Exploring Paizo's Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part 1
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Your life may very well be cut short, but your legend shall live forever. Strap on your blade, finish memorizing that spell and grab your pack. Your first journey awaits. The time to find your Path is at hand.
—Venture Captain Alissa Moldreserva
Pathfinder Society Organized Play centers on the sprawling city of Absalom, where five factions engage in a shadow war for control of the city's politics and economy. As you play, the outcome of your adventures, actions, and deeds affect events on a global scale, turning the tide of secret wars between some of Golarion's most powerful nations. The fate of the world is literally in your hands.
During the months of June, July, and August, Nicolas Logue and I will be writing a series of blog posts to peel back the curtain surrounding our plans for Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Premiering at Gen Con this August, Pathfinder Society is Paizo's first foray into the world of RPG organized play.
One piece unique to our RPG organized play system is factions. Every faction has its own unique history, culture, style and specialty. Each has its own modus operandi in the ongoing struggle for control of Absalom, and each offers the Pathfinders in their service different boons. Choosing your faction is as important as choosing your character class or race. It helps define your character in the campaign and ties your Pathfinder to one particular nation's destiny.
And now, a sneak peek at Andoran, birthplace of freedom, and the first unveiled faction for Pathfinder Society Organized Play.
ANDORAN
Birthplace of Freedom, Fledgling Democracy of the Inner Sea
The days of kings are long gone. We are the future of humanity, and of all peoples. Ruled by no crown or scepter, we instead rule ourselves.
—Captain Colson Mardris, Eagle Knight of Andoran
From humble beginnings as loggers and merchants, the Andorens proved themselves survivors on a hard frontier. Even before they won their independence they were an impressive people. Brave explorers and canny merchants, they were the first to sail the sea beyond the Arch of Aroden. They settled distant colonies, hewing a life from wild lands and an inhospitable coastline fraught with peril. The power of Old Taldor's navy rested on the shoulders of capable Andoren commanders whose skill at arms, fiery tenacity, and naval puissance was unrivaled in the empire's glory day.
Andoran shrugged off the auspices of Old Taldor when Qadira invaded the empire. Shortly thereafter they shattered Cheliax's diabolic chains. Now Andoran holds the reins of its own destiny in the strong hands of its people. They are the first government of the Inner Sea to entrust its power to its own citizens instead of dolloping it upon the crowned brow of a king. Their weapons are innovation, a stubborn dedication to idealism, and a firm belief in the potential of humanity. The Andorens are a hard people, dedicated to freedom for all, and unable to sit by and watch as the world around them submits to savagery and tyranny.
Goals: Common Rule for All
Andoran would see the tyrannic empires who once ruled them brought down. They would see slavery abolished and those who would buy and sell people punished in the extreme. They would bring the torch of freedom to the world's darkest places and banish mysticism, diabolism, and fear. Common Rule must be spread across each horizon.
Methodology: Light the Fires of Freedom
Our greatest weapon is the tyranny of our enemies.
—Captain Colson Maldris, Eagle Knight of Andoran
The Andoran faction attacks its enemies from within. They find dissidents, freedom fighters, and revolutionaries among the populations of their foes and offer them covert aid, equipment, intelligence and the funds they need to topple the tyrants. Missions assigned to Andoran faction members tend toward helping dissident groups within the other factions, though anything that shakes these tyrants' power is a worthy cause for an Andoren to lend himself to.
