Organizing events with multiple tables


GM Discussion


Hello, guys!

I've only run a module as a PFS society, but it created a lot of buzz around here, so I've decided to gather a small group of GMs to start running tables regularly.

We do not have any Venture Captains around here, so I'm pretty much doing this on my own. Am I able to do this? Is there anything that I should be considering? Any suggestion or advice will be appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Silver Crusade 1/5

Where are you planning to do it?
A FLGS, the home of a GM, somewhere else entirely?
How strict is your timeslot whereever you do it? Do you have to get through a scenario in 4 hours or can you take your time?
Do you have plan to have them sign up to games beforehand or just see who
turns up?
Are all GMs familiar with the Guide to Organized Play?
Are the GMs experienced or new to Pathfinder or GMing in general?
What do you consider regularly - are we talking biweekly, once a month, twice a week?
How experienced are your players?
What age bracket are we talking - are your players all still in high school or have they all finished college? (Or whatever. After 15 years of watching American television shows I still have no clue how your education system works.)
Do you want to be the lone organizer or do you have some people you can count on?
Are you planning on letting the PFS grow slowly or do you want to get big fast?

Grand Lodge 4/5 Global Organized Play Coordinator

Where are you located at?


First of all, I'm not in the United States.

The place is a mall where we usually run some of our campaigns, there is no trouble with time.

I will have some players signed up before hand, but I'll also let some slots empty for people that just turns up. Most of the players I asume will be from our club, a mix of very experienced players and newbies, between 21 and 30 years old.

All the DMs are familiar with the Guide, or currently studying. I'm also running a closed event with me dming my DMs, as some sort of preview. They all have more than 6+ years of experience running different games, including Pathfinder.

I'm the main organizer, but I have several people assisting me.

The current schedule is a monthly event, but that can be modified according to needs. I'm expecting PFS will grow slowly.

4/5 *

Sounds like you are already an acting Venture-Officer, wherever you are! Welcome aboard!

First, you can definitely do this.

Having folks sign up in advance is great, but make sure you leave those empty slots open so you can take in new folks. I suggest signing up the first four or five players per table max, and then keeping the last slots open for walk-ups. Have lots of the official pre-generated characters printed out so someone could just sit down and join in.

Make sure you get everyone to register for PFS numbers, and then print out a set of PFS number cards that you can hand out to new players. The reporting stuff is simple, once you've done it once or twice.

Running preview tables for your GMs is a great idea, and a nice "reward" for folks who GM regularly. It's always ncie to be able to play a scenario before reading and prepping it as a GM so you don't spoil the plot.

I'm sure there is a V-O somewhere near you, I think there are many dozen VOs outside the US - if not, these boards are a great resource. Also check out the shared prep materials at pfsprep.com, which has maps, stat blocks and so on for lots of scenarios already done.

Dark Archive 2/5

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Michael Brock wrote:
Where are you located at?

From the accent, it sounds as if Nynphaiel is from Argentina.

Good luck with your growth, Nynphaiel ;)

Silver Crusade 1/5

Did you just hear the accent of a person by reading their writing?

Silver Crusade 2/5

It's a very distinctive writing style...

Grand Lodge 5/5

DesolateHarmony wrote:
It's a very distinctive writing style...

Definitely read that as Eliot before opening the link, well played sir.


Thank you very much on your advice =)

Indeed, I am from Argentina.

@Nebten: Now I'm really curious about how you figured it out :P

4/5

Nynphaiel,

It sounds like you have everything really well planned out. Here are a couple of suggestions that have worked well in our area:

Our Venture Captain prints out blank sign up sheets with the event name and event code already filled in so the GMs don't have to worry about it, and GMs have the event code handy when filling out chronicle sheets.

For newer locations where we had a lot of walk-ins, we started capping tables at 4 players. That leaves room for walk-ins while reducing the risk of not having enough players to run a table.

We started with a GM supply box with wet and dry erase markers, pens/pencils, initiative cards, business cards with the local website and main PFS websites, loaner dice, pawns and bases, beads for counters or miscellaneous markers on the map, a measuring tape (for "is he in range of my bow" or "do I have charge lane" type questions)--things like that. We also have a file box with extra blank flip mats, copies of the pre-generated characters, one or two copies of the Guide, faction information, secondary success conditions, blank inventory sheets, etc.

Basically, we kept a collection of random things that make life easier for GMs. Gradually, as the GMs got more experienced and collected their own supply boxes, it became less important. But we still keep it in the car in case someone forgets something or we need another GM at the last minute.

Good luck!


Thank you for your advice, Dorothy!! The GM supply box sounds like a great idea, I'm definitely using it.

Also, capping tables at four players is what I had in mind. Since your experience says it works fine, I'm going to go with it.

I really appreciate your advice =)

PS: I found a VC in my area!! Turns out he's pretty new, so that's why I hadn't found him before.

Silver Crusade 5/5 5/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria

I found the condition cards (the once produced by Paizo seem to have more goblins on them than others ^^) very useful. I started to add a set in those 9 card storage sheets (the once you can just add to your binder, I have plenty since I use them for MTG) to my player and GM binder.

Pawns are amazing and a lot of local GMs have started to bring he NPC pawn boy so every PC has good looking pawn.

The combat pad (or any magnetic/dry erase pad) is great for GMs and players, since it allows players to see when their turn comes up and prepare accordingly.

Having a printed set of the iconics should help quite a bit, especially one people lose characters, or one of your tables has a terribly party composition (the ability to bite the bullet and play a pregen has turned quite a number of scenarios from trainwreck to fun challenge.) If you decide to print multiples, the ACP guide pregens are quite good, and can teach "real" players characters a thing or two.

Have a couple of spare character sheets and inventory tracking sheets around, and if possible a unused copy of the core rulebook (could be useful if you have walk-ins that arrive between games.

It can be pretty useful to have a spare printout of the guide to organized play and the current additional resources around.

If your GMs haven't read them yet, the two free downloads Pathfinder Society GM 101 and 201 located here could help them in their preparation.


Thanks, Sebastian! I'll have in mind many of your advices. I only have one doubt: what do you mean by ACP guide pregens?

Sovereign Court 4/5

I assume he means the Advanced Class Guide Pregens (Bloodrager, Swashbuckler, Warpriest, etc.). They can be a little complex for brand new players, but if people know a bit about Pathfinder they can make a nice change of pace.

In my set of pregens, I try to keep at least one of everything. I keep a lot of extra Clerics, as they're the most popular choice. Other popular ones in my experience tend to be the Paladin, Warpriest, Barbarian, and Rogue, though it seems that other regions sometimes have different preferences. I'd recommend having at least two of anything you expect to be particularly popular, especially at low levels.

I'm a big fan of pawns, as they're fairly cheap, especially compared to most minis. The Bestiary 1 Box and the NPC Codex box are enough to give you a broad range of monsters and people.

One other trick I didn't see mentioned here relates to giving out new PFS numbers to players. You can download sheets of 10 numbers from your PFS account. GMs here tend to print out two copies of each page, one in color and one in black and white. They give the color card to the new player, and ask them to write their name and email on the black and white copy. That way, they can reach out to players after the game, to see if they have any questions, tell them about future events, or deal with reporting errors.


Oh, these are glorious, thank you for pointing them out to me!!!

Dhenn, thanks for your advice, and the tip about the numbers is pretty cool, I'll definitely try that.

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