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Mike why aren't you milking the racial boon cash cow dry. For 10 dollars you can download a boon sheet to play whatever race you want. Attach it to the website so only people who actually pay for them can get credit for runs. Boom you're rich(er).
I believe the logic goes that Paizo actually makes more money generating traffic into Conventions via Boons than by selling them individually.
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Mike why aren't you milking the racial boon cash cow dry. For 10 dollars you can download a boon sheet to play whatever race you want. Attach it to the website so only people who actually pay for them can get credit for runs. Boom you're rich(er).I believe the logic goes that Paizo actually makes more money generating traffic into Conventions via Boons than by selling them individually.
How does that work?
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I heard about this thread earlier this week. I have read through a good bit of it and I keep seeing several races listed that make me feel like I would be cheated if they became legal.
I know that GMing isn't for everyone and I know that not everyone can make it to conventions, BUT:
The people who volunteered basically their entire GenCon to making sure the others had a good con received a few race boons...Samsaran being the big one at GenCon 2014, with Grippli and Ratfolk close seconds. I would feel slighted if they were made readily available that quickly. Now, I WOULD LOVE Ratfolk to be a quarterly convention boon this year...love, love, love! I have had my Samsaran designed since before it was even an idea that I might GET to play one, so having that boon was a blessing, but it stinks cause I would love to play Grippli and Ratfolk. That said, I'd like to see no new always available races this year UNLESS the event that involves Kobolds allows you to unlock making kobold PCs. That would be cool.
I would really like the convention season race boons to change this year and maybe they are all animal races (Grippli, Catfolk, Ratfolk, and Vanara).
As far as the charity boons go, someone once told me that those boons were guaranteed unique for two years. Which means Catfolk would become an option to be used at this GenCon, but Androids and Skinwalkers still have a year before they have that chance. Not sure if that is true, but it sounds pretty reasonable.
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I heard about this thread earlier this week. I have read through a good bit of it and I keep seeing several races listed that make me feel like I would be cheated if they became legal.
I know that GMing isn't for everyone and I know that not everyone can make it to conventions, BUT:
The people who volunteered basically their entire GenCon to making sure the others had a good con received a few race boons...Samsaran being the big one at GenCon 2014, with Grippli and Ratfolk close seconds. I would feel slighted if they were made readily available that quickly. Now, I WOULD LOVE Ratfolk to be a quarterly convention boon this year...love, love, love! I have had my Samsaran designed since before it was even an idea that I might GET to play one, so having that boon was a blessing, but it stinks cause I would love to play Grippli and Ratfolk. That said, I'd like to see no new always available races this year UNLESS the event that involves Kobolds allows you to unlock making kobold PCs. That would be cool.
I would really like the convention season race boons to change this year and maybe they are all animal races (Grippli, Catfolk, Ratfolk, and Vanara).
As far as the charity boons go, someone once told me that those boons were guaranteed unique for two years. Which means Catfolk would become an option to be used at this GenCon, but Androids and Skinwalkers still have a year before they have that chance. Not sure if that is true, but it sounds pretty reasonable.
I was a tier one volunteer at Gencon last year and am a tier one again this year, and I wouldn't care if they made races from last years boon, and I certainly wouldn't feel cheated because management opened more options to more players. I wouldn't want Samsarans opened up, unless they removed that horrible alternate racial trait from the ARG from play, Mystic Past Life. Also, management has mentioned that charity auction boons are only guaranteed exclusivity for one-year.
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I also have been a tier one gm for the past two years, and I will one again this year. I do not mind races becoming legal that were previously on my gencon boon.
I would love to see rat folk become legal because they look like they could for really well given the interactions that pardoned have had with them in the past, and more rat folk would allow use of their saying ability.
I would also love to see kobolds, especially is something were done to make them a see bout less mechanically disadvantaged. Pathfinders have again had dealing with them in the past. Some times are quite civilized.
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The two races that make sense being opened up. Rat folk and kobolds.
We have Ratfolk in the Hojin Tapastry. The mod left them in a decent opinion of pathfinders.
And the pathfinders have had dealing with kobolds since season 3 as stated above. I think a few woould be wanting to explore teh wide wide world now.
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I heard about this thread earlier this week. I have read through a good bit of it and I keep seeing several races listed that make me feel like I would be cheated if they became legal.
I know that GMing isn't for everyone and I know that not everyone can make it to conventions, BUT:
The people who volunteered basically their entire GenCon to making sure the others had a good con received a few race boons...Samsaran being the big one at GenCon 2014, with Grippli and Ratfolk close seconds. I would feel slighted if they were made readily available that quickly. Now, I WOULD LOVE Ratfolk to be a quarterly convention boon this year...love, love, love! I have had my Samsaran designed since before it was even an idea that I might GET to play one, so having that boon was a blessing, but it stinks cause I would love to play Grippli and Ratfolk. That said, I'd like to see no new always available races this year UNLESS the event that involves Kobolds allows you to unlock making kobold PCs. That would be cool.
I would really like the convention season race boons to change this year and maybe they are all animal races (Grippli, Catfolk, Ratfolk, and Vanara).
As far as the charity boons go, someone once told me that those boons were guaranteed unique for two years. Which means Catfolk would become an option to be used at this GenCon, but Androids and Skinwalkers still have a year before they have that chance. Not sure if that is true, but it sounds pretty reasonable.
I would like it if there was another way to go about getting some of those boons. I would love to at Gencon, but my wife is coming too, and "justifiable homicide" comes to mind if I mix the two. I completely understand the immense amount of work that goes into GMing at GenCon, but I do wish I had a means.
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I have always thouht that a scenario that grants access to a race for one single character to be created would be nice. Esp. now that we have one custom made for so many peoples favorite small scaly race...
** spoiler omitted **
How about having the boon for ratfolk/kobolds have the requirement that the players have played scenarios involving these races.
More seriously, I have an idea for my ifreet character that would work as several other races. I have an idea I'm holding onto for a changeling which would work as a half elf with only slight alteration of the fluff (and there is a lot of similarities between the races fluff wise. My aasimar could easily work as a human or half elf. My point is, very few people need a particular race to create a cool character, so why is there a great need for more races
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I have always thouht that a scenario that grants access to a race for one single character to be created would be nice. Esp. now that we have one custom made for so many peoples favorite small scaly race...
** spoiler omitted **
How about having the boon for ratfolk/kobolds have the requirement that the players have played scenarios involving these races.
More seriously, I have an idea for my ifreet character that would work as several other races. I have an idea I'm holding onto for a changeling which would work as a half elf with only slight alteration of the fluff (and there is a lot of similarities between the races fluff wise. My aasimar could easily work as a human or half elf. My point is, very few people need a particular race to create a cool character, so why is there a great need for more races
Could the same not be said for eidolons?
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My vote would definitely go towards Samsaran. And I completely agree with removing Mystic Past Life. It's probably my favorite race, in Pathfinder or otherwise. When I learned it was a GenCon GM boon I was pretty sad. That puts it squarely out of my reach (by choice, admittedly). If it was opened up I would definitely make a better effort to try to attend more events to get a couple leveled up just in case.
Android would probably be the next interested race for me. But this is just the sci-fi guy in me wanting to play one. In my home group me and another guy DM and he pretty much hates androids thinking them to be far too broken.
Others I wouldn't mind would be Suli, Catfolk, Grippli.
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An alternative path besides cons would be nice. Waiting for the races to trickle down is still better than nothing thoughPeople can earn race boons by GMing at online conventions as well.
The last two online cons I saw were full up on DMs the second they hit the boards.
It would also be a nice carrot to hold out on game days.
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An alternative path besides cons would be nice. Waiting for the races to trickle down is still better than nothing thoughPeople can earn race boons by GMing at online conventions as well.The last two online cons I saw were full up on DMs the second they hit the boards.
It would also be a nice carrot to hold out on game days.
They also offered boons for online game days, I don't know if they are still doing those, but if they are, all you would have to do is organize a game on that day and you're golden.
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Global Organized Play Coordinator
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An alternative path besides cons would be nice. Waiting for the races to trickle down is still better than nothing thoughPeople can earn race boons by GMing at online conventions as well.The last two online cons I saw were full up on DMs the second they hit the boards.
It would also be a nice carrot to hold out on game days.
So it's not nothing. There are still opportunities to have an alternative for races to trickle down, correct? Did you ask the online con organizer to add an additional scenario that you could GM?
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Mike, regarding future auction boons, have you considered allowing the player base at large access to those boons by matching the donation of the winning bid at the auction? Or even 150% or 200% of the winning bid?
It could add quite a bit of revenue to the charity in question.
(I know that in the past, you promised the winners that their boon would be unique, which is why I'm only talking about future race boons.)
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So it's not nothing.
Close enough to it for state work.
There are still opportunities to have an alternative for races to trickle down, correct?
Works about as well as other trickle down economic policies.
Did you ask the online con organizer to add an additional scenario that you could GM?
Didn't know who they were or how to get in touch with them.
I do not understand the near infinite evaluation of cons over game days. Yes, at a megacon you can hand out a huge number of PFS numbers, but you don't hand out just one boon at those cons either.
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Venture-Captain, Germany–Hannover
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Well there´s a thread about it here on the forums where everything is announced and you can also find them under regional coordinators online here.
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X person is the regional coordinator and Y is the person doing the con aren't the same information.
Most PFS groups have a "brain" somewhere: an email list, a forum, a google group, a facebook page, where they decide who's running what when. It seems like by the time online conventions hit the forums thats already been decided. Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but it does mean that one does not simply walk into dming an online convention.
For getting into PFS, one of the bigger hurdles is actually finding out how close you are to a flat rolling surface where games are going on. someone in my area for example wouldn't know whether to try asking around new york, Albany, Connecticut, or even some parts of jersey.
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Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but it does mean that one does not simply walk into dming an online convention.
Actually, my Conline GM experience was pretty much exactly that.
Me (in an email): Uhh...I've never done this before, but I could probably run a table of the Confirmation or something.
Them: Welcome!
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There's this email list on the back of the Campaign Guide which will get you your nearest Venture Officer. Try starting there.X person is the regional coordinator and Y is the person doing the con aren't the same information.
Most PFS groups have a "brain" somewhere: an email list, a forum, a google group, a facebook page, where they decide who's running what when. It seems like by the time online conventions hit the forums thats already been decided. Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but it does mean that one does not simply walk into dming an online convention.
For getting into PFS, one of the bigger hurdles is actually finding out how close you are to a flat rolling surface where games are going on. someone in my area for example wouldn't know whether to try asking around new york, Albany, Connecticut, or even some parts of jersey.
I just explained why that was less than optimal. Telling me how to do it really isn't the most pertinent response. Its getting a bit off topic though.
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Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but it does mean that one does not simply walk into dming an online convention.Actually, my Conline GM experience was pretty much exactly that.
Me (in an email): Uhh...I've never done this before, but I could probably run a table of the Confirmation or something.
Them: Welcome!
And who was them?
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Venture-Captain, Germany–Hannover
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Probably one of the online VO´s Jesse Davis, Jester Deren, Arthur Perkins or Brandon Cecil, who are organizing several online events per year. So in this case X=Y, like explained above.
If you want to gm on some other online Con, then you´ll probably have to google it like everyone else. Normaly they have websites where contact info is.
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The last two online cons I saw were full up on DMs the second they hit the boards.The Official PbP Game Days organized by the online VO's has no limit on the number games, beyond what people offer to GM. That's two times a year that literally anyone can earn a race boon.
Additionally, if PbP isn't your thing, I know they have offered VTT game days in the past that provide GM boons. You can PM the online VO's for more information, and probably also to volunteer to run games for an online con. The opportunities are out there, you just have to be willing to put yourself out there.
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So someone, somewhere, at sometime will be running some con online.....
Thats a different issue to deal with.
What I have never had a remotely satisfactory answer to is why Dming three games at a con, even an online one, reaps greater rewards or is somehow better at building the community than dming 3, 6, or even 50 game days.
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So someone, somewhere, at sometime will be running some con online.....
Thats a different issue to deal with.
What I have never had a remotely satisfactory answer to is why Dming three games at a con, even an online one, reaps greater rewards or is somehow better at building the community than dming 3, 6, or even 50 game days.
@BigNorseWolf- you made some strong points which I will not rehash here, but I too have felt that there is a two tier system with PFS- One for the Con-goers and one for those who just play locally.
I myself have been to a few really good Cons- but I have had mixed feelings when a dedicated (and local) GM indicates they really wish they could have scored a boon of [whatever], but didn't because they hadn't attended the last Mega-Con.
I am just spit-balling here, but perhaps it is time to expand some of the optional rewards associated with GM stars. You have [X] number of GM stars and you can pick from a list of expanded races which could vary each season (only once of course/number of required stars) and a further expanded list for those at the top star levels, say 3 and 4 star GMs.
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So someone, somewhere, at sometime will be running some con online.....
Thats a different issue to deal with.
What I have never had a remotely satisfactory answer to is why Dming three games at a con, even an online one, reaps greater rewards or is somehow better at building the community than dming 3, 6, or even 50 game days.
Yep, and they usually even announce it on the Online Play part of the PFS boards here.
June 26-28, 2015
Open call for GMs & players.
Check the post linked above for full information.
Edit: And it looks, given the ID of the event I just submitted, that they have plenty of slots available for GMs to volunteer to help with.
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So someone, somewhere, at sometime will be running some con online.....
Thats a different issue to deal with.
What I have never had a remotely satisfactory answer to is why Dming three games at a con, even an online one, reaps greater rewards or is somehow better at building the community than dming 3, 6, or even 50 game days.
At this point it just sounds like you don't want want to put forth the effort to try and make use of one of the ample opportunities (like the one Kinevon graciously took the time to link to) to earn a GM boon. It's hard to feel bad for you when people are providing examples of ways to earn a GM boon and you seem to be all "PSH, whatever" just because people aren't going to do the work for you of finding opportunities. I find myself enjoying reading (some) of your posts, but I can't feel bad for someone that won't at least try and help themselves.
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At this point it just sounds like you don't want want to put forth the effort
You can't fault my alleged lack of effort when you can't even be bothered to listen.
You don't understand the argument.
You don't understand the point.
You don't understand at least half the problem.
Tell me, in one sentence, why sitting in my underwear running a game online is dming to be encouraged with boons, while playing at a game day is not.
Why is one opportunity something that is subsidized with boons while the other is not. Give me an answer, not an insult. You are assuming that the problem with the effort is a matter of degree rather than kind. Its not. I would not be walking my keister half a mile up the hill from the bus station every other week if effort were the problem.
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At this point it just sounds like you don't want want to put forth the effort
You can't fault my alleged lack of effort when you can't even be bothered to listen.
You don't understand the argument.
You don't understand the point.
You don't understand at least half the problem.
Tell me, in one sentence, why sitting in my underwear running a game online is dming to be encouraged with boons, while playing at a game day is not.
Why is one opportunity something that is subsidized with boons while the other is not. Give me an answer, not an insult.
Because a Con can create hundreds of new PFS players, and therefore sales opportunities for Paizo products, where game stores create maybe one or two in a week, so maybe 30 in a good year.
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Didn't know who they were or how to get in touch with them.
Heya BNW,
The Online Play events (the PbP ones have been really solid at giving out race boons and they are pretty easy to sign up as a GM for. They flick you the PDFs for your sessions too (think there was a limit, I always go over and self fund the extras anyhow) but at each of these (3 so far) I have managed to pull a race boon for GM'ing pbp sessions.
You get three months, and the average pbp scenario runs to four weeks.
They also hand out other boons and prizes and are totally worthwhile.
Are you up for pbp play?
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Cons, whether they're online or in person, do more to bring in new blood and push sales than game days do (Mike Brock has posted the numbers before). Large scale gaming events (again, both online and live) take more time to plan and organize and take a lot of GM's all working together to be successful, and they deserve to be rewarded. Many people GM'ing these events often have to make juggle their schedules to be able to help out, and they deserve to be rewarded.
GM's for weekly events get rewarded, as I understand it GM's didn't even use to get chronicles for GM'ing. Management felt they should do something more, so they gave GM's complete chronicles for running a scenario. Then, they decided to do more, so they started giving out special scenarios to four and five star GM's to run. Then, they decided to do even more, so they rolled out the GM star reward chronicle.
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I am not sure what the scale and scope has to be to qualify for a race boon to be made available for a pbp event, I know the OLPD one gets them, but that sucker is pretty huge based on the reporting numbers :p
I would love it if they were more frequent (or the odd themed event - I pushed for Talk Like a Pirate Day but c'est la vie! I know other priorities had taken over and there was already a full schedule) but perhaps if we got some guidance we could community generate a few more?
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Cons, whether they're online or in person, do more to bring in new blood and push sales than game days do (Mike Brock has posted the numbers before).
The issue I had with the posted numbers was that they only dealt in absolutes. Of course gencon or paizocon is going to draw in more new people than any one game day. But one game day doesn't get 300 boons either.
Large scale gaming events (again, both online and live) take more time to plan and organize and take a lot of GM's all working together to be successful, and they deserve to be rewarded. Many people GM'ing these events often have to make juggle their schedules to be able to help out, and they deserve to be rewarded.
People have to do the same for game days. Again, one game day won't require nearly as much planning as a convention, but you add up 10, 20, 30 game days and it gets a lot closer.
GM's for weekly events get rewarded, as I understand it GM's didn't even use to get chronicles for GM'ing. Management felt they should do something more, so they gave GM's complete chronicles for running a scenario.
The opportunity cost for dming is generally that you're not playing. That makes getting a chronicle more of a wash.
Then, they decided to do more, so they started giving out special scenarios to four and five star GM's to run.
Which are also earned by Conning (at a much faster rate)- And I believe they can skip in line completely. (an understandable policy)
Then, they decided to do even more, so they rolled out the GM star reward chronicle.
Also also earned by con dms. They were met with a pretty big meh.
Pro rate the game day dming. Give it last years model but give it something.
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I have no insight as to the existence of the con model, but my take on it is that GM's get extra support at from GMing at cons for a few reasons. Generally, there is more travel than going to your local gameday, housing, food and travel all add to the expense, in addition generally more tables are being run at one time and more slots back to back, so there is more noise and more exhaustion. In addition (having helped organize 2 local cons) Cons take more planning to organize than a gameday (and trust me you are happy for every GM who signs up to help your Con run) and more work day of the event. Finally, conventions not just bring in new players and increase sales (which they do) but also allow for multi-table events to happen (which generally increases excitement and gets extra players/GMs). Thus, for GM's that go through the experience they get something extra. (As to why Online Cons are also supported this way, when some of the arguments do not exist - my guess is maintaining the status quo, highlighting the work that goes into it, and to help build the online community and thus community at large - all valid IMO)
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People have to do the same for game days. Again, one game day won't require nearly as much planning as a convention, but you add up 10, 20, 30 game days and it gets a lot closer.
As far as setting up a new lodge and getting multiple gamedays to work - yes, in an inconsistent lodge (for player and GM pool or even site) - maybe, but at least locally (where we have a pretty great FLGS) it isn't even close. Gamedays take comparatively no time to organize (and the time it does take is more spread out) (we run two a week 1 maybe 2 tables on Saturday, 3 (very occasionally 4) tables every Monday, with 2 or 3 tables of ACG every other week) and at this point they nearly run themselves (selecting scenarios and updating the website and maybe 15 minutes at one weeks gameday to ask for GMs for the next).
I should mention I like the idea of giving gameday GM's something (I'm not sure last years model necessarily works, since at least on the local con level last years rewards and this years are the same just in a different order)
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Only took 10 days to go off topic. Pretty good record. Now to figure out how to close it down before flaming commences. ;p
So it looks like Ratfolks, kobolds, blue people(?), catfolks looked like winners!
Thanks all.