Pathfinder Pawns: "Enemy Encounters Pawn Collection" [RPG]

There are two things that the Enemy Encounters Pawn Collection is really useful for.  

First, large groups of enemies!  If you want to represent an entire orc warband, a xulgath (troglodyte) tribe, a large duergar slaving party, and more, this is the set for you.  Each monstrous species is given multiple numbers of variations within the group, so (just for example) the Ogre Family has 4 ogre archers, 4 ogre berserkers, 3 ogre killers, 3 ogre strikers, and an ogre patriarch.  It's a great way to quickly populate a mini-dungeon or cave network on the fly.  I used the Haunted Graveyard pawns (ghouls, skeletons, zombies, and the animating necromancer) for a hastily-planned encounter and it worked really well. 

Second, traps and obstacles!  There are several pawns (both 1x1 square and 1x2 square) that are designed to lay flat to represent traps and obstacles.  For traps, there are classics like floor spikes and pits.  For obstacles, things like rock barricades, piles of bones, and headstones can help add some interesting features to a grid map.  I've found the caltrop and bear trap pawns particularly useful.

The set is very different than Paizo's standard pawn collections, and definitely worth getting.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Curse of the Crimson Throne Pawn Collection" [RPG]

Having just completed a 103-session Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign, what better way to celebrate than a review of the Curse of the Crimson Throne Pawn Collection?  I was very impressed by this collection as it had pretty much every named NPC in the adventure, including some that didn't even have combat encounters associated with them.  It appropriately includes multiple pawns for common members of the various nefarious organizations running around the city, which is incredibly useful (when you need 5 of the same bad guys on the table, it's annoying to only have 1 pawn to represent them!).  The collection also does a good job avoiding overuse of pawns already available in other collections like the various Bestiary boxes (there are some, but only some).  As I sit and think about it, I really can't come up with any examples of important encounters that the set left me hanging for, and that's really the best compliment I can pay.  Definitely worth a purchase.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Base Assortment" [RPG]

There are actually two different versions of the Pathfinder Pawns Base Assortment.  The "normal" version contains 10 black medium bases, 5 large bases, and 2 huge bases (17 in total).  The other version is exactly the same but contains an additional medium base in a random color with a little blurb on the front of the bag as if it's a special selling point.  

Note that these are product sold under First Edition branding
(PZO1001-A and PZO1001-B) and come in a bag, compared to the larger product with the same name sold with Second Edition branding.  I can't even find these bags on the Paizo website anymore.  

In any event, the bag I have (with the colored pawn) is exactly what you'd expect--some extra bases.  I'm drowning in bases from all the Bestiary and Alien Archive pawn boxes I've bought, so it's not particularly useful to me, but I guess if you don't have those, then this could be worth picking up.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Bestiary 2 Box" [RPG]

 As the name indicates, this box comes with pawns for the monsters appearing in Bestiary 2.  The Bestiary 2 Box is made up of 246 different creatures, though there are multiples of many of them (there are three ice trolls and two fetchlings, for example; I haven't figured out any rhyme or reason why there are multiples of some rather than others).  Creatures ranging from size Small to Huge are included, which means you're left to your own devices for Gargantuan or larger creatures.  As with all Paizo pawns, these are double-sided, full-colour, thick cardboard pawns and can stand up to a fair amount of wear and tear. Bases are included. I've been using this box for years and haven't had any problems with it.  Keeping the pawns organised does require some custom solutions.

In terms of overall usefulness to a GM, I would start with the collection for Bestiary 1 because that box has the most common (classic) monsters a GM is likely to need.  Still, this box includes a few must-have creatures as well, including banshees, blink dogs, and hippogriffs.  GMs running Rise of the Runelords will get good value for their money, with several creatures in this set also appearing in that AP.  

Overall, it's a solid (if not quite indispensable) set.

Pathfinder "Summon Monster Pawn Collection" [RPG]

I'm well-known for my disdain of pets (familiars, animal companions, etc.) and monster summoning in RPGs (both as a GM and as a player), but I've gotten a surprising amount of value out of the Summon Monster Pawn Collection.  The set contains an excellent array of the creatures that you suddenly realize you need a pawn for: animals, elementals, celestial and fiendish outsiders, and more are included.  There are multiples of most of the small and medium creatures, but also a good array of large and huge creatures.  Many of these pawns can be found scattered across other sets, but it's always useful to have additional ones.  I wouldn't say this set is essential, but it's a good value and one you'll also probably use a lot--even if, like me, you hate pets and summoners.

If you're new to Pathfinder pawns, note that this set doesn't include the bases, and you'll need to purchase those separately.

Pathfinder Pawns: "NPC Codex Box" [RPG]

The NPC Codex Box has become, next to the Bestiary set and an adventure path set, the collection of Pathfinder pawns I actually use the most frequently at the gaming table.  The reasons why will become clear in a moment, but first I'll go over the usual rigmarole for those who aren't familiar with Paizo pawns.

Each pawn is a thick cardboard token with the name and artwork of a particular character or monster on both sides.  The pawns fit into plastic bases that match the size the creature should take up on a regular 1" grid.  The pawns are quite durable and they're a much more cost-effective and manageable way to get a wide variety of tokens than trying to collect individual plastic miniatures.  An index on the back of the box matches the numbering of the tokens, so it's easy to find what you're looking for.  The NPC Codex Box comes with over 300 pawns; many are unique, but there are multiples of some (for example, there are six "Beggar" pawns and two "Cautious Mages").  The box also comes with a couple of dozen of small/medium-sized bases and five large bases.  There aren't any Huge-sized or larger creatures in the box.  The collection matches the entries in the NPC Codex, a Pathfinder book that contains full stat-blocks for NPCs from levels 1-20 of each core class.  With the book and the pawn box together, finding an appropriate NPC in the middle of a session becomes a snap.

I would guess roughly two-thirds of the pawns in the box are devoted to the core classes, with each class receiving twenty distinct pawns.  The artwork is high quality, but I'm not convinced it always matches the description.  The "War Priest" pawn, for example, just looks to me like a standard dwarf warrior, and there's nothing particularly flame-related in the image of the "Fire Cleric."  The "Charlatan" looks like your typical back-alley rogue and the "Masked Lord" isn't even wearing a mask!  There are a lot of little problems like this, so I wouldn't take the descriptions too literally when trying to pick a pawn for a particular purpose.

The prestige classes get a full forty distinct pawns, and I have to admit there are some awesome images with the set.  I think if I were stuck for a character concept, I could just browse the pawns in the box and instantly get a couple of cool ideas.  I should also mention that, with a few exception, the vast majority of images used are of the core races.

My biggest beef with the set is the fifty distinct pawns devoted to the NPC classes.  These cover a variety of mundane professions, like beggar, diplomat, barmaid, mayor, guard, etc.  The problem I have is that the artwork makes them all take dramatic poses, most look quite athletic, and several are armed.  In short, many look more like adventurers than the sort of everyday-folk you would come across in a normal town.  The barmaid is suddenly a supermodel wearing a revealing outfit with a "come hither" look, the diplomat has a sword on his belt and a cape blowing dramatically in the wind, the "recruit" has full-plate armor and a magic glowing axe, and even the "village elder" is a half-orc with a spear.  Not every single pawn falls into this category, but there just isn't much in the way of variety in terms of body-type (no one's fat), social class (almost everyone is stylishly dressed), or posture (everyone looks like they're ready for something dramatic to happen in the next moment).  I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but I wish there were more that could easily blend into the background (just like in cinema, directors don't want to hire extras who are too distinctive and noticeable because it draws the viewers away from the actors).

The next eleven tokens are incredibly useful: each of the Iconics for the Core Rulebook classes.  If you play PFS, you can imagine how often these would come out.

Finally, there's a collection of about twenty-five animal companions.  Animals aren't really what one thinks about when it comes to NPCs, but it's really handy to have tokens for cats, dogs, horses, birds, camels, and more exotic things like constrictor snakes and even dinosaurs.  I'm not a fan of the "pet" classes, but when people at my table do play them, it's good that they can find the token they need.

This is the box that I bring out when I'm running a game and someone has a new character and needs a pawn.  It's easy to sort through and find something that fits the bill.  As I said, I wish some of the artwork fitted the label better and that some of it was more "normal" instead of high-adventure, but all in all this set has become indispensable.  It's well-worth the purchase, whether you have the accompanying book or not.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Bestiary Box" [RPG]

I'm finding it hard to figure out what to say when reviewing the Pathfinder pawn boxes.  The product details are listed on the back of the packaging, so for the Bestiary Box you'll know you're getting 256 different creature pawns, with some of them coming in multiples for a final count of over 300.  The pawns are thick, sturdy cardboard and have held up well through months and years of play.  They slot neatly into little round plastic bases, and the box comes with 21 small/medium bases, 10 large bases, and 5 huge ones.  Although there might be an omission here or there (I haven't cross-checked), almost every creature that appears in the Bestiary will have a corresponding pawn in this set.  The only consistent exceptions are any creatures larger than Huge, as Paizo has refused to come out with any pawns that big.  The artwork is full-colour and matches the creature pictures in the book, the pawns are titled and numbered to match the list on the back of the box for easy sorting, and there are little set indicators so you don't get the pawns from this box mixed up with pawns from other boxes.  If I had any criticisms of Bestiary Box specifically, it's that it's not always intuitive why they chose some creatures to have multiple pawns and others to only have one: for example, there are two "Bralani Azatas" (I'm not exactly sure what that is), but only one Shadow and only one Wraith, etc.  Still, quibbles aside, this is an excellent set, and having these pawns sure beats checkers, coins, random minis ("Gandalf is the hyena"), and the various other things GMs sometimes have to put on the table.  From one point of view, I can see why it sounds ridiculous to spend $ 44.99 USD on little pieces of cardboard.  But . . . somehow it's worth it!

Pathfinder Pawns: "Monster Codex Box" [RPG]

If you're not familiar with the concept, Paizo's line of pawns for Pathfinder are thick cardboard two-dimensional tokens, with full-colour artwork of a creature printed on both sides.  The pawns slot into a base that takes up the same amount of space on a 5' grid as the creature should, so a large-sized creature's token is larger and slots into a large-sized base.  The reason this line is so popular is that pawns are an affordable way to amass a practical but handsome-looking collection of monster and NPC tokens.  They're easy to use, easy to store, and won't cost the thousands of dollars it would take to amass an equivalent size collection of plastic or metal miniatures.

The Pathfinder Pawns: Monster Codex Box is based on the enormously popular hardcover Monster Codex.  In that book, twenty classic races from the Pathfinder RPG were fleshed out and stats were provided for a wide variety of examples of that race: the Core Bestiary has ogres, but the Monster Codex has Ogre Bosses, Ogre Priestesses, Ogre Kings, etc.  Accordingly, the pawn set for the book has at least one pawn for every one of those two hundred+ variations, along with multiple tokens for some of the more common ones.  To take just one example, the "Gnolls" category is represented by four regular gnoll tokens, three "gnoll bruisers", three hyenas, and then single tokens for 9 other types of gnolls.  Each pawn in the set is labelled and numbered for easy sorting, and the back of the box has an index to make things easier.  The box includes 20 medium bases and 5 large bases.

If nothing else, the collection is a nice supplement to the pawns presented in the Bestiary pawn collections--it's always helpful to have more tokens of common monsters for larger encounters.  But the real value of this particular pawn box is when a GM has a major story arc (or even campaign) that focuses on a particular race of monsters.  You don't need ten different variations of an orc if it's just a random wilderness encounter, but if you have PCs invading an orc stronghold, being able to differentiate between "common" orcs, "Orc Sergeants", "Orc Witch Doctors", and the "Orc Warlord" adds a lot to the battlemap.  I got this box because I'm running the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, and I've been able to make great use of the varieties of Ghouls, Goblins,  and Ogres included in the box.

My recommendation would be to scan the list of monster races covered by the Monster Codex, and if you think any of them will have a serious presence in your game, go ahead and pick up this box.  The artwork is gorgeous, the variety is excellent, and it's something you can use for any fantasy RPG even if you change games or editions.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection" [RPG]

MINOR SPOILERS for Rise of the Runelords

If you don't know, "pawns" are double-sided images of monsters or NPCs printed on cardstock, designed to stand vertically with a plastic base that's the same size as the creature (so a Large-size monster with sit on a 2x2 base and its pawn will be bigger than a Small-size creature, for example).  Pawns aren't as good as true three-dimensional miniatures, but they're a lot cheaper and are still better than simple flat tokens.

The Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection contains around a hundred and fifty pawns with sizes ranging from Small all the way up to the Huge.  The artwork for creatures and NPCs unique to the adventure path comes from the Anniversary Edition hardcover collection, and it's fantastic.  The set also includes several pawns for creatures that appear in the AP but aren't unique to it, and the artwork for these pawns comes from the creature's Bestiary entry.  Each pawn is numbered and labeled, and there's a list on the back, which makes sorting pretty easy (I use ziplock bags).  The set *doesn't* come with bases, which is an important point for someone who doesn't have any other Paizo pawn sets.

The physical quality of the pawns is high.  I'm writing this review at the halfway point of the AP, so I've used the set in about 50 sessions so far--all of the pawns are still in good shape, with no tears, bent corners, etc.  They fit well with standard Paizo bases and are quite colorful.

Perhaps the most important thing to ask is how well simplify GM prep: in other words, are the pawns that are included of the right type and number to handle encounters in the AP?  I'm at exactly the halfway point of the AP, so I think I have a pretty good sense of how much coverage there is, and my verdict would be: it's very hit or miss.  The set is great on including pawns for "bosses" unique to the AP and some NPCs--as a rough guide, if there's a full colour illustration of the monster/NPC in the book, there's probably a pawn included in the set.  For more normal encounters, however, the set is unpredictable and the choices made of what (and how many) to include of different creatures doesn't follow a consistent pattern.  For example, the set comes with 8 rat swarms which is plenty for any encounter listed in the book, but doesn't come with any shadows and only 1 yeth hound which complicates planning for those encounters in Thistletop; it includes 4 ogre pawns, which sounds great, but there's an encounter in the Kreeg Clanhold with ten ogres simultaneously.  Etc.  I'm not complaining so much as trying to make it clear that owning this collection (even along with the Bestiary pawn box) doesn't mean that every pawn needed for the game will be at your fingertips: you're still going to have to make homemade tokens or cobble together substitutes for many encounters.  In addition, the collection doesn't include any creatures that appear on the AP's random encounter tables (unless those creatures also appear in planned encounters).

In the end, I can give a partial endorsement to the collection.  It contains enough to make it worthwhile, but not so much to make it a must-have.