Pathfinder Adventures will release March 29th!

[Mikey Dowling]

Today we have awesome news: Pathfinder Adventures, the digital version of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, will be coming to Apple iPad and Android tablets on March 29th!

 

We'll be giving more news as the release date approaches, but be sure to check out the new website and sign up for the newsletter!

[Starwars]

Good news, but waiting for the PC release date!

[MerryHo]

What exactly do you guys expect us to do for the next 2 months given this information! 

[why]

I'm picking it up straight away, but if I like what I see I'll pick it up on the PC also.  I have hope, but I've learned to temper my hopes.  We'll see how this baby runs on my Galaxy S2.

[Borissimo]

Fantastic news!! The next two months are going to be among the longest of my life.

 

I was a little concerned by this phrase from the announcement:

 

"Additional adventure decks will be available for purchase at launch, and regular intervals thereafter."

 

Can you clarify exactly what this means? I was under the impression that the full adventure path would be available for purchase when the game launches (because, after all, anything less wouldn't really count as the whole "game"), but this phrase makes it sound as though we'll be able to buy some but not all of the 6 adventure decks on March 29. Depending on how long a "regular interval" is and how many decks are available for purchase at each interval, it won't be till weeks or even months after the March 29 "release" that we will actually be able to play the whole game. It would really take the wind out of players' sails to only be able to play, for example, through Deck 2, then have to wait 2 weeks for Deck 3, then another 2 weeks for Deck 4, etc.

 

I would love to be told my understanding of that little phrase from the announcement is wrong, but I'm very excited by today's news nevertheless!

[whoopdido]

Along the same lines as the previous post, could you please confirm if this is going to be one of those "pay to play" games? Sorry I don't know if they're actually called somethings else but you know those games where actions cost points or stones or whatever and you replenish those points or stones every 10 minutes or you can pay money to get more stones. Apparently this is being released as a free game and typically that's how those free games work. That's how the developers make money if they don't release the game for an actual price.

 

I completely understand and expect that ongoing adventure decks and character decks and whatnot will cost money but I really hope this game isn't going to be like those games where you have to wait around to replenish your resources before you can do an action or it's practically impossible to progress unless you invest tons of money into it buying better weapons and stuff.

 

I was hoping for the game to be released for a set price. $9.99 or whatever with future adventure decks, character decks, etc being released over time also for a price. Honestly, I'm a little worried about the fact that this game is being released for free. This has been in development for quite some time and I imagine it's been an expensive process. How do the developers plan to make money if the game is free? I really hope this game isn't going to be similar to Modern Warfare, Crime City, Clash of Clans and games like that.

[Convicsik]

Thank you thank you thank you sweet baby Jesus !! Finally I'll have something other than "Ticket to ride" on my my Nabi "20 inch tablet. Gonna get the iOS version too. Thank you devs !

[why]

my Nabi "20 inch tablet.

Great. Now I have tablet envy. Bastard! Must. Not. Be. Jealous! I'm sure it will look great on my little 9.7" screen. <.< We'll have to compare notes when the game ships this spring.

[Nathan Davis]

Without getting into the nitty gritty of monetization, assume that we will make sure that fans of PACG (like us) will be able to pay for and play the game as they hope to.

[Convicsik]

 

my Nabi "20 inch tablet.

Great. Now I have tablet envy. Bastard! Must. Not. Be. Jealous! I'm sure it will look great on my little 9.7" screen. <.< We'll have to compare notes when the game ships this spring.

It was on sale back during the holidays for $180. It's perfect for board games. My wife actually got it for me as an early gift because I thought Pathfinder was coming out in time for Christmas. Myself and the kids play tons of board games on it. In fact Nabi makes a "24 model as well. Worth it if your a hardcore board gamer. Now if Marvel Legendary would just release a digital version, my life would be complete.

[Convicsik]

Along the same lines as the previous post, could you please confirm if this is going to be one of those "pay to play" games? Sorry I don't know if they're actually called somethings else but you know those games where actions cost points or stones or whatever and you replenish those points or stones every 10 minutes or you can pay money to get more stones. Apparently this is being released as a free game and typically that's how those free games work. That's how the developers make money if they don't release the game for an actual price.

I completely understand and expect that ongoing adventure decks and character decks and whatnot will cost money but I really hope this game isn't going to be like those games where you have to wait around to replenish your resources before you can do an action or it's practically impossible to progress unless you invest tons of money into it buying better weapons and stuff.

I was hoping for the game to be released for a set price. $9.99 or whatever with future adventure decks, character decks, etc being released over time also for a price. Honestly, I'm a little worried about the fact that this game is being released for free. This has been in development for quite some time and I imagine it's been an expensive process. How do the developers plan to make money if the game is free? I really hope this game isn't going to be similar to Modern Warfare, Crime City, Clash of Clans and games like that.

While I can't speak for the devs, and it appears they can't say much either, Perils of the Lost coast is only three Adventures (games/rounds) which is just enough to teach the game and get you hooked. Tack on the fact that they didn't say how many heroes you get for free, so it could be 3 for all we know, not to mention the free version could have a limited amount of weapons/items/extra so it's not like they are giving away everything.

[PinkRose]

Congratulations Team.

[Killer_Power]

That's greart news about the release!

Looking forward to it! I assume you can't say, how much each deck will be? Or  how long these "regulary intervals" are?

[Doc Mage]

Without getting into the nitty gritty of monetization, assume that we will make sure that fans of PACG (like us) will be able to pay for and play the game as they hope to.

Would you be willing to get into the nitty gritty a bit?  I still wake up with night terrors from the debacle that was the Dominion app.

 

If I was going to be able to play through the entire RotR campaign and have access to the character pack, what should I expect to spend on that?

 

If you can't share that, could you at least share if we will be able to buy content with actual currency, and not through a fakey intermediate currency (ducats, e.g.)?

 

I'm very excited for the announcement though, that's really great news.

[Borissimo]

Along the same lines as the previous post, could you please confirm if this is going to be one of those "pay to play" games? ... You know those games where actions cost points or stones or whatever and you replenish those points or stones every 10 minutes or you can pay money to get more stones. 

 

I wouldn't worry about this. It sounds like we'll get Perils of the Lost Coast for free (the 3 scenarios in the base set) and buy the adventure decks from then on, so there's no need for any of the janky free-to-play mechanics -- those are typically not used for games that have an up-front price point. Releasing Perils of the Loast Coast for free is a genius idea!

 

But yeah, add me to the list of people who'd love to know how long these "regular intervals" are and, essentially, by what point all of the decks will be available for purchase. I have a feeling March 29 will be only a partial release.

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing if this newsletter will produce a greater than 0 number of emails.

[whoopdido]

Actually now that I think about it a little bit more, as long as this goes how I hope it does, it is a great idea.

 

Assuming they release the "tutorial" which is basically Adventure Deck 0 and consists of 3 scenarios and a few characters and a bunch of low level weapons, armors, spells, etc, for free and then charge for new Adventure Decks and Character decks going forward, I think it'll work great.

 

Like somebody already said, I assume the idea would be to release the tutorial for free in the hopes that people play it, complete it and get hooked and then are willing to pay to continue playing.  Kind of like what Big Fish used to do by releasing those Hidden Object games with a small amount of free content and then if you want to continue the story, you need to buy the full game.  I don't understand why they stopped doing that, unless they found that people just downloaded it for free, played until they had to pay to keep going and then deleted it and downloaded another game for free.  I don't think that would happen with this game because you'd have to keep playing the same short tutorial over and over.  So, this could end up being quite profitable for the developers if it's a good game at the start and people get hooked enough to be willing to pay for further content as you'd have to buy a minimum of 6 further Adventure Decks just to complete the game and then certain people would also want to buy character decks and other add-on stuff as well.  Say each adventure deck is released at $4.99, which I think would be quite reasonable, each player would be in for $30 just to finish the game.  And that's significantly cheaper than the board game.

 

This is obviously a business, so we, as fans of the game, really have to hope that the developers make money, or we're not going to see any more content here.

Edited January 22, 2016 by whoopdido

[why]

I have a newcomer's (and probably rather foolish) perspective on this issue. I will openly admit that I bought my tablet because of this game. Sure, I was kind of toying with the idea for a while, but I'll flirt with the idea of buying stuff for years before I do so, if ever. Also, while the few hundred bucks to buy the tablet isn't going to break the bank, I don't have enough money that I just toss out hundreds of dollars without having at least some justifiable reason. I have a great smartphone, but I thought a tablet would come in handy for other uses and so the Pathfinder game sounded like a good excuse to make the purchase. I'll also admit something even worse. I've never played the card game. I have a friend who belongs to this forum who really loves the game and I trust and respect the guy enough that his word qualifies as a justifiable reason in and of itself, so I've been jonesin' for this game for a while now literally sight unseen.

 

Here's where this relates to the topic at hand. I don't mind paying up front costs, but I've never paid for extra tokens or other crap. Frankly, I've never even played a game on my smartphone and never been tempted to do so. I've tried one game on my tablet, which is some sort of slot machine/poker/blackjack game. It's good enough, but it's not a serious game. I'm looking forward to the Pathfinder game in a big way, but I'll be sad if there's some sort of weird pricing apparatus I have to use to make a purchase. If I can go one place, make one purchase, and have the game (or even pay for each episode/installment) when it comes out, I'll do so. If it's something weird, I won't. I don't need a new game. The tablet has come in handy enough for practical purposes that I don't need to buy the game to feel justified. (I would be even more foolish and irrational if I bought the tablet for the sole purpose of playing the game anyway.)

 

This isn't my angry customer impersonation. I assume Obsidian and the IP holder will do what they believe is the best way to make a profit on their product. I'm not threatening to boycott purchases or anything silly like that. I'm simply saying that, as a practical matter, I'll lose interest in making the purchase and won't do it if I don't feel like I'm getting the game or if there's some weird pay for tokens regularly in order to play plan. It's not a matter of being angry and refusing to do so. It's simply a matter of shrugging and figuring it's not for me.

 

With all that said, maybe I'll get the game and play it and like it so much I would figure dealing with weird token things or the like is worth it. If not, then I'll do what I do with that Cleopatra slot game. Get the free version and play it for five to ten minutes at a time before putting it aside.

[whoopdido]

I agree completely.  Those pay for token games that you describe are just a drain and piss me off to no end.  I like games that you buy and are able to play and that's it.  And I don't mind at all paying for future content.  It's just those games with that stupid pay for play dynamic really irritate me and it seems like 90% of games released today have that dynamic in place because that's what makes the most money.  I refuse to even download those games anymore.

[Doc Mage]

I agree completely.  Those pay for token games that you describe are just a drain and piss me off to no end.  I like games that you buy and are able to play and that's it.  And I don't mind at all paying for future content.  It's just those games with that stupid pay for play dynamic really irritate me and it seems like 90% of games released today have that dynamic in place because that's what makes the most money.  I refuse to even download those games anymore.

Well there are a couple different things we are talking about.

 

One, is having an intermediate currency.  If we have to spend dollars or euros on "gold coins" or something similar that we then use to buy product.  This is always inevitably a scam because I have never ever seen a scenario where you purchase the intermediate currency only in the amounts you need to spend it.

 

Two is the freemium, model where the game has a difficulty curve that basically spikes without the purchase, again of an intermediate currency.  But that currency is required not just to, say unlock an adventure pack, but to literally meet the difficulty curve.  It would be like if you wanted to acquire an elite card in Pathfinder Adventures, and you both needed to make your die roll and then spend 1 "gem" or whatever else that intermediate currency was.

 

If Obsidian were to do the former, I would be irritated.  If the latter were to happen, I will just be very glad I have all three base sets in dead tree form at home, because it will rule the app out entirely.  I do not predict the latter will happen; I would be shocked if it did.  The former?  Well, I'd very much like them to comment on that.

[Hannibal_PJV]

The total cost for the game is always interested in games like this. Is one adventure 4.99$ or 9.99$ or 14.99$ like in the real game?

Maybe the adventure level 1-2 are 4.99... 3-4 are 9.99$ and 5-6 are 14.99$... More money from the addict )

But most probably they have not set, the price yet and producers are tweaking the good and bad points for each price.

4.99$ for each adventure would mean total cost 30$ plus the base program. (Where did you get, that it would be free)

9.99$ would mean total cost of 60$ for the game and the cost of base game. This may be possible, but non pathfinder players, may avoid it.

putting the cost to 14.99$ like in the real game  (total 90$) may keep even some pathfinder players out of this digital version, but not all of them, so it is possible, but maybe not best for big audience. 

In anyway as it has been said above. Keep it simple!

[Convicsik]

I think everyone is worrying too much about free to play tokens.

 

If any of you have ever played games like Summoner Wars or Ascension, the typical model is base game, buy expansion decks. The whole pay for tokens thing wouldn't even work in a game like this. I'm sure the devs are keepin quiet for now because typically the publisher decides the price, not the devs, and they probably still haven't decided exactly how much to charge for the expansions.

[whoopdido]

Yup, I see what you're saying.  Your second point is exactly what I hope doesn't happen.  I would most likely not support this game if that ends up being the case.  Freemium is the term I was looking for but couldn't remember.

 

I also agree that your first point would be annoying but definitely not a deal breaker for me.  I would much rather just buy the content for a set price rather that something costing 40 stars, or stones or gold or whatever and the only way to buy those things would be like 10 for 99 cents, 100 for $5, 1000 for $20, etc.

[why]

Yeah, I don't mind eating a tad on the front end as long as I have the whole xpac on the flip side.

[hfm]

What exactly do you guys expect us to do for the next 2 months given this information! 

Play the tabletop version?

[hfm]

As far as the monetization scenario is concerned. The tabletop version had the intro adventure (3 scenarios) and Adventure Deck 1 included. the other 5 Adventure Decks that completed the Adventure Path as well as the character add-on were all separate purchases. They were $19.99 each (I am a subscriber so I get a discount). 

 

It's interesting that the first AD isn't included like the base set for tabletop. But I actually see potentially that they will definitely be cheaper, perhaps $9.99 each or even lower. Pulling this out of my rear end. It would be nice if the character add-on deck was the same, but I actually see they probably will sell those characters separately for some small amount each, maybe $1.99 each perhaps $2.99. Maybe a full character add-on pack for a discount.

 

The interesting thing about the character add-on is that it also dilutes the BASIC item pool (if you've never played before, BASIC items are typically the entry level stuff). I could see them changing the rules for the digital edition so that you don't dump all the cards into the "box" that came with the character add-on pack. Typically when you play the table-top version you would actually build a couple characters and put them in the box if you included the character add-on just to "consume" BASIC cards so you're not diluting the "box" with weaker cards. In essence, increasing chances you'll get a better card. I assume they will change all this for the digital game. I digress though since this isn't really about monetization.

 

I have faith based on the comment about monetization there will be nominal fees for AD's and extra characters to play with and everyone will be happy with the solution. I hope there isn't any further "pay to acquire items", it would totally be outside the spirit of the tabletop game.  Nathan's comment seems to allude to a system that's similar to the tabletop game.