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It looks like the new store will allow me to purchase a PDF I've already purchased? I didn't fully test, but could get all the way to the 'Place Order' button with no indication I already own the PDF. As a Feature Request along with that, it would be nice to have the "In Your Library" shown on the store page again.
Did you ever stop to think that others are happy with the changes? The forums are often overloaded with people that complain and gripe about things. I like most of the changes to Org Play. I do not like getting rid of the stat blocks which seems to be the biggest complaint. I think you have as much evidence that people are happy as we have that people are unhappy, not a compelling argument.
"Don't criticize Paizo because they might pick up their ball and go home" is also not a great position to have. For years, changes happened because people were impassioned on the forums and to their Venture Officers to get changes made. For every change that did happen because we made noise, one or more wasn't made. Some of us don't (or no longer) have access to those super secret forums and discussions with the powers-that-be, so this is the only way that our voice gets heard. Maybe you have a lot more info than we do, maybe tons of market research was done, maybe Aroden himself returned and told Organized Play "These changes will be good!", but right now, it seems like a hip-shot of "Well it worked for Starfinder for less than 30 days let's disrupt Pathfinder mid-season, because these changes are important!"
I was frustrated enough seeing the changes to Starfinder Society (shorter scenarios, infinite replay, players making characters higher level than they can competently play) but was glad it wasn't impacting Pathfinder as well... but here we are. The reduction in level bands will make it harder to schedule. The reduction of time will water down the scenarios and make them less deep and exciting. The removal of stat blocks means I more often have to reference a separate book or document. The "GM fiat" is the exact reason Society is good - consistency and prescription of difficulty. (I was also around when we won the Appendices for Pathfinder Society - it was so great! It was such an improvement! Gone were the days of waiting for a couple of key volunteers to build out a separate document of statblocks for us!) Just like I said with Starfinder: Maybe we should be doing one or two changes, seeing how they work, and then deciding if we need more changes, rather than turning this into a completely different organized play environment overnight? There's barely been enough time to see if any of this is good for Starfinder, let alone decide that this is the healthy and good choice for Pathfinder.
Same on the Level 5 Sajan issue. Do we have an ETA or response on the identified issues in this thread? I totally get that it's not easy to just go and change a PDF, but when these are possibly first encounters with the game system or particular classes for new players, it feels like making them the best they can be should be a priority.
I don't think I said or implied that at all, but free replay makes it much more common. In PF1, it was much harder to replay - we didn't even have ACP to just buy replays whenever we wanted. Even in PF2, it at least has _some cost_ involved to do it. Free Replay would have that type of instance happening a lot more often.
I feel like I'm echoing my post on the previous blog:
With the repeatable nature and the ability to start at a higher level, it's easier than ever for high level scenarios to fire! So lets just get rid of them. I'll also echo the other comment in this thread: This seems like what makes D&D AL unappealing to me.
Having GM'd that back-to-back that many times... I don't feel there's enough variation there at all to make it interesting. There's no discovery, no changes, I'd rather double the length of it and add more depth to a single adventure. Replaying is difficult for some people. Some players can't properly 'play dumb' like some scenarios need you to do. There's no mystery, no surprise. Some players can't help but say "OH LAST TIME I DID THIS [story time]", which makes my personal experience at the table less special. DnD Org Play had an issue where people would get together, 4 people had played the scenario, and they'd all just say "Well, we have 3 characters that want credit for this, so lets just speedrun this" and new players didn't get a chance to actually experience the scenario at all. No, that won't happen everywhere, everyone will say "No, we won't let that happen", but somewhere, it will, because it's not technically against the rules.
I'm concerned that shorter scenarios will be less deep and screw up scheduling, that allowing GMs to slide the scale how they want will create vastly different experiences (and satisfaction) and that Infinite Replay will be as bad as it was for D&D. I hope these changes stay out of PFS far beyond Season 7. I do like the idea of no subtiers and making characters freely. Why couldn't we start there?
I'm just popping in to second the message of 'why be stingy?' If someone joined in January and really wanted to play a barbarian, played 3 times, now they don't have an option for rebuild for PC2 without AcP, what's going to encourage them to buy the book? Does it cost the program something to change the previous ruling to include these classes played in the last 9 months?
I might be missing it, but what's the suggested solution to shopping once the party hits 5th level or is looking for things Sandpoint can't provide? Is lack of available markets an intentional thing for the adventure, or should we be doing a shopping trip down to Magnimar each chapter at a certain point?
I really liked the labels you used for the reporting sheets. any way I can get the word doc for my con that is happening this weekend? We do all of the labels in Dymo Label Writer and have thermal printers that print them. I can send you the files tomorrow, I'm not sure they have an option to convert to standard printing though. We use Dymo 450 Turbos, so no ink cost and labels are super cheap on Amazon.
I was in line to get drinks during the trivia (one for myself and one for Thursty) and someone told me I could go ahead of them - because they were there for pineapple (which I was also sent for). Someone else got in line, insisting the other person go ahead of them... because they were there for pineapple. I'm really wondering how many people were assigned that particular sidequest... Either way, worth it.
I got to meet and hang out with David Montgomery, as well as David from PA and Amanda from Georgia last night, which was awesome. Spent some time talking to Michael Sayre and finally met Jared Thaler too. I keep seeing everyone else's swag bags from check in and see that it's stepped up a bit this year... I haven't been able to get mine yet, cause unfortunately, I'm working remote from my hotel room today. Just waiting for a break to get my badge and such.
Got in Wednesday and spent some time pre-Con at the Museum of Flight, then down to the market for dinner and drinks and drinks and drinks. Did you guys know that Seattle has a lot of nerds? Our Uber driver and multiple random bar patrons were happy to talk tons of nerdy stuff with us! (Or maybe they were just being friendly?) There's also a bar in a former morgue, so that's cool.
Don't forget Con of the North February 16-18 in the Twin Cities!
I had to get creative with my spell slots toward the end, but it's something you get used to with Specials - you aren't going into a 4-encounter-with-a-rest-in-the-middle-and-one-is-social-anyway scenario. Not having a weapon at all is a great thematic choice, but at the same time, you should have something to do when a golem shows up, or lots and lots of mooks, or anti-magic. Pick up scrolls (5 for 2pp of Level 2s) and Wands from chronicles - every little thing helps. Even a single Magic Missile (or Mind Thrust) off a wand is better than doing nothing or even worse, becoming a liability in melee. At the same time, I find it perfectly reasonable as a caster to sometimes start off combat with a simple buff (Bless off a wand, Prayer off a scroll) then hang back and see how things go. You don't have to take an action each round and delaying for if things go sideways is perfectly reasonable if you're managing limited spell slots.
In the limited amount of scenarios we've had so far, Professions have been much more useful and flexible than nearly any PFS scenario I've played or run. Added onto the fact that you can flex them to whatever mental stat you have best (and there's no benefit to 777'ing in Starfinder) and taking 10 generally means you get 22 credits per scenario, there's much more reason to divert a single point to it, if not more.
Flagged to move this to the GM Discussion forum. A6:
A7 (Maybe A8?):
A16:
Stability.I'm actually starting to audit my tables, now that you mention it.I never stopped but online is much easier. Where can I sit as a GM so my legs are comfortable?
I've been comparing it to Plane Shift (since the Drift is a Plane) which still has a 500 mile potential offset. Every time you enter the Drift, you might be just a little off from where you started last time. Your exit point might also be just a little off from where you want to exit.
I'm familiar with the Pathfinder version of that, but haven't found that in the Starfinder CRB outside of 'If you are falling and you can fly...' (pg 135).
Posting up a quick update since I haven't yet. Spent my morning with Amber Scott getting immersed in the Aethera setting. The early morning was getting to all of us, but we had a great time anyway. I'm excited to take a look at more of that soon and to talk to Amber more and see the upcoming APs she's working on. Now sitting down for Legendary Planet with a bunch of great people. Wait, neither of those are PFS... Uhhh... Solstice Star is tonight!
It's something that ends up being interpreted different ways - I don't enforce it while playing PFS, but in home games I treat them as one, based on the Mounted Fury from Ultimate Intrigue including text that I find clarifying: A mounted fury’s bond with his mount is strong, with the pair learning to anticipate each other’s moods and moves. At 3rd level, the mounted fury’s mount shares all his teamwork feats, without needing to meet the prerequisites (although while mounted, the mounted fury and his mount do not count as separate creatures for the purpose of these feats).
Interesting to note, as far as Escape Route goes, that Ultimate Intrigue brought up an alternate rule for that: A mounted fury’s bond with his mount is strong, with the pair learning to anticipate each other’s moods and moves. At 3rd level, the mounted fury’s mount shares all his teamwork feats, without needing to meet the prerequisites (although while mounted, the mounted fury and his mount do not count as separate creatures for the purpose of these feats). Since Ultimate Intrigue clarified many things (including a subtle rule change to Feint) I've adopted this for home games as well as a general rule, instead of specific to Mounted Fury. Just food for thought.
Yup, you've followed the rules correctly. There's a feat to assist with that though (which also serves to clarify the rule): Phalanx Formation!
The biggest problem with a tiny Unchained Rogue scenario is that there are no weapons available with Reach that can be used with Weapon Finesse, unless you count a Long Lash Kobold Tail Attachment. I would like to introduce you to the Elven Branched Spear of Melee Tactics Toolbox:
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Pathfinder Society GM. Starfinder Society GM. 250 posts (1,180 including aliases). 2 reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 47 Organized Play characters. 5 aliases. 
