For anyone who doesn't know, I have been divorced from D&D for about 2 1/2 years, and since moving from the big city to Smallville about 10 months ago, I've had very little contact with the gaming community in general. So it came as a great surprise to me this past weekend to find that Paizo Publishing, formerly the home of Dungeon magazine and Dragon magazine, was building and distributing a new campaign world for D&D 3.5 called the Pathfinder RPG.
Again in case you don't know about it, it is a new world centering on the interactions of 5 socio/political/national factions in the aftermath of the collapse of a greater empire. Woven into this story is an organization called the Pathfinder Society. They seem to be a reason for adventurers of different stripes to act together, as well as having their own agenda.
What I find most fascinating about this situation is the irony. WotC decides to "fix" D&D (some might say in the veternary sense) and ceases support for the previous edition. This is pretty much SOP for them, based on the last transition. But because of the troublesome OGL, which some might suggest lead to the need to replace the system, a former publishing partner has the right to continue the support WotC is withholding. And thus a part of WotCs market strategy is foiled, the requirement of all who play D&D to buy upgrade(?) if they wish to purchase new material. This new game, coming as it does from Paizo, is as official as any new 3.5 products will be.
Incidentally, this new campaign is support very much in the way of Living Greyhawk and so forth. There is an online signup, you register your characters, play at approved events and receive points and such. Like an RPGA event. I was more than a little amazed. I knew that devotees of the previous system would continue to play that system, as had occured with 1st ed and 2nd ed before. Even 3.0 had people who didn't switch. But for this to all come together the way it has...it ust makes me smile.
Tags: 3.5 D&D Irony
