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Pathfinder Campaign Setting
Pathfinder Campaign Setting World Guide: The Inner Sea (Revised Edition) by Jason Bulmahn (14-Apr-2011) Hardcover
The Best of All Possible WorldsDiscover the world of Golarion, the official campaign setting for the smash-hit Pathfinder Roleplaying Game! A time of lost prophecies grips the world, bringing with it an unending maelstrom, a tear in the fabric of reality, a surge of diabolism, and the endless threat of war. Yet all is not lost, for these dark times provide ample opportunity for adventure and heroism.Inside this exciting and informative 320-page tome you will Detailed summaries of the player character races native to Golarion, including more than a dozen distinct human ethnicities- Elaborate gazetteers of more than 40 crumbling empires, expansionist kingdoms, independent city-states, and monster-haunted wildlands of Golarion’s adventure-filled Inner Sea region, with locations perfect for nearly any type of fantasy campaign- Cultural information and Pathfinder RPG rules covering the 20 core deities of the Inner Sea, plus entries on other gods, demigods, forgotten deities, weird cults, strange philosophies, and more!- An overview of the Inner Sea’s history, a look at time and space, a discussion of magical artifacts and technological wonders, discussions of important factions and organizations, and hundreds of locations ripe for adventure!- Tons of new options for player characters, including Inner Sea-themed prestige classes, feats, spells, adventuring gear, and magic items!- Nine new monsters, including exotic humanoids of the skies and seas, undead and dragons, and an angry demon lord in exile!- A giant 21.75"x33" poster map that reveals the sweeping landscape of the Inner Sea in all its treacherous glory!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds
Unknown Binding
First published March 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 14, 2011
Overall, I liked this book more than I initially expected to.
The world of Golarion, as described in this book, is what I refer to as a "kitchen sink" setting. It contains a little bit of just about everything you'd expect to show up in a fantasy setting. This is typical of most core settings for "generic" fantasy RPGs. The Forgotten Realms is the easiest to compare given that it is one of the most famous kitchen sink settings, and was the core setting of D&D 3.5 which Pathfinder essentially replaces.
Unlike Forgotten Realms, Golarion appears to have benefited from tighter editorial control. While some regions of the world are more original than others, there seems to be a greater consistency overall, with a feeling that the various lands could actually exist side by side and interact with each other in the ways described.
Chances are you'll be able to find a region that caters to your preferences. There are traditional regions of both high and low fantasy. Regions with a slight steampunk flavor. Regions with a horror flavor. Regions with a frontier flavor. Regions with a cosmopolitan flavor.
There are fantasy analogs for Vikings, Asians, Indians, Revolutionary France, Post-Revolutionary America, Romany, Egyptians, Arabs, and more. Even when these cultures are obvious copies of real world cultures, they are often mixed in such a way that is different from history. For example, Golarion's northern pole is covered by a landmass, which has led to polar trade routes between the Inner Sea Region (the area focused on by this book), and the Asian-analog Tian Xia. This means that there are a great deal of Tians mixed in amongst the Viking-analogs and other northern barbarians in Golarion.
Incidentally, trade routes and the overall economy seem to have at least been given a passing thought, which results in something that at least allows me to suspend disbelief on such issues.
The game mechanics presented in this book are minimal, but interesting. A couple of prestige classes and the rules on firearms were particularly interesting to me, as were a couple of the new feats presented. While a bit pricey at $50 (I suppose it's as much as the twice as large core rules because of the full color poster map included), it's still a strongly recommended purchase for anyone using Golarion in their game.
The world of Golarion, as described in this book, is what I refer to as a "kitchen sink" setting. It contains a little bit of just about everything you'd expect to show up in a fantasy setting. This is typical of most core settings for "generic" fantasy RPGs. The Forgotten Realms is the easiest to compare given that it is one of the most famous kitchen sink settings, and was the core setting of D&D 3.5 which Pathfinder essentially replaces.
Unlike Forgotten Realms, Golarion appears to have benefited from tighter editorial control. While some regions of the world are more original than others, there seems to be a greater consistency overall, with a feeling that the various lands could actually exist side by side and interact with each other in the ways described.
Chances are you'll be able to find a region that caters to your preferences. There are traditional regions of both high and low fantasy. Regions with a slight steampunk flavor. Regions with a horror flavor. Regions with a frontier flavor. Regions with a cosmopolitan flavor.
There are fantasy analogs for Vikings, Asians, Indians, Revolutionary France, Post-Revolutionary America, Romany, Egyptians, Arabs, and more. Even when these cultures are obvious copies of real world cultures, they are often mixed in such a way that is different from history. For example, Golarion's northern pole is covered by a landmass, which has led to polar trade routes between the Inner Sea Region (the area focused on by this book), and the Asian-analog Tian Xia. This means that there are a great deal of Tians mixed in amongst the Viking-analogs and other northern barbarians in Golarion.
Incidentally, trade routes and the overall economy seem to have at least been given a passing thought, which results in something that at least allows me to suspend disbelief on such issues.
The game mechanics presented in this book are minimal, but interesting. A couple of prestige classes and the rules on firearms were particularly interesting to me, as were a couple of the new feats presented. While a bit pricey at $50 (I suppose it's as much as the twice as large core rules because of the full color poster map included), it's still a strongly recommended purchase for anyone using Golarion in their game.
April 10, 2016
An informative introduction to the Inner Sea region of Golarion, the Pathfinder RPG's default setting. Great for GM's or players looking to immerse themselves in the setting's history and culture. This book is pretty much useless, in gaming terms, unless you're running a game in the world; but it's still a fun read, too. Some greatly entertaining fantasy world-building full of tantalizing ideas.
April 26, 2011
Yes, I wrote a review a month before finally finishing it. It took some time to work through all the nation descriptions.
http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com...
http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com...
August 20, 2024
What I like most about this book is its wide versatility. Any possible gaming scenario or campaign trope is represented. Paizo gives just enough information to customize details without hammering you into a specific statistics base for NPCs. The cartography is brilliant as well.
March 21, 2011
Gorgeous layout, artwork, and rules clarity.
August 20, 2011
Gorgeous pictures and I loved getting to see the background of the world I visit so often.
November 3, 2014
Great setting. Lots of info!
July 27, 2014
A great work!
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August 8, 2013Discreta come introduzione, ma solo la punta dell'iceberg. Il manuale guida il lettore attraverso alcune nozioni fondamentali, ma anche per la sua dimensione (appena 200 pagine) alcune funzioni sono solo accennate, e alcuni meccanismi importanti sono descritti solo sommariamente. Rispetto alle dimensioni del prodotto stesso, questo manuale serve solo come introduzione, e anche come tale �� piuttosto confuso.
Purtroppo molte delle immagini sono di relativo aiuto poich�� la nuova versione del software utilizza maschere in alcuni casi anche molto diverse."
Purtroppo molte delle immagini sono di relativo aiuto poich�� la nuova versione del software utilizza maschere in alcuni casi anche molto diverse."
November 5, 2014
I am a sucker for RPG campaign worlds, and Pathfinder's Golarion is no different. It doesn't evoke the same kind of wonder that the first edition Forgotten Realms box did. It is chock-full of information though. I never knew how closely they tried to mirror our world on Golarion, with a focus on European and African cultures, with a little bit of the east mixed in.
I wish there were more detailed adventure hooks for each country, but who are we kidding, they want to publish more campaign books after all.
I wish there were more detailed adventure hooks for each country, but who are we kidding, they want to publish more campaign books after all.
January 14, 2016
At first, the Golarion setting feels like a fantasy map of the real world, like a collision between Hyborea and the Forgotten Realms. And it does have a bunch of fantasy versions of real world cultures - but it's so cool! It has room for Gothic horror, demon hunting, super science machines controlled by barbarian warlords, age of exploration-style sea adventures. The book takes its time going into some detail about all these interesting and compelling adventuring settings.
It's also beautifully typeset and illustrated and comes with a nice big poster map. All in all, a very nice setting book.
It's also beautifully typeset and illustrated and comes with a nice big poster map. All in all, a very nice setting book.
November 9, 2016
This feels like the fantasy setting with something for everyone. It hits on every clichés/setting that exist in the fantasy genre and is still vaguely compatible with Pathfinder. I feel that it loses in coherency and overall world-building credibility what it gains in versatility. But, by RPG standards, a fun setting.
June 1, 2011
Terrific setting... Reminds me of the Forgotten Realms in it's heyday
July 9, 2012
This was a reread. Still a fascinating world, and a good setting.
July 3, 2013
Ainda estou lendo, mas adorei como a ambientação desenvolve as diversas culturas humanas, coisa rara em RPGs medievais.
June 22, 2014
Great world building with all sorts of adventure hooks. I'll be glancing through this and seeing new stuff for a long time.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews