again, I could be completely wrong. Maybe PF2 will experience a surge in popularity and/or Paizo will find a way to expand their sources of revenue... But if I had to bet, I'd put my money on the gorilla.
One way or another, Paizo is kinda screwed... No matter how much they say they don't intend to compete with 5e, there's just no way of avoiding that. Tabletop RPG is still a niche hobby and PF and D&D cover pretty much the same niche within that niche... But when it comes to popularity and brand recognition, PF just isn't on the same weight category as D&D. Paizo had an unique opportunity 10 years ago and made good use of it... But that was a once in a lifetime occurence, and WotC is unlikely to commit the same mistakes again. PF2 may very well be Pathfinder's dying gasp. While Paizo is likely to keep their most loyal customers and even see a rise in sales when PF2 hits the shelves, long-term, I think it's unlikely that Paizo will be able to reverse the decrease in sales. PF will probably never again come even close to its old popularity... Unless WotC really screws up hard. And I just don't see that happening. Paizo may have to resign themselves to having a much smaller busisness in a few years.
Ediwir wrote: ....that does not sound playtest related. Hey... You asked. Besides, it's related to the changes I want to see in the game. That includes the way Paizo supports and expands the game. (Although, in hindsight I had already posted here... My mistake. I thought the previous post was in a different thread. Well... Not all bad. There was a typo in the last sentence that changed what I meant almost completely)?
As someone who had no hope or enthusiasm for this product, I will say that the announced made me at least want to give it a try. There's still a bunch of things that I don't like, but PF2e at least feels like a game I might want to play and support. It'll mostly depend on how Paizo approaches feat, spells and class abilities. So far, nearly all of them feel... Lackluster. Boring and/or weak. The prime example being Paladins losing Smite Evil. My only concern is that high accuracy combined with the +10/-10 rule could be too much. I don't think I want every character to get 1~2 critical every turn... Forcing the devs do artificially inflate the hp of monsters and NPCs, making it all pointless anyway. And, of course, I'll certainly keep a close eye on Paizo's errata policies. If they keep their old "nerf stuff from the old books to make stuff from the new release seem better", I'll most definetely not discontinue any support for the company, but also encourage other players to do the same. I can't say I'll definetely join the PF2e fold, but I can say I'll at least check the CRB and play a few games. On a separate, but equally importany note, I will add that calling dissatisfied players "toxic" is not only rude, but incredibly hypocritical, considering the way many of the advocates of previous versions of the playtest document address anyone who dares to disagree with them.
M Oni-Spawn Tiefling Inquisitor 2 - 12/20 hp; AC 19 (tch 11; ff 18); CMD 15; Fort +5; Ref +1; Will +5; Darkvision; Scent; Perception +7; Sense Motive +8; Init +5
CrusaderWolf wrote: Are we going around the corner expecting a fight? Casting spells, in any particular formation, etc/ Well... Now that the GM mentioned, I guess we are. XD Borumaru doesn't mind going first... He has a good AC now that he |