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I have read a lot lately about people’s bad experiences and what they hate about PFS in other threads. I’ve wanted to chime in but couldn’t find the right moment, so I’ll just put it in my own little love letter to PFS here.
First, let me say that I appreciate PFS leadership’s willingness to listen to those who have had bad experiences in order to improve play and this is in no way meant to discredit the experiences of those who have not enjoyed themselves, but let me share a different perspective.
I moved and had to leave a good home gaming group. They were all childhood buddies and my adult circles didn’t have any gamers in them. I didn’t get to play for three years until I discovered PFS. Now even though I didn’t know anybody, I still had an opportunity to resume the game that I love. PFS was an open door and without it I probably never would have played again.
PFS is not a home game. With it you sacrifice depth, but you gain breadth. In 4/5 hr slots, you won’t go as deep into role playing as a home game, but you will be exposed to a wider array of builds, combos, tactics, styles, and people. My home game was great, but we all kind of had our style and after years together, we knew what each other were going to do. I play with a different party each time I sit down in PFS and that’s a good thing. My PCs are specialized, but they have to be versatile in PFS. That is helping me as a gamer create characters that are better overall and less one-trick ponies.
Also about the time constraints, I’m an old man now. I have a lot I have to do and getting 8-12 hr blocks to play games is hard to swing sometimes. Now I do get to play a lot of all day games, but with the 4/5 hr slot format, I don’t have to. If I can’t play all day, I can still get some quality play in during one slot. If I go out of town for two months, I don’t wreck the campaign. When I come back its still here and I can pick up where I left off without holding anybody else back.
About the strictness of the rules that garners a lot of gripes. It is true your home GM will let you do this or that which is not allowed in PFS. But be honest there are still things he won’t let you do. My home GM was awesome and there were still things that were legal RAW that he didn’t like and so it was out. Whatever your group or whoever your GM is there will be limitations and boundaries in order to keep the game from going haywire. That’s life and that’s gaming. Whether its Mike Brock or Mike your friendly neighborhood GM, you will face limitations on your super cool combo that can end the world, so deal with it. Adapt and become a better gamer.
Lastly, you know what you are going to get with PFS and that is comforting to me. My home group once spent 6 hrs bartering in town for gear and information. As our night drew to a close, I asked, “Are we ever going to fight something?” My buds looked at me like I was a heretic. In PFS, I know there will be opportunities to solve problems diplomatically. There will be spots for good role playing if we will seize them. But I know for sure we are going to roll some dice at some point and I can test my brainchild’s ability to fight bad monsters with a greatsword. I have a serious and stressful job and there are not many opportunities to solve problems with a greatsword. But in PFS there is and I like that.
I am from the South, so let me close with a folksy analogy. I love the Waffle House, but I don’t order salad there. If I want a salad, I go somewhere else. But I eat at the WH because it has tons of things that are awesome. Not everything about PFS is awesome, but a lot of things are, so adjust your expectations accordingly, be realistic, be fair, and have fun.
Forgive the wall of text. This has been stored up for like 3 or 4 threads now.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I have a serious and stressful job and there are not many opportunities to solve problems with a greatsword. But in PFS there is and I like that.
"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero"
-- Vaarsuvius
Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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I would love it if we all talked for a while about what we LOVE about PFS. I was going to start my own thread on the subject, and then found CFoot's love letter.
So here are some of the things that I ADORE about PFS. Feel free to agree, disagree or add your own content.
1) Our leadership. Tonya, John and Linda. I've had the pleasure of meeting Tonya a few months ago. Someday, I swear, I will meet John and Linda and ply them with hugs and/or beer. Maybe both. All three are thoughtful, responsive and wonderful! Locally, all my Venture Captains and the associated Venture Flunkies are wonderful too.
2) Tight and interesting Scenarios. They don't have the in-depth plot that a home game offers, but they can give you the satisfaction of actually accomplishing something.
3) The Community. What a great assortment of players, with such interesting and varied characters! How awesome it is to meet them and see and learn about so many different character ideas. I like it locally in face to face games, and I enjoy it internationally through play-by-post.
4) The Passion. In a home game, often half the players are distracted. They're casual players who are there for a social gathering. At a PFS table, everyone who's there is there to GAME. They're focused, and they're there to get the mission done.
5) The Cooperation. This HUGE for me. Pathfinders mostly cooperate. After having dealt with annoying in-game conflicts with annoying players in home games, PFS is... wonderful. We have missions. We do missions. We work together!
What about PFS keeps you coming back?
Hmm
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What about PFS keeps you coming back?
Sitting down at a table of strangers and by the end of the scenario leaving a new group of friends. Its also fun to sit down and learn new things about the game from other players. And finally be able to play a pick up game either at a store, convention, homegame or online.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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Okay, I'm resurrecting this thread yet again. I've read too many gripes lately, and want to read something else.
Why are we all here? If you love PFS, if you enjoy it, let's talk about something fun that you've done recently in PFS. One thing that I enjoyed recently was meeting several people at SkalCon who I only knew from the boards -- Chris Rathunde, Aaron Malone, TOZ and Wei Ji.
I love the people. I love the variety. I love having tight little stories that we can finish in 5 hours, and I love the teamwork. What do you love?
Hmm
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What do I love about PFS?
1) It kept me playing when my home group fell apart from internal strife. We got back together, but there was a long dry spell where the only pathfinder I got to play was PFS, and it's always there when I'm not getting enough play time in my home group.
2) It illuminated some things we had been doing wrong for ages in my home group. We had migrated from 2nd edition to 3.5 to pathfinder with the campaign I was running, and somewhere in there we got some rules wrong, made some assumptions based on earlier versions of the game, and just didn't spend that much time reading the rules... PFS showed me a number of things we had just done wrong forever and corrected them.
3) It taught me how to be a better GM. The scenarios really are brilliantly written, and provide a blueprint for how to bring aspects of the game that we didn't use that much into the foreground a bit more. My conception of ways to reveal more background to my players through skill checks has expanded hugely.
4) It introduced me to a wider gaming group. There are some really great folks involved in PFS locally, and I met some fantastic people when I went to Paizocon. Some day I hope to wade into that pool that is pbp here too, because I'm sure there are awesome people there too!
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I think John Compton said it very well in the thread that likely prompted this thread resurrection.
"The campaign presents a common ground that facilitates 70,000+ players worldwide playing pick-up games with complete strangers but walking away as friends".
That and kick ass PBP games where one gets to play in a Murder Of Crows solving a murder at a carnival :-) :-) :-)
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My books still have the pricetag on them. I ran a game for the first time in years. Afterward I scooped up the Core Four, as I like to call them regardless of gaming system.
I didn't know anything about Organized Play last week. Since then, posting here and talking with players and others, I've discovered that the community is perhaps the least toxic of ANY group, gaming or otherwise.
Portability is another aspect I have already fallen head over heels for. I can join a random group of players and not be overwhelmed by house rules and tweaks. I'm playing the same game as so many other people, each adding their own special flavor to a rich and vibrant world. A world that me or my players' actions can shape the future of!
When I played old Gygaxian, 2e, or 3.x systems new players were a precious thing. It was exceedingly difficult to work the sudden appearance of a new PC into a custom world, which describes virtually any game group I'd previously encountered. With PFS, a pickup game is not only possible - it is actively encouraged by players and developers alike.
Speaking of developers, I have been overwhelmed by the commitment to quality in this world. An MMORPG has immediate ways to adjust any mistakes, glitches, or balance concerns. All previous tabletop RPG games have been either unable or unwilling to keep past products relevant in the shadow of new books and content.
I haven't been around Golarion long. There is so much for me to discover. To someone who has been playing games like this for decades, that speaks volumes. Add to that all I gave mentioned, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead. Bring me that horizon.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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I didn't know anything about Organized Play last week. Since then, posting here and talking with players and others, I've discovered that the community is perhaps the least toxic of ANY group, gaming or otherwise.
^ This. So much this!
Hmm
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I am playing in the second table of the murder of crows murder mystery. It lead to a lot of bad puns, and good memories.I'm glad that you guys also have had a great time. I think that I have to call the all-tengu experiment an unqualified success.
Hmm
HEY! GET BACK TO VACATION! QUIT POSTING!
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I am playing in the second table of the murder of crows murder mystery. It lead to a lot of bad puns, and good memories.I'm glad that you guys also have had a great time. I think that I have to call the all-tengu experiment an unqualified success.
Hmm
So, when are you running the all Kitsune group? :-).
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So, when are you running the all Kitsune group? :-).I am playing in the second table of the murder of crows murder mystery. It lead to a lot of bad puns, and good memories.I'm glad that you guys also have had a great time. I think that I have to call the all-tengu experiment an unqualified success.
Hmm
I'll do it... but I get to pick the scenario...
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I find that, for me, making and designing characters is a third (if not half) of the fun of Pathfinder. The necessity in PFS to have multiple characters at different levels is a huge boon in my mind. I think I would get bored only having one character to worry about in a home game.
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Regional Venture-Coordinator, Gulf
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Almost every day i get an email or a text from another fan who enjoys my game. Occasionally I get a chance to play, mostly I get requests to help make a character, questions about the game coming up, interested folks, or even just someone expressing enthusiasm. Its hard to not burn out aftering entering year 8 of the campaign that I have been playing from before the PFRPG was released. PFS bucks thoser odds every year. I am so excited for year 8, like I was for year 0.
Why is PFS still shiny to me? There are people who see what I see, enjoy what I enjoy, and this energizes me. Teaching a new player how PFS does things and why is pleasing to me, like good deeds are meat and drink to a paladin. Seeing Sunday morning everyone tired and exhausted after a weekend at a convention, but digging out dice for one last slot is great. Organized play has always been good, where you meet as strangers at the table, and have a good story or a good time (or at least one of those!)
This differed from other campaigns because we know that it starts from the top. I have seen Lisa cleaning the Paizo booth at Gencon, Eric Mona individually making sure a fan sees what they want to play, Vic standing at the card demo area, Tonya (and Mike before her) diving headfirst with open hands into managing all the "special flowers" in organized play. I have never seen an author tire of signing one more book, and talking to one more fan.
They do it because they are fans of our shared hobby, and even though they make a career of it, it almost seems like a vocation to the staff. Scenarios are professionally produced, tie into meta-plots, and even if they are always not our cup of tea, someone likes every one of them.
There are people who don't like the organized play concept, and that's well and good. There are some people who hold great home games, and others who don't. I understand not liking a campaign where there are a lot of player changes. That has little to do with how this campaign is done. Some don't like the breadth of material from Pathfinder, that's fine too, there are a lot of RPGs to choose from.
I have a great shared experience with my friends and with strangers. We may discuss how to make a paladin better, or how to best use a Grippli boon. We may have high concepts or min/max monstrosities. We still have a nice chat about a game we love, and what book has the right mix of "fromage" and role appropriate concept to make a fun character.
Thanks to the Paizo staff current and former for building a greater place to play. I am looking forward to being named Venture Officer of my retirement home in 20 years. "Nurse, I need my dentures, and my dice, dammit!"