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Now Accepting Adventures!*
Thursday, November 19, 2009
*Sort of.
Beginning today, I am opening the door to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play open call not for a week but for a long, unspecified length of time. I am looking for three specific types of adventures (detailed below) for Pathfinder Society. I am NOT seeking generic Pathfinder RPG adventures nor am I asking you to pitch me a new Pathfinder Adventure Path. Any submissions that aren't specifically for Pathfinder Society Organized Play scenarios will be ignored.
Instead of asking you to send me a 750-word outline, I'm asking you to send completed adventures. A completed adventure cannot exceed 12,000 words and must (MUST!) follow the style for a Pathfinder Society Organized Play adventure scenario as established by the Season 1 scenarios. Those of you not brave enough to send a completed adventure can instead send me a short (less than 500 words) query instead that quickly describes the adventure. I will review completed adventures and queries as I receive them and respond appropriately. If I receive one that I like (especially if I receive a completed adventure that I like), I will likely give that author a contract and pay him or her for the adventure. If I receive one that I 80% like, I will likely ask that author to rewrite elements and resubmit for possible future publication. There is no guarantee at any point in this process that I will give you a contract and pay you for your work.
By making the opening the open call for a longer period of time, I hope to see an increase in the quality and volume of submissions. Paizo uses the Pathfinder Society Organized Play open calls to find new talent for our other product lines—maybe that new talent is you!
And now for some rules:
Rules of Submitting for the Pathfinder Society Organized Play Open Call
1. Only submit Pathfinder Society scenarios or scenario ideas. I won't even respond to other queries.
2. If you submit a complete 12,000-word adventure, you must include a scan of this PDF with your signature on it with your submission. If your submission lacks this PDF, it will be rejected without being read. The PDF is NOT necessary for 500-word queries.
3. All submissions must be made via email to pathfindersociety@paizo.com.
4. Your submission must be in .doc, .rtf, or .txt format.
5. Your submission must include your full legal name, physical mailing address, email address, and a contact phone number on the top of the first page. This does not count toward word count.
6. Your submission file (not the agreement PDF) must be named LASTNAME_TITLE.EXTENSION such as FROST_AMONGSTTHELIVING.doc.
7. The subject line of your submission email must be labeled the same: LASTNAME TITLE.
8. Allow 72 hours for a response before resubmitting. Allow for more time on a holiday weekend.
9. Read at least one season 1 scenario (you probably want to read all of them) before submitting. I can usually tell in about the first 50 words if you've actually read or played in a scenario.
10. Failure to follow any of the above rules will result in a rejection.
General Guidelines
Here are a few tips for your scenarios or scenario ideas:
1. Use our setting details to make your own story, don't cram your story so full of our canon that it reads like a Frankenstein's monster of other authors' work. Read this post for an example.
2. Understand that Pathfinder Society is not a good-aligned organization, nor is it evil. Also understand that evil characters are not allowed in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Also understand that all scenarios must be PG-13.
3. Avoid child endangerment stories. It's cheap, it's trite, and I'm tired of reading them.
4. Not really looking for comedies.
5. I am really looking for high adventure stories with drama, action, and roleplay.
6. Speaking of roleplay, I'd love for someone to knock me dead with a good murder mystery scenario. And I mean really good in the sense that after 4 hours of game play at a convention every class of player walks away from the table satisfied. Tall order, I know, but I'd love to see it happen.
7. #5 and #6 do not mean that all I want to see are high adventure stories and murder mysteries. If you have a really good idea that's neither of those two, I want to see it.
8. Only send me your best ideas and your (very important) BEST-WRITTEN ideas. You may send more than one idea.
9. NO EASTER EGGS. What I mean by that is this: don't be cute and include a reference to your favorite comic book/movie/song/etc. If we catch it, you're done. If we don't catch it, we could get the pants sued off of us. Just don't do it.
10. Passive voice is a rejection in the making. Read this website and this thread to understand passive voice.
11. Read this post. And this thread.
What Pathfinder Society is Currently Seeking
We need the following adventure submissions for Pathfinder Society Organized Play:
1. Tier 1–5 scenario set in Absalom.
2. Tier 1–5 scenario set in Qadira.
3. Tier 1–7 scenario set in Absalom.
Good luck!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Gonna Set My Soul on Fire!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Erik and I are headed tomorrow for city that never sleeps, the bright neon-flashing beacon in the desert, that sultry metropolis of lights, chips, and the clatter of dice. Yes, that's right, Erik and I are headed to Riddleport—I mean Las Vegas! We're bringing our dice, our pre-planned scenarios, adventures, and speeches, and hopefully the appropriate amount of clothing and toiletries. Why are we going there? Has Paizo given its publisher and events manager a much-needed rest in America's resort town? Nope! We're going there to play some Pathfinder RPG at NeonCon!
Erik is the special guest for the show and will give the keynote address for GamesU, NeonCon's game design and storytelling "unconference," while I am a not-so-special (Daigle would say, "very-extra-special") guest and will be assisting Doug Daulton, the show's coordinator, with all things Pathfinder Society. Erik plans to once again slaughter innocents in his continuing playtest of the Spire of Nex and I shall do my best to avoid slaying Pathfinder Society characters during Lost at Bitter End and The Prisoner of Skull Hill. Let's hope we're successful in our endeavors!
If you're anywhere within driving, flying, teleporting, or ethereal jaunt distance of Las Vegas this weekend, come by NeonCon, play some games, have some fun, and ply Mr. Mona and myself with food, drink, and the dazzling lights of the city. They say whatever happens there, stays there—so if we kill one of your favorite characters during a Pathfinder RPG session, heed the motto. We have reputations to maintain!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, NeonCon, Pathfinder Society
Joining the Core: Seekers of Secrets
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Unless you've been kidnapped by goblins and held hostage in their dingy lair, you're likely aware that we are about to release a new book in our Pathfinder Chronicles line called Seekers of Secrets. Seekers covers just about everything you can imagine with regard to the Pathfinder Society. It describes in detail how your character can join the Society, the history and origins of the Society, a gazetteer of the Society's activities in the Inner Sea region, detailed maps, brand new ioun stones and new rules for using them with a Pathfinder's wayfinder, three new prestige classes, and new feats. All of that in 64 pages!
Because this book covers the Pathfinder Society so well and because it contains a great deal of magnificent new material for Pathfinders everywhere, we've decided to include this book as part of the core assumption for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. What this means for you as a Pathfinder Society GM is that you will likely see references to the new rules, magic items, feats, and prestige classes in future Pathfinder Society scenarios. What this means for you as a Pathfinder Society player, is that everything contained within this book is legal for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play and you may begin using the material from this book immediately.
I hope you enjoy everything inside Seekers of Secrets. The authors (Tim Hitchcock, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor) have done a bang-up job bringing us a detailed glimpse into the inner sanctum of Pathfinder lore and adventures. If you're ever in the Starrise Spire in Mendev, tell Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury I said hello!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Society
Open Call Submissions Close in One Week!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Hey there future scenario authors! Don't forget that the open call for Pathfinder Society Organized Play closes on Friday, October 30 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. Below are the details. Good luck!
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title (if necessary, some times they are already titled)
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum six encounters with one encounter detailed as optional
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_ YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, or a Plain Text or Rich Text Format file—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenario 45—one of the March 2010 releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
- 10/15/09—Open call begins
- 10/30/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
- 11/9/09 through 11/13/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario 45
Title: none; up to the author
Setting: Absalom
Story: The Minotaur Prince of Absalom has been kidnapped (see pages 35–36, Guide to Absalom). Why has he been kidnapped? Who did it? Why does the Pathfinder Society care? Your submission must include Grandmaster Torch (see Pathfinder Society scenarios #1 and #14) in one form or another—it's up to you how much of a role he plays.
Level Range: Tier 1–5; Tiers 1–2 and 4–5
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
 | | | Illustration by Eric Lofgren |
Seekers of Secrets: Journeys and Rewards
Monday, October 19, 2009
Pathfinder Chronicles: Seekers of Secrets talks about the tests to become a Pathfinder and the training members receive if they pass, but the carrot that convinces most applicants to try is the chance to explore strange places, discover exotic treasures, and be published in the Pathfinder Chronicles. This illustration encompasses all aspects of those rewards, from the young Pathfinder referring to the Chronicles for clues on how to open a strange sealed door, to the female Pathfinder so impressed with Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin that she cut her hair just like his, to their overzealous companion too intent on unearthing a cache of wayfinders and ioun stones to heed his fellows' warnings.
 | | | Illustration by Craig J. Spearing |
Of course, few could blame him for this eagerness. The Pathfinders are said to have enough treasures in their vaults to buy and sell all of Absalom—surely an exaggeration, but greed is a powerful lure, and many join the Pathfinder Society just to get their hands on as much magic as possible.
Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Chronicles
Link.
Tags:
Craig J. Spearing, Eric Lofgren, Ioun Stones, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Society
Pathfinder RPG Open Call for Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hello and welcome to another installment of the Pathfinder Society scenario open call using the new Pathfinder RPG rules! Most months we'll open one of our Pathfinder Society scenarios to you, the general public, to search for new authors and new ideas for use in Paizo's worldwide organized play campaign. We're looking for authors who have a clear and concise writing style, who have solid and creative ideas for adventures, and who are capable in every way of following instructions and meeting deadlines. And while we're seeking new authors through this process, we certainly encourage previously published authors to participate as well.
Speaking of new authors, special congratulations go to paizo.com messageboard regular Yoda8MyHead, who was selected as the author for the previous open call. His scenario, #43: The Pallid Plague, will come out this February. Be sure to pop into the Pathfinder Society messageboards and congratulate Yoda on this assignment!
As always, keep the following guidelines in mind when submitting:
1. Don't break our world. If you submit something that breaks part of our world, it'll be auto-rejected. The scenarios are 4-hour adventures—epic story arcs, world-shattering events, wars, mass famine, etc. don't have a place in them.
2. Understand Pathfinder Society Organized Play before you submit. Specifically, understand that the Pathfinder Society is an organization of vagabond scholars, thrill-seeking treasure hunters, and extreme explorers. They are not necessarily the "good guys," they don't get "hired" for their adventures, and they're not generally looking to make the world a better place. Submitting generic 3.5 "save the day" adventure ideas will decrease your chances of getting to write one. There are plenty of resources out there to give you a feel for the Society: the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #1, and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting all have information on the Pathfinder Society.
3. Read one or two scenarios before submitting (particularly 29 through 32).
4. Pathfinder Society Scenarios must be no more offensive than PG-13. Scenarios are played in public at public settings and children will be playing them. Submissions that include violence toward children will be auto-rejected.
5. This is not a contest. This is more like an interview for a job—you're showing me your best idea and I'm deciding if the combination of your idea and writing skill equals you being selected as our next scenario author. We need authors—not winners. And I really want to stress the author part of that. Only send me your best work that is reflective of your writing style. I can teach someone the rules system—I can't teach someone to write.
6. I don't have time to return every submission with feedback. Feel free to post your rejected proposals to the Pathfinder Society messageboards for peer review. For those of you not submitting, please give feedback to those who do and are rejected.
7. Lastly, I posted some general feedback on recent submissions here. Please read that thread before submitting.
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title (if necessary, some times they are already titled)
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum six encounters with one encounter detailed as optional
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_ YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, or a Plain Text or Rich Text Format file—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenario 45—one of the March 2010 releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
- 10/15/09—Open call begins
- 10/30/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
- 11/9/09 through 11/13/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario 45
Title: none; up to the author
Setting: Absalom
Story: The Minotaur Prince of Absalom has been kidnapped (see pages 35–36, Guide to Absalom ). Why has he been kidnapped? Who did it? Why does the Pathfinder Society care? Your submission must include Grandmaster Torch (see Pathfinder Society scenarios #1 and #14) in one form or another—it's up to you how much of a roll he plays.
Level Range: Tier 1–5; Tiers 1–2 and 4–5
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Pathfinder Society: Looking to the Future
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The most frequent request I get from players, GMs, and convention coordinators is, "What scenarios will be out by [date]?" I get this question enough that I've decided to keep a rolling 2-to-4 month schedule up on paizo.com/pathfindersociety. This rolling schedule has some unique challenges—for example, scenarios aren't assigned to authors as far in advance as, say, Pathfinder Adventure Paths, and so I often know very little about a scenario coming up in three months beyond a potential title, tier-level, and location. The open call further complicates this as those scenarios are usually just tier-level and location with no additional details.
That said, it seems to me that the most important details for convention coordinators especially is the tier-level of a given future scenario. So we're going to keep you apprised of that, even if we don't know much else about the scenario.
Without further ado, here's a peek at the future scenarios coming from Pathfinder Society Organized Play!
Pathfinder Society Scenario #35: Voice in the Void
Description TBA. Due out 10/28/09.
Written by Rob McCreary
Tier 1–7
Pathfinder Society Scenario #36: Echoes of the Everwar Part I: The Prisoner of Skull Hill
Description TBA. Due out 10/28/09.
Written by Joshua J. Frost
Tier 7–11
Pathfinder Society Scenario #37: The Beggar's Pearl
Description TBA. Due out 11/25/09.
Written by James F. Mackenzie
Tier 1–7
Pathfinder Society Scenario #38: No Plunder, No Pay
Description TBA. Due out 11/25/09.
Written by Larry Wilhelm
Tier 7–11
Pathfinder Society Scenario #39: Citadel of Flame
Description TBA. Due out 12/30/09.
Written by Steven Robert
Tier 1–5
Pathfinder Society Scenario #40: Hall of Drunken Heroes
Description TBA. Due out 12/30/09.
Written by Tim Hitchcock
Tier 7–11
Pathfinder Society Scenario #41: The Devil We Know Part III: Crypt of Fools
Description TBA. Due out 1/27/10.
Written by Larry Wilhelm
Tier 1–7
Pathfinder Society Scenario #42: Echoes of the Everwar Part II: The Watcher of Ages
Description TBA. Due out 1/27/10.
Written by Greg A. Vaughan
Tier 7–11
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
 | | Illustration by Craig J. Spearing |
Seekers of Secrets—Skyreach and Ambrus
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
 | | Illustration by Kieran Yanner |
Time for another preview of Pathfinder Chronicles: Seekers of Secrets!
Skyreach: This five-towered fortress, visible from miles away over Abaslom's skyline, is the heart of the Pathfinder Society. Here the Decemvirate rules and make its rare pronouncements beneath the enchanted skylights of the Great Hall in the central tower, and both resident and visiting Pathfinders sequester themselves in cozy lounges to study, socialize, and plot future missions. Packed tight with chambers ranging from well-known ballrooms named after nations to innumerable trophy rooms and museums to rows of featureless doors identified only by number, Skyreach is a warren that only the Decemvirate understands completely. The majority of its mysterious spaces are off-limits to all but those specifically invited by Ambrus Valsin, the venture-captain who runs the daily operations of the Grand Lodge at the Decemvirate's command.
Meticulous with details and annoyed by inefficiency, Ambrus makes a point to supervise all important duties within the Grand Lodge, and keeps a long list of relatively safe but time-consuming jobs on file, ready to hand out to rookie Pathfinders to keep them busy and out of the way of more experienced agents. Tall and meticulously groomed, Ambrus doesn't appreciate backtalk and reserves particularly strenuous assignments for those who annoy him.
Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Chronicles
Link.
Tags:
Absalom, Craig J. Spearing, Kieran Yanner, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Society
Open Call Submissions Close in One Week!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Hey there future scenario authors! Don't forget that the open call for Pathfinder Society Organized Play closes on Friday, October 2 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. Below are the details. Good luck!
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title (if necessary, some times they are already titled)
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum six encounters with one encounter detailed as optional
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_ YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, or a Plain Text or Rich Text Format file—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenario 43—one of the February 2010 releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
- 9/17/09—Open call begins
- 10/2/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
- 10/12/09 through 10/16/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario 43
Title: none; up to the author
Setting: Falcon's Hollow, Andoran
Level Range: Tier 1–7; Tiers 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Pathfinder RPG Open Call for Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Hello and welcome to the first installment of the Pathfinder Society scenario open call using the new Pathfinder RPG rules! Most months we'll open one of our Pathfinder Society scenarios to you, the general public, to search for new authors and new ideas for use in Paizo's worldwide organized play campaign. We're looking for authors who have a clear and concise writing style, who have solid and creative ideas for adventures, and who are capable in every way of following instructions and meeting deadlines. And while we're seeking new authors through this process, we certainly encourage previously published authors to participate as well.
As always, keep the following guidelines in mind when submitting:
1. Don't break our world. If you submit something that breaks part of our world, it'll be auto-rejected. The scenarios are 4-hour adventures—epic story arcs, world-shattering events, wars, mass famine, etc. don't have a place in them.
2. Understand Pathfinder Society Organized Play before you submit. Specifically, understand that the Pathfinder Society is an organization of vagabond scholars, thrill-seeking treasure hunters, and extreme explorers. They are not necessarily the "good guys," they don't get "hired" for their adventures, and they're not generally looking to make the world a better place. Submitting generic 3.5 "save the day" adventure ideas will decrease your chances of getting to write one. There are plenty of resources out there to give you a feel for the Society: the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Pathfinder #1, and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting all have information on the Pathfinder Society.
3. Read one or two scenarios before submitting (particularly 29 through 32).
4. Pathfinder Society Scenarios must be no more offensive than PG-13. Scenarios are played in public at public settings and children will be playing them. Submissions that include violence toward children will be auto-rejected.
5. This is not a contest. This is more like an interview for a job—you're showing me your best idea and I'm deciding if the combination of your idea and writing skill equals you being selected as our next scenario author. We need authors—not winners. And I really want to stress the author part of that. Only send me your best work that is reflective of your writing style. I can teach someone the rules system—I can't teach someone to write.
6. I don't have time to return every submission with feedback. Feel free to post your rejected proposals to the Pathfinder Society messageboards for peer review. For those of you not submitting, please give feedback to those who do and are rejected.
7. Lastly, I posted some general feedback on recent submissions here. Please read that thread before submitting.
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title (if necessary, some times they are already titled)
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum six encounters with one encounter detailed as optional
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_ YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, or a Plain Text or Rich Text Format file—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenario 43—one of the February 2010 releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
- 9/17/09—Open call begins
- 10/2/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
- 10/12/09 through 10/16/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario 43
Title: none; up to the author
Setting: Falcon's Hollow, Andoran
Level Range: Tier 1–7; Tiers 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
At Long Last: Seekers of Secrets
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Pathfinder Chronicles: Seekers of Secrets was delayed a long time, probably because of several nasty curses brought on by too-curious chroniclers into forbidden lore. The book is finally out the door, which means it's time for some previews! This time it's an excerpt from one of the book's many biographies of notable Pathfinders and a hint about how some powerful individuals bind their ioun stones to their flesh to keep these treasures safe.
Eliza Petulengro: Absalom's newest venture-captain hails from war-torn Galt. She is a talented diviner with a photographic memory for text, names, and faces. Soft-spoken and polite, she has a pleasant habit of calling initiates by name even after meeting them only once. Though she appears bookish, this is just a facade to deter suitors and keep her affairs private.
Implanting Ioun Stones: Not all the secrets of the ioun stones lie with the Azlanti. While the First Humans mastered the intrinsic powers of the stones, uncovering new attributes and binding them to devices, the Thassilonians explored the interaction of ioun stones and the living mind and body, and in time devised a means of implanting an ioun stone within the flesh. This process, originally believed irreversible, protected the ioun stone from harm and theft while still providing its full powers to the owner.
Sean K Reynolds
Developer, Pathfinder Chronicles
Link.
Tags:
Craig J. Spearing, Ioun Stones, Kieran Yanner, Pathfinder Society
Pathfinder Swag!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It's already starting to feel like a ghost town here at Paizo headquarters as the majority of the staff packs up and heads off for Gen Con Indy. With the debut of the Pathfinder RPG, we're totally excited, but also expecting the convention to be four days of absolute madness. So what are we doing? Oh, we're adding fuel to that fire, of course! There's already going to be tons of opportunities to get Paizo swag just by stopping by our booth, but in addition to the Pathfinder RPG, the annual Paizo delve, tons of Pathfinder Society Events, and way more, we're adding buttons! That's right, special, collectible Gen Con '09 Pathfinder Buttons. For as long as they last on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we'll be giving away a different button, allowing you to show your love for the grim gray maidens, those madcap goblins, or the lovely Seoni. So hurry on over to the Paizo Booth (#2312) every day to pick up the whole set!
And that's it! We're off. We'll see you all at Gen Con Indy!
Wes Schneider
Managing Editor
Link.
Tags:
Gen Con, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society
Countdown to PAIZOCON
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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 is tomorrow baby! WOOT!
David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern
Link.
Tags:
Community, PaizoCon, Pathfinder Society
Countdown to PAIZOCON
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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!
David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern
Link.
Tags:
PaizoCon, Pathfinder Society
Paizo's Gen Con 2009 Events Schedule
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Good morning!
In celebration of the launch of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
at Gen Con 2009, Paizo is offering a large assortment of events for players young and old, veterans and noobies, casual and grognard alike. In addition to an assortment of seminars, Paizo's premier organized play system, Pathfinder Society, will have four scenarios for 1st-level characters (with 2 additional scenarios for higher-level experienced players) available for play throughout the show from 8 A.M. on Thursday through 5 P.M. on Sunday. Slots start at 8 A.M., 1 P.M., and 6 P.M. and run for four hours. Look for such titles as The Decline of Glory, Tide of Morning, The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats, The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker, Sniper in the Deep, and Drow of the Darklands Pyramid to further explore the Pathfinder RPG rules and the Pathfinder Society Organized Play experience. On Friday and Saturday night, Paizo will also offer an interactive event for all levels of Pathfinder Society entitled Betrayal in Absalom that turns Indianapolis into an interactive City at the Center of the World for players to run an RP and combat-laden scavenger hunt. Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams each night. Lastly, every day of the show during dealer hall hours, Paizo Publishing will run a delve at their booth that's designed to be a meat grinder event that quickly shows off the PRPG rules set as well as handing out prizes to those lucky enough to survive. For those of you who just want to play and aren't interested in the Pathfinder Society, there will be pre-generated characters available for every slot of Pathfinder Society events with the exception of the interactive—the interactives both require you to have a character for Pathfinder Society ready to go.
For those of you signed up for Gen Con and ready to go, a summary of events is listed below including links to each event's sign-up page. You must be logged in to the Gen Con website for the links to work. We've also included a running total (frequently updated in this thread) of how many tickets remain for each event and slot. Online ticket sales for Gen Con 2009 end on June 27, 2009. So don't delay in reserving your spot for one or more of Paizo's Gen Con events!
Here are the events:
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SEM0904095
PFS: PRPG Conversion & Creation Q&A
8/13/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $0
Tickets Remaining: 160
RPG0904098
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/13/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 63
RPG0904122
#31 Sniper in the Deep
8/13/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 32
RPG0904136
#24 The Decline of Glory
8/13/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
SEM0904079
Writing for Paizo
8/13/09 5:00 P.M.
Cost: $0.00
Tickets Remaining: 34
RPG0904101
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/13/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 44
RPG0904110
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/13/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 10
RPG0904131
#32 Drow of the Darklands Pyramid
8/13/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 24
RPG0904149
#23 Tide of Morning
8/13/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
RPG0904102
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/14/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 31
RPG0904111
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/14/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 55
RPG0904124
#31 Sniper in the Deep
8/14/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
RPG0904137
#24 The Decline of Glory
8/14/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 1
RPG0904103
#29 The Devil We Know Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/14/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 52
| |
RPG0904112
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/14/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 47
RPG0904132
#32 Drow of the Darklands Pyramid
8/14/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
RPG0904154
#23 Tide of Morning
8/14/2009 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
SEM0904081
Paizo's Pathfinder Adventure Path Q&A
8/14/09 5:00 P.M.
Cost: $0.00
Tickets Remaining: 78
RPG0904104
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/14/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 59
RPG0904113
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/14/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 44
RPG0904178
Betrayal in Absalom: A Pathfinder Society Event (Version 1)
8/14/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $8.00
Tickets Remaining: SOLD OUT
RPG0904105
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/15/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 60
RPG0904114
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/15/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 61
RPG0904125
#31 Sniper in the Deep
8/15/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 9
RPG0904138
#24 The Decline of Glory
8/15/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 9
RPG0904106
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/15/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 31
RPG0904115
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/15/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 62
RPG0904133
#32 Drow of the Darklands Pyramid
8/15/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 1
| |
RPG0904173
#23 Tide of Morning
8/15/09 1:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 11
SEM0904080
Thrilling Adventures on Other Worlds: Paizo's Planet Stories Line
8/15/09 3:00 P.M.
Cost: $0.00
Tickets Remaining: 49
SEM0904087
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Q&A
8/15/09 05:00:00 P.M.
Cost: $0.00
Tickets Remaining: 151
RPG0904107
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/15/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 71
RPG0904116
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/15/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 35
RPG0904179
Betrayal in Absalom: A Pathfinder Society Event (Version 2)
8/15/09 6:00 P.M.
Cost: $8.00
Tickets Remaining: 15
RPG0904108
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/16/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 54
RPG0904117
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/16/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 67
RPG0904129
#31 Sniper in the Deep
8/16/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 18
RPG0904140
#24 The Decline of Glory
8/16/09 8:00 A.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 18
RPG0904109
#29 The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats
8/16/09 12:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 66
RPG0904119
#30 The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker
8/16/09 12:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 37
PG0904134
#32 Drow of the Darklands Pyramid
8/16/09 12:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 16
RPG0904174
#23 Tide of Morning
8/16/09 12:00 P.M.
Cost: $6.00
Tickets Remaining: 11
|
We also still need volunteers for Gen Con! Please read this thread for details. Thanks!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Gen Con, Pathfinder Society
Official Call for Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 Volunteer GMs and Assistants!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Hello!
This is the official call for volunteer GMs and assistants to help Paizo Publishing run events at Gen Con 2009. (If you're looking for the Origins volunteer thread, click here.) In order to be sure that Gen Con 2009 is the best possible play experience, I need a minimum of 42 volunteers (54 volunteers total on Friday and Saturday night) with no maximum—I'll keep taking volunteers until the slots are filled! Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteers. This year, I'm also creating a new "Volunteer Assistant" position for the show—these two folks will aid me in all manner of things and will be my right and left hand man/woman throughout the entire show. They will be rewarded handsomely for their time. Speaking of our rewards, we've DOUBLED the voucher amounts you get for volunteering this year and increased the number of hotel rooms available for Tier 1 volunteers. By doing this, I hope to see even more people working for us at Gen Con.
Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell everyone in your game group! We need volunteers!
One last thing to keep in mind: you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and won't take requests.
Volunteer Tiers and Rewards
Volunteer Assistant
The volunteer assistants will work closely with me every day of the show from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. to help muster slots, gather tickets, answer questions, and run HQ. The volunteer assistants may also be used as gophers, lunch-gatherers, or errand-runners. Reliable, punctual, and guaranteed-to-be-at-the-show applicants ONLY please. This position is limited to two volunteers and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers I've worked with in the past (i.e., at Gen Con 2008 or Gen Con UK 2008). Volunteer assistants will only be used as GMs to cover GMs that are MIA. Volunteer assistants receive:
A FREE 4-day badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room
A $150 voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook hardcover at Gen Con Wednesday evening
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 T-Shirt
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 18 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. Tier 1 GMs receive:
A FREE 4-day badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook hardcover at Gen Con Wednesday evening
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 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 badge
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 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 (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE black & white photocopied version of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook before the show after signing an NDA
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2009 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.
Events by Slot
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 Gen Con volunteer thread on the Pathfinder Society messageboards as I receive volunteers, so you may refer to that thread in order to remain up to date on where we still need help.
Slot 1: Thursday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 2: Thursday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 3: Thursday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 4: Friday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 5: Friday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 6: Friday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need:
54 volunteers
Slot 7: Saturday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 8: Saturday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 9: Saturday 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Need:
54 volunteers
Slot 10: Sunday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Slot 11: Sunday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Need:
42 volunteers
Thanks in advance for volunteering, good luck, and have a great Gen Con 2009!
All volunteers can email me: josh@paizo.com with the subject line Gen Con Volunteer.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Community, Conventions, Gen Con, Pathfinder Society
Presenting the Gen Con 2009 Scenarios!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I've spent a huge portion of this week thinking about and planning for Gen Con 2009. As most of you know, we're launching the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game at Gen Con, which means we're also kicking off Season 1 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The first slot of the show, Thursday morning, will be a character creation/conversion seminar with Paizo employees and volunteer GMs who have all seen the rules ahead of time and will be available to answer questions and help you either build a new character or follow our soon-to-be-released conversion guidelines for Season 1. We'll cut everyone loose before the dealer hall opens so they can hop in what will assuredly be a long line for the RPG hardcover itself and then let everyone flow back to the Org Play area to finish their characters alongside their shiny new (possibly autographed) Pathfinder Roleplaying Game books.
The real fun kicks off Thursday afternoon when we launch Season 1 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play! We have four outstanding scenarios written by four outstanding scenario authors (if I do say so myself) who will all be in attendance at Gen Con and will likely GM their own scenarios once or twice as surprise GMs throughout the show. Tim Hitchcock and the Werecabbages are brewing a brilliant Friday and Saturday night interactive event for the Pathfinder Society that I cannot reveal the details about yet as the lycanthropic vegetable club would stake me and eat my brains for doing so. Rest assured, when Tim pitched me the idea, I ran screaming through the office declaring it the best idea since horseshoes.
Here are some quick summaries of the four scenarios we'll be running at Gen Con 2009:
Pathfinder Society Scenario 29:
The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats (Tiers 1–7) by Joshua J. Frost
When simultaneous kidnappings of Pathfinder and Aspis Consortium agents rock Cassomir's imperial shipyards, the Society orders you to join forces with hated Aspis agents to solve the mystery. Can you work together with the enemies of the Society to uncover the source of the kidnappings, or will you perish in the shipyards of Cassomir? Written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Pathfinder Society Scenario 30:
The Devil We Know, Part 2: Cassomir's Locker (Tiers 1–7) by Joshua J. Frost
The Pathfinder Society dispatches you into the catacombs beneath the shipyards known as Cassomir's Locker to uncover the source of a shamanistic rat cult that's breeding monstrous vermin never before seen on Golarion. After thwarting a double-cross and delving into the dirty dungeons below, will you find the artifact that powers Cassomir's Locker in time or will you bring about the destruction of Taldor's most important port? Written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Pathfinder Society Scenario 31:
Sniper in the Deep (Tiers 5–9) by David Eitelbach & Hank Woon
When rumors stir of a hidden treasure ship in Absalom's Flotsam Graveyard, the Pathfinder Society sends you beneath the Inner Sea to investigate. Mayhem, undersea adventure, and chaos are to be had in this rousing rampage beneath the roiling waters of Absalom's harbor. Written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Pathfinder Society Scenario 32:
Drow of the Darklands Pyramid (Tiers 7–11) by Sean K Reynolds
A rogue band of drow are plaguing the artifact shipping lanes of Osirion and the Pathfinder Society has sent you to stop them. When the drow capture an entire caravan laden with Society relics, the Decemvirate orders you into the Darklands to track down the drow and their stolen cargo. You'll travel beneath Golarion, fighting through caverns of hideous creatures to reach the fabled Darklands Pyramid—will your survive the journey, or become a slave forever? Written for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Lastly, I want to congratulate the selectees for the final 3.5 Pathfinder Society Organized Play Open Call: Elizabeth Leib and James MacKenzie! They're writing #28 Lyrics of Extinction and #27 Our Lady of Silver respectively. Congratulations!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Community, Conventions, Gen Con, Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Open Call for Pathfinder Society Scenarios 27 & 28
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hello and welcome to another installment of the Pathfinder Society Scenario Open Call. Last week I selected the authors for scenarios #23 and #24 and they are, respectively: Steven Robert (Tide of Morning) and Tim Hitchcock (The Decline of Glory). Congratulations, guys!
That brings us to the open call round for #27 and #28 (#25 and #26 were assigned). This month's open call is the last open call for OGL 3.5 and the last open call until September. I'll repeat that: this is the last open call until September. So if you're waiting to get involved or submit, this is your last chance for a while. With the launch of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the fact that we have to start writing scenarios with the new rules in the next few months, we've decided to assign the first PRPG scenarios to current scenario authors who could include those authors selected to write #27 and #28.
As always, keep the following guidelines in mind when submitting:
1. Don't break our world. If you submit something that breaks part of our world, it'll be auto-rejected. The scenarios are one-shot, 4-hour adventures—epic story arcs, world-shattering events, wars, mass famine, etc. don't have a place in them.
2. Understand Pathfinder Society Organized Play before you submit. Specifically, understand that the Pathfinder Society is an organization of vagabond scholars, thrill-seeking treasure hunters, and extreme explorers. They are not necessarily the "good guys," they don't get "hired" for their adventures, and they're not generally looking to make the world a better place. Submitting generic 3.5 "save the day" adventure ideas will decrease your chances of getting to write one. There are plenty of resources out there to give you a feel for the Society: the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #1, and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting all have information on the Pathfinder Society.
3. I need to feel that you've read or played a few scenarios before submitting. I'll get this sense through your proposal—our scenarios have a very specific flow to them and your outline should follow this flow. Read one or two before submitting.
4. Pathfinder Society Scenarios must be no more offensive than PG-13. Scenarios are played in public at public settings and children will be playing them. No more submissions that include violence toward children, please.
5. This is not a contest. This is more like an interview for a job—you're showing me your best idea and I'm deciding if the combination of idea and writing skill equals you being selected as our next scenario author. I need authors—not winners. And I really want to stress the author part of that. Only send me your best work that is reflective of your writing style. I can teach someone the rules system—I can't teach someone to write.
6. I just don't have time to return every submission with feedback. Feel free to post your rejected proposals to the Pathfinder Society messageboards for peer review. For those of you not submitting, please give feedback to those who do and are rejected.
7. Lastly, I posted some general feedback on recent submissions here. Please read that thread before submitting. It'll help. I promise.
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society Scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum five encounters
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
f. You no longer need to submit mission ideas with your outline
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, Notepad, or Real Text format—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_SCENARIO#_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenarios 27 & 28—the July releases and last OGL 3.5 scenarios. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
• 2/12/09—Open call begins
• 2/20/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
• 3/6/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #27
Suggested Title: Our Lady of Silver
Setting: Qadiran City (political intrigue scenario that pits wealthy merchant lords against one another)
Monster: Open
Level Range: Tier 5–9; tiers 5–6 and 8–9
Pathfinder Society Scenario #28
Suggested Title: Lyrics of Extinction
Setting: Mwangi Expanse (ancient culture destroyed by fell song—travel to the ruins to recover a copy of it)
Monster: Open
Level Range: Tier 7–11; tiers 7–8 and 10–11
PLEASE NOTE: Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with a 4-hour time limit in mind. Your outline should reflect 4 hours of solid game play.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
The Monsters of Adam Vehige
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Adam Vehige has been responsible for four of the cover monsters for the first fourteen Pathfinder Society scenarios: the sahuagin from The Hydra's Fang Incident, the ape from Mists of Mwangi, the zombie from Among the Living, and the giant crocodile from Eye of the Crocodile King.
For Pathfinder Society Scenario #15: The Asmodeus Mirage (coming this month), Adam brings us the imp, a little red devil perched on the skull of an inanimate gargoyle statue. Be sure to visit Adam's deviantArt page and check out more of his work.
Enjoy!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Adam Vehige, Monsters, Pathfinder Society
Didn't Make the RPG Superstar Top 32? Try Pathfinder Society!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The 2009 RPG Superstar contest drew in hundreds of entries from around the world in a contest to crown the ultimate new roleplaying game design talent. It took the judges six weeks to reduce the mountain of entries to the 32 finalists and a handful of alternates. That means hundreds of you didn't make it into the RPG Superstar Top 32—that means that hundreds of you should submit for the Pathfinder Society Scenario Open Call!
You submitted to RPG Superstar not only hoping to win an RPG Design contest, but also hoping to get a chance to see your name on a Pathfinder Module sitting on the shelf at your local game store. Pathfinder Society Scenarios may not be sold in stores, but getting your name on one is no less prestigious—you get to see your name on a product being used in hundreds, maybe even thousands, of organized play tables around the world.
Alternatively, and perhaps even more importantly, being selected to write a scenario for Pathfinder Society Organized Play does one other thing for you: it gets your foot in the door. Write a good scenario, one that blows me away with its writing style, imagery, ideas, and maps, and I'll be in the editorial pit the moment after I read it saying, "This is the person you want for X assignment!" Writing a scenario gets you noticed, may get you additional writing work, and keeps you fresh in our minds when thinking of new talent to tap for new projects.
Our current open call runs through midnight tomorrow—plenty of time to get a submission in for at least one of them! I hope to see yours in the submission stack.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society, RPG Superstar
Pathfinder Society Scenario #13 & #14 Art Sneak Peak
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Check out the dretch and the giant centipede—featured monsters from next week's Pathfinder Society Scenario #13: The Prince of Augustana and Pathfinder Society Scenario #14: The Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch. The dretch was designed by Kevin Yan and the giant centipede was designed by Ben Wootten. Enjoy!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Ben Wootten, Kevin Yan, Monsters, Pathfinder Society
Open Call for Pathfinder Society Scenarios 23 & 24
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Hello and welcome to another installment of the Pathfinder Society Scenario Open Call. Last week I selected the authors for scenarios #21 and #22 and they are, respectively: C. Robert Brown (The Eternal Obelisk) and Larry Wilhelm (Fingerprints of the Fiend). Congratulations, guys!
That brings us to the open call round for 23 and 24. I'm going to continue with the looser, open format style with some general guidelines. We received far fewer submissions last round than before and I'm hoping that had more to do with RPG Superstar and the holidays than it did with the open format chasing submitters away. Prove me right! As always, keep the following guidelines in mind when submitting:
1. Don't break our world. If you submit something that breaks part of our world, it'll be auto-rejected. The scenarios are one-shot, 4-hour adventures—epic story arcs, world-shattering events, wars, mass famine, etc. don't have a place in them.
2. Understand Pathfinder Society Organized Play before you submit. Specifically, understand that the Pathfinder Society is an organization of vagabond scholars, thrill-seeking treasure hunters, and extreme explorers. They are not necessarily the "good guys," they don't get "hired" for their adventures, and they're not generally looking to make the world a better place. Submitting generic 3.5 "save the day" adventure ideas will decrease your chances of getting to write one. There are plenty of resources out there to give you a feel for the Society: the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Pathfinder #1, and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting all have information on the Pathfinder Society.
3. I need to feel that you've read or played a few scenarios before submitting. I'll get this sense through your proposal—our scenarios have a very specific flow to them and your outline should follow this flow. Read one or two before submitting.
4. Pathfinder Society Scenarios must be no more offensive than PG-13. Scenarios are played in public at public settings and children will be playing them. No more submissions that include violence toward children, please.
5. This is not a contest. This is more like an interview for a job—you're showing me your best idea and I'm deciding if the combination of idea and writing skill equals you being selected as our next scenario author. I need authors—not winners. And I really want to stress the author part of that. Only send me your best work that is reflective of your writing style. I can teach someone the rules system—I can't teach someone to write.
6. Finally, I just don't have time to return every submission with feedback. Feel free to post your rejected proposals to the Pathfinder Society messageboards for peer review. For those of you not submitting, please give feedback to those who do and are rejected.
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society Scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum five encounters
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
f. You no longer need to submit mission ideas with your outline
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_##_YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, Notepad, or Real Text format—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_##_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_17_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenarios #23 & 24—two of the four June releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
• 1/15/09—Open call begins
• 1/30/09—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
• 2/6/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #23
Suggested Title: Tide of Morning
Setting: Andoran wilderness (classic forest adventure archetype suggested)
Monster: Open
Level Range: Tier 1–5; tiers 1–2 and 4–5
Pathfinder Society Scenario #24
Suggested Title: The Decline of Glory
Setting: Taldor frontier (warring gangs, towns-at-war archetype suggested)
Monster: Open
Level Range: Tier 1–7; tiers 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7
PLEASE NOTE: Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with a 4-hour time limit in mind. Your outline should reflect 4 hours of solid game play.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Upcoming Pathfinder Society Conventions
Friday, January 9, 2009
As part of our continuing effort to showcase upcoming conventions that are running Pathfinder Society Organized Play events, here are several shows coming up in January and February that have let us know they are doing so. If you're local to any of these fine conventions, please show your support for Pathfinder Society by GMing or playing few Pathfinder Society Scenarios there. Spread the word!
| St. Crispins | Santa Ana, CA | January 10 |
| MarsCon | Williamsburg, VA | January 16–18 |
| SnowCon | Maine | January 17-18 |
| Arcanacon XXVII | Melbourne, Australia | January 23–26 |
| Conception | London, United Kingdom | January 28–February 1 |
| Marmalade Dog 14 | Western Michigan U | January 30–February 1 |
| Recess | New York, NY | January 31 |
| Owlcon | Houston, TX | February 6-8 |
| What the Hell? Con | Greensboro, NC | February 6–8 |
| Winter War | Champaign, IL | February 6-8 |
| OrcCon | Los Angeles, CA | February 13–16 |
| GenghisCon XXX | Denver, CO | February 12–15 |
| BashCon XXIV | Toledo, OH | February 20–22 |
| UKON | University of Kentucky | February 27–28 |
| Pandemonium Frost | Garden City, MI | February 27–March 1 |
If you know of any future conventions that plan to run Pathfinder Society Organized Play scenarios, please put their con coordinators, organized play coordinators, or RPG coordinators in contact with me. I'd love to use the blog to support as many shows as possible. With your help, we can support them all.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Pathfinder Society
Announcing Pathfinder Society Scenarios #11 & #12
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Pathfinder Society Scenario #11: The Third Riddle
by Clinton J. Boomer
When Pathfinder Colm Safan entered the Nethys-linked heart of the fabled dungeon known as the Ravenous Sphinx, the Pathfinder Society expected to solve one of Osirion's greatest riddles. Months passed with no word from Safan and you and your fellow Pathfinders find yourselves dispatched into the desolate wastes of Osirion's notorious Parched Dunes to find the sphinx, find Safan, and uncover the mystery he sought. With a band of cloaked riders on your trail and a trap-filled dungeon ahead, will you solve the third riddle before time runs out?
This Pathfinder Society Scenario is designed for 1st to 5th-level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5). This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can be easily adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #12: Stay of Execution
by Alison McKenzie
When a petty thief named Hadge gets a lucky break and makes off with a powerful divination focus of the Pathfinder Society's masked leadership, you and your fellow Pathfinders set out to the sparsely populated Taldor frontier to find him and recover the focus. When the local governor tosses Hadge into the brutal Porthmos Prison for a minor crime, your mission suddenly becomes a jail break. Will you free Hadge and uncover the location of the focus before the gangs of Porthmos tear him apart?
This Pathfinder Society Scenario is designed for 1st to 7th-level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, 6–7). This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can be easily adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Open Call for 21 & 22 and New Format
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Before I get into the new open call format as well as the next round of open calls, I want to talk about the submissions for Pathfinder Society Scenarios #19 & 20. I received nearly as many submissions for 19 & 20 as I did for 17 & 18, but the difference this time was that I received almost all of them for 19: Skeleton Moon. The other scenario, 20: Demon Haunts the Devil's Hall, received an incredibly low number of submissions, and after looking through them again and again none of the submissions wowed me sufficiently to select the submitter as the author. I then spent some time thinking about our submissions process and I think our process may be to blame for the reduction in submissions for 20. I asked for 20 to include a non-SRD monster (the nabasu) that many submitters probably weren't familiar with and I asked for no undead (because we've been undead heavy lately) in a scenario where the monster (again, the nabasu) could potentially create undead with one of its powers. These two errors on our part, I believe, led to a serious reduction in submissions and because the pool was so small, there weren't a lot to choose from. In the end, I had to choose none of them. Instead, we've removed Devil's Hall from the schedule, to appear later in season 1, and replaced it with a later scenario I'd planned to assign rather than open. So for the 19 & 20 round, I'll select an author for 19 only and the new 20 will be written by an existing freelancer.
That brings us to the open call round for 21 & 22. I'm going to test a more open format for both, though I'm still going to suggest a few key items on each—items that are necessary either for art resources or simply to keep game play spread around the Inner Sea region. These restrictions will be relatively minor and shouldn't hamper creativity overmuch. I am, however, opening this test with a few caveats:
1. Don't break our world. If you submit something that breaks part of our world, it'll be auto-rejected. The scenarios are one-shot, 4-hour adventures—epic story arcs, world-shattering events, wars, mass famine, etc. don't have a place in them.
2. Understand Pathfinder Society Organized Play before you submit. Specifically, understand that the Pathfinder Society is an organization of vagabond scholars, thrill-seeking treasure hunters, and extreme explorers. They are not necessarily the "good guys," they don't get "hired" for their adventures, and they're not generally looking to make the world a better place. Submitting generic 3.5 "save the day" adventure ideas will decrease your chances of getting to write one. There are plenty of resources out there to give you a feel for the Society: the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Pathfinder #1, and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting all have information on the Pathfinder Society.
3. I need to feel that you've read or played a few scenarios before submitting. I'll get this sense through your proposal—our scenarios have a very specific flow to them and your outline should follow this flow. Read one or two before submitting.
4. Pathfinder Society scenarios must be no more offensive than PG-13. Scenarios are played in public at public settings and children will be playing them. As an aside, the number of submissions that involve violence toward children is staggering—no more of those, please.
5. This is not a contest. This is more like an interview for a job—you're showing me your best idea and I'm deciding if the combination of idea and writing skill equals you being selected as our next scenario author. I need authors—not winners.
6. Finally, I just don't have time to return every submission with feedback. I did that with the first round, for 17 & 18, and it stretched my resources and time very thin.
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on the guidelines for the current round, write a 750-word outline that includes the following:
a. A title—the more evocative the better
b. A brief introduction that acts as a prologue for the scenario
c. A brief summary of how the PCs proceed through each encounter
d. A brief summary of each encounter—minimum five encounters
e. A brief conclusion—what happens if the PCs fail or succeed
f. You no longer need to submit mission ideas with your outline
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line SCENARIO NAME_YOURLASTNAME. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, Notepad, or Real Text format—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled SCENARIO NAME_LAST NAME, i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_Dayon.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society Scenarios #21 & 22—the May releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
• 12/11/08—Open call begins
• 12/19/08—Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
• 1/9/09—Submissions review completed—selections and rejections notified
Guidelines
**SPOILER ALERT: Do not read the guidelines below if you wish to avoid spoilers for upcoming scenarios.**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #21
Suggested Title: The Eternal Obelisk
Setting: Qadira
Monster: A medusa
Level Range: Tier 5–9; tiers 5–7 and 8–9
Pathfinder Society Scenario #22
Suggested Title: None
Setting: Rural Cheliax
Monster: Open
Level Range: Tier 7–11; tiers 7–8 and 10–11
PLEASE NOTE: Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with a 4-hour time limit in mind. Your outline should reflect 4 hours of solid game play.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Upcoming Pathfinder Society Conventions
Thursday, December 4, 2008
As part of our continuing effort to showcase upcoming conventions that are running Pathfinder Society Organized Play events, here are two shows coming up in December and January that have let us know they are doing so. If you're local to either of these fine conventions, please show your support for Pathfinder Society by GMing or playing few Pathfinder Society Scenarios there. Spread the word!
If you know of any future conventions that plan to run Pathfinder Society Organized Play scenarios, please put their con coordinators, organized play coordinators, or RPG coordinators in contact with me. I'd love to use the blog to support as many shows as possible. With your help, we can support them all.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Pathfinder Society
Announcing Pathfinder Society Scenarios #9 & #10
Friday, November 21, 2008
Pathfinder Society Scenario #9: Eye of the Crocodile King
by Christopher Self
Arcanamirium transmuter Maren Fuln found a magically sealed amulet in the school's library and kept it as a shiny bauble. Little did he know the amulet contained an entity far worse than he imagined and by unsealing it, he loosed a revenge-obsessed horror into the sewers beneath the school. Can the Pathfinder Society halt the beast's plan in time, or will he build his army of revenge and sow chaos in Absalom?
This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5). This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #10: Blood at Dralkard Manor
by Shane Cottom, Steven T. Helt, and Joshua J. Frost
Venture-Captain Juberto Savarre plans to retire soon and he's set his sights on spooky Dralkard Manor in southern Andoran. With the locals swapping tales of hauntings and missing persons, Savarre sends Pathfinders in to uncover the truth. Are the stories just tall tales or will the Pathfinders find themselves drenched in blood at Dralkard Manor?
This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4. 6–7). This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Open Call: Pathfinder Society Scenarios 19 & 20
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on a summary (or summaries) posted here on the Paizo daily blog as well as on the Pathfinder Society Write For Us page, write a 750-word outline that includes the following (read published scenarios for samples of how these are done, keeping your word count in mind):
a. An introduction
b. A summary of the complete story
c. Five unique or dynamic encounters tied to the overall plot
d. A conclusion
e. Five short suggestions for possible faction missions
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line [SCENARIO NAME] [YOUR LAST NAME]. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, Notepad, or Rich Text format—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled [SCENARIO NAME]_[LAST NAME], i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_Dayon. Failure to submit your entry in one of the requested formats (i.e., just pasting it into your email) and failure to properly name your file may disqualify your entry.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count. Failure to include this information will disqualify your entry and you won't receive feedback at the end of the process.
4. Once all submissions are in, the Pathfinder Society coordinator will take two weeks to review submissions and select an author for each open scenario. You will receive an email confirming receipt—please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission. The coordinator will attempt to respond to all submitters with feedback, but this may not always be possible.
5. If you are selected to write a scenario, you will be emailed instructions that include your word count, due date, and contract.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society scenarios #19 and #20—the April releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
• 11/13—Open call begins with summaries posted here on the Paizo daily blog and on the Pathfinder Society Write For Us page
• 11/21—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
• 12/12—Submissions review completed—selected authors notified
• 12/15—Decision announced on messageboards and on the Pathfinder Society home page
Summaries
**SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ THE SUMMARIES BELOW IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING PATHFINDER SOCIETY SCENARIOS**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #19: Skeleton Moon
This scenario must contain the following:
1. Takes place on the Isle of Kortos outside the walls of Absalom in a ruined siege castle.
2. Since all of the siege castles around the City at the Center of the World are pretty well picked over, your outline should contain a good reason why this one or part of this one isn't.
3. The "boss" monster for this scenario must be an assassin vine—feel free to play around with the stats—templates, advanced, etc, but no half-dragon vines.
4. No undead. No cults. Something creepy is going on there.
5. This is a three-tiered scenario intended for 1st to 7th level characters (Tier 1–7; Tiers 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7).
6. Keep in mind that you only get 1/2 of a page of maps—don't suggest a scenario that exceeds this restriction.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #20: Demon Haunts the Devil's Hall
This scenario must contain the following:
1. Takes place in the summer estate of a low-ranking member of House Thrune of Cheliax.
2. The estate is infested with nabasu (from the Tome of Horrors) (but why?).
3. No undead. No cults. Expound on why the nabasu are in this devil-worshippers summer estate.
4. This is a two-tiered scenario intended for 7th to 11th level characters (Tier 7–11; Tiers 7–8 and 10–11).
5. Keep in mind that you only get 1/2 of a page of maps—don't suggest a scenario that exceeds this restriction.
Basic Outline:
Please keep the following basic scenario outline in mind when writing your 750-word summary:
Intro (1,000)
Encounter #1 (750)
Encounter #2 (750)
Encounter #3 (750)
Encounter #4 (750)
Encounter #5 (750)
Conclusion (500)
Faction Missions + Summary (1,900)
Extra words (345)
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 7,000
PLEASE NOTE: Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with a 4-hour time limit in mind. Your outline should reflect this limitation.
Good luck and may the wisdom of Irori guide your keyboard.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Coming Soon: New Pathfinder Society Open Call
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Warning: If you wish to avoid spoilers about future Pathfinder Society scenarios, do not read this blog post.
Next week we begin our second open call for Pathfinder Society scenarios. Our first open call went quite well and we were happy to announce that Matthieu Dayon and Craig Campbell will write #17—Perils of the Pirate Pact and #18—The Trouble with Secrets respectively. Every single entry was given some kind of feedback and, hopefully, this sort of feedback helps our submitters to craft entries that better fit the types of stories we're seeking.
Our first open call went well and I, personally, learned a lot. Because of what I learned, I'm making a few changes to the submission guidelines to help speed up the entire process. The new, revised, submission guidelines are as follows:
1. Based on a summary (or summaries) posted here on the Paizo daily blog as well as on the Pathfinder Society Write For Us page, write a 750-word outline that includes the following (read published scenarios for samples of how these are done keeping your word count in mind):
a. An introduction
b. A summary of the complete story
c. Five unique or dynamic encounters tied to the overall plot
d. A conclusion
e. Five short suggestions for possible faction missions
2. By the due date, email your outline to josh@paizo.com with the subject line [SCENARIO NAME] [YOUR LAST NAME]. Your summary must be in a MS Word document, plain text, or Rich Text format—these are files ending in .doc, .txt, or .rtf. Your file must be titled [SCENARIO NAME]_[LAST NAME], i.e., PerilsofthePiratePact_Dayon. Failure to submit your entry in one of the requested formats (i.e., just pasting it into your email) and failure to properly name your file may disqualify your entry.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count. Failure to include this information will disqualify your entry and you won't receive feedback at the end of the process.
4. Once all submissions are in, the Pathfinder Society coordinator will take two weeks to review submissions and select an author for each open scenario. You will receive an email confirming receipt—please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission. The coordinator will attempt to respond to all submitters with feedback, but this may not always be possible.
5. If you are selected to write a scenario, you will be emailed instructions that include your word count, due date, and contract.
6. Failing to follow any of the instructions above will immediately disqualify you from the open call.
The open call that starts next week is for Pathfinder Society scenarios #19 and #20—the April releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
11/13—Open call begins with summaries posted here on the Paizo daily blog and on the Pathfinder Society Write For Us page
11/21—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
12/12—Submissions review completed—selected authors notified
12/15—Decision announced on messageboards and on the Pathfinder Society home page
While we won't begin accepting scenario outlines until next week, here are a few hints to get your brain juices flowing:
Scenario 19—Siege Keeps & Hidden Dungeons
Scenario 20—Cheliax Demon Hunt
Good luck!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Pathfinder Society Open Call Submissions
Thursday, October 30, 2008
After reviewing nearly half of the submissions for the Pathfinder Society Open Call, I want to address a few recurring issues and errors. Please note that not all of these issues and errors result in automatic rejection and don't assume your submission was rejected if you feel any of the items below apply to it. I have not yet selected the finalists.
Understanding the Pathfinder Society
This is the most important gaff I've seen—authors who don't really understand Golarion's Pathfinder Society. Either the submitter hasn't read the entry in Pathfinder #1 and the entry in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting or he or she is choosing to ignore it. Submitting a proposal for Pathfinder Society Scenario #17—Perils of the Pirate Pact and completely ignoring the motivations of the Pathfinder Society in your submission makes it feel more like a generic adventure and less like a scenario that should necessarily focus on Golarion's famed organization of vagabond explorers and thrill-seeking treasure hunters.
Avoid Passive Voice
Don't do it. Don't use it. Remove it from your writing style altogether. Passive voice is boring, distracting, and authors who use it often miss opportunities to approach a description from an evocative direction. For an excellent guide to passive voice, read this webpage from Purdue's English Department. Removing passive voice will strengthen your submissions and strengthen your final turnover.
Spelling Errors and Grammatical Errors
Use your spell check, have a friend read your submission, read your submission out loud—each of these is a great way to find errors. While one or two errors won't necessarily eliminate your submission, repeated errors will as they show a lack of attention to detail.
Use the Clues
In the summary for #17, for example, there were three clues: ettercaps, a book stolen from a Pathfinder Society venture-captain, and dead pirates dangling in spiderwebs over the River Sellen. Not using the clues from the summary in your submission makes your submission much less likely to be accepted.
Elaborate X
Many submissions spend more time on elaborate names, elaborate concepts, or elaborate scenes than on a good solid plot. While cool names, concepts, or scenes are cool, I'd rather see much more time spent making the plot flow well and making it make sense than submitters throwing spider pirates and complicated NPC names at me. You have one page to wow me—wow me with a good plot.
All in all, this has been a positive experience and I feel confident that I'll be able to reply with feedback to each submission. Check back on the Pathfinder Society messageboards and the Pathfinder Society website on Monday for the names of those selected for the Pathfinder Society open call. And importantly, don't let a rejection keep you from submitting for the next round!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Upcoming Pathfinder Society Conventions
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Since we launched Pathfinder Society in August, I've received a lot of email from convention coordinators. They ask how they can run Pathfinder Society events at their shows, or seek more information about the Society, or sometimes just let me know that they're on board and plan to run events. Since they're helping us, I want to do something in return for them. Once a month, from now on, I'll use my weekly Pathfinder Society blog to detail conventions that plan to run Pathfinder Society events in the next month. I'll even give you links to their shows (when I know them or can find them) and links to threads on our messageboards when coordinators from each show are asking for volunteers to run Society events. Here are the shows debuting Pathfinder Society between now and the end of November:
| Cold Iron Conventions | Wisconsin | October 23–26, 2008 |
| Ubercon | Parsippany, NJ | October 24–26, 2008 |
| NeonCon | Las Vegas, NV | October 30–November 2, 2008 |
| Lucca Comics and Games | Lucca, Italy | October 31–November 2, 2008 |
| d20 Pro Conline | Online | early November |
| Game08 (thread) | Manchester, England | November 1–2, 2008 |
| MACE (thread) | High Point, NC | November 7–9, 2008 |
| Mepacon | Scranton, PA | November 7–9, 2008 |
| GASPcon | Pittsburgh, PA | November 1–2, 2008 |
| Shauncon | Kansas City | November 20–23, 2008 |
| WolfCon (thread) | Chicago, IL | November 28–29, 2008 |
If you know of any future conventions that plan to run Pathfinder Society, please put their con coordinators, organized play coordinators, or RPG coordinators in contact with me. I'd love to use the blog to support as many shows as possible. With your help, we can support them all.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
josh@paizo.com
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Pathfinder Society
Covers Unfettered!
Friday, October 17, 2008
As I've said before, I love my job! I get to take a look at things and see stuff before it comes out. As a gamer and as a fan, that right there is worth the price of admission. One of the things I like most about our products is our great artists and the fantastic illustrations they produce for us. Sometimes, however, a particular piece of art cannot come to the fore, as it's part of a greater whole, like a cover. So, because I can, I now present to you, unfettered from their PDF restraints, the art you see lurking behind the titles of the latest Pathfinder Scenarios Mists of Mwangi and Black Waters.
Jacob Burgess
Online Retail Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Monsters, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
How Can I Help Pathfinder Society?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Good question!
Quite a few folks have asked me via email and on the Pathfinder Society messageboards how they can help spread the world about Paizo's organized play RPG program and get more players, from newbies to veterans, involved. To that end, we've whipped up a helpful one-sheet that you can download here as well as from the Pathfinder Society Organized Play home page. Below is a suggested list of places where you can display said one-sheet:
- Give a copy to your local game store manager or owner
- Post a copy on the activities board at your college or university
- Print out several black-and-white copies and hand them to your friends at your local game day or home game
- Send the PDF to everyone you know who might be interested in a new organized play system using the 3.5 edition rules
- Send the PDF to a local game convention coordinator
- Climb a tall building and hang a 200-foot-wide banner made from the PDF for all to see*
- Post a copy in your cubicle at work so you can answer questions from other members of our secret gaming cabal who might recognize the logo
- Link to the PDF from your blog, MySpace, online dating singles profile, Facebook, or any other networking website
- Read the PDF aloud into a web cam and post your video blog on YouTube
- Give copies to anyone you game with!
Click here to download the zipped PDF! And a quick note about the open call: entries are due Friday night. Don't miss the deadline!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
*DO NOT DO THIS
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society
Open Call: Pathfinder Society Scenarios 17 & 18
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on a summary posted on the Paizo daily blog (see below), write a 750-word outline following the format of already available–for–sale scenarios.
2. By the due date, email said summary to josh@paizo.com with the subject line [Scenario Name] Submission.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Once all submissions are in, the Pathfinder Society coordinator (Paizo's events manager) will take two weeks to review submissions and select an author for each. You will receive an email confirming receipt—please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission. The coordinator will attempt to respond to all submitters with feedback, but this may not always be possible.
5. If you are selected to write a scenario, you will be emailed instructions that include your word count, due date, and contract.
The current open call is for Pathfinder Society Scenarios #17 and #18—the March releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
10/9 Open call begins with summaries posted on the Paizo Blog and at paizo.com/pathfindersociety (see below)
10/17 Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
10/31 Submissions review completed
11/3 Decision announced on messageboards and paizo.com/pathfindersociety after authors are chosen and notified
Summaries:
**SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ THE SUMMARIES BELOW IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING PATHFINDER SOCIETY SCENARIOS**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #17: Perils of the Pirate Pact
A gang of River Kingdoms pirates begs the Society for help after several members are found dead dangling in spider webs stretched across the Sellen River near Numeria. They offer an ancient text as a reward—an ancient text they originally stole from a Pathfinder venture—captain.
This is a three-tiered scenario intended for 1st to 7th level characters (Tier 1–7; Tiers 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7). It must include pirates, spiders, and at least one ettercap. It must be set on the Sellen River near the Numeria border in the River Kingdoms.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #18: The Trouble with Secrets
A secret vault beneath the Grand Lodge remains sealed after more than a century to hide an embarrassing event in the Society's past. When reports surface that the vault is open, the society sends the PCs to seal it and keep the Society's darkest secret forever hidden.
This is a two-tiered scenario intended for 5th to 9th level characters (Tier 5–9; Tiers 5–6 and 8–9). It must include at least one vampire and must be set beneath the Grand Lodge in Absalom.
Basic Outline:
Please keep the following basic scenario outline in mind when writing your 750-word summary:
Intro (1,000)
Encounter #1 (750)
Encounter #2 (750)
Encounter #3 (750)
Encounter #4 (750)
Encounter #5 (750)
Conclusion (500)
Faction Missions + Summary (1,900)
Extra words (345)
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 7,000
PLEASE NOTE: Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with a 4-hour time limit in mind. Your outline should reflect this limitation.
Good luck and may the prowess of Cayden Cailean guide your keyboard.
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Coming Soon: Open Call for Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Thursday, October 2, 2008
** Warning: if you wish to avoid possible spoilers about future Pathfinder Society scenarios, do not read this blog post. **
Good news! Next week we begin our first open call for Pathfinder Society scenarios. What do we mean by "open call?" We mean:
1. Not every scenario we release is written via the open call process
2. Outline submissions are based on summaries, rather than true open calls
Rules for submitting Pathfinder Society scenario outlines are as follows:
1. Based on a summary (or summaries) posted on the Paizo daily blog as well as on the Pathfinder Society page, write a 750-word outline following the format of already posted and available-for-sale scenarios.
2. By the due date, email said summary to josh@paizo.com with the subject line [Scenario Name] Submission.
3. Include your full legal name, email address, physical mailing address, and a contact phone number at the top of your submission—this text does not count toward your word count.
4. Once all submissions are in, the Pathfinder Society coordinator will take two weeks to review submissions and select an author for each open scenario. You will receive an email confirming receipt—please allow 72 hours for a response before resending your submission. The coordinator will attempt to respond to all submitters with feedback, but this may not always be possible.
5. If you are selected to write a scenario, you will be emailed instructions that include your word count, due date, and contract.
6. Failing to follow any of the instructions above will immediately disqualify you from the open call.
The open call that starts next week is for Pathfinder Society scenarios #17 and #18—the January March releases. The full schedule for this submission period is as follows:
10/9—Open call begins with summaries posted on the Paizo Blog and at paizo.com/pathfindersociety
10/17—Submissions due by 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
10/31—Submissions review completed
11/3—Decision announced on messageboards and paizo.com/pathfindersociety after authors are chosen and notified
While we won't begin accepting scenario outlines until next week, here are a few hints to get your brain juices flowing:
Scenario 17—Spiders & Pirates
Scenario 18—Vampires & Vaults
Good luck!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Open Call, Pathfinder Society
Sizzling September Scenarios
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Now that I've shaken the plague of pneumonia from my fragile lungs, I've set about getting the Pathfinder Society back on track and that begins with unveiling the soon-to-be-released September scenarios. Without further ado:
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5: Mists of Mwangi
Pathfinder Lugizar Trantos recently returned from the Mwangi Expanse with haunted eyes and a pack full of strange idols. Absalom's famed Blakros Museum purchased his pieces and Lugizar vanished. The strange monkey idols he pulled from the misty jungles of Mwangi carry with them a fell curse, and now their power has laid claim to the museum. Can the Pathfinder Society uncover the source of the curse in time, or will the Blackros Museum be forever lost to the mists of Mwangi?
Written by Nicolas Logue
Pathfinder Scenario #6: Black Waters
The Pathfinder Society seeks the ancient ruby ring of the salamander and it falls to a team of Pathfinders to find it. Last seen in the Tri-Towers Yard, a once elite academy for the youth of Absalom, the ruby ring is now lost in the Drownyard, all that remains of Tri-Towers after it was destroyed a decade ago in the great quake. The Pathfinders must risk the strange black ichors and salty brine to find their prize—will they risk their very souls as well?
Written by Tim and Eileen Connors
Both scenarios will be available for $3.99 around October 1st at paizo.com/pathfindersociety. Enjoy!
Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
Gen Con and the Pathfinder Society
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Gen Con was a great success! We saw nearly 400 characters made for Pathfinder Society and handed out 600 registration cards for new players and Game Masters. Our fine volunteers rocked the Pathfinder Society room in ICC 101-102 and all of the players were enthusiastic, excited, and fun. The room was filled with laughter, chaos, and the roar of critical successes. Nick and I had a good time and everyone's positive and negative feedback was heard, written down, and (in many cases) will be incorporated in the next version of the guide. Season 0 is our playtest season—we're happy folks are helping us test it.
We learned a few lessons at Gen Con, both from the organization standpoint and from the standpoint of GMs and players. We know a little more about how to organize the event, how many tickets to sell for each slot, and how many GMs to gather to run it smoothly. We learned that a bull horn (thank you, Lou) is the most valuable asset of the room and we learned that people really DO want to sport the colors of their faction and wear their shirts with pride (and free re-rolls).
Thanks everyone who was there for making it a great success. We'll see you next year. Until then, found your local chapter of the Pathfinder Society and hook another bunch of recruits into becoming Pathfinders. We know they'll love it.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Gen Con, Pathfinder Society
Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play Sneak Peak
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Though we're working hard to get the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play PDF released on Friday, we thought we'd take a small break from the action and show you a few of the faction feats that'll be available in our organized play system. During character creation, after you've chosen your faction, you'll get to choose one free bonus feat from your faction's unique feat list. There are six available feats per faction to choose from—here's a sample feat from each faction:
FREEDOM FIGHTER
Your family has long battled the foes of freedom and you are skilled in waging guerilla campaigns against oppressors.
Prerequisite: Andoran Faction
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on Hide skill checks. In addition, you receive a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when you attack a flat-footed foe during the surprise round.
SCION OF THE NINE HELLS
Your bloodline is mingled with powerful fiends and you rarely fear their fire.
Prerequisite: Cheliax Faction
Benefit: You gain fire resistance 2. This resistance increases by +1 for every six levels you possess, to a maximum of 5 at 18th level.
STAY DEATH'S EMBRACE
Your studies of death and your devout worship of Pharasma have unlocked many secrets of the great beyond. As a result, it is harder to send you there.
Prerequisite: Osirion Faction, worshipper of Pharasma
Benefit: You have a 25% chance to stabilize each round when below 0 hit points. Once stable, you become conscious one round later, although you are still disabled.
Normal: You have a 10% chance to stabilize each round when below 0 hit points.
HORSE LORD
Your people are masters of battling on horseback and you have mastered their rare skill.
Prerequisite: Qadira Faction
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on Ride skill checks. While mounted, you also receive a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class.
VINDICTIVE
Prone to endless fueds, your people simply do not forgive a slight easily.
Prerequisite: Taldor Faction
Benefit: You receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls made against creatures that damaged you in the previous round with a ranged or melee attack.
Keep your eyes on the Pathfinder Society Organized Play website this Friday!
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society
A Peek at Paperwork
Friday, August 1, 2008
On Wednesday night, Nick and I joined dozens of potential Pathfinder Society Organized Play players and GMs in a moderated chat to discuss lingering questions about Paizo's soon-to-launch RPG org play system. Moderator Lilith from the Paizo messageboards did a fantastic job fielding and then passing on questions to Nick and I. During the chat I said:
"The drop dead [to release the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play PDF] is August 8. If we can have it out before then, we will. We'll be sneaking a few key items into Friday's blog, though, as a way to stave off the ravenous hunger of the early devotees of Pathfinder Society."
I have kept my word! Click here to download (820 KB zip PDF) a sneak peek at the Pathfinder Society Character Record Sheet and a sample Pathfinder Society Chronicle minus all the text it would normally have as a chronicle for Pathfinder Society Scenario 01: Silent Tide. I know it's not a sneak peek at character generation, but at least you have a clean slate to stare out for another week.
To read the rest of the chat log for Wednesday night's Pathfinder Society chat, click here and scroll down about halfway.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society
Here Comes Gen Con, Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Gen Con 2008 is roughly 22 days from the moment you read this blog. Paizo is unveiling more new products, hosting more new events, and cramming more game play into the Paizo booth than we have ever done at any convention. To give a taste of what you'll find at this year's supreme gaming event and to make those of you who can't make it seven flavors of raving envious, here's a full list of Paizo events we'll debut at the show:
Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Though most of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play events are totally sold out, there are still a few that have open slots. If you didn't sign up for these slots during pre-registration, no problem! Grab yourself two generic tickets per slot at the show and come ready to play. Keep an eye on the Pathfinder Society website for character creation guidelines that should be posted around August 1. The following slots still have availability:
Slot 2: Thursday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Scenario #3: Murder on the Silken Caravan
Scenario #4: The Frozen Fingers of Midnight
Slot 7: Sunday 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Scenario #3: Murder on the Silken Caravan
Slot 8: Sunday 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.
Scenario #1: The Silent Tide
Scenario #2: The Hydra's Fang Incident
Pathfinder Adventure Path Preview: Ascension of the Drow
Though this event is completely sold out, we'd be remiss to not include it in the list of Paizo events at Gen Con. Ascension of the Drow is a Nicolas Logue-run Paizo mega-event that will determine the ruling house of a Drow city to be featured in Pathfinder #16. More than 100 players, Game Masters, and special guests will play a variety of Drow, demons, and maybe even gods as they battle for total supremacy.
Assault on Falcon's Hollow: a Paizo Delve
Last year's delve went smashingly (pun intended) and we knew for this year's delve that we'd need to line up an even greater number of monsters to raise our tallies of PC deaths and TPKs even higher! Come by Paizo Booth #2221 during dealer hall hours, grab a pre-generated Pathfinder Roleplaying Game character, and test out the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game's combat system while you protect the tiny village of Falcon's Hollow from a ravenous horde of horrendous undead. Accomplishing pre-determined goals will win you and your party keys. Those keys just might open our treasure chest, winning you fame, fortune, and some free stuff. Sponsored by Dwarven Forge.
Paizo Publishing Seminars
Judging by pre-registration numbers alone, we may very well "sell out" most of our seminars at Gen Con this year (they're free to attend for Gen Con attendees.) Pre-registration numbers are the highest attendance counts we've ever had for Gen Con seminars and the show hasn't even started yet!
Writing for Paizo
Thursday 5 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Marriott — Indiana Ballroom C
Sticking with 3.5: the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Future of Paizo
Friday 5 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Marriott — Indiana Ballroom C
Pathfinder Adventure Path Preview
Saturday 5 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Marriott — Indiana Ballroom C
Worlds of Their Own Author Signing
Many of today's best (and best-selling) fantasists got their start writing shared-world fiction supporting roleplaying games. Worlds of Their Own collects more than a dozen thrilling tales, providing an exciting overview of the original worlds and characters of authors who achieved their greatest fame writing stories they do not own. Worlds of Their Own presents an unprecedented sampler of fantasy and science-fiction adventure tales from some of the best-loved and best-known authors in the genre.
Worlds of Their Own authors Ed Greenwood, Paul S. Kemp, Michael A. Stackpole, Greg Stolze, and Editor James Lowder will be on-hand in our booth on Saturday, August 16, 2008 from 2:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. signing copies of Worlds of Their Own. Copies of the anthology will be available for sale in the booth.
Worlds of Their Own Mega-Signing
Saturday 2:30-3:30 PM
Paizo Booth #2221
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising Signings
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising will finally be unleashed upon the world at Gen Con! Paizo is the exclusive hobby distributor for Dead Gentlemen Productions and we're pleased to host a full-time signing area in our booth throughout the show. If the dealer hall is open, someone involved with The Gamers: Dorkness Rising will be in our booth signing copies of the DVD. As of today, we expect the following folks to spend time in our booth:
Don Early, Producer
Matt Vancil, Writer / Director
Nathan Rice, Lodge / Sir Osric
Steve Wolbrecht, Composer
Scott Brown, Leo / Turk / Flynn the Fine
Christian Doyle, Gary / Fastidian / Luster
Matt DeMille, Production Designer / Art Director / Set Decorator
Brian Lewis, Cass / Rennard / Brother Silence
Jen Page, Luster (Female) / Professor
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising Signings
Thursday through Saturday 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Sunday 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Paizo Booth #2221
We hope to see you there!
(If you don't get the blog title, think Beatles. You're welcome for getting that song stuck in your head.)
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Conventions, Gen Con, Pathfinder Society, Worlds of Their Own
How Do I Play a Barbarian in Service to Andoran?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Continuing the idea of the July 10 blog post, we thought we'd give you another sneak peak at the Pathfinder Society Player's Guide and touch on some of the 3.5 OGL base classes that might not mesh well with the "Freedom over tyranny!" theme prevalent in both the nation of Andoran and the Andoren faction of the Pathfinder Society. We also threw in a few other base classes just to give you an idea of possible themes for your Andoran-based character.
Andoren Pathfinders
Andorens are particularly suited to the life of a pathfinder. Natural explorers with the bravery to face ominous frontiers of mystery and danger, these sons and daughters of freedom are perfect candidates for membership in the world's most elite adventuring society.
Barbarians: The freedom fighter tradition is a long and gloried one in Andoran. Past freedom fighters prowled hard stony hills and dense forests, striking out against Chelish oppressors in brutal, guerilla assaults. Freedom fighter tactics are a point of honor among the old revolutionary families, and training in these warrior traditions have passed from father to son over many generations. Also found among the Andoren ranks are former gladiatorial slaves, refugees from less enlightened regions of Golarion. These peerless warriors embrace the dogma of freedom and Common Rule and lend their ferocious fighting skills to the defense of their new home.
Fighters: Andoran's military traditions are myriad. Before their independence, Andorens often served as the vanguard in the armies of Cheliax and Old Taldor. The finest naval captains and dragoons of Old Taldor's armada were also largely Andoren, and the tradition of excellence in combat on land and sea persists now that the nation's independence is won. Brave, intelligent, and tactically-minded warriors serve in Andoran's modern military, and the best among them eventually earn the mantle of the Eagle Knights. The threats against Andoran's fledgling democracy are very real, and only the best, most highly-trained military men and women can keep the armies of darkness at Andoran's borders at bay.
Rogues: There is a saying among Andoran's thieves: "You can't eat freedom." While liberty is the right of every citizen, Andoran was forged by the mercantile class and is fueled by gold and silver. In the teeming cities of Augustana, Carpenden, and Oregent, the unwashed masses are slaves to poverty instead of a dictator's lash. The burning desire for freedom instilled in all Andorens often manifests as a complete disregard for law and order resulting in outbreaks of larcenous behavior. A great number of the privateers in service of His Excellency are little more than pirates granted letters of marque to prey on the nation's many enemies and the host of slaver ships sailing the Inner Sea. Merchant consortiums and patriotic nobles maintain circles of spies to pry into the affairs of the nation's enemies as well as rival groups inside Andoran's borders.
Wizards: The musty tomes and old ways of wizardry are unpopular in Andoran, as the fledgling democracy is more concerned with the bright prospects of the future than they are the clouded secrets of the past. Wizards in Andoran are confined mostly to large cities, though some remote training academies exist in the wild frontiers where research into fel magics can be conducted without interference. Many Andoren wizards focus their studies on breaking enchantments and liberating the minds and souls of those oppressed by evil magic. Necromancy and any magic that enslaves others are widely frowned upon, and the open practice of either can earn one a prison sentence. Beyond these taboos, magical research is fairly unrestricted. While it may be unpopular, the right of citizenship gives every wizard the freedom to delve into any studies they wish so long as they do not harm others.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Andoran, Barbarians, Fighters, Pathfinder Society, Rogues, Wizards
How Do I Play a Paladin in Service to Cheliax?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Good question! We're hearing this one and others like it on the Pathfinder Society messageboards, so we thought we'd use today's blog to give you a sneak peak at the Chelax section of the Pathfinder Society Player's Guide soon-to-be-released here on paizo.com. All of the base classes will be covered in the final Player's Guide. Below we've included just a few of the classes folks are having a hard time imagining as non-evil Chelish faction members.
Chelish Pathfinders
Since House Thrune rose to prominence, reclaiming the past glories of Cheliax and re-establishing their footholds across the world has been their primary goal. Chelish armies amass in the ruthless homeland, and their agents push far and wide seeking to expand the diabolic empire's influence. Chelish culture is widely popular, and their fashions show up in most nations across Avistan and Garund. House Thrune places a high priority on discovering the relics of the past and controlling the revelation and interpretation of historical finds. The noble houses of Cheliax encourage the populace and even their own scions to join the Pathfinder Society and seek treasures of ancient power to bolster the empire.
Barbarians: Cheliax is built on law and order. The empire runs smoothly with the help of its infernal allies, and they tolerate no disruption to the nation's workings. Barbarism does not thrive among the devil-bowing culture of Cheliax. Still, there are blood pits in Westcrown where men become beasts to the deafening roar of the crowd and the hot spray of an enemy's blood. Cheliax's most fierce battle-raging warriors are cultivated from slaves who earn a place in the military only after brutal escapades in the blood pits. Other conscripts in the army of Cheliax are drawn from captured Shoanti of Varisia who sometimes pledge their loyalty to House Thrune and join the Pathfinder Society in the empire's service.
Druids: Cheliax's colonial holdings of old inspired several orders of wardens dedicated to safeguarding the majesty of the natural world. When House Thrune seized control of the crumbling empire, they bent these earthly wonders to their own infernal uses and even today most of the empire's natural resources are ruthlessly hewn and sent to the new capital at Egorian for whatever sinister purposes House Thrune sees fit. A few of the druidic orders of old persisted, doing their best to stem the burning of the land, and convincing the noble houses to slow their voracious ravaging of the landscape, lest the resources run dry. The Black Wardens survived by dedicating themselves to Asmodeus dogma, claiming they grow the trees to stoke the fires of his dark glory. Other orders like the Sisters of Oak maintain their vigil over the landscape with no official ties to the Church of Asmodeus, but doing so sometimes creates friction between their order and the government of Egorian. Still as the country's natural resources wane, the government of Cheliax cannot afford to eradicate these druids, and are forced to form tenuous agreements with them in order to save their nation's landscape from utter destruction.
Monks: Monastic orders abound in Cheliax, most steeped in martial arts once trained in the smoldering depths of the Nine Hells. The coveted martial arts of devil kind are now practiced by the Chelish in secret sects and monasteries all over the empire. Several of these orders are attached to the Chelish legion, and in particular the martial art of Hamatulatsu, learned from barbed devils, is practiced by monks in military service. Other orders include the Sidaal Thram, an order of glaive wielding martial arts masters who wear long bears braided with barbs and blades, as well as the spiked chain wielding Order of the Razored Shackle, who wrap themselves in the kyton's chains and engage in horrifying self mutilation as part of their path to excellence.
Paladins: Paladins are a rare sight in Cheliax. Before House Thrune rose to power, the shining servants of Iomedae and her slain patron Aroden rode throughout Old Cheliax. Some are still there and do the best they can to serve her glory in a nation much overshadowed in darkness. They see it as their divine duty to bring the empire back to a path of temperance, or at least to balance the evils of their homeland. More than a few paladins of Aroden still believe their god will return someday to bring the nation back into the light. These paladins remain to herald his return, and hold on to the burning idea of Old Cheliax, a sprawling empire whose glory was a beacon in a dark and savage world.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Barbarians, Cheliax, Druids, Monks, Paladins, Pathfinder Society
One Faction to Rule Them All!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Rather than spend a lot of time in today's blog wowing you with words, I thought we'd skip right to the brand new icons designed for the Pathfinder Society Organized Play factions by Paizo's own Art Director, Sarah Robinson. You may not know her name, but you certainly know her work, as she is the mastermind designer behind the layout for the Pathfinder Adventure Path volumes landing in your mailbox monthly. Sarah has put together five fantastic representations of the factions based on their national flags (soon to be debuted in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting hardcover.)
Once the Pathfinder Society website is running at full functionality, your faction choice will be represented as one of the above icons resting comfortably next to your name on the paizo.com messageboards. You'll be able to show off your faction choice with even more pride once we launch our line of faction-specific T-shirts in the very near future. Rumors that you get a small benefit at the game table when you wear your faction shirt to an official Pathfinder Society Organized Play event should be started immediately.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Andoran, Cheliax, Factions, Osirion, Pathfinder Society, Qadira, Taldor
Frozen Fingers of Midnight: A Pathfinder Society Scenario Sneak Peek
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Last Saturday night, Craig Shackleton gathered together a number of Paizo Origins attendees in the lobby of the Drury Inn in Columbus, OH and ran us through the first ever installment of a Pathfinder Society Scenario. The aptly named Frozen Fingers of Midnight kept a bunch of us up way too late as we explored Absalom in service of the Pathfinder Society. Our mission was to find the cause of a freezing sickness that had infected a highly-regarded emissary from the Land of the Linnorm Kings.
Ever the bunch of roleplaying fanatics, we created a freak show menagerie of characters too weird to live and too rare to die:
Erik Mona was Ecritus, a pathfinder in service to the Cheliax faction and a Cleric of Asmodeus with a voice much like the Monarch from The Venture Bros. cartoon on Adult Swim. Barely able to tolerate his less intelligent brethren, Ecritus used every opportunity available to him to manipulate his fellow pathfinders into doing his bidding.
Michael (a representative from the company printing the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game beta) played Angelo, a pathfinder Paladin in service to the Andoran faction and completely unsure of the terrifying rabble the Pathfinder Society assigned him to in order to solve the mystery of the freezing sickness. A quiet, jovial sort, Angelo spent most of the scenario in the background, steering clear of Ecritus and Jason Bulmahn's character.
Jason played Dar-An'Sumat, an Osirion necromancer obsessed with sending the dead to their proper resting place in Pharasma's embrace. Ever the loyalist, Dar was also a member of the Osirion faction, and while trying to complete his faction's mission in the scenario, spent a great deal of time with his hooks, cotton cloth, and flensing knives sending the deceased foes of the party to the great beyond. Jason was decidedly creepy in this role.
Chris Self, Paizo's Sales Manager, played a sorcerer of the Cheliax faction named Blase. In any other group of pathfinders, Blase would be creepy and strange, but when put up against the creepy and strange Osirion and Blase's fellow Chelaxian, he was pretty tame. Chris played him dark and goth-like.
My own character was an Ulfen barbarian with an incredibly long and unpronounceable name in service to the Qadiran faction. He was a member of the Pathfinder Society because the society's goal of protecting and seeking knowledge matched his own. Cast out from the Land of the Linnorm Kings as a youth, he wandered the Inner Sea educating himself in the ways of more civilized peoples. I played him as a smart, well-spoken Dolph Lundgren-type who saw violence as a last resort and would blackout when flying into a rage. He was fun to play and very difficult to roleplay around some of his more violence-first-then-questions-asked adventuring companions.
Lastly, and certainly not least, was Nicolas Logue as the Ulfen cripple and albino rogue, Thalg Sickeyes. In Nick's own words from the Post Your Gen Con Character Concepts Here! thread on the Pathfinder Society messageboards, "His bloody birth ended his mother, thus he claimed his first life before he took his first breath. He was born with his left arm crippled. It remains palsied to this day. Thalg is an albino, with sickly yellowed pupils and stringly white hair." Click the link to the thread to read more about Nick's decidedly twisted take on an Ulfen rogue.
Our first foray into a Pathfinder Society scenario was a blast. Craig Shackleton has written a fantastic little adventure for Gen Con and I'm positive everyone who gets a shot at playing Frozen Fingers of Midnight will be impressed as well. Who knows, if you're lucky, you may even get Craig as your GM.
Stranger things have happened.
And now, pictures:
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From left to right around the table: Jason, Erik, Nick (already in character), Craig, Chris, and Michael all prepare characters for Frozen Fingers of Midnight.
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Craig draws a map.
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Jason (in character) brandishes a knife as he talks of sending guards to the afterlife. Erik (in character) looks on disdainfully.
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Ooooh, a sneak peak at one of the battles in Frozen Fingers. What could all those miniatures mean?
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Joshua J. Frost
Director of Marketing
Link.
Tags:
Community, Conventions, Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Society Scenarios
A Pathfinder is Born
Thursday, June 26, 2008
With Origins kicking off today, the clatter of dice is deafening. The roar of gaming swells in my heart. Thousands of like-minded gamers gather here in Columbus under one banner to draw steel, hurl eldritch might, call down the fury of the gods, and maybe pick a pocket or two.
And this is just the beginning. In only a few short weeks, Gen Con shall be upon us, as well as the inauguration of Season 0 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The torches of the Pathfinder Lodge Hall shall blaze to life and hundreds of heroes, scoundrels and vagabonds will gather to begin their epic adventures. Their legends may change the face of Golarion.
But first, they have to be born of your wild imaginations. Creating a character for Pathfinder Society is not much different from creating a PC for your regular home campaign, with a few minor alterations. Here's a quick preview of what you'll see in the Pathfinder Society's Player's Guide for Season 0:
Faction: Every Faction has its own unique history, culture, style and specialty. Each has their own modus operandi in the ongoing shadow war for control of Absalom, and each offers the Pathfinders in their service different boons. Choosing your Faction is as important as choosing your character class or race; it defines your character in the campaign, and ties your Pathfinder to one particular nation's destiny. Before you choose your Faction, peruse each carefully and pick the most exciting one. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed until the end of Season 0 (after next year's Origins in June of 2009), so choose wisely.
Are you born and bred in Cheliax and a firm devotee to the cause of Asmodeus, or are you a former slave of the Chelish regime who escaped to Andoran and now you serve your adopted homeland in their struggle for freedom? You don't necessarily have to be from a nation to be a member of their faction (for example you may play an Ulfen barbarian from the Land of the Linnorm Kings in the service of Taldor's empire). The majority of loyal faction members are most likely patriots born and raised in their homeland with family ties and at least some sense of nationalism, but anything is possible.
Race and Class: All of the core races and classes in the PHB are available in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Yes, even gnomes.
Abilities: In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, all characters are created equal. No dice are used to generate your Pathfinder. Instead, every character's ability scores are generated using a point-buy system similar to the one featured in the Pathfinder RPG Alpha Release. You shall tailor your PC's abilities to best suit your vision of who they are, and to best fulfill your favorite tactical combinations.
Skills: All of the skills in the PHB are available to your character—even the Craft and Profession skills.
Feats: All of the Feats in the PHB are available to your PC with one notable exception: Item creation does not exist in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, therefore the item creation feats are not available. In place of Scribe Scroll at first level, wizard PCs may choose Spell Focus instead.
In addition to the feats in the PHB, characters in Pathfinder Society Organized Play also have access to special Faction Feats that further tie them to their nation of choice and offer them unique abilities catering to the flavor of these diverse cultures.
Alignment: You cannot play an evil character in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 gp. All good and neutral alignments are allowed though (EXCEPT NEUTRAL EVIL... nice try, buddy).
Character Background, Physical Features, and Beliefs: Above we've crafted the mechanical skeleton of your character. Now it's time to flesh them out. Let's give your character some personality and some fun quirks to roleplay. Make them a real person with motivations, distinctive physical and emotional traits, and a unique and interesting personal history.
Items and Equipment: After completing all of the above, your Pathfinder is alive! He or she is a whole person dedicated to a faction hailing from a distinct racial background, with a chosen class, abilities, skills, and feats, not to mention a rich character background, distinctive physical traits and personal beliefs. The only thing missing is their clothes. That's right. Your character is naked right now! They are also completely unarmed and have no food.
Every character in Pathfinder Society Organized Play begins the campaign with 150 gp of spending cash. All the armor, weapons and equipment in Chapter Seven of the PHB are available for purchase as well as a bevy of items and special weapons from the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting hardcover. (Sorry, folks, no firearms for now.)
Is your appetite suitably whetted? Have any character ideas yet? If so, drop by the messageboards and tell us all about your Pathfinder. No, really, tell us about your character! I, for one, can't wait to meet them. See you at Gen Con. You bring the dice, I'll bring the Mountain Dew.
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Society
 Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 5
Thursday, June 19, 2008
We know that a pathfinder's loyalties are often split between the Society and the nation that birthed them. We ask only that you endeavor to keep your interests in discovery and exploration ahead of your country's interests.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
In Part 1, we unveiled our first faction, Andoran, and spoke a little about the faction system we'll use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. In Part 2, we announced our second faction, Cheliax, and we talked briefly about faction prestige, how it's earned, and what it means for the world of Golarion as well as what it means for you as a member of the Pathfinder Society. In Part 3, we revealed the third faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play: Osirion, Land of the Pharaohs. In Part 4, we brought you the fourth faction: Qadira, desert frontier kingdom, gateway to the massive continent of Casmaron, and the westernmost satrap state of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. For Part 5, we uncover the final faction: Taldor, Golarion's decadent, failing empire with its fingers still gripping hard on the shores of the Inner Sea.
TALDOR
Decadent Failing Empire
The sun of Taldor's empire has set. It is up to us to see it rise again in our time.
—Baron Jacquo Dalsine
Old Taldor once ruled the entire northern coast of the Inner Sea, from gold gilded Oppara to the wild frontier of Varisia. Now it's reduced to a quarter of its former glory. As Old Taldor's gaze turned ever inward, its vassals and conquered colonies slowly slipped away without a fight. Andoran and Cheliax broke off hundreds of years ago, and few in Taldor had either the desire or the motivation to go to war to stop it. Why bother dealing with petty trifles in the countryside when your own political destruction is taking place in the lime light of Taldorian high society?
It's easy to forget Taldor's former glory and dismiss the entire country as a band of narcissistic fools who spend more time preening their wigs than they do defending their borders or quelling the unrest roiling within their great cities. Little do most know that while the majority of Taldor's upper crust are more concerned with this season's fashions than the well being of their collapsing empire, a few of the world's most dangerous operatives are honed in the constant battleground of Oppara's feuds. Old enmities between ancient houses have engulfed the Gilded City in shadowy violence and assassinations for hundreds of years, and more than a fair share of skilled adventurers have come up surviving the feuds, either as hired muscle or scions of noble houses mixed up in these simmering cauldrons of bloodshed.
Taldorians are decadent bon vivants, favoring rich foods, ornate attire, and jeweled accoutrements for even the most minor of casual affairs. To a Taldorian, appearance is an expression of power, and a keen sense of fashion represents a keen mind. Their appreciation for the arts extends beyond fashion and painting, dabbling in sorcery, dueling, and the murky strategies of politics and war. A Taldorian mind, when raised to ire, is a dangerous thing, and the rest of the Inner Sea is about to receive a painful reminder of this timeless fact.
Goals: Get Back in the Game
Petty differences and ancient feuds have slowly ground Taldor down from a great polished stone to a whittled nub. The key to restoring the empire's sense of purpose lies in finding an enemy to galvanize Taldor's splintered factions, an endeavor worthy of rediscovering the nation's august past glory. Seizing the political reins of Absalom is the perfect medicine for the wasting disease deep in Taldor's bones.
Methodology: Wolf and Tiger
Our weakness must now be our strength: centuries of petty infighting have afforded us one weapon – surely there is no one who can claim as true a mastery of intrigue as we Taldorians!
—Baron Jacquo Dalsine
Taldor's strategy for seizing control of Absalom lies in turning its enemies against one another. Misdirection and psychological warfare are the orders of the day. Taldorian missions involve sparking old enmities between Qadira and Osirion, driving Cheliax and Andoran to rekindle their old war. "Sick the wolf on the tiger and the hunter's work is done" is an old Taldorian saying, and the mantra by which Taldor's agents create havoc around the Inner Sea.
Check back in a week to learn more about Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Don't forget to check the Pathfinder Society messageboards as well to learn about some awesome opportunities to help launch Paizo's organized play at this coming Gen Con!
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Sales & Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Factions, Pathfinder Society, Portraits, Taldor
Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 4
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The life of a Pathfinder is filled with constant peril, but this I can promise: you won't see the shining spires of Alkenstar cloistered in some stuffy academy or manning the walls of Absalom in a guardsman's helm.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
In Part 1, we unveiled our first faction, Andoran, and spoke a little about the faction system we'll use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. In Part 2, we unveiled our second faction, Cheliax, and we talked briefly about faction prestige, how it's earned, and what it means for the world of Golarion as well as what it means for you as a member of the Pathfinder Society. In Part 3, we unveiled the third faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play: Osirion, Land of the Pharaohs. For Part 4, we bring you the fourth faction: Qadira, desert frontier kingdom, gateway to the massive continent of Casmaron, and the westernmost satrap state of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh.
QADIRA
Desert Frontier Kingdom
Let them sit on their thrones and revel in their power. They still need spice for their meat, cloves for their breath, and incense for their barbaric stench. Let their taxes flow to our golden coffers as fast as we can collect them.
—Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri
The westernmost satrap of the Padishah of Kelesh, Qadira is a kingdom with the power of the sprawling Casmaron empire at its back. Qadira is Kelesh's doorway to Avistan, and is perhaps the single most valuable piece of real estate on Golarion. Rivers of spice and gold flow through its capital of Katheer, and Xerbystes II, the Satrap of Qadira, boasts correctly that his kingdom holds the wealth of any other three on the Inner Sea.
Qadira has long been a power to be reckoned with. Taldor has felt the bite of their scimitars and nearly lost their entire empire in the struggle. Osirion bowed before them for over three thousand years. The war drums of Katheer have been silent for an age, but they never stopped waging their wars. Gold is their weapon now, spices are their shield, and their incredible trading power is their armor.
Qadirans value wealth above all else and they seek to make their fortunes abroad. The wealth of Absalom, and more importantly the trading opportunities proffered by control of the great city, has long drawn the gaze of the satrap's most powerful merchant princes. Many Qadirans are ready to leave their deserts behind for the promise of lustrous Absalom gold.
Goals: No Life without Trade
The world is small and gets smaller everyday. The key to power is trade. Qadira couldn't care less who sits on the Grand Council of Absalom, so long as the Qadiran trade fleet dominates the harbor. Qadira plans to rule the Inner Sea's trade and then bleed their enemies' coffers dry. Collecting debts and supplying the demands of other nations' peoples is how Qadira plans to rule. If their kingdoms slave to send gold east, the satrapy remains contented.
Methodology: All that Glitters is Power
You can always pay someone to murder your enemies.
—Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri
The Qadiran faction seeks trade and economic advantage above all else. They seek to break their enemies' monopolies and enforce their own. They offer wares and goods no one else can supply and destroy competition with a ruthlessness that put the devil-bowing Chelish to shame. Qadiran missions involve a greater plan, usually embarrassing or defaming an economic rival, or ruining the business of another nation's trade companies.
Check the blog again on Thursday when we reveal the final faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Sales & Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Factions, Pathfinder Society, Qadira
Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 3
Thursday, June 12, 2008
As for your life and limb I make no promises, young novice. Rest assured that you shall never succumb to boredom and your exploits will be sung and scripted for the common folk to marvel.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
In Part 1, we unveiled our first faction, Andoran, and spoke a little about the faction system we'll use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. In Part 2, we unveiled our second faction, Cheliax, and we talked briefly about faction prestige, how it's earned, and what it means for the world of Golarion as well as what it means for you as a member of the Pathfinder Society. For Part 3, we unveil the third faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play: Osirion, Land of the Pharaohs.
OSIRION
Land of the Pharaohs
We must find the strength of mountains buried in our past and bring it to bear on those fools who think we are nothing but dust in the wind.
—Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage
Osirion was once the most glorious empire of Golarion. Pharaohs ruled as gods on earth, their monuments towered over even Thassilon's mightiest, and their armies could churn a kingdom to mud and blot out the sun on wings of death.
Now, Osirion ages from millennia of foreign rule under the rulership of the youthful Ruby Prince Khemet III, who hearkens back to the ancient days of Osirion's glory. One year ago, Khemet opened the vast deserts of Osirion – long closed by the Keleshite overlords who held the nation as a satrapy of Qadira – to foreign exploration. Today the great treasures and arcane formulas of the living gods of ancient Osirion are unearthed for the entire world to see, and the ascendancy of the Land of Pharaohs is at hand.
Most Inner Sea nations view Osirion as a relic from a bygone age. In truth, Osirion is a slumbering giant that, when awakened, could wash away all fledgling challengers with the power of its traditions.
The Osirion are wise people who look deep into the past for answers to present troubles. Their sense of history gives them a unique perspective on the ebb and flow of power in the political landscape of the modern Inner Sea. Many folk of Osirion are of old Garundi blood, bronze—skinned, and gifted with the noble bearing of the ancient pharaohs. It would take a special brand of fool to ignore this semblance of power and dismiss the Osirion faction as less of a threat than any of the other four factions clamoring for control of Absalom.
Goals: Uncover the Power of the Past
In bygone ages, the pharaohs of Ancient Osirion created wonders beyond reason. They concocted potent arcane plagues to decimate their enemies and erected mighty monuments capable of entrapping the souls of deities. Let the other factions jockey for meager political fancy or table scraps like favorable economic sanctions. Osirion is interested in rediscovering the powerful artifacts of its heritage, and preventing their theft by aggressive powers such as Cheliax. Once these powers are returned to their rightful hands, no one shall dare breach Osirion's borders again.
Methodology: Hide Your Power, Lest the Enemy Seek to Take It from You
The grasping hands of petty thieves cannot take what they do not know you have.
—Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage
For centuries now, the other powers of the Inner Sea have regarded Osirion as an impotent nation of conquered people. Osirion wouldn't have it any other way. Since the Ruby Prince ascended the ancestral throne a few decades past, Osirion has been gathering its power and preparing to make a bid for supremacy on the Inner Sea. Most of the Osirion faction's missions involve quietly undermining the power of their enemies. Osirion agents in Absalom plant the seeds of dissolution with a whisper or a poisonous draught, never with a naked blade, and never with a witness. Just as most of the Great Emerald Sphinx is buried beneath the sands of Osirion's deserts, so is the nation's power carefully hidden in secret brotherhoods and spies loyal to the pharaonic throne. When Absalom sits firmly in Osirion's grasp, then Khemet III shall declare himself Pharaoh in the tradition of his ancestors and Osirion's Second Golden Age shall follow.
Check the blog again on Tuesday for more information on Pathfinder Society Organized Play!
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Sales & Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Factions, Osirion, Pathfinder Society, Portraits
Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 2
Thursday, June 5, 2008
No barfly at the local tavern who blusters on about his "adventures" shall ever know the heart-pounding rush of facing down the winds of Abendego on the prow of a pirate king's ship, or the majesty of the dawning sun cresting the Sphinx's brow at Sothis.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
In Part 1, we unveiled our first faction, Andoran, and spoke a little about the factions system we'll use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. In this segment, we'll talk briefly about faction prestige, how it's earned, and what it means for the world of Golarion as well as what it means for you as a member of the Pathfinder Society.
Missions and Prestige
You gain faction prestige by succeeding in specific missions. In a single scenario there will be one to three missions dedicated to your specific faction, all tasks that if completed give your faction an advantage in Absalom's shadow war. You might need to make sure a crime lord dies, protect an innocent merchant, save a kidnapped child, hand off an important missive, foil an assassination, or steal an important communiqué. Whatever the mission, a positive outcome earns you and your faction anywhere from one to three points of Faction Prestige. Every Pathfinder Society Scenario offers the same potential amount of Faction Prestige to each faction. It's up to you to make sure your faction scores higher than its competitors.
As you advance in Faction Prestige your faction rewards your excellent service. At the same time, the factions with greater prestige gain power and their star rises in the ongoing storyline of the season. Every month a Pathfinder Missive (our monthly newsletter) will let everyone know which factions are increasing in dominance over the city of Absalom and which factions are being nudged ever closer to ignominy and ineffectualness. At the season's conclusion, the faction scoring the most Faction Prestige rules Absalom from behind the scenes, while its enemies gnash their teeth and their kingdoms suffer the consequences. Having a Pathfinder in the winning faction gains that character access to rewards you wouldn't otherwise be able to obtain. (More on rewards later.) Every season ends in June at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH. July is a "bridge" month between seasons during which the loosely connected storyline of the previous season comes to a close while foreshadowing the new season to come. Faction Prestige is reset in July, so that when the next season of Pathfinder Society Organized Play kicks off at Gen Con, every faction once again has the possibility to rule Absalom from the shadows.
And now a sneak peek at Cheliax, the Infernal Empire, and the second unveiled faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play.
CHELIAX
Infernal Empire
Asmodeus himself smiles upon our endeavor and we shall not rest until the entire world trembles before Him.
—Paracountess Zarta Dralneen
When Aroden died, some say the soul of Cheliax perished with him. The once mighty empire tore itself apart, and only through the power of three noble Houses, each steeped in deviltry, was order restored. The empire runs on the backs of fiends now, a perfect machine of hellfire and blood, where morality surrenders to the needs of law and order. It's easy to curse Cheliax as a nation of devil-lovers, but few can argue with the results of their fiend-binding craft. House Thrune, the greatest of its diabolic noble families, has brought the empire under control once more. Cheliax rises like a dark star, as strong as ever, despite the recent losses of Galt and Andoran to rebellious forces.
Asmodeus proves as powerful a divine patron as Aroden ever did, shepherding his people toward glory and dominance of the Inner Sea. His plans reach eons into the future, and the minor setbacks of yesterday are all factored into the cost of doing a devil's business. The Chelish always plan for a long campaign, and never trifle over today's skirmishes. In the end all will burn in hellfire. It is only a matter of time and calculated conquest.
The pale-skinned Chelish believe themelves superior to all other peoples. Their compact with great devils gives them power beyond measure, and no other nation of the Inner Sea can compete with their summoners and warlocks when it comes to trafficking with dark forces. These devils require payment for their service, often offered up in the form of tender flesh and boiled blood. Slaves are an important resource of the Chelish as are artifacts of ancient power whose secrets are revealed to them by their timeless patrons. Even as Andoran revels in its newfound freedom, the tendrils of Cheliax's empire continue to expand. Arcadia lays open before them and Sargava is ready to fall under their hellish sway. The Inner Sea will fall with the rest as soon as Absalom rests firmly in the bloodied hands of House Thrune.
Goals: Hell on Golarion
The Chelish plan to spread the dark influence of Asmodeus across the face of Golarion. They bring order to chaos, quell the troublesome concepts of freedom and self-determination, and leave broken souls eager to accept the bondage of slavery in their wake. The world must come to terms with the order of things. Mortals serve at the knee of greater powers. The devils of the Nine Hells are Golarion's natural overlords and if the rabble gathered along the coast of the Inner Sea can't be made to understand this simple fact, then they will be purged in a torrent of fire.
Methodology: The Kiss and the Lash
A true corrupter can convince a man to hand over his soul, a blissful smile on his face.
—Paracountess Zarta Dralneen
The Chelish are masters of seduction as well as pain. They bring their enemies to heel with promises of aid, riches, and glory, but keep them in line with cruel lashes and hellfire. The Chelish faction wins others to its dark cause with temptation. Lust, power, riches, vanity, the Chelish offer all, and cater to the sinful nature in every man to bring him low. If a foe cannot be seduced, he must instead be scourged. Many missions of the Chelish faction involve tempting upright people into darkness and vice, and then threatening to expose their sins unless they aid the empire as dutiful agents. The tricks of devils have claimed men's souls since time immemorial and they serve the Chelish well in their quest for control of Absalom.
Check the blog again on Thursday for more information on Pathfinder Society Organized Play!
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Sales & Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Cheliax, Factions, Pathfinder Society, Portraits
Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 1
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Your life may very well be cut short, but your legend shall live forever. Strap on your blade, finish memorizing that spell and grab your pack. Your first journey awaits. The time to find your Path is at hand.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
Pathfinder Society Organized Play centers on the sprawling city of Absalom, where five factions engage in a shadow war for control of the city's politics and economy. As you play, the outcome of your adventures, actions, and deeds affect events on a global scale, turning the tide of secret wars between some of Golarion's most powerful nations. The fate of the world is literally in your hands.
During the months of June, July, and August, Nicolas Logue and I will be writing a series of blog posts to peel back the curtain surrounding our plans for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Premiering at Gen Con this August, Pathfinder Society is Paizo's first foray into the world of RPG organized play.
One piece unique to our RPG organized play system is factions. Every faction has its own unique history, culture, style and specialty. Each has its own modus operandi in the ongoing struggle for control of Absalom, and each offers the Pathfinders in their service different boons. Choosing your faction is as important as choosing your character class or race. It helps define your character in the campaign and ties your Pathfinder to one particular nation's destiny.
And now, a sneak peek at Andoran, birthplace of freedom, and the first unveiled faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play.
ANDORAN
Birthplace of Freedom, Fledgling Democracy of the Inner Sea
The days of kings are long gone. We are the future of humanity, and of all peoples. Ruled by no crown or scepter, we instead rule ourselves.
—Captain Colson Mardris, Eagle Knight of Andoran
From humble beginnings as loggers and merchants, the Andorens proved themselves survivors on a hard frontier. Even before they won their independence they were an impressive people. Brave explorers and canny merchants, they were the first to sail the sea beyond the Arch of Aroden. They settled distant colonies, hewing a life from wild lands and an inhospitable coastline fraught with peril. The power of Old Taldor's navy rested on the shoulders of capable Andoren commanders whose skill at arms, fiery tenacity, and naval puissance was unrivaled in the empire's glory day.
Andoran shrugged off the auspices of Old Taldor when Qadira invaded the empire. Shortly thereafter they shattered Cheliax's diabolic chains. Now Andoran holds the reins of its own destiny in the strong hands of its people. They are the first government of the Inner Sea to entrust its power to its own citizens instead of dolloping it upon the crowned brow of a king. Their weapons are innovation, a stubborn dedication to idealism, and a firm belief in the potential of humanity. The Andorens are a hard people, dedicated to freedom for all, and unable to sit by and watch as the world around them submits to savagery and tyranny.
Goals: Common Rule for All
Andoran would see the tyrannic empires who once ruled them brought down. They would see slavery abolished and those who would buy and sell people punished in the extreme. They would bring the torch of freedom to the world's darkest places and banish mysticism, diabolism, and fear. Common Rule must be spread across each horizon.
Methodology: Light the Fires of Freedom
Our greatest weapon is the tyranny of our enemies.
—Captain Colson Maldris, Eagle Knight of Andoran
The Andoran faction attacks its enemies from within. They find dissidents, freedom fighters, and revolutionaries among the populations of their foes and offer them covert aid, equipment, intelligence and the funds they need to topple the tyrants. Missions assigned to Andoran faction members tend toward helping dissident groups within the other factions, though anything that shakes these tyrants' power is a worthy cause for an Andoren to lend himself to.
Joshua J. Frost
Director of Sales & Marketing
Nicolas Logue
Organized Play Coordinator
Link.
Tags:
Andoran, Factions, Pathfinder Society
Paizo Publishing® Announces the Pathfinder RPG™
Pathfinder™ to continue under the 3.5 rules.
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Paizo Publishing today unveiled the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, a tabletop fantasy roleplaying game that will serve as the anchor for the company's popular line of Pathfinder adventures, sourcebooks, and campaigns. Today marks the beginning of a year-long Open Playtest of the new rules, which are based upon the popular 3.5 rules available under the Open Game License. The Pathfinder RPG is designed with backward compatibility as one of its primary goals, so players will continue to enjoy their lifelong fantasy gaming hobby without invalidating their entire game library. The first Pathfinder RPG Alpha release is available now as a free 65-page PDF download at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG. Until the finished Pathfinder RPG's release as a hardcover rulebook in August 2009, all of Paizo's popular Pathfinder-brand products will continue under the current 3.5 rules set.
"I'm really excited to work with the playtesters to make this the best game possible," said Jason Bulmahn, Paizo's Lead Designer. "In the spirit of the Open Game movement, the Pathfinder RPG is really your roleplaying game. It's a huge thrill to get to lead the design process."
Paizo will issue additional Pathfinder RPG Alpha releases in the coming months, covering new changes and additions to the 3.5 rules. Gamers can download, read, and participate in the free open playtest by setting up a paizo.com account and joining the discussion with Paizo's design staff at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG. The Pathfinder RPG will be backward-compatible with the 3.5 rules, and the staff has kept this goal as a primary focus since design began in 2007.
This coming August, Paizo will release a massive, full-color, softcover Pathfinder RPG Beta release for $24.99. This book will be available on paizo.com, at Gen Con, as well as through hobby distribution at local game stores. Just like the Alpha releases, the Beta release will be available as a free PDF download on paizo.com. As Wizards of the Coast's core 3.5 rulebooks are expected to go out of print with the release of 4th Edition, Paizo will use the Pathfinder RPG as a replacement for the 3.5 core rules. The Pathfinder RPG Beta release will represent Paizo's first published take on an updated 3.5 system, and playtesting will continue through spring 2009, when Paizo will incorporate the open playtest feedback and create a hardcover Pathfinder RPG for release in the hobby trade, bookstores, and paizo.com in August 2009.
Paizo hopes to support 4th Edition with fan-created online conversions of its Pathfinder products and a complete line from its partner company, Necromancer Games, a trend-setter in the original Open Gaming movement. Necromancer has already announced a new 4th Edition version of their award-winning Tome of Horrors monster encyclopedia, and has plans for additional player and GM support products.
Today, Paizo also announced the hiring of Nicolas Logue to run the Pathfinder Society organized play campaign, a massive mega-campaign to launch at this year's Gen Con. The Pathfinder Society will feature events at major conventions, retail stores, and home play as a way to involve thousands of players in a constantly evolving campaign environment fueled by downloadable scenarios released by Paizo. Nicolas Logue is a long-time Paizo contributor to the print versions of Dragon and Dungeon as well as the Pathfinder Adventure Paths and Pathfinder Modules line. He also co-runs an annual competition at Gen Con called Iron DM that will continue to be co-run by Nicolas Logue and his Iron DM compatriots. Nick begins working at Paizo in April.
"Nicolas Logue is one of the most energetic, personable gamers I have ever met," said Erik Mona, Paizo's Publisher and the co-founder during his tenure at Wizards of the Coast of Living Greyhawk, the largest organized play RPG campaign in history. "Running a successful organized play campaign involves a magical combination of cool ideas, organizational skills, and enthusiasm. Nick is absolutely the perfect man for the job, and I'm thrilled that he will be joining us here at Paizo."
Additional information on the Pathfinder Society campaign can be found at paizo.com/pathfindersociety.
Link.
Tags:
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society
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