The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game by Paizo is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to be compatible with rules released under the Open Gaming License.
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Announcement[]
On March 18, 2008, Paizo Publishing made a monumental announcement. Amid the speculation and community division caused by the impending release of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast and the delayed announcement of the Game System License (GSL), Paizo took a stand and committed to continue publishing adventures under the existing Open Gaming License (OGL).[1]
Not only would Paizo be continuing in a path differing from that of Wizards of the Coast (and possibly the whole tabletop gaming industry), they would also revolutionize it. As part of the company's commitment to the 3.5 rules set, they unveiled the Pathfinder RPG, an updated, expanded core game to replace the official Dungeons & Dragons books after they have gone out of print upon the release of 4th Edition in June, 2008.[1]
Additionally, in the spirit of Open Gaming, the system would undergo the largest public playtest in RPG history, spanning over eighteen months and open to literally anyone who was willing to download the files from Paizo's website. The initial Alpha release, in PDF format is currently being released in three iterations (outlined below). Debuting at Gen Con 2008, the softcover Beta release will also be available as a free PDF download from Paizo, allowing anyone to contribute to the playtest with a complete set of the rules. August 2009 will see the official release of the final rules set for the Pathfinder RPG in a hardcover book. At this time, all Paizo products will be formatted for the new rules. All adventures and supplements until August 2009 will continue with the 3.5 rules.[1]
A further announcement was made on May 12, 2008, that famed RPG designer Monte Cook had joined the development team as a rules consultant.[2] Cook, one of the co-designers of the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules, and author of the 3.5 DMG and PHB as well as the Ptolus™ campaign setting and the recent Book of Experimental Might, would not be an active member of the design team, but would act as an adviser for the design team. With his wealth of knowledge and experience with the original 3.5 system, Monte's involvement provides an unparalleled opportunity for Paizo, and re-excited the fans of the the Pathfinder RPG.
Design and playtest[]
- Main article: Pathfinder RPG playtest
Jason Bulmahn, Lead Designer for Paizo's Pathfinder brand, began work on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in October 2007. Because of the flaws in the 3.5 rules set were now being acknowledged by both fans and the developers at Wizards of the Coast, Jason set out to develop a revised version of the existing rules available under the OGL to fix these problems and improve play without starting from scratch and negating three decades of Dungeons & Dragons history.[3] Bulmahn kept several goals in mind when creating the Pathfinder RPG to maintain a focus in the daunting task.
Release[]
The final release of the Pathfinder RPG is a 576-page hardcover book released August 13, 2009, at Gen Con Indy. This volume is designed to support all future Paizo adventure paths and modules and can be used as a stand-alone replacement for the out-of-print core books by Wizards of the Coast, laying a foundation for OGL-based gaming for decades to come.
Prior to the release of the final rules, Paizo released two additional "previews" of the new rules system. Because no one can run the game with just the PC and GM rules, the Bonus Bestiary was released in June 2009. This would allow new players and GMs to start playing the game on day one after the rules were made available at Gen Con. July saw the release of some of the player-oriented material in the new rules set in Qadira, Gateway to the East, written by Brian Cortijo. This Companion marks the first Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting-specific material released to the general public. The core monster book, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, was released in October 2009.
Success[]
After the monumental success of the Beta playtesting process, which included over 50,000 unique downloads from Paizo.com, it was no surprise that demand was high for the final rules. On August 3, 2009, a full ten days before the official release of the Core Rulebook at Gen Con, Paizo announced that all copies of the first printing of the book in the distribution channel were sold out. Impressive in its own right to have a book sell out in pre-order, the fact that this was the largest print run of any book in the company's seven year history by fivefold makes the accomplishment all the more stunning.[4]
Open Content[]
- Main article: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document
The Pathfinder game rules are open content under the Open Gaming License, and an official PRD provides free resources to players and publishers using that open content in home games and commercial products. The Community Use Policy provides further access to Pathfinder product identity, such as the Pathfinder campaign setting and artwork, for non-commercial use.
Releases[]
| Cover | Title | Release Date | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Bonus Bestiary.jpg | Bonus Bestiary | June 2009 | Jason Bulmahn, F. Wesley Schneider |
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Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook | August 2009 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Pathfinder RPG Bestiary | October 2009 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Gm screen.jpg | GM Screen | November 2009 | Jason Bulmahn, Wayne Reynolds |
| File:GameMastery Guide.jpg | GameMastery Guide | June 2010 | F. Wesley Schneider et al. |
|
Advanced Player's Guide | August 2010 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Bestiary 2 | December 2010 | Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Ultimate Magic | April 2011 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Ultimate Combat cover.jpg | Ultimate Combat | August 2011 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Beginner Box.jpg | Beginner Box | October 2011 | Jason Bulmahn, Sean K. Reynolds |
| File:Bestiary 3.jpg | Bestiary 3 | December 2011 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Advanced Race Guide | June 2012 | James Jacobs et al. |
| File:Player Character Folio.jpg | Player Character Folio | July 2012 | Paizo Staff |
| File:Ultimate Equipment.jpg | Ultimate Equipment | August 2012 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:NPC Codex.jpg | NPC Codex | November 2012 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Ultimate Campaign | May 2013 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Mythic Adventures.jpg | Mythic Adventures | August 2013 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Bestiary 4.jpg | Bestiary 4 | October 2013 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
|
Advanced Class Guide | August 2014 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Monster Codex.jpg | Monster Codex | October 2014 | Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Logan Bonner et al. |
|
Strategy Guide | March 25, 2015 | Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Pathfinder Unchained.jpg | Pathfinder Unchained | April 29, 2015 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Occult Adventures.jpg | Occult Adventures | July 29, 2015 | Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Bestiary 5.jpg | Bestiary 5 | November 18, 2015 | Jason Bulmahn et al. |
| File:Ultimate Intrigue.jpg | Ultimate Intrigue | March 30, 2016 | Paizo Staff |
| File:Horror Adventures.jpg | Horror Adventures | July 29, 2016 | Paizo Staff |
| File:Villain Codex.jpg | Villain Codex | November 16, 2016 | Paizo Staff |
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Bestiary 6 | April 26, 2017 | Paizo Staff |
| File:Adventurer's Guide.jpg | Adventurer's Guide | May 24, 2017 | Paizo staff |
| File:Book of the Damned (sourcebook).jpg | Book of the Damned | September 2017 | Paizo staff |
| File:Ultimate Wilderness.jpg | Ultimate Wilderness | November 2017 | Paizo staff |
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External links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Paizo Publications Press Release (March 18, 2008). Paizo Publishing® Announces the Pathfinder RPG™.
- ↑ Paizo (May 13, 2008). Monte Cook Joins the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game™ Team.
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn (March 18, 2008). From the Lead Designer.
- ↑ Paizo Publishing (August 3, 2009). Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook Sold Out!.