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I would suggest allowing GMs to have more than the 1 GM chronicle sheet currently allowed for non-Tier 1 scenarios and non-Tier 1-2 sanctioned modules. Especially with Play-by-Post runs, preparing scenarios is a lot of work, but once it is all done it makes sense to re-use the material a bit more and run a second (or third) group.
I would like to potentially help GM two+ groups through each scenario I prepare, but I also don't want to neglect advancing my own characters. There would be more incentive to run two or more groups if I could get more GM chronicle sheets to apply to my characters.
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1. I am generally opposed to any ruling that treats PbP GMs differently from non-PbP GMs. The sole exception to this possibly being if Paizo decides they especially need to promote PbP gaming over other methods. Though I am not sure why they would want to do this.
2. I have never understood the various requests for additional GM chronicles for running the same adventure multiple times. I haven't even earned my 3rd Star yet and I already have more GM credit babies than I know what to do with.
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As a note, PFS currently allows GMs to replay scenarios for credit up to their star level. So a 4-star GM can replay (or GM) up to 4 scenarios he has played or GMed before for credit. So what you are asking for exists, to a limited extent.
Especially with Play-by-Post runs, preparing scenarios is a lot of work, but once it is all done it makes sense to re-use the material a bit more and run a second (or third) group.
Nothing is stopping you but yourself. The chronicle sheet is a bonus, I wouldn't feel bad for GMing something you cant get a chroncile for.
To be fair, I thought the same when I first started GMing PFS. I rarely doubled up on scenarios, so I could get a lot of chronicle sheets. These days, I could care less. I have GMed certain scenarios 3-4 times because they are fun to run. I have also stopped taking GM credit for scenarios that I CAN take credit for, depending on level of my characters and such.
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Also, if I may get a little philosophical, search for the reward within GMing a given scenario repeatedly for its own sake. I've done Rise of the Goblin Guild 14 times so far, and it's my favourite scenario to run.
I don't begrudge the fact that I only got one GM credit for it. I view it as a chance to get to do a fantastic job as GM, since I now know that scenario inside out and backwards. With the exception of 3 statblocks, I could probably run it without a copy of the scenario by now.
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PbP games are certainly a giant pain in the posterior but you guys choose to play in this format. I don't think PbP gamers should be given special preference just because they want to play in a format that by its nature is a pain.
Also, PbP is really slow so you have probably not yet had to deal figuring out what character to apply a chronicle too. At times I get frustrated applying chronicles to certain characters as leveling them up without playing is really no fun. Trust me, you don't want more GM chronicle's, just more headaches.
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I appreciate the input.
A change, though, wouldn't have to treat the different GMing formats differently, so perhaps I should have been more careful in implying that it could or should. My point is more that it is such a 'giant pain in the posterior' that a little more leeway would be appreciated and useful, and I think a change could benefit PbP and non-PbP GMs alike. (Frankly, I don't see the point in limiting the chronicles that can be received, at least beyond the limit of one of each type to each character. Maybe there is a good reason for that that I'm not seeing?)
For some, like myself, PbP gaming is pretty much the only type of gaming that is available or doable, so it is not a choice (or, you could say, it's a choice between gaming and not gaming).
While I would prefer to advance my characters by playing, with the combination of GM rotations and having to focus on GMing (since GMs are in shorter supply), I'm finding that my characters are going to fall behind others that I play with. Right now, I could play several games but not GM, or I could probably GM one or more of the same type but not play any, and I chose to do the latter so as not to leave as many players without a game.
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The benefits to GMing is the fact you can run multiple different scenarios at once. You can also take your character to gamedays and conventions (both in-person and online) and level up your character while GMing. You're actually at a huge advantage against your PbP players.
/Side note - I do not like the idea of giving extra treatment to this because how can you tell if someone is being honest about doing PbP or not? I don't have time to check every single game entered, and neither does anyone else.
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PbP games are certainly a giant pain in the posterior but you guys choose to play in this format. I don't think PbP gamers should be given special preference just because they want to play in a format that by its nature is a pain.
Also, PbP is really slow so you have probably not yet had to deal figuring out what character to apply a chronicle too. At times I get frustrated applying chronicles to certain characters as leveling them up without playing is really no fun. Trust me, you don't want more GM chronicle's, just more headaches.
As has been said, the choice is to play PFS via PbP or not to play at all. A town of my size cannot get a regular table going & I am 6 hours from my VC. I have been trying for three years now. :)
That said, I think I spend more time prepping for my table games than I do for my PbP (gathering minis, finding maps, re-reading/memorizing special rules before the scenario (as opposed to before the encounter), plotting voices, timing, tactics.
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I have GMed "Murder on the Throaty Mermaid" four times (claiming credit for only one), including one PbP simply because I enjoy the adventure. It is well-written and fun to watch the PCs scurrying about trying to save their skins.
I actually prefer PbP because I have more time to plan out my responses and how the NPCs will react. I also seem to get more role-playing in a PbP session than in four hours at a tabletop.
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PbP games are certainly a giant pain in the posterior but you guys choose to play in this format. I don't think PbP gamers should be given special preference just because they want to play in a format that by its nature is a pain.
Also, PbP is really slow so you have probably not yet had to deal figuring out what character to apply a chronicle too. At times I get frustrated applying chronicles to certain characters as leveling them up without playing is really no fun. Trust me, you don't want more GM chronicle's, just more headaches.
As has been said, the choice is to play PFS via PbP or not to play at all. A town of my size cannot get a regular table going & I am 6 hours from my VC. I have been trying for three years now. :)
That said, I think I spend more time prepping for my table games than I do for my PbP (gathering minis, finding maps, re-reading/memorizing special rules before the scenario (as opposed to before the encounter), plotting voices, timing, tactics.
I guess it's a matter of what your used too. The one time I ran a PbP game it took months, and was a huge pain in the but to track where people were on the maps and keep track of players that got lost and never checked in. I spent hours upon hours running that game and I will never do it again. Honestly, it was probably my fault for trying to over complicate it, but still not my speed.
I like you live in the middle of nowhere and my only option is online play. The nearest game stores are about 3 hours away. But I run/play every night of the week thanks to roll20 and google hangouts.
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I am not sure the question. Like I said in order to find a game I used to have to go online.As has been said, the choice is to play PFS via PbP or not to play at all. A town of my size cannot get a regular table going & I am 6 hours from my VC. I have been trying for three years now. :)Roll20?
Roll20 is one of the VTT applications, this one is commonly used by the members of the Pathfinder Society Online Collective, which group regularly offers live online play, running usually about 3-6 hours online for a PFS scenario, using Roll20 for the maps and NPC/PC activity, and Google Hangouts/Skype/Ventrilo/TeamSpeak for the voice chat capability.
So I think the question was whether you could get a block of time together, and play online so the game goes about the same duration as a regular face-to-face game would.