All the places i checked online, FLGS I have called have said the same thingt until July 13, that the Gamastery Guide will not be out until July 13.
But Paizo is saying it is shipping now. So what one is it?
Both, Paizo is shipping now to subscribers and distribution. It usually takes a few weeks for books to get to distribution and then to the FLGS.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Actually, neither.
The "street date" for the product, when it will go live in stores, is June 30th. We have already shipped the books to distributors, after which we began packing and shipping subscriber orders. We time things so that subscribers should start to receive the book at the same time it becomes available in stores. A few might get it a couple days earlier, just as the book might pop up in some stores a day or two early based on how fast local trucks and postage works out for them.
Because the entire system is automated, subscribers can access their PDFs when the book ships from our warehouse. It takes several days for all of the books to ship from our warehouse, which is why some subscribers have access to their PDF right now, and some don't.
The book should be widely available, to everyone, on June 30.
Will this be available to purchase at Paizocon?
Thanks Cosmo! (And all the other Paizo staff of course!)
I should probably know this, but what are the critters pictured on page 190 and 193? I want to say fiends, and 193 looks kind of like a vrock, but more hawk-like and with a stinger tail. 190 is kind of like a marilith, but could be something from the fire plane considering her page number. Whatever she is, I want to send a dozen against my party. Ok, maybe only a half-dozen. They're level 14 right now. ;)
Or are these critters from Bestiary II?
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Creative Director
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I should probably know this, but what are the critters pictured on page 190 and 193? I want to say fiends, and 193 looks kind of like a vrock, but more hawk-like and with a stinger tail. 190 is kind of like a marilith, but could be something from the fire plane considering her page number. Whatever she is, I want to send a dozen against my party. Ok, maybe only a half-dozen. They're level 14 right now. ;)
Or are these critters from Bestiary II?
The creatures on those two pages are example super-tough monsters that live on the outer planes. On one level, they're there to simply illustrate a pair of strange monsters that dwell on outer planes (one the Plane of Fire, and one the Abyss.)
On another level, they're easter eggs for those who follow Golarion products.
Page 190: Ymeri, the Queen of the Inferno
Page 193: Pazuzu, demon lord of the sky, winged creatures, and temptation
Both of these characters are probably well above CR 30, so sending a dozen against your party will probably end the game very quickly.
Actually, neither.
The "street date" for the product, when it will go live in stores, is June 30th. We have already shipped the books to distributors, after which we began packing and shipping subscriber orders. We time things so that subscribers should start to receive the book at the same time it becomes available in stores. A few might get it a couple days earlier, just as the book might pop up in some stores a day or two early based on how fast local trucks and postage works out for them.
Because the entire system is automated, subscribers can access their PDFs when the book ships from our warehouse. It takes several days for all of the books to ship from our warehouse, which is why some subscribers have access to their PDF right now, and some don't.
The book should be widely available, to everyone, on June 30.
I stand corrected then.
*keeps on waiting for his subscription shipment...*
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CEO
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Will this bump up the release date for the PDF also? And good work on cracking that whip! ;-)Good news! We just moved up the release date to next Wednesday, the 23rd of June! One week early! Congrats to our warehouse team for busting their humps to get the books out to distributors early. :)
-Lisa
Yep, the PDF will also move up to the 23rd.
-Lisa
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Will this bump up the release date for the PDF also? And good work on cracking that whip! ;-)Good news! We just moved up the release date to next Wednesday, the 23rd of June! One week early! Congrats to our warehouse team for busting their humps to get the books out to distributors early. :)
-Lisa
Yep, the PDF will also move up to the 23rd.
-Lisa
Woot!
I'll keep pushing for some sort of "Guide to High Level Play" though. Whether or not that manifests as a big giant hardcover rulebook or something smaller... can't really say yet.I expect hardcover will wait for epic, but I'd buy a Chronicles sized (64 page) book on high level play.
+1 and +1 for the book on haunts and traps...a Grimtooths for Pathfinder would be awesome
Mine's in the mail, too. Really excited to get this.
Still waiting to be notified that mine is in the mail so I can download the PDF...
Apparently, the whining thing doesn't work for subscribers after all. Oh, well. At least the release date has moved up and I can get it when every one else does next week. ;)
The only dissapointment that I have had so far with the book (unless I have missed it somehow) is there is nothing that addresses the biggest problem I had with 3.5 - handling high level characters. I would have liked to see any of the following topics addressed:
- balancing/running high level encounters
- tips for running smooth encounters/combats with high level NPCs
- challenging high level PCs, with a focus on how to deal with particular high level spells and magic itemsI've been pushing for us to publish a "Guide to High Level Play" for a while now. And I do wish we'd had a larger portion of that in the GameMastery Guide, but we decided it'd be better to skew this book toward more broad game support. After all... the VAST majority of those who play RPGs don't play super high level, and this is only our third book.
I'll keep pushing for some sort of "Guide to High Level Play" though. Whether or not that manifests as a big giant hardcover rulebook or something smaller... can't really say yet.
YES PLEASE.
Designing high level adventures takes probably the most time and needs the most guidance, and yet there is nearly NOTHING out for it.
I know the old adage is that no one buys high level adventures, but I really wonder if this is a chicken-and-egg issue, where there are few high level adventures and source materials, so everyone plays low level adventures only, and then everyone gets into their low level stuff, so they don't buy high level stuff when it's finally made available. There's no support so people don't play it and people don't play it because there's no support so there's no support so people don't play it and then people don't play it because there's no support....
I realize the bulk of games will always be around 4th-12th level but having the ability to easily go beyond that, with materials at the ready of SOME kind, however minimal, would be so much more lovely than what we've got now.
Whether these game mastery guidelines are folded into an epic level book (but it would be nice to have guidelines for level 15+, not just level 20+) or are their own mini publication like the Adventurer's Armory, that's fine by me.
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I really see the "Guide to High Level Play" as something that should be put into the eventual Epic Level book. I definitely should be a part of the Pathfinder RPG line, not one of the product lines devoted to the campaign setting. Also, despite my suggestion and assumption that it would be a part of the Epic Level book, I don't think it should restrict itself to level 20+ play. As DeathQuaker said, starting it at about level 15 or so would be good.
Am I the only one not to be bowled over by this? I just opened the covers and at first glance I am fairly disappointed. I looked through the table of contents and flipped quickly through about 60% of the book and my impression is a lot of fluff and a lot of needless tables and stat blocks.
I will read it cover-to-cover as all my books, but right now I'm regretting my purchase. :(
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Am I the only one not to be bowled over by this? I just opened the covers and at first glance I am fairly disappointed. I looked through the table of contents and flipped quickly through about 60% of the book and my impression is a lot of fluff and a lot of needless tables and stat blocks.
I will read it cover-to-cover as all my books, but right now I'm regretting my purchase. :(
And what were you after ? The description pretty accurately tells what's inside.
And what were you after ? The description pretty accurately tells what's inside.
Re-reading the description, you are correct. I suppose it is my fault for not considering more carefully exactly what they would deliver. My impression of the PF team so far is that they have boiled 3.5 down to the essentials, fixed what was broken, added what was missing, and delivered big chunks of useful game mechanics. I was expecting the Gamemastery book to do the same, and didn't really consider evaluating its real use (I'm a subscriber, although I'm not sure why it doesn't list it with my alias).
The bottom line is that I just assumed (my fault) that anything they produced would be useful on a regular basis. I expect to use less than 25% of this book less than 10% of the time.
I for one am really jazzed to see it includes tables and npc stats...something I was alway clamoring for in the 3.5 days. Will be looking for it at my FLGS next week.
-IO
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And what were you after ? The description pretty accurately tells what's inside.Re-reading the description, you are correct. I suppose it is my fault for not considering more carefully exactly what they would deliver. My impression of the PF team so far is that they have boiled 3.5 down to the essentials, fixed what was broken, added what was missing, and delivered big chunks of useful game mechanics. I was expecting the Gamemastery book to do the same, and didn't really consider evaluating its real use (I'm a subscriber, although I'm not sure why it doesn't list it with my alias).
The bottom line is that I just assumed (my fault) that anything they produced would be useful on a regular basis. I expect to use less than 25% of this book less than 10% of the time.
What you are after is the Advanced Player's Guide, as it includes new crunch and options. GMG is a book of tools useful for running the game.
Subscriptions only show on the primary alias :)
A week early? Woohoo! So does htat mean the Amazon will ship a week early too?
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And what were you after ? The description pretty accurately tells what's inside.Re-reading the description, you are correct. I suppose it is my fault for not considering more carefully exactly what they would deliver. My impression of the PF team so far is that they have boiled 3.5 down to the essentials, fixed what was broken, added what was missing, and delivered big chunks of useful game mechanics. I was expecting the Gamemastery book to do the same, and didn't really consider evaluating its real use (I'm a subscriber, although I'm not sure why it doesn't list it with my alias).
The bottom line is that I just assumed (my fault) that anything they produced would be useful on a regular basis. I expect to use less than 25% of this book less than 10% of the time.
Right there with you on this. I was expecting a chapter on "how to" DMing but not several. I was hoping for a more tool box and got more advice column I guess.
waiting intently for the PDF
The bottom line is that I just assumed (my fault) that anything they produced would be useful on a regular basis. I expect to use less than 25% of this book less than 10% of the time.
Yes, if you are not a GM looking for general advice (the first half of the book) or if you're not a GM who likes statblocks and writer's-block tables (the second half), this book probably isn't for you. As far as precedent, I think that's what most DM books have been.
Statblocks and writer's-block tables are my bread and butter, so I'm having a hard time grasping your response. I can only imagine your style of GMing is radically different from my own. Paging through this book gives me the desperate urge to GM.
My copy just arrived today, along with Kingmaker 4 (which I did the fiction for).
Apart from a printer's error of a few pre-dog-eared pages, it looks absolutely beautiful.
It also looks highly useful, as it has stats for such common but overlooked NPCs as the barmaid. There's also the random tavern name generator. The third tavern name I rolled up was The Noisy Trousers.
Obviously this is where they have the chili cook-off or the cassoulet that's been simmering for 30+ years.
So I can buy the book but not the pdf???
I really see the "Guide to High Level Play" as something that should be put into the eventual Epic Level book. I definitely should be a part of the Pathfinder RPG line, not one of the product lines devoted to the campaign setting. Also, despite my suggestion and assumption that it would be a part of the Epic Level book, I don't think it should restrict itself to level 20+ play. As DeathQuaker said, starting it at about level 15 or so would be good.
I would actually go from level 12 on up.
I found chapters 7-9 to be gold. Planar traits, wild magic, city stat blocks, chases, addictions, gambling, haunts, insanity, and npc statblocks will all find use in my game.
Yes, there was a lot of advice, but I kind of expect that from a DMG. Your mileage may vary. I don't regret the purchase.
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I really see the "Guide to High Level Play" as something that should be put into the eventual Epic Level book. I definitely should be a part of the Pathfinder RPG line, not one of the product lines devoted to the campaign setting. Also, despite my suggestion and assumption that it would be a part of the Epic Level book, I don't think it should restrict itself to level 20+ play. As DeathQuaker said, starting it at about level 15 or so would be good.I would actually go from level 12 on up.
That's a pretty good starting place as well.
Let's face it, a character is pretty damned epic by 10th level. They can survive things that would kill an average commoner a dozen times over, they can single-handedly slay things that would destroy entire villages, etc.
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Yes, there was a lot of advice, but I kind of expect that from a DMG. Your mileage may vary. I don't regret the purchase.
I fully expected it to be mostly advice. After all, the vast majority of crunch needed for GMing a game is in the Core Rulebook. The GMG provides much needed advice on actually running the game. The tools/crunch will only get you so far. I'd say, based on my skimming through it, that the GMG would be a pretty decent purchase for a GM of ANY system.
Great NPC section, well done Team Paizo!
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For those of us who love more powerful games, Epic Play starts around 16th level, methinks - especially if the group has more than four players. I'm currently playing and leading a game in FFG's Midnight setting and the characters are 16th levels. Magic items are pretty rare in Midnight, so the characters have perhaps half as powerful equipment as they would in Golarion, for example, but the game has already at the point where they either don't have any challenges to them, or where they have to fight NPCs who can kill them all in a single round. So now we mostly role play.
So I can buy the book but not the pdf???
The books retail street date is the 23rd. Thats when the PDF will be available too.
I really wonder what people who are surprised/disappointed by the contents of this book were expecting. Can you elaborate?
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I really wonder what people who are surprised/disappointed by the contents of this book were expecting. Can you elaborate?
Disappointed is far from the correct word. The quality of all of the chapters is great and I'm enjoying reading them. I would have just liked to have seen the first 5-6 chapters parsed down by 1-2 chapters and then add more of what Chapter 8 has got. That's all.
More GM toolbox to customize your game with chase rules, insanity, or vehicle rules. I don't consider these "advanced topics" any more than the poison rules or environmental rules in the core book. They are just additional rules that can be excluded or included depending on how a GM would like to tailor their game to suit the campaign they would like to run. From a social combat-based political campaign to an airship-based campaign.
Quite honestly, I think the book is very well done, and the only things I don't care for are ones that I still think should be in the book.
There are long sections about how to plot a game, types of player personality types and how to deal with them, styles of games, etc. With almost thirty years of GMing experience under my belt, these sections are of little use to me, but they would have been amazingly useful to me thirty years back, and they need to be in the book because for many GMs, this will be their first book and the advice is necessary and useful.
Everything else is neatly laid out and is something I will use all the time. I've lost track of the number of times I've needed the stats for the unstatted barmaid, but right there in the book are the stats for the barmaid along with a couple other tavern denizens. And then there's just plain fun stuff like the incredible page of fine point words that every DM should know. I'm a sucker for new vocabulary and I'm going to be perusing that page a great deal, combing through for the words that are unfamiliar to me or that I only faintly know.
The bottom line is that I just assumed (my fault) that anything they produced would be useful on a regular basis. I expect to use less than 25% of this book less than 10% of the time.Yes, if you are not a GM looking for general advice (the first half of the book) or if you're not a GM who likes statblocks and writer's-block tables (the second half), this book probably isn't for you. As far as precedent, I think that's what most DM books have been.
Statblocks and writer's-block tables are my bread and butter, so I'm having a hard time grasping your response. I can only imagine your style of GMing is radically different from my own. Paging through this book gives me the desperate urge to GM.
I guess he may be using the adventure paths, which are, of course, heavily pre-scripted.
I'll get the PDF of this book as soon as feasible, but I probably won't need it as much anymore as I would have half a year ago, since I now changed to running AP's instead of self-made campaigns ( due to time constraints ). But it'll be interesting to read the fluff and for 10$, I surely won't complain. :) Can't wait for the AGP to come out, though.
Mine arrived today and I am greatly pleased with the entire book so far. I may have to declare the best GM book since the 1st edition DMG, might. I have to finish reading it first.