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Lets get this out of the way before I begin, this is not some shady business practice that I proposition. What I will be talking about is the benefits that both player, dungeon masters, and Paizo would have from selling boon sheets. Like say a Chronicle Sheet to play an Oread or a Catfolk.
I will be using a Q&A to help get my point across and help it appear more structured.
Q: What is your angle?
A: Nothing underhanded. I simply want to purpose my view and how to be handled. I have the community's interest in mind.
Q: Why a payment method instead of another method to send out chronicle sheets?
A: Because Paizo realized the community is quiet divided amongst its self when it comes to this matter. Also because this would be the most fair of all options and benefit the community the most.
Q: How much would these chronicle sheets cost exactly?
A: Well I assume the non-race chronicle sheets would be closer in cost to $0.99 and the race chronicle sheets would be closer to $3-7. Though that is just a guess and an estimate to how Paizo would choose to price it.
Q: Physical or PDF?
A: PDF.
Q: Watermarking with email address like other PDF products?
A: Yes.
Q: What about if they get distributed by a third party for free?
A: That is a common risk in this business to begin with anyway. Its not uncommon for the physical or PDF version of a RPG book, core or supplemental, to be distributed on some third party website for others to own a physical or digital copy without paying.
Q: Do you support such practice from third parties?
A: No, I do not support such practices. It is a practice that should be frowned upon. If I want a book, I would rather pay for it to show my support for a company whose work I enjoyed.
Q: So what do you have in mind, a portion be donated to a charity?
A: Indeed. I would hope that a percentage of what is spent on such chronicle sheets per purchase be given to a charity of the company's (Paizo) choosing.
Q: Sounds like a bad idea. What about chronicle sheets like those for the Catfolk or Ratfolk, those become useless? What incentive would people have to go to conventions?
A: Going to a convention gives you say, a year and half's time to enjoy the Ratfolk chronicle sheet, then after that year and half's time it is added to the store as a PDF that is ready for purchase. Yet there will already be a new chronicle sheet or race boon sheet that people will be clamoring to get and trade.
Q: Trade? Boon trading would still be a thing?
A: Well yes. If it worked like I proposition, then a Ratfolk chronicle sheet would still be considered a valuable thing for a year and half. Something that not many people would have and could very well be willing to trade for.
Q: Wouldn't this also cause certain books like "Blood of the Night" to sell more if players wanted to play as Dhampirs?
A: It would be a side effect. However it is also a positive side effect in my opinion.
Q: How would it be a positive side effect?
A: Well what is the most desensitizing effect of a player companion or book in the RPG line? You bought say "Blood of the Moon" but there is no chronicle sheet for you to play one of the new races in it.
Q: Yeah and how is that positive? Seems negative to me.
A: Well the chronicle sheet to go with that race that you would seek is at a convention. Which gives you incentive to go to the convention to go and try to pick up one like you normally would at a convention.
Q: What if I don't want to go to a convention what then?
A: Wait say just an estimate, a year and a half, and it will be purchasable online. You also have the chance to trade something of yours (Dice, miniatures, books, etc) for a chronicle sheet of that race.
So after everything I have written, my question is: If you could pay for a chronicle sheet, would you?
Finally, whether you agreed or disagreed, thank you very much ladies and gentlemen in advance for taking time to read this post of mine. May each of you have an excellent and wonderful day.
Contributor
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At the very least, I'd love to be able to pay other players for them. I don't have boons to trade, I can't get to conventions, and we don't have enough Pathfinder players yet to run our own.
I don't know if it's actually forbidden to do so, but given that I've never seen any signs of it here, I've always figured it was.
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Again I feel like I have to point this out. There is a strong online community that holds conventions for both VTT and PbP. These conventions give out the same race boons that the other conventions do. If you can post on these boards you have access to these boons if you put in the effort.
Paizo has no interest in selling boons for profit. Yes they do auction off a few every year, but those are for charity purposes. While it seems like a nice idea and there might be some strong feed back in favor of it. I do not see Pazio doing this to its players.
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here is a link to the last PbP game day. These threads pop up in the grand lodge section of the forums. When they come up for PbP the recruitment threads have multiple postings.
I have not taken the time to try out VTT, but you can contact Jesse Davis the online VC for details.
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Technically speaking you already can pay for boons. (the Boons from the Pathfinder Chronicles)
As for race boons, no I wouldn't pay for them. With the 7 core races and 3 or 4 uncommon races available, plus alternate racial traits there are more than enough for me. I have gotten 1 race boon (though I think by the end of the month I'll have another 2 copies of the same race), which I promptly traded away. I plan on trading or giving away another one of the 2 copies I'm getting (if not both) as it is.
For non-race boons no I probably still wouldn't pay, there are a couple good ones out there (GM Star recharge and Custom Order, IMO), but most aren't something I'm particularly interested in. (I know some people who would like specific boons for specific characters that would fit them, though)
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I probably wouldn't pay for a race boon, but I'm not opposed to the idea of using it to generate money for charity every once in a while. This would probably work better as an limited time annual event though, maybe around the holidays while people are maybe feeling a little more generous.
The Holiday Hobgoblin Boon
Available 1st Dec 2015 - 8th Jan 2016
Minimum donation $0.99
Donations of over $10.00 unlock an additional boon that increases their effective druid level by 1 for Yzobu companions (and also makes them a legal resource if they aren't already.)
All proceeds go to an awesome charity!
I'd buy something like that.
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Contributor
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I should clarify that I'd be fine with more character options being available through scenarios. I know of at least one archetype and one race that can be unlocked this way (at least, if I'm not mistaken):
More of that would be great. Incentivizes play; requires a certain amount of investment; still limits the prevalence of rare races and prevents "cantina" syndrome.
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Sure, to round out my Suli boon whack-a-mole(missing ifrit and undine, probably getting the latter soonish) without relying on random chance. But generally, no. There are enough threads about the cost of books, the relationship between Paizo and PFS players, cries of "pay to win" etc that paying for boons, especially race boons, is not something I'd like to see.
I would in a heartbeat. Work keeps me way too busy to actually attend a Con, and I'd love a shot at some of the neat racial boons.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16
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I wish player companion books gave you a one-time boon as a bonus. I'd see myself buying a lot more books if I could (for example) buy Blood of the Moon and get a one-time boon to play a skinwalker. Even if I didn't intend to use the boon, that's a nice little bonus.
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You're mistaken about the race. There's no scenario that unlocks it, only a GM Boon.I see. I had gotten that impression from things on the boards, but I must have misinterpreted. Thank you for the correction.
But that special is no longer available.
I personally cannot go to conventions. I also got burned too many times when preordering a race book from my LGS like Kobolds of Golarion or Blood of the Night when I had the expectation that such books on preorder would have a race chronicle sheet like the ones for Aasimar and Tiefling.
If it were an online charity I would be done for that. Otherwise no.
Like during December only as a limited time deal there is a race boon for sale and say it was a Kobold chronicle sheet for a modest fee and that 100% of the proceeds would go to a charity.
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Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria
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I can see myself supporting it, if it is charity based, something like:
"Paizo has decided to support worthwhile charity X, and we are hoping to entice you to help in our effort.
For a limited time we are offering the following boons. "
I think that is the only way I could support Paizo in selling boons, and to be honest even this way only really works with a fitting selection of boons ( I think something like custom order, or GMstar refill works, but not unlocking a race).
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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I don't see any likelihood whatsoever of this ever happening.
Paizo have a goal of getting as many of the player base as possible to attend conventions - they see this as the best way to promote Pathfinder to a wider audience of gamers, and the larger the Pathfinder presence the more successful this is likely to be.
The way they entice players to attend conventions is to offer boons, and in particular boons which can't be obtained any other way. They aren't going to do anything to undermine this.
Sounds like another game from another company, which I don't play. (hint: involves cards)
No thanks.
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Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria
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I don't see any likelihood whatsoever of this ever happening.
Paizo have a goal of getting as many of the player base as possible to attend conventions - they see this as the best way to promote Pathfinder to a wider audience of gamers, and the larger the Pathfinder presence the more successful this is likely to be.
The way they entice players to attend conventions is to offer boons, and in particular boons which can't be obtained any other way. They aren't going to do anything to undermine this.
I think an attractive repayable higher level scenario (3-7 or something like that) that is limited to conventions would be better draw to motivate people to go to conventions... I don't think that many players will go to a convention to play the current replayable options.
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Contributor
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Yeah, I'm not a fan of wholesale boons. Not unless they were really pricey and the money went to charity or something (like a lesser version of the auction boons).
I'd just like a way that doesn't involve travel or play-by-post. Number of total scenarios played. Boons for specific challenging or elite scenarios (the way the Thassilonian Specialist can be unlocked, for example). A limited buying window at certain times of year*. I want them to stay special... but I don't want to have to spend hours of time doing profoundly unfun things to "earn" a race. I'd rather earn it through having fun and playing the game.
*Privateer Press has convention-exclusive models. During the days of the convention, they sell the year's model (plus a rotating selection of others) on their website, for those who can't attend. This could be a starting idea.
Anyway, I've been up well past my bedtime, so if this is kind of a rant... I'm sorry. :)
