Sparklepants McGee's page

Hey Paizo people,

A good friend of mine and I have been producing a podcast for some time now called Pulp! from Beyond the Veil. I think we're really starting to hit our stride, and would love to hear what you all think. The show is a sci-fi, fantasy, and horror anthology which, beginning with episode 3, features exclusively original content (1 and 2 feature a reading of "The Raven" and a serialization of "The Metamorphosis"). Be advised, the show does contain mild profanity.

This week's episode features a piece about a product which I'm certain would exist in fantasy roleplaying worlds, as well as some zombie action.

You can find the show on:

Pulp! Web Site
Soundcloud
YouTube
or on iTunes

Thanks for the input! I've read Wayfinder content before and been most impressed. And may I just say, excellent thinking to expand on Beginner Box material.

Thanks for your help. To be very clear, my scope here is pretty narrow. I'm mostly wondering about the content of these specific adventures for the purpose of having a kid who has shown interest GM them. I'll probably just wind up reading them to find out and trying to do my best to not spoil anything. All of this is a ways off anyway since we've yet to run Blackfang's Dungeon or The Deadly Mine.

That seems reasonable. I figured I'd post here since I'm really only interested in the Beginner Box content.

Bump?

I run an after school group for some kids aged 12-16 and the youngest just expressed interest in learning to GM. He's reading the Beginner Box rules after having played core for a while now and familiarizing himself with Black Fang's Dungeon. I'm aware of the options out there for the Beginner Box, but I was wondering about the themes and content of the Wayfinder BB adventures. Would these be appropriate for a twelve-year-old or are they more along the lines of typical Pathfinder adventure, which I would generally see as a mild to hard PG-13? The nature of our group makes me reluctant to push the envelope regarding mature content and I'd rather not read them in case I get to play them.

Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide pg18 wrote:

All Tier 1 and Tier 1-2 adventures can be replayed an unlimited number of times with a 1st level character for credit.

Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide pg38 wrote:

Adventure: Adventures collectively refer to scenarios, sanctioned modules, and sanctioned Adventure Paths.

Since the first level is a 1-2 adventure, it can be replayed for credit, either as a player or GM.

That second part is what I was missing. Thanks a million!

Has there been any official word on whether or not level 1 chronicles can be applied multiple times? I've GMed this twice and would like to apply a second chronicle if possible.

This particular set is the only one I own, but I can say that it has labelled bases to be glued to the underside of the minis.

I just purchased this PDF. As somebody who is extremely guarded with his money and hates buying minis for any number of reasons, this product is perfect for me. Best of all, my daughter can use them as paper dolls. She loves the few minis that I have but there's always the fear that she'll break them. Well done on this one.

Anybody?

In the near future I'm starting a game with kids aged 12-18 through my work with a mental health agency. Largely because I own and like it I'm running Shards of Sin after the Beginner Box Bash encounters. If they're into it I'd like to advance them through the AP, because why not? The question I'd like answered is this: How easily can this module be adapted for this age group in an after-school group? I read this a while back and remember a good deal about the boggards and troglodytes but considerably less about the Lady's Light itself. Is it possible to get this installment to a place that's appropriate for this group without throwing out half of it and losing the theme?

Regarding where to go next, I'm starting a new group of beginners as well and am probably going to go from Beginner's Box to Shards of Sin. My group is pretty young, ranging 11-18 with an adult helper. The other adult and myself are longtime dice rollers and hope to be directing the kids away from some of the more unsavory elements of the game, considering it's being run as a therapeutic respite group. I'll be curious to hear how your transition from the box goes.

I'm wondering if anybody has run this module with a young group. Through my work at a mental health agency I'm going to get the opportunity to start a respite group for roleplayers. My hope is to run them through the Beginner Box and have Shiela take notice of the PCs.

I own this module and really like it. Additionally, I'm thinking that the PCs will become deputized and given the task of bringing the Tower Girls into custody. This is mostly to encourage my agency sponsored roleplaying group to spare the lives of humanoids.

Would it be way detrimental to have the characters brought in knowing where Natalya is and being sent to apprehend her? Other than the potential for bad times with the Tower Girls and the derro torture, which will be tweaked into non-specific experimentation and interrogation, am I right in viewing this as a hard PG rating?

Upon further investigation I find myself wondering if I might want to jump from the Beginner Box material to Shards of Sin, which happens to be the first installment of the Shattered Star AP. the biggest advantage this has going for it already is that I own it. Furthermore, magic item quests are fairly classic and for an AP volume, this one is fairly easily adapted for a younger audience. Almost any human combat can be spun as bringing in suspects for questioning. Have people done anything like this with Shattered Star? Also, would replacing the preliminary investigative material with Black Fang's dungeon and then sending the PCs to confront Natalya on Shiela's orders throw off the adventure's progression too much?

Thanks for the response. I noticed after my second post and also flagged. I'll make sure to check out that Legendary AP.

Edit: Thank you, moderators!

If it helps, it looks like the group would have the large age range of 11-18. Knowing the kids personally, this gap isn't as extreme as it looks on paper.

I work for a mental health agency and provide services in schools for children with behavioral needs. As a part time gig, I'm exploring starting a respite group with some adult dice rollers from my agency for some kids who are into gaming. In the past I've always wanted to play RPGs with kids at work and finally went for it at my agency's summer program. In this setting we've been playing FATE Accelerated and focusing on teamwork and survival tasks. If I run this after school group, I'm considering running Pathfinder. The main reasons are that these kids seem to want rules and concrete definitions of what characters can do and that Pathfinder is a system that actually gets some play in my area. The latter is important if they choose to branch out.

My question is this: What are the best prepared adventures for running with pre-teen/teenagers? Ideally these would have minimal violence toward sentient creatures, especially humanoids. Investigative and roleplay scenarios/modules/etc. would be best. Modules would likely work best for me given that I can pick them up fairly cheap and run them over multiple sessions. I own the beginner box and would likely take them through that to start. Beyond that, what can people recommend?

Just so I'm perfectly clear, I spend a penny above the average, it goes to charity, and I get all those PDFs? That seems bonkers.

Sorry to ask what seems like a very basic question, but I just reported my first session and haven't been able to find a concrete answer. Do I simply fill out a chronicle sheet for the character to which I'm applying GM credit?

Specifically, I ran Master of the Fallen Fortress. Would I give myself the same sheet I gave my players but apply it to my level 1 character as though they had run it with full access to gold, items, and boons? Also, the site lists the character to whom I applied credit as having received 2 PP when the module only grants 1 PP. Should I note this on the chronicle sheet?

Thanks for the speedy reply! I've been looking to do some PFS GMing for a while yet and this module is a perfect entry point.

Can brand new PFS characters run through this module or are players required to use the pre-gens? I'm about to GM my first PFS game and would like to run this, but my players will want to bring their own PCs. Thanks in advance!

Just to update, 'Sunken Shadow' went really well. They did, however, take forever to figure out that the captain wasn't on the level. The only player who spotted his peculiarities was to meek to force the issue.

Excited once I explained why. They definitely feel as though the game is a bit complicated for them and also seem to understand that my volunteer time is going to be at a bit of a premium in the upcoming months.

Mostly because I have all the stuff I need for 2e and supplements are cheap used. I'm not huge on spending money, so that's a pretty big plus. Also, I happen to really like how 2e plays.

Skills and feats just seem like such a chore to them. Equipment managements is tough for them as well as me. Leveling them up takes at least half a session. A lot of it also has to do with it being easier for me to run. I'm expecting a baby in the spring and want to maximize the convenience of running the group in the meantime. For me, the simplest way to do that is to move to a system that's, if not simpler, easier for me to hand wave and house rule. I also have a bunch of published material for 2e around, which will make less work for me while quite possibly providing the kids with better, more cohesive adventures.

Well, this week I'll be wrapping up our initial campaign. It's been a blast. I'll be switching the kiddos over to AD&D second edition for the rest of my time with the group. The primary reason for the switch is that I find that game easier to run. The secondary, but still important, reason is that Pathfinder relies a bit too much on player knowledge for this particular group. They had a very hard time keeping track of things between skills, feats, combat, saves, etc. My hope is that playing a more DM driven system will allow them to focus more on playing their characters, which seems to be their favorite part of the game anyway. The other switch I'll be making will be going to xp from a system of leveling up every three sessions. My hope is that it will help them stay focused during our limited play time. Overall, however, things have been super fun so far.

I plan to run 'Sunken Shadow' with the group running into the dryad from 'Enormously Inconvenient' on their way to the sea. Upon returning they'll find her beset by giant ants and hopefully feel compelled to help.

62 and 66.

So here's what I've got: I'm going to base the group in Briarwood, since I have it. This I shall put near a coast and use it as a base from which to run Dungeon adventures. This weekend I snagged two with some nice looking low level adventures in them.

I have no experience with old school stuff. I primarily play Pathfinder but have run some 2e homebrew. I currently have the DM Guide, Player's Handbook, Combat and Tactics, Complete Humanoids, and the Monstrous Manual. I really like how second edition plays and think it would be a good fit for my group. What can I expect from an old-school Underdark campaign?

The other potentially interesting prospect I may have access to is 'The Night Below'. What are people's thoughts on the playability and content of that?

Are Spelljammer and Planescape super material intensive? Those both appeal to me.

How dependant are most modules on campaign setting material? Are there any settings which would be exceptionally tough or easy to run without the box set?

I have the Mayfair Games 'City-State of the Invincible Overlord' box set. I know it's intended for 1e, but are any of the products for that any good?

Quarterstaff is great, but I'm actually referring to The Eloquent Page in St. Albans. Turns out they have a fairly ridiculous selection of second edition material. Lots of other wacky stuff as well.

Sweet. I love supernatural horror and think the group might find it a fun change from my current goofball fantasy homebrew.

How grizzly are the Ravenloft modules? I like the idea but worry that they may prove to gruesome for my group of middle schoolers.

Thanks so much for all your help. I helped two of the five kids get their characters made last week since half our group was missing. So far we've got a half-elf bard and an elf wizard/thief. Can't wait to see what the other three decide to roll up!

Thinking on it, I actually like the idea of stringing together some dungeon magazine stuff. There's even a book store in the northern part of my state(Vermont) which carries old 2e issues. What are people's favorites? I really want to start at level 1, but the group does meet every week. That said, I need a good amount of material.

For my own ease I'm switching my library gaming group over to AD&D Second Edition. I was wondering if there are any good published campaigns or cohesive modules which would be appropriate for kids in their early teens. Any suggestions are welcome. My reason for 2e is that I own it and feel like it plays quickly. My reason for wanting published material is that my free time is about to decrease dramatically, cutting down on the time I have to plan.

As it turns out, I've had about as much luck as I can handle finding new players. A new kid joined last week. Much to my surprise, three newcomers showed up yesterday! That puts me at six players, making it a fairly crowded game in a fairly short time slot. Luckily, the original two kids are really getting the hang of things and two of this weeks newcomers are old pros. We'll see what happens!

I ran my first session tonight. Only two kids showed up, but they had a blast. They're both on board for next week, which is as good a sign as one can expect. It started off slow but all bets were of once they hit the kobold infested sewers. To my mind, this first session was a surprise success!

My thought on limiting specific classes is that I would give the Society option of changing the character at the first level up. That way you can play the basic concept of a warrior, spellcaster, etc., but not be bogged down by too many class features right off the bat(smite, rage, favored enemy, performance). Obviously, if a bunch of kids with wide PF experience show up, they can play whatever they want. As far as the dealing with teenagers part goes, I have a fair amount of experience working with this age group in my work setting. As far as being goofy and mouthy goes, I'm going to run the kind of game they want to play. If they want to alienate every town they pass through, they're more than welcome to. I might even build in the opportunities. I'm excited to see what teenager driven stories and characters look like. Thanks for all your input so far.

We have access to the library basement storage area and the full blessing of the library, so noise won't really be an issue. As far as time goes, I'm going to do the best I can with what I've got. For the first few sessions I'm asking a friend to come along to help people navigate the rules more quickly. I think the first adventure I run will likely be "Ambush in Absalom".

What about society scenarios which might be interesting and appropriate for this age group? Better still, are there any that can easily be divided in half if necessary? I won't have the full four hours needed to run them in a single sitting.

This summer I'll be volunteering to run a Pathfinder group for kids 13-18 at my public library. Initially I'll likely limit classes to fighter, rogue, sorcerer, cleric, and druid. I'm wondering if anybody has any tips about running this sort of a group. The first adventure will be a super simple homebrew quest, but my thinking is that I'd like to mostly be running Pathfinder Society scenarios in the future. Time is very much a factor, making the short nature of Society scenarios appealing. Are there any that are particularly decent, especially with regard to the specific age group?

P.S.-This is my first post on this or any other forum. If this isn't the correct place for this post, please let me know.