Dave the Barbarian's page

That is why I gave him a single fireball for good measure. He got their attention, and softened them up. They still beat him with relative ease.

That was awesome! I love the grainary and the cliff the best! Excellent work!

As long as the player has the shirt with them, I allow the reroll. If they wear it for the entire Con, we will all live to regret it. Most players will wear it for a day and then just drag it around with them the other days. I will not allow shirt sharing, use your own or none at all.

In Colorado, almost all of the game shops that run PFS (8 total I think), almost all of them have a $2.00 fee per player. This money goes to a $10 gift card for the GM. It is also understood that if you are on hard times and do not have $2.00, the fee is waived. This is only for organized game days listed on our Yahoo site. Pick up games and specialty games typically don't have a fee.

I should also note that there is no fee to be a part of the Yahoo group and PFS in general.

In the absense of a good game shop, be creative and look for some free options for space as noted in the other posts.

I added Carrion Hill right after Harrowstone. As it turned out, they burned down Kendra's home on accident during a big fight at the closing of the book. She asked to be taken to Carrion Hill to take her mother's old home. All she had to do is pay the back taxes. They felt guilty for burning down her home and escorted her to Carrion Hill. There they found out that because the taxes were not paid, it was turned over to the government. The Mayor says he will gladly deed the property back to Kendra, for a small favor...

They just finished Carrion Hill and are now moving on to the second book of the AP. It fit well and was fun.

If you are playing with different rules, some creatures will not transfer cleanly and some encounters may be unbalanced - either too easy or way too hard. I recommend trying the Pathfinder rules if you have not done so and then the AP will be balanced.

The simple answer to your question is this:
The AP was written for 4 players. If you have 8, then double the number of standard bad guys per encounter - Such as instead of 2 flaming skulls, go to 4. Instead of 3 zombies, try six. For the big bad guys, I would apply the advanced template in Pathfinder - or basically just add 4 to every ability stat and then max out their HP. That should be plenty. If the group is new and not real familiar with the system, then back those suggestions off to multiplying by 1.5 and just max out HP for the bosses.

Nothing wrecks a good time like a TPK in the first session or two, so play around with those suggestions and see what happens.

We are starting in the second book of the AP now and it has been fun. We have five players so I have been adding one or two extra standard bad guys and then using the advanced template on the bosses. They are all experienced players and would easily defeat the AP as written. This way it is more of a challenge.

Enjoy!

I am headed to Reno NV for business in February but will have some time during the weekday evenings for a game or two. Is there anything organized in Reno or just interested players?

I GM for Drogon and the Colorado crowd. I tend to GM much more than play, but that is because I would rather GM than play. From the 31st of December through January, I will have run the entire Eyes of the Ten Series, one 7-11, one tier 1-5 and finished Carrion Hill. Next month I will take a seat as a player for a session or two with my kids, which is a hoot. Then judge 4 or 5 slots at our local Con. I like a mix of both, but favor GMing. There are a few of us in this area who would rather GM, which helps.

I agree that some people were not cut out for sitting behind the shield and they should not be forced to do so. But then again, until they try, you may never know.

Every movement needs a few champions to make it happen. Look at the list of players you have in your area and rank them in order that you think they would be a great GM. If they seem willing to listen, share your confidence in them and help them through a session or two. Odds are they will do great and you can add them to your list.

We recently had one of our GM's hit his second GM star. We made a big deal out of it and I gave him a few mini's from my own collection as a thank you for all he has done for our gaming community. He continues to improve, as we all do, and really runs a fun game.

I started playing in 1981. D&D will always have a special spot in my heart. I was disappointed in how they rolled 4e out. I tried it and did not care for the system. I picked up Pathfinder and am happy with it. I will keep an eye on 5e because I am curious, but how do you justify spending a ton on money on a game that may disappear in five years? At this point in my life I am fine with Pathfinder. I have bought enough stuff to play for another 15 years and then I can convert my 3.5 collection for the next 15 years, and then some classic titles from 1st edition. I doubt I will purchase anything from 5e and I know a handful of years from now I will not purchase Pathfinder 2.0. I do wish the folks at WotC luck with the new edition. I would hate to see D&D go away.

You are correct on XP.

I added a bunch of little side encounters to help get them enough XP. They could get killed easily if they are only first level while Checking out the prison.

I didn't use the trust point system but I stuck to the general concept. The townsfolk were generally unfriendly to all outsiders. Some were jerky and others they made friends with early. The first few sessions they didn't care much for the town or its people, but thanks to a good tie to the church and desire to solve the mystery, the townsfolk warmed up to them and the players warmed up to them too. There were still a few folks they didn't care for. In the end, the Paladin was named the "Hero of Ravengro" and they made a statue in his honor near the well. It was pretty funny. They were still very happy to leave the town in the end after all that had happened.

Kerney, I would have whacked your PC in this situation. After that you could have returned with a new Bard (you seem trustworthy, join our group) and the game woiuld have gone on.

Suicide is a little touchy, but in the sense of not becoming a bad guy, I may have allowed that as well.

The real shame is spending the rest of the game doing nothing and being the focus of the jokes. As a GM, the better option would have been to whack you and let you start with a new PC (less XP, etc. for croaking).

I think you should have talked to the GM and shared your concerns and he probably would have fixed it.

As far as modifying Season 0 scenario's - I did it. They were not written thinking that 6 fully optimized PC's would show up and crush the bad guys. As written, they were boring. I told the players I was going to try to challange them a little more, they agreed, we had a good time, no PC's were killed. 30 years of GMing allows me the expertise to do such a thing and I would not recommend it for new GMs. All the new scenarios are written well and I do not change those one bit and run them as written and to the letter of the tactic's, even if I would not normally do that myself. This type of an issue is a dead one because it is not needed for new scenario's and will require a new thread if anyone wants to continue the discussion so we don't derail Kerney's initial question.

I am guessing that most of the races from the Advanced Race Guide will be allowed for play after the book comes out. From this book, the Kitsune looks like a cool race to play and it is as well balanced as any of the others.

I will wait and see, and hope...

I was wondering when will the material from the Dragon Empires Gazetteer be added to the list of additional resources? Do we have an idea if any of the races presented in there will be legal to play or are we waiting until they come out with the Advanced Race Guide?

Thanks!

During our game night yesterday at Enchanted Grounds in the Denver area this was a subject of discussion. Everyone seemed fine with the changes. Specific points included:
There should be no XP/PP/Gold penalty if you die because hopefully you will pay the penalty if you are raised.
They like the idea of taking the risk for the reward.
Nobody seemed too worried about being able to play a mod with a three level range (Carrion Hill 4-6) if that is how it works out.

Most of the players like the option to toss in a module from time to time, but it is not a big staple of our PFS diet so the changes are not a big deal.

Granted we have over 180 players signed up to the yahoo group for the front range and the game days often fill up immediately when offered. Our player base has gotten very good at sign ups because you will struggle to find a seat if you don't sign up quickly when the games are offered. In most cases an extra table is not an option because the store is already at capacity.

I can see where this new rule may be difficult for a smaller player base but hopefully that will change as the group grows. We view the scenario's as the core of PFS and the modules as a change up because the modules don't have a good tie into PFS.

Mike - I dig it. I was never a big fan of the modules due to no risk and the lack of any connection to the Pathfinder Society. When I played Godsmouth, I chose to use consumables like any other scenario. I assume that each module will have a range similar to what they have now (Carrion Hill 4-6?) which leaves plenty of options. I like the retirement options too.

@DougDoug - Played one, Ran three.

When is the next one? Can't make Monday.

I am yet to sit at a PFS table where a short discussion of who is bringing what doesn't take place. Once you list your PC number and the boxed text starts, you are locked in.

I will usually swap characters if I think it will round out the group better. In one game we had a Ranger with wolf and two Druids with animals, so I elected not to take my summoner considering we already had 6 players and went with my cleric instead.

I don't usually care which PC I play and am happy to change if it makes for a more enjoyable experience. I do try to play the same PC through story arcs though.

Brandon, I just finished reading this adventure on Thursday during a nine hour flight back from London. I was so jazzed up over the ending that I am really looking forward to it and I know the players will love it. Most of the previous books involve a bunch of investigating and mystery solving, but in this one you are hot on the heels of the bad guys and slugging out the whole way. I think it fits perfectly and it thrills me to know that we will eventually get to play it. I will definately post the outcome (late 2012 at this rate) and pics of whatever model I construct. I built the BattleMarket for Legacy of Fire (Featured in the Paizo Blog of Nov. 2009) and the town of Kelmarane. Now I have a new project in mind! Thanks again!

I added my review because I really like this adventure. It is probably my 2nd favorite of the 6. I plan on builing the upper deck of Gallowspire for the last battle because it will be EPIC!

The AP could have had a stronger horror feel, maybe a little more Ravenloftish, but I added the elements that I thought were missing (minor). The first book has been my favorite to date. The second will be pretty cool too. The third seems off the mark for me, but with a few minor adjustments it will be great. The fourth jumps into madness which is cool. Then faith is restored in vampires in the fifth. Then an awesome conclusion.

I have a ton of old Ravenloft stuff so I pulled a few things from there, but the AP was solid and allows for minor tweaking with ease.

I have enjoyed it a bunch. I already ran Legacy of Fire and it will be fun to see which AP the group liked better. Thanks to all of the Paizo staff and contributors to the AP.

He is a VERY tough opponent! Our group of six entered there in pretty good shape but he flat out killed the Wizard by the third round and the group was trying to figure out how to flee when the barbarian got lucky enough to take him down. They were sweating it.

I love the Dungeon Crawl Classics! I am still hunting for the last few missing scenario's in my collection. I miss them too.

I was not a huge fan of some of their ideas concerning their new game, but considering they have done awesome work in the past, I am willing to take a good look at it once it is out.

I enjoyed getting the chance to meet Mike and some of the new and old VC's - JP, Robyn, Theocrat, Doug, etc. The PFS games were fun as well as the NeoExodus ones. Spending time with Painlord, Feral, and the rest of the So Cal players was fun. I got to meet some of the DDM players that I have seen on the boards for years. I paid $14 for a sandwich.

The Con seemed a little less spectacular than last year. It was a little rough on the mustering and organization side, but as long as you didn't mind looking around a bit, it was easy enough to navigate. Not as many game icons attended as last year.

I am sure that NeonCon 2012 will see that those minor issues are corrected.

Any regrets? Yes. Not managing to play at a table that was GMed by Sir_Wulf who is my idol and favorite GM of all time.

It would have be cool to have a few empty warehouse maps and then print out the cargo cards to fill the place, otherwise it will look the same everytime. Either way, I am looking forward to it.

Keep in mind that kids - Ages 10 to 14 - tend to pull names from the movies and their favorite characters. I have run a handful of games for about a dozen kids within this age group and they all picked favorite names. We had most of the Lord of the Rings covered along with a few names from Avatar, the Last Airbender, and a few from Video games. My own daughter's picked Zelda and Azula. I could care less as long as they learn the game and have fun. As they get older, they will get more creative.

No name police. I do like the idea of Kneecap Plaza.

There are always a few goobers in every family. I have seen a few odd character names, but it doesn't really bother me. Not everyone is going to have the same goals of what they want out of the game. Keep in mind it is just a game, so if somebody shows up with a Darth Vader, you just have to grin and bear it. You can still flip him a little crap for it, but ultimately it is their choice.

I had the opportunity to play A game at NeonCon and I really enjoyed it. The characters were interesting and the setting is very cool. Looking forward to seeing more!

I am looking forward to this product! Sounds awesome!

We will be in the club tower of the tropicana. In the large room across from the elevators most likely or close to this area. Have a safe trip!

We will be starting Eyes of the Ten at 2:00 PM Mike so feel free to stop by and say hi!

OK. I am checked in at the Tropicana. Ready for gaming. Where is everyone? I guess I am a day or two early.

In our game (HoH), one PC died. They are too low level and poor to afford a raise dead. Not needed because he came back as a Zombie anyway. An intellegent Zombie. He refuses to believe that he is dead. The rest of the party knows he is dead and it made things tense for a while. So they continue to adventure with their Zombie pal until they can cure him of his affliction later. He gained a bite attack, so it is fun to watch him chew on the bad guys.

Painlord, my brother, I will be there on Thursday right at 2:00 PM for Eyes of the Ten. Don't despair, I will be there.

It worked fine for me. Thanks Mike!

Excellent list Don. A true gaming professional! I always like to be prepared for everything too.

Considering you want to be prepared, go with the numbers. Then reporting the sessions will be easier. At our Conventions, we burn through tons of numbers and it allows you to easily report the session and get the new player started. Our VC in Denver always has a ton of numbers and he reports the sessions within a day of completion which is really appreciated.

I appreciate you wanting to be completely prepared, I am the same way. The pre-gens have been key in letting new players jump in and try it out.

At our local shops, you can get a pre-gen and a card as a walk in and be welcome to give it a shot.

Never turn a player away. Have a great time!

In the morning, download another set of 10 PFS membership cards. That way new players will have a number. I also like to take a couple copies of the pre-gen characters for new players.

I noticed the same thing today. Using Goodreader.

This years interactive is "Blood Under Absolom" during the Saturday evening slot.

Doug - The EotT does not show up as an option for registering, can we assume that the last list that Painlord posted is good? Or do I need to do something else?

Are there any mid-week games scheduled in the area? I am headed there in November on a Wednesday / Thursday and could run a game or participate in one if already scheduled.

Dave

Balinor, Human Paladin of Sarenrae, 12th level
He is Andoran

Created in September or 2009. Never was killed, mainly because I only played him a half a dozen times. The rest is all GM credit.

That is a good idea. Let's call him/her the "Virtual Venture-Captain" and let them rule the internet realm.

Sweet.

I wouldn't make it illegal, but would strongly recommend against it.

I am good with that. Maybe in December.

Looks like I am back in for EotT.

Feral, if nobody else drops out, I will. No worries. There are plenty of other options for me to play. I agree with you, six players is plenty.

You have a cleaning lady? I will trade you my chronicles for your cleaning lady.

I would love to play EotT and like the schedule, minus the last part. I won't be there on Sunday either. If we could do the last part Saturday morning, then I will use my other slots to GM. Thanks for setting this up!

I would be fine with the following:

1st level Pregens - You can use this credit for a new PFS character. Your number must be provided for reporting purposes.

4th and 7th level pregens can be played but you will not get credit or a chronicle for the game. You may play it later with a registered PFS character for credit and a chronicle.

End of story. No big benefit but no risk for a player who wants to round out a group with a 4th or 7th level pre-gen. I doubt many people would play a scenario first with a pre-gen, absorb secret info, and then play it again with another character. It may happen, but let's not pick on that sad individual with no life. From my experience as a GM, I have had a few players who didn't realize that they already played the scenario until the second encounter, so I doubt most people will remember all the details.

I support any idea because it really has zero impact on me and has never been an issue at our local venues or cons. Whatever the rule, keep it simple.