Well, I wanted to let this sink in for a few hours, and spend some time with the alpha PDF, before I realy commented. I am left with *very* mixed feelings.
First of all, this is a bold, gutsy decision, which I respect.
Second, they may well be making a game I want to play more than I want to play 4E. Obviously it will be some months before that is clear, but I'm very impressed with the alpha document; it is much more effective at addressing some of 3.5's problems than I ever thought it could be, especially so early on.
Third, I think Paizo will do *Ok* for themselves this way.
But in my opinion they have absolutely marginalized themselves with this decision. Without the marketing and distribution muscle of WOTC behind their system of choice, they will forever be selling to a niche of a niche, and probably a shrinking one at that. To non-gamers (also known as prospective gamers), D&D = RPGs. Whether I like that or not, I don't see Paizo changing it.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do; but I know what I'm not going to do: Keep rehashing this issue. Collectively we need to put the 3.5E/4E schism behind us.
Thanks for reading.
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What I think is very important here is the way this is unfolding.
This is Paizo 100%.
There is a free alpha release. Paizo wants as many people as possible to play this game and provide feedback. The community will help shape the beta and final release.
Paizo is a company with as big a passion for its customers as it has for the game.
I'm not sure what leads you to believe that 4e refusers constitute a "niche of a niche." From what I've seen, they constitute 30-40% of all current D&D gamers. Most of them have very real, demonstrable, and often vehement reasons for rejecting 4e, and those reasons aren't going to go away...especially now that a viable alternative is there.
Since no other company has announced that it will continue support for 3.5 or a 3.5 derivative (like PFRPG), Paizo is now positioned as the *only* gaming option for that large number of 4e refusers.
As a 4e publisher, they would have been one of a large number of third-party companies fighting over WotC's table scraps for the 60-70% who will switch to 4e. They might reach 5% of D&Ders under that scenario, if they're lucky...now *that's* a niche of a niche. Plus running the risk of being SOL and out of business should Hasbro ever decide to cancel the GSL or, worse yet, pull the plug on D&D if 4e fails to attract enough new blood to replace the 30-40% who are leaving.
But yes, now everyone should be happy. 4e will be there, and 3.5+ will be there too. The only ones who should still be angry are the ones who like being angry.
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What I would like to know is whether Paizo is examining new ways to advertize itself. I for one would love to see Paizo grow into a healthy competitor with WotC. Assuming Paizo continues with its business model of customer-friendly relations, excellent product lines, and openness, it has my gold . . . er, green.
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To non-gamers (also known as prospective gamers), D&D = RPGs. Whether I like that or not, I don't see Paizo changing it.
Honestly, I have to disagree. A lot of non-gamers have no idea about D&D still being a current hobby.
To most non-gamers, I'd say that WoW = RPGs. The video game material in bookstores I visit is easily two to three times the size of all the RPG books, and of those RPG books roughly 1/3 to 1/2 is D&D books.
That's 1/3 to 1/2 of a single shelf, mind you. I had to ask a salesperson to help me figure out where the books even were, today. The Warhammer 40k novels got more shelf space than all the RPG books together.
I'd like to think that this is a step in the right direction - that Paizo may be helping to shift the current, even just a little bit, with the continuation of the OGL and the birth of this RPG.
The group I run and I plan to stick with 3.5 for the foreseeable future. Whether we'll use Pathfinder or just 3.5 as is remains to be seen. Even if 4e had looked good, which it doesn't, we wouldn't have been willing to buy a whole new system before 2010 or 2011. As bad as it now looks, with no prestige classes or ways to play non-standard races--both of which figure prominently in my campaign--4e is something we likely will never use. For what I think of Pathfinder, see http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/general/aQuickReview.