D&D&Pathfinder

D&D & Pathfinder

At GenCon 2011, I had the chance to play a demo of Pathfinder, the latest update to the former Dungeons & Dragons OGL purchased by Paizo four years ago and now transformed into version 3.75 of that system. After much internal debate, I picked up the massive Player’s Guide tome and decided to try it out at GenCon.

As we sat down at the table and picked up our pregenerated characters, the GM introduced us to the system and Paizo. He very proudly mentioned that Pathfinder had overtaken D&D to become the number one selling role playing game on the market. We all thought the same thing: “Really?” Well, kind of. I’ve since done some research and listened to enough Pathfinder and Paizo podcasts to understand that statement.

ICV2, one of my favorite comics/games/movies sites, publishes quarterly reports about sales from feedback they receive from retailers. These are NOT hard sales numbers but instead verbal interviews and reports about how many are being sold. It is NOT comprehensive nor can it be called accurate. It is, instead, a general report from a select group of retailers. Here’s what ICV2 reported:

This chart of the Top 5 Roleplaying Games (hobby channel) reflects sales in Q2 2011. The charts are based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and manufacturers.

Top 5 Roleplaying Games – Q2 2011
	Title	Publisher
1	Pathfinder	Paizo Publishing
2	Dungeons & Dragons	Wizards of the Coast
3	Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch	Fantasy Flight Games
4	Dragon Age	Green Ronin Publishing
5	Shadowrun	Catalyst Game Labs

So, at least according to this one website, Pathfinder has overtaken D&D as the top selling fantasy RPG.

So what?

I guess I’m glad that the top two are both iterations of my favorite game. And as long as it doesn’t splinter the fanbase or destroy true D&D (whatever that is!), I’m OK with it. As we played the demo, I had flashbacks to the many years we spent playing version 3.0 and 3.5. It’s definitely a game with lots of detail, customization, and sophistication. And that’s what appeals to older gamers who grew up in the 70s and 80s with 1^st and 2^nd edition D&D. Paizo has really taken 3.5 and perfected it. It’s like version 3.99! And they are doing some really amazing things with other books, products, and modules.

Of course, I realized as well that some things I hated about 3.5 continue. For example, it can be complicated to manage your character’s feats and there still is NOT a very good electronic character creator. And as I looked at a module, I saw an entry for an encounter that read: “See Bestiary 2 for monster stats.” Ugh. Why can’t I have all the stats right there?!

I think there is a lot to like in Pathfinder. And as I listen to more podcasts about upcoming products, I get even more excited. But I also love D&D, including 4^th edition. I like using cards for powers and I love how they present adventures to DMs. I think 4^th edition offers a lot of positives for our gaming group and for introducing my kids to the game I love.

Hmmm… I wonder: Is there room in my life for two fantasy RPGs?