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One that I haven't seen listed is LPJ Design. NeoExodus is a pretty cool campaign setting...
Let just say NeoExodus is going to ave a similar upgrade to what Obsidian Apocalypse was to Obsidian Twilight.
Wow! Not only tons of responses from the Pathfinder community, but several from the actual authors and publishers as well. I'm very happy to have discovered this little community and the wonderful realm that is known as 3pp.
You'll find that we 3PPs are generally very excited about our work, and we LOVE to talk about it. :) Additionally, many of us are fans of each other's works. You can't go wrong with any of the companies mentioned in this thread. While I'm with Rogue Genius Games, Misfit Studios, and Christina Stiles Presents, I've had the pleasure to work with Kobold Press for several years, and I'll be doing some work for LPJ in the upcoming months. I missed out on working with Frog God (due to timing issues), unfortunately--I hope they approach me again one day,as I am an absolute fan of theirs. Don't forget Purple Duck Games while you are out there looking about.
This thread piqued my interest from a couple of standpoints. Until the very recent past I was solely a customer. Now I have the pleasure (anxiety/regret/elation) of helping put out a third party product of my own. Our product is an adventure, but modules and adventures are only part of the third party equation. Are people who delve into the third party world primarily looking for adventures, or are they looking for campaign settings, sourcebooks or some combination of any or all? Additionally, are they looking for specific genres (steampunk, gothic, ponies) or are generic settings (high fantasy, low fantasy) more sought after? I am curious to hear what people in the industry have to say as well as customers.
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I guess some folks look for rich flavor to take the gruntwork out of GMing. Peripherals like Legendary Games Adventure Path add-ons are perfect adding content to Paizo's AP's, or Ragig Swan's near endless supply of GM aids, rangin from straight flavor to 100% crunch.
Some Campaign Settings additionally offer crunchy options as well as
awesome flavor - Midgard's races, Shadowsworn class etc; Thunderscape's races and classes; ditto for Neo-Exodus.
Monster books/Bestiaries are so flexible and portable to be added into almost any campaign.
Rulebooks like Cerulean Seas and Companions of the Firmament add to the tactical verisimilitude as well as shoring up rules grey areas...
Straight up Base Classes and new Races offer Players exciting new options, and the GM interesting villains and NPCs.
Personally, I'm not in need of much flavor or other Campaign Settings, though I occasionally mine them.
I like Class options, pure and simple. There are some fantastic mechanics and game approaches in that realm...
I guess some folks look for rich flavor to take the gruntwork out of GMing. Peripherals like Legendary Games Adventure Path add-ons are perfect adding content to Paizo's AP's, or Ragig Swan's near endless supply of GM aids, rangin from straight flavor to 100% crunch.
Thanks for the feedback. Would you characterize yourself as a GM or a player? Would you be more liable to buy a product that was multi-purpose, like a campaign setting with new options, or a product with a single intent, like a book of new class abilities? Also, is there a type of product out in the 3PP universe that you feel has been done to death?
You can see my list of Good 3pp that are not mine that need more Love over HERE!
Thank you for the Book of Beasts shoutout, Steve!
I guess some folks look for rich flavor to take the gruntwork out of GMing. Peripherals like Legendary Games Adventure Path add-ons are perfect adding content to Paizo's AP's, or Ragig Swan's near endless supply of GM aids, rangin from straight flavor to 100% crunch.Thanks for the feedback.
Would you characterize yourself as a GM or a player?
Both. Besides, I am deeply saddened that people think there is a divide in product orientation between the roles.
Would you be more liable to buy a product that was multi-purpose, like a campaign setting with new options, or a product with a single intent, like a book of new class abilities?
It all depends on the price point and the concept. However, I will say that this question is too much of a mixed bag/multi-faceted to answer clearly, and would more likely require a dedicated, multi-part survey to complete coherently or with any rigour.
Also, is there a type of product out in the 3PP universe that you feel has been done to death?
Derivative, or part-derivative/part-new concept concepts. Personally I look for truly new and refreshing, and despair at the mix of familiar and unknown. I want unknown... The thinking is that the familiar will be a unit shifter, and likely it is. I'm not interested in regurgitated classics and would hope that designers are imaginative enough to chase the new, and brave enough to believe in them.
Now Lars, understand I am an avowed outlier. If there was a demi-plane of Outliers, I would be on its furthest edge. I am very very specific in my interests and scathing of what I see as humdrum or conventional. I DO NOT represent your market. :)
To quote myself [slightly edited and updated] from this old Recommendations for 3PP products thread:
What do you seek? Tell us about your campaign, your PCs, or where you want your campaign to go.
That said:
Misfit Studios: Misfit takes an in-depth look at topics and classes in greater depth. For instance, the Bite Me! line looks at lycanthropes and their kin for use in your PF games. The upcoming Strange Brew: The Ultimate Witch & Warlock delves into those classes, expanding the possibilities at your gaming table. We have one in the works for shamans, as well. We also do some smaller PDFs on Forces of Darkness. We'll be revamping SpirosBlaak for Pathfinder, as well.
Rogue Genius Games: There is more than just crunch from RGG. Check out the Waysides line. Plus, I'll be releasing an adventure by Mike Welham in the near future.
Derivative, or part-derivative/part-new concept concepts. Personally I look for truly new and refreshing, and despair at the mix of familiar and unknown. I want unknown... The thinking is that the familiar will be a unit shifter, and likely it is. I'm not interested in regurgitated classics and would hope that designers are imaginative enough to chase the new, and brave enough to believe in them.
Personally, chief, I'd make totally off-the-wall classes until the cows come home if they paid anywhere near as well as the classes that simply fix what's wrong with an archetype.
Consider this:
Highest Sales
#1 - Tinker (Nearly 400 in 13 months, still going strong)
#2 - Ethermancer (150 in 5 months, strong tail)
#3 - Edgewalker (100 in 2 months, weak tail)
Lowest Sales
#1 - Brewmaster (25 in 2 months, weak tail)
#2 - Gadgeteer (70 in 5 months, strong tail - likely piggybacking tinker fans)
In the end, will my slowest products still have been worth making? Absolutely! Even the poorly-selling classes sell 100-150 units in a year, but I'd much rather get over double that. I'm still trying to learn how much "stable ground" the market requires for optimum returns. Once I have that down pat, you should be a long chain of classes with "47% mindblowing material!" or what have you.
Of course, insanity such as the cartomancer will always be a thing when I feel like it. If you want more of it, vote with your wallet. :)
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I guess some folks look for rich flavor to take the gruntwork out of GMing. Peripherals like Legendary Games Adventure Path add-ons are perfect adding content to Paizo's AP's, or Ragig Swan's near endless supply of GM aids, rangin from straight flavor to 100% crunch.
This is exactly my situation. I do enjoy creating but I'm 39, work full-time and starting a family. I just don't have the spare time to craft things from scratch. Having prepackaged material that's ready to go (and good quality on top of that) makes being a GM at my age a much easier and rewarding experience.
I personally like 3PP modules and adventure paths. But good rulebooks are helpful too (i.e. "Ultimate Psionics"). I'm partial to the Golarion setting and many 3PP settings can actually be shoehorned there if I want (there's a few continents which have no information so they're wide open for plug and play). The setting of FrogGod games I like quite a bit. I plan on sticking that on one of those other continents.