Weekly Store Update: 16 June

By Stone Valley | June 16, 2023 |

What a happy week around here! Our shipment of Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats paints has arrived and is all ready to go, we weigh in on Paizo announced changes to the 2nd Edition rules, and we share a webstore improvement. Plus, plenty of new releases and restocked items to show you too - why not check it all out?

INTRO

Welcome to our weekly newsletter! For our new readers I'm Eric, and Wendy and I run Stone Valley Games. This newsletter is our way to share both local and world-wide gaming news of interest that popped up last week. It also provides our subscribers, both local and remote, some information on the going's on around here so everyone feels like part of the action. At the bottom of this newsletter we show you the restocks, new items, and preorders added to the store last week. It's not too difficult to navigate, so let's get to it!

DUNCAN RHODES TWO THIN COATS

As we announced in last week's newsletter, we were anxiously anticipating the arrival of Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats paint line. We were concerned with lack of release support that it would take us all week to get everything loaded in the system. However, it didn't take us nearly that long to get it done and... they look fantastic!

As you can imagine, 60 of any one category really fills in the webstore quickly. We initially had them nestled among the paint sets that we carry, but it just took up too much real estate. So, we stood this paint line up on their own page, which you can find under the Supplies & Toys category in the webstore - then Two Thin Coats subcategory - or just check out the new page here.

I also wanted to show you the official poster that highlights all of the available colors:

While 60 is a fantastic start, the next wave will provide even more options. Obviously, we are already on board for the next wave of paints too. We're unsure of that timeline, but once we know something we'll share with you.

WEBSTORE IMPROVEMENT - ADDING QUICK VIEW

Since I was building a new webpage for the Two Thin Coats line of paints this week, I thought it would be a good time to look around the webstore and see what improvements I could make. I first updated the wording on several product pages, and then took the plunge and incorporated Quick View across the site too.

The way the webstore was set up previously, you had to completely click into and then out of a product to see it. This often bumped you out of your page in the juggle. However, with quick view, you can see the pertinent information without ever having to leave your page.

This should be much more convenient for you - and if you hadn't noticed it yet you can check it out on this page with the new release and restock items down at the bottom of the page as I've enabled it there too.

As always, if there's some capability you'd like to see in the webstore please just hit that Contact Us link and tell me about it. Trust me, I'll definitely check it out. After all, that was the inspiration for this Quick View change and, as you know, I'm always looking to improve things!

PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION REMASTER

You may have heard that Paizo is going to update four Pathfinder 2nd Edition rulebooks: Core Rulebook, Gamemastery Guide, Advanced Player's Guide, and Bestiary. The current print of these books will be the last before being replaced by: Player Core, GM Core, Player Core 2, and Monster Core - respectively.

This is a continuation of Paizo's break from the decades-running Open Game License (OGL) after Wizards of the Coast announced significant changes to it. We wrote about that earlier this year. Ultimately Paizo sponsored their own open-source license they named the Open RPG Creative, or ORC. Along with Paizo, Chaosium of Call of Cthulhu fame and Free League with The One Ring studio also split away.

It appears that Paizo is surgically removing any content that either does or appears to be under copyright control from Wizards of the Coast. According to Paizo, they are implementing “a few minor modifications to the Pathfinder Second Edition system” in the remastered rulebooks. Additionally, Paizo contends the changes aren't substantive enough for an entirely new edition - hence the 'Remaster' concept.

Considering Pathfinder was originally (and still is by many) very closely associated with Dungeons and Dragons, we agree that it's a good idea to continue separating the two product lines. Changes in the remastered edition include removing things from the OGL, like alignment, certain creatures (the most discussed on the interwebs seems to be chromatic dragons and Drow), spells, and magic items.

Along with the OGL to OGR changes, Paizo is going to roll in the errata collected over the last four years since the 2nd edition core rulebook launched as well. Wait...has it been four years already?! In any case, the Player and GM Core books are scheduled to release in November, with the Monster Core following in March and Player Core 2 releasing in July 2024. As always, once they start popping up at the distributor for prerelease, we will definitely get them set up here in the webstore.

When it comes to the releases of adventures and other Pathfinder 2nd edition products, there are no planned interruptions or changes to those schedules. Additionally, Paizo hinted that updated versions of their other Bestiaries may occur in the future. However, for right now a “pre-Remaster stat block, spell, monster, or adventure should work with the remastered rules without any problems.”

pathfinder 2e remastered rulebooks player core gm core

It's easy to get caught up in the internet drama regarding the impending changes. Yes, it's going to be unfortunate that Pathfinder won't have official rules for Drow and such in the future...but in order for them to hoe their own row, they need to make a clean split. We enjoy the significantly more robust character and combat options in Pathfinder and think there is plenty of room for them to find their own specific identity. And...as with any roleplaying game, there are no rules that stop a DM from using inspiration from anything to enhance their game. The only thing holding us back is lack of imagination (and...time, to be honest 😀 ). Bottom line though, we're on board with these changes and look forward to it! After all, we enjoy Savage Worlds, Pathfinder, and Dungeons and Dragons as each of those systems brings a different experience - and all of those experiences are fantastic!

NEW RELEASES

Let's talk about the games releasing this week. The largest release is Etherfields. Messing with our Dreamworld since 2020, it's great to see this finally find its way into retail release. Another hit from Awaken Realms (currently with an 8.0 rating on BGG with over 1,000 comments), it's a cooperative or solo game where exploration and tactical encounters challenge players in their Dreams. It's a fascinating trip too, as in the beginning players don't have any idea what's going on and have to discover through exploration and engagements their new reality. Rules change as players progress, continually adding challenges and unique experiences. Facinating and fun!

Deck of Wonders is a one to two player game - though is really billed more as a solo experience. It's meant to provide a solo experience to rival games like Hearthstone or Magic the Gathering. Like many solo games, it's extremely difficult to win. The goal is to defeat Villains that challenge you for the Deck of Wonders. You attempt to turn their minions and spells against them as they do the same to you. While the villain is stronger and faster, players can manipulate the Priority System to outplay them. It's tense throughout, and a novel concept that we hadn't seen tried many times before. I wouldn't be surprised to see follow-on games if this takes off.

Then, rounding out the week is a few more standard titles. First is the re-release of a popular title, Aliens: Another Glorius Day in the Corp. This boardgame focuses on the struggles the Colonial Marines experienced on Hadley's Hope. This can be played as a single mission or string the missions together for more of a campaign. Players must scrounge for better gear and weapons as the Xenomorph's are trying to take them down. Can you get out alive? Second is the Investigator expansion for The Circle Undone storyline, a chapter in the Arkham Horror Living Card Game. As with all of the recent Arkham Horror LCG releases, this is a repackaging of the individual card packs from the previous releases in years past. So, if you already have everything Circle Undone you are good to go. However, if you missed this the first time around, this is a fantastic opportunity to grab all the appropriate cards in a single box.

THE WRAP UP

Okay, enough news for this week! Below are the Restocks, New Items, and Preorders added to the shop last week. You can click on the item to learn more, and many of the products have review and gameplay videos so you can see the game in action. If you're visiting our page and you'd like to keep up with our giveaways, sales, new products, and articles like this one just create an account here. Once created you will be subscribed to our newsletter and become enrolled in our loyalty system, instantly earning 50 Stones that you can use on your very first order. A Stone? One Stone is equivalent to One Cent. That doesn't sound like much, but you earn 2 Stones for every dollar spent and 5 for each product review, so though it may seem small, those savings add up fast! Redeem your Stones upon checkout, and they can save you up to 10% off your cart total. Loyalty Matters!