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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 17:21:57
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| Assuming that the Character Visualizer et al. is not vaporware (except for what we already have now). I think that WotC probably wanted to make sure that everything was working before they started charging for the subscription, but then the bean-counters at Hasbro said something along the lines of "we are supposed to be charging for this, why aren't we yet?" Or it could have just been WotC double-speak. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Ikki
Seeker
Finland
57 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 08:46:03
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for completeness i think the early paizodays have to be recounted for aswell.. which was the inexcusable merging of magazines and aften leaving dungeon adventures to shrink into one or two short ones a magazine... and still the price went from 5 to 6 to 8 euros a magazine..
So i stopped buying them sometimes around nr 80 (nothing but crusty memory to base that number on..), and didnt get back onboard until age of worms was halfway thru.
And then 7 mags into isle of dread i decided to order... pff..
Well atleast that left me with the perfect excuse to fill out the collection with missing age of worm and cagewright mags i hadnt been able to find from those 3 years of so that i was boycotting.
Anyway, this whole digital path has me sideways.. the one big problem with computer games is the lack of fantasy that you ould enter into it. No way in them to create a square and compass of stonewall at will.. no chance to simulcra last months slain dragon into a steed or set up a castlebuilders guild.. with your square and compass doing the building ;)
Or those chats with the rulers regarding how they feel about this guild creating a few dozen instant castles thru the lands..
No, it just devolves into combat and finding a sword with a bigger plus...
ps.. i wonder if you have to buy virtual monster miniatures to use in your virtual dungeons too.. $5 for a dragon, 20c for a orc etc.. like habbo hotels, and kids can send sms:s to gain credit (send mini-orc to 555-monsters, costs just 1,99+miniature price). Lilbro managed a 400 euro bill some years back ordering for virtual chairs, beers etc... |
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Ikki
Seeker
Finland
57 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 09:15:39
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read the other two pages :P
If they have indeed lowered the prices as indicated by our dear Markushoon, this points towards sales problems.. afterall as we know very well, they are in this to make the maximum amount of money no less and certainly much more.. if they just figure out how..
And not, as elsewhere suggested, supposedly really great sales.
Furthermore, can one get roleplyers to pay a monthly fee to access a webpage? I mean, that is what their whole business model hangs upon.. certainly kids can be persuaded to pay with their parents money, but will adults fall for it? My own meager expirience shows that less than 1/200 are willing..
And thats for considerably higher quality material too, where people earn their own money etc.
Furthermore we are headed into bad times, times when you dont want repeating monthly outlays of money, but to be able to control every last penny
So what does this amount to?
100 subscribers?
I mean, one cannot subscribe if you dont go to forums.. so that's where the recruiting HAS TO start, forum actives.., and we know how those (we) feel.
800 montly dollars doesnt pay for a single worker.. unless the ddi is outsourced to nigeria... so players can start looking forward to those emails: -im the inheritor and need your help to reclaim 300 million... |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 20:15:26
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| How can we talk about how well something is selling if even is on sale yet? |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 20:31:37
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Its called speculation.
We can talk about what's been said already and discuss new information as it becomes available. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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Ikki
Seeker
Finland
57 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 07:23:22
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Christopher_Rowe, i believe the issue concerned the 4e books.
But the rest is and will be, as said, speculations drawn upon more or less valid points.
They have maybe 50.000 actives (and i think thats a overstated number) on the d&d forums, and if 1/100 get ddi.. thats 500 paying customers, 200 for 1/250. Also, one who isnt going to their main site, isnt going to become a ddi customer either.
And as they have managed to kick out or plain piss off a fairly good share of the big buyers..
http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=001zb4.jpg & http://img371.imageshack.us/my.php?image=002bg7.jpg
(gameshelfs should be filled out, my floor is covered too ( :D ).. and none of the AD&D strictly rules-stuff non-world (except the gray FR box, which must have been left behind.. damn!) and other stuff like darksun adventure flipbooks are there anymore... well, between a bleeding head, long day, tired as a wettex and parents not wanting to store the stuff.. i was irritated enough to tell them i didnt care a flying ... what they did to the roleplaying stuff i had left behind, as they had dropped a loose door in my head just before).
ps.. oh yeah and all the old dragons went too.
as did evidently a few other books here and there that i might rather have saved.. ohwell.. |
Edited by - Ikki on 01 Oct 2008 07:28:12 |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 09:07:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
OH there are bad links as well often, someome complaianed about new hire link (though not sure if they picked up from thread instead of site), some of the new releases that some appear not to be able to access (A few believe it is coding struture that does not interfacee well with IE). WotC site has been a mess for years and likely will remain a mess for years.
It though is the source as long as one can find something to drink.
Bad links... I found one of those while scrambling to download as much FR lore as I can before FR goes completely "lore-free" under the new edition. The "Wyrms of the North" link to Klauth is dead. The others all work fine. But I can't get my Klauth download.  I'll just have to wait until I get my Dragon back issues moved and scan the articles myself... but once I have my magazines, I won't *need* the article scanned.  |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
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Pandora
Learned Scribe
Germany
305 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 11:11:37
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| I really like your signature Jakk ... one of the great unrecognized truths of today. |
If you cant say what youre meaning,
you can never mean what youre saying.
- Centauri Minister of Intelligence, Babylon 5 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 15:04:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
Bad links... I found one of those while scrambling to download as much FR lore as I can before FR goes completely "lore-free" under the new edition. The "Wyrms of the North" link to Klauth is dead. The others all work fine. But I can't get my Klauth download. I'll just have to wait until I get my Dragon back issues moved and scan the articles myself... but once I have my magazines, I won't *need* the article scanned.
Google is always your friend. 
The WotC link might wind up working later; sometimes they don't work for days and then are fine. But, failing that, there's always Google's cached version of the page. I got to it just fine that way. I'd post the link, but for some reason, it went wonky when I tried. Just Google Klauth, and click on the cached version of the Wizards page. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 00:10:20
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Having said that, I will note that the published format of Baur's KOBOLD QUARTERLY, has helped eased some of the pain I feel over the absence of a quality magazine dealing with one of my favorite activities. He should be commended for his efforts to maintain a tradition that I've loved for so long.
I have to get some of those, just for the 'Ecology Of' articles if nothing else.
That was one of my favorite article series in the old Dragon. |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2008 : 02:23:04
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What the ... ?
quote:
Dragon #369
Of course, I've saved the best for last. We know that in tough economic times, subscription services suffer the most. Historically, magazine subscriptions drop significantly when people start trimming their budgets. But is there a better deal for a D&D fan out there right now than Insider? You basically get a supplement's worth of gaming content and access to the D&D Compendium for $5 a month. I was going to compare that deal to the tired example of giving up one fancy coffee a month. But you know what? You should take your laptop to your local Starbucks, order that fancy coffee, and use the free Wi-Fi to peruse the latest Dragon article or Dungeon adventure. If you're looking to trim your budget, I'd say cancel the high-speed Internet and bum off your local coffee shop.
Ummmm... Okay, so we should cancel our internet accounts, but keep paying for DDi and read them in Starbucks?
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I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2008 : 02:32:12
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Take this with a grain of salt, but the whole editorial kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Given that they theme was "Thanksgiving," this would have been a perfect time to say thank you to all of the fans that stuck with them, and for providing them with such great sales for 4th Edition even in unstable financial times, but instead, we got another sales pitch and more about how great they think they are.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2008 : 02:38:34
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quote:
Dragon #369
(snip) But is there a better deal for a D&D fan out there right now than Insider? (snip)
Pathfinder?  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 04 Nov 2008 02:38:58 |
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Kes_Alanadel
Learned Scribe
USA
326 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2008 : 03:29:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Dragon #369
(snip) But is there a better deal for a D&D fan out there right now than Insider? (snip)
Pathfinder?
*Snort* Touche' |
Ack! I seem to have too much blood in my coffee stream!
When did 'common sense' cease to be common? |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2008 : 01:33:34
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Take this with a grain of salt, but the whole editorial kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Given that they theme was "Thanksgiving," this would have been a perfect time to say thank you to all of the fans that stuck with them, and for providing them with such great sales for 4th Edition even in unstable financial times, but instead, we got another sales pitch and more about how great they think they are.
Heh, good point. I like how he told people to vote though. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 16:52:00
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So, DDi has posted a Map Gallery and Art Gallery of Draconomicon up on the site. What do you, as a subscriber get for these articles? You can download all the pictures as a handy .zip file.
But what if you're not a subscriber? Well, you'll have to click on each picture individually to open it, then right click and hit 'Save picture as...' to save it locally.
Yep. Still not going to subscribe. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Patrakis
Learned Scribe
Canada
256 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 17:01:59
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Are the images still at the too low res to be of any utility?
Pat |
Dancing is like standing still, but faster.
My site: http://www.patoumonde.com |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 17:27:19
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The maps were coming off as around page-sized (average 8½ x 11 at 72 dpi), and the pictures were about the same.
Although, I would like to know who EF (?) is that did the dragon artwork. They look like some Sid & Marty Kroft dinosaurs with wings and horns, IMO. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 18:54:14
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-I noticed one off those Maps is a re-print of a map from the Red Hand of Doom Module.
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 19:16:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-I noticed one off those Maps is a re-print of a map from the Red Hand of Doom Module.
BRIMSTONE
That doesn't surprise me after seeing Warforged in the GHotR! |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 19:19:22
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-Its number 28, to be exact. Its the last major encounter in the Red Hand of Doom. 
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 20:35:12
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| I'm interested in the Baphomet article currently up on the DDI site, but I'm not paying just for that one article. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 05:24:54
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Give it up folks. Leave WotC. Come to Paizo. Yes. Come with me. It's *FUN* over there, and their designers come on the boards to ask our opinion on stuff (and gasp! they implement our lowly suggestions in their products, be they Pathfinder RPG (improved/fixed 3.5 rules), minis we want to see produced, and everything else in general)
Ah... it's so nice over there... follow me!
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 06:00:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Give it up folks. Leave WotC. Come to Paizo. Yes. Come with me. It's *FUN* over there, and their designers come on the boards to ask our opinion on stuff (and gasp! they implement our lowly suggestions in their products, be they Pathfinder RPG (improved/fixed 3.5 rules), minis we want to see produced, and everything else in general)
Ah... it's so nice over there... follow me!
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards
I would, man, but I don't get their forum layout! It's utterly unlike any other one I've seen... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 06:08:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Give it up folks. Leave WotC. Come to Paizo. Yes. Come with me. It's *FUN* over there, and their designers come on the boards to ask our opinion on stuff (and gasp! they implement our lowly suggestions in their products, be they Pathfinder RPG (improved/fixed 3.5 rules), minis we want to see produced, and everything else in general)
Ah... it's so nice over there... follow me!
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards
I would, man, but I don't get their forum layout! It's utterly unlike any other one I've seen...
Yes, very confusing layout. I love the ruleset and setting and will be sure to implement their rules in any future games my group is a part of. But the messageboards leave me saying  |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 06:22:40
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I switched my alignment from Lawful Good to Chaotic Good, and lo and behold! I now fully understand their boards!  |
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Misery
Acolyte
27 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 08:02:43
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It took awhile to get used to their boards but after you do, its not so bad.
... its not so GOOD either, but you can get where you need to go.
... sorta. |
... can I still be a bad A and like kittens? |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 12:23:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Give it up folks. Leave WotC. Come to Paizo. Yes. Come with me. It's *FUN* over there, and their designers come on the boards to ask our opinion on stuff (and gasp! they implement our lowly suggestions in their products, be they Pathfinder RPG (improved/fixed 3.5 rules), minis we want to see produced, and everything else in general)
Ah... it's so nice over there... follow me!
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards
I'd like to... but the simple fact is, I've made my home here. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Pandora
Learned Scribe
Germany
305 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 13:53:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I would, man, but I don't get their forum layout! It's utterly unlike any other one I've seen...
I have to agree with you there 100%. Not my style either. |
If you cant say what youre meaning,
you can never mean what youre saying.
- Centauri Minister of Intelligence, Babylon 5 |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 14:12:36
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-I don't even remember the last time I posted at Paizo.  I guess I was not really into it. It's a good site, I just got tired of seeing posters throwing fits if their overpowered ideas for pathfinder weren't adopted whole heartedly by the Paizo crew.  Thats the drawback of a public playtest. It's my way or the highway folks. Now this is not directed at the Pathfinder ruleset itself. I would rather keep playing 3.5. I am just not interested anymore.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
Edited by - Brimstone on 17 Nov 2008 14:13:35 |
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DDi: Same old website that will soon cost us $$?
