Why I Think Paizo Releasing Content For 5th Edition is a Smart Move

Anyone who's been around here knows my views on the upcoming Pathfinder 2nd Edition (and if you don't know I summarized them pretty neatly in 5 Red Flags in Pathfinder's 2nd Edition Playtest). In short, I'm not a fan. For my two cents I feel like Paizo is essentially trying to reach across the aisle to court the DND 5th Edition audience by removing the 3.5 engine that Pathfinder is built on, and releasing a game that gives you fewer options, removing the mechanical freedom that marked the Pathfinder classic edition.

And since I feel that way, folks might assume that I would be equally down on Paizo's stated intention to release a DND 5th Edition compatible Bestiary with their anniversary edition of the Kingmaker adventure path. However, in this case, you couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I think that Paizo releasing straight-up 5th Edition content is an extremely smart idea, and it's something I wish the company would put more effort into.

Seriously, I think it's a much smarter play.

I Thought You Hated 5th Edition?

As I've said repeatedly, I have no beef with 5th Edition. It's a perfectly functional rules system, and it appeals to players who like a game where they can pick up and play without too much in the way of complexity. However, it is not a game that has a lot of mechanical freedom. I talked about this more in-depth in Understanding The Difference Between Story Freedom and Mechanical Freedom in RPGs a while back, but the short version is that mechanical freedom is when the rules of the game support your story in specific ways. In 5th Edition you can play a barbarian who goes Jekyll to Hyde when he rages, but in Pathfinder you can physically transform into another person with their own alignment, appearance, race, personality, etc. through the Master Chymist prestige class, or in several Vigilante archetypes. It's the difference between re-skinning a mechanic to look different, and actually have a mechanic that functions differently.

However, the more mechanical freedom you want in your game, the more mechanics you need to have. So players who want to keep the rules relatively light tend to stick to games that require a minimum of prep. And that's why, according to an industry contact of mine, over 80 percent of sales made on Drive Thru RPG right now are for 5th Edition-compatible content.

That's a market that's hard to ignore.

With numbers like that, it's no surprise that Paizo wants to try to tap the 5th Edition crowd. It's what I'd do in their shoes, and I don't begrudge them that in the slightest.

The problem is they've been going about it in the worst possible way.

Marketing Mistakes and Cash Grabs

First of all, let's get something straight here. Pathfinder's core base was formed by players who wanted to keep playing DND 3.5, and refused to move on to 4th Edition when it came out. Paizo gave us that, and it's why we bought book after book, year after year. That's the game we liked, and we wanted to keep getting new adventures, accessories, tokens, optional rules packages, etc. for that game.

And while there are a lot of DMs out there who complain about "bloat", or who argue that Pathfinder needed a new edition, coming out with one was always going to be risky. Coming out with one that essentially throws all the old content in the garbage, making it unusable in the new edition, was going to lead to deep, angry divisions. That was one, major reason that so many 3.5 players didn't move on a decade and change ago; they'd dedicated 3 shelves of space to monster manuals, player books, race guides, etc., and they were not willing to leave all that behind for a new game that would cost more money and give them fewer options than what they already had.

Looking at you.

That was exactly what the playtest did. It introduced a system that was just different enough that all the content players and DMs had invested in was no longer valid, wiped the slate clean, and set the stage for a new game entirely. And then the company sold bound copies of the playtest, which just looked like a naked cash grab, and didn't help the accusations that the reason behind this new game was more profit-driven than it was a legitimate demand from the market for a new game.

Will some players move on? Of course they will. The same way some players moved on from 3.5 to 4th edition, and were perfectly happy to do so. My prediction? I think this has a good chance of alienating 1/3 to 1/2 of the existing player base who will play through the material they have, and then either turn to 3rd party publishers to get their fix, or simply play a different game entirely.

But I was talking about 5th Edition.

By releasing existing content from the Golarion setting in a 5th Edition-compatible package, Paizo is making a very smart move. As I alluded to earlier, people are attached to the games they have, and more often than not they don't like being moved out of their comfort zone (and forcing a gamer out of their comfort zone by discontinuing support for their game of choice is how you get people who refuse to play anything else out of sheer spite). So the solution for how to get some of that sweet, sweet 5th Edition audience isn't try to making some bizarre hybrid game that's going to piss off a lot of your core fan base and which probably won't entice people who already like 5th Edition.

It's to just make 5th Edition content.

Two Birds, One Stone

Producing an RPG is expensive, and over the past decade Paizo has put out a lot of rock solid content, great adventure paths, and truly bonkers set pieces. Instead of trying to make a hybrid game that is too bland for one side, and too complicated for the other, the smart move is to just showcase their setting, their creatures, their adventures, and the raw, insane creativity of Golarion as a setting and repackaging it in 5th Edition form. This also has the benefit that 5th Edition players don't have to buy a whole new support network to try out your product, which makes it even more enticing!

Now you're starting to get the picture.

If you already have the content and the IP (which Paizo certainly does), it takes a lot less effort to convert it to 5th Edition, and put it in front of players who would happily buy it if only it was compatible with their game of choice. Whether it's introducing new archetypes for the existing classes, or giving players access to some of the nutso stuff Pathfinder players have had for ages that just doesn't exist in traditional 5th Edition. From gunslingers and oracles, to magi and vigilantes, there is all sorts of stuff you can do in Pathfinder that you just can't do in 5th Edition out of the box.

If you give players and DMs the option to use those things in the games they're already playing, they are a lot more likely to snap them up. Because now it's a fun accessory, rather than a huge investment of time and energy that a new game often represents.

This would allow Paizo to diversify its lines and tap into the biggest gaming market out there, but also help keep their core audience happy by not pushing them to accept a divisive game that many will just refuse to buy. Additionally, regular Pathfinder players could continue to act as the test market for new ideas, seeing which adventure paths, classes and archetypes, etc. are popular, and thus more likely to succeed in the larger 5th Edition market. And, of course, there will be 5th Edition players who want to see how their new favorite classes played in their original form, giving Paizo cascade sales as more 5th Edition players check out Pathfinder, since the converted content essentially got Paizo's foot in the door, and now they have an emotional investment.

Do I think that's what's going to happen? No, probably not. Paizo has gone all-in on making this second edition happen, and the only thing that's going to stop its forward momentum is if it tanks as a product (which is still possible, but I don't have the market numbers to say it it's likely). At this point I think the best we can hope for is that Paizo continues digital support for existing Pathfinder Classic content, while pushing this new edition as hard as they can.

But I think it would be a much smarter, more efficient move to just put a few splat books of occult classes, monsters, and some adventures in front of the 5th Edition crowd, and let the rich flavor of the setting and ideas speak for themselves.

Speaking of 5th Edition Content From Creators You Love...

For folks who haven't seen some of the goods, yet.

The shift toward 5th Edition's market share has affected all of us out there, yours truly included. Which is why I decided to diversify my offerings, too! As of right now two of my modules, False Valor and The Curse of Sapphire Lake are both available from Total Party Kill Games. Both of these one-shots can be played independently, or you can work them in as a starting point for a larger campaign if you want to.

And False Valor recently went Copper, which has me all kinds of excited!

And for the DMs out there who want something a little smaller than a full module, I've got something for you, as well. A Baker's Dozen of Rumours (And The Truth Behind Them) is ideal for injecting a little intrigue into your game. Meaty enough to work as a full session, if you want, these rumors can slot right into most campaigns. And if you're looking for a chart to keep on hand, 100 Encounters For on The Road or in The Wilderness also went Copper fairly recently!

Like, Follow, and Keep in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed the film, and it provides you all with the same sort of inspiration it did me!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!