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I love the awards idea..it would be well deserved
Favorite Adventure: Slumbering Tsar (FGG)
I'm really digging this adventure. It's right up there with Rappan Athuk in the all time greats, IMO.
Favorite Monster Book: Tome of Horrors Complete
I just wanted to thank everyone who mentioned our products.
Steve Russell
Rite Publishing.
I'd like to echo Steve. It really is a morale boost (even when morale is good) to read folks singing the praises of your works.
As for me, I've always thought Cerulean Seas is a top-notch campaign setting. I'd planned to do some support for it, but with a lot of other demands and Alluria having their own issues, it just never happened.
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The group had to break out Luven's Guide last night for a prosthetic arm after the ruler in their Kingmaker campaign lost his left arm to a slicer beetle from Tome of Horrors. Thought it was nice little bit of 3PP synergy :).
The group had to break out Luven's Guide last night for a prosthetic arm after the ruler in their Kingmaker campaign lost his left arm to a slicer beetle from Tome of Horrors. Thought it was nice little bit of 3PP synergy :).
Excellent!
The Super Genius Archetype Line of products(Arcane, Archer, Divine and Martial). Different from the paizo style of 'archetype' these allow you to mix and match groups of options regardless of class. Want to add some divine magic to a fighter? No problem. Want a wizard with a bit more combat oomph, we got you covered. These were also the key to my replacement of the wealth system and the vast majority of magic items in my game, allowing me to forever say goodbye to magic mart and the idea that magic items have become mundane and common in my game.
Hmmm... I'm wondering, if archetypes are a one time swap, how did you use it to circumvent the wealth and magic item system? I'd like to know, so I could use it.
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Just wanted to chime in to say that I did send off my very personal Top-10-3pp-products list of 2011 - it should come up in one future Pathways issue. Cheers!
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Just wanted to chime in to say that I did send off my very personal Top-10-3pp-products list of 2011 - it should come up in one future Pathways issue. Cheers!
Same here and I found this year it was very very hard to limit it down to 10. My first draft had slightly over 20 products, I finally got it down to 10 but it was hard. i ended up going more on what I liked most on a personal level than anything at that point. Then I found it hard to rate them. I didn't think there was a clear cut number one this year unlike last year. I should note I don't own the tome of Horrors so couldn't list it. Since I have no first hand knowledge of the book.
I am curious to see how our lists match up though.
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Just wanted to chime in to say that I did send off my very personal Top-10-3pp-products list of 2011 - it should come up in one future Pathways issue. Cheers!Same here and I found this year it was very very hard to limit it down to 10. My first draft had slightly over 20 products, I finally got it down to 10 but it was hard. i ended up going more on what I liked most on a personal level than anything at that point. Then I found it hard to rate them. I didn't think there was a clear cut number one this year unlike last year. I should note I don't own the tome of Horrors so couldn't list it. Since I have no first hand knowledge of the book.
I am curious to see how our lists match up though.
Wow, cool! Can't wait to see both of those lists!
Same here, though I eliminated ToH from the start - I owned a version of Vol I - III for 3.5 and thus didn't want to pay for the print version. (Though I got the pdf.) Reprints/Conversions, no matter how awesome don't feel like they belong on my list to me.
Crucify me, I still prefer forgotten foes as it feels more NEW than ToH...
And yeah, as I recall it, Steve asked me and D_M to do a list in 2010 and it should be in Pathways #1. :)
P.S.: Marc, check out my final list. ^^
They will appear in Pathways issue #12, and for those looking for last years list its HERE
Disclaimer***
My choices are 3.5 but work fine with PFRPG conversion.
Best 3pp campaign setting - DCC 35 Gazetteer of the Known Realms by Goodman Games. The world of Aereth is a grognards dream (ymmv).
Best 3pp adventure - Castle Whiterock by Goodman Games, Lost City of Barakus by Necromancer Games, and Tomb of Abysthor by Necromancer Games.
Both Goodman and Necro had other greats like The Vault of Larrin Kar, Crypt of The Devil Lich, Grey Citadel, Crucible of Freya, Secret of the Dragon Cult, etc. and remain as my two all time favorite 3PPs. I'm still watching Frog God and Legendary for more magic bullets, time will tell.
As for PFRPG - The only thing ATM that I own is Frog God's complete Tome of Horrors and Tsar 1. Tome is excellent, still on the fence with Tsar.
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I don't know who would run it, but a 3pp Pathfinder awards ceremony would be a great event for Paizo Con.Ok! Now we're collaborating. Take my notion of an Ennie like award, turn it into a Paizo Con event, and nudge Paizo into putting up a vote page.
The only things it seems to need are (1) an independent -- non Paizo employee -- judging panel, arrived at through an independent process and (2) a way for 3pp to submit one product to each category.
Problem #1: Perhaps we can convince Wayfinder to run a judge election process each year, and the first time out of the gate, maybe non-Paizo Wayfinder staff get to be the judges? If Wayfinder was up to it, Liz might serve as the bridge since she jumped from uber fan to staff? I'm sure there are better solutions out there. This one just jumped to my head.
Alternately, maybe whoever posts the most reviews on Paizo.com weighted for how often the reviews receive comments could become a judge automatically? I bet we could devise a formula for that.
Just noodling here.
Problem #2: This one is easy, I think. Submission is PDF only, regardless of whether the product was originally print or pdf.
After that it follows the Ennie pattern:
1. 3pps submit hopefuls.
2. Judges select nominees.
3. Community votes
4. Awards announced at PaizoconBoy do I like this.
PS DM - I like your categories. Seems like a few short tweaks to a win on that score.
Was just wondering if anything came of this? The 3pp awards deal thingy.
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Was just wondering if anything came of this? The 3pp awards deal thingy.I don't know who would run it, but a 3pp Pathfinder awards ceremony would be a great event for Paizo Con.Ok! Now we're collaborating. Take my notion of an Ennie like award, turn it into a Paizo Con event, and nudge Paizo into putting up a vote page.
The only things it seems to need are (1) an independent -- non Paizo employee -- judging panel, arrived at through an independent process and (2) a way for 3pp to submit one product to each category.
Problem #1: Perhaps we can convince Wayfinder to run a judge election process each year, and the first time out of the gate, maybe non-Paizo Wayfinder staff get to be the judges? If Wayfinder was up to it, Liz might serve as the bridge since she jumped from uber fan to staff? I'm sure there are better solutions out there. This one just jumped to my head.
Alternately, maybe whoever posts the most reviews on Paizo.com weighted for how often the reviews receive comments could become a judge automatically? I bet we could devise a formula for that.
Just noodling here.
Problem #2: This one is easy, I think. Submission is PDF only, regardless of whether the product was originally print or pdf.
After that it follows the Ennie pattern:
1. 3pps submit hopefuls.
2. Judges select nominees.
3. Community votes
4. Awards announced at PaizoconBoy do I like this.
PS DM - I like your categories. Seems like a few short tweaks to a win on that score.
I'm curious too!
Just bumping this back up to say I'd be interested in helping out...
:)
Well, the idea's got our thumbs up over here at Little Red :-)
(Personally, I'm a big fan of a lot of LPJ's material)
I gotta say, I really enjoyed Cerulean Seas.
I actually had started work on an aquatic setting... then read that book and stopped.
Also... Dreamscarred, stop making everyone else look bad with your psionics books ;-)
Ok, I'll jump in on the thread resurrection. From a GM's perspective (since I mostly GM) here are a few of my favorites:
Things that go Bump
Tome of Horrors: Complete, by Frog God Games
This monster of a tome is simply the biggest and best 3rd Party monster book published. 750 monsters plus an awesome Lairs supplement and an assortment of miscellaneous stuff like feats and snake poisons ensure that there will be something, likely dozens of somethings, in here you will want to use as a DM. If you can swing it the cost is more than reasonable for the return you get in usefulness and pure awesome.
Book of Monster Templates and 101 Not So Simple Monster Templates, by Rite Publishing
If what you are looking for is not so much a tome of new monsters, but rather ways of using classic monsters in new and unexpected ways, these books are for you. Packed full of wonderful templates, and in the case of the Book of Monster Templates full example stat blocks for each template, these books will let you customize monsters to your heart's content.
Give the potent War Creature template to the troll bodyguards your evil tyrant keeps around or the Phalanx Creature template to a dozen mind-controlled thralls for an added boost to lower threat enemies. Or maybe hang the Accursed or Afflicted Creature template on a serious threat to weaken it (for a bonus make the point of an adventure setting up the circumstances to cause a creature this weakness). With the many templates these two books offer you will have many customization options for the foes your PCs face.
Honorable mention goes to the Advanced Bestiary by Green Ronin. It's 3.5e rather than Pathfinder so some conversion is needed, but in my own case I made extensive use of the Devil-Bound and Demon-Possessed templates in my own game with just a little tweaking, and have found the other templates inside to be interesting.
Location, Location
Midgard Campaign Setting, by Kobold Press
Let me preface this by saying that, aside from small jaunts into Eberron, and the wild Planescape setting for when I'm in that sort of mood, I am a Forgotten Realms GM through and through. I've run great adventures in the Realms for years and have enjoyed making the setting my own using the framework put together by Ed Greenwood and so many others. That said, the Midgard Campaign Setting pdf is enough on it's own for me to consider switching it up in my next couple campaigns.
The world is an incredible tapestry for adventure. There were almost no parts of the Midgard setting that didn't immediately seem rich with adventuring ideas. From the Seven Cities and their Free Companies giving a rich playground for a Condottieri sort of mercenary captain character, to Domovogrod for the feel of heroic perseverance in a dangerous land, and the wondrous horror of the Western Wastes with their slowly moving, sleeping Old One horrors and ancient ruins, and so many others. A fantastic setting all in all which looks to be a wonderful place to adventure or run an adventure.
Honorable Mention to Sunken Empires by Open Design for putting together an excellent resource for underwater adventures. Sadly I have had almost no use for this book in my past campaigns but I look forward to doing some underwater fun with my PCs in the future with the help of this excellent resource.
This Way to Adventure
Way of the Wicked, by Fire Mountain Games
An enormously ambitious project that is both an evil campaign and a 1-20 adventure path, this product delivers. This is an evil AP that let's PCs actually be evil while making it logical for them to work together. One that takes PCs from the most destitute of beginnings up to true evil overlord status and makes of them Tyrants whose names can make the world shake with fear. Along the way it never fails to impress and I'm so excited to run so many parts of this AP. A fantastic adventure path with interesting and fun support articles in each of it's issues (including some really awesome alternate ways to run this AP that could be very fun and ways for evil PCs to play a Lich or Vampire for those so inclined).
Oh Oh Oh, It's Magic
110 Spell Variants, 110 More Spell Variants, and 110 Spell Variants Volume 3, by Super Genius Games
These three books are simply put the best way to get an enormous variety of new spells at a budget price. Each small pdf contains just the information needed to convert an existing spell into the variant described, leaving plenty of room for the new spell mechanics and no room wasted repeating mechanics that are already in the original spell.
1001 Spells, by Rite Publishing
An enormous collection of new spells I recently picked up for a song during their sale (having already bought a couple pdfs from the 101 X-level Spells series it was still more than worth it) this is exactly what it says, an enormous boatload of new spells. With so many spells it's likely that not every one will be to your taste, but in my case the vast majority look like spells I will be using in the future.
Incantations in Theory and Practice, by Zombie Sky Press
An awesome Pathfinder compatible system for ritual style casting, based on the Incantation rules from the 3.5e SRD. A fantastic system for skill-based ritual casting perfect for putting a little mystery and, well, magic into doing magic.
Look What I Can Do!
101 New Skill Uses, by Rite Publishing
Part of the excellent 101 series by Rite Publishing, this book focuses on skills and the new and exciting things they've thought up for you to do with them. I've used this book before and certainly will again for those situations that pop up when you just need to decide how to fairly adjudicate something the PCs want to do.
Secrets of Martial Mastery, by Rite Publishing
In the same vein, Secrets of Martial Mastery is a book full of excellent Combat Maneuvers for characters who want to do unusual things in combat like Blind Opponent, Confuse Opponent, Hinder Natural Attack (seems a must for Alligator Wrestling), or Scar Opponent. My only quibble with this product is that each new Combat Maneuver means there's a new feat that must go along with or else trying the maneuver means an AoO for the character. This is not a problem with the product but rather the base rules for maneuvers in Pathfinder, and I house rule that maneuvers only provoke an AoO if they fail. Because of this house rule I cannot be sure if I would use this book as much playing without this house rule, though I suspect I still would rate it quite highly. Regardless, this is a great book full of fun ideas and options for characters who want to use combat maneuvers.
Miscellaneous Honorable Mentions
Anything in the #30 or 101 series by Rite Publishing is worth a look. The War Master class by Super Genius Games made for a fun NPC leader during an encounter in one of my campaigns. So What's for Sale Anyways? by Raging Swan is a fun book for populating a city with items. Psionics Unleashed by Dreamscarred Press is a great power point based psionics system, if you liked 3.5e psionics this seems to be a great update of that system. The Random Encounters Remastered pdfs from Purple Duck Games are great if you use random encounters, and could still be useful for encounter ideas if you don't.
There are loads of other worthy 3rd Party Products out there, I know I sort of left classes out to dry but as a mostly-GM I tend to get more excited about monsters, spells, templates, or treasure than new PC classes. Anyways, think I've gone on long enough so I'll stop before I go on and on about every 3PP I like.
Favorite Adventure: Slumbering Tsar (FGG)
I'm really digging this adventure. It's right up there with Rappan Athuk in the all time greats, IMO.Favorite Monster Book: Tome of Horrors Complete
Still the same. :)
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well I got one to add, Favorite New Setting, Necropunk
content always allowed or used in my games, Super genius Talented class line, dreamscarred press psionics content, 101 monster templates, Little red goblins heroes of east/west. I also allow little red's racial guide 2, but I don't count that because I participated in it's creation.