Well deserved!
GRU
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Congrats to Paizo!!!! 3 cheers to Pathfinder HUZZAH HUZZAH HUZZAH!!!! Oh and by the way I know what I want for Christmas and my Birthday, and New Year and, Kwannza and and Valentines Day, and Boxing Day, and Yom Kippur and, Pathfinder Day which is everyday. Did I forget anything!!!! :) I think I need Pathfinder Intervention LMAO
Congratulations, Paizo! It is well earned.
Did you think in your wildest dreams the game would sell this well? Or at least only a year into the PFRPG?
This news is pretty mind-blowing. It may mean nothing for D&D, but it obviously means that Pathfinder is selling very, very well.
In my lifetime, the only time I know of D&D not being the undisputed top of the RPG industry is in the 90s when TSR was struggling and White Wolf tore onto the scene. The current D&D brand isn't comparable to that state - it's better organized and with a company that knows its business backing it. To have Pathfinder even in the neighborhood in terms of sales is mind-blowing to me, especially since the game isn't even two years old.
So yeah, congratulations to Paizo. The success of the Pathfinder RPG is proof that quality wins. They've been putting out the best products in the industry, and they deserve the success they're getting.
I spend the day on a plane and miss all the excitement. At least I had a good fillet last night at a steakhouse in Ft. Wayne.
(And get one more data point while Pierce and I woo retailers at the Alliance Distribution show.)
Hyrum.
We actually have very good data about sales into the "big chains" like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc. through a company called Bookscan which records every single sale through those chains and aggregates them. Believe it or not, we know the sales of RPG products through book stores much more accurately than we do through hobby game stores. Weird, I know. :)-Lisa
Oh, it's not that weird at all. This whole thing reminds me of the Billboard charts controversy years ago. They went from surveys of record stores of all sorts of sizes to bar code scan information for their data collection. This shifted the data collection strongly into the big mall chains and away from record specialty shops and even, I recall, Tower Records. The big chains and sites are well-tracked. It's the individual, mom and pop, independent shops that are hardly tracked at all. Save through efforts like ICv2's.
Yes, but identifying country of origin sometimes helps when walkin' to look at your local wine selection. :PI recommend a good Italian Sangiovese wine.Isn't that redundant?
I would have picked a Zin with a good steak, but I like the wines that explode in your mouth like pop-rocks and soda.
I think I had a good CA Sangiovese once.
I'm not exactly sure what this ranking means or how it relates to actual sales but assuming this IS a big deal Hasbro must be planning some kind of response.
I'm suddenly getting a vision of R.J. Fletcher from the movie UHF in the WotC boardroom...
"This is indeed a sad day for WotC. We've been number one for all these years, and now the game stores are pulling their accounts. We're losing valuable marketing revenue. And why? Because of our former magazine publisher! Our magazine publisher! This is an embarrassment! A disgrace! What do you think Gary Gygax would be saying if he were alive today?"
"'Maybe I should be writing for Pathfinder'?"
"Shut up!
Let's just hope the owners of Paizo don't have any gambling debts. :)
I'm not exactly sure what this ranking means or how it relates to actual sales but assuming this IS a big deal Hasbro must be planning some kind of response.
Turning 4e based products into a RPG and a collectible card game.
It may not be scientific, but it jives well with some much more scientific data that we have internally. We will never be able to have 100% transparency about how sales of somebody else's products are going, but we can get some pretty good data that customers don't have access to.
I always assumed something approaching the real numbers came out when Paizo folks go out with WotC folks and everyone has a little bit too much to drink. Despite the two companies more or less being in competition there have to be a lot of friendships still between individual people who work for both.
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I don't think anyone said that in this thread. But the reported number is 3rd quarter sales, and red box/Essentials didn't come out until September/October. If you look at their product schedule for the previous 2-3 months, it was pretty thin (some Dark Sun stuff, Psionic Power, and some modules).
Who let the Unicorn near the Kool-aid, OOOh crap he's lifting his leg!!
Kudos for being tied for first, and looking forward to Paizo passing up the competition.
Excellent Product
Excellent Customer Care
and
Excellent StaffYou have a winning combination.
Hoowwwllll. Congrats Paizo, well deserved. I look forward to them passing up 4E.
The Beta was available in stores for about a month. Maybe less. We clearly should have printed a lot more, but back then doing so seemed like a giant risk. We did the Beta more to help our customers save on PDF printing costs than to make a ton of money.
~looks over at the shelf where my Beta copy is sitting~ Oh, saving on printing costs helped but it was not the only reason I bought it. ~thinks~ I need to get my copy of the Beta signed when I finally make it to Paizo Con.
We did the Beta more to help our customers save on PDF printing costs.
Oh, saving on printing costs helped but it was not the only reason I bought it.
Yea, I remember ordering it thinking, "This is going to be big. I want to get in on the ground floor."
Wow. I never thought I'd see the day. Boy, was I wrong.
Congrats, guys. You've earned it.
So...
How will YOU celebrate Paizo's new status?(I'm undecided, but right now I'm wanting to start out with beer and fried chicken. I'd have to put my books away for that.)
I know that Jason got himself a nice steak he plans to broil tonight with a nice bottle of wine.
-Lisa
Broil? Broil? Really? Good lord, somebody get that man a grill.
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Congratulations! I knew all along that PFRPG would be big. Thankfully it's good for RPG Hobby as a whole. Maybe this will translate into bringing more and more people into the game!
~looks over at the shelf where my Beta copy is sitting~ Oh, saving on printing costs helped but it was not the only reason I bought it. ~thinks~ I need to get my copy of the Beta signed when I finally make it to Paizo Con.The Beta was available in stores for about a month. Maybe less. We clearly should have printed a lot more, but back then doing so seemed like a giant risk. We did the Beta more to help our customers save on PDF printing costs than to make a ton of money.
We definitely have a well used beta copy sitting on our shelves... and a signed copy from the 2nd PaizoCon that hasn't been used/opened since.
You guys haven't guessed WotC's secret masterplan yet? 5E D&D, Heroscape and Magic 2013 will be the same game called Magic Dungeon Hero game? :o)
Okay... enough bad taste and humor. Woots for Paizo and Pathfinder!
Director of Games
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Broil? Broil? Really? Good lord, somebody get that man a grill.So...
How will YOU celebrate Paizo's new status?(I'm undecided, but right now I'm wanting to start out with beer and fried chicken. I'd have to put my books away for that.)
I know that Jason got himself a nice steak he plans to broil tonight with a nice bottle of wine.
-Lisa
Wow, thanks everybody for the continued kudos and well wishes. They are quite appreciated.
As for me, the broiling was just fine. I would have preferred to grill, but I have no space for it at my current place...
But make no mistake. The ribeye was absolutely fantastic. Aged beef FTW.
Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing
For what it's vaguely worth, I recall a certain Paizo CEO being loosely related to V:tM grabbing D&D's spot back in the day as well :p
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Director of Games
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For what it's vaguely worth, I recall a certain Paizo CEO being loosely related to V:tM grabbing D&D's spot back in the day as well :pNot to mention her involvement in the release of Magic: The Gathering. Evil girl, that Lisa Stevens.
You're telling me.. my boss has been picking my pocket with expert skill for over twenty years now. The upside being now, of course, is that I am helping her.
Jason
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CEO
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I always assumed something approaching the real numbers came out when Paizo folks go out with WotC folks and everyone has a little bit too much to drink. Despite the two companies more or less being in competition there have to be a lot of friendships still between individual people who work for both.
It may not be scientific, but it jives well with some much more scientific data that we have internally. We will never be able to have 100% transparency about how sales of somebody else's products are going, but we can get some pretty good data that customers don't have access to.
Actually, no. Both our companies are professional enough to not let sales numbers and such slip out when we are hanging out as friends. The data I am referring to is garnered from other sources, not employees of WotC.
-Lisa
Actually, no. Both our companies are professional enough to not let sales numbers and such slip out when we are hanging out as friends. The data I am referring to is garnered from other sources, not employees of WotC.
-Lisa
Alcohol is like violence; if it's not solving your problems, you're not using enough of it! :)
But I shouldn't be surprised that there are also more professional ways to get a read on these things. It's just that I only have experience with the gamers + beer side of the equation, so I approached the problem from that angle.
Congratulations Paizo! I have to say this is a big surprise, seems everyone wanted us to think and believe there was a HUGE gap between Pathfinder and 4E, obviously it is not that big at all.
I knew back when you guys announced doing Pathfinder you would do well, but I didn't think all the variables would come together and have your company doing this well.
Congrats!
At least I hope this means your doing well, and doesn't mean 4E and WOTC are doing that badly.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Broil? Broil? Really? Good lord, somebody get that man a grill.
I'm done with grilling steaks.
1: This is better.
2: You lose all the good juices on the grill. Use the above recipe, and then once you pull your steaks out to rest, deglaze those pan juices with a little Jack or Absolut Peppar, and reduce. Maybe flip in a lump of bleu cheese, or a tablespoon or two of cream to make a nice sauce.
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Broil? Broil? Really? Good lord, somebody get that man a grill.I'm done with grilling steaks.
1: This is better.
2: You lose all the good juices on the grill. Use the above recipe, and then once you pull your steaks out to rest, deglaze those pan juices with a little Jack or Absolut Peppar, and reduce. Maybe flip in a lump of bleu cheese, or a tablespoon or two of cream to make a nice sauce.
Deglaze with red wine and a little honey and your serving your steak 'hare and hounds'.
Pan fry rare, serve with good dijon (grey poupon) and you can pretend to be French.
Serve with fried onion and fat chips and your over the channel to the UK.
In my experience it takes a good chef to fry a fillet but anyone can do a great rare faux-fillet/sirloin or rump.
Broil? Broil? Really? Good lord, somebody get that man a grill.I'm done with grilling steaks.
1: This is better.
2: You lose all the good juices on the grill. Use the above recipe, and then once you pull your steaks out to rest, deglaze those pan juices with a little Jack or Absolut Peppar, and reduce. Maybe flip in a lump of bleu cheese, or a tablespoon or two of cream to make a nice sauce.
Deglaze with red wine and a little honey and your serving your steak 'hare and hounds'.
Pan fry rare, serve with good dijon (grey poupon) and you can pretend to be French.
Serve with fried onion and fat chips and your over the channel to the UK.
In my experience it takes a good chef to fry a fillet but anyone can do a great rare faux-fillet/sirloin or rump.
Thanks for the info!
You're telling me.. my boss has been picking my pocket with expert skill for over twenty years now. The upside being now, of course, is that I am helping her.
Jason
You mean sleight of hand, she has been sleight of handing from your pocket.
Congrats to Paizo! You have all earned many a fine dinner and barrels of spirits!
I would also congratulate EVERYONE who has sold an RPG product this past quarter, Paizo, Wizards, Steve Jackson, Joe Schmoe, etc. More gamers and more games are good for everyone! I wish Paizo a bigger slice of the pie next quarter, but I also wish for it to be a bigger pie, with more folks getting a taste.
Hmmm, I think I might go have some pie.
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I have to admit, this is a big surprise to me. I always thought Pathfinder would be a decent-selling competitor to 4e, maybe about half its overall sales, never surpassing it, even at the best case, but maybe there are more of us OGL fans than I thought. (My hypothetical view of it was that 4e kind of calved off around 1/3rd of the 3e fanbase, and that would be the Pathfinder target market.)
Way to go, Paizo. Keep it up. (And get us the Bestiary II table of contents as a way to celebrate!)
Wow. That's taking the lemons tossed your way (Dungeon and Dragon discontinued, new onerous GL from WotC) and making awesome, awesome lemonade!
Way to early for the "in your face wotc" comments. While it is great that Paizo is doing well now it may not in the future. The true test is if it can beat or if not beat consistently being the top 5. Which imo is not a sure thing considering the state of the hobby.
See, this bothers me.
There's no need to ever "in your face" anyone. The true test is if both games can continue being rocking awesome and fans can continue to enjoy both of them. Nothing more.
Way to early for the "in your face wotc" comments. While it is great that Paizo is doing well now it may not in the future. The true test is if it can beat or if not beat consistently being the top 5. Which imo is not a sure thing considering the state of the hobby.See, this bothers me.
There's no need to ever "in your face" anyone. The true test is if both games can continue being rocking awesome and fans can continue to enjoy both of them. Nothing more.
+1.
Way to early for the "in your face wotc" comments. While it is great that Paizo is doing well now it may not in the future. The true test is if it can beat or if not beat consistently being the top 5. Which imo is not a sure thing considering the state of the hobby.See, this bothers me.
There's no need to ever "in your face" anyone. The true test is if both games can continue being rocking awesome and fans can continue to enjoy both of them. Nothing more.
Given the considerable differences between the two games I think you'll get your wish. I don't see either game being able to satisfy all the fans of the other. Then of course, there are those poor souls (literally) like you PC who are buying both :) So, here's to the health of both!
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Given the considerable differences between the two games I think you'll get your wish. I don't see either game being able to satisfy all the fans of the other. Then of course, there are those poor souls (literally) like you PC who are buying both :) So, here's to the health of both!Way to early for the "in your face wotc" comments. While it is great that Paizo is doing well now it may not in the future. The true test is if it can beat or if not beat consistently being the top 5. Which imo is not a sure thing considering the state of the hobby.See, this bothers me.
There's no need to ever "in your face" anyone. The true test is if both games can continue being rocking awesome and fans can continue to enjoy both of them. Nothing more.
Ayep. I've had more than enough of the sour grapes from the warriors from both factions. (since like, 1991 during the Nintendo/Sega wars)
Imma just happy for Paizo at the moment. :)
It's simple, people saw the APG, and went "WHOA! THIS IS AWESOME!" Maybe I'll go ahead and try Pathfinder now (then they purchase the Core rule book and Bestiary as well.) I bet sales of Pathfinder Core went up after the APG was released, I know after the APG came out, that both our local Borders and B&N started keeping Pathfinder stocked...instead of just 4e material...the dozens of products...bleh.
GenCon was good for Paizo this year!
To be fair, PFS DMs have to buy (and/or borrow from friends/coordiantors) the scenarios to run for PFS...But Paizo isn't owned by Hasbro...so that's to be expected.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I always assumed something approaching the real numbers came out when Paizo folks go out with WotC folks and everyone has a little bit too much to drink. Despite the two companies more or less being in competition there have to be a lot of friendships still between individual people who work for both.
It may not be scientific, but it jives well with some much more scientific data that we have internally. We will never be able to have 100% transparency about how sales of somebody else's products are going, but we can get some pretty good data that customers don't have access to.
I have been present at most of said meetings over the last several years, and I can assure you that this does not come up.
We do not talk about it. They go about their business, and we go about ours. When we meet to have too much to drink, we're usually gaming! :)
First off, Grilling is much better then broiling, especially when you look at the whole experience of it all. There's the smoking barbe,the sun, the beer, all the spices and sauses and to top it off your poolside with ladies in bikini's. Ooohhh ladies in bikini's.
Where was I, oh yeah back to the game, well now peps of Paizo it may be time for a video game so as to grab another segment of the gaming community.
Ooohhh ladies in bikini's