As I was scanning through ebay I came across an auction for the Pathfinder Goblin Miniatures and I was struck by their resemblance to the evil Gremlins from the unfortunate movie of the same name. While I only use 1e AD&D with decades of houserules I do scavenge through any module, supplement or setting that I can find for ideas as well as maps and illustrations. Illustrations are worth more than modules for me because I can come up with adventures for myself but I can't draw worth a damn. I've always appreciated Paizo products for their illustration (and map) rich products.
Seeing their take on Goblins I loved the illustrations but not as Goblins. For me Trampier set Goblins in my mind as small but sturdy creatures, cunning, tenacious and given to using armor and weapons. The Pathfinder Goblins seem more like vicious caricatures of a traditional Goblin. Since I enjoyed the illustrations of the many and varied Paizo Goblins I've liberated for my own campaign as a parasitic Goblin-like race called the Manok or in Common the Manic. They are 1/2HD creatures but many gain levels as fighters, thieves and shaman.
Oddly enough, I prefer the Paizo goblins. The Trampier picture suits a Middle-Earth goblin pretty well, but the Paizo goblin is more like the folkloric, crib-robbing little horrors. The Trampier picture's goblin has a D&D niche filled by orcs, whereas the Paizo goblin is something new under the D&D sun, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAs much as Gygax denied the Tolkien influence to D&D it just seems so apparent in the game especially the monster manual. I don't use halflings or hobbits in my campaign. I have run Middle-Earth games in the past and they naturally fit into the setting perfectly but halflings (as well as Orcs and Ents) stand out as Tolkienisms that just don't fit into my more Liebersque fantasy world.
ReplyDeleteBut I do like using Goblins and Hobgoblins (the pair really fit the place of Orcs in my campaign). The "crib-robbing horrors" are a great little plague to inflict on my players so I tinkered them into a small in stature but dangerous foe that could make reappearance right through mid-level games.
I love the melon-headed freaks that are the Paizo goblins. The minis for them are pretty great.
ReplyDeleteHow do they scale compared to D&D minis? (I don't have many of those, mostly old lead some reaper from their kickstarter and tons of Mage-Knight). Are the Paizo goblins tiny?
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