As the clock winds down on the open beta, I feel the need to express my feelings on the whole thing.
First I would like to thank everyone at Paizo for giving us, the community at large, the chance to participate in the development of Pathfinder. I am honored to have been a part of this project, even if only as one small voice among many. This glimpse behind the scenes of game development has given me a new understanding of why the rules are the way they are.
I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to these forums as part of the beta. You have given me many new ideas and different perspectives to consider.
Will Pathfinder be everything I had hoped it would when this began?
No, I don't expect that it will, but this is a good thing. Each of us has a different idea of what Pathfinder should be, and to match any one persons expectations completely would mean that others will be sorely disappointed.
Will Pathfinder be an improvement over 3.x?
Based on what I have seen here, I feel confident in saying YES. There are likely to still be some rough spots (nothing is perfect), but I am convinced that as a whole Pathfinder will be a better rule set than what came before it.
I come away from this experience with a new appreciation for the design aspects of the game, as well as a treasure trove of house rules for crafting a custom tailored campaign. This alone is worth the price of the book (which I WILL be buying).
I will miss the in depth discussions that have been such a part of these past months. Hopefully some will carry into to the future, but I suspect many will be less motivated once the chance to add their input into a published product is gone.
I look forward to the success and enjoyment of Pathfinder.
