I wanted to join a PFS game at gencon. There are tons of them listed and I don't know how to choose.
Why do some have 36 openings and some only 6?
Will I need to bring my own character?
I want to play to kind of experience how another person runs a game just to get ideas and see how the experience goes - does that influence my decision?
I am going to join a game at Friday 1pm.
Alternatively, I was considering the GM 201 workshop on Friday. It says we will examine the more delicate and complicated aspects of GMing.
Thoughts?
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There are different numbers due to the different numbers of tables of a scenario being run. A full table is 6. So if a scenario is being run multiple times in a slot, it will show that there are 36 openings. The newer adventures tend to be very popular at GenCon, so often more people want to play those as opposed to older ones they've already played.
You do not HAVE to bring your own character. There are pre-generated characters that you can use if you are not playing a level 1 scenario. If you bring a character, it must be level 1 (unless you've played it elsewhere or have GM credit for the character).
I don't think your purpose will affect your decision much. if you're unsure what to play, you can look at the descriptions of the scenarios and see if one strikes your fancy and sign up for it.
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There are different numbers due to the different numbers of tables of a scenario being run. A full table is 6. So if a scenario is being run multiple times in a slot, it will show that there are 36 openings. The newer adventures tend to be very popular at GenCon, so often more people want to play those as opposed to older ones they've already played.
You do not HAVE to bring your own character. There are pre-generated characters that you can use if you are not playing a level 1 scenario. If you bring a character, it must be level 1 (unless you've played it elsewhere or have GM credit for the character).
I don't think your purpose will affect your decision much. if you're unsure what to play, you can look at the descriptions of the scenarios and see if one strikes your fancy and sign up for it.
Good tips :-)
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Grats on going to GenCon - if you've never been, it's a heck of an experience!
If you have never played in a Pathfinder Society game, you may want to look around your local region to see if you can get into any local games. You can use the following links as a bit of a guideline:
Pathfinder Society regional coordinators
As for GenCon-specific tips, I strongly recommend the following two things:
1 - show up 10-15 minutes early
2 - be flexible in what character you want to play if you're going to take a pregen; sometimes the difference between a great game and an ok game (or sometimes worse) is that someone just couldn't be bothered to play the party's missing role of healer/ caster/ etc.
You have access to a great community here. Always feel free to ask any other questions you have :)
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Congrats on going to Gencon, it's one of the highlights of my entire year now. What was initially a solo trip then turned into something I would do every 2 years, has now turned into a yearly trip with 6 friends! So it's just awesome.
PFS Recommendation
1) Why do some have 36 openings and some only 6?
A: 6 tables of the scenario vs 1 table of the scenario in that time slot.
2) Will I need to bring my own character?
A: You don't need to, but I would. The pregens are weak and it's generally more fun playing your own PC.
3) I want to play to kind of experience how another person runs a game just to get ideas and see how the experience goes - does that influence my decision?
A: It shouldn't.
4) Alternatively, I was considering the GM 201 workshop on Friday.
A: Personally, I would do events at Gencon. Main reason: There are podcasts and you can listen to the GM 201 seminar after Gencon.
5) It says we will examine the more delicate and complicated aspects of GMing.
A: Why don't you listen to GM 101 seminars from prior years and see what you think first. Personally, I didn't really learn anything from them. But then again, when you GM and raid lead a casual guild in WoW, you're basically a manager anyway.
Gencon Basics
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I would do the following:
1) Do not book ever slot with events. I would personally leave Friday and Saturday afternoons free, so that you can browse the dealer hall, look at cool stuff, people watch, and see some of the cool costumes. There is so much to see, for your first Gencon the best idea is to spend some time just wandering around. Trust me! And this goes for veteran GMs too, you guys spend too much time in the PFS room, some fresh air and diversity is best imo.
2) Leave most of your books at home. Consider taking your Core Rulebook (always needed for some reason) and maybe 1 other book if your PC uses stuff from it. Photocopy everything else. Heavy backpacks are no fun.
3) Get a hotel downtown. Time is money and by the time you pay for cabs, you're saving only a few bucks per day and you waste an hour travelling. Also, it's really nice to crash and take a nap when you're only minutes away. Trust me.
4) Try different events from Pathfinder. Try at least 1 event that you might be interested other than PFS. I know it's tempting to do all PFS (especially this year with so many great events), but for me it's just so much better to add some diversity to my schedule.
Anyway, have fun. It's gaming heaven.