So. Pathfinder. For those of you who don't know, pathfinder is a game developed by almost unheard of Paizo. It is basically a small company's response to the outcry over 4th edition (D&D, that is) having basically betrayed its loyal fan basis an peed on the relationship I though we had (Wizards, don't call me, its over between us.) But.. is it any good, or just some company trying to make a penny off of the disenfranchised 3.5 loyalists?
For those of you who want to speak up right now and say "4.0 isn't that bad." let me explain to you that you are wrong and the US constitution no longer applies to you, because if you love 4.0, you are not an americam, you are a terrorist, and I will not take advice from a terrorists (Timothy McVeigh once told me to buy a Game Gear, since then, it's been a 0 terrorist advice scale.) I will admit,3.5 had it's ploblems, mostly the problem where powergamers could create characters whose only pupose in life was to rape the innocent stories of the poor storyteller (you know, that guy who is God and who could easily kill any character for being too much of a dick..) but amazingly, pathfinder managed to address those problems without CHANGING EVERYTHING GOOD ABOUT THE SYSTEM. I will use my life experience to explain what I mean. In my fourth year of college, I decided to change my major, I'd had some experience in criminal justice, but was pretty heavily involved as an English major. I am now in my sixth year of college, and while I still have all my english skills, I had to work hard to aquire all my new skills. According to 4.0 I Should've just filled out the declaration to change major, and then walked away happily with my degree in criminal justice, having completely forgotten who the hell Faulkner was.
3.5 also has a coherent setting that comes with the story, how coherent, well in one session, i referenced one thing in the setting, and Im fairly sure Joe Pierce is now planning my untimely demise. A story teller should always feel that the only reason his players don't outright slay him is that they are addicted to the story as your mother is snorting crack off of an old parisian sailors "mast."
The races are more balanced (something 4.0 didnt accomplish at all), the classes are more fun and feel much more different (rather than fighter feeling like a mage with alot of "sword spells") and the new setting makes me wonder why Paizo didn't do this years ago. Paizo buys me flowers where wizards of the coast used to get drunk,beat me, and tell me to go kill a mind flayer. They're unique approach to an old system leaves me feeling refreshed, and has restored my faith in all mankind. If paizo can save us from 4.0, maybe world peace is achievable, if you don't make the connection here, don't worry about it...Terrorist!
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Well Tony, 4th ed did enchance certain parts of D&D and is currently trying to bring a lot of the old mods back. Also the reworking of setting has been pretty good. Forgotten Realms is still FR we just find out what has happen in the Realms since we last meet, Ebberon has only been deepen and old favorites like Darksun and Greyhawk have been worked into the core material. The expansion of the mythos makes 4th ed a worthy venture. I will give you it streamlined it a bit too much but the mechanics are pretty much still the same.
ReplyDeleteThe System itself has become bastardized, character creation is a headache, and the classes lost alot of their uniqueness.
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