lynnfredricks's page

lynnfredricks wrote:

The Clarion Hotel is a short distance away. It seems more like a business hotel. Just saying because its less expensive and you can get different types of rooms with differing amenities (free wi-fi, microwave, etc).

I was looking at that. Cheaper room rates overall and its only about 800 feet down the road.

The one disappointment from last year was that the hotel rooms did not include fridge + microwave. A friend of mine even got a free room upgrade to some kind of suite, and even that didn't have a fridge.

Clarion has spacious rooms that include both, so I'm giving it a shot.

The Clarion Hotel is a short distance away. It seems more like a business hotel. Just saying because its less expensive and you can get different types of rooms with differing amenities (free wi-fi, microwave, etc).

You might want to think about what happens if you are spending several hours at one of the many game sessions. Sitting still and quiet for 3-4 hours at a time is tough on a child that young.

At previous 'cons there were some (older) kids which were better behaved than a number of attending adults ;)

Id feel more sorry for the guy making that complaint if he didn't pack his complaint full of his family ailments (esp his wife) as if that had anything to do with it.

The modicum of sympathy I have for hotels is how often people trash rooms or steal everything that isn't bolted down. But its a very small modicum (Spot DC 35).

Let me say this right now that I forbid you to capture my bald spot like someone did last year... ;-)

I believe hotels charge X extra then refund the balance.

I am sure the author and James are happy as clams. This kind of controversy kicks up sales.

When we did our walk through of the premises while deciding on whether to use the hotel, they took us to one of their standard rooms and I noticed a small refrigerator in the room. So it IS possible to get a standard room with a frig.

-Lisa

We have an allegerator?

Just asking and pre-planning my shopping trip along the way :-)

Put me down for a Goblin Brain - thanks for keeping up the tradition Majuba! :-)

Since there are open slots, I was thinking of giving one of these a shot. Do you need to do Part 1 before Part 2, etc? No hazing involved, right?

Why not create an open shared Google spreadsheet?

Thats a good idea. Lets see though if Paizo sets something up or not. If not, then we can work something out.

Giving this a bump so its not forgotten - please Paizo Team, have a corkboard or something so we can coordinate these games :-)

I was trying to do you all a favor and have the evening games start and end at an earlier time but if everyone would rather shift all the 6PM open gaming slots to 7PM then I'm prepared to do that. Just let me know and we'll make it so. At the end of the day it's YOUR show and we just want everyone to have fun so help me do that. :)

Id sure like to have a little time to grab dinner between the two.

I've been to just about every restaurant in the area. That's what happens when the family takes 5 months to get here :-p

Feel free to ask about any of them and I will share my experiences.

Thanks (and all!) for the reviews! One of the things I enjoy about coming up to the Seattle/Redmond/Bellevue area is good coffee and good restaurants.

Any place pulls some reasonably priced pitchers and pints?

Jason Nelson wrote:

I've been meaning to try Spicy Talk but I'm not over in Redmond very often. Glad to hear it's still good; I had heard there was a change in chefs there and the quality suffered, but that was a while ago, so perhaps they've gotten it back together. It's on my list, as is the Gyros2Go!

To be honest, I've not been there in months. I used to go out to lunch a lot but not really since we got our corgi, so I've not been there in roughly 4 to 5 months so quality might have suffered since then.

That must be one plump and tasty corgi if he's lasted you 4-5 months ;-)

Claim Jumper

Desert Fire
Matt's
Spazzos
Frankie's Pizza
Red Robin
Mexican restaurant I can't remember the name of off top of my head (upper level of the outdoor mall)
Matadors

Those are all within a 5-6 minute walk.

You been to any of the non-chains, Michael?

I thought Id narrow this one down a bit.

I am not familiar with this part of Redmond, anyone know what's within short walking distance of the hotel?

Sessions can be age/maturity rated as 17+, which really makes it inappropriate to have young children present in the area.

Just call them, tell them the date range and it should be fine. I just placed my reservation and there are still rooms left at the con rate.

Submitted again - this is the third year for this event, new prop pictures are in the works. If by chance it doesn't get into the event schedule, Ill run it anyway at a free table.

==============

Event Name: Failed Sanity Check

Event Description: You bolt up after a mind shattering experience in a strange and unpleasant place with no memory of who you are, with only a smeared reflection as you guide. Bring two colors of d6 dice for this direct sequel to one of HP Lovecraft's most famous stories. This is a mystery-horror adventure - only sign up if you've never played in it before. No experience required.

Category: RPG
Game Master Name: Lynn Fredricks
Game/Rules/System: Don't Rest Your Head
Game Edition: Don't Rest Your Head
Will you be providing pregenerated characters?: Yes
Age Rating: 17+
Game Complexity: Easy
Experience Required: None

It seems it wouldn't take much to implement: a large cork board in a prominent location along with a stack of forms and a box of pushpins...

Maybe there's a Linux or Open Source Con in the area where we can lift a cork board ;-)

It would be nice if there was a central location where GMs can post their ad hoc game events, game name, description, number of players wanted, time, location online. That way, instead of sticking our noses into the various free rooms, it would be easier to know that someone is going to be in Room X @ 9 PM wanting to run Game Z.

Some industry conventions used to offer an online calendar for this, which was awesome for scheduling meetings. Or even the classic pin up board would work.

I havent given much thought on implementation - I guess this could be done via a sub-forum or Facebook. What do you all think?

Non-PFS GMs aren't PFS Volunteers, no.

Thanks Vic!

Hi,

I'm up for running another session game, but Im wondering if volunteer GMs who want to run a session or two (Non PFS) are going to need to be volunteers as they were defined in the blog post about them. Anyone know?

Vic, is someone from Paizo in contact with the hotel about running out of double bed rooms and securing more?

The thing that most frightens me about this post? (BTW I am in the "no new edition pls" camp)

I remember years back, reading Wizards forum boards, and a post like this coming up "What would you like in a 4th Edition?'. (I'm thinking this was? 06? 07?)
...

24 hours later, they announced 4th edition.

There is a time honored tradition among many companies to assume the role of customers for fishing expeditions. I sure hope Paizo isn't doing that.

As an aside - I was recently watching the bonus features on the Stargate Universe DVDs, and one of the show creators mentioned something of parallel interest. He said that he thought that fans of previous iterations of SG (Atlantis, SG1) helped torpedo SGU because SGU was new and different and they missed their old shows.

I could see that happening with a premature Pathfinder 2.

lynnfredricks wrote:

The rapid release of 5th edition suggests how badly Hasbro dropped the ball (or pass the ball to Pathfinder). They made a new game simply to make a new game to sell more books - it was not a better game. It was a game to productize more mats, cards, figures and of course, books.

I'm pretty sure that the release of 4E was due to the fact that a lot of us felt there were serious problems with 3.5E, the 'money grab' claim is pure BS.

Hmmm. A large corporation buys out a smaller one with a rich IP portfolio, and putting out a new version of interlinked products that should appeal to a much larger customer segment (young MMO players) to generate new revenue is BS?

I don't think a corporation like Hasbro has an innate love of the game and somehow places that love above profitability.

3.x was getting long in the tooth, and core book sales are the big money makers. Trying to appeal to the MMO crowd did make a lot of sense because its a much larger group that old school RPGers, however either the product didn't appeal to them, or the crowd just isn't interested in the table-top experience.

What is clear is that 4th edition did alienate a segment of buyers.

The announcements so far about 5th edition suggest an obvious course correction.

I'm guessing Monte Cook won't be coming this year.

We need to set that boy straight ;-)

Now that you-know-who is preparing for a marketing blitz around 5th edition, I think it's time for Pathfinder 2nd ed. Mostly, I think this would be a good way to capitalize on a larger marketing budget, but I could see some real value coming out of it.

I think what that would do is give D&D 5th Edition a huge break.

The rapid release of 5th edition suggests how badly Hasbro dropped the ball (or pass the ball to Pathfinder). They made a new game simply to make a new game to sell more books - it was not a better game. It was a game to productize more mats, cards, figures and of course, books.

Now Paizo has also produced a number of these products, but they've done so to meet market demand, rather than trying to convince the market it needs a lot of stuff that it really doesn't need.

The variable "level of detail" style game discussed for 5th edition so far in regards to 5th edition sounds exactly like what it is - the attempt to recapture customers who have already moved on to something else. No longer are they trying to capture the new generation of MMO players but acknowledge that the paying market are the oldsters.

Any good edition can be given a full decade. In a decade, you can come up with refinements to almost every part of the game, and test each one to ensure that its really an improvement or not.

The banquet was always a great deal - this year the price is quite a bit higher. What's being served, Roast of Mona? :-)

I think MORE people submitting games to be placed in the lottery is really what needs to happen.

I completely agree. In addition to just getting more sessions going, Id hope for two things -

More Paizo team run adventures. Maybe its me, but it seemed like there were more sessions run by Paizo employees in 2011 than in 2010 (or maybe scheduling was better).

GMs running lottery games don't have tiny maximums. Some games lend themselves to 2 or 4 member parties. It might not sound like much of a difference but if a few 4 member parties could become six member parties, that means more people get the games they want. If you want a tiny maximum, how about running two sessions of it? I wouldnt want this mandated, just taken to heart :-)

Id like to see some way to advertise an ad hoc session, so people know you aren't just a lonely looking guy sitting at a table. What about reusable plastic stand ups that say "Game Forming, Please Ask!" or the like?

Most NPCs for Paizo range have an average range of 3~9 with exceptional NPCs generally going up to level 12.

The 'average' as in 'most common' level is 2: Farmers are level 1 commoner level 1 experts and even barmaids are level 2 commoners.

NPCs from the Game Mastery Guide and a few extras.

That is interesting - and look at those examples - it does seem the man on the street is anywhere from levels 1-3, and up.

So when a PC starts out as a level 1 character, how remarkable are they?

It seemed like there was some effort put into making man on the street NPCs range in levels between 1-5 back in the day. However I like the idea of achieving 1st level making you already a somewhat heroic figure - meaning, most people are 0 level and competent folks are 1st level, and really heroic folks are 3rd level. The rest are true heroes and monsters, short in supply but dangerous to cross.

I am still relatively new to Pathfinder and I dont get a sense of the level of the Average Joe in adventure path / Golarion. Can someone explain?

Late 70s to early 80s were my HS years, and all said and done, it wasn't all that bad (place a pin someplace between That 70s Show and Freaks & Geeks...).

I started the first Gaming Club at my high school, and we had no problems finding sponsoring teachers. Mostly, we were ignored, which is how we liked it. Actually, we annoyed the Chess Club because their members would rather come to our games than theirs.

Because I was affiliated with both a high school club and a local group, I got called a few times by local police who asked about it - they were trying to figure out if it was a cultish thing or not. Likewise, there were a few psychiatrists who wanted to learn more, and we let them sit in on some games.

A few friends had troubles at home, mostly because of the MM's devils and demons.

As long as you weren't drinking and driving, getting someone pregnant (AIDs wasn't quite the public issue yet) or getting busted for smoking weed in a public place, parents weren't nearly as dialed in to what you were doing, as they are now. Of course, if you were in high school at that time, you are watching your kids all the more carefully ;-)

None that I can really foresee IMO. This economy has stunk for the past 3 years (since prior to 4E's release) so I'm suprised 4E is doing as good as it is with the large unemployment rates and drastic savings people are doing. And I don't see it really getting that much better either.

Anything else is pure speculation that WotC is failing or other non-sense meant only to douse WotC and D&D 4E with more hatefilled bile.

Hey, if you didn't want to read idle speculation and armchair quarterbacking, why post this? ;-)

Most business decisions by public companies are made for business reasons. WotC is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and its been what - 11 years now? That's quite a bit different from when WotC acquired TSR. Im sure its complicated.

I think every RPGer owes a big thank you to Ryan Dancey and the OGL (whom I spotted at PaizoCon 2011 but was so rushed that I didnt have a chance to say hi). Because of that, companies can come and go, and run their products into the ground, and we still have the rules to play with.

As Paizo looks at dates and locations for 2012, I hope they can avoid June 21-23rd when Bellevue/Seattle hosts the AHA National Homebrewers Conference. About 2000 homebrewers are expected to attend. I would hate to miss either one.

I was happy there was no overlap with Father's Day this year.

It would be kind of cool if there was some proximity for other local events. What else is happening in the Seattle area around the same time?

We actually began looking for a larger place to host PaizoCon *last* year, but we knew that this year, we wouldn't quite be big enough to step up to a larger venue. At this point, though, I'd say that odds are pretty good that PaizoCon 2012 will be in a larger space.

I hope you'll keep it in Bellevue, all the same.

Cool I was just curious, I am excited too play,usually I run cthulu so this will be a nice change. See ya at the con.

Everyone did a bang up job role playing it to its conclusion! Thanks everyone for playing.

In case I run this next year, don't reveal any of the special details (you know what I mean ;-)).

Any more hype updates? The clock is ticking...

How did I miss this last year? Looking forward to it :-)

Do we need these to play and are characters provided? Just wondering because I have played alot of cthulu but not sure of that system, but might ring some bells when we start. I am looking forward too it though I didn't get any cthulu games last year so I am pretty stoked...see ya on friday.

< Hey Josh! :-)>

Bigg D, everyone gets to pick one of these pictures, then get handed a couple of notes. Since everyone starts with amnesia, a big part of the adventure is discovering who you really are.

This uses the Don't Rest Your Head system, so you should bring several colored dice - one color for Discipline, one for Exhaustion, one for Madness. Madness can go as high as six, so I suggest you bring at least six each for the final two stats. Character sheets you can pencil up will be provided, too.

I am running Failed Sanity Check, on Friday night (looks to be full at this point, but stop by if you are free to see if there's an open slot). Six players + me as GM (so if you see seven folks at the table, its full).

Here is a downloadable PDF showing the character sheets for Failed Sanity Check. They are essentially illustrations and "inmate numbers" since everyone starts with no memory. Character selection is based on picking a picture, and then discovering aspects about yourself along the way.

Failed Sanity Check is played using the Don't Rest Your Head system from Evil Hat Productions. It is a scenario which is a direct sequel to one of HP Lovecraft's most famous stories.

I own the copyright on these images, but you can download and print them for your own personal use, but not retransmit them.

Download Failed Sanity Check Character Sheets PDF

I sort of expected more postings this close to PaizoCon. Im getting excited, preparing my own game and also looking forward to JJ's Call of Cthulhu game. Where's the outrageous forum hype? :-)

I will definitely be up for some Free Room game play this year. I might even be persuaded to run some Old School Metamorphosis Alpha or Tunnels & Trolls.

I will also be bringing some Faerie Tales and maybe some other stuff.

CJ

Nice to see more indie and retro titles!

This is my third PaizoCon, and I did get one of my choices in the lottery (and Im running an event too, Failed Sanity Check) - there were free play rooms previously and it looks like there will be again this year.

Previously, I saw some GMs rooted in there, not looking very GM like (no box traps with ho-hos), and consequently, saw some potential players walk on by.

Knowing there are folks sort of irritated that they didnt get any picks, maybe there's a way to cooperatively post or indicate you want to run / play a game in one of the rooms?

For example, what about sticking out a little placard on a table with the game name and number of players once GM is rooted?

What about Paizo-folk putting up a corkboard/whiteboard for notices?

Any other ideas?

I did not get a single lottery event or game, not even one i put as a 2 or 3!

Can that be right? If so, i'm kind of disappointed. I thought i would have at least gotten into one lottery game.

Not to sound like a bummer but that sort of stinks!

I had that happen before (though I did get one of my choices this year!), and it is disappointing. But I would also keep an eye open for some open games in the open rooms. Im going to start another thread about that, since I think its possible to do even better there...

This was sort of a last minute thing a couple of us did last year - those who are interested in 3D art and RPGs, getting together to discuss topics of interest. Anyone else interested in this? Topics could cover...

- character creation / development
- terrain art (forests, rivers, etc)
- post-processing
- using art in your games

I am glad to hear that the event schedule isn't actually live yet, since Ive been assigned to a time in which I am not available (posted later my scheduled availability is late Friday 6-11 PM slot or any time on Saturday).

Didn't think to say anything at the time of volunteering, but being a working stiff, I have scheduling limitations: I can do that late slot on Friday or any time on Saturday for "The Failed Sanity Check".