The closest I've seen to real success was Star Wars, Battle-Tech, and Star Trek...
~One of these things is not like the other...~
Creative Director
|
Curious how many times you get overridden on rules answers? Just realized your ruling on tripping with non-trip weapons got overruled in the FAQ recently.
Also curious how those get handled, do you and SKR and JB all get together and go over it in person, or is it more of a round robin on e-mail, or a mix?
I don't keep track of how many times I get "overridden," honestly.
How do they get handled? The design team makes their rulings on their own. They don't confer with me at all, in any event.
|
Creative Director
|
How about the flip side then? Does it looked like paper and dice may have met it's peak? Is the core of the Pathfinder market 3.X grognards who wouldn't progress beyond the end of 3.5 and take to Pathfinder as the working substitute?
From what I've seen, licened IP's haven't worked that well at all in the RPG industry. The closest I've seen to real success was Star Wars, Battle-Tech, and Star Trek, but the latter two didn't save FASA, and the former proved to be something not worth WOTC's time to continue pursuing.
Part of the problem is the licensing itself. Licensing properties especially popular ones requires a hefty chunk of change right off the bat. That's money that's not available for going into development or promotion, and that can't be a trivial effect. The other problem are licensors (like George Lucas) who can be extremely anal about editing material. That's why many video game licenses for example tend suffer in quality compared to non-licensed ones all things being equal.
Tabletop RPGs have never reached the level of sales in units that they had in the early 80s—that was the peak of gaming. Since then, it's been on a series of ups and downs, and from where I'm sitting now, as regards Pathfinder, it's definitely on an upswing. We haven't yet hit the peak for Pathfinder, in other words.
The thing to remember about licensed RPGs is that they're not owned by the company that makes them, and thus they've got a lot more opportunities to stop than an IP that a company owns. There's MANY reasons why a licensor might pull the plug on a license, and not all of them are "Your game is a failure." Sometimes it's "We want do do something different," or other times it's "We want to give the licensee to another person" or "You did a great job so we want to take it back in house to do it ourselves" or "We're getting out of the RPG business" or "We got sold to someone who wants to do something else with the license" and so on. In the case of our license for Dragon and Dungeon magazine, it was "We want to refocus our license to support a new game launch and need direct control" more or less.
I think the MOST successful licensed RPG is actually Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. It's been continuously in print by the same company for 30 years, which is, I believe, the record (not even D&D can claim that prize).
|
Curious how many times you get overridden on rules answers? Just realized your ruling on tripping with non-trip weapons got overruled in the FAQ recently.
Also curious how those get handled, do you and SKR and JB all get together and go over it in person, or is it more of a round robin on e-mail, or a mix?
I don't keep track of how many times I get "overridden," honestly.
How do they get handled? The design team makes their rulings on their own. They don't confer with me at all, in any event.
Any chance you may be overridden on your Abundant Step ruling...
Come on, a high level monk should be able to get one attack as a standard action if they use abundant step as the move action. It was at least allowed as a feat in 3.5, and it was a standard action then!
(not angry, just disappointed and house ruling it that way regardless.)
|
Creative Director
|
Curious how many times you get overridden on rules answers? Just realized your ruling on tripping with non-trip weapons got overruled in the FAQ recently.
Also curious how those get handled, do you and SKR and JB all get together and go over it in person, or is it more of a round robin on e-mail, or a mix?
I don't keep track of how many times I get "overridden," honestly.
How do they get handled? The design team makes their rulings on their own. They don't confer with me at all, in any event.
Any chance you may be overridden on your Abundant Step ruling...
Come on, a high level monk should be able to get one attack as a standard action if they use abundant step as the move action. It was at least allowed as a feat in 3.5, and it was a standard action then!
(not angry, just disappointed and house ruling it that way regardless.)
Of course there's a chance. I won't change my ruling in games I run, though, and if you like my ruling better than any potential future ruling, you shouldn't change it as well. And if you don't like my ruling and it hasn't been overridden yet, just change it in your game. I promise I won't come to your house and confiscate your rulebooks either way.
Why are you disappointed? You can house rule it anyway! You should be delighted that the game allows house rules, not disappointed.
James, do you think a Sage Advice-type column that answered rules questions specifically would draw off some of the rules questions from this thread?
I personally prefer to hear tidbits about the setting here (and sometimes the questions about your influences), and you appear to prefer answering such questions as well.
James,
A friend of mine got the new carrion crown book and only one thing is bugging me about the old ones. It says Cthulhu's symbol is a runic symbol around an open eye. Is there a reason why the Elder Sign, the symbol made to hold back Cthulhu and his minions, is his holy symbol rather than something like the Voorish Sign or that other star-like symbol used for things like your plaque? You know, this thing. http://www.drmomentum.com/aces/images/necro.gif Should we go ahead and change it or is there a reason the Elder Sign was used for its opposite intent?
Also if someone makes a high knowledge check, should we put down the carrion crown book and get out my Call of Cthulhu core rulebook and go to the old ones chapter to give their descriptions?
Note there is some disagreement over the appearance of the Elder Sign. See here. Lovecraft drew it as a sort of branch shape.
For all we know the star-shaped sign is misinformation...
|
Creative Director
|
James, do you think a Sage Advice-type column that answered rules questions specifically would draw off some of the rules questions from this thread?
I personally prefer to hear tidbits about the setting here (and sometimes the questions about your influences), and you appear to prefer answering such questions as well.
Nope; folks'll still ask rules questions here since it's an obvious place a Paizo staffer frequents. And I don't mind that.
I absolutely DO prefer answering setting questions more than rules questions, because that's my area of expertise.
If you prefer hearing setting tidbits, ask away; that's the best way to get those types of answers! ;-)
|
Creative Director
|
James,
A friend of mine got the new carrion crown book and only one thing is bugging me about the old ones. It says Cthulhu's symbol is a runic symbol around an open eye. Is there a reason why the Elder Sign, the symbol made to hold back Cthulhu and his minions, is his holy symbol rather than something like the Voorish Sign or that other star-like symbol used for things like your plaque? You know, this thing. http://www.drmomentum.com/aces/images/necro.gif Should we go ahead and change it or is there a reason the Elder Sign was used for its opposite intent?
Also if someone makes a high knowledge check, should we put down the carrion crown book and get out my Call of Cthulhu core rulebook and go to the old ones chapter to give their descriptions?
Lovecraft didn't really do many symbols for the Great Old Ones or the Outer Gods—and they don't really have many "specific to them" symbols in the Call of Cthulhu RPG either. That's mostly because that type of construct—each deity having a specific and unique symbol—is more or less a staple of fantasy RPGs like D&D or Pathfinder.
As such, I pretty much had to make up symbols for all of the deities listed in that article. I did my best to come up with symbols that felt obvious and natural and logical.
For Cthulhu, I gave him the symbol I gave him because he's always watching from beyond—be it from beyond the stars, from beyond the wall of sleep, from beyond his tomb, or whatever. The runic shape around that eye shape is not necessarily a star—nowhere in the description of his symbol is that implied, although since he's from space, it isn't a bad idea. But indeed, the shape of the rune on the plaque you mention is more what I had in mind when I wrote "Symbol complex rune surrounding an open eye" in the first place.
As Jeff mentions above, the original version of the Elder Sign, as designed by Lovecraft, is a shape that looks more like a tree branch. We use that version in Pathfinder (see the illustrations on page 69 and 38 of Pathfinder #48). (Special Bonus Trivia: This is also why the Cerulean Sign from Lords of Madness, which I wrote a big part of, looks like a tree or a tree branch.)
The incarnation of the elder sign as a burning eye inside of a star was one that August Derleth came up with—I suspect he didn't know Lovecraft actually drew the sign out in one of his letters since Derleth came up with that design before he published those letters. Since Derleth's version was in print for many more years than Lovecraft's version, it gained more traction.
My personal preference is to go with Lovecraft first if the information is available, in any case.
|
Creative Director
|
Also if someone makes a high knowledge check, should we put down the carrion crown book and get out my Call of Cthulhu core rulebook and go to the old ones chapter to give their descriptions?
That's up to you. The article on the Cults of the Dark Tapestry in Pathfinder #46 does include descriptions for each of the great old ones and outer gods, though. And those descriptions are pretty much the same as what you'll find in the CoC rulebook.
|
Creative Director
|
Ok. I know about the branch and all that but there is a lot of that book I can not read since my DM owns it and he does not really want to spoil anything for me when we play it. I can only go off the small bit of info he gives me. Is there part of that book you would section off and say it is ok for players to read? Mainly ones that have been wanting to run a character that is a follower of an old one for a long time now. FYI, I'm making a Dhampir Cleric of Nyarlethotep's Black Pharaoh form.
Alas, I can't override your GM's desire to not let you read the Cults of the Dark Tapestry article, since there could well be spoilers in there. Best bet is to work with your GM and tell him that you're interested in making a cleric of the Black Pharaoh and maybe he'll let you see the article. (I can tell you this, though... there's not really much of a difference between any one form or the other for Nyarlathotep in the article—we didn't have the luxury of providing more detailed information on all of his cults in the article.)
|
|
Of course there's a chance. I won't change my ruling in games I run, though, and if you like my ruling better than any potential future ruling, you shouldn't change it as well. And if you don't like my ruling and it hasn't been overridden yet, just change it in your game. I promise I won't come to your house and confiscate your rulebooks either way.
Why are you disappointed? You can house rule it anyway! You should be delighted that the game allows house rules, not disappointed.
I am delighted by the setting, the game, and 99.9% of everything else.
Well done sir.
When can we expect a Rise of the Runelords collection/update and what format can we expect it in (A single book with just the AP would fit nicely in a bound hardcover for an 5 year anniversary run...next yearish...)
|
Creative Director
|
When can we expect a Rise of the Runelords collection/update and what format can we expect it in (A single book with just the AP would fit nicely in a bound hardcover for an 5 year anniversary run...next yearish...)
Hmmm... You're right! Next year IS the 5 year anniversary of Pathfinder as a brand. Oh! It's also the TEN year anniversary of Paizo as a company!
Rest assured... we'll have more to say about what we're doing next year soon enough! ;-)
|
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
No no I totally understand. So far all he is willing to give me is a bit of info on the great old ones individually, domains, and favored weapons. He only allows this because he permitted me to use the cleric several months ago. Right now he is dealing with another player complaining that he does not get to read it himself even though his character has nothing to do with the old ones. Oh right, gotta ask a question.
One DM of mine considers the Inner Sea World Guide to be a spoiler book because it has Treerazor in it. The same thing goes for looking at the pathfinder minis because, by the way he sees it, "If it is an npc that appears as a mini, it will be a boss." Heck, in one campaign path fan made site, I saw a monster on the front page and I thought it was a forest drake. He actually said to me that I just spoiled an encounter because it is a Jaberwock. See, I had no idea it was a Jaberwock or that one would show up until he said it would. He also gets mad if players read the dev blogs, even if they never read the stuff that is hidden with a spoiler button. heck, he wont let us look at the covers of the adventure path books because they have NPCs on them that could be spoilers. Even the book titles to him is a spoiler sometimes. Is he being ridiculous?
Frankly, I think that a lot of GMs overreact about what is and isn't a spoiler. If I had a player who was eager enough to learn about the game world I were running my campaign in such that he or she wanted to read the world book, I'd absolutely let them. A player who knows more about the world is going to not only get a bigger kick out of playing games set in that world, but is going to be able to make characters that help build that world.
And it's Treerazer, with an "a" not an "o." He razes (as in tears down and burns up and destroys) trees. He doesn't shave them. ;-)
In any case, sounds like that GM is being a bit too tight-fisted with letting the players enjoy the world. If I were speaking to him, I'd advise him to relax a bit, let that information out for the players to enjoy if they want, and he might find that those players are a lot more fun to game with since they're able to play along with the setting more.
Heck, just trusting your players to be able to be mature enough about separating player knowledge from character knowledge is a good skill for GMs to practice.
|
Creative Director
|
If you prefer hearing setting tidbits, ask away; that's the best way to get those types of answers!I've a character looking to balance a tattoo of a demon lord rune (either Nocticula or Sifkesh) as seen in Second Darkness on her left hand with a tattoo of an ephemeral lord's symbol on her right. Any chance you can tell us what those look like (specifically Arshea's) ? Angelic runes or script? More picture-like symbols such as full-on deities have? Something else entirely?
I assume you mean empyreal lord? (An ephemeral lord would be an altogether less defined entity.)
We'll eventually do more things about the empyreal lords, but I doubt they'll have runes. The runes are pretty much a demon lord only thing. Empyreal lords certainly have holy symbols though!
Have you seen X-Men : First Class yet? If so, what did you think?
James-
Question about Spell Combat and Dervish Dance
When using Spell Combat, is your hand considered free for the purposes of the Dervish Dance feat? There's been some discussion that the spell acts as a weapon and therefore disqualifies the use of the feat. I believe the issue lies due to the reference that using spell combat acts like two-weapon fighting where the spell is the off-hand weapon.
A definitive yes/no would be helpful with the obvious caveat that DMs can rule as they wish.
|
Creative Director
|
Have you seen X-Men : First Class yet? If so, what did you think?
Have not. Last weekend was clogged with 3 SIFF Movies, and I probably won't get a chance to see it this week as I prep for PaizoCon, and once Friday comes, "Super 8" takes complete and total precedence over all movies.
I'll see X Men: First Class eventually though. It's getting some really good reviews, which is good, since X Men 3 was teeeeerrrible.
|
Creative Director
|
James-
Question about Spell Combat and Dervish Dance
When using Spell Combat, is your hand considered free for the purposes of the Dervish Dance feat? There's been some discussion that the spell acts as a weapon and therefore disqualifies the use of the feat. I believe the issue lies due to the reference that using spell combat acts like two-weapon fighting where the spell is the off-hand weapon.
A definitive yes/no would be helpful with the obvious caveat that DMs can rule as they wish.
Spell Combat is balanced as if it were akin to 2 weapon fighting, so I suspect from a strictly game-balance issue, you wouldn't be able to use it with Dervish Dance.
From a flavor point, though, the concept of a Sarenite magus fighting with a scimitar is pretty nifty, so I'd allow it in games I run. And by the strict rules as written in the feat, it's legal since you don't have a weapon or a shield in that off hand.
I'm not gonna give a definitive yes/no though, for 2 reasons:
1) I really DO want GMs to make their own educated decisions.
2) The design team is the one that does the actual design stuff. I'm not on that team.
so i just got finished playing through Cult of the Ebon Destroyers, and it...was...AWESOME! What are the chances of more cool stuff with Vudra/Jalmeray in next year or so?
I assume you mean empyreal lord? (An ephemeral lord would be an altogether less defined entity.)
An ephemeral lord sounds more like something from the Maelstrom.
|
|
When can we expect a Rise of the Runelords collection/update and what format can we expect it in (A single book with just the AP would fit nicely in a bound hardcover for an 5 year anniversary run...next yearish...)
Hmmm... You're right! Next year IS the 5 year anniversary of Pathfinder as a brand. Oh! It's also the TEN year anniversary of Paizo as a company!
Rest assured... we'll have more to say about what we're doing next year soon enough! ;-)
As in .... at PaizoCon ???? :)
Have you seen X-Men : First Class yet? If so, what did you think?Have not. Last weekend was clogged with 3 SIFF Movies, and I probably won't get a chance to see it this week as I prep for PaizoCon, and once Friday comes, "Super 8" takes complete and total precedence over all movies.
I'll see X Men: First Class eventually though. It's getting some really good reviews, which is good, since X Men 3 was teeeeerrrible.
Honestly, I think it's the best X-Men movie so far. There's no Stan Lee cameo (Boo), but there is a Hugh Jackman cameo (one of the funniest scenes in the movie). :)
Battle-tech, if I'm correct was derived from a licensed Japanese property.
It is quite a bit more complicated than that. It suffices to say: Battletech != Robotech, which would fit amongst the other IPs you mention. But, even that is arguable, because both properties have been rife with lawsuits in the US about as long as they've been around.
Anyway, FASA owned Battletech, although they may not have owned some of the original mechanical designs for that IP. Palladium never owned Robotech, that was a licensed IP. Robotech itself (RPGs aside) had huge IP disputes, further confusing all of us.
All of this over who owns the idea of a cool looking boxy military giant robot. :(
Battle-tech, if I'm correct was derived from a licensed Japanese property.It is quite a bit more complicated than that. It suffices to say: Battletech != Robotech, which would fit amongst the other IPs you mention. But, even that is arguable, because both properties have been rife with lawsuits in the US about as long as they've been around.
Anyway, FASA owned Battletech, although they may not have owned some of the original mechanical designs for that IP. Palladium never owned Robotech, that was a licensed IP. Robotech itself (RPGs aside) had huge IP disputes, further confusing all of us.
All of this over who owns the idea of a cool looking boxy military giant robot. :(
That's because Robotech was purely the blenderized product of Harmony Gold. They bought the rights to 3 different unrelated IPs and then merged them all into a big long trilogy called Robotech. It's why the three different pieces are all in different time periods, and why the tech is so oddly different in each one. They were just close enough to be able to be merged into one big long story if you pasted and plastered some.
It's also why stuff that comes up as vital in part 2 was never mentioned in part 1 or part 3. :)
</giant robot IP threadjack>
|
Creative Director
|
How long till we see something (a module maybe) for Arcadia? Would be cool to have a game set in a terrain more akin to my local one (pine barrens).
Probably a while. I suspect you'll get an adventure set in some sort of pine barrens a lot sooner though, because both Wes and I are big fans of that region and its history and mythology—heck, we put a creature inspired by the Jersey Devil in the very first Pathfinder AP volume, after all!
|
Creative Director
|
so i just got finished playing through Cult of the Ebon Destroyers, and it...was...AWESOME! What are the chances of more cool stuff with Vudra/Jalmeray in next year or so?
There'll be a few bits here and there, but nothing as major as "Ebon Destroyers" in 2011. Probably not in 2012 either.
|
Creative Director
|
As in .... at PaizoCon ???? :)When can we expect a Rise of the Runelords collection/update and what format can we expect it in (A single book with just the AP would fit nicely in a bound hardcover for an 5 year anniversary run...next yearish...)
Hmmm... You're right! Next year IS the 5 year anniversary of Pathfinder as a brand. Oh! It's also the TEN year anniversary of Paizo as a company!
Rest assured... we'll have more to say about what we're doing next year soon enough! ;-)
Yes. We've actually been saving up a pretty significant number of announcements for later this year and next year to reveal at PaizoCon. And some more for Gen Con.
Yes. We've actually been saving up a pretty significant number of announcements for later this year and next year to reveal at PaizoCon. And some more for Gen Con.
How familiar are you with manga? Do you read any? Do you know One Piece? (All this is to lead up to the pertinent question:) Where is PaizoCon Island?
James-
Question about Spell Combat and Dervish Dance
When using Spell Combat, is your hand considered free for the purposes of the Dervish Dance feat? There's been some discussion that the spell acts as a weapon and therefore disqualifies the use of the feat. I believe the issue lies due to the reference that using spell combat acts like two-weapon fighting where the spell is the off-hand weapon.
A definitive yes/no would be helpful with the obvious caveat that DMs can rule as they wish.
Spell Combat is balanced as if it were akin to 2 weapon fighting, so I suspect from a strictly game-balance issue, you wouldn't be able to use it with Dervish Dance.
From a flavor point, though, the concept of a Sarenite magus fighting with a scimitar is pretty nifty, so I'd allow it in games I run. And by the strict rules as written in the feat, it's legal since you don't have a weapon or a shield in that off hand.
I'm not gonna give a definitive yes/no though, for 2 reasons:
1) I really DO want GMs to make their own educated decisions.
2) The design team is the one that does the actual design stuff. I'm not on that team.
Thank you James, that's a fair answer.
|
Creative Director
|
Yes. We've actually been saving up a pretty significant number of announcements for later this year and next year to reveal at PaizoCon. And some more for Gen Con.How familiar are you with manga? Do you read any? Do you know One Piece? (All this is to lead up to the pertinent question:) Where is PaizoCon Island?
** spoiler omitted **
Not that familiar at all. What I do read tends to be the crazy horror stuff, like Uzumaki.
|
|
How long till we see something (a module maybe) for Arcadia? Would be cool to have a game set in a terrain more akin to my local one (pine barrens).Probably a while. I suspect you'll get an adventure set in some sort of pine barrens a lot sooner though, because both Wes and I are big fans of that region and its history and mythology—heck, we put a creature inspired by the Jersey Devil in the very first Pathfinder AP volume, after all!
I remember, I loved it. My players rightfully fear it after a near TPK. Luckily for them it gorged itself on their horses and left their unconscious bodies for a woodsman to find.
So are there Pine Barren type regions in the Inner Sea already? Whereabouts?
Excuse me if you've already answered this question but what is your favorite Lovecraft story?
Do you like Clark Ashton Smith's fiction?
Who, if anyone, do you like writing in the Mythos today?
Not that familiar at all. What I do read tends to be the crazy horror stuff, like Uzumaki.Yes. We've actually been saving up a pretty significant number of announcements for later this year and next year to reveal at PaizoCon. And some more for Gen Con.How familiar are you with manga? Do you read any? Do you know One Piece? (All this is to lead up to the pertinent question:) Where is PaizoCon Island?
** spoiler omitted **
In that case, might I suggest Berserk as reading material? Very dark, bloody, horror-orientated story. Won't spoil it for you, but I'm up to volume 33 and still going strong, chomping at the bit for the next book to come out here in Australia!
If you had a millions dollars, what would you do?
Hi James--
Which of the deities do you reckon Belor Hemlock worships--or, if not 'worships', at least 'identifies with'? Despite his position I kind of get a vibe of standing up to authority from his descriptions and his alignment, so I wondered whether Milani would be a good choice.
Alternatively, I thought perhaps Kurgess would be a good option.
To me, Belor seems too free-spirited for Iomedae, but too straight-laced for Cayden Cailean, and too laid-back for Sarenrae.
What do you reckon?
--Mike
Will next year's PaizoCon be around this time as well?? I know sometimes it takes a con a while to nail down a constant date, as it took New York Comic Con 5 yrs to get a dedicated date.
I think since next year is the 10th anniversary of Paizo, it should be my first time going(Seattle is soo far from Ct)
|
Creative Director
|
Excuse me if you've already answered this question but what is your favorite Lovecraft story?
Do you like Clark Ashton Smith's fiction?
Who, if anyone, do you like writing in the Mythos today?
Clark Ashton Smith is one of my favorite authors. The nation "Thassilon" is inspired by his writing in a lot of ways, not in least from the name of his deity "Thasaidon."
More folks need to read CAS.
My favorite modern writers who periodically write mythos tales are Ramsey Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, William Pugmire, Donald Tyson, and Stephen King. I'm probably forgetting one or two.