Getting the Band Back Together

Monday, November 23, 2015

Just as many people consider one place home no matter where they live now (every so often, I still find myself saying “home” as shorthand for Georgia), I’ve met many gamers who have what they consider their "home group" even when life’s circumstances and opportunities take them to opposite ends of the state, country, or planet. Fortunately, the quality of low-cost virtual tabletop programs and communication software improves every year, and it’s easier than ever to run a game when friends are thousands of miles apart. Even so, there’s something really special about reuniting the band in person.

My home group first formed about 16 years ago—and I now realize has been together for more than half my life—and has involved perhaps a dozen different players over the years. We were always close, but we became especially close thanks to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign. Playing scenarios as a home group soon led to our volunteering at Dragon*Con, after which we began serving as store liaisons and traveling a much broader convention circuit as a team. When the final installment of the Eyes of the Ten story was about to come out, Mike Brock ran us through all four parts in one weekend, making us (as I still understand it) the first group to finish the entire series. Together, most of us hit 5-star status, and even those who haven’t yet GMed selflessly and ferociously at countless events over that 30-month golden age. As you may guess the story goes, I was the one who broke up the band by moving across the country to work for Paizo. Earlier in 2012, we had begun the “post-retirement” tradition by playing Pathfinder Module: "Academy of Secrets" with Joe Caubo as our GM. About a week before I flew out to Seattle, Georgia’s current venture-captain Dan Cornett oversaw Pathfinder Module: Tomb of the Iron Medusa as a last hurrah, and since then we had wistfully wondered when our –1 characters might tackle Pathfinder Module: "The Moonscar".


Congratulations to Colin and Jen Broyles! The wings of the dragon miniature Nani Pratt painted as their cake-topper are in the bottom left.

When two of the members Colin Webster and Jen Broyles first announced their wedding engagement, we celebrated the happy development. As the excitement subsided, it both shames and amuses me to say that we paused and then simultaneously suggested reuniting our gaming group to thrash some demons on the moon. Given they had first met at our Pathfinder Society game, it felt appropriate. You can see some earlier pictures of Colin and me in a blog that featured our Legacy of Fire game—more specifically Nani and Kyle Pratt’s amazing 3-D Battle Market.

We left the honor of recruiting a GM to Jen and Colin, and they picked a winner: the husband-wife co-GMs Sterling and Jessica Metz from the Georgia area. I had met both of them on separate occasions; Sterling was at a game day I stopped by last December, and I had the pleasure of GMing Jessica’s underfoot monk through part of Thornkeep at a convention this past January. This weekend they brought their A-game by presenting high-level threats. They were also exceedingly gracious when we routinely demolished whatever tried to hurt us. It was a great time, and we all walked away with some great stories.


From the left, Sterling Metz, Jessica Metz, Colin Webster, and Jen Webster

Including Sterling, whose two natural 20s in a row resulted in my alchemist’s first death ever. I understand he is currently building a small shrine to house the die that killed the developer’s main character. AC 55, Sterling! You’d think that would be enough!

Thank you to Sterling and Jessica for running a great game and being patient as our characters wasted countless hours catching up with one another, recounting past deeds, and reigniting old rivalries. Cheers to our old team, whose characters have adventured together for five years now. Congratulations most of all to my dear friends Colin and Jen Webster.

Now just to figure out when we’re playing through "The Witchwar Legacy"...

Has Pathfinder helped you reunite your dream team and spend time with cherished comrades? Perhaps you’re participating in a play-by-post with old pals, or you met at Gen Con and have always shared a table for the interactive specials. We often think of how Pathfinder Society facilitates pick-up games, but I’d love to hear about how special events have brought far-flung friends back together.

John Compton
Developer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Community Pathfinder Society
Grand Lodge 5/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, New Hampshire—Merrimack

5 people marked this as a favorite.

Boy has it ever....

I began playing the Basic and 1st Edition of another role-playing game in the late 1980s. I was 6th grader in Southern New Hampshire and a student at the local dojo. Some friends of mine from both the dojo and school started messing around with games and character creation. We traded Dragonlance novels, and generally just spent every weekend doing the same thing, playing games and building forts. (In New Hampshire it's a time honored weekend activity to build forts in the woods.)

The "party" stayed relatively stable through middle school. The games became more detailed and the settings varied, but the game was always there. We took turns running games, but I spent most of my time on the crunchy side of the screen. School days almost always included notebooks with drawings of what we thought a Longsword +1 was supposed to look like, and not a single drawing of a mitochondria was left without an arrow in it. It felt like it would never end.

But it did.

It didn't end with a bang. It ended with Real Life getting in the way. Different high schools, different colleges, girlfriends became wives, 15 minute bike rides became 90 minutes drives. September 11th happened. War intervened. 90 minute drives became 3 hour flights. Game days were built around "leave from Iraq" instead of finals week.

I never stopped playing. Being the GM runs in the blood. It's literally tattooed into my flesh. The dojo was always there and new friends would come and visit the world made my the d20 for a while, most would wander off.

That pattern continued until Pathfinder.

Curse of the Crimson Throne was my first foray into Play By Post other than dabbling in Pathfinder Society. It was an opportunity to bring the band back together. The group, 25 years after we started, was back. An Army officer in DC, a cop in Maryland, friends in Massachusetts and Maine. We were back. That campaign has been going strong despite war, children, career changes, and distance.

We haven't stopped. One player just had his second child last week, but the game will be there when he's ready. It's hard to explain to others, but if you're here reading the comments on the Paizo website, then you get it too.

I should note, that while I check the blog regularly, this post was pointed out by a NEW band member. Pathfinder Society organized play has connected me with people I consider true friends who I would never have met otherwise. Here's a shout out to Thunderspirit. It's why I'm a venture-lieutenant today, to make sure the band plays on.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Well, it hasn't gotten an old band back together, but it certainly helped me build my first true "home group".

Dark Archive 3/5

Honored to conduct the band for at least one tune, though through most of it I was pretty well beaten like a drum. For those of you who haven't heard John drop to a throaty growl before he destroys your carefully crafted battle with a flurry of blinding bombs, it is a fairly terrifying experience.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Yea.... I can't top that Mr. Marsh. Good stuff...

I will still leave my note that PFS, through PbP has helped me get back into gaming in a way I never thought possible. We've got a pretty good group of guys that I would call my "new home" and several of us got a chance to meet at last year's Gen Con. Looking forward to more fun and frivolity.

Scarab Sages

Congratulations to Colin and Jen for their nuptials!!! Very happy for the both of you, and hope to game with you both again in the near future!!!

2/5 *

Yep, was just at U-Con with my brother and the con was a great place to get together again since I only see him twice per year.

4/5 *

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

I love stories like these.

My semi-regular home group was dragged kicking and screaming switched to Pathfinder at my request, and it's actually brought others behind the GM screen since, as 3.x converts, they were largely familiar with the ruleset.

Plus, the sheer number of great people and I'd-table-with-anytime players I've met at conventions, game days, and online is hard to fathom. I'm sure I could count them all...but why would I, when I could be playing instead?

Chris Marsh wrote:
Here's a shout out to Thunderspirit.

Right back atcha! :-)

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/5 ** Regional Venture-Coordinator, Northwest

Certainly a good pick going with Sterling and Jessica Metz. I had the pleasure of playing with both of them in 2014 at Momo Con in Atlanta during a two month stay in Georgia. Always a joy to have them at the table and I highly recommend trying to jump in on one of their games if you get a chance.

I was the guy who brought the white Labrador, Bacardi, to the Con for the weekend.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

I recently played Barker, tiefling Ranger 8/Investigator 1 in Doom comes to Dustpawn in the shadow of the Shrine to Compton's Head.

On a side note, I game with Jessica and Sterling fairly regularly and I can always count on fun characters and the unexpected from them no matter which side of the table I am on.

4/5

Sadly most of my original game group(s) have worked their way into the fabric of the world. Several have passed on.
I fondly remember our antics; robot penguins with tentacles and whirling blades of death, tiny toy robots that shot many magic missiles, killing off Shub-Nigurath in her lair with a thrown rock, summoning Azathoth into the sewers below Sanctuary... ahhh...
You make friends and create some great stories.

Grand Lodge 5/5

This tread makes me want to talk to gamers I used to play with... even though I know it will end poorly....

The Exchange 5/5

Stephen Ross wrote:

Sadly most of my original game group(s) have worked their way into the fabric of the world. Several have passed on.

I fondly remember our antics; robot penguins with tentacles and whirling blades of death, tiny toy robots that shot many magic missiles, killing off Shub-Nigurath in her lair with a thrown rock, summoning Azathoth into the sewers below Sanctuary... ahhh...
You make friends and create some great stories.

gosh... did you play in the same group as me?

was it a 20' robot penguin with tentacles? that you had to "kill" with a ...ah... "slingshot" you got from the female fighter in the party?

4/5

*Montgomery Burns voice* excellent... Smithers! Can you get the iron maiden, we have another guest at the table.
lol... I remember that.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Chris Marsh wrote:

Boy has it ever....

I began playing the Basic and 1st Edition of another role-playing game in the late 1980s. I was 6th grader in Southern New Hampshire and a student at the local dojo. Some friends of mine from both the dojo and school started messing around with games and character creation. We traded Dragonlance novels, and generally just spent every weekend doing the same thing, playing games and building forts. (In New Hampshire it's a time honored weekend activity to build forts in the woods.)

The "party" stayed relatively stable through middle school. The games became more detailed and the settings varied, but the game was always there. We took turns running games, but I spent most of my time on the crunchy side of the screen. School days almost always included notebooks with drawings of what we thought a Longsword +1 was supposed to look like, and not a single drawing of a mitochondria was left without an arrow in it. It felt like it would never end.

But it did.

It didn't end with a bang. It ended with Real Life getting in the way. Different high schools, different colleges, girlfriends became wives, 15 minute bike rides became 90 minutes drives. September 11th happened. War intervened. 90 minute drives became 3 hour flights. Game days were built around "leave from Iraq" instead of finals week.

I never stopped playing. Being the GM runs in the blood. It's literally tattooed into my flesh. The dojo was always there and new friends would come and visit the world made my the d20 for a while, most would wander off.

That pattern continued until Pathfinder.

Curse of the Crimson Throne was my first foray into Play By Post other than dabbling in Pathfinder Society. It was an opportunity to bring the band back together. The group, 25 years after we started, was back. An Army officer in DC, a...

...Nothing like posting a reply to a thread that looks to have died over a year ago :)

A toast to My DM and the best friend and fellow fort-builder a 12 year-old could have asked for!

Chris has been running my characters through dungeons for literally decades, and I'm still excited to check on my phone for the latest update, so for that - thank you brother!

The reason for this post is to congratulate him and our merry band of 'murder-hobos' (shameless rip-off of DM Thunderspirit) on five years of amazing PbP action in our Curse of the Crimson Throne game.

Here's to S! A finer DM and friend you won't likely find!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Odric the Stout wrote:
Here's to S! A finer DM and friend you won't likely find!

I will second the sentiment...and I've had a lot more DMs than you have so I know even better than you!!

Community / Forums / Organized Play / Pathfinder Society / Paizo Blog: Getting the Band Back Together All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.