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Ok, I think I am pretty on the ball and have been following Pathfinder and these message boards for some time. I think I more or less have this all straight but, one must admit, the many different products and product lines all with Pathfinder in the name is a bit head spinning!
Between the Paizo Store and these message boards, we have:
Pathfinder, Pathfinder RPG, Pathfinder Companion, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Pathfinder Modules and Pathfinder Society
So, do I have this right?
Pathfinder (Pathfinder Adventure Paths) This is the monthly product that is sort of a combined Dragon and Dungeon style publication, but the content is all dedicated to the Pathfinder campaign setting and / or game. This would be more or less analogous to Dragon and Dungeon magazine when they were still being produced, but combined into one publication right?
Pathfinder RPG - the replacement for (and improved version of) the D&D 3.5 rule set. This is (or will be) pretty much analogous to the core D&D books.
Pathfinder Companion - this is a bi monthly publication. It is smaller in page count than the Pathfinder Adventure Paths but is similar in content? Without the actual adventure that is? Apparently aimed more at players? Not sure what this would be analogous to ...
Pathfinder Chronicles - this is the actual campaign setting? If I understand, this line includes all the campaign setting guides, gazetteers, map folios etc ... right? This would be analogous to the various Forgotten Realms setting books?
Pathfinder Modules - these are actually Game Mastery modules right? These are stand alone D&D adventures (not related to the adventure paths)
Pathfinder Society - pretty much the Parhfinder version of Living Greyhawk right?
So do I have these right?
Next, If I want to subscribe, what do I get and how much is it? I must admit, as much as I LOVE Paizo and its' products, this is more than a little confusing!
Thanks!
Pathfinder Companion - this is a bi monthly publication. It is smaller in page count than the Pathfinder Adventure Paths but is similar in content? Without the actual adventure that is? Not sure what this would be analogous to ...
These are player type products. Players guides, Race books, Spoiler-less settings, etc.
I second your confusion. I have often felt that when they continue adding the word Pathfinder as part of the title, it does dilute everything. When I go to the store for example, I never know which Pathfinder section to pick when searching for something specific. In addition, I find the set up of the message boards equally confusing. I must add however I don't frequent the boards much.
Director of Brand Strategy
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So do I have these right?
Next, If I want to subscribe, what do I get and how much is it? I must admit, as much as I LOVE Paizo and its' products, this is more than a little confusing!
You have it pretty much right. Without having seen Pathfinder Companions I can't confirm that, but I have been telling my players that this is sort of like Dragon, which the AP's are more like Dungeon in that they are over half-adventure, and the supporting articles are mostly things that support the adventures from the GM side of the screen.
As for how much it costs, that varies month to month depending on what's coming out, but some are static amounts. The Adventure Path subscription comes at 30% off cover price, and grants 15% off any of the other subscriptions, which are cover price otherwise. And with any subscription you get the hard copy as well as a free PDF, which you'd have to pay for otherwise.
Just do what I did and subscribe to them all and then you don't have to worry about all the details. Whatever it is, you'll get one.
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Creative Director
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Yeah... it can be a bit confusing with all the different product lines. Here's how I would break them down:
Pathfinder (Pathfinder Adventure Paths) Monthly product that presents two 6-part adventure paths a year, supported with articles and monsters that not only tie in to the current Adventure Path but also expand the campaign as a whole. This is the "flagship" product of the line.
Pathfinder RPG This is the core rules for the game; the replacement for the 3.5 core books once they go out of print. Available now in Beta, finished product in August 2009.
Pathfinder Companion 32 page bi-monthly Player-Focused product that has a different theme each time. Twice a year this will be a player's guide to the new Adventure Path, with the other four focusing on races and religions and regions of interest to players. Lots of player options in these, and GMs need worry about no spoilers getting in there.
Pathfinder Chronicles This line includes the 64-page gazetteer style books and other campaign setting material (including a big hardcover Campaign Setting available this August). A mix of Player & GM material here, this line presents information on regions, creatures, and other aspects of Golarion. Some (like the Guide to Korvosa) will also support an Adventure Path, while others (like Classic Monsters Revisited) are simply world-expanding products.
Pathfinder Modules A bi-monthly 32 page adventure. These come out in months staggered with the Companion product, and each one is a stand-alone module (sometimes with links to other modules) set in various locations in the world of Golarion.
Pathfinder Society This is the Pathfinder organized play group; our RPGA/Living Greyhawk/etc.
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Thanks James - that actually helps quite a bit! Please consider adding this to the new FAQ.
So ... If I want to subscribe, how do I do that and what is the cost? I assume there are different subscription types?
For instance, can I just subscribe to the montly Pathfinder publication? If so, how much is is it?
If I want the best subscription, (the one I read about that seems to give you just about everything) how much is that and what all does it give me?
Thanks!!!
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I never know which Pathfinder section to pick when searching for something specific.
Wait a minute your store actually has Pathfinder sections?!?
(^%^&$&^%*&&*(&(*%&^$^%$*&*()&^%$^&%#$$ #%$#^%^&%
my LGS barely carries Pathfinder at all. I can even ask them to special order stuff and I can't get them to do so.
Where do you live? I'm packing to move now!
:)
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Thanks James - that actually helps quite a bit! Please consider adding this to the new FAQ.
So ... If I want to subscribe, how do I do that and what is the cost? I assume there are different subscription types?
For instance, can I just subscribe to the montly Pathfinder publication? If so, how much is is it?
If I want the best subscription, (the one I read about that seems to give you just about everything) how much is that and what all does it give me?
Thanks!!!
You can subscribe here.
You can subscribe to each part of Pathfinder separately, or all at once. Additionally, subscribing to the Pathfinder AP gives you 15% discount on most items in the Paizo store (doesn't include non-Paizo PDFs IIRC) once the first issue ships.
Companion isn't on that page yet, but can be subscribed to here.
As for costs:
Companion: $9.99/bimonthly
Pathfinder Adventure Path: $19.99/month ($13.99 with subscription.)
Modules: $12.99/bimonthly
Chronicles: Variable
All of the subscriptions come with a free PDF.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Folks may want to look at the FAQ, specifically the Products section. It doesn't say much about Pathfinder Society yet, but it will gain that in the next few months.
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Folks may want to look at the FAQ, specifically the Products section. It doesn't say much about Pathfinder Society yet, but it will gain that in the next few months.
Well, yeah, if you want to make things easy. Where's the fun in that?
I know it's not out for quite a bit yet,
but it's not clear to me what the relation between the Hardcover Campaign Setting and the already released Gazetteer is.
If someone buys the Hardcover after it's released, would the Gazetteer be superfluous, or would it actually be necessary to have both products to have the "whole picture" of Golarion?
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Creative Director
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I know it's not out for quite a bit yet,
but it's not clear to me what the relation between the Hardcover Campaign Setting and the already released Gazetteer is.If someone buys the Hardcover after it's released, would the Gazetteer be superfluous, or would it actually be necessary to have both products to have the "whole picture" of Golarion?
The Gazetteer is meant to be a "lite" version of the Hardcover, for folk to pick up who want a preview of what'll be in the Hardcover (before it's out) or who want a less expensive option to learn about the world (once the hardcover IS out). If you buy the Hardcover, you'll have most (if not all) of the contents of the Gazetteer.
Another way to think about it is that the 64 page Gazetteer is the book for players who want to know a bit more about the world, while the 256 page Hardcover is for GMs and for players who didn't get enough info from the smaller version.
Wait wait, i am confused...
When is the Beta available ?
And the final hardcover version ?
Ooo i was confused by both being in august. Didn't notice the year :(
Thank you.
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When did the Beta become available ?!? How did I miss that, and when will the boards be updated?
Pathfinder RPG This is the core rules for the game; the replacement for the 3.5 core books once they go out of print. Available now in Beta, finished product in August 2009.
I suspect James is getting ahead of himself. From Paizo's point of view, the Beta is done as it's been sent to the printers. It just hasn't gotten into the grasp of us, the customers, yet.
The Gazetteer is meant to be a "lite" version of the Hardcover, for folk to pick up who want a preview of what'll be in the Hardcover (before it's out) or who want a less expensive option to learn about the world (once the hardcover IS out). If you buy the Hardcover, you'll have most (if not all) of the contents of the Gazetteer.
Cool, I had thought that was the case, but wasn't at all SURE.
Maybe you could 'sub-title' the products something like Pathfinder Gazetteer: Player's Introduction to Golarion, and the Hardcover Campaign Setting: Golarion Complete, or something to make it more clear.
But since it looks like there's so much great stuff you have planned for the Companion series, I bet most will probably just get the Companion subscription AND the Hardcover :-)
Another bit of information: These are "ongoing" subscriptions. You can cancel them at any time, and you don't have to pay anything in advance. When the products ship, your credit card will be charged (and you'll get your free PDF(s))
Heh, yeah. The Beta is not yet available. It will be at Gen Con, AKA the middle of August.You should send everyone on this post a free copy for the emotional anguish caused by spending the next five minutes looking for the beta, only to realize it wasn't there. :P
Yeah, this was as bad as the time when one inconsiderate bastard made a hoax post talking about alpha 2's classes when it wasn't out yet! (Randal you jerk!) ;-P
Will the beta totally replace the PHB/DMG/MM?
I don't have D&D 3.5 at all but I am so tempted by Pathfinder that I may be tempted into the fold.. again.
The core book will replace PHB and DMG - MM will be an extra book (I guess something nearly 1000 pages thick isn't really doable without getting really expensive, and it would be unwieldy to boot.)
The Beta will probably not have quite everything (one thing that we will get later is prestige classes), but it shouldn't be such a problem to get the extra stuff with the d20SRD, and I guess it will not be any of the more important stuff, either.