A good source for background / setting information...


RPG Superstar™ 2011 General Discussion


Being serenely and smugly certain that my submitted item is perfect in every detail, and that my Archetype idea will also advance on pure awesomeness...

At some point I'm going to need more information on "Golarion" and the setting specific details and flavor in order to make the cut. And should I make the final round and be one of the folks that wins paid commissions, I will certainly need to be able to write within the flavor and style of the setting.

Which is a problem for me since I have used my own homebrew setting exclusively for more than 20 years now. I don't ever purchase and rarely read more than a skim of "setting" stuff, and even that much is normally in response to something my players want to bring into the game.

So what's the best way to immerse myself in the setting that we need to be writing this stuff for? I would like to capture "flavor" and a general sense of how things work, rather than being innured in the low level details.

Every setting has a "feel". I have a sense that Golarian is grittier than some, indulges a very small amount of steam-punky-ness, mixed with signicant trace amounts of Cthulhu-esque mayhem and a lot of King of Thieves Machiavelli.

But that is a REALLY poorly focused 100,000 foot, and possibly way wrong overview. I'm trying to get down to the treetop level overview and reach a competency sufficient to be "literate" in the setting.

So, what are the recommended reading sources?

Thanks in advance.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

Read the web fiction on this site.

Not that I have, but I've read both novels and make the assumption (with the usual well-known caveats) that the web fiction also carries the feel of the setting.

The Pathfinder Wiki also contains a wealth of information.

Besides that, have you tried Google? That, I would expect, should be the first place to start any such background research.

-b


gbonehead wrote:


The Pathfinder Wiki also contains a wealth of information.

Second this, and with emphasis. As I'm doing prep work to get my Curse of the Crimson Throne AP campaign started around February, my desktop is open to Pathfinder Wiki on one side and MSOneNote on the other, with books spread all over a side table.


Well, there is of course the:

Pathfinder Campaign setting

But if you aren't willing to invest the money in this outdated Product, you can easily wait till you make it in the Top 32 , because all of them will get one copy of this:

World Guide-The inner Sea Which is kind of the updated Campaign setting.

If You want to do some early research I can recommend the
Pathfinder Wiki


Azmahel wrote:

Well, there is of course the:

Pathfinder Campaign setting

But if you aren't willing to invest the money in this outdated Product, ...

Thanks for the links. I see that the Pathfinder Campaign Setting is out of print. I don't like to buy PDFs... but Paizo is an exception since they have (so far) done a good job of supporting the PDFs they sell. I just prefer "dead tree" most of the time.

Normally I am shy about spending money of any kind. But I've recently decided to make the effort to get into fantasy publishing and I see Paizo as the best place to be. So it will be an investment with a lot of value to me.

And if this year doesn't work out, there's always "Superstar 2012" to prepare for. :-)


Azmahel wrote:

...wait till you make it in the Top 32 , because all of them will get one copy of this:

World Guide-The inner Sea

I hate to admit ignorance, but I had no idea there were prizes beyond the Final Four. Where have I missed information?


That Old Guy wrote:
Azmahel wrote:

...wait till you make it in the Top 32 , because all of them will get one copy of this:

World Guide-The inner Sea

I hate to admit ignorance, but I had no idea there were prizes beyond the Final Four. Where have I missed information?

It's kinda hidden and parallels last years practice. You can find this information in the FAQ, which everybody should have read.

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7 aka Draconas

That Old Guy wrote:
Azmahel wrote:

...wait till you make it in the Top 32 , because all of them will get one copy of this:

World Guide-The inner Sea

I hate to admit ignorance, but I had no idea there were prizes beyond the Final Four. Where have I missed information?

Last year, they gave each of the Top 32 a PDF copy of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting book so that we each would be on equal footing in regards to lore for the future rounds. This year it's probably gonna be the Inner Sea Primer since that's their newest updated World Guide product.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

Joshua Kitchens wrote:
Last year, they gave each of the Top 32 a PDF copy of the Pathfinder Campaign Setting book so that we each would be on equal footing in regards to lore for the future rounds. This year it's probably gonna be the Inner Sea Primer since that's their newest updated World Guide product.

And the January 18th reveal date for the top 32 is significantly before the February 2011 release date for the Guide to the Inner Sea. So that's an added bonus.


Azmahel wrote:
You can find this information in the FAQ, which everybody should have read.

Huh. There it is, right there.

Thanks!

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

For the best high-level view right now, I'd suggest the Inner Sea Primer.


Vic Wertz wrote:
For the best high-level view right now, I'd suggest the Inner Sea Primer.

Oooh Nifty. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you.

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