Product-Guns and Gears

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day! 

Product-Guns and Gears

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $14.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq029xk?Pathfinder-Guns-Gears

TL; DR– Solid new Pathfinder toys and toy based characters! 95%

Basics–  BRING THE BOOM!  Guns and Gears brings solid steampunk and introductory industrialization to the Pathfinder setting with new technology and themes, two new classes, a new race, and countless new character options and items. 

Mechanics or Crunch– Paizo knows their system the best and they bring the best new materials for their toys.  The new classes are fun parts of an ever expanding world. The Inventor is the steampunk inventor you may be searching for, with no magical background or ties like the alchemist. The Gunslinger brings pure boom to any encounter.  The new race the Automaton is an interesting, but well supported addition to the world of Golarion.  There is just a TON of materials with all kinds of new toys such as new guns, tools, and magic items that can help turn the tide of battle.  My only complaints are that the Gunslinger feels a bit under-powered.  It is an absolute crit machine, but guns can fall flat if a character spends a day hitting but not critting. That said, what Paizo has here is a FANTASTIC addition to the crunch of Pathfinder.  4.75/5

Theme or Fluff–  Guns and Gears is not a small book and there is just an absolute TON of new stuff here.  Now in a tool book you would think its just item lists, and there is that, but there is also a bunch of fluff to bring the new stuff into the old game.  Pathfinder 1st ed is about 10 years ago in the world of Golarion, so this helps advance the world as the fantasy world gets a bit more pre-industrial.  All that said, one thing sticks out and this may just be a me-problem: automatons.  I always hate new races in old parts of the world as if we just magically found them in the same places we were.  That and they feel out of place and honestly more like a warforged in PF2.  Not a game breaker, but something I don’t think I would have wanted in my game.  Another nitpick is there are no new spells here, and I feel that’s a reasonable, but somewhat annoying choice.  If you want some gun spells, look elsewhere.  The writers wanted to focus more on mechanics and less on magic, so while I might want some spells, it’s ok they are not here. 4.5/5

Execution–  It’s Paizo- they know solid book production.  Good layout, art, font, hyperlinking, and all the pieces I expect from a AAA RPG company.  It’s a 50 buck book, but as an evil millennial, I mostly like PDFs, so the 14 bucks for a digital file is extremely worth it.  5/5

Summary-I honestly love Pathfinder 2nd Ed.  It’s all the pieces of 4th, 3rd, and 5th Edition DnD I want.  And differentiating itself from DnD by moving to a more steampunk and pre-industrial culture will help it grow by further making its own path.  Guns and Gears is a solid step in that direction with amazing classes, items, and class options.  The missteps I see are maybe more opinion; even if they are not my favorite things, they are done well.  If you want less magic and more mechanics mayhem in your Pathfinder 2nd Ed, you need this book now! 95%

Product– Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Shattered Sanctuaries

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $5.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq027s9/reviews&page=2?Pathfinder-Society-Intro-Year-of-Shattered-Sanctuaries#tabs

TL; DR-A simple and solid adventure 86%

Basics–  YOU ARE NEEDED PATHFINDERS!  This is an intro scenario for new pathfinders and players of all ages.  From a mushroom man trying to sort letters to uncovering a simple mystery can you, a new agent, help the Society in a time of need?

Mechanics or Crunch– This is a simple adventure that gets players rolling dice fairly quickly, but has a slightly slow start.  It’s not a super risk taking adventure like the 2-01 intro, but it does introduce many society elements and grander plots.  After learning about different adventures around the world, the game is a series of battles. Good for intro fun with some basic elements.  It’s not crazy-advanced crunch, but it’s solid fun for new players.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  Much like the crunch, the adventure doesn’t take risks, has a slow start, but is a decent intro to the world of Pathfinder society.  Reading letters at the start is a bit slow, but it does introduce the wider world quickly.  The fights are fun if a little standard for 1st level.  This isn’t an adventure to push the envelope, but it also doesn’t aim to be.  4/5

Execution–  Paizo knows adventures, but they are also the most pricey.  I like this one.  It has a solid layout, pictures, and design, but it’s also an adventure that will only take about three hours, even with an uninitiated adventuring party.  It’s a bit expensive considering what other comparably priced adventures do.  Not bad, but short. 4.5/5

Summary– The first adventure of a season is always a contentious adventure.  Push the envelope too much and people get a bit lost as new players.  Don’t do enough and you end up with just four smaller adventures showing off factions.  This strikes a decent balance, but in doing so it doesn’t take risks in terms of scope or being adventurous.  It’s also a Paizo product and they put out well done, if expensive adventures.  It works well, though it is a bit simple.  86%