Paizo: The Golem's Got It (Right)

Over at Paizo, they haven't given up on Dungeons & Dragons 3.5.

They used to be the publisher of Dragon and Dungeon Magazines before Wizards pulled the license and moved them to online only (as I griped about last year), although thankfully they had expanded to selling all manner of games and accessories online, as well as some publishing of their own.

When the magazines folded their tents, Paizo announced the Pathfinder monthly supplement, and while it was too rich for my blood ($20 a month), I was glad to see them doing something with their staff rather than laying them off. I was also pleased that they did not immediately jump on to the 4E bandwagon, and said they would bide their time and make their decision on which way to go later.

They've made their call, and they've decided to stick with their 3.5 guns. They've announced the Pathfinder RPG, which is a backwards compatible tweak of 3.5, rather than the complete overhaul that is 4E.

The really good thing about this though, is they're showing their hand. They've released a free PDF of their alpha, invited the public to play test it, and give feedback. The final release date is a full year and a half off (August 09), so lots of time to play around before the final hits the street.

I hope our group decides to use the new Pathfinder rules. That fighter I've been wanting to play suddenly seems a lot more playable...

Paid Vacation

I'll be taking my first paid time off in about eight years so I can actually enjoy Gamestorm this year. Drinking beer, rolling dice, trashing D&D 4E, all on BLB01's dime. I couldn't be happier.

Turns out that BLB is pretty generous with the paid vacation (Union!), and I've already accrued more than 63 hours of it. Between additional time earned and what I have in the bank, I should easily be able to take the time I need for SN/EN in June and Orycon in the Fall.

The last time I took paid time was when I spent a week in 2000 to basically goof off at home. I drank a little (OK, a lot of) beer, hung out with my neighbors, and did nothing. My only goals were to have fun, and not drive the car for at least a 24 hour period (I managed to go 36 or so before I realized that I would need to make a beer run).

I don't think I'll have a vacation quite like that again. While it was fun and all, I find myself craving events with a few beers rather than sloth with an astounding amount of beer.

I'm not saying that I won't be the floor show again (any one who saw me Friday night at last years Orycon knows what I'm talking about), but I prefer a coherent memory of the good times over a dull sense of having had fun the night before coupled with a hangover