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With the success of the Pathfinder Tales novels, web fiction and ePubs has there been any consideration to dropping the fiction from the adventure path line.
I was reading the 1st part of the Jade Reagent path and couldn't help but feel that it was supposed to be longer but was cut back (particularly the 1 1/2 pages for part two of the adventure).
Perhaps the fiction could move exclusively to the fiction line and the Adventure Paths could have more room for the adventure.
Personally, I barely pay attention to the fiction section. Just not my cup of tea.
As much as I enjoy the thought of Golarion fiction, I find I actually have little to no interest in reading it. The stories in the back of the APs genuinly sound interesting, but often I have to force myself to read them...and the ammount of fiction I've seen on the Paizo blog has frankly just pissed me off to the point I haven't even tried reading it.
Not sure what the deal is, as I loved Prince of Wolves, and the smattering of fiction I've read...I just can't seem to focus on it. I think part of it is I don't come to the site to read fiction, and I don't open an AP to read fiction. I open a novel when I want a story, and a gaming book/site when I want gaming stuff.
I'm not going to rail against the AP stories, and their inclusion or lack of inclusion isn't going to be the deciding factor in me picking my subscription back up (that's purely based on being dead broke and trying to raise a kid). I just don't think they belong, and they do me no good where they're at.
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I'm a subscriber and collector of the Adventure Paths, that includes APs I'm going to play in at some point.
The Fiction is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most valuable parts of the Adventure Path line for adventures I plan to play in. I won't be allowed to read Carrion Crown for another year at least (still playing through Legacy of Fire at the moment), but the fiction is a part of the book I can read.
SO if the Fiction were to get removed I would need something else equally "player safe" to get value out of my AP while I wait to play it. The fiction is fun, gives a good feel for the regions focused on in each AP and most importantly works brilliantly for GM inspiration when role-playing the various ethnicities and personalities in the Adventure Paths.
My preference is not to see the fiction cut at all.
If it were to be cut then I'd want to see it replaced with an article of some-kind that a player could safely read while still remaining thematically appropriate to the AP.
I don't read the fictions in the APs, but I don't mind them at all. Actually, I don't read them because I have a lot of "more urgent" things to read (chronicles/AP adventures & background articles), and whenever I want to read a fiction, I read a novel not related to Golarion.
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The Fiction is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most valuable parts of the Adventure Path line for adventures I plan to play in. I won't be allowed to read Carrion Crown for another year at least (still playing through Legacy of Fire at the moment), but the fiction is a part of the book I can read.
Agree.. I have entire APs that all I've read from is the fiction and the first scenario (legacy of fire - I'm looking at you). Not because I don't like it, but because I don't have time to read things that my group is years away from running. Also, the fiction allows for a lot of smaller details that are fun for wiki pages.
I don't typically read them unless they deal with an area I'd like to know more about... which tells me I would rather see the space committed for support articles.
I don't feel all the strongly about it though.
Perhaps the fiction could move exclusively to the fiction line and the Adventure Paths could have more room for the adventure.
From what I gather, the usual answer (which probably belongs in a FAQ somewhere) is that cutting back on non-adventure stuff (fiction or articles) wouldn't make the adventure longer in general. That's because the resources needed to write and edit one adventure per month is already near the limit. Adding fiction doesn't interfere with that process because different people can write and edit the fiction in parallel with the adventure.
I'm sure James will be in to clarify soon.
Creative Director
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We have no plans to cut the fiction from the AP line.
BUT. Even if we DID, that space would NOT get added onto the adventures. It would probably just end up being a few more new monsters or a 3rd support article or something like that. The adventures are as long as we can make them without changing the AP's release schedule to something less frequent than monthly, which is less of an option than building a time machine and going back to catch a dinosaur pet.
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I'd like to add a voice in my never-ceasing crusade to prune AP's from anything that's not directly game-related.
While I am very happy with the idea of Pathfinder fiction and I'm glad to see novels, ePubs and Tales, I consider these few pages wasted on me, and would very much prefer to see support articles, bestiaries and other Cool Little Things instead.
I strongly believe that the above-mentioned venues for fiction can be used to satisfy the demand and allow for APs to be a pure gaming products.
And it's not like the AP format wasn't tampered with before (Set Pieces and Pregens, I am looking at you).
As long as the fiction continues to involve the theme/setting of the AP, then I will continue to be a voice in favor of its inclusion. The fiction has been invaluable to me, as the GM, using the Golarion setting.
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Love the fiction. It would be greatly missed.
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Creative Director
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I'd like to add a voice in my never-ceasing crusade to prune AP's from anything that's not directly game-related.
While I am very happy with the idea of Pathfinder fiction and I'm glad to see novels, ePubs and Tales, I consider these few pages wasted on me, and would very much prefer to see support articles, bestiaries and other Cool Little Things instead.
I strongly believe that the above-mentioned venues for fiction can be used to satisfy the demand and allow for APs to be a pure gaming products.
And it's not like the AP format wasn't tampered with before (Set Pieces and Pregens, I am looking at you).
Set Pieces and Pregens had two things going against them—a relatively vocal dislike that wasn't really countered by any real rah-rahs (despite folks not liking fiction in the AP, there are a LOT of folks who are quite vocal that they do like it, something that neither Set Pieces and Pregens really had), and the difficulty in creating them.
The fact that the fiction is handled by James Sutter gives me, Rob, and Wes a much needed breather to get the other 90 or so pages of Pathfinder AP out on a relatively monthly schedule. Believe it or not, adding 6 more pages of editing game content to any of us could be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back... ESPECIALLY if those extra 6 pages are an entirely new feature and not an addition to existing feature page counts.
We've done over 50 Adventure Path volumes so far, so we're pretty knowledgable about our skills and resources and the limits of those skills and resources when it comes to producing a monthly 96 page product. As a result, the AP volumes are a relatively well-honed and well-oiled machine these days, and anything that involves drastic changes to that make me VERY nervous.
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(making an effort to voice a rah-rah)
I was first introduced to pathfinder's APs by piracy... I admit it. But after reading the journey of Eando Kline and the various other 'extra' articles I became enamored with Golarion, Pathfinder, and Paizo. I have since become a subscriber to multiple lines...
Those 'extras' are the only reason I subscribe to the APs. I wouldn't buy modules unless I knew I was going to run them.
Also, the fiction is damn good. Dropping the pregens and such is fine, don't touch my fiction!
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We are not cutting the fiction.
It is a fundamental part of the AP mix.
I get that some people don't like it, but it is here to stay.
The end. :)
+1
Good. Because some of us don't think that Pathfinder Tales is quite enough, and I like the thematic addition of the fiction to the adventure paths - I think it provides the right mix, especially with the demise of Dungeon and the Dragon.
Much as I like Kobald Quarterly (and I do, quite), it has a very different feeling than Dungeon or the Dragon. Feels more like, I dunno, White Dwarf or something. I can't quite describe it.
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We have no plans to cut the fiction from the AP line.
Hear, hear!
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We are not cutting the fiction.
It is a fundamental part of the AP mix.
I get that some people don't like it, but it is here to stay.
The end. :)
Excellent! I love the fiction in the AP's. I love the fiction in the blog. I like the fiction in the Pathfinder Tales Novels. I am not deeply sorrowful that others do not like it, that is their prerogative.
I WILL express that the fiction is what keeps ME coming back to the Paizo website on a regular basis. So keep up the good work!
Cutting the fiction? Not unless Paizo would like a viking raid on their offices.
Threats aside, do keep the fiction, even with the web fiction there's not enough serial fantasy fiction around.
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We are not cutting the fiction.
It is a fundamental part of the AP mix.
I get that some people don't like it, but it is here to stay.
The end. :)
When I first saw the fiction appearing in the APs I finally understood why so many people I have encountered consider the AP line as the "spiritual successor" to Dragon magazine. It is great and always seems "game related" to me at least. Glad to know it is here to stay.
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Don't like the fiction. It's not why I buy an Adventure Path book.
The page count doesn't need to go to the adventure itself (as Paizo has made clear time and time again, even if it's to the detriment of some of their adventures). More support articles for the adventure is always valuable.
Yeah, I know it's not going anywhere... but I'm posting anyways. Yay messageboards!
Agree.. I have entire APs that all I've read from is the fiction and the first scenario (legacy of fire - I'm looking at you). Not because I don't like it, but because I don't have time to read things that my group is years away from running. Also, the fiction allows for a lot of smaller details that are fun for wiki pages.
The Fiction is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most valuable parts of the Adventure Path line for adventures I plan to play in. I won't be allowed to read Carrion Crown for another year at least (still playing through Legacy of Fire at the moment), but the fiction is a part of the book I can read.
I get the feeling from some other posts that some GMs feel that it is difficult to give the players as much background and mood as the GM gets from some of the wonderful content.
Is the fiction section player safe with regard to AP spoilers?
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I get the feeling from some other posts that some GMs feel that it is difficult to give the players as much background and mood as the GM gets from some of the wonderful content.
I find this to be true due to the disparity between my ability to GM and Paizo's ability to create an immersive setting.
Round 2 for me running APs is JR and I hope to come closer. Need to work on fleshing out NPCs within a campaign and not letting them feel like extra baggage.
I find this to be true due to the disparity between my ability to GM and Paizo's ability to create an immersive setting.
I get the feeling from some other posts that some GMs feel that it is difficult to give the players as much background and mood as the GM gets from some of the wonderful content.
I noticed this over the weekend, as I played in an AP, while on the alternate weekends, I am GMing another for essentially the same group of folks. I found myself being a player that would frustrate me as a GM, by just not actively pursuing lines of questioning, not seeking out more details on clues, etc. It seemed pretty clear to me what needed to be done, and I thought that our characters were on the right course, but it occurs to me that the GM had a lot more available to us, but we were not giving him any reason to share it with the party.
Of course, it is all a matter of balancing information flow, with give and take between players and the GM. As long as we are all having fun, and are getting satisfaction out of an adventure, it is all good. Coming up with interesting ways to have the players find out about the richness of info availible in an AP/Module is all a part of the art of developing as a GM.
I am pleased to hear that I can have the players read AP fiction to aid in the establishment of the proper atmosphere. Thanks!
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When I first saw the fiction appearing in the APs I finally understood why so many people I have encountered consider the AP line as the "spiritual successor" to Dragon magazine.
This. I loved the fiction in the old Dragon Magazine and I still love it in the APs. I didn't knew it when I subscribed then, but in the meantime the additional content (including the fiction) is playing a HUGE part in keeping me as a subscriber. The setting stuff describes the world but it's the fiction which really breathes life into it. I'd hate to lose this feature so I'm glad it's not only me considering it a fundamental part of the APs.
When I first saw the fiction appearing in the APs I finally understood why so many people I have encountered consider the AP line as the "spiritual successor" to Dragon magazine.This. I loved the fiction in the old Dragon Magazine and I still love it in the APs. I didn't knew it when I subscribed then, but in the meantime the additional content (including the fiction) is playing a HUGE part in keeping me as a subscriber. The setting stuff describes the world but it's the fiction which really breathes life into it. I'd hate to lose this feature so I'm glad it's not only me considering it a fundamental part of the APs.
+1,2, or whatevertherightnumberisnow.