Hello! My name is Megan and I just took the plunge into Pathfinder. I'm super interested in taking my first char through legal Society play. If there's any way to combine both in-person and online adventures with her I'd definitely be down with that (I'm in Los Angeles, and my miniature is in the mail!) I'm also happy to make someone new just for a PBP campaign, and in that case I don't care about it being homebrew or not. I guess I probably would like to save the legal modules or adventure paths for Society things, since I might potentially be seeing them twice otherwise. I'm interested in all its Seasons, though I'm not sure if the offerings before 5 are still legal? If not, then I'd love to see those earlier modules and adventure paths somehow, too.
Who I play isn't as important to me as how I play them. I think it's important to know what makes you happy, and after spending the morning reading through some of the forum threads here on Paizo, I think it's best for both of us to know that I'm not a power gamer. I'm a heavy roleplayer who gets into the camapign lore of a given setting, and I'm much more prone to pick up a feat of skill that makes sense from the story or scenario rather than something that will max out my stats (I leave my power gaming to the computer games, where there isn't any RP anyway lol). I understand the usefulness of focused builds - especially as it sounds like Society might really ramp up in difficulty each year? - but that's just not what I'm here for personally. I think I'd work best in parties where players had a similar goal, and the hope that interpersonal relationships (be them friendly or rivalrous) could form through the RPed conversations between encounters.
While I'm no stranger to pen and paper (I spent the 90s in Forgotten Realms 2nd edition) I've never really played a true play-by-post before. Real time chat rooms were probably the closest to that mark. Still, I can promise you that I'm not worried about my writing skills or punctuality, as I do realtime RP in Fantasy Grounds and Roll20 quite often. I might just need a primer link on PBP's best practices. My work means that I'm mostly free on weekends, or weeknights in Pacific time (-8 UTC). I GM a lot, and while I'm looking to play for a change, I pride myself on not giving the GM any guff (because I know what it's like!) If I sense that the party is going off the rails he needs, I try to find an in-character way to nudge us back onto them.
It's nice to meet you! The Pathfinder community seems really friendly from what I've gotten to see so far. Please feel free to contact me if you have any campaigns, parties looking for more members, tips for new Society players, or just to say hello.
~Megan
Hello Megan!
I hope you find a game to your liking,
Currently a few of us are discussing starting a new "Dragon's Demand" Play - Post game, here in the forums. While it will not be a Society legal game, it may have some elements to your liking, not that I am promising you will be able to get in, we are still looking at the options, but take a look if you are interested
Nice to meet you! I just posted in the Demand thread. I appreciate any man (or any avatar) that wears a fedora.
Other than the hat (Mine's actually a Tilley T4) I resemble this fellow an awful lot.
Hi Megan--I'm in Los Angeles and have considered putting together a local group. Due to life, I have only had time for PbP, sadly! As for getting into a game on here, the best way for non-PFS is to look at recruiting threads, choose carefully and wisely, and create a character for that specific AP/module/etc. For PFS, I couldn't say, as I haven't joined yet.
Thank you Axolotl! I recently moved to mid-city so I imagine it will be easy for me to drive somewhere for a game. Like yourself I've probably got the most time for remote play, though I could certainly devote a few hours to a table top program; it's more the post-work commute I'm trying to figure out. You know our traffic. PBP is another fine option. I partially belong to a few board gaming groups or clubs and thus far, Descent has been the closest thing to pen-and-paper that I've gotten the chance to play recently. Hopefully Pathfinder and Society will let me change that.
I haven't been able to find any Los Angeles events coming up yet! I was hoping one of our comic book stores might have a day, but there's none currently listed on the schedule that I could see.
I left Los Angeles in 1988, I imagine it has changed somewhat.
As long as you are somewhat patient, if you are willing that is, I am also about to start a Recruitment for a game that originally ran in the Open Forum's here. The recruitment will be, most likely, for three to five 1st level characters, and it is a seriously Homebrewed Setting. You can read about the game as it was played, sort of an introduction to the "Plot" here
Happy to, GDM! I will keep a weather eye out for the recruitment.
Hi Megan! Can I invite you to try the Wold, a PbP community that's been going strong online since 1996! Here's a blurb with more info Contact me, Cayzle, at cayzle@cayzle.com or reply here!
==========
The Wold is a long running Dungeons and Dragons campaign world that emphasizes play by post gaming and a commitment to write one game turn every weekday. We are a community of about 60 gamers in seven long-running games, and we are looking for new members to start a new game or join an existing one.
What do you need to know about the Wold?
• We are here to stay! The campaign dates back to 1985, and we have online archives back to 1996. You can expect to start a character and play through 20 levels over the course of a 10 year career.
• We are free! There’s no cost to join and no test to pass. Check out some of the links below, and if you like us, you are in. As our founder, Jerry says, “There is no tryout or application. My experience is that those players who stay are the ones who would have passed any application or tryout anyway. So I let the players weed themselves out or remain to become a permanent player.”
• We offer a very rich gaming experience! We have our own homegrown gods, nations, races, and peoples; we have custom classes, spells, feats, items, and more — all detailed in our own wiki. We play by the Pathfinder flavor of the Dungeons and Dragons rules these days, but we are eager and glad to teach players who need help.
• We focus on heroic themes! All our player characters are Good. Feel free to create a troubled and conflicted character, so long as you are interested in redemption, nobility, and overcoming obstacles to become a true hero.
• We are a friendly community of people from all over the world, from all walks of life, and of all ages! The gaming groups that stick together over time are the ones in which players become friends, and we encourage that.
Check out the following links to get started:
Woldian Games
http://www.woldiangames.com
The Woldipedia
http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Main_Page
That's impressive, Cayzle.
GDM--you can see the mountains/downtown now. :)
Megan--I'll send you a message about the gaming groups and pals I know in L.A. I think there is something at Meltdown or at Galaxy in the Valley, but that may be far for you.
LOL! Sarcastic or sincere? Both are good. I'm totes too full of myself, so some friendly sarcasm is always welcome.
But seriously, I've been doing PbP for years and years and years, and most of the time games go nowhere. Players flake out, DMs fade away, posting trails off ...
The Wold is different. All play takes place in the same setting. We have 7-14 games with 60-90 players at any one time. Our DMs post every weekday like clockwork. If DMs bail, we get new ones. If players fade, we recruit new ones. We guarantee that you can play your PC from level 1 to level 20, even though that typically takes about 10 years to do. Odds are a game will lose players over the ten years, and we may move PCs or merge games, but your PC can go the distance.
I played a Sorcerer/Rogue/Arcane Trickster from level 1 (first post 4 Aug 2003) to level 20 (last post 5 Aug 2013) ... it's funny how that worked out almost to the day!
We do not use the APG classes, and I really wanted to play an oracle/summoner, so I went on another PbP site to try it. I had to apply to get into games, worked hard on applications that did not get accepted, and finally got into two games that took me. And both just ended like literally within the month! It makes me appreciate the Wold even more. No try-outs. No rejection. No games ending. Just hop in and play.
Generic DM, there's openings now if you are interested!
Oh no, not sarcastic! Super impressive, Cayzle! And I'm sure during that missing extra day, your trickster was sneakily doing a most legendary heist. The best kind of heist...the kind no one hears about.
I will try to train up in Knowledge: Wold tonight. Besides the custom options, are the rules straight Pathfinder or more inspired by them? (My own growth has been D&D 2 -> 2.5 Skills and Powers -> 3 -> 3.5 -> various D20 open license systems -> Mutants and Masterminds 3.0)
Well, here is a new Recruitment thread for "The Strangler of the Shadow Moor"
An adventure, mystery for First Level Characters new to Play By Post Games here at these Forums
LOL! Thanks Rose!
We're Core Pathfinder with House stuff bolted on. You can ignore the extras like prestige classes, spells, etc. and make a Pathfinder-legal PC just fine.
We sometimes allow Pathfinder Advanced Player Guide rules on an individual basis if it really fits your concept and the rule is not powerful. But no APG classes like oracles and cavaliers.
Some of the most notable house rules:
- No initiative. It is too hard to use with Play By Post.
- We use a 25 pt buy to make characters.
- Only good alignments. (druids can be LG and CG' paladins and monks have to be LG)
- We reroll ones on cure dice and hit dice.
- We have some multiclassing rules to prevent single-level dips.
Here are our House Rules and Character Creation Guidelines.
We need your real name, and if you are age 13-17 we need to hear from your parent or guardian that it is okay for you to join us. We are pretty family friendly, and we describe our community like this: We are G for romance/sex, PG for language, PG-13 for violence, and R for thoughtful grappling with ethical dilemmas.
Cayzle, I just emailed you. GDM, I'll sign up right away!
Also, here's an example of combat in the Wold happening right this instant, for a 7th level game I run.
Legacy Of Heroes Dire Mosquito Combat
(If you come to this thread in the future, the events of the game will have moved on, of course.)
Hey Rose, welcome to the forums! I really do recommend PFS for PBP the short scenarios that can be completed in about a month are perfect for the format and being able to carry our character over gets rid of PBPs biggest drawback - the fact that so many games peter out, etc. I play PFS pretty much exclusively now because my experiences have been so much better than with regular PBP.
Unfortunately there was a PFS Gameday that started on the 5th of April so there are not many new games starting at the moment. Give it a week or two and you should see them starting to crop up in the recruitment forum again.
I think you will also enjoy the vanities, my 2nd level Swashbuckler just got his own theatre, along with a Herald and a manager for it, which only confers a very minor mechanical benefit but makes for wonderful RP :)
|
As far as PFS games go most of the recriutments include PFS in the thread title. There are not as many starting up at the moment due to a convention style event going on. A little advise if you plan to do PbP and F2F PFS. Your character gets locked once it starts a PbP, which means you can not play it in another PFS game until that PbP is over. Good luck and have fun.
Broken Prince, I just discovered the vanities! I think my humble laborer needs only a membership at Torag's Temple, and perhaps a dwarven-make casing for the wayfinder. You other races know nothing of durable craftsmanship. I could throw this dwarven-make computer out the window at a passing car and be assured of its sturdy contruction! I could not say the same for the car.
Kyshkumen, thank you so much for the advice. It hadn't even occurred to me, but it certainly makes a lot of sense now! I do love how there is an official record that is tracked. I'm a little worried about character death, but old school pen-and-paper and modern day Dark Souls have hopefully toughened me up to the prospect.
Well your laborer needs to be a member of a faction, that will effect your characters agenda, available vanities, etc. There is less emphasis on this now in season 5, but I find it great fun to let faction be a large part of character flavor.
The PFS Guide is available as a free download HERE please note that you have to own a hard copy or watermarked, to you, PDF in order to use stuff in PFS. So while you can play with only the core rulebook if you want to play a class, take a feat, use a spell, et., from somewhere else you need to own the book. While you will find GMs will rarely ask you to prove ownership in PBP it is a requirement and allows Paizo to maintain the excellent campaign :)
Character death is not as problematic as you might think as prestiege awards can be used to raise you from the dead, it takes 16 to do so, so from 4th level onwards you should have enough to bring your character back. Generally I would encourage you to run multiple characters, most PBP games require only a post per day so its not arduous to run several.
Thank you! I've started to buy a collection of PDFs through this site for PFS. Mostly dealing with dwarves or rangers. Megan loves dwarves and rangers, and Megan will surely love Harsk, despite the lack-of-love I've caught hints of. (Seriously, what's not to love?!)
You sound awesome, Compass Rose, and wishing you the best in your search! Just to clarify, you are looking for homebrew play-by-post then? Or also something like Roll20 or similar when you say online? Probably just me misreading, but wanted to double check.
Hi there Aleron. I'm shocked that I'm so new to Pathfinder, since I had played 3.5 for so long...and everything I've heard about 4.0 makes me want to shake my tiny fists and the uncaring entertainment gods.
While I'll probably always prefer realtime pen-and-papering, I'd found myself bothered for the last couple years. My high school / college / work friends only ever wanted me to DM: partially because I often write or do character design for a living, but mostly because they are being super lazy bums. Even trying to get them to run a store-bought scenario is like pulling teeth.
As much as I like DMing I prefer playing, and the little I'd been able to scrape together - Lovecraft and the like - was good but left little chance for leveling over the long term. I like seeing the character grow if I can, regardless of how slow it is. About a week ago I decided to finally give up on finding it through my RL friends and try my luck online. Er, somehow. I wasn't yet sure what that meant. While trying to plan out a Horizon Walker, I accidently came across its Pathfinder version. I liked where I'd ended up and decided to get the lay of the land (much like a Horizon Walker).
You're all impressed, I can tell. Lucky too. It's exceedingly rare to meet someone with such elegance, beauty and humility.
Very long story short, I've never tried PBP before. I'm excited about it, though I'm harboring a little worry that a "post a day" speed will leave me hungry (I'm used to playing 2.5 - 4 hour sessions). I'm most excited about legal Society play, followed by Society PBP, but I would still be quite happy to play a homebrew in any capacity. I'm mostly thinking about how many different settings I'll have to learn the lore for, since official Pathfinder or Society all share just the one. (It's not that I dislike homebrew worlds or anything.) I use Fantasy Grounds a lot, and I've used Roll20 enough to know my way around.
|
|
If you think a single PbP might not be enough keep this in mind. While a single character my be locked in a PbP there is nothing against the rules for PFS to play in several PbP games with different characters or even play in a few games and GM one or two. Just as long as it's not to much for you personally and you stick to one game per character you're within the rules. Though I recommend just one to start out with just to try it out.
Wise counsel!
Or you can play in 12 and GM one, maybe I need to become a more well rounded individual :) The great thing about PBP is it encourages RP, its much easier to RP in PBP, and if you get in a conversation with another PC at the same time you'll often get multiple posts in a short period. To an extent its what you make of it, the fact that in PFS you switch up companions on a regular basis is a strength and a weakness, and you can of course end up forming longer term group with those whose play styles gel well with yours.
Just completed a scenario with my favorite Swashbuckler PC in 12 days. Got to crash a ball, sweep a random beautiful Lady off her feet, perform an amazing dance routine with her distracting the embassy gala guests while my less stealthy colleagues snuck past through the garden, leave her with a kiss and escape into the shadows. Sleeves of Many Garments are an amazing magic item, change from finery to stealth garb in a flash.
I'm definitely looking forward to the RP. Do you know how aggravating it is to hear one of your players say "I do Diplomacy." Okay, but what do you say? "I don't have to say anything, I do Diplomacy. See, look at that roll!"
And shortly thereafter, their Supers game had Green Lantern threatening all the innocent citizens of my city, because reasons.
I want you to understand that I need this. I am willing to kill for it. Any dorks standing in the way of my RP are just so much meat to me.
Do Diplomacy...gyah. Gyah. No.
|
I've been playing Pathfinder here for less then a year so like you I'm rather new to the whole PBP thing. That being said I generally try to play about 5 games at once, 1 PFS and 4 just plain PBP, that way if 1 goes on hiatus do to say a vacation or a holiday I still have 4 to entertain myself with. And with the 1 post/day thing, that is the minimum, there have been times where I have gotten all caught up with my games and left the site to come back 2 hours later to 8 posts is one game, there are only 4 players and a GM but their all talking amongst themselves. There are even times when the story can't advance for a couple days because the players are RPing to much. So really the games pretty much just go the way you want them to.
And I probably just talked myself around in circles and confused the heck out of everyone who would happen to read this on what my point actually was, and truth be told I think I may have even forgotten. You sound like a fun person to play with and I hope to see you in a game sometime.
Ah I'm starting to see! Thanks Killer. You'd think that someone who loves dwarves and rangers would know how to be patient, but I often get antsy and hungry for more. More! I think it best to start off slow, but thanks to the kind folks from this thread I've now got 3 games starting up, including a fierce Scottish elf.
Quote that will forever haunt me and prevent me from winning political office: "Scottish elf. Because the only good elf is a dwarf."
Billy Connelly is a GOD a GOD I tell you!
Oh, and thanks for showing interest in one of my games. I hope it doesn't end up being too silly for your tastes.
Never! Just let me know if I'm getting too serious with her.
Compass Rose, I have a few questions.
What sort of homebrew are you interested in? I'm looking at taking on a 3rd campaign. Two of my campaigns, which have not actually started yet due to people ironing out all the details (Understandable in one game, since PCs start out at 17th level/mythic rank 3!), are pretty atypical: a campaign that will take the PCs to godhood in a planes-walking, world-shattering megacampaign and the other is a dark fairytale-like campaign. I'm not one for 'typical' campaigns, unless I can put a BIG twist on it!
I read on your profile that you draw. Do you have an art page on DeviantArt or something? My friend and I are looking for some artists for our upcoming 3PP, once all the details are sorted out and such.
Hi Red, I draw often though my styles are very limited. For most of the last decade I worked at Mattel, and pretty much everything I drew was for Pixar and Disney things. Some WB and Nick cartoons. I'm definitely only a cartoonist, though, and about the most "hardcore" I'm able to get is like a Disney Afternoon level. I take occasional forays into actual illustration for fun, but they never come out well. (Not by my art school / career standards.) They'd probably be decent enough for an RPG unless you wanted to sell it. Mostly it's a matter of free time; between assignments now I'm trying to do all the characters for my superhero campaign in a Bruce Timm style.
I hear you on adding twists and making something your own! I'm worried about stretching myself too thin and signing up for too much when I haven't actually played Pathfinder or PBP yet (and I'm still really hoping to find realtime games, PFS games, or best both) but these are the first ideas off the top of my head:
Godhood - Ranger/Horizon Walker (actually, where I had ended up in that attempt above). A mortal human woman, not knowing that she is (possibly one of the many) children from some passionate night between Cayden Cailean and Desna. She'd have her mother's love of travel and a bit of her father's infamous luck, shown through ranger and feat options that let you reroll a die. Would not be able to cast any actual magic. Becomes so adept at wandering throughout the planes (Doctor Who style?) that she finds herself slipping between, and can Dimension Door often. A decent excuse for a party dimension vehicle if one is needed. No ambitions yet other than a love of travel.
Dark Fairytale - I'm ashamed that nothing is springing to mind, because this is exactly the sort of thing I have to come up with for a living. Sounds simple enough though: a twisted take on a classic tale? Put the grim into the Brothers Grimm?
Apologies, finally just saw that you were talking about a third campaign. Hello, Megan! And my train of thought probably got a bit derailed, I'd actually meant to say that I might be juggling too much. Let me read up on some of the lore for these other games; once those characters are established, maybe I can be much more on auto-pilot for them and wrap my head around another world haha
Wow, Compass Rose, do you take paid commisions? It sounds like your style is exactly what I like when thinking of rendering things from my games, less "Elmore" more, "Foglio" is how I like things. And Phillip M. Jackson is my current favorite artist.
Sounds good Compass!
And who know, your art could fit really well!
My fav fantasy artists are Jeff Easley, John Howe and Michael Whelan - especially his cover for Second Foundation - though I couldn't even begin to figure out how to make something like they do. I often have to emulate cartoon styles, though, so I'm sure I could tackle Foglio. Jackson even moreso. I'm in the final stages of trying to get a new job, but let me wrestle with that for the next few weeks and then I'll know what any new contracts could say (some are very strict about working on "competitive" intellectual property, which is their fancy way of saying no).
Commisions could come in the form of super amazing loot and XP for me and just me and nobody else. Me.
Hmm, me thinks the search continues! One of them won't start until June, and another is going to be quite short. I'll keep my eye out on the recruitment forum, but if anyone happens to have a Pathfinder or Society campaign (preferably in straight Golarion, as I'm still trying to learn the lore for it).
Have you made a Pathfinder Society character, yet?
Good Luck Compass Rose!
Good morning John. I do have my very first Society character, a humble dwarven laborer soon to be thrust into the wider world. I'm finalizing her sheet today. (My original thought had been to play her a lot in person: I have a miniature in the mail, and I'm getting a set of metal dice with dwarven runes...that she'll only roll when using a proud, dwarven-make weapon!) I was hoping to play her online as well through a VTT, though I'd be happy to try out PBP for the first time. Though that will always be the lowest on my list, behind meeting in person (Los Angeles) and playing realtime online.
I have been lucky enough to get the last spot in a We Be Goblins, and I've been told that it uses pre-gen gobbies and you can transfer the chronicle. I might possibly make a second PFS char, since I'm not sure if I like the idea of my dwarf leveling up without me! ;)
Do you happen to know of any group that might take me, John? Had a bit of bad luck since I've arrived, though the folks are warm and welcoming.
Not at the moment. Virtually all my PF play is right here, in PBP. This includes PFS. So, hanging out in the Recruitment thread is the best way to look around.
I've got a first-level PFS character, Glorin Too-Tall, looking for his next game as well, so I'll drop you a note if I find something like that. He's a human fighter who was raised by dwarves, so he plays well with dwarves.
I see you like to roleplay, must say that PFS played naturally or thru VTT usually have kind-of time limit so it may be harder, continuous campagn - not so much. Or PbP should work.
Oh!! :O You know I'd heard about the time frame (4 hours or so, right?) but I'd been assuming that allotted for RP. Shoot. Thanks DarkPhoenixx, that is definitely food for thought.
Compass, are you still looking for a game? I hate to hear about your bad luck in getting in some campaigns.
So far I've got a wedding-veiled gobliness for a one-shot PFS, and a xenophobic celtic ranger in over her head. I think the ranger might be a one-shot too. I'm starting to get excited about one being planned elsewhere, but if that goes through it won't even start for quite awhile. I haven't quite been able to find what I've been looking for just yet. I got in touch with the Los Angeles Society peeps here and on Facebook, but it turns out that the closest regular games are well outside the city limits. (Those familiar with LA know our traffic; if you don't, take your traffic and multiply it by three!) We're trying to start one up now, but there's only been one hint of a nibble so far. I can't believe a big place like LA has no PFS. I've heard we also have no football team, but unlike that, this is actually important.
I'm still hoping to play my dwarven quarryman in PFS, hopefully in person or a VTT. With PBP-PFS in mind I made a bit of a challenge but I think she'd be suitable for PBP play, where I have time to write out witty responses. (Also heard from several that PFS doesn't have time for RP, unless it's PBP?) I might consider switching her out of PFS as the trait and feat selection is very limited, and that might make her challenging to, er, make. :) Mostly I thought it best to keep my newer characters to the Golarion lore whether or not they're PFS so if one campaign happens to not work out for any reason, then I won't lose the character. I've read, oh gosh... of homebrew setting lore over the last few weeks, and most of those games didn't end up starting. :\ It just felt like a lot of homework to no effect, especially since I still haven't learned about Golarion yet, am I making any sense?
In a perfect world, I'd find a group that met in person or through Fantasy Grounds once every week or two. We'd play through as many of the previous PFS seasons as we could just to see the story; if no one wanted to DM all the time we'd share the duty, probably each taking a Path. (I like DMing as long as I'm not the only one doing it.) In addition to this I'd do monthly PFS sessions for the current season, and possibly check out what the conventions are all about. That's my perfect world, and it's surprisingly difficult to find anything like it! It's turning out to be a super strange feeling, where you can go out and do some LA night life stuff and get folks together (maybe even a ton of folks) for a party or bar or something, but I can't organize one group for Pathfinder? Seriously?! I really thought that difficulty would ramp the other direction. :D Truth to tell, I was actually a bit arrogant (innocent as it was). I just came in assuming "a girl can find a group, no problem." Hasn't really worked out that way though, which is awesome for societal progress but not so good for me right now! :D