Two Pathfinder Society PBPs at the same time?

[Xzaral]

A question regarding Pathfinder Society. What would the legality in Society play be of a person having the same character in two different play-by-post Society games at the same time?

And while on that topic, what would the legality be of participating in a table-top Society game while that character is invested in a play-by-post?

[Chris Kenney]

You cannot have the same character active in two PFS games simultaneously. If you've committed a character to a pbp that character is off-limits until the game is completed.

[Xzaral]

I don't suppose there's a source to cite on that by chance?

[Marthian]

The society guide. Free download.

[Xzaral]

Marthian wrote:

The society guide. Free download.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Prior to making this post I had already reviewed 4.2 version of the guide, and while yes I did skim it and may have missed it somewhere, I could not find anything specifically preventing it. Perhaps you could narrow it down?

[Here4daFreeSwag]

Probably under the One Character at a Time section on page 21 of said guide. That being said, you could just have a different character play in the second play by post. Or you could just wait until one of the play by posts gets completed before starting the second.

[Joko PO]

Quote:

You may only play one character during a specific scenario session.

Just says you can only play one character in any given scenario. The section referenced does not cover playing two scenarios at once.

[Thorkull]

The rules text you're thinking of is on page 30, in Chapter 6: Modules:

GtPSOP wrote:

Running Multi-Session Modules

Since sanctioned modules can be multi-session events, Pathfinder Society characters may not be used in otherPathfinder Society events until they receive a Chronicle sheet for the module.

While it specifically talks about multi-session modules, the same sorts of problems crop up if you're playing a normal scenario via PbP, so the rule applies. I need to start a list of things to bring up when we start discussing 5.0.

[Chris Mortika]

The same theory applies: the adventures need to happen sequentially, and players need to have their Chronicle sheets available to show the GM. If I'm still playing adventure #5, my GM for adventure #6 can't see the Chronicle sheet for #5. What if my PC were to die in an unrecoverable manner in the "earlier" adventure, or have all his loot stolen?

Still, it might not be a bad idea to reword the Guide to make it more inclusive. (I can see some home games taking their time with some scenarios, too. City of Strangers, Part I could easily bleed over into two sessions...)

[Thefurmonger]

Honestly I cant see where we need this rule spelled out.

FAQ
Q: "Can my PC be in 2 places at the same time?"

A: Seriously?

[Xzaral]

Thanks for the information everyone. The section on modules should be sufficient for what I need, I hope at least.

[Joko PO]

Jonathan Cary wrote:

While it specifically talks about multi-session modules, the same sorts of problems crop up if you're playing a normal scenario via PbP, so the rule applies.

The rule does not apply. As you stated the section is talking specifically about modules. PFS has many multi-part scenarios and the same rules does not apply to them.

Note: Bear in mind I am not arguing in favor of the OP. Simply pointing out that none of them existing rules cover the question.

[Thorkull]

Multi-part scenarios give a Chronicle at the end of each part. Really, calling them multi-part is a misnomer. They're actually a series of scenarios, not one scenario split into multiple parts. Sometimes, they're even written by different authors.

The issues with multi-session module play and extended sessions, like you get with PbP, are identical from a campaign and character management perspective:

1) What order do you apply the Chronicles in?
2) If you finish one scenario before the other, and level up as a result of it, do you finish out the second scenario at your previous level, or the new level? If the latter, what does that do to the sub-tier? What if you're no longer legal to play the second scenario because you leveled out of the Tier of the scenario? Do you finish, or do you drop out? What if dropping out results in an illegal table?
3) Similar questions if you die in one scenario, plus: can you use resources gained in one scenario to resolve the death at another? What if you finished one successfully and died in the latter?

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are even more problems that would crop up if it were allowed.

You can wait for ruling from Mike, but I'm pretty certain what the answer will be.

[Cindrana Longroad]

I got a wizard I wanted to play this weekend but the session a the FLGS went long and currently she's 'stuck' in that one. We had to go over this we the new player a bit.

[Curaigh]

I ran into a similar issue, when a PBP went on for 10+ months now (right through PaizCon :( Playing a pre-gen is what I ended up doing. With a pre-gen you can apply the chronicle sheet when you receive it & your character is eligible. This includes all the conditions/boons/prestige/gold (and yes possibly death) added in the order it happened (chronicle received). If your character is no longer eligible, you lose that chronicle, but hey you got an extra game :)

When starting a PBP my preference will go to people without a local venue. If you have a regular venue, then I will ask you freeze this character and play something else locally. Live and learn :)