Meanwhile in Pathfinder News

Since the last few weeks have been pretty much all D&D 5E all the time when it comes to the spider-web of blogs and odd chat sites that comprise the news resources for all thing tabletop RPG, I thought I'd do something no one else is doing and talk about what Pathfinder has going. I have a vested interest, as my Saturday group is returning to Pathfinder next session, and my Wednesday group has already rebelled and is returning to Pathfinder this week.

I'm cool with it. If there's one thing I've learned from 13th Age it's that I like a slower and more methodical game system, with a bit more nuance. 13th Age handles a certain style of play extremely well (gonzo heroic) but it's pace and feel, while great for an occasional romp, is not suited to my default style of play.

So....what's up with Pathfinder?

Paizo of course needs to throw some stuff out for later this year that will look equally attractive next to the onslaught of D&D tomes about to hit. They've got the usual fine Reynolds art lined up, with a great cover for the looming Advanced Class Guide scheduled for sometime in August (probably for GenCon):

You can still get the Advanced Class Guide playtest document and take the ten new classes contained within for a spin. Each class is a hybrid of two core classes. It's an interesting concept, another subversive strike from Pathfinder against the 3rd edition method of multi-classing, right behind archetypes and the idea of classes that are more fun for 20 whole levels. Given how rarely my players multi-class, I guess their war against the habit is working.

Next up is the Pathfinder Strategy Guide slated for sometime in Octoberish:

Bound to be the ruination of campaigns everywhere as players who like to make interesting and role-play focused characters read it and learn how to min-max like a pro....

After that we have the Monster Codex, also scheduled for "October" so expect it by December:

This one has me excited. It focuses on twenty popular monsters from the Bestiaries, looking in great depth on them. It sounds like a combination ecology guide/race guide/stat block heaven lineup in which the GM can lean on this book for lots of pre-statted orcs and other monsters that make for interesting encounters without having to do all the footwork; the most excruciating part of Pathfinder and 3E for many a GM, of course, is those horrendous stat blocks. If this game offers up a mess of interesting pre-made villain NPCS, consider me sold.

Most of the slim books haven't been grabbing me, but this one is an exception- the Pathfinder Technology Guide:

The descriptions suggests that this book actually has some real meat to it (sort of what I wished Distant Worlds had been), with loads of equipment and useful material for adding sci-fi fantasy tech to your campaign setting, or blending it to make your own planetary romance/gamma world knock off. Could be interesting....the Technology Guide looms large this August. Maybe next year Paizo will pull the trigger and release a full-blown hard cover high tech planetary romance manual, a "Ultimate Space Campaigns" book or something......