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13 Venture-Captains Help Bring Pathfinder to the World
Paizo Publishing announced today that 13 Regional Coordinators from around the globe have been brought on board to help coordinate Pathfinder Society events. Regional Coordinators, known as Venture-Captains, will oversee specific locations and serve as local organizers and points of contact for members of the Pathfinder Society, the organized play arm for the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
“Venture-Captains are a vital component in our Organized Play structure,” said Hyrum Savage, Marketing and Organized Play Manager for Paizo Publishing. “With this new structure it will be easier than ever for players to find local games and get playing right away. We’ve named 13 individuals now, but have plans for many more in the coming months.”
Each of the Venture-Captains will be the local focus for the Pathfinder Society, helping coordinate games, find local game masters, help local retail stores set up Pathfinder Society events, and get people excited about Pathfinder and other Paizo products. If you are a player or retail store manager that is interested in the Pathfinder Society, please email the Venture-Captain closest to your area for more information and instructions on how you can join. If your local area is not currently represented by a Venture-Captain please email Paizo at pathfindersociety@paizo.com.
The 13 individuals who have been named as Pathfinder Society Venture-Captains are:
Los Angeles, CA
Robyn Nixon
pfslacoordinator@gmail.com
San Diego, CA
Eric Brittain
sdpathfinder@gmail
Tampa, FL
Michael Griffin-Wade
michael.griffinwade@gmail.com
Atlanta, GA
Michael Brock
mbrock@georgiapfs.org
Indianapolis, IN
Mark Garringer
zizazat@gmail.com
Detroit, MI
Douglas Miles
pfs.rc.detroit@gmail.com
New York City, NY
Art Lobdell
PSRDNYC@hotmail.com
Cincinnati, OH
Russell Akred
russ_akred@yahoo.com
Seattle, WA
Dane Pitchford
SeattlePFS@gmail.com
Australia
Stephen White
PathfinderSocietyOz@gmail.com
Belgium-Netherlands
Auke Teeninga
pathfinderbenelux@gmail.com
Denmark
Diego Winterborg
pathfinder.society@live.dk
United Kingdom
Dave Harrison
paizoconuk@hotmail.com
Set in the popular Pathfinder campaign setting of Golarion (home of the blockbuster monthly Pathfinder Adventure Path series), Pathfinder Society Organized Play follows the exploits of the setting’s most notorious group of treasure hunters, vagabond scholars, and thrill-seeking adventurers: the Pathfinder Society. With nearly 30 scenarios released annually, Pathfinder Society gives players ample opportunity to roll dice, create characters, vanquish monsters, and accumulate treasure. For additional information on Pathfinder Society Organized Play, visit paizo.com/pathfindersociety, and download the free PDF guidebook.
Hyrum.
Zizazat
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Battles Case Subscriber)
Shivok
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules, GameMastery Maps Subscriber)
Congrat New York Venture Captain Art!
Does this mean your PC gets to become an NPC Venture Captain somewhere in Golarion? Heheh
It would be very irresponsible to set a precedent like that. It's dangerous enough that Slip adventures among other Pathfinders, but to promote him to NPC Venture Captain? You know not what you ask!
All of the newly appointed Venture-Captains have worked hard to promote PFS in their region and have earned their titles. Similarly, venture-captains on Golarion (or neighboring planets) didn't just have the title given to them. So when a RL VC's PC gets that title, then we'll talk. Until then, they're SOL.
Gongratulations to everyone. Especially Dave in the UK who was the first to enable me to game at his table as a complete stranger and helping the society that way.
I'm looking forward to another set of slot zero games at your table this weekend.
Also congrats to Auke - he played at my table at PaizoCon. Great to know a second coordinator in person.
Also all the best to all the others. It would have helped to add the message board IDs to the announcement. I guess I know nearly all of them from discussions here - but with the real names I have problems to associate anyone with them.
Thod
It would have helped to add the message board IDs to the announcement. I guess I know nearly all of them from discussions here - but with the real names I have problems to associate anyone with them.
Agreed. This was my first thought after the initial "wow, thanks guys!" Any chance the announcements can be edited with board aliases added?
Cheers,
Stephen (DarkWhite)
Venture-Captain, Australia
It would have helped to add the message board IDs to the announcement. I guess I know nearly all of them from discussions here - but with the real names I have problems to associate anyone with them.Agreed. This was my first thought after the initial "wow, thanks guys!" Any chance the announcements can be edited with board aliases added?
Cheers,
Stephen (DarkWhite)
Venture-Captain, Australia
Chances are that all Venture Captains will have to come out of anonymity and use their real name on the boards anyway... Until then I'll be hiding behind my alias! ;-)
Cheers,
Auke (Auke T)
Venture-Captain, Belgium-Netherlands
Snorter
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber; GameMastery Superscriber)
Congrats guys!
And Dave since my first Society game was in the UK a special congrats to you!
No love for Texas?
Kortz, one thing I learned setting up San Antonio, though there may be more players is Dallas, Austin and Houston, non of those cities seem to have a centralized set up and are very separated, in many cases not even aware of each other, so I am not surprised no one was picked for them. I am still thinking about applying for Austin since a bunch of our players come from there, but I think I will just try to grow San Antonio.
To all those who aspire to become Venture Captains, this is my advice.
1) Host games when ever you can, try and get others to run games with you. I started a game club with my friends and that helped.
2) Continue to be helpful here on the boards. There are plenty here who already do.
3) Be ready to live up to the obligations of being a Venture Captain. You will have to travel to Conventions like Paizo Con and/or Gen Con and your local Cons.
This is my opinion... there are other people on these boards who I think would make fine Venture Captains, I'm sure that others will step up and join the ranks soon. Make your voice heard, and heaven knows Actions speak louder than words.
Michael Griffin-Wade
Tampa Bay Venture-Captain
To all those who aspire to become Venture Captains, this is my advice.
1) Host games when ever you can, try and get others to run games with you. I started a game club with my friends and that helped.
2) Continue to be helpful here on the boards. There are plenty here who already do.
3) Be ready to live up to the obligations of being a Venture Captain. You will have to travel to Conventions like Paizo Con and/or Gen Con and your local Cons.
You forgot one.
4) Don't live in Douglas Miles's region.
Congratulations to all!
I am curious as to how the location of the VC's was chosen? Or wasn't this a concern? I notice that there are only two west of the Mississippi and both are in southern California.
Also, how do we know which VC to contact for help/information? Does it matter?
You forgot:
Seattle, WA
Dane Pitchford
SeattlePFS@gmail.com
Congratulations to all!
I am curious as to how the location of the VC's was chosen? Or wasn't this a concern? I notice that there are only two west of the Mississippi and both are in southern California.
Also, how do we know which VC to contact for help/information? Does it matter?
Locations were based on reported sessions and messageboard traffic. The 13 chosen only represent the beginning. Minneapolis is a region, but no coordinator was chosen there for this round. It doesn't make any sense to name a smaller city a region if there's no growth. There are many areas that have dedicated groups of PFS happening--but that isn't what the regional coordinator program is designed to promote. If you want to see your area recognized with a region, then you need to grow the player base and get them vocal on the boards.
Think of it like a colony of survivors after a zombie apocalypse. A few hundred people aren't going to make it, the birth rate won't be able to keep up with the death rate. They'll be gone in a few generations. You need like 10,000 people for civilization to recover. A regional coordinator's job is to grow the population until it can sustain itself without him or her. They can't play at an insular homegame group (not pointing fingers) and expect the membership to grow, they have to go out and collect players through gamedays and conventions. Then they have to nurture those players with constant access to scenarios and game materials. Eventually those players will be able to draw in their friends and family, and might even break off to form their own groups. That is what a regional coordinator does.
If you live in a region with a regional coordinator you should contact them if you have questions, want to organize a gameday or convention, etc. Hyrum and Mark are both very responsive via e-mail. Beyond that, you know you can get lots of answers by posting here on the messageboards.
Locations were based on reported sessions and messageboard traffic. The 13 chosen only represent the beginning.
I am curious as to how the location of the VC's was chosen? Or wasn't this a concern? I notice that there are only two west of the Mississippi and both are in southern California.Also, how do we know which VC to contact for help/information? Does it matter?
I took the question as "Why these 13 regions out of the 32-ish announced regions?"
I suspect these regions where picked to spearhead the first wave for a high level of community involvement displayed to help make subsequent waves more manageable for everyone. Additionally these may have been all the interviews/selections completed by the previous office holder, who also voiced a 'wave' approach. So move on the completed work so you can move on to the rest of the work. :)
There were probably too many good candidates in the regions without a VC chosen. Hyrum likely has to arrange a talent show to narrow the field, and October is too cool for a swimsuit competition. We'll probably learn more once the weather warms up in June next year.
At least we won't have to see Kyle in a swimsuit in any case ;)
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion Subscriber)
Kortz, one thing I learned setting up San Antonio, though there may be more players is Dallas, Austin and Houston, non of those cities seem to have a centralized set up and are very separated, in many cases not even aware of each other, so I am not surprised no one was picked for them. I am still thinking about applying for Austin since a bunch of our players come from there, but I think I will just try to grow San Antonio.
Yeah, I haven't looked that hard, but I've never seen any up-to-date information about organized Pathfinder games in Austin. If there is going to be a coordinator for San Antonio/Austin, I'd definitely recommend you -- though I'm sure it would be like herding kittens and a hassle.
If the criteria for designating regions is message board traffic (?) and sessions reported, it would be nice to see actual data.
I'm curious as to how many more sessions have been reported in Australia than in Texas, for example.
Sadly you'll have to remain curious. Paizo isn't obligated to share their market data with anyone. Josh was always tight-lipped about "the numbers" and I'm positive that Hyrum is savvy enough to keep that stuff to himself also. If members want to share what they know with each other, we're free to speculate however.
If the criteria for designating regions is message board traffic (?) and sessions reported, it would be nice to see actual data.
I'm curious as to how many more sessions have been reported in Australia than in Texas, for example.
Kortz, one thing you need to remember, just because no one in Texas got picked does not mean there are not enough players to warrant it, In fact we both know for sure there are enough players in Texas to get at least one.
That said most likely either no one applied for the 3 cities asked for (Austin, Houston and Dallas) or the people who did apply did not meet the requirements.
One of the big requirements that is going to cause the most problems with people getting the position is going to local conventions and GenCon or paziocon, which requires the time to do that and the money. Of our group how many people do you know who can do that?
For Austin I know just of one and he had no interest in applying. Houston has a few that I am surprised either did not apply or did not get it, and Dallas I really don't know a lot about.
Sadly you'll have to remain curious. Paizo isn't obligated to share their market data with anyone. Josh was always tight-lipped about "the numbers" and I'm positive that Hyrum is savvy enough to keep that stuff to himself also. If members want to share what they know with each other, we're free to speculate however.If the criteria for designating regions is message board traffic (?) and sessions reported, it would be nice to see actual data.
I'm curious as to how many more sessions have been reported in Australia than in Texas, for example.
What would be nice to see are normalized numbers. Numbers which don't represent anything other than the relationship to themselves. That way we could see PFS hot spots or areas of growth, etc, w/o having to know actual numbers.
What would be nice to see are normalized numbers. Numbers which don't represent anything other than the relationship to themselves. That way we could see PFS hot spots or areas of growth, etc, w/o having to know actual numbers.
By that scale some areas, including Denmark, would look completely dead, even though a core of active players actually work hard to market Pathfindet and PFS.
What would be nice to see are normalized numbers. Numbers which don't represent anything other than the relationship to themselves. That way we could see PFS hot spots or areas of growth, etc, w/o having to know actual numbers.By that scale some areas, including Denmark, would look completely dead, even though a core of active players actually work hard to market Pathfindet and PFS.
Not necessarily, it all depends on what it's being compared to. It could be a function of population, and/or only compared to surrounding regions. My point was that we could still get some valuable data w/o having to see actual numbers.
For example, I'm wondering if there is any PFS in Chicago. No VC named, and I'm not really aware of anyone that plays there (other than a Father/Daughter combo I met at Gen Con). So it'd be valuable to me to know that there are people playing there and all they need is some coordination.