Stupid purple golem...
Long story short (well at least as short as I can make it...)
I fell in love with Paizo with Dungeon #114. That love continued to grow steadily until Jason decided to unleash GameMastery Item Card crack. This caused my love to grow so strong and so rapidly that I was virtually (or is that literally?) selling my soul to buy more.
Then the event that shall not be named happened, which coincidentally happened to be during my first Gen Con (2007). I found myself pulled between too great lovers. What was going to happen?
During this time of great turmoil, I became lost in the darkness of the Non-gaming Abyss that some call the "Real World". Unable to find my weapon of choice, the d20, I was left defenseless against the horrors of the cold, hard, corporate world. For over a year I struggled against the demons of the abyss until one day I victoriously emerged from the shadows, a changed man to be sure. Upon reaching civilization I quickly became aware that the map of my gaming universe had been drawn. To the North was Paizo, Pathfinder, and the world of Golarion, to the South was WotC and my beloved D&D. Where would I go?
Still undecided, the greatest event of all the world's events opened it's registration, Gen Con 2009. What would I do? In what festivities would I partake? I chose a diverse group of events, being unsure which I would enjoy the most. After registration I packed up my belongings and prepared for the journey ahead.
I chose to go south to seek out my first true love, to an unnamed world filled with much danger and but a few points of light. I found her high atop a gilded tower deep within an unnamed forest, where we embraced deeply for several weeks. Nestled in my arms, we real fun together, but it soon became clear that in my absence she had changed. She was no longer the D&D I loved, her features had grown bland and her holes had turned square. She was not for me.
So I wearily trekked North, high across the Shattered Range into the world of Golarion.
I arrived to open arms in an amazingly detailed world full of love. Everything was different, yet it felt so familiar. Despite this warm feeling, I was still scarred by what had happened to my first love, and I chose to keep myself guarded and abstinent. I did much research, seeking many scholars; who was this Pathfinder? What was she really? Quickly it became clear, that even without physical contact, she would be the one for me. But not until August 13th. Gen Con. Her big coming out party. Oh what fun we would have together!
It was just today that I decided to read more on her Society. What is it? How does it function? It was through this research that I found I could spread my love for her by Mastering her Scenarios for others, whether they already are fans of my new love, trapped within the Abyss from which I escaped, or traveling somewhere in between. But there was a catch. Any Scenario I mastered, I could not then play. So it was decided! I would alter my schedule for Gen Con to include as many PFS events as possible before returning home to spread joy amongst my fellow gamers!
And this is why I hate you Paizo.
I hate you for making me rearrange a schedule that I spent days creating. A schedule which I fought long and hard to solidify for both me and my wife. One that includes all which is holy within my gaming realm (Settlers of Catan, Diplomacy, Munchkin, D&D, Jennifer Haley, Carcassonne, Call of Cthulhu, and now Pathfinder). I will now HAVE to spend at least a full day coming up with a new plan to include as many PFS events as possible. I was already planning on being at your booth to hand you my money at 9:00 a.m. sharp Thursday morning. But that wasn't good enough for you, was it? You had to have more! I hate you!
I hate you for producing the best products ever.
I hate you for making me love you again.
/cry...
"best love story....EVER!"
~laughter~ This kind of reminds me of this thread that I started a while back. Welcome to the fold and enjoy Gen Con.
I guess I'll know who you are at Gencon, you'll be the one with the Pathfinder RPG with "sticky pages".
Heh. Good story, made me laugh.
There's a similar rant that I've been dying to make for a long time, except that I wanted to direct it more toward the Paizo messageboard community. I wanted to say something like:
YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME!!! I MEAN THAT! YOU ARE THE FRIGGIN' GREATEST!!!
In fact, that's my problem. You're TOO awesome. It's intimidating.
No, I'm not intimidated by the way most of you seem far smarter than I am, although many of you clearly are. It's not that you're better versed in RPGs than I am, although the vast majority of you clearly are. It's not that you're better versed in history, current events, and academics, although many of you conclusively prove that you are. It's not that many of you demonstrate far greater technical skills than I will ever have, although many of you have done. And you're so darn CIVIL! When I once wrote a question to a certain other RPG messageboard, the answers implied, with varying degrees of tact, that I was an idiot. Here, I feel like I could write the dumb-buttest question, and still get polite answers! But that's not what really makes you so intimidating either.
No, what makes you too awesome is your willingness to spend money.
It seems like every time Paizo announces a new product, the messageboards start filling up with messages like "I want it! I'm preordering two copies as soon as I can!" or "That does it! Now I have to subscribe!" I can just feel the love of this community, and I SO wish that I could say the same.
But I can't. I'm a cheapskate. Every time I want something, my cheapskate gene kicks in and says "But why should you buy that when you could get something similar for less money?" Furthermore, I'm a slow reader, and I don't have much time to read or game. It takes me time to use a gaming product enough that I feel I need another.
For a long time now, I've been very curious about Golarion. I've been wanting to read the Adventure Paths, including Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and maybe Legacy of Fire. I think that reading those paths might hook me on Golarion, enough to make me want to read the campaign setting, and a couple of the other Chronicles volumes as well. I have a feeling that Golarion would hook me the way Greyhawk once did.
But the cheapskate in me just wouldn't shut up. "Why spend all that money," it kept saying, "When for a fraction of the cost, you can get some old, used copies of a different adventure series, with a different campaign setting to go with it?"
So, like a child staring at the window of a toy store, I continued to gaze at the Paizo website, with its links to those intriguing products, and watch the messageboards. "Me like!!!" "Me want!!!" Sigh. I once saw a nifty-looking product for 4E, and I thought "Wow! I wish someone would write something like that for 3.X! I ought to write to Paizo, and tell them that if they produced such a book, I would... would..."
Um... pre-order two copies? Buy one copy? Well... no. Actually, I would just put that product on my ever-growing wish list, buying other, cheaper items on that list. Eventually, someone will sell some old, used copy cheaply enough that it would rise higher on my list and I could get it. So why should anyone at Paizo give a rat's patootie about what I want? They shouldn't. Consequently, I lurked on these messageboards for years without posting.
Meanwhile, I checked out that certain other campaign setting. Oh, what the heck - I'm talking about Kingdoms of Kalamar. I started with the Coin trilogy of modules, which proved a fascinating read. It looked playable... except for a few encounters and details that made no sense to me, but I think that should be fixable with some very minor tweaking. And just as I had hoped, reading the modules hooked me onto the Kalamar setting - that is, I needed to get a better handle on the geography to understand the modules better, which I'm sure was Kenzer and Company's purpose. So I ordered the campaign setting, and the player's guide. The campaign setting was... meh. It fulfilled its purpose, but it didn't fascinate me the way some parts of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer did. And the player's guide had a few useful tidbits, but not as many as I was hoping.
I intend to give Kalamar a bit more of a chance, by actually PLAYING with it for a while. But if I don't grow more interested, I will eventually turn to something else. Maybe some of the people responsible for the LGG produced something else? Let me look at the credits. Eric Mona. Sean K Reynolds. Dang. I've just GOT to give Golarion a try one day.
And so I can finally post. Maybe soon, I'll join that legion of fans.
(This is your cue to post a message like "Okay! You caught us! We don't really exist! The people at Paizo make up messages from fake fans as a form of advertising!" Heh.)
I don't know how many people have the patience to read through this whole rant. (Would an avatar get more people's attention? Smurf.) But I hope a lot of you read the beginning anyway: You people are awesome.
But I can't. I'm a cheapskate. Every time I want something, my cheapskate gene kicks in and says "But why should you buy that when you could get something similar for less money?"
Pathfinder RPG PDF. I dare you to find a better quality product for less money.
But I can't. I'm a cheapskate. Every time I want something, my cheapskate gene kicks in and says "But why should you buy that when you could get something similar for less money?"Pathfinder RPG PDF. I dare you to find a better quality product for less money.
Good point, except that I'm not in the market for a new RPG engine at this particular moment. Don't get me wrong; I've heard many things about Pathfinder RPG that intrigue me. And if I DO get hooked on the adventure paths, then when I get around to the future ones that are built on Pathfinder RPG, I'm sure I'll get it. But I would want to look into those early adventure paths first. And I still haven't gotten my money's worth out of the Kalamar products yet. You see what I mean - a long wish list, and this is just a small fraction of it!
Actually, the AP subscription is a great deal, IMO. And I have my share of Scottish genes.
Actually, the AP subscription is a great deal, IMO. And I have my share of Scottish genes.
And I'm Jewish. But seriously, I will want to check the early ones first. I'm burning to see Burnt Offerings.
Actually, the AP subscription is a great deal, IMO. And I have my share of Scottish genes.And I'm Jewish. But seriously, I will want to check the early ones first. I'm burning to see Burnt Offerings.
I found some of the RoTR softcovers on sale for ~$12 at a game store near me, but only the 1st 3 in the set.
Or maybe find a buddy that will let you read his copies?
You know there are two FREE adventures under the Modules line, right? Hollow's Last Hope & Revenge of the Kobold King. They're what reeled me in. [Homer Simpson]You get me hooked, and then you jack up the price![/Homer Simpson]
Between Paizo, online retailers, and local game stores, you should be able to piece Rise of the Runelords together without too much trouble. But if you don't subscribe at the beginning of the next AP, you will not only miss out on the discount and free pdf, but you'll be fighting the never-ending battle of catch-up on multiple fronts. (I'm still two issues away from completing RotRl myself.)
You know there are two FREE adventures under the Modules line, right? Hollow's Last Hope & Revenge of the Kobold King. They're what reeled me in. [Homer Simpson]You get me hooked, and then you jack up the price![/Homer Simpson]
Yes, I have those. But I also have a lot of other freebies Paizo gave, including the "Rise of the Runelords" and "Curse of the Crimson Throne" player's guides, and THOSE reeled ME in.
Gee, now I feel bad for threadjacking what should have been Kyle Baird's conversation. Kyle, your original post was awesome!
But I AM enjoying the attention...
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Also PDFs. I know, I know. Dead tree is my preferred format, too, but the pdfs are more economical and if you're just trialling things, the cheaper option with the same content is a good plan. You can always go and get the dead tree later (except for the really early RotRL issues, but Curse of the Crimson Throne or Legacy of Fire are superior reads anyway).
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Actually, the AP subscription is a great deal, IMO. And I have my share of Scottish genes.And I'm Jewish. But seriously, I will want to check the early ones first. I'm burning to see Burnt Offerings.
I ran Burnt Offerings for my group last year. One of the payers is a veteran of 20 plus years. After the game was done, he said that was the first time he had ever seen goblins "done right." I have to agree with him. To me, it was as if I had alwys known how to play goblins, but the leash had never been released! Ohhhh they SO hated goblins when I was done. And it was just straight from the book.
Wow! Thanks so much to everyone for the super kind words! There's days where the crushing deadlines and endless amount of work can make things really hectic around here, but even then the stress mainly comes from everyone's desire to make the most incredible products possible. So hearing stories like these really helps put it all in perspective and makes it all worth the late nights and gray hairs. So thank you all! The community here really is one of the major things that makes Paizo so great!
Gee, now I feel bad for threadjacking what should have been Kyle Baird's conversation. Kyle, your original post was awesome!
And for your punishment, you must immediately download Hollow's Last Hope.
I ran Burnt Offerings for my group last year. One of the payers is a veteran of 20 plus years. After the game was done, he said that was the first time he had ever seen goblins "done right." I have to agree with him. To me, it was as if I had alwys known how to play goblins, but the leash had never been released! Ohhhh they SO hated goblins when I was done. And it was just straight from the book.
Yes, it's stories like that one that intrigue me, and make me want to buy.
And by the way, I've always been hoping to catch YOUR attention in particular, Krome. A long time ago, you - or someone who uses the same avatar as you - told an incredible story that haunts me to this day. Unfortunately, I can't find the old thread to confirm who it was!
The story involved a woman who had a crush on one of the PCs. She joined the party for that reason, took advantage of a moment of weakness, and the PC impregnated her. So he did the right thing and married her. The player complained that this woman was crimping his style, and asked you - or whoever the DM was - to write her out. So you - or whoever it was - killed her off. She died in the PC's arms, saying "I know our baby would have been just like you." This upset the player so much that he had to take a break from the game for weeks.
OMG!!! What a story! You - or whoever - told it as an example of when roleplaying goes too far. Well, I didn't think it went too far. I thought it was darn fascinating! I WISH I could affect players so deeply!
Was it you? If so, you have more DM talent in your little finger than I have altogether. If I ever make a stab at writing a fantasy novel, then I have GOT to steal that scene! Stories like that are what hooked me onto these messageboards.
Gee, now I feel bad for threadjacking what should have been Kyle Baird's conversation. Kyle, your original post was awesome!And for your punishment, you must immediately download Hollow's Last Hope.
Done, before I even did the crime. I also downloaded Revenge of the Kobold King. The only problem is... if I actually USE the adventures, it will be that much longer before I can get to Burnt Offerings. So I think I'll skip them for now. At least I don't feel the need to get my money's worth from them. :)
Hi Aaron! Welcome to the boards! *hands out a cookie*
Hi Aaron! Welcome to the boards! *hands out a cookie*
Ah! What a day! First I post that rant that had been building inside me for months and months. I finally try that smurf experiment (which, for some reason, I had never believed would work.) Then I get good responses! The poodle licked me. I get an intriguing story about Burnt Offerings. I finally find a good avatar for me. But you haven't truly arrived here until you get one of Lilith's ever-coveted virtual cookies! I was just about to search through your recent posts, and find some excuse to post to one of those discussions, just to get your attention! Seriously. Thank you! I will long remember this day!
There's just one thing that would make this day complete. Does anyone know if it was Krome who had told that "Our baby would have been just like you" story?
Welcome to the boards Kyle and Aaron.
Yeah, welcome to both Kyle and Aaron.
Hey, if anybody feels their hatred of Paizo waning, head over to 3.5 Sanctuary and listen to Sutter's interview (podcast 80) to hear him ooze about the work environment at Paizo.
~Points towards the purple border around my avatar~ As you can see, I have succumbed to the horror that is Paizo. I fully blame them for the massive amounts of money that I have tossed their way. Revenge will be mine, once I have finished reading all the material that the folks at Paizo make. ~sighs~ At that rate, I will never get my revenge!!!
~GRINS~
Yeah, welcome to both Kyle and Aaron.
Hey, if anybody feels their hatred of Paizo waning, head over to 3.5 Sanctuary and listen to Sutter's interview (podcast 80) to hear him ooze about the work environment at Paizo.
Can we please get a linky?
Oh...very well.
I feel you Kyle...I hate Paizo too, hard core!
Welcome Aaron and Kyle!
Oh, I hate Sharoth too! Almost forgot...
How can you forget a thing like that?
"Look at me, I have a purple frame, in case you missed it." Geez. Pure, unadulterated, hatred, says the guy with no purple frame.
Oh, I hate Sharoth too! Almost forgot...
I hate you too, you over talented Froggie! I will get my revenge, but only after I have received my artwork from you.
~GRINS~
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I, too, hate Paizo... for making far too many quality products that I just *have* to spend my meager librarian's salary on! And my wife hates you even more (not only because of the monetary issues, but because our bookshelf is running out of space).
And I'm a guy who (until recently) spent his money on maybe 1-2 RPG books per year, because I'm *very* critical of what RPG stuff I buy (I learned to be cautious back in the day when TSR was milking out all it could out of AD&D). And now I'm ordering Paizo stuff left and right at my FLGS; and yet, I haven't regretted a *single* purchase!
So, after years and years of spending my money on TSR/WoTC stuff (some of which was great, but more often disappointingly bad), I've finally found a publisher that utilizes extremely talented and dedicated staff designers and freelancers, and listens to us, the fans.
Wes, Erik, Jason, Lisa, Sean and the rest of the Paizo crew... you guys *are* the best!
Wow, wow, wow. I'm totally bookmarking this thread as my new go-to ego-booster homepage. Thanks again again all!
And, just to make sure this love in goes to a fraction of all the right people, your friendly Paizo development staff is: Jason Bulmahn, Chris Carey, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Sean "the K is for Kredentials" Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Wes Schneider, and James Sutter.
Wow, wow, wow. I'm totally bookmarking this thread as my new go-to ego-booster homepage. Thanks again again all!
And, just to make sure this love in goes to a fraction of all the right people, your friendly Paizo development staff is: Jason Bulmahn, Chris Carey, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Sean "the K is for Kredentials" Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Wes Schneider, and James Sutter.
*Hugs Wes*
Oh wait, thought it was Sean...
*Hugs Wes anyway*
This kind of thread is what makes paizos boards the "third place" to be. I´ve been hooked to paizo pretty much from the day the company formed to take over the magazines, and I own all paizo issues of Dragon and Dungeon (I think...)to prove the point, and the pathfinder stuff pretty much from day 1, as my tag proves. I did not go all the way, as I´m spending enough money on paizo already, and the sub for the hardcovers just is not an option for overseas IMO.
(As an aside, I just downloaded KQ 10 this morning (local time), which IMO is a good addition to the pathfinder products.)
Oh, and: Kyle and Aaron, welcome to the madness that these boards are.
Stefan
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I hate Paizo too ! They have DARED not to go under when Dungeon & Dragon were taken from them. They had the COURAGE not to follow the Industry Leader (tm) in his 4dventure ! They had the PREPOSTEROUSITY of developing a standalone game to go with their adventures ! The HUMANITY ! The HORROR ! DID ANYBODY THINK OF THE POODLES ?
tilts head
RAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRR!! Now I'm really mad! Why must my new found love be so elusive?!
So I spent the past couple of days playing around with my Gen Con schedule, only to find out that #24 is sold out and #23 is virtually sold out! RAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRR!! Guess I won't be able to get three events in afterall.
(Don't worry Dev Team, I blame Josh)
RAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRR!!
(I blame Josh)
The phrase most heard in the Pazio offices, followed closely by "I blame Sean"... and then probably "I blame Wes."
(I blame Josh)The phrase most heard in the Pazio offices, followed closely by "I blame Sean"... and then probably "I blame Wes."
You mean, for once, no one uses the phrase "I blame Sebastian"? Damn, I must be slipping.
Welcome newcomers, welcome to the Golem Gang:
And Aberzombie, I blame Sebastian for getting my post suppressed. He publicly admitted flagging it!
Mulling over how to add to the kudos, so here goes...
I was on the WoTC boards before I made the shift here. I NEVER felt part of anything there. Here I do. Can't tell you why, but I think it's a combination of the people here on the boards, (including the Paizo staff that are here too, the awesome products they produce, the fact that they provide us a true forum to participate in one of our passions - Luv for RPG. The staff has respect and appreciation for us, the consumers. It's evident in everything they do. Quality, every step of the way!
Probably could write a list of 101 Reasons Why I Love Paizo.
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I don't know how many people have the patience to read through this whole rant. (Would an avatar get more people's attention? Smurf.) But I hope a lot of you read the beginning anyway: You people are awesome.
try this Wayfinder it might tell you a bit more of Golarion and its fan culture
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Wow, wow, wow. I'm totally bookmarking this thread as my new go-to ego-booster homepage. Thanks again again all!
And, just to make sure this love in goes to a fraction of all the right people, your friendly Paizo development staff is: Jason Bulmahn, Chris Carey, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Sean "the K is for Kredentials" Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Wes Schneider, and James Sutter.
definitively well earned ego-booster, all the staff on Paizo does a great work giving Golarion a soul... but at least in my book Sean and you are my favorite authors there...
now... about the adventure they said you put in Paizocon... its true it might become an AP? and who do I need to kill to make it true
[ooc]Fighting the good fight for Ustalavian based APs[/url]
...but at least in my book Sean and you are my favorite authors there...
Well that's pretty much a sure way to get anything you want. Appeals to my fragile ego are ALWAYS appreciated. :P
now... about the adventure they said you put in Paizocon... its true it might become an AP? and who do I need to kill to make it true.
What I tried out at Paizocon probably won't become an AP - we don't really have a format yet for it to be what I want it to be - but it's already seen too much work to lie quiet, so we'll see where it goes as it simmers away on the back burner.
As for an Ustalav AP, Come On. Do you know James and I? Have you seen what we like? Do you KNOW how many ghouls and ghosts have been in Pathfinder? Doing an Ustalav campaign really is just a matter of time. No solid idea when yet, but eventually, no worries.
Director of Brand Strategy
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Aaron, seeing as you're someone eager to get into Golarion but a slave to your penny-pinching ways, may I humbly submit the Pathfinder Wiki for your free perusing pleasure. While it's currently nowhere near a complete reference guide to the vast amount of information released on the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, it is certainly the largest free one and gets bigger every day. It should provide you with a lot of information that you would otherwise not have until your budget allows. Enjoy, and welcome to the fold.
Wow, wow, wow. I'm totally bookmarking this thread as my new go-to ego-booster homepage. Thanks again again all!
And, just to make sure this love in goes to a fraction of all the right people, your friendly Paizo development staff is: Jason Bulmahn, Chris Carey, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Sean "the K is for Kredentials" Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Wes Schneider, and James Sutter.
I have to add Cosmo, Alison McKenzie, Gary Teeter, Joshua Frost, Wes Schnider and Lisa Stevens to the roster. And the poor, poor interns/mini-onions. And any and all other Paizo staff that are not listed.