Paul Jr's page

Paul Jr wrote:

I also think pathfinder is becoming too much of something too different.

It is becoming another generic fantasy system. A good one but still generic.

While I think it is legit if you are going to miss the cultural signifiers of D&D, I don't understand the generic complaint. D&D is generic. It has defined the baseline for not just TTRPGs but various video games, comics, and anime as well. It also plays to a many of the generic Tolkien default fantasy staples-- humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and hobbits. The further a system moves away from D&D the less generic it becomes.

Generic might be wrong word. Yes both rulesets are fantasy. I do think it is the cultural signifiers, that make the game in some ways. It invokes a certain feeling when you see or read the books.

D&D has the mind flyers, beholders etc. When you play baldurs gate 3, you can tell it is a D&D game.

Pathfinder has its own culture now. Goblins, lesheys etc....

Mechanically pf2e is a beautiful system

I see nothing wrong with wanting to play dnd using that system

However it is now drifting from that.

Not a bad thing just different

Please don't take this as being snarky... but yeah, maybe you should try a different game. If what was keeping you invested in Pathfinder was a set of specific signifiers that harken back to the cultural cache of D&D and not the actual mechanics and feel of the game, then OSR games might really be a better fit. Pathfinder is a very different beast from the games you seem to be longing for.

I don't find it sparky at all. I just wish that Paizo pulled the plug when first designing 2nd edition. I love the mechanics and the system.

My main issue is now that they are changing the mechanics, some I don't like. Yes I can use the rules as is currently. However the ieda of running a game that is say 70% remaster, 30% before remaster kinda puts me at unease. How well will that work.

I agree if want to play a version of D&D then go OSR, or earlier version of D&D. Unless you want to spend the time hacking PF2E to make it fit what you want.

The difficulty of doing that will depend on how much you alter.

It's getting a lot harder to pretend Pathfinder is just better, freer D&D. I didn't realize how much of my drive to engage with it was based on that feeling, but now that it's threatened I'm looking around feeling a little lost. I like Magic Missile. I like Chromatic Dragons. I like ability scores. These are all touchstones of the last 50 years of my culture, and it pisses me off that Hasbro somehow owns that. I can still use these things in my games of course, but unofficial rules necessarily disconnect you from the shared zeitgeist.

But what are my options here? 5E is something between an slow expensive video game and an excuse for fantasy LARP, and I am just not interested in that spectrum. PF2E is actively trying NOT to be D&D, while still embracing that market. Is DCC any good? Should I go crawling back to AD&D begging for forgiveness?

Ya know, I even like most of the changes Paizo is making here I just ... can't shake the feeling that Pathfinder is also converging - albeit slowly - with 5E's design philosophy (and that of all mainstream gaming): homogenize and prune.

- Jee

I know exactly what you are going through.

Of course if I wanted to run it I would go with bab and ascending armor class etc...

I am perfectly happy with 2e as is. I am also intrigued with some of the things changing in remaster. However I am also not happy with some.

I also think pathfinder is becoming too much of something too different.

It is becoming another generic fantasy system. A good one but still generic.

It sucks that they had to go this route, when the other OSR games still are keeping on with the dndisms.

I also looked into castles and crusades and that looks more D&D then Pathfinder.