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We understood that the two minor factions wouldn't get as much attention as the four majors, but I have to say, only getting one scenario in two entire seasons is pretty discouraging and disappointing, especially given the following:
Of the unreleased scenarios, 2-17, 2-19, 2-21 & 2-23 have no tags and perhaps could have been adapted to relate to Radiant Oath.
Even moreso, 2-20 & 2-24 are metaplot scenarios well-suited for faction association. I can maybe understand not designating the later given its position as the season-ender, but given the setting (Sarkoris) of the former, and the nature of its mission (recovery/save the <target>) it seems prime for a Radiant Oath association.
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It may just be me but I'm finding Factions almost completely and utterly irrelevant these days EXCEPT for the mechanical benefits they bring (boons).
I almost never have a clue what faction any other character is in unless Mentor slotting comes up. Well, until the downtime section at the end which a faction often DOES influence mechanically.
Some part of me misses the "find the teacup" days of early PF1 :-) :-) (I understand why Paizo stopped doing that and part of me also LOATHED the "find the teacup" days).
I have no idea what the solution is but I think something has to be done to make factions more relevant.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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It may just be me but I'm finding Factions almost completely and utterly irrelevant these days EXCEPT for the mechanical benefits they bring (boons).
I almost never have a clue what faction any other character is in unless Mentor slotting comes up. Well, until the downtime section at the end which a faction often DOES influence mechanically.
Some part of me misses the "find the teacup" days of early PF1 :-) :-) (I understand why Paizo stopped doing that and part of me also LOATHED the "find the teacup" days).
I have no idea what the solution is but I think something has to be done to make factions more relevant.
The thing is, that unless the character is evangelical about their faction, faction is predominantly an internal factor, like the character's choice of deity. The relevance of the faction is in the effect it has on the character's decisions, not on the mechanical outputs.
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"Hello, I'm Pip from the Envoy's' Alliance Legal Defense Fund! " The little green-haired gnome hands out business cards. "Some of you may have had me as instructor in Legal 101: Your Guide to Staying Out of Jail. I'll be your legal representation for this mission. Remember, the Envoy's Alliance is here for you!"
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A goblin in the black robes of the Shrine of the Failed walks into the forum discussion. "I'm the goddess of Lost and Forgotten heroes! Alright... I haven't ascended yet. But I'm working on it, because no one deserves being lost or forgotten!" Then she pauses and thinks some more. "Especially my colleagues in the Radiant Oath!"
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The relevance of the faction is in the effect it has on the character's decisions, not on the mechanical outputs.
The HH downtime boon, and the EA/VS boons for crafters, are so mechanically strong that it's near impossible to ignore their mechanical effects.
I would prefer if the factions were flavor only, but realistically I don't think that is the case now.
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Venture-Agent, Massachusetts—Boston Metro
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I like the overall flavor of the current Pathfinder factions, but agree they seem especially vestigial so far in this edition. Even with the (starting later in PFS1) shift to making them intentionally less overt and more 'they're as important as you the player choose to make them', I struggle to even name all the current faction heads and find them infinitely less important and emphasized than the Sword/Spell/Scorll training despite somewhat competing for space in in-world prominence and character-defining elements.
I wonder if part of this is the shift on the entirety of faction mechanics to boons. In PFS1 I loved to fill out the faction cards and in SFS I think the current (for now) fame and rep balance is pretty solid and helps fill in the faction flavor. In PF2 I rarely bother to look into faction boons and the limited scenarios that actually have faction tags combined with the high thresholds for reaching Revered means that I've started caring less and less about not only my own factions, but even about secondary success conditions
That said, its always been the case where in order to balance out the amount of scenario-specific factions, it sometimes means that a plot related to a certain group isn't "officially" their mission. That doesn't stop you from really playing up your Radiant Oath character's investment in it though!
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If I were a developer I think I would be pulling my hair out (if I had any of course :-D). For years, we b%+~!ed and complained about the factions having too much impact on the adventures and being distracting and their "side quests" being dumb, blah, blah, bah. So, they pulled back, changed the format and, IMO, improved the narrative with better factions. Now, we b%%~% and complain that the factions don't do much and feel unimportant. Its almost like we're not happy no matter what they do.
Personally, I think the faction system is fine. They are there and create a nice embellishment to the narrative and provide some impetus for why we would bother with certain missions, without being too heavy-handed and asking us to do dumb things like transport valuable and very delicate Tian tea service sets in our backpacks. If you think about it, the factions are heavily involved in our adventuring because of the AcP/Reputation system. A good portion of our character's abilities and equipment is coming to them for free or as bonuses for having a good relationship with their factions. That, in and of itself, makes the faction system very integral to the PCs experience, even if its not always having a direct impact on individual scenarios.
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Getting back to the issue of Radiant Oath, I am going to assume the missing Faction tie-in was just an oversight and not an intentional blockage from them being involved in season two, especially since the way the meta has developed, its a story that screams for Radiant Oath involvement.
I would guess that 2-20 is still in development (PFS scenarios seem to be low on the priority list and always waiting until the last minute to get their turn through the process outside of org play) so it might be possible to make a few editorial changes. Its going to Sarkoris according to the product page, so it might be relatively easy to reword the into to include maybe Jorsal as the mission giver, perhaps a handout/note from Valais to reinforce the connection to Radiant Oath. It doesn't have to be epic or earth-shaking, just a watch out for demons and good luck kinda thing. Just an idea anyway.
And if its too late to effect 2-20, maybe 2-21 or 2-23 could be reworked. Neither has a faction tie-in and are stand-alone, though I admit their product blurb don't sound much like something the Radiant Oath would be involved with. At least not at first glance.
Regardless, I think it would be short-sighted to allow an entire season to go by with a faction never being mentioned, even if it is a "minor" one. It further supports the idea some have that factions don't matter and will certainly give players pause before choosing said faction. I know the rules changed and we can just pick a different faction each session, but if a faction only shows up once every two seasons, you are likely to only see them chosen that one time. For many players, the optimum choice is the only choice.