New CRPG Pathfinder: Kingmaker Announced, Chris Avellone To Contribute

A new CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) in the pencil & paper Pathfinder universe titled Pathfinder: Kingmaker has been announced.


Published: May 19, 2017 4:00 PM /

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Pathfinder Kingmaker Siege Art

A new CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) in the pencil & paper Pathfinder universe titled Pathfinder: Kingmaker has been announced. Chris Avellone (best known for working on titles such as Planescape: Torment and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II) will be working with the team to help shape the game's story.

Pathfinder is a pencil & paper RPG system developed by Paizo Publishing that originally debuted in 2009. The rules & gameplay are largely considered an extension of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition & 3.5 and it's backwards-compatible with the latter. Paizo originally published Dungeon magazine and Dragon magazine, respectively, under contract with Wizards of the Coast until 2007 when the contract was not renewed and work began on Pathfinder.

“I am very excited to be working with Owlcat Games on the first computer RPG for Pathfinder. Kingmaker is one of my all time favorite Pathfinder Adventure Paths, and from what we've seen from Owlcat Games, it is in good hands and promises to be an amazing addition to the computer RPG field.”  -Lisa Stevens, Paizo CEO

Although this will be the first CRPG for the Pathfinder setting, this isn't the first attempt at using the system to make a game. Pathfinder Online raised over a million dollars in a Kickstarter and is currently in development. Although Pathfinder Online is set within the world, it won't be making use of the D20 ruleset. The developers posted a roadmap for the game's progress in late March 2017.

Paizo Kingmaker

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is being developed by Owlcat Games, a company formed by industry veterans of the CRPG genre. Kingmaker will be the first title from the newly-formed studio. The game will be set in the Stolen Lands, a largely uninhabited region in the Golarion setting from the Guide to the River Kingdoms Accessory Paperback and featured in the Kingmaker Adventure Path. The Kingmaker Adventure path has a focus on players exploring territory in the region, building up a kingdom of their own, and defending it against numerous threats and appears to be serving as the base of the CRPG's concept. Players will encounter familiar characters and locations from the campaign setting as well as new surprises created especially for the game.

"I’m a Paizo fan, and a Pathfinder fan. I like the setting, the art style, the adventure paths, the card game, and the iconic characters. I’ve enjoyed playing Pathfinder with my friends (we used to be part of an Ocean’s-11 style game), and I’ve enjoyed the comics, the world, and the overall setting. I’m excited by the prospect of bringing Pathfinder to the computer RPG world, and hope gamers will enjoy playing in the Pathfinder universe." -Chris Avellone

The platforms, price and release dates have not yet been announced. More details about the game will be released at Paizocon 2017 which is taking place in Seattle, Washington from May 26-29. If you'd like to stay apprised of the game's progress, you can sign up for the mailing list over at the developer's website or stay tuned to TechRaptor.

What do you think of Pathfinder: Kingmaker? Do you think the game's rule system will be able to be adequately adapted to a CRPG format? How do you think the adaptation will do as compared to adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons rulesets in games such as Temple of Elemental Evil and Neverwinter Nights? Let us know in the comments below!

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Developer
Owlcat Games
Publisher
Deep Silver
Platforms
PC
Release Date
September 25, 2018 (Calendar)
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