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Katsunami · 02-21-2016, 07:12 PM

This is ridiculous.

There are two shared universes I read in; one is Forgotten Realms, and the other is Pathfinder. I mainly started reading the latter because I recognized some names from the Forgotten Realms: Elaine Cunningham, Dave Gross, Ed Greenwood (although he gets bad reviews there too, so he apparently still can't write), Richard Lee Byers... and I just love to read some light (sometimes even tripe

) fantasy in between the 'real' stuff. I don't read the rulebooks or web fiction or short stories; just the novels, just as I do with the Forgotten Realms.

Well, the first 25 books were published by Paizo themselves. (Paizo is a company comparable to TSR/Wizards of the Coast). They had quite original stuff, and their books were not too expensive; $7 at the US Kobo store. I could often combine a purchase with at least a 50% off coupon, so I could get many of the books for $3.50 or less.

I'm now checking my library to see if anything was published in series I'm reading. I added two Forgotten Realms novels published in 2015, to keep these series complete (as far as ebooks go: I have to get some as paperback as well someday, because they don't come as an ebook). Then I went to check out Pathfinder. I noticed I was now 6 books behind, and went to bookmark them and go hunting for some coupons.

Or, maybe not.

They are now published by TOR.com/MacMillan.

Now the books don't cost $7, they cost $15.38 to $17.95, depending on the store, and they don't seem to be eligible for a discount anywhere. How's that? A 100%+ price increase.

==========

Second rant, about the same book series, actually...

Paizo, Pathfinder's creator, published Dungeons and Dragons material in the past, but Wizards of the Coast decided not to renew the license in 2007. In response, Paizo created Pathfinder. It actually is a d20-system roleplaying game, based on the OGL (open game license), using a modified version of the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition rule set.

Therefore it is no surprise that it feels like, and looks like Dungeons and Dragons, especially because some writers who write for Wizards of the Coast now also (or still) write for Paizo.

However, their website now has terms like these:

Seldarine ('normal' elves)
Drow (dark elves)
Duergar (dark dwarves)

And they live in the Darklands, of which the description is surprisingly familiar... it sounds a lot like... uh... the Underdark (but with sections below one another instead of side by side), with a cities looking and functioning more than a bit like Menzoberranzan. It just misses a hero called Dryzzit Dro-Arden who journeys to the surface and meets a dwarf called Brawenar Battleaxe to (almost) complete the copy...

I *liked* the fact that Pathfinder was Forgotten Realms-like without actually *being* the Forgotten Realms, but if species of that setting are creeping in, anything could happen.

As Pathfinder has even replaced Dungeons and Dragons as the top-selling RPG in the US, I wouldn't even be surprised if Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast just outright purchases Paizo, and make Pathfinder another campaign setting in the D&D Universe. It would fit right in, but I think it would lose most of its fans.

I wonder if anyone is actually playing anything besides Forgotten Realms; are people still playing Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Eberron, and Dark Sun? Most campain settings seem to be basically dead (apart from maybe Dragonlance), apart from being converted to a new ruleset every number of years.

Maybe I should just stop after book 25 and get the Ravenloft books. They are not many, and it looks like an interesting setting.

02-21-2016, 07:12 PM	#27230
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	This is ridiculous. There are two shared universes I read in; one is Forgotten Realms, and the other is Pathfinder. I mainly started reading the latter because I recognized some names from the Forgotten Realms: Elaine Cunningham, Dave Gross, Ed Greenwood (although he gets bad reviews there too, so he apparently still can't write), Richard Lee Byers... and I just love to read some light (sometimes even tripe ) fantasy in between the 'real' stuff. I don't read the rulebooks or web fiction or short stories; just the novels, just as I do with the Forgotten Realms. Well, the first 25 books were published by Paizo themselves. (Paizo is a company comparable to TSR/Wizards of the Coast). They had quite original stuff, and their books were not too expensive; $7 at the US Kobo store. I could often combine a purchase with at least a 50% off coupon, so I could get many of the books for $3.50 or less. I'm now checking my library to see if anything was published in series I'm reading. I added two Forgotten Realms novels published in 2015, to keep these series complete (as far as ebooks go: I have to get some as paperback as well someday, because they don't come as an ebook). Then I went to check out Pathfinder. I noticed I was now 6 books behind, and went to bookmark them and go hunting for some coupons. Or, maybe not. They are now published by TOR.com/MacMillan. Now the books don't cost $7, they cost $15.38 to $17.95, depending on the store, and they don't seem to be eligible for a discount anywhere. How's that? A 100%+ price increase. ========== Second rant, about the same book series, actually... Paizo, Pathfinder's creator, published Dungeons and Dragons material in the past, but Wizards of the Coast decided not to renew the license in 2007. In response, Paizo created Pathfinder. It actually is a d20-system roleplaying game, based on the OGL (open game license), using a modified version of the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition rule set. Therefore it is no surprise that it feels like, and looks like Dungeons and Dragons, especially because some writers who write for Wizards of the Coast now also (or still) write for Paizo. However, their website now has terms like these: Seldarine ('normal' elves) Drow (dark elves) Duergar (dark dwarves) And they live in the Darklands, of which the description is surprisingly familiar... it sounds a lot like... uh... the Underdark (but with sections below one another instead of side by side), with a cities looking and functioning more than a bit like Menzoberranzan. It just misses a hero called Dryzzit Dro-Arden who journeys to the surface and meets a dwarf called Brawenar Battleaxe to (almost) complete the copy... I liked the fact that Pathfinder was Forgotten Realms-like without actually being the Forgotten Realms, but if species of that setting are creeping in, anything could happen. As Pathfinder has even replaced Dungeons and Dragons as the top-selling RPG in the US, I wouldn't even be surprised if Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast just outright purchases Paizo, and make Pathfinder another campaign setting in the D&D Universe. It would fit right in, but I think it would lose most of its fans. I wonder if anyone is actually playing anything besides Forgotten Realms; are people still playing Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Eberron, and Dark Sun? Most campain settings seem to be basically dead (apart from maybe Dragonlance), apart from being converted to a new ruleset every number of years. Maybe I should just stop after book 25 and get the Ravenloft books. They are not many, and it looks like an interesting setting. Last edited by Katsunami; 02-21-2016 at 07:23 PM.