Maybe I’ve been too hard on them.

I received an email yesterday, which is unusual, regarding my more recent takes on Paizo. I think I came off a little too harshly again when it comes to them. I don’t hate Paizo. I certainly have more regard for them than I do Wizards of the Coast.

I just wanted to say, “Thank you!” to the person who reached out to me. I appreciate you. I value your opinion a great deal. I’m really glad to see we still have some #ttrpgfamily here with us.

Unfortunately we live in an online world where everything is taken as black and white. Separation and duality are the rules of the day. By golly, if I’m not 100% behind something, then I must be against it. At least that’s how it seems on social media these days. (*I’m not even going to touch politics after this week. Yeesh.)

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

I supported Pathfinder 2E as much as Dungeons & Dragons 5E right up until…

The Great D&D Open Game License Debacle of 2023 happened. Then Paizo announced the PF2E Core Remastered set. Starfinder Enhanced was followed by the announcement of Starfinder 2E within days before its release.

We all know I don’t believe in coincidence. It’s almost as if Cobra Commander and their counterpart at Paizo engineered this event. Minimally, Paizo benefitted from the OGL Debacle aftermath probably more than anyone else. Part of me wonders if Hasbro was trying to throw the rest of the industry a bone, or if Tomax and Xamot just made a grievous error in judgement that encouraged all of the other companies in the industry to break ties with the OGL.

The OGL Debacle cleared the shelves and warehouse of PF2E books only for Paizo to turn around and announce the Remastered books at a higher price point. The crazier thing yet is that the PF2E Remastered books come in with a larger price tag than the 2024 D&D Core Rules. Basically, a lot of D&D 5E refugees bought into PF2E just to have to turn around and do it all over again if they wanted to stay current. I think it more likely just drove a bunch of people back to 5E.

Revisions and higher price points don’t make for a bad game, though.

Pathfinder, 2E, and now Remastered Core have a lot going for them. I wouldn’t have invested heavily into PF2E and Starfinder if I thought they were low quality games. I’m hanging onto all my books. If nothing else, they’re awesome as references for other fantasy games. The newer edition rules are very smooth, and I like a lot of the worldbuilding. I just can’t bring myself to pull the trigger on another new edition already. Mechanically, PF2E is incredibly sound and even more so now that the OGL language is gone.

I was really, really looking forward to Tian Xia when it was announced. Someone finally got up the nerve to take a solid run at remaking Oriental Adventures in a respectful, considerate way. I may still end up buying it eventually. I’ve looked the material over and I do like it a lot. Right now it’s a little out of reach for me.

That all having been said, just because it’s not my cup of tea doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get into it. I say it almost daily now- what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Don’t let any old goofball on the Internet tell you how to spend your hard earned gaming dollars.

I’m already invested up to my eyeballs in seven or eight other fantasy games. I’ve also seen three or four Kickstarters go by that I would have loved to have gotten into. Rip Crypt is just the latest. I’m on an extremely fixed budget. I can’t afford it as much as I’d love to.

No surprise, 2024 has been the year of new/revised fantasy RPG releases.

Aside from over a dozen new fantasy titles, practically every fantasy game that was already on the market seems to be releasing a revised edition. I’ve seen games go by that I haven’t heard from in years. I’m seeing second editions go by for games that released first editions just a few short years ago. The list has grown beyond my ability to easily track it.

Paizo might be onto something releasing Starfinder 2E in 2025. I think people are going to be ready for a major change of pace after all the fantasy gaming craze dies down a little bit. Some science fantasy might be just what the Game Master ordered. I might go for it just because there still aren’t a lot of good space games out there that have gotten my attention. (Coriolis still looks pretty good, though.)

Large company shenanigans still get my dander up.

I’m fighting my urge to bring up the Jason Tondro shenanigans again. At this point, I think my beef might be more with him than the Paizo union, but regardless, it’s ethically sketchy as Hell in my opinion. Paizo union isn’t looking so hot there y’all.

I will say that if I saw my beloved Free League Publishing, Modiphius, Goodman Games, Chaosium or any other “big name” in the TTRPG industry was up to no good, I’d call it out as I see it. I think it’s highly questionable for Darrington, MCDM, Kobold Press, and Ghostfire Gaming to be doing business on D&D Beyond. The brand loyalty is looking a touch wishy-washy there, guys. If you’re breaking from Hasbro/WotC, selling on D&D Beyond probably isn’t the best way to show it.

Thank goodness Paizo has had the good sense to stay out of D&D Beyond so far. It still doesn’t keep anyone from going back and forth between WotC and Hasbro freelancing, but at least Paizo hasn’t sold out directly. That’s a plus in my book.

I’ll end with my sincere apologies and gratitude.

I apologize if my opinions of Paizo have ruffled anyone’s feathers. I have all kinds of love and respect for everyone even when we don’t agree entirely. This blog is comprised of my opinions. Your opinions are just as valid. It’s all good.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.