Tomorrow, retail stores around the globe will open their doors and hand out free RPG materials from some of the game industry's most well-known companies. Why? Well tomorrow is Free RPG Day and once again Paizo is taking part in this great program and has produced We Be Goblins, a most unusual (and fully sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society) adventure for 1st-level goblin characters.
In this adventure, the Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh have stumbled upon a great treasure—fireworks! Yet unfortunately for them, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, the Licktoads' leader, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad, has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh. In order to prove themselves as the Licktoads' bravest goblins, the PCs must complete a series of dangerous dares, from swallowing bull slugs and braving the dreaded Earbiter to dancing with Squealy Nord himself. Yet even once they've proven their mettle, the adventure is just beginning. For the ship in question is far from uninhabited, and Vorka the cannibal goblin would like nothing better than a few tasty visitors...
Check out the Free RPG Day website for more information and a link to participating retailers. Here in the Seattle area, Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn will be running a few sessions of We Be Goblins, at his local store—Card Kingdoms out in Ballard. Stop on by, say hi, and then roll some dice!
A short while after Gen Con, Jason Bulmahn sat down with the fine folks from the Games With Garfield podcast to talk about Pathfinder, Paizo, gaming, Golarion, and a lot of ideas and theories about game design and development. We even find out that Jason beat Richard Garfield at Magic: The Gathering! You should definitely listen to it here.
The Chronicles: Pathfinder Podcast guys return to the Council of Thieves Adventure Path with an interview with AP author Richard Pett, a new necromancer character-concept build, conversions of all five Abishi to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and an in-depth review of The Six-Fold Trial. You don't what to miss this one, so check it out here.
This weekend designers Jason Bulmahn and Sean K Reynolds will be prowling the Las Vegas strip under the pretext of being guests at Neoncon. If you're planning on attending Neoncon, make sure you seek those guys out and say "hi!" If you have pseudo-celebrity paralysis, though, and need more of an icebreaker, I've included some suggestions along with their schedules below. And don't worry, while he looks scary, it's the other one you need to worry about.
Jason Bulmahn's NeonCon Schedule
Friday
Friday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Friday, 11 a.m.: Pathfinder RPG Design Time
Friday, 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Friday, 7 p.m.: Game Designer 101
Saturday
Saturday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Saturday, 11 a.m.: Pathfinder RPG Design Time
Saturday, 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Sunday
Sunday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Sunday, 3 p.m.: Game Designer 101
Icebreakers:
I hear you're doing an early playtest of "Words of Power" from Ultimate Magic here at the show. What's the deal?
What happened to the kangaroo that used to be on your desk?
Why, Jason? Just why?
Sean K Reynolds's NeonCon Schedule
Friday
Friday 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Friday 4 p.m.: Deities and Your Campaign World
Friday 6 p.m.: Miniatures Assembly 101
Friday 9 p.m.: Stories We Only Tell In Person
Saturday
Saturday 10:30 a.m.: Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Saturday 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Saturday 4 p.m.: Filing Off the Serial Numbers
Saturday 6:30 p.m.: Miniatures Painting 101
Plus crashing other seminars
Icebreakers
What's the coolest thing in Ultimate Magic that I don't know about?
Who's your favorite Pathfinder deity?
How's your weekly lunchtime painting group going?
I heard you're a scary germophobe. Is this true?
Why does your office look like you're moving... and then an earthquake happened... and then the apocalypse hit?
After a lengthy, globe-trotting adventure, I am finally back and well rested from my journey to the future. I am here to tell you that Gen Con Australia 2009 was a big success! For those of you that missed it, I thought this would be a good time to recap my trip to Australia and the news from the con.
Flying to Australia is hard, even if you are not very tall. The plane ride from LA to Sydney alone took about 14 hours. Arriving in Brisbane (two days after I left thanks to the international date line), I was greeted by some of the friendly con staff and some truly terrific weather. I spent some time exploring the city, including a wonderful tour down the Brisbane River, but no trip to Brisbane would be complete without paying a visit to the Australia Zoo (of Steve Irwin fame). When we arrived, Mark, my incredibly helpful guide, explained that most of the animals inside were ready for their tryouts to get into Bestiary II. Let me tell you, the animals in Australia do not disappoint!
From Koala's to Kangaroos, the Australia zoo is a real "hands on" experience, allowing you to feed and get up close to all of the animals. Except for the large and hungry ones, such as their extensive crocodile exhibits. Lucky for us, we showed up in time to catch one of the crocodile feedingdemonstrations. Yeah, I am beginning to think that CR 2 might be a bit underrated. We also got to take a good look at the Cassowary, one of the world's biggest and deadliest birds. Apparently, the claws on its toes can rip a man open with relative ease. Terror bird anyone?
After the zoo, it was time for the Gen Con Australia to get underway. There were thousands of folks at the show, playing board games, card games, miniature games, and many RPGs. The Pathfinder RPG fans were there in force, playing a lot of Pathfinder Society games thanks to the tireless efforts of Stephen White (DarkWhite to those that lurk on the boards), who organized and ran more tables than any sane man should. Much of my time was spent talking to fans, participating in a host of seminars, and signing books (I may have signed over 50% of the Core Rulebooks on the continent).
Of course, the big seminar that everyone was waiting for was the "What's Next For Pathfinder?", where I spilled the beans on the final two classes to appear in the Advanced Player's Guide, set to release next August. But that was not all. I had another surprise in store for the attendees—a first look at one of the new classes. Tune in tomorrow for all the juicy details!
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