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I have always enjoyed reading novels that have been related to my favorite PGs, such as the Gord the Rogue books by Gary and other Greayhawk based books (not enough have been published that play on Greyhawk, at least for my taste and appetite), the Forgotten Realms novels and the Warhammer Fantasy books.
Reading these let me dwell in my favorite worlds outside of our ongoing campaigns and even let me "borrow" a few ideas for my own campaign or let me introduce the one or other cool NPC/famous resident to my players.
I have been wondering how many of you would enjoy/be interested in Pathfinder/Golarion based novels. Should the be stand alone books, trilogies, or a longer ongoing line of books?
Should the stories play in the resent past, so that they do not interfere with any ongoing APs, or in Golarions present, future/alternate future or even on another world?
What about the main character/s? The PF-Iconics, Eando Kline?
Who is your choice of author?
Would you buy them one by one, or would you subscribe?
What do you think are that chances that Paizo will publish some in the future?
Director of Brand Strategy
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This topic comes up quite frequently and each time Erik and Vic and James and Wes and everyone says that Pathfinder fiction (perhaps not novels, but standalone fiction) is inevitable. If you search around the boards you'll find tons of other threads wherein they talk about their thoughts on the process. We know that they aren't coming out before GenCon, though, as everything's been announced until Aug 09, but we'll get Golarion novels or short stories soon enough.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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We'll be doing this. The only question is when. With the launch of the Pathfinder RPG, we're spending a lot of money on printing that we wouldn't spend in an ordinary year, so the launch date for novels will, for sure, be after the release of the Core Rulebook and the Pathfinder Bestiary.
After that.... well, the wheels are already turning.
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We'll be doing this. The only question is when. With the launch of the Pathfinder RPG, we're spending a lot of money on printing that we wouldn't spend in an ordinary year, so the launch date for novels will, for sure, be after the release of the Core Rulebook and the Pathfinder Bestiary.
After that.... well, the wheels are already turning.
Put me first to buy them. When I started my Eberron campaign this year, I grabbed the novels so I could get a "feel" how to run my adventures. Now I'm hooked on the stories alone.
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I'll buy them but I hope to God that D&D fiction isn't used as the model, because it was nearly all horrible. Thieves World was great shared-world material, the FASA rpg stuff (Battletech and Shadowrun) had a moderate number of decent books and even one of the Rolemaster fiction books (the one by Roxanne Longstreet, perhaps now better-known as Rachel Caine) was decent. But please, don't use Gygax's Gord books or (sweet Jesus no!) R.A. Salvatore's FR stuff as a model...
We'll be doing this. The only question is when. With the launch of the Pathfinder RPG, we're spending a lot of money on printing that we wouldn't spend in an ordinary year, so the launch date for novels will, for sure, be after the release of the Core Rulebook and the Pathfinder Bestiary.
After that.... well, the wheels are already turning.
I cannot wait
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Not all D&D-based fiction was bad or lacking, though, in my opinion. If the Pathfinder books are anywhere near as good as some of the ones I've read by Rich Baker, or if they can get Elaine Cunningham to write something for them (Which I think would be awesome) I'd definitely buy the books :)
I probably will anyway, but that's not the point >_>
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Not all D&D-based fiction was bad or lacking, though, in my opinion. If the Pathfinder books are anywhere near as good as some of the ones I've read by Rich Baker, or if they can get Elaine Cunningham to write something for them (Which I think would be awesome) I'd definitely buy the books :)
I probably will anyway, but that's not the point >_>
Yeah, I'll buy them too, but I wouldn't consider Rich Baker to be a Gold Standard. I'm not entirely convinced about Elaine Cunningham, either. For my money, the best rpg-fiction-book writers have been Bob Charette (FASA stuff), Michael Stackpole (who wrote for FASA) and Nigel Findley (who wrote at least one D&D book I know of -- the only decent book in the Cloakmaster series -- as well as two good Shadowrun books, but who is unfortunately dead now) and Roxanne Longstreet (who wrote a book for Rolemaster and who now writes as Rachel Caine). Robin Wayne Bailey actually wrote a decent D&D book too (set in Greyhawk).
I still think that Thieves World is a great model for shared-world fiction...
Elaine Cunningham is quite good IMHO. I would dig a Stackpole book. Some others from WoTC that I like are Richard Lee Byers and Erik Scott di Bie
I like most of those already mentioned, but I would also like to throw out Tim Waggoner's name to those that know his work. I especially liked his work in the "Blade of the Flame" trilogy. A little dark, good humour mixed in, and had a good cast of characters.
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We'll be doing this. The only question is when. With the launch of the Pathfinder RPG, we're spending a lot of money on printing that we wouldn't spend in an ordinary year, so the launch date for novels will, for sure, be after the release of the Core Rulebook and the Pathfinder Bestiary.
After that.... well, the wheels are already turning.
Perhaps we can have another Superstar Contest! (Hint, Hint)
Golarion novels would be great. I loved Elaine Cunningham's recent short story.
I wonder if Ed Greenwood will write any of them, as he's already on the team so to speak. And i wonder how those would be received. :-)
Link to what? The short story?
*does some googling*
Ooops, seems i was wrong about the author of that particular short story. I was thinking of Lisa Smedman's contribution to Realms of War. *shame* Elaine Cunningham does ahve a story in that anthology too, though.
I like most of those already mentioned, but I would also like to throw out Tim Waggoner's name to those that know his work. I especially liked his work in the "Blade of the Flame" trilogy. A little dark, good humour mixed in, and had a good cast of characters.
seconded
Every time this topic comes up, I express an interest in writing them. ;-)
I've read the Dragonlance books and was impressed with a few of those. Most notably Richard Knaak managed the impossible in Legend of Huma by depicting a three dimensional, well written main character. This is simply not found anywhere in D&D literature--at least based on my readings. Granted Knaak's side-characters were poor, but for this achievement alone he gains my relative approval and recommendation.
I have a huge soft spot for Richard Knaak - his creator-owned Dragonrealms books remain some of my favorite fantasy from my childhood. You can bet that, if he opted to step back from his big-name media tie-ins like Diablo and Warcraft, I'd be ecstatic to have him do some Golarion fiction.
Right at the moment nothing's been finalized where authors are concerned, but we've had offers from several people whose names you'll undoubtedly recognize from the better game-related fiction of yesteryear....
In my opinion some of the best game-based fiction was written by Nyx Smith for Shadowrun. The loose trilogy of Striper Assassin, Fade to Black, and Who Hunts the Hunter can be read by over and over. And have been.
As usual, Im in both to buy and to write said novels!
(did I mention my second novel has just been released in Brazil/Portugal? ;))
Right at the moment nothing's been finalized where authors are concerned, but we've had offers from several people whose names you'll undoubtedly recognize from the better game-related fiction of yesteryear....But isn't that Tolkien guy dead?
nah, he's playing cards with Elvis Presley
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I'd like to see the novels as 'in-world' novels. Actual Pathfinder Chronicles if you get my meaning. So I could slip one into a treasure pile in a game and then hand the novel to the player and say "You find this"
This works for me as well.
If the characters in the books are going to be movers and shakers of the world (like the Realms stories) please let them be in the past. It is so discouraging to be the sidekick when you want to be the hero. I like my legendary heroes to be from the past not the present so as I don't have to compete with them.beyond that...
bring it on.
...self-contained works ...
Here-here. Let's see some variety.
I would like to avoid Golarion Shaking Events as well
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I'd be thrilled to write a novel..I really dig the world and have the groundwork done for one novel already. So..someone tell me how to get noticed and I've got a pretty unique one ready to roll. : }
I wouldn't mind writing one myself, one day. I adore fantasy, and my life goal is to write it. I'm just...very, very unknown at this point -_-
RPG Superstar 2013
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I hear that!
Actually,some of my favorite plots for games are "Golarion-shaking", but then in the end no one really knows. That way you can't demand the world pay you back. Erevus Cain and friends saved the whole continent from disaster, but then no one really knew it could have been worse, or who stopped it.
If you've survive Bruce Cordell's Return to the Tomb of Horrors, you've saved the whole multiverse, and no one will ever know.
But you got eeps for it.
As much as I like some of the more popular authors, I'd like to see somebody new, hungry and with a deft hand that pours words onto the page that make me carry around the book while I'm making dinner and keeps me awake until 3am to finish the book.
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Lilith, I couldn't agree more. In fact that's what WotC tried with their Inquisitives series for the Eberron Setting (with, I hasten to add, quite good results). So yes, I hope that's the way Paizo will eventually go, when the brand has been established.
Bagpuss, I know that we both disgree strongly when it comes to Salvatore. I have to admit that I prefer him anytime over Stackpole or Charette (as I prefer most FR novels over the SR novels and that's not because off the setting).
This said, I wouldn't mind if he (and other well known authors) first helps establishing the brand and then takes a step back to let the brand help establishing fresh authors.
And the only thing I really wanna see is a novel by James "Tyralandi Scrimm" Jacobs. Won't happen soon, I fear.
I like Salvatore
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I like Salvatore
I always loved Salvatore and Drizzt Novels although I finally got fed up with Drizzt Novels. To many of them. He should let him rest and find peace.
I do think that if he would write for a different setting, like Golarion, he might ind new vigor and come up with something good (if not awesome). The same might be true for Ed Greenwood.
I could also appreciate some novels by Lawrence Watt-Evans. I totally digged His Obsidian Chronicles. I am not so sure about his older works.
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[I've read the Dragonlance books and was impressed with a few of those. Most notably Richard Knaak managed the impossible in Legend of Huma by depicting a three dimensional, well written main character. This is simply not found anywhere in D&D literature--at least based on my readings. Granted Knaak's side-characters were poor, but for this achievement alone he gains my relative approval and recommendation.
I have to agree, Richard Knaak "Ruled Man" in Legend of Huma. He really brought a massive DL Legend down to size and gave us someone common to cheer for. The story was fairly epic, and he managed it in one book. A lot of my other Dragonlance books are compared to "Legend of Huma" in their read quality.
Regardless of the quality of writing or the authors, I would subscribe to "Pathfinder Novels" in a heartbeat.
I support Paizo's initiatives because they brought us RPG Superstar. I feel that such a thing leads to more brilliance ahead.
I guess Paizo will need to become a bigger company someday. Though this may slip into the "Big Corporate Monster" category that we all dread, I feel Paizo crew has the foresight to keep their big company small and their customer relations personalable.
TO PAIZO:
Aside from all your hardwork and dedication to bringing your best inspirations to the table, I must say, your success as a company would be a model for those that sell even mediocre products. By far, Paizo as a company maintains an excellent rapport with its clients. Through its openness and desire to engage those that it would sell to, Paizo has been given all it needs to improve and hone its craft to meet whatever expectations that arise. That is the number one reason I buy blindly so many of your products.
In other words, "YOU can read minds?" (with my best Zoolander face)
Cheers,
Zuxius
[I've read the Dragonlance books and was impressed with a few of those. Most notably Richard Knaak managed the impossible in Legend of Huma by depicting a three dimensional, well written main character. This is simply not found anywhere in D&D literature--at least based on my readings. Granted Knaak's side-characters were poor, but for this achievement alone he gains my relative approval and recommendation.I have to agree, Richard Knaak "Ruled Man" in Legend of Huma. He really brought a massive DL Legend down to size and gave us someone common to cheer for. The story was fairly epic, and he managed it in one book. A lot of my other Dragonlance books are compared to "Legend of Huma" in their read quality.
Yeah, "Legend of Huma" rocked my freakin' world when I read it as a kid. A really really good read, I need to find it again.
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Great call. And I'm happily confident that Paizo would roll out good quality fiction too. Sadly, as an example of what *not* to do, I always found WoTC's Eberron novels kinda lacking (love the Eberron setting though--thanks Keith!). But, if you look at Games Workshop's "Black Library" (The Horus Heresy series) there's a great model of really solid fiction that people read and *love* without any previous experience with the related game setting--they stand on their own as great science fiction. I think Golarian has so many awesome story hooks it's only a matter of getting the right grade of writers to grow it in fiction. And you know, if that's two years from now, fine--I'm in. ;)
Great call. And I'm happily confident that Paizo would roll out good quality fiction too. Sadly, as an example of what *not* to do, I always found WoTC's Eberron novels kinda lacking (love the Eberron setting though--thanks Keith!).
Generally I agree, but I liked the Tim Waggonner trilogy