There are always interesting things taking place in the Pathfinder Society. Take, for example, this message that has been sent out to Pathfinders across Golarion...
Amara Li—Lantern Lodge Leader
Pathfinder,
We hope this message finds you in good health, wherever you are operating from.
This year has seen the Society endure many hardships alongside equal victories. Our achievements in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament have not gone unrewarded, and even now, agents like you are taking on dangerous journeys as a result of our spoils. As these missions come to an end, we look to the new year as new opportunities and challenges face the Pathfinder Society.
In preparation, we invite you, our most prized agents, to attend this year’s Grand Convocation. As it takes place on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom, you should all know of our yearly gathering. It is here where the best of our agents come to trade tales of their exploits, partake in feats of strength, knowledge, and guile, or even venture off the grounds and take part in specialty missions on our behalf.
Though it has not yet been made public knowledge, we also wish to keep you apprised of a recent development here in Absalom. A member of the esteemed Blakros family, Michellia Blakros, requested the hand of Andoran Major Colson Maldris in marriage. As many of you may be aware, while not a member of the Society, Major Maldris is a sponsor of many Pathfinders and a great ally of our organization. As a complication, the major has opted to reject Michellia’s proposition, unwilling to surrender his name and rank as would be required.
Guaril Karela—Sczarni Faction Leader
The actions of Major Maldris have had dire consequences for our relations with the Blakros family. The Decemvirate agrees that this divide must be mended, and as such we have taken the unique step of inviting the Blakros family to this year’s convocation. It is our hope that Pathfinders such as you will attend this year’s gathering and assist the Society in mending this potentially disastrous divide between our organization and the Blakros family.
As always, your continued efforts are appreciated.
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin Grand Lodge, Absalom
Clearly the other factions are already looking to capitalize on Major Maldris’s rejection of a Blakros offer, so this is gearing up to be a Grand Convocation to remember at both PaizoCon and PaizoCon UK!
If you’re interested in attending the event, make sure you’re registered for PaizoCon 2012 or Paizo Con UK 2012! Registration is coming soon and we plan on keeping Pathfinders (both those in attendance and those off on assignment) up to date on all information up to and following the event.
The Grand Convocation is a yearly gathering held by the Pathfinder Society to bring together the best of Pathfinders from across the globe. Taking place on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom, the convocation is an event where Pathfinders can get together and exchange tales, take part in feats of strength and guile, or be recruited for specialized missions. This year, the event is being honored by the presence of the esteemed Blakros family as well as various other prestigious people from across the Inner Sea, promising to be a convocation to remember!
Expect to see the following:
Tailored Quests (45-minute to 1.5-hour mini-scenarios)
Special Side Events (approximately 15 minutes per event)
Pathfinder Social (A place for people to take part in live-action events)
Faction Objectives
And more!
The PaizoCon Grand Convocation 2012 is a Pathfinder Special open to characters of all levels—including those retired characters of 12th level or higher—that will have a direct influence on certain plot points of Season 4, the Year of the Risen Rune.
Mike Brock Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
Are you coming to PaizoCon 2012? Want to run one or more events during the show? Attendee event submission is now open! All you need to do is copy and paste the following event questionnaire into an email sent to events@paizo.com, and we'll consider your event for the convention. Make sure to answer all questions for every event you plan to run at Paizo Con.
This event submission process is for attendee-run games; don't submit Pathfinder Society events here. Once attendee event submission has closed on May 11, we'll schedule attendee events, special Paizo-staff games, panels, and other events into a master schedule that participants will select in the standard “event lottery” fashion.
For each event you'd like to run, please provide the following information:
Event Name
Event Description (up to 200 words)
Category (RPG/Workshop/Panel, etc.)
Organizer Name (include email address as registered on paizo.com)
Game Master Name
Game/Rules/System (3.5 OGL, Pathfinder RPG, etc.)
Game Edition (3.5 OGL, Pathfinder RPG, etc.)
Will you be providing pregenerated characters? (Yes/No)
Age Rating (10+, 13+, 17+, etc.)
Game Complexity (Normal, Hard, etc.)
Experience Required (Novice/Veteran/Varies, etc.)
Are there prizes awarded? (Yes/No)
Remember, please copy and paste the above 12 questions into your email for EACH event you plan to run at PaizoCon. Send your completed attendee event descriptions to events@paizo.com. Attendee event submissions are due 5/11/12, and the full event lottery will be posted shortly. Space is limited, so not all events will be scheduled.
We look forward to another great year at PaizoCon, and attendee events are a huge part of what makes the show so exciting! Make sure you get your details in soon, and we'll see you at PaizoCon 2012!
Jeff Alvarez Vice President of Operations
PS: Regularly scheduled Wednesday web fiction will go live tomorrow!
I have never been to PaizoCon. I have heard many stories over a pint from friends who have been. I have wanted to go the past few years but it just never worked out, whether it was expenses or work related obligations. One of the perks of my job is now I get to go to PaizoCon every year. Of course, Erik has told me the only excuse for missing it is if I was dead and the body couldn’t be recovered. I promise, you don’t need to twist my arm to be there. I am excited to experience my first PaizoCon with many of you. Not only do I get to attend, I get to help plan the convention. I can’t begin to tell you how cool that is. Every week, I’m working on one preparation or another to help make this PaizoCon the best yet. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of what is being planned for Pathfinder Society. I need to share some of this excitement so I don’t explode.
We are scheduling 150 tables of Pathfinder Society scenarios over the three days. The response of volunteers to GM was overwhelming. We filled all 150 tables in 23 hours and we currently have 22 people on the waiting list to step in if someone has to cancel their trip. It looks like I’m not the only one excited about this year’s PaizoCon. We’re scheduling every Season 3 scenario for PaizoCon over multiple tables.
We’ll also be debuting the GM 101 Workshop. Georgia Venture-Officers took the initiative late last year to put together a program to inform prospective GMs of what they might expect while running a Pathfinder Society scenario or sanctioned module. They received excellent feedback from participants, shared it with several other Venture-Officers to run in their regions, and refined the program. They pitched the idea to me to run it at conventions and I thought it was a great idea. This 4- to 5-hour workshop will be broken into two parts.
The first half includes topics such as how to bring a 4- to 5-hour scenario to life, how to make rulings on the fly, how to manage a table of complete strangers, how to organize a game day, and how to adapt to players doing the unexpected. Participants will circulate between stations to learn and practice the skills involved. During the second half, Georgia Venture-Officers will reveal the Deck of Many Situations. They will lead a humorously instructive game that challenges its players to handle tough GMing situations based on real, in-game dilemmas. Participants will have the opportunity to play the parts of both the GM and the troublesome players. Judges will offer feedback for each round, giving everyone the opportunity to learn. Note that we will also be running GM 101 workshops at Gen Con. I prefer that anyone who wants to volunteer to help run them at Gen Con attend one of these workshops at PaizoCon.
Finally, we are returning the Grand Convocation to its rightful place at PaizoCon. There will be tiered mini-quests that take an hour or two to complete. There will be side events where special Chronicles can be earned. And, according to Major Maldris, the Blakros family is planning to make an appearance. It is unclear exactly what they want. Major Maldris seemed visibly upset (who can blame him when the Blakros are involved) when asked about it, as there have been whispers of bargains, deals, marriages and the like that the Blakros family is pursuing.
I hope to see many of you there and to match faces with messageboard names and avatars. I also hope that I can help provide all of you that are attending with your most memorable Pathfinder experience to date. I look forward to seeing you all in July.
Oh, I almost forgot one important note. It has been mentioned for several years that there would be occasional special events for retired, 12th level PCs. The Grand Convocation is the debut of these special, Tier 12+ events.
And one more thing: Check out the final cover art by Grafit for Pathfinder Module: The Midnight Mirror, an adventure by RPG Superstar 2011 winner Sam Zeitlin!
Mike Brock Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
For PaizoCon 2012, we plan to make this the biggest and best PaizoCon yet! I am scheduling 150 tables of Pathfinder Society over three days. In addition, we are bringing back the Grand Convocation interactive. Finally, we are debuting the GM 101 sessions that will hopefully be a hit so we can continue to offer it at future shows. It should be an awesome time.
I need a minimum of 45 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society games and I'll keep taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled! I also need 2 Volunteer Assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead help me run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be our go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. There may also be special or unique roleplaying opportunities to play the part of a NPC in the Grand Convocation, so please let me know if that is something that might interest you. However, do not narrow your choice to a specific NPC as it may remove you from consideration.
Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at PaizoCon 2012. Keep in mind that you're volunteering for slots, not a specific event. We will let you know the slots you have been assigned to before the lottery goes live. This should allow you plenty of time to plan a schedule with your friends who are also attending PaizoCon 2012. Please let me know via email which days you will be at the convention and how many slots you are volunteering for at PaizoCon 2012.
Volunteer Tiers and Rewards
Volunteer Assistant: 2 needed, treated as a Tier 1 GM
Tier 1 GM Volunteers: Tier 1 GM volunteers are my everyday GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success! Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 5 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 5 slots if they so desire. I only have room for 20 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you'll be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:
A FREE 3-day PaizoCon 2012 badge
A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions.
A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.
Tier 2 GM Volunteers: While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 2. Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:
A FREE 3-day PaizoCon 2012 badge
A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions.
A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.
Tier 3 GM Volunteers: This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 2 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:
A $10-per-slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including subscriptions.
A special Pathfinder Society GM boon available only at PaizoCon.
While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one slot during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.
When volunteering, please be specific about what days you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to scenarios on an as-needed basis, so you really only need to tell me the day(s) you're volunteering for. I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. Lastly, you must have a paizo.com account and you must include your paizo.com email in your email or I won't be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 4 or more slots).
Slot 1: Friday 8 AM to 1 PM Slot 2: Friday 1 PM to 6 PM Slot 3: Friday 7 PM to 12 AM (Grand Convocation Interactive) Slot 4: Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM Slot 5: Saturday 1 PM to 6 PM Slot 6: Sunday 9 AM to 2 PM
All PaizoCon 2012 volunteers please email me at mike.brock@paizo.com with the subject line PaizoCon Volunteer.
Thanks in advance for volunteering, good luck, and have a great spring convention season!
Oh, and one more thing! Don’t forget, next Monday Paizo Fiction Editor will be hanging out in the Paizo chat room at starting at 6 PM PST. Come talk fiction!
Mike Brock Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
We are very proud to announce PaizoCon 2012, our annual gathering of Paizo staff, special guests, Pathfinder RPG players, and members of our message board community! 2012’s event will take place on July 6–8 at the Marriot Redmond Town Center hotel in Redmond, Washington. In addition to the regular annual festivities, PaizoCon 2012 is a celebration of Paizo’s 10th anniversary, as well as 5 years of the Pathfinder Adventure Path! The entire Paizo staff as well as a community of Pathfinder gamers, artists, and designers will be on hand with special events created just for the show. If you’ve never had a chance to visit PaizoCon, 2012 is definitely the best year to start. And if you have been to the show before, we look forward to seeing you again!
This year we are pleased to announce a new location for PaizoCon: The Marriot Redmond Town Center hotel, a great facility situated along an outdoor shopping center with plenty of excellent options for local dining and quality shopping (including a game store and comic shop!). The hotel features more space for games and seminars than our previous location, an on-site bar and restaurant, and more rooms for attendees. The Marriott has extended a special offer of $85 per night for PaizoCon guests, available until June 13th. Make your hotel reservation by calling 1-425-498-4000, and don’t forget to mention PaizoCon to get the special room rate!
Stay tuned to the Paizo Blog in the coming weeks for more announcements about our Guests of Honor, special game industry guests, and events. In the meantime, please check out the PaizoCon FAQ, which answers a lot of commonly asked questions about the convention.
Please also visit paizo.com/paizocon, the official homepage of the convention, where we’ll post additional details as they become available.
We’re delighted to host this convention again, and to celebrate 10 successful years in game publishing! Please help us celebrate in July by attending PaizoCon 2012. We can’t wait to game with you!
At PaizoCon this year I ran a seminar/workshop introducing all sorts of things about making terrain for RPGs and wargaming. In between various demonstrations of hot wire foam cutting, casting bricks in dental plaster, mixing epoxy putty, and using polymer clay, I rattled off a bunch of websites with more information and/or product links. Here's a rundown on the information and links for sculpting, just in case you missed the seminar.
Epoxy Clays
Hirst Arts bricks and Apoxie Sculpt floor.
Standard plumbing pieces smoothed with Apoxie Sculpt.
You probably played with clay as a kid, so you know how it works. It's malleable, and you can shape it however you want, but if you want it to keep its shape, you have to fire it in a kiln. You probably don't have access to a kiln, so clay isn't a good material for terrain-building—pushing too hard with a mini or a knocked-over book would dent or crush a clay castle or statue. Fortunately, two-part epoxy clays like Apoxie Sculpt take care of that problem. Mix the two parts and it's soft like clay for about an hour, then becomes as stiff as hard plastic. It's available in many colors, and you can paint it if they don't have a color to your liking. A tip for using Apoxie Sculpt is to mix it, then let it sit for about 15 minutes because it's tacky when first mixed. Work with small amounts at a time so you don't mix too much and waste it. Apoxie Sculpt is good for small projects, but not really intended for larger items (such as hills), both in terms of cost and weight.
In the first photo, I've used gray Apoxie Sculpt to create a flat area near some Hirst Arts floor tiles, with cut dowels inserted to create a wooden barricade (once I paint the dowels with diluted brown paint, they'll look like old logs). In the second photo, I used it to smooth out the interior screw-threads on some small plumbing pieces I'm using for a steampunk gnome city I'm building).
If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Apoxie Sculpt, you can buy a package of Mighty Putty online, at hardware stores, department stores (usually in the home improvement section) and other locations for about $10; it's grainier, and smells like sulfur, but has similar uses, and once it's painted you can't smell the sulfur anymore.
Epoxy Putty
Anyone who's worked with miniatures is probably familiar with kneadadite epoxy putty, commonly known as "greenstuff." It's packaged as a strip or tube of yellow and blue; when mixed it's green, and remains pliable for 1–2 hours. Greenstuff is good for fine details (like creating a glyph on a stone), and remains slightly flexible even after it hardens, but it gets expensive if you use it for large-scale pieces, and its flexibility is a drawback if you're creating something that has to support weight (such as an arched bridge). You can buy kneadatite from the Paizo store, hobby shops, or other online retailers such as The Warstore.com.
Polymer Clay
Wavy floor made from Sculpey “casts” of a Hirst Arts floor tile mold.
If you want the advantages of clay but don't want to mix stuff or a time limit on it remaining pliable, polymer clays such as Sculpey are workable like clay, but harden when baked in a conventional oven (I hear you can harden it by dipping it in boiling water, though you'd probably want to put the piece in a sieve so you can easily dip and retrieve it). Sculpey is available in many colors, including several stonelike clays. You can purchase it from art stores, hobby stores, and department stores. If you have silicone molds (see Beginning Terrain-Making Blog, Part 2: Using Silicone Molds ), you can press Sculpey into the mold, carefully bend the mold to pop out the soft "casting" of the brick, bend and twist the Sculpey into a different shape, then bake the clay until it's hard (I used this technique with a floor tile mold to create a corridor with floors that rose and fell in waves).
At PaizoCon this year I ran a seminar/workshop introducing all sorts of things about making terrain for RPGs and wargaming. In between various demonstrations of hot wire foam cutting, casting bricks in dental plaster, mixing epoxy putty, and using polymer clay, I rattled off a bunch of websites with more information and/or product links. Here's a rundown on the information and links for plaster-casting and mold-making, just in case you missed the seminar.
A Hirst Arts cracked floor tile mold.
Using Silicone-Rubber Molds
Do you want to build a fort for your PCs to invade? What about a dungeon with customized room pieces you can move around? Or a display piece to hold your favorite miniatures? Building these out of hard plaster "bricks" is easy with the right tools. First of all, you need a suitable mold for the bricks you want. Hirst Arts Fantasy Architecture is by far the best site for buying terrain molds and finding tutorials on how to use them. The mold types range from simple rectangular bricks (like Wizard's Tower Mold #50) to flat floor tiles (like Cracked Floor Tiles Mold #206) to molds for ancient Egyptian buildings, gothic towers, or natural caverns. The molds are durable and easy to use, and last for hundreds of casts (I've had some of my molds for years and have never seen any wear and tear on them). For many of these molds, there are free downloadable plans for how to use that mold to build a sample structure (for example, the Wizard's Tower Mold instructions show how to build a multi-floor tower).
Excalibur dental plaster.
Casting Plaster
Once you have a mold, you need a casting material. Plaster of Paris (aka "POP") is cheap and available at hobby stores and school supply stores, but it's fragile and not good for long-term use. Most terrain-makers use dental plaster, which is heavier and much more durable than POP. The two most common brands are Hydrocal and Excalibur (the most durable); the best places to buy them are dental office supplier (find them on the Internet, the yellow pages, or check the Hirst Arts message boards for a good supplier in your area). Either type costs about a dollar per pound and is usually sold in 25- or 50-pound containers. Depending on the size of the mold, 1 pound makes anywhere from 2–4 casts.
Casting is simple: Mix the plaster with water evenly until it's about the consistency of milk, pour it into the mold, bang on the table to cause trapped air bubbles in the plaster mixture to rise (otherwise you get bubble flaws in the casting), wait 5–6 minutes for the plaster to start to harden and settle, scrape off the excess plaster so it's even with the top of the mold, wait 25 minutes for the pieces to harden, and pop them out of the mold. In my PaizoCon workshop, I spent a few minutes mixing and pouring the plaster, and by the time the seminar was done I was able to hand everyone a fully cast floor tile from the mold. The plaster dust can irritate your eyes and lungs, so you may want to wear eye protection and wear a cloth mask while casting if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.
Miniatures display platform.
Ideas for Projects
If you can build it out of bricks, you can create it—castles, retaining walls, ruins, wells, arches, and so on are all easy first-time projects. Cast the pieces, let them dry 24 hours, glue them together with Aleen's tacky glue, and you're done. Optionally, you can paint them (latex house paint is cheapest) to give them a more uniform color.
Beginning Terrain-Making Blog, Part 1: Foam Terrain
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
At PaizoCon this year I did a seminar/workshop introducing all sorts of things about making terrain for RPGs and wargaming. In between various demonstrations of hot wire foam cutting, casting bricks in dental plaster, mixing epoxy putty, and using polymer clay, I rattled off a bunch of websites with more information and/or product links. Here's a rundown on the terrain-building information and links for making foam terrain, just in case you missed the seminar.
Building With Foam
Whether you want to make some movable hills, an elaborate cave system, or build an elaborate set piece that you'll use over and over again, styrene foam (such as Styrofoam) is the go-to material for building. It's light, inexpensive, reasonably durable for this purpose, and easily shapeable with a hobby knife or hot wire cutter. Although you can use common white styrene (technically, "expanded polystyrene," or EPS) for this, its cell-like structure is a little crumbly and may not give you the look you want. A better choice is a denser material called extruded polystyrene, which is stronger and smooth. You can buy it in hardware stores (such as TrueValue, Home Depot, and Lowes) where it's sold in large, rigid pink or blue sheets (typically 2 ft. by 8 ft.) for insulating walls, in 1/2-inch, 1-inch, and 2-inch thicknesses.
A Sturdy Base
Styrene is slightly flexible, and the underside can get scratched or gouged if you place it on a rough surface, so you should attach it to a harder, less-flexible base. Plywood is sturdy but heavy, so many modelers use fiberboard (often called "medium density fiberboard," or MDF), which is stronger than heavy cardboard but easier to cut than plywood. It's medium-brown, typically smooth on one side and rough like dried pulp on the other side. You can buy this at most hardware stores in large sheets (here is a link to it at Home Depot, though this is 1/2" thick and 1/8" thick is generally sufficient). In my experience it is easier to cut the fiberboard to the size you want for your terrain piece, then cut the styrene to match the base, rather than cutting the (softer) styrene and trying to cut the base to match that.
Time For Glue
The cut foam, ready for gluing.
My terrain supplies box has a bottle of Gorilla Glue, Aleen's Tacky Glue and Elmer's white glue, all of which are available in hardware and/or craft stores. Gorilla Glue is good at affixing styrene to MDF, though it expands slightly so you need to stack books on top of it while it dries, as the foam is light enough that the expanding glue could form a gap between the MDF and foam. You can use tacky glue or white glue if that's all you have available, but the bond isn't as strong.
Cutting Foam
Once you've cut the base material and glued it to the foam, you need to be able to cut and shape the foam. The stuff is easy to cut with an X-Acto knife or a box cutter, though the thickness of the foam may make that a slow process. It's much faster and more fun to use a hot wire foam cutter, and if you plan to fiddle with foam on a regular basis, you should get a foam cutter. The principle of the foam cutter is it uses electricity to heat a metal wire, which slices through foam like a poor man's lightsaber. There are several types available:
The cheap: Often these are powered by D batteries (and drain them quickly), but there's at least one with an AC adapter. Look for the brand names "FloraCraft" or "Wonder Cutter." Retailing for under $20, they're of low quality and they don't cut very fast, but are an easy way to get started with foam-cutting.
The mid-range: The Woodland Scenics Hot Wire Foam Cutter is a little powerhouse and sells for under $50 (you can find it cheaper at Amazon.com and other online stores). It runs hotter than the cheaper cutters, allowing you to cut faster. I also like the wide "U" of the rigid bars, allowing you to cut thicker foam. You can even punch a hole in the foam, untie the wire from one end of the cutter, thread the wire through the hole, and reattach it to the cutter, allowing you to make interior cuts (like a pit in the middle of your terrain). The only drawback to this cutter is you have to hold the thumb-trigger in the "on" position (rather than having an on-off switch) when you use it.
The expert: The Hot Wire Foam Factory has an entire line of crafter and professional oriented foam cutters, including U-shaped cutters, cutting wands, flat cutting knives, and jigsaw-like cutting tables. I picked up the 4" hot knife, which lets me carve directly into the foam (for example, to create the appearance of bricks or mortared stone). These all require one of their power supplies, either a simple AC adapter for $11.95 or a more advanced model for $99.95 that lets you change the cutter's temperature.
This Stuff Will Kill You
Glued, painted, and ready for play.
One critical thing to remember is that styrene, when heated, gives off toxic fumes. Don't use a foam cutter in an enclosed space or with poor ventilation. If you don't have a filter mask, either work outside, in an open area, or with a fan blowing the fumes away from you. And remember that children and small pets are going to be more susceptible to the fumes because they're smaller than an adult. Play safe!
In action at PaizoCon 2011! Photo by Blake Davis
Have An Example
The photos with this blog are of an incomplete foam terrain piece I used at PaizoCon. It's an elevated rise with a bridge over an underground river. The rise pieces are pink foam, carved with a foam cutter, and glued together with Gorilla Glue. I used a blunt pencil to draw a grid on the pieces (not a precise grid, as this looks less artificial), painted them with brown craft paint, painted a second layer of craft paint mixed with sand for texture, then drybrushed with a lighter brown to make the texture show up better. The "water" is currently just blue paint, but I'll be covering that with either a clear resin or layers of clear glue to make it shiny. The bridge is a picket fence from a craft store, stained a darker brown with dilute brown craft paint, and screwed into the top of the foam with long screws. Total building time, spread out over several weeknights, was about two hours, not including time for the glue to dry.
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part XIII: PaizoCon Success!!!
Monday, June 13, 2011
For hundreds of avid Pathfinder Society players, this past weekend likely produced countless memories that won't soon be forgotten. This weekend, after all, was PaizoCon, and one of the pillars of the show was the wide array of Pathfinder Society games and special events being run from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon.
We planned for 16 active tables each slot and ended up pulling in extra GMs for nearly every one, filling as many as 21 tables on Saturday morning. While there were lines of hopeful players filling the hallway outside the four PFS gaming rooms each slot, Hyrum and I are proud to say that not a single gamer was turned away from Pathfinder Society play who showed up within 15 minutes of the start of a slot. In total, we had nearly 80 tables go off, most of which were for brand-new 1st-level characters created by participants new to the Society.
On Friday night we ran an exclusive event called the Grand Melee, in which the Decemvirate tested the participants to find the most skilled and most promising agents for future endeavors. Over five continuous encounters, each tiered table was put up against increasingly powerful foes, culminating in a combat rated at CR +4 for the lowest tier and CR +5 for the higher tiers. In the end, the winning table scored 173 points in Tier 1–2 (followed closely by a Tier 5–6 table with 164 points.
Not only did players compete with one another for special prizes in the Grand Melee, but all of the event's GMs were battling to provide the hardest challenge and the most enjoyable experience for their tables. In the end, the running was close, but San Diego Venture-Captain Eric Brittain came out ahead. As a reward for his GMing performance in the event, he will receive his next GM star for free, bumping him from 2 to 3 in a single event.
Speaking of GM stars, Hyrum and I were proud to see two active 4-star GMs earn their 5th stars during the convention. Congratulations are in order for Kyle Baird and Missouri Venture-Captain Jason Roeder. Welcome to the ranks of our most valued GMs, guys!
On Saturday afternoon, Hyrum and I announced the five new factions, the names of which were quickly tweeted and leaked onto the messageboards. We'll be covering all five of these new player options in the coming weeks starting with the Grand Lodge faction next week, so be sure to check the blog on Monday morning to see more details than simply the basic premise and name of the first of our five new factions.
Every table has at least one Paizo employee, and this is my table. Imagine my surprise to find it full of Fawtlies... and a Red Mantis assassin. Can't decide if this is scary, or awesome, or scary. My money's on awesome. And scary.
Illustration by Tyler Walpole. Widescreen version here.
PaizoCon Is Here!
Friday, June 10, 2011
PaizoCon 2011 starts today! The massive event schedule lists all of the awesome activities attendees can expect to take part in, but here are some of the real gems that I'm looking forward to.
At the show guests and Paizo staff will have the opportunity to wine and dine together during Saturday's banquet. One of the reasons I'm excited about the banquet is the opportunity to meet and hang out with fellow Paizonians. Having gotten to know so many of you on the messageboards, it will be fun to finally meet some of you face to face! In addition to CEO Lisa Stevens's welcome and Publisher Erik Mona's preview of upcoming Pathfinder products, James Jacobs and Jason Bulmahn will be showcasing some really cool things about our upcoming products. I can't say here what they'll be, but you all should be very excited!
One of the neatest things about PaizoCon is the myriad opportunities to get the inside scoop on Pathfinder, Paizo, and the old days at TSR. Between “The Future of Paizo" on Friday, and seminars on writing for Paizo throughout the entire weekend, on Saturday there's a seminar on the "Secrets of TSR" with the likes of Ed Greenwood, Lisa Stevens, Ryan Dancey and maybe even Jeff Grubb himself!
Speaking of seminars, there are quite a few about the history of the industry, how to begin writing for RPGs, and breaking into the game industry. Here's a brief list of some of the seminars that you should try and get to: "Publishing in Kobold Quarterly," "Secrets of a Small Press Publisher," "Writing for the Pathfinder Society," and "Auntie Lisa's Story Hour" with Paizo CEO Lisa Steven's herself!
Finally (and perhaps best of all), expect to play lots and lots of games. Pathfinder Society scenarios will be run every day throughout the convention, and special events such as Stephen Radney-MacFarland's "Shootout in Old Korvosa," Jason Bulmahn's "Cursed Lot IV," and master of horror James Jacobs's "The Siege of Windy Hollow" (a Pathfinder RPG variant set in an apocalyptic earth ravaged by the Elder Mythos) are sure to be crowd pleasers. I might even have to sit in and watch some of these games being played—they sound that awesome.
We're super excited about this show and will be updating the blog throughout the weekend with news-bites, pictures, and updates. For those of you who can't make it, here's a wallpaper of the PaizoCon 2011 mascot: Unk the goblin!
Timitius tells me there are upwards of 125 people here at the Crab Pot -- and PaizoCon doesn't even officially start until tomorrow! PaizoCon is officially my favorite time of year.
The PaizoCon 2011 lottery ends today (and you have signed up for the lottery right?) but have no fear, we have a lot of games, seminars, and other events for you to do while at PaizoCon 2011! Want to design a new spell, feat, or even archetype for your campaign? Are you a freelancer looking for tips on how to become a better mechanical designer? Come to the RPG Design: Crafting Rules That Work seminar, where the Pathfinder RPG design team gives tips and tricks for designing some of the more complex rules elements in the game. Or how about learning to paint miniatures from some of the best in the business at the Learn to Paint seminar hosted by Reaper? Some of our other partners are also running events, like Open Design and their Building a Shared World seminar and the Open Design/Super Genius Games Secrets of a Small Press Publisher seminar.
Not interested in seminars? The folks behind JourneyQuest and Dorkness Rising will be showing their films throughout the show and the Pathfinder Society will be in full force running over 81 events!
Whatever your interest is, we've got it covered! Make sure you're where it's at this June, PaizoCon 2011!
Right now, on the PaizoCon 2011 page, you can view the official event schedule for Paizo's premier summer convention. Included are seminars, panels, and game sessions run by the Paizo staff; games and panels run by some of our guests and industry friends; and game sessions run by you, the fans.
We will decide things much as we did last year—namely, with a lottery. The lottery opens on Tuesday, May 10 at 2:00 P.M. PDT, and you will have until Friday, May 13 at 2:00 P.M. PDT to make your choices. Instructions on how to make those choices will be included on the website. We are following the format established last year: The lottery this year will only include fan-run game sessions, staff-run game sessions, and exhibitor and guest-run sessions. It will not include panels, some seminars, or any of the Pathfinder Society scenario slots. Once the lottery results are announced on May 16, the panels, seminars, and scenarios will open for general signups on a first-come, first-served basis. As these things are not as limited on space (or limited at all, in some cases), we wanted you to get the first crack at those limited events through the lottery and then fill the rest of your schedule with Society scenarios, open seminars, and open panels.
Orcs, Giant Scorpion Robots, and Barbarians: An Interview with Tyler Walpole
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
A couple of weeks ago we interviewed Ed Greenwood, our Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011. This time I had the pleasure of interviewing Tyler Walpole, our Artist Guest of Honor this year.
Tyler is one of those artists who just gets it. I don't think he's created a piece I don't love and it's going to be awesome to see him at PaizoCon this year. From orcs battling giant monsters single-handedly, to lone barbarians taking on giant arachnid robots, Tyler's art is dynamic, detailed, and just plain awesome. Tyler's definitely on the list of artists I want to paint murals in every room of my future mansion when I win the lottery.
And he's an illustrating machine, doing work for us (seriously, look how awesome the Master of the Fallen Fortress cover is), IDW on the D&D comic, Hero Games, and a ton of other high-profile companies. We're lucky to have him with us at PaizoCon, and if you're coming out, you should definitely see if you can buy him enough drinks to get a sketch.
And now, on with the interview!
1. A brief bio, where you are from and how you started in the industry?
I am a self-taught illustrator who lives in Des Moines, Iowa. I spent several years trying to break into the comic book industry as a penciler. That ended up being a bit like pounding my head against a brick wall. Lots of offers to do work for free, but no professional (i.e., paid) work. In 2000 I decided to forgo my annual trip to Wizard World Chicago, and instead created a portfolio of black-and-white interior illustrations and went to Gen Con. I talked to every art director I could find on the showroom floor. When I got home, I had an offer to do some work for Palladium Books, and that worked out pretty well, so I kept pursuing more and more game work (and added color into the mix) until I had enough coming in to make the jump to full time. I've managed to stay pretty busy ever since.
2. When did you discover your creative talents?
I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I spent a lot of time in grade school being told not to draw on my homework... now drawing is my homework!
3. What inspires you?
I take inspiration from everything. Movies, games, books, walks in the park, all of it! I have a pretty active mind, and almost anything can germinate in there and come out as something useful for my art.
4. How would you describe your style?
Oh man, I have no idea. John Romita, Jr. once described his work as "Deadline Style"... its as much as I can get done by the deadline. Working in a publishing environment has sort of dictated that I also have a "Deadline Style." One of these days I'm going to spend just as long as I please on something. I'll go back to you after that happens. ;)
5. Do you have a favorite story or character?
Let see... I'm pretty satisfied with most of the covers I've done, my favorite is probably the Orcs of Golarion. It's essentially a Conan vs. the Monster illustration... only in this case Conan is an Orc, and he's dual-wielding axes. Sarah pretty much let me do my own thing on that one, in design terms, and I really enjoyed it.
6. Who are your favorite artists, writers, and/or influences?
Well, here again, it could be just about anybody. Some of my favorites include Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos, Todd Lockwood, Greg Manchess, Frank Frazetta, James Jean, Phil Hale, Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Adam Hughes, Bill Willingham, and Jim Butcher.
7. How do you juggle freelance work and life?
I skip out on a lot of sleep. No, seriously, I skip out on a lot of sleep. I love my job, but I'm married and have two sons. I do my best to make it to every family function, school event, and baseball game. But, many nights, once everyone is in bed, I sneak back to the studio to make sure I'm on top of my deadlines, and squeeze in some time to develop my own projects.
8. Describe yourself in 5 words.
Living the dream. So grateful!
9. What's the best thing to happen to you recently?
Besides being Artist Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011, you mean? I found a publisher for one of those projects!
10. Any advice for aspiring artists?
Practice your art. All. The. Time. Whatever you decide to do, whatever voice emerges through your art, or writing or music, honor it, and do it the best you can... the business part of it will follow. People are drawn to excellence in many forms, so don't try to be like the other guy. And keep at it!
Realms of Adventure: An Interview with Ed Greenwood
Friday, April 22, 2011
As we get closer to PaizoCon we'll be showcasing some interviews with the various guests we'll have at the show. We kick off this series with an interview with Ed Greenwood, one of the most influential people in the RPG industry.
We're incredibly honored to have Ed as our Guest of Honor at PaizoCon 2011. I've been reading Ed's work since I was in Jr. High and reading about, and playing in, the Realms since the grey box debuted in 1987 for 1st Edition. I can't wait to hang out with Ed at PaizoCon this year and a lucky few PaizoCon guests will get the chance to play in a game run by the "Sage of Shadowdale" himself, so keep an eye out for the PaizoCon lottery coming soon.
And without further ado, here's the interview with Ed!
1. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started in the industry?
I'm Canadian, was born and raised in what is now Toronto. I have a degree in journalism but have always worked in public libraries, from age 14 onwards (still working in a public library, and I'm 51 now). I have always written fantasy, sf, and other fiction, and started creating the Realms when I was 6 years old (8 years before D&D was created, and 9 years before the wider world saw it). I started reading The Dragon (as it was then called) around issue #8, started writing for it in 1979 (an article on the Divine Right game was my first submission, but wasn't published until issue #34, after two of my D&D monster creations had seen print: the Curst in #30, and the Crawling Claw in #32). I happily buried the editors under submission after submission, and as a result they soon named me a Contributing Editor; some years later, when TSR was looking for a new campaign "world" for the game, they contacted me and purchased the Realms. I have never been on staff at any game company, but have written literally hundreds of novels and short stories, adventures, articles, sourcebooks, and other game products over the years, for all sorts of game systems. I still love creating stuff, and try to do something every day.
2. When did you discover your creative talents?
I've written poetry and lyrics for as long as I can remember (making up new words to songs I heard sung around me when I was a toddler, apparently). As a kid of 3 years old and for the next 6 years—apparently I was one of those "child prodigies"—I apparently often pestered my father by excitedly bringing him various books I'd read in his den and demanding to know "what happened next." He often gravely told me that the author was long dead, and if I wanted sequels I'd have to write them myself.
So I did. They were mostly dreadful, but I kept at it, and have written or co-written around 140 books, thus far. I'm not sure how talented I am, but I am persistent.
3. What inspires you?
Everything. Everything at all. "Life" would be the flippant answer. Pretty sunsets and animals, flirtatious repartee, real-life pratfalls and moments of cleverness, improbable coincidences, rumors, smiles from strangers... you name it.
4. How would you describe your style?
Chameleon 101. Though I like humor and have a weakness for smart-mouthed first person narrators, I try to tailor my style to the project at hand. I've written torrid romances and instruction manuals, pastiches of many different writers, and adopted all sorts of styles. In my game writing, I do try to build nuance, color, and "tone" into my writing that constantly hints at things I don't have sufficient word count to come right out and say. (Which no doubt drives some editors nuts.) So I don't have a distinctive style (though I do have a fairly consistent "voice" for most of my Realms fiction; contrast it with my "Guns of Alkenstar" Pathfinder Tales story).
5. Do you have a favorite story or character?
No. I have literally dozens of favorite stories and characters, which I'm afraid means I don't have lone, specific "favorites" of either. Really.
6. Who are your favorite writers and influences?
Hooboy! Here we go, knowing I'll inevitably miss some...
Living: Guy Gavriel Kay, Terry Pratchett, Spider Robinson, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, Jack Vance, Julian May, Ursula LeGuin, Dana Stabenow, J. V. Jones
Dead: Lord Dunsany, Rudyard Kipling, P. G. Wodehouse, Roger Zelazny, Fritz Leiber, Leslie Charteris, E. E. "Doc" Smith, John Dickson Carr, Ellis Peters, Clark Ashton Smith, J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft
7. How do you juggle freelance work and life?
They're two separate things?
Seriously, writing/designing is my life. It's why I breathe. I value friendship and camaraderie, books, and creating (both alone and with friends). I live to do these things and enjoy these things, and share them with those I love. (Which is, I suppose, a grand way of saying I dream and make up lies for a living.)
8. Describe yourself in 5 words.
Whimsical, jovial, kind, widely-interested.
9. What's the best thing to happen to you recently?
I've been able to help (in small ways) launch or better the careers of some friends who are going to be great writers. We'll all get to read the results, in years to come. No, I'm not going to name names. My reward will be the reading, the hugs, and laughter together.
10. Any advice for aspiring writers?
Nothing strikingly original.
These, above all: Read, read, read (widely, not just in your chosen field) and write, write, write (you can and will improve your craft, the more you keep at it).
Take all writing advice with a grain of salt, because everyone's slightly different, and what worked for me or for Stephen King might not work for you. However, pay attention to editors and guidelines and formats and the nitty-gritty of daily work, because those who don't are often not heard from again.
And keep at it. Most "overnight successes" have been years in the making. Don't tell me or anyone about the book you're going to write—instead, save your time and breath and sit down and write it. I'm a greedy reader; I want the fruits of your labors, not the signal of your intent to one day undertake them.
Oh, and one more thing: Don't tell me you don't have time to write your great novel or design your new game. I have been writing professionally for 45 years (yes, I got paid for some of the stuff I did when I was six), and during that time went through school and university, held down a full-time job for more than twenty years (including a dozen years of commuting 120 miles to work and 120 miles home, six days a week), have worked part time for more than a decade when I wasn't full time... and "on the side" have managed to write or co-write (and co-writing takes longer) about 140 books (not to mention contributing to dozens more, and turning out hundreds of articles and columns and newspaper stories, poems and a play and script or three). So the "I don't have time" argument cuts little ice with me. I don't expect you to produce 140 books—just impress me with one. To begin with. ;}
Are you attending PaizoCon 2011? (If not, tickets are still available!) If yes, have you thought about volunteering to run an event at the show? What makes PaizoCon so great isn't just the interaction with the Paizo staff or the ability to play in a staff-run game, it's also the ability to sit and game with your fellow Paizo community members as well as run a game for those community members! We're not beholden to a single system at PaizoCon. Want to run a Pathfinder RPG one-off? Great! How about a board game slot where you teach some folks your favorite board game ever? Also great! How about you playtest an upcoming scene in your home campaign with a willing audience? Perfect! There's no end to the ideas you could develop and run at PaizoCon 2011.
We're only taking event submissions until April 27, 2011 (2 weeks from today). So post below in the following format:
Title:
System:
Short Description:
Number of Players (Min/Max):
Character Level:
Pregens Provided (yes/no):
Maturity Rating (Everyone (6+)/Teen (13+)/Mature (18+)):
This is the also the official call for Pathfinder Society volunteers for PAIZOCON 2011! Volunteers will receive $10 in Paizo.com store credit useable whenever they want to use it, for each slot they volunteer for, plus an awesome volunteer package of product in addition to the attendee bag o' goodies. (And I mean AWESOME! As in, we only had to drive it 3 miles from our warehouse AWESOME. Like, we're really close to the show so we can bring really cool stuff AWESOME!)
Look through the list below and email me the games/slots you can volunteer for!
Here's where we need help:
Friday 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Need: 16
Friday 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Need: 16
Friday 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. (Grand Melee)
Need: 16
Saturday 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Need: 16
Saturday 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Need: 16
Sunday 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Need: 16
There are 6 slots in which we need volunteer assistance. In order to get the goody bag mentioned above, you need to volunteer for a minimum of 2. The more volunteers I get for these events, the more events we can run. So please take some time to run one or two events and help Paizo and the Pathfinder Society make this the best PaizoCon possible!
We hope to have the event schedule live for sign-ups very soon. Details forthcoming.
At this time we're only seeking volunteers from those who have purchased a badge and plan to attend the show.
All volunteers can email me: hyrum.savage@paizo.com with the subject line PAIZOCON 2011 Volunteer.
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part I: PaizoCon and Beyond
Monday, March 21, 2011
Though we're still in 2011's first quarter, we in Pathfinder Society Central are already plotting out details of Season 3, which will officially begin in August at Gen Con. Before we can move into the next season, however, we need to conclude Season 2. I guess now's as good a time as any to announce the final four scenarios of the current season—The Year of the Shadow Lodge.
At PaizoCon, as always, four new scenarios will debut to tie up all the loose ends with the ongoing metaplot of the season, and foreshadow the themes and challenges of next year. In this case, we've got the two part Shadow's Last Stand arc, set in the Andoren capital of Almas. Part I is At Shadow's Door, by Steven Robert, and Part II is Web of Corruption by Patrick Renie. Pathfinder Society campaign coordinator Hyrum Savage will send the PCs deep into undead-ruled Geb in You Only Die Twice, and Michael Kortes will pit the PCs against a team of deadly assassins in The Mantis's Prey. Players closely following the conflict between the Shadow Lodge and the Decemvirate will find all their questions answered in these four action- and intrigue-packed scenarios.
Because we've got some fairly significant changes and expansions coming to the campaign as it enters its fourth year, we decided to vary things up a little with July's releases. Instead of two standalone adventures left dangling between the conclusion of one year-long story arc and the introduction of another, we'll be putting out a three-part, first-level adventure arc called First Steps, designed to act as an introduction for new players, or old players starting new PCs. In this series, PCs will undertake their first missions as Pathfinders, learning what it means to be a member of the world-spanning organization, getting familiar with Absalom—their new home base—and meeting the heads of all the factions as well as some of the Society's most persistent enemies.
Adam Daigle starts it all off with In Service to Lore, followed by Stephen Radney-MacFarland's To Delve the Dungeon Deep. Larry Wilhelm wraps it all up with A Vision of Betrayal. PCs will end the series at second level, and choose their faction at the series' conclusion, deciding which of the motivations or play-styles most fits their character. As if this weren't exciting enough, all three scenarios will be available for free.
Stay tuned to this blog for more announcements about the future of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign in the coming weeks.
Next month I travel to Europe for a Pathfinder Society whistle-stop tour of several exciting events. I start with an event in Copenhagen on July 9, head down to Wiesbaden, Germany for an Ulisses-Spiele event on July 11, swing over to Utrecht and Leiden in the Netherlands for a pair of back-to-back events on July 13, skip down to the south of France in beautiful Lyon for a Black Book Editions event on July 15, and then make my way north to Birmingham for a weekend of Paizo Con UK events from July 17 through July 18. Then, just when it's getting started, I wing my way back to Paizo on July 19.
Quite a trip—one that I'm very excited to embark on—but before I get down to the details of each stop, I'll give a little background on why Paizo is sending me through the European Union and the UK to participate in Society events.
When the Society first started, we knew we eventually wanted to build a dedicated network of volunteer coordinators—we call them Regional Coordinators. These folks would be our go-to men and women who could help organized local conventions, game days, and hobby store events as well as function as our core of volunteers at Paizo Con, Gen Con, Dragon Con, Paizo Con UK, Games Expo UK, Gen Con Australia... well, you get the idea. We are now ready to make a big deal about our coordinator system (watch for a blog post here next week), but before we can really get started I need to know where our largest communities in Europe are, and who among them are the most dedicated. I already had a good idea of who and where these folks were in the US, Australia, and Canada, but I had only a vague notion of our hardest-core European groups. Thus a trip was ordered, and now I head for Europe next month to participate in local events and talk to their organizers about possibly becoming a regional coordinator for their city or country.
Here are the details:
Copenhagen, Denmark—July 9, 2010 Address: Støberiet, Blågårds
Plads 3, 2100
København Ø
Time: Two slots, 12:00–17:00 and 18:00–23:00
Additional Details: You must email Henrik Garde to sign-up. This event is free.
Wiesbaden, Germany—July 11, 2010 Address: Nachilfeinstitut Faultier
Adolfsallee 59
65185 Wiesbaden
Tel: 0611-505870-7
Time: 10:00–18:00
Additional Details: This event will be held at the tutoring center "Faultier" ("lazybones"). There are a large number of single rooms so groups don't disturb one another and enough tables and chairs for larger groups. The center has a microwave and an electric water boiler for Tea and instant coffee free of charge. The station across the center covers all the other needs (bakery, McDonalds, Asia Snack and Mr Doener). A big thank you in advance to Michael W. and the team of the tutoring center for giving us the permission to use their facilities. Across from the tutoring center there is the department store called "Lilien-Care" with a parking deck where you can park your car for a fee of only EUR 3.00 for the whole day. Around the center there are several more parking areas too but we recommend that you use the parking deck. You can find free parking lots behind the Wiesbaden main station in the direction of the Schlachthof and behind the Motel One. Finally, we recommend that you come by public transit. The center is in only 2 minutes walking distance from the Wiesbaden main station and from the central bus station. This event is free.
Utrecht, Netherlands—July 13, 2010 Address: Labyrinth
Oudegracht 207
Utrecht
Time: 11:00–16:00 (the event might run later—I leave at 16:00)
Additional Details: This event is free.
Lyon, France—July 15, 2010 Address: Trollune
25 rue Sébastien Gryphe
69007 LYON
Time: Two slots, 14:00–19:00 and 20:00–01:00
Additional Details: This event is free.
Birmingham, United Kingdom—July 17–18, 2010 Address: Aston University Business School
Birmingham, UK
Time: Several gaming and panel slots on the 17th and 18th—see the Paizo Con UK website for details.
Additional Details: This event requires the purchase of an event badge. See the Paizo Con UK website for details.
If you live in Europe or plan to be there during my trip, stop by one of the events and say hello! I hope to see you all there!
With PaizoCon 2010 officially in the books, it's time to start looking forward to the Advanced Player's Guide, which releases in early August at Gen Con. On Saturday night, during the banquet, I gave a nice long preview of the book, and wanted to make sure that everyone who was not able to attend also had a chance to hear about some of the exciting new rules and features in this mighty tome.
First off, we took a look at the races chapter, which includes a two-page spread of information on each of the seven core races. Each one includes new alternate racial class features for you to choose from and new favored class options. The latter gives you another thing to choose from when you take a level in a class favored by your race. For example, dwarven barbarians can choose to gain 1 additional round of rage per day instead of an additional hit point or skill rank.
Next comes the classes chapter, which starts off with the six new base classes and then continues on with new rules and material for the 11 core classes from the Core Rulebook. The base classes have received a host of updates since the playtest, but still primarily function much in the same way as they did before. For the core classes, we added scores of new rules. Most of the classes contain numerous archetypes, or different takes on the class, which includes a number of alternate abilities that you can take as a package. For example, rogues can select the sniper archetype which grants them increased range with their sneak attack and reduces their penalties for making attacks at long range.
Illustrations by Eric Belisle
Although this chapter has a little something for everyone, one of the things I was most excited to reveal was the antipaladin class. This alternate paladin is sure to keep your players up at night. His smite good attack deals double damage to paladins and good-aligned clerics on the first successful attack. His touch of corruption deals damage and can inflict terrible cruelties on hapless PCs. He can be a carrier of disease and can radiate an aura of sin. He is a tough, tough customer. But my favorite part of putting together the entire book was writing his code of conduct. Here is an excerpt:
Under exceptional circumstances, an antipaladin can ally with good associates, but only to defeat them from within and bring ruin to their ranks.
After classes is a meaty feats chapter, containing 163 feats that range from metamagic feats, combat feats, and even a host of racial feats. This chapter even includes a number of high-level feats that duplicate a number of powers of the old 3.5 archmage prestige class. One feat of note is Shadow Strike, which allows a character to deal precision damage, even if the target has concealment, allowing rogues to finally be able to sneak attack a foe in a dark alley.
After feats comes equipment, which contains new tools, useable by nearly any PC, and a lengthy chapter full of spells. There are spells in this book for every spellcasting character, including new spell lists for elementalist wizards. All told, 57 pages of spells with new choices at every level of play. After spells comes the prestige class chapter, which includes 8 new classes. I previewed the Stalwart Defender during the banquet, which is an update of the 3.5 Dwarven Defender. The name change stems from the fact that you no longer need to be a dwarf to take levels in this class. The class also grants many new abilities that the defender can choose from as he gains levels.
The book is rounded out with a large magic items chapter, including new items from virtually every category. It starts with armor and weapons and wraps up with cursed items and artifacts. That chapter is followed up with the new rules chapter, which includes info on four new combat maneuvers (dirty trick, drag, reposition, and steal), an optional hero point system, and the entire traits system used by the Pathfinder Adventure Paths.
All of that, crammed into 336 pages between two beautiful covers. A detailed preview of the Advanced Player's Guide will start very soon. Keep your eyes here on the Paizo blog for more information on this exciting book.
Butterfrog is currently sorting the thousands of Confrontation minis he's bought in the last year. It's truly an impressive sight. I had to share this.
Even an actual appearance from their god did not dissuade them. Razmiran Faith Barge Union #107 wins for the second time in a row at the Paizo Con Banquet Quiz. Mark Moreland officially announced his retirement soon after.
Good job everyone! And thanks for letting me direct you through an evening of crazy fun. :-)
P.S. I helped someone propose by reading his proposal as a quiz answer. That makes me one lucky dude. Congratulations, you two! I'm happy I could help and proud it happened during my event. :-)
Right now, on the PaizoCon 2010 page, you can view the official and final event schedule for Paizo's premier summer convention. Included are seminars, panels, game sessions run by the Paizo staff, and game sessions run by you.
We will decide things much as we did last year—namely, with a lottery. The lottery opens on Monday, May 17 at 2:00 P.M. PDT, and you will have until Friday, May 21 at 2:00 P.M. PDT to make your choices. Instructions for how to make those choices will be included on the website, but we are doing something different this year that bears mentioning. This year's lottery will only include fan-run game sessions, staff-run game sessions, and limited-slot seminars. It will not include panels, some seminars, or any of the Pathfinder Society scenario slots. Once the lottery results are announced on May 24, the panels, seminars, and scenarios will open for general sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis. As these things are not as limited on space (or limited at all, in some cases), we wanted you to get a first crack at those limited events through the lottery and then fill the rest of your schedule with Society scenarios, open seminars, and open panels.
Below is the full schedule for event registration for Paizo Con 2010.
Today:Event Schedule is live and ready for review. 5/17 2:00 P.M. PDT: Event selection for lottery begins. 5/21 2:00 P.M. PDT: Event selection for lottery closes. 5/24 2:00 P.M. PDT: Lottery results announced; general sign-ups and event ticket trading begin. 6/4 2:00 P.M. PDT: General sign-ups end. 6/11 2:00 P.M. PDT: Event ticket trading closes; tickets are now final. 6/18 9:00 A.M. PDT: PaizoCon 2010 registration opens at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. 6/18 12:00 P.M. PDT: PaizoCon 2010 begins!
I have a confession to make—it's been 7 years since my last convention. But that dark time in the desert will soon come to an end, because in just two months, I'll be going to PaizoCon!
I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the writers and artists whose work I've been breathing in for the last few months, such as Wayne Reynolds (whose owlbear guards the entrance to the editorial pit), Wolfgang Baur, and Greg Vaughan.
I'm also totally excited to meet our fans, the people I ultimately work for—both because gamers are a fun bunch, and also because the better I know how you all think and talk about Pathfinder, the better I'm able to ensure that our content, and particularly its language, will make sense and appeal to you. (Side note: did you know that gamer English has been held up as an example of language evolution? It's true! The phrase "to sleep someone" got a shout-out in Pinker's The Language Instinct.)
I'm determined to get in on at least one or two games, too (remember, there are just two more days to post event submissions!). On that note, I'm off to browse the event listings. I could swear I saw a reference to the Arkham Boy Scouts in there somewhere...
Are you attending PaizoCon 2010? (If not, tickets are still available!) If yes, have you visited this thread and volunteered to run an event at the show? What makes PaizoCon so great isn't just the interaction with the Paizo staff or the ability to play in a staff-run game, it's also the ability to sit and game with your fellow Paizo community members as well as run a game for your fellow community members! We're not beholden to a single system at PaizoCon. Want to run a Pathfinder RPG one-off? Great! How about a board game slot where you teach some folks your favorite board game ever? Also great! How about you playtest an upcoming scene in your home campaign with a willing audience? Perfect! There's no end to the ideas you could develop and run at PaizoCon 2010.
We're only taking event submissions until April 15, 2010 (a week from tomorrow). So visit the thread, tell Lilith and Timitius what you want to run (and follow their format) and we'll see you at PaizoCon this coming June!
Official Call for PaizoCon and Gen Con Volunteers!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hello!
This is the official call for volunteer GMs and assistants to help Paizo Publishing run events at PaizoCon 2010 and Gen Con 2010. (If you're looking for the Origins Game Fair volunteer thread, click here.)
Paizo Con 2010
For Paizo Con 2010, I need a minimum of 20 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society Organized Play and I'll keep taking volunteers until the slots are full! Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at PaizoCon 2010 as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteer GMs. I also need 2 volunteer assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be my go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. Volunteers must volunteer for a minimum of 2 slots and the volunteer assistants are volunteering to split time at HQ for the entire show. PaizoCon 2010 volunteer GMs and volunteer assistants receive the following:
(Volunteer GMs) A $10 per slot credit voucher for the Paizo sales area
(Volunteer Assistants) A $15 per slot credit voucher for the Paizo sales area
All PaizoCon 2010 volunteers can email me: josh@paizo.com with the subject line PaizoCon Volunteer. I can only take volunteers for Paizo Con who have purchased a badge to the show.
Keep in mind that you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and I won't take requests.
For Gen Con 2010, I need a minimum of 50 volunteer GMs and I'll keep taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled! I also need 3 Volunteer Assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be my go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. This year I'm also seeking 4 "booth volunteers." These folks must be highly knowledgeable about all of Paizo's products lines, must be well kept, clean, and professional, and must be able to stand and move for up to 6 hours at a time. Booth volunteers will work the Paizo booth sales floor, answer questions, and let Paizo employees know when product needs to be restocked. Booth volunteers will not work the register and will not have access to the back area of the booth. Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at Gen Con 2010 as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteer GMs and booth volunteers.
Keep in mind that you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and I won't take requests.
Volunteer Tiers and Rewards
Volunteer Assistant FULL! No more needed.
Booth Volunteers FULL! No more needed.
Tier 1 GM Volunteers
Tier 1 GM volunteers are my workhorse, every day GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success! Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 8 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 8 slots if they so desire. I only have room for 24 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you won't be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:
A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2010 badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room in the Marriott Downtown Indianapolis
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player's Guide hardcover at Gen Con
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Tier 2 GM Volunteers
While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 2. Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:
A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2010 badge
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Tier 3 GM Volunteers
This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 2 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Volunteering for One Slot
While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one slot during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.
When Volunteering...
Please be specific about what slot you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to scenarios on an as-needed basis, so you really only need to tell me the slot(s) you're volunteering for (since I won't take requests). I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. Lastly, you must have a gencon.com account and you must include your gencon.com account # in your email or I won't be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 4 or more slots).
Announcing PaizoCon 2010's Guest of Honor: Wayne Reynolds
Thursday, February 25, 2010
I'm pleased to announced that PaizoCon 2010's Guest of Honor is Pathfinder Roleplaying Game cover artist Wayne Reynolds! Reynolds has contributed iconic covers for Paizo projects going all the way back to Dragon and Dungeon magazines. His character design and exciting compositions have been instrumental in shaping the visual appeal of Pathfinder, and we're thrilled that he will be traveling from his home in the United Kingdom to join us for three days of gaming fun at PaizoCon 2010! Join Wayne for a tour through some of his famous covers, get him to sign your Pathfinder books, and get a chance to purchase a personalized sketch from Pathfinder's master artist, only at PaizoCon 2010!
PaizoCon 2010 takes place this June 18–20 at the Coast Bellevue Hotel just outside Seattle, Washington. You can pre-order your tickets
right here at paizo.com to make sure you get a chance to attend this exciting event. Last year's inaugural PaizoCon was, in the opinion of a great number of attendees, one of the very best, friendliest, and fun conventions ever, and this year's offering looks to be even better! Attendance is limited to 500 gamers and the event WILL sell out, so be sure to purchase your tickets as soon as you are certain you can attend.
We've also confirmed our first slate of special guests, which in addition to the ENTIRE Paizo Publishing staff includes:
Wolfgang Baur: Editor and publisher of Kobold Quarterly, Wolfgang is a TSR and Wizards of the Coast veteran with a slew of Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder credits over his remarkable career. Since its launch, Kobold Quarterly has become the most important tabletop gaming magazine in the industry, regularly covering Pathfinder news and events.
Tom Beckett: Director of the Theater Arts department at Portland's DaVinci Arts Middle School, Tom recently staged a theatrical production of "Burnt Offerings," the adventure from Pathfinder Adventure Path #1. He'll have video, props, and even actors from the production on hand at PaizoCon. Come on by and get a chance to hold your very own dogslicer!
Don Early: A founding member of Dead Gentlemen Productions, Don has served as producer for many Dead Gentlemen features, including the smash hit gamer film The Gamers, Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake, and the feature-length The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, in which he appeared as a mummy. Don will host a special screening of Dorkness Rising for Paizo fans.
Corey Macourek: Corey's digital cartography has been with Paizo since the launch of the GameMastery line. He is the artist behind GameMastery Map Packs and Flip-Mats, and he has contributed graphic design, illustration, animation, and soundtrack work for clients like Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, Lucasfilm, Cartoon Network, the Sci-Fi Channel, and DC Comics.
Greg A. Vaughan: One of the most popular and skilled adventure writers in the gaming business, Greg Vaughan has made major contributions to both the Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying games. His Paizo credits include Spires of Xin-Shalast, Into the Haunted Forest, River into Darkness, The Impossible Eye, Shadow in the Sky, and Mother of Lies.
Events
Though we're still weeks away from opening PaizoCon 2010 events for registration, here's a small sample of what we're planning to offer.
Advanced Player's Guide Preview Banquet, with new revelations of upcoming products, a look at the actual Advanced Player's Guide book, a tour of its contents with author Jason Bulmahn, a giant Pathfinder trivia contest, and food so good you won't believe you're eating in a hotel! Pre-order your banquet tickets here.
Video presentation of the da Vinci Arts Middle School theatrical production of the very first Pathfinder adventure, "Burnt Offerings," complete with in-person director commentary, props, and actors from the production.
More Pathfinder Society scenarios than you can shake a +1 holy stick of flaming burst at.
Pathfinder Fiction seminar, Planet Stories seminar, and a Fiction Workshop.
Pathfinder Society contributor workshop.
Rob McCreary GMs his Free RPG Day adventure, Master of the Fallen Fortress.
Sean K Reynolds' "Suicidal Strikeforce" and "Angelic Armageddon" events, several Sean-led miniatures painting workshops, and many developer seminars that give you a glimpse behind the Pathfinder Chronicles curtain.
Jason Bulmahn's "Fight Club 2: The Revenge" and "Cursed Lot 3: Curses for Everyone!" as well as several Pathfinder RPG seminars.
The continuation of F. Wesley Schneider's terrifying "Beyond the Gates of Bastardhall," his dread adventure set in the spooky counties of Ustalav.
James Jacobs's "Unspeakable Futures—Knights of Dagon," "Call of Cthulhu—The Prodigy of Death," and a Serpent Skull Adventure Path preview session.
A GM-focused city-building workshop led by James Sutter and other members of the Paizo staff.
Erik Mona's "Spire of Nex" convention-exclusive series continues!
24 hours of open gaming (board games, RPGs, TCGs, you name it!)
...and much more!
So be sure to pre-register to secure your spot as an attendee of PaizoCon 2010! We're excited to have you visit us in Seattle, and we can't wait to throw some dice with you in person!
Better writers than I have pointed out that the best thing about working for Paizo is the fans, but it bears repeating: Paizo fans are awesome. And even though the work of a production goblin can be grueling (can you believe I have to be into work by 10 A.M. and only get two nap breaks?!), seeing some of the stuffour fanscreate just makes me want to worker harder.
One of the most mind-boggling of those creations is the Wayfinder, a free, fan-made magazine that was released for PaizoCon '09. The brainchild of Paizo superfans Liz Courts (Lilith), Tim Nightengale (Timitius), and Hugo Solis (Butterfrog), the Wayfinder was entirely written, illustrated, edited, and published by dedicated Paizo fans, and looked as professional as many other pricey gaming magazines. Getting my copy was one of the highlights of the con, and I know it made a lot of grown men giggle here in the Paizo offices. Which is why I'm waiting with bated breath for issue #2.
Liz announced the beginnings of issue #2 back in September and has been collecting holiday- and winter-themed articles, illustration, poetry, fiction, and recipes from Paizo fans ever since. Not only does this mean even more wonderful Golarion goodness for our fans, but most importantly: It's Golarion goodness that no one here at the office has had to work on, so we get to be excited about it, too!
Unlike Wayfinder #1, Wayfinder #2 will only be available in PDF form. Like Wayfinder #1, the second issue will be 100% free and available for download here at paizo.com. According to Liz, the goal is to start making the Wayfinder a regular, semi-annual feature, with print and electronic versions available for PaizoCon and an electronic-only version available around the holidays to bring some sunshine to your winter.
If you're a Pathfinder fan and you haven't downloaded the first issue of the Wayfinder, do it now! If you're a Pathfinder fan and you missed your chance to contribute to issues #1 and #2, don't fret. Just keep your eyes on the messageboards for updates and submission information for those issues yet to come. New blood keeps the game industry alive, and you never know where the next Karzoug might come from.
That sound you heard last Sunday night (heard 'round the world, I'm told) was not Krakatoa II (electric boogaloo?), it was the enormous sigh of relief from me as PAIZOCON 2009 came to a close and did so with a feeling of great satisfaction.
A little over a year ago, I spent a Saturday morning in a little hotel in Kirkland, WA and watched a small group of Paizo fans, led by Timitius and Lilith from our boards, gather and enjoy each other's company as fellow Paizo community members. Right then and there I said to myself, "Self," I said, "We have to take this over and help them grow it." So when it came time to plan the 2009 convention season the first thing on my agenda was How Do We Politely Tell Tim That PAIZOCON is Ours Now and Yet Still Get His Help? Well, it turns out, it was really easy.
I had lunch with Tim last fall and laid the cards on the table. I asked Tim what he thought if Paizo wanted to get into PAIZOCON in a really big way for the second year—as in, so big that we basically ran it as an official show. Tim's face was 100% relief and he was thrilled to get the planning process off his shoulders. I, in turn, was thrilled to take it on and despite many late nights and a lot of work, I couldn't be more happy at how it all turned out.
For me, PAIZOCON 2009 began on Friday morning with my arrival at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. Jeff, Cosmo, Chris, and I set up the sales booth, taped up all the signs, and then waited for the hordes to come. And come they did! It was amazing to finally put faces to names and say hello to a lot of folks that I'd been reading about on the boards for years. Additionally, a lot of new faces showed up as well—folks who maybe lurked on the boards, or were only familiar with Paizo and the Beta and just wanted to come and see what Paizo was all about in person. Our special guests were already at the show and folks like Monte and Sue Cook, Eva Widermann, Wolfgang Bauer, and the entire Paizo staff immediately took to mingling with the attendees.
And then the gaming began! RPGs, board games, card games, you name it and someone was playing it. At times we'd sit there at registration and think, "Wow, it got really slow around here suddenly" and that was because the breakout rooms and the ballroom were stuffed to the gills with gaming, gaming, gaming. Laughter, dice rolls, howls of defeat, and cries of success echoed through the halls of the Coast Bellevue and we knew right then that we'd done something right—PAIZOCON 2009 was going to be a success.
Saturday was a long day of gaming that ended with a huge banquet for the attendees. The food was fantastic, the company even better, and it was pushed over the top by a keynote address from Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens, a lengthy preview of the PRPG by Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn, a preview of things to come by Publisher Erik Mona, and a really boring, stuffy, and not very fun quiz game lamely put together by yours truly. (Okay, so the quiz game was awesome! Most fun I've had in front of crowd since the WTO Riots in 1999.)
Sunday was additional gaming fun as the show slowly started to wind down. Folks began collecting in the lobby and just hanging out—sharing gaming stories, asking the PAIZOCON special guest in the seat next to them about their RPG favorites, and just basking in the glow of a successful and fun weekend of all things Paizo and beyond.
With the show behind me now, I've already started thinking about next year. In fact, as I write this, I'm 15 minutes away from the first meeting to do just that: plan PAIZOCON 2010 and figure how, exactly, we're going to be able to top 2009. For those of you who were there, I hope you had fun and played games to your heart's content. For those who couldn't make it—do not, I repeat, DO NOT miss out on the opportunity next year. I imagine it'll only be better.
Thanks, everyone!
The PAIZOCON 2009 sales booth, manned by a cleverly hidden Vic Wertz.
Erik Mona runs his Spire of Nex preview on Friday.
F. Wesley Schneider runs his Ustalav preview on Friday.
Neil Shackleton shows off one of the hobby horses he brought for his live-action Yetisburg game. He had one pink one and he named it "Sebastian."
Lilith looks over cartographer Corey Macourek's shoulder as he explains how he designs Paizo's GameMastery Flip-Mat and Map Pack lines.
PAIZOCON Special Guest Artist Eva Widermann gets ready to burn her personal seal into a drawing she did for a fan.
Pathfinder Wiki guru Yoda8MyHead discusses Pathfinder with others in the Coast Bellevue Hotel lobby.
Eva Widermann and artist rk post sketch for the fans.
Fray and Wolfgang Baur discuss Kobold Quarterly.
Paizo's Disturbing Customer Servant Cosmo ponders his life as a hobby horse cavalryman in a game of live-action Yetisburg.
PAIZOCON has come and gone, and we're all still recovering from the unbelievable amount of fun we had this weekend. Those of you who were there doubtlessly have your own favorite moments, but for those who weren't, I'd have to say my high points were playing Wes's imp familiar during the Pathfinder Society Interactive, possessing the spirit-medium Sean during the same event, running panels, hearing hundreds of people yell out Paizo trivia answers at the banquet (and yes, I'm in fact the youngest editor—don't be fooled by Wes's beardlessness!), and kickin' it into the wee hours of the morning with a number of our favorite fans and contributors. I'm sure several other Paizo staffers will be on here in the week to come sharing their favorite con memories and photos, but for now, I wanted to show you all pictures of two particular events that stand out in my mind:
These pictures were taken on the first day, and totally blew my mind. In order to make it easier to read on the bus, superfan Mark Moreland (aka Yoda8myhead on the boards) decide to rip the text from all 18 Eando Kline Pathfinder's Journal episodes and bind them into a single, totally beautiful chapbook, complete with Jason Engle's art on the cover. As I'm particularly attached to Eando, it warmed my heart to see everything collected under one cover.
And of course, as Wes will happily tell you, no account of PAIZOCON would be complete without a photo of me manhandling Mr. Reynolds. But that's what you get when you insist on channeling the spirit of the great and powerful imp Chumley...
Thanks again to everyone who attended the con, and hopefully we'll see even more of you there next year!
After three incredible days of gaming, chatting, drinking, and nerding out, pretty much all of us here at Paizo are totally wiped. So we're taking today to gradually ease back into things, mostly by dishing about the con, nursing hangovers, and reading Wayfinder, the remarkable fan-made magazine that totally knocked all of our socks off. Thanks a ton to Liz "Lilith" Courts, Hugo "Butterfrog" Solis, Adam Daigle, Ashavan Doyon, David Schwartz, Thomas McQueen, and all the Wayfinder staff and contributors for putting together what really was one of the highlights of the show. Also a ton of thanks goes to everyone who came and made PAIZOCON 2009 such an incredible weekend! We'll be posting our pictures and musings from the con throughout the coming week, but until then, safe travels to everyone heading home and thanks for making PAIZOCON more successful than we could have imagined!
PAIZOCON is tomorrow! The massive event schedule lists all of the awesome activities attendees can expect to take part in, but here are some of the real gems that I'm looking forward to:
As I mentioned in Tuesday's "Countdown to PAIZOCON" blog, guests and Paizo staff will have the opportunity to wine and dine together during Saturday's banquet. One of the reasons I'm most excited about the banquet is the opportunity to meet fellow Paizonians. Having gotten to know so many of you on the messageboards, it will be fun to finally meet some of you face-to-face! In addition to Publisher Erik Mona's preview of upcoming Pathfinder products and CEO Lisa Steven's keynote address, attendees can expect one very special surprise. I can't say what it is (under pain of death), but you all should be very excited!
One of the neatest things about PAIZOCON is the myriad opportunities to get the inside scoop on Pathfinder, Paizo, and the old days at TSR. Between “The Pathfinder RPG and the Future of Paizo" on Friday, and "What's New with Pathfinder?", "Secrets of TSR Revealed!", and the "Pathfinder Fiction Discussion" on Saturday, guests should expect to get firsthand knowledge about the juicy details of the publishing industry, as well as an exciting look at all of the goodies (and there are many!) that Paizo will be working on in the near future. I plan on attending as many of these seminars as I can!
Speaking of seminars, there are a ton about how to begin writing for RPGs and break into the game industry. Here's a brief list of some of the seminars that I hope to attend myself: "How To Break Into Print in Kobold Quarterly," "Designing Dungeons with Monte Cook," "Secrets of the Publishing Industry—Your Questions Answered," "Pathfinder Society Open Call Workshop," "Build a Pathfinder Society Scenario with Sue Cook and Joshua J. Frost," and "Game Design Self-Editing Workshop by Sue Cook."
Finally (and perhaps best of all) expect to play lots and lots of games. Pathfinder Society scenarios will be run every day throughout the convention, and special events such as Sean K Reynold's "Into the Scarlet Monastery" (a Pathfinder RPG rendition of one of the most iconic dungeons of the most iconic MMO), Jason Bulmahn's "Fight Club" (wherein you characters will be brutally savaged by monsters), and master of horror James Jacobs's "Unspeakable Futures" (a Pathfinder RPG variant set in an apocalyptic earth ravaged by the Elder Mythos) are sure to be crowd pleasers. I might even have to sit in and watch some of these games being played—they sound that awesome.
I've quickly run out of space in my excitement to tell you about the ridiculously fun things to expect at PAIZOCON, so I'll end with this:
PAIZOCON approaches! In less than a week's time, Paizonians from throughout the country and around the world will arrive in Bellevue to take part in the furious and fun convention here at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. As a little teaser for what to expect, I spoke to Events Manager Joshua J. Frost and Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn about some of the most exciting events attendees can anticipate.
On Saturday, PAIZOCON attendees will enjoy an enormous banquet, as the Paizo staff and attendees mingle with one another, swap stories, and chow down on delicious food. Highlights of the banquet include a preview of the Pathfinder RPG and a Q&A with Jason Bulmahn, a five-round quiz game with special prizes, a keynote address by CEO Lisa Stevens, and a preview of unannounced products by Publisher Erik Mona.
Jason Bulmahn's Fight Club will also be a particularly fun highlight of PAIZOCON. Only one word most accurately depicts the Fight Club: Meatgrinder. To put it simply, players are seated around four tables and given a stack of 3rd-level characters to chew through. Jason runs around each table activating monsters; it's up to the players to accomplish the task of slaying impossibly tough creatures (or each other!) with their measly characters. Expect death and mayhem. Points are distributed according to damage dealt to monsters and who delivered the killing blow, and subtracted when a character dies. Prizes will be awarded for—among other things—the most points, the most damage dealt, the most deaths, and the quickest death.
The Pathfinder Society also boasts a number of special events for PAIZOCON. To begin with, attendees will be able to run through all four June scenarios, as well as a mid-level and high-level scenario, using pregens or their existing Pathfinder Society characters. On Friday, Pathfinder Society will host an Interactive, in which attendees can battle against one another using their Society characters in a Grand Melee and participate in a joust. These are just a sampling; other activities will be included in the Interactive as well!
It should be noted, however, that characters must bring their own Society characters to participate in the Interactive—to create a Pathfinder Society character, just head to the Pathfinder Society homepage and download the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.
I hope you're all as excited and impatient as I am for the craziness to ensue this weekend!
Hello there future PAIZOCON 2009 attendees! Today's blog is all about our upcoming fan con and the events and guests you can expect to see there. In case you've been asleep under a bridge in Tasmania and have no idea what PAIZOCON is, please click here and find out. You can also purchase your 3-Day PAIZOCON badge and your $5 Pathfinder RPG Preview Banquet tickets. Hotel information can be found here.
Additional Guests
In addition to Monte Cook, Sue Cook, Eva Widermann, Wolfgang Baur, Clark Peterson, and the entire Paizo staff, we're announcing five new special guests today as well! You can view the complete guest list here.
Lou Agresta
Fantasy game design crept up on Lou Agresta in 2005, when diamondthrone.com accepted his first articles on true names. Until then a writer of travelogues, indie comics, fashion essays, and torturous, self-indulgent philosophy tracts, his more recent adventure credits include SAW #1 and #12 of the Trodoon Gate Saga (LPJ Designs), The Bloody Fix and The Punctured Vein with Rone Barton (O0negames), and Pathfinder Society Scenario #8: Slave Pits of Absalom. Lou is one of six authors from the Great City Campaign Setting (0onegames), a contributor to Sinister Adventures, and chief-scribbler over at the RPGAggression blog. A member of the Werecabbages freelance writer's guild, he also had his fingers in both the GM Gems and PC Pearls collaborations (Goodman Games) and has made guest appearances as Cthu-Lou on the Atomic Array podcast. Lou's set piece, slated for Pathfinder #24, will likely prove the last of its kind. Dungeon acquired his first adventure, written with Nicolas Logue, then canceled the magazine, leaving Lou forever haunted by the fear he is somehow responsible. Lou lives somewhere in upstate NY with his wife, daughter, a dog, and a couple of horses. While he has sometimes worn a kilt and ridden a tractor, no one has ever caught him doing both.
Rob McCreary
Rob McCreary was born in Japan and raised in the United States. He started gaming when the red Basic D&D boxed set came out. Rob currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic, where he is an English teacher by day and freelancer by night. Rob made it to last year's RPG Superstar Top 4 with a combination of coin belts, ziggurat-filled jungles, and monkey-goblins. Thus far he has contributed to the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, several Pathfinder Bestiaries, and the upcoming Dungeon Denizens Revisited. Rob is currently scrambling to finish writing the final installment of the upcoming Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, "The Final Wish."
Jason Nelson
Jason Nelson is in the job market as a professor of education (have doctorate, will travel!) and a devoted Christian who lives in Seattle, Washington with his two kids, Allen and Meshia, and has been gaming since 1981. He's hardcore enough that he uses the name of his first-ever D&D character, Tjaden, in his email address, and he's also devious enough to have slipped the name of his fiancee into the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, to her great amusement and delight. Jason was some combination of lucky and good enough to make the Final Four in the inaugural RPG Superstar and has also written a number of adventures and articles for Dungeon and Dragon magazines (ah, memories) and over a hundred webcolumns for Wizards of the Coast, including the long-running "Save My Game" and "Behind the Screen." More recently, he has contributed to Dungeon Denizens Revisited and several Pathfinder Bestiaries, co-wrote Osirion: Land of the Pharaohs, and is the author of "The End of Eternity", the fourth adventure in the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path. It's awesome! You should totally go buy a copy!
rk post
Just prior to graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1994, rk post started freelancing in the fantasy gaming industry doing interior illustrations for several major game companies, gradually teaching himself how to paint with acrylics and eventually oils. rk garnered a staff illustration position at TSR in the fall of 1996 painting cover illustrations for games and novels. rk left (then) WotC in the winter of 2000 and now he doubles as a full time freelance illustrator and senior artist for Big Fish Games in Seattle. rk has contracted and worked with White Wolf, WizKids, Fanpro, Microsoft (Mythica, X Box), LucasFilm, 20th Century Fox (Aliens vs. Predator series), Sega (Dreamcast), Nintendo, Ballantine Books, Science Fiction Book Club, Hasbro (television and animation), Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, the History Channel, and Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo 2, World of Warcraft). rk post has his collected works available in a hard cover art book, Postmortem: the Art of rk post through Cartouche Press (www.cartouchepress.com). New and continuing work can also be seen at www.rkpost.net and www.myspace.com/rkpost.
Neil Spicer
Born in the shadow of North Carolina's Blue Ridge mountains, Neil Spicer started gaming in the early '80s. His first foray into RPG design began with a simple fanzine devoted to Alternity's Star*Drive and Dark.Matter campaign settings titled Action Check. Since then, he's written a handful of D20 PDF products for third-party publishers and co-authored a softcover D20 Future supplement called the Future Player's Companion through the Game Mechanics and Green Ronin. Neil somehow managed to survive Paizo's RPG Superstar 2009 contest and emerged with an opportunity to write Realm of the Fellnight Queen, an Pathfinder Module scheduled for release in January 2010.
Events
Below is just a small sampling of the events you can expect to see and participate in at PAIZOCON 2009. Event sign-ups will go live in May. We still have a few badges left—don't be left out, buy yours today! In addition to the events below, Pathfinder Society members of all levels and experience will be able to participate in a Friday night interactive penned by Erik Mona and Joshua J. Frost that's sure to keep people talking for years!
Pathfinder Society Scenario #23: Tide of Morning by Steven Robert (for Tier 1–5)
Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks sends you to convince an Andoren druid named Hemzel to allow the Pathfinder Society to study his recently discovered lorestone, a minor magical item that unlocks some of the mysteries of the ancient Andoren druid circles. When you arrive and find Hemzel murdered and the lorestone missing, you must race against time to recover the lorestone and stop Hemzel's murderers from using it against the druids of Andoran.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #24: The Decline of Glory by Tim Hitchcock (for Tier 1–7)
When the son of a famous Pathfinder gains control of his father's holdings in Taldor, the Pathfinder Society decides to build a new lodge there as a base to explore the many ruins of that crumbling empire. Unfortunately, the Taldan Phalanx has its eye on the holdings and an ancient curse has turned many of the residents into the walking dead. Can you survive the tangled web of Taldor's politics and fight off the echoes of the past or will you, too, see your glory decline?
Pathfinder Society Scenario #25: Hands of the Muted God by Clinton J. Boomer (for Tier 5–9)
When the man who would be the Muted God wordlessly stepped beyond the gates of the Starstone's Cathedral, his thousand and one faithful ringing the Ascendant Court watched with the silent contemplation that is their highest sacrament. When he failed to emerge, many of his penitents abandoned their vows but a small sect remained loyal and worshipful. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent into the mountains north of Absalom to follow the path of a doomed party and uncover the secrets of the Muted God. His loyal band of followers, called the Hand, will stop at nothing to keep you away from their shrine—even forming an alliance with some of Golarion's most evil denizens.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #26: Lost at Bitter End by Joshua J. Frost (for Tier 7–11)
When a Pathfinder Society Priest of Nethys disappears in northern Geb while studying the Mana Wastes, the Society sends you to uncover his whereabouts and find his journals. Arriving in the town of Bitter End, you find it deserted but for a few mysterious creatures never before seen on Golarion. Those creatures quickly lead to more and soon you're embroiled in a mystery that could affect the very fabric of reality. Will you solve the mystery of Bitter End or find yourself lost forever in the Mana Wastes?
Cursed Lot: New Beginnings, GMed by Jason Bulmahn
Last year, a group of brave, but horribly cursed adventurers set out on a brave adventure. While one succeeded to be rid of his terrible curse, the rest suffered and even worse fate. This year, a new band of unfortunately cursed heroes takes on an even greater challenge... to rescue a missing dog. How hard could that be?
Fires Over Brinestump, GMed by James Jacobs
It's been three years since the last time goblins have been a problem on the Lost Coast, but last night, a band of Licktoad Goblins from the Brinestump Marsh lit a merchant wagon on fire. The lone survivior almost made it to the town of Sandpoint before dying of his burns, and shortly after his body is discovered, fireworks bloom over Brinestump Marsh, lighting the night sky south of Sandpoint in an unmistakable display of goblin celebration. Why are the Licktoad Goblins on the march? Who gave them fireworks? Does this herald the advent of another goblin invasion of the town of Sandpoint? A Pathfinder RPG adventure for six 1st level characters.
Into the Scarlet Monastery, GMed by Sean K Reynolds
The zealots of the Scarlet Monastery have been a blight on the world for three years. Reviled by all, they hate against all nonhumans, accuse their enemies of spreading plague, and lynch innocents in the name of their crusade. Now is the time to defeat their Commander. But are two orc warriors, a troll mage, a warlock, an undead rogue, and a minotaur druid up to the task?
Before Nightfall, a PFPRG Playtest for a work in progress, GMed by F. Wesley Schneider
Forsaken, some places are best left to their haunted memories and the shadows of things best left forgotten. On the Ustalavic frontieer, one such ruin has long loomed over the lives and nightmares of the local peasents, a monument to terrors that can never be forgotten. Now a terrible new life has returned to the dreaded citadel, one that seeks to renew the horrors of centuries past. Take up arms and explore the deadly grounds and labyinthine courtyards of a soon to be infamous gothic castle, offer your advice and feedback on what makes for exciting horror roleplaying, and participate in the creation of a terrifying new adventure written in the tradition of one of the most famous horror RPG modules of all time.
Short Fiction Workshop
Paizo Fiction Editor James L. Sutter and Editor Christopher Paul Carey critique your short fiction! James and Chris will critique your story from an editorial viewpoint and go over it with you, focusing especially on the opening and those red flags editors use to quickly reject stories, helping you hone your writing and make it past an editor's initial cut. Please note that workshopping will be on a first-come, first-served basis during the listed timeslot—you can sign up so you don't have to wait around the whole time.
Pathfinder Society Scenario Open Call Workshop
A future Pathfinder Society Scenario for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game will be decided on at PAIZOCON 2009! Soon, Paizo's Events Manager Joshua J. Frost will put out an open call for one of the fall Pathfinder Society Scenarios—a call that can only be answered by attendees at PAIZOCON 2009! All who contributed may attend this workshop where Joshua will go over why each scenario was and wasn't accepted. For a unique look inside the creative mind of the guy who brings you your monthly installment of Pathfinder Society scenarios, look no further than this seminar! This event will be capped at 20 attendees.
... and much, much more! Don't delay—sign up for PAIZOCON 2009 today!
PAIZOCON returns in 2009 bigger and better than ever! Officially sponsored and run by Paizo Publishing, LLC, PAIZOCON 2009 brings together dozens of hobby gaming's veteran authors, artists, publishers, and designers and gives YOU the opportunity to meet, greet, and game with some of the best and brightest that the hobby gaming industry has to offer.
Hosted by the conveniently located Coast Bellevue Hotel, PAIZOCON 2009 is three non-stop days of gaming, panels, workshops, banquets, and (most importantly) fun! You'll get to rub shoulders with your favorite Paizo Publishing employees and freelancers as well as game with your favorite people from the Paizo Publishing online community.
Attendance is capped at 250 TICKETS, so don't delay—buy your tickets today!
Also, Saturday, June 13, 2009 PAIZOCON 2009 will host a Pathfinder RPGPreview Banquet in the main banquet hall at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. The Coast Bellevue Hotel's banquet hall can hold 250 people maximum, which means there are less tickets available for the banquet than there are for the show overall. Tickets for this event are capped at 225, so sign up as soon as possible to guarantee your seat. You may only purchase tickets for this event if you've also purchased your PAIZOCON 2009 3-Day Badge located here.
During the banquet, attendees will have the opportunity to view Pathfinder RPG products for the first time beyond the walls of Paizo Publishing. We will have copies of the Pathfinder RPG hardcover as well as preview copies of the Pathfinder Bestiary for everyone to flip through and marvel at. Additionally, members of the Paizo staff and PAIZOCON 2009 Guests of Honor will be seated one each at every table in the room, giving attendees the opportunity to chat with the industry professional seated at their table.
Throughout the banquet, there will be games and quizzes with each table acting as a team. Prizes will be given away and one lucky attendee will even win a copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game autographed by everyone at Paizo Publishing (to be delivered via the mail upon the game's release in August).
This past weekend, roughly thirty adventurous gamers descended upon the LaQuinta Inn in Bellevue, Washington to participate in the first annual PaizoCon. In attendance were several of our messageboard family's most visible personalities, including Lilith, Chris Mortika, Pete Apple, Grimcleaver, Timitius (who put together the event), Russ Taylor, and many more. Paizo itself made an appearance Saturday, with Lisa, Vic, James, Wes, and Erik (along with Open Design's own Wolfgang Baur!) answering questions and joking around with everyone at the Game Industry seminar. Josh, Corey, and I stayed shyly in the back, while Cosmo sneaked around the room snapping pictures, including the four presented here.
After the seminar, the Paizo staff mingled with the con's excellent attendees, and eventually a number of Pathfinder RPG games broke out (run by Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, and Russ Taylor), as did demos of Titanic's upcoming Yetisburg and Falling, as well as Kill Doctor Lucky and Key Largo.
Here's a look at the entire room, including the panelists, during the seminar.
Here's a look at everyone during the seminar.
From left to right: Lisa, Vic, Erik, Wolfgang, James, and Wes, with Lilith off to the right reading off questions.
From left to right: Timitius, James, Jason, and Mike.
To see all of Cosmo's pictures and to get a glimpse at what the elusive bronze dragon editor looks like in his human form, check out this page. For a different perspective, check out Timitius's pictures. For a detailed recap and a chance to weigh in, check out this thread on our messageboards.
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