New home campaign with PFS


GM Discussion

Scarab Sages

Just want to understand a few things...

1). Do I need some kind of PFS number as a GM to run PFS modules as part of my home campaign? And if so, do I contact my local venture captain or is do I get one online somewhere?

2). In order for my players to get PFS credit, I need to run sanctioned content as written. But, there is no time limit, and the characters are free to sandbox as much as desired in between/as part of a sanctioned scenario's elements? Is that right?

3). As a GM, I have complete freedom when the party is sandboxing between the official story elements, but any rewards of prestige points is based on them completing the appropriate requirements for the scenario?

Is this all correct?

Thanks.

Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Washington—Spokane

1:) If you have a PFS Number, that will be your GM number. Otherwise, you will need a PFS number to get credit and that can be obtained here

2:) You are correct that you have to run sanctioned content as written and that you do not have a time limit for a home campaign.

3:) Yes, prestige points are awarded based on completion of the scenario's primary and secondary success conditions.

Those parts I can answer. As far as the sandboxing questions, a little more information on the home campaign will be helpful. This is due to PFS content being required to be run as written and not a whole lot of sandboxing exists. If you are concerned about others involved in your home campaign finding out any information, please feel free to send a PM. Thanks.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Grymore wrote:

Just want to understand a few things...

1). Do I need some kind of PFS number as a GM to run PFS modules as part of my home campaign? And if so, do I contact my local venture captain or is do I get one online somewhere?

2). In order for my players to get PFS credit, I need to run sanctioned content as written. But, there is no time limit, and the characters are free to sandbox as much as desired in between/as part of a sanctioned scenario's elements? Is that right?

3). As a GM, I have complete freedom when the party is sandboxing between the official story elements, but any rewards of prestige points is based on them completing the appropriate requirements for the scenario?

Is this all correct?

Thanks.

1) You just need your PFS number. If you do not have one yet, you can register here: http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety. Each of your players will need a number as well. They can register ahead of time at the same link or as the GM you can downlod a set of 10 numbers and activation codes that you can hand out to the players.

2) Generally, you are supposed to run the adventures in 4 to 5 hours. As this is a home game, you can start a scenario one session and finish the next as need be. The key is that you need to have the same players and characters present. Some scenarios offer more opportunity to role play than others. Just be sure that you do not provide extra awards and do not add combats or encounters as they can use resources.

3) PFS characters are not supposed to have adventures outside of sactioned content. Everything they do should result in a cronicle sheet. If you are looking for PFS credit but total home game control, I would suggest running a sactioned adventure Path or the module The Dragon's Demand. These allow you to run a complete home game and still assign some credit to a PFS character.

The Exchange 5/5 RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

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Grymore,

I run a PFS-legal home campaign (we're up to 10th level, and the war with the Shadow Lodge is heating up), so maybe I can answer some questions.

As people have mentioned, you're limited to what PCs can do "between adventures". Pretty much, they can buy and sell things. There are little quest adventures, like "Urge to Evolve", that are legal for PFS characters, but that's about the extent of it.

But you can give them their choice of adventures.

The day after each weekly session, I email the group, letting them know about three "employment opportunities" on the Grand Lodge bulletin board:

Quote:

A letter arrives from the Pathfinder lodge in Almas, the capital of Andoran. The venture captain there has purchsed artifacts and writings from a man he believes came into them illegally. They point the way to a lost dwarven gallery in the rugged Aspodell Mountains. He's looking for a cadre of adventurers willing to find the gallery itself, as well as the rightful owner of the stolen items.

A post on the bulletin board in the main hall, written in VC Adril Hestram's neat handwriting: "Mystery has struck again at the Blackros Museum here in Absalom, and its curator, Nigel Aldain, has asked for our help. Imrizade Blackros, a long-traveling daughter, has returned to Absalom but has disappeared in the museum's basement. Nigel reports strange sounds from below, and several of the curator's night watchmen are missing. If you'd like to be on the team to investigate, meet in the Hemlock Room, at evening bells."

In one of the reading rooms, you find an envelope addressed to VC Drangle Dreng. Sticking out of the envelope is a letter: "My old friend: why has the Society assigned permanent Pathfinders to a lodge here in Kaer Maga? Do you not know that those Pathfinders are beginning to make the powers-that-be grumble about their presence? While single Pathfinders— or even temporary small groups—are welcome within the city, a large presence, such as a Lodge, is sure to stir up trouble. So why did you send them? (signed) Holis Collgardie, Collgardie cloth and textiles."

To the players: the last choice there has a sequel, so you can spend a couple of adventures in Kaer Maga.

So, the players decide what adventure they want to play. The next week, I keep one of the previous three, and put up two replacements (for the discarded adventure and the one they played.)

It lets the players control the campaign to a great extent.

Scarab Sages

On page 31 of the Pathfinder organized play rules, it says

"If you are running a home game of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, then your job is far less restricted by time constraints and planning, but still requires some extra effort on your behalf to ensure your campaign is recorded properly. Depending on how you play with your home group, you may take your time playing through a scenario and allow PCs to follow up on interesting sideline details or personal goals of their characters as you see fit. However, the PCs never gain additional Prestige Points, experience, or gold beyond the limitations of the scenario’s Chronicle sheet or the basic Pathfinder Society Organized Play rules."

I think this basically says that PCs are free to wander and interact in a sandbox environment (sideline details and personal goals), however, when they enter/re-enter official areas of the scenario being played, they can't bring anything that they wouldn't have officially gained with them... and at the end of the session, they still only gain the GCs and can purchase only those items that are legally available.

Anything else, magically vaporizes...

Shadow Lodge

For those who run PFS in a home game scenario do we need to let the local VC know? I have some friends who really want to play, but aren't available at the times when PFS runs at the local game shop. This is brilliant...didn't know this was possible.

5/5 5/55/5 ** Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg

Anyone can run a PFS game without having to tell anyone (except the players, of course).
VOs are there to offer regular public game days and resolve problems a group of players isn't able to solve among themselves.

If you want to run PFS scenarios in a home campaign, keep these things in mind:

- Every player has to play a PFS legal character, starting at level 1.
- Characters can only gain experience and equipment by PFS rules. You cannot grant anything apart from what's on the chronicle sheets.
- As it is a home game, you are not bound to 4-5 hour time slots, so the characters can do other stuff while on their mission and you can actually play the time between the scenarios. But don't forget that some scenarios have an in-character time limit (as in "we have to stop those bad guys before the sun sets, or this city will be doomed").
- If you add in custom content between scenarios or between encounters, you have to make sure that absolutely nothing is gained or lost during this "non-sanctioned" content. The characters shouldn't expend limited resources or find additional expendable resources. (You could, however, have them find replacements for expended resources before they return to the official part of the sceanrio. But don't do any side-adventuring at all if your players abuse this by becoming reckless once their actions are not allowed to change anything.) The only situations in which characters may gain additional wealth/equipment is when roleplaying day jobs or purchases.
- If you don't finish a scenario in a single session, your players aren't allowed to play those particular characters in other PFS sessions until the scenario is finished. But you might actually want to have an agreement with your players not to play those characters in other PFS events at all.

The Exchange 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Ireland—Belfast

100% agree with Andreas.

Mixing and matching sanctioned play and non PFS play leads to complexity though it can be done.

Playing an Adventure Path in campaign mode allows you to run the AP as you see fit and gain some PFS credit too.

I enjoy regular PFS play and an ongoing Rise of the Rune Lords AP played as a reported home campaign as per the guide. They compliment each other with the chronicles I get for RotRL being applied to the normal PFS characters.

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