If you study Paizo the way Clave does, this week’s announcement about the Pathfinder 2nd Edition release isn’t too surprising. We knew that Paizo spends a lot of money to help sponsor GenCon and historically they have done their major product launches at GenCon. Just two years ago, we were dazzled by the amazing launch of Starfinder after all.
So, at GenCon, one year after the playtest launched to the wider public, we arrive at the launch of Pathfinder 2.
What we didn’t know would be the exact products that would be launching with the release. Now we know: Paizo has gone all in this new launch.
First, you get the Core Rulebook, which if Twitter is to be believed, is well over 600 pages. If you were worried about Pathfinder 2 having lost its crunchy math, at least the size indicator seems to mean you have nothing to worry about.
But Paizo is also adding the core pieces of the Pathfinder 2 in its first Bestiary and the Lost Omens World Guide. So right away you get the core rules to master, the first wave of creatures, and a setting book.
But, let’s be honest: Pathfinder isn’t at its best in the hands of home brewers; it shines in its world of Glorian and its Adventure Paths. Amanda Hamon writes the first part of the Age of Ashes AP, Hellknight Hill, which is a great title by a great author that has me pretty excited.
Additionally, they are releasing an adventure written by Jason Buhlmahn–The Fall of Plaguestone– that I think will likely serve as a good first adventure for new people trying out Pathfinder.
Finally, they also are adding in some smart products to launch alongside it, continuing their flip mats, condition cards, updating the DMs screen (with both vertical and horizontal options, which is the first I have seen a major publisher do), as well as the combat pad, which great for tracking initiative and character sheets, because you got to have that at launch.
Get all the details of the upcoming Pathfinder Second Edition products here.
As one of the D&D 5e holdouts on the Nerds on Earth team, the new system and launch does have me intrigued. I definitely will give Pathfinder a look with this new launch. But I am also curious about a decided lack of Golarian talk in the press release; around this site, we’ve held the notion that the setting and development of it has always been Paizo’s sneaky MVP. Are they going to make a mistake and pivot away from it?
So what about you? Have you pre-ordered or subscribed? (A reminder that Paizo subscribers get PDFs of each product for free, which may be super useful versus carrying around a 600+ page new rulebook!)
Again, find all the details at PathfinderSecondEdition.com.
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