Changing the VC who gives the mission briefing-yes or no?


GM Discussion

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/5 *

Hello Passfinders. Soon I will be running #2-08 The Sarkorian Prophecy at my local store. I would like to make one alteration:

The Sarkorian Prophecy:
Instead of Thurl giving the briefing, I want to change the scene so that it is given by Jorsal of Lauterbury instead.

The reason for this is because:

The Traitor's Lodge:
Thurl is bad and not in good standing with the Pathfinder Society anymore.

I think it would be too weird for my players to be given a mission briefing by someone whom they may be actively hunting. So is it "bad form" to change the scenario for that reason?

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

We learn to accept PFS's "Timey Wimey" aspect with a helping of tongue and cheek.

5/5 5/55/55/5

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I'd just do it as the characters sitting around the bar and talking "do you remember that time...."

And if one of the players dies their chair was empty the entire time and the beer was in their place in memorial.

Grand Lodge 4/5

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Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

You'd have to change far too many scenarios if this were the case. Just explain that this episode is a flashback to a time when the PCs didn't know what they know now. Some scenarios have the VC they have for a reason, and changing the VC means the players will not connect certain threads together later.

Grand Lodge 4/5 **** Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:
You'd have to change far too many scenarios if this were the case. Just explain that this episode is a flashback to a time when the PCs didn't know what they know now. Some scenarios have the VC they have for a reason, and changing the VC means the players will not connection certain threads together later.

+1

Shadow Lodge 4/5

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Every time my home group walks into a mission briefing with a certain VC, we have to keep our screaming internal for the players who don't know what we know.

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/5 *

Thanks for the ideas. I should be able to pull it off without looking too silly.

Dark Archive 4/5 5/5 ****

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The other thing to do is just keep a healthy bit of suspension of disbelief active.

So your character saw <redacted> lying dead two scenarios ago, and now he is giving the briefing. So you played part II of a trilogy first, and then the other two, in numerical order.

This sort of thing can get really confusing when dealing with early season story lines, (shadow war/lodge, etc), but the worst case is you, as the GM just need to explain that this story takes place in season X, and give a quick reason why they should care about the plot device.

If, as a player, it really bothers you, then perhaps setting up characters to play certain seasons would be a good idea. Or always play scenarios with characters in order (warning, you may have issues finding enough 7-11s)

Grand Lodge 4/5

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TOZ wrote:
Every time my home group walks into a mission briefing with a certain VC, we have to keep our screaming internal for the players who don't know what we know.

Season Early:
Is it considered to be good form to have your Venture Captain's protege play through Mists of Mwangi?
Grand Lodge 5/5

kinevon wrote:
TOZ wrote:
Every time my home group walks into a mission briefing with a certain VC, we have to keep our screaming internal for the players who don't know what we know.
** spoiler omitted **

Go for it. (I honestly assume all Pathfinders are time travelers, that can't reveal stuff in the past to keep the present the same)

Liberty's Edge 5/5

Starfinder Superscriber
TOZ wrote:
Every time my home group walks into a mission briefing with a certain VC, we have to keep our screaming internal for the players who don't know what we know.

Yeah, every time we get a briefing from Ambrus Valsin, I'm all REDACTED.

....what!?

5/5 RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32

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Ever since the Society messed with the Sky Key, all Pathfinders are jumping back and forth in time. Like in the show Quantum Leap.

This theory also explains why all the factions leaders knew exactly what was going to happen, when deciding on faction missions in the early seasons.

The Exchange 5/5

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Brian Lefebvre wrote:

Ever since the Society messed with the Sky Key, all Pathfinders are jumping back and forth in time. Like in the show Quantum Leap.

This theory also explains why all the factions leaders knew exactly what was going to happen, when deciding on faction missions in the early seasons.

heck, that may explain a lot of things...

"What do you mean they haven't left yet? Wake them up! I don't care if it IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! They were there - in an hour - so we have to get them on their way so they can be there - like they were!"

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
Brian Lefebvre wrote:
This theory also explains why all the factions leaders knew exactly what was going to happen, when deciding on faction missions in the early seasons.

We've had an explanation for that long before the Sky Key was even mentioned. :)

Lantern Lodge 5/5 * RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

I've done it before when the choice of VC isn't important and I wanted to set something up for later.

Spoiler:

I had Adril Hestram be the VC for some 7-11 missions for a group I planned on running Eyes of the Ten for with the idea it would make the plotline that more poignant and interesting.

Silver Crusade 4/5

David Higaki wrote:

I've done it before when the choice of VC isn't important and I wanted to set something up for later.

** spoiler omitted **

Spoilers. You're doing it wrong.

Liberty's Edge 5/5

I would err on the side of not changing the VC.

Because certain storelines may or may not be important to specific VC's being a part of that story.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden

In this case, the story of Traitor's Lodge would be diminished if you erased all sightings of Thurl as a VC in the past.

"Traitor VC of what? Nobody's ever seen him!"

Dark Archive 3/5 **

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:
You'd have to change far too many scenarios if this were the case. Just explain that this episode is a flashback to a time when the PCs didn't know what they know now. Some scenarios have the VC they have for a reason, and changing the VC means the players will not connect certain threads together later.

Every time you run into these paradoxes, just shrug and say "Tahonikepsu did it." and move on.

Paizo Employee 4/5 Developer

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The particular venture-captain sometimes has an important story-related reason for showing up, whether that's a matter of her being the closest to the adventure site, the one with the most in-character knowledge on the topic, or having a vested motivation in watching a particular region.

Although some venture-captains have become a bit less...reliable over the years, I still find it valuable to keep them as the mission-givers. After all, this could be a newer player's first chance to meet the VC in question and develop an attachment. If a player never gets to meet a particular VC, it means so much less when the player finally plays a key adventure in which something unfortunate befalls that leader or the people around him.

Grand Lodge 4/5

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Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Like Dreng! :D

Lantern Lodge 5/5 * RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

Fromper wrote:
David Higaki wrote:

I've done it before when the choice of VC isn't important and I wanted to set something up for later.

** spoiler omitted **

Spoilers. You're doing it wrong.

Bah, fair enough. Wish I could mark that it relates to Eyes of the Ten.

Silver Crusade 4/5

It was my understanding that one of the rewards for hitting level 12, or successfully completing the Eyes of the Ten was the option of swapping out your PC for the briefing.

Is that no longer true?

Shadow Lodge 4/5 *** Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant

I've never heard that "reward". It's certainly not in the Guide to PFS OP

5/5 5/55/55/5

A lot of the season 5's have a superfluous venture captain who turns you over to a faction head who actually explains what you're doing. I usually skip them: players have enough trouble keeping all the names thrown at them strait.

Grand Lodge 4/5 **** Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:
I've never heard that "reward". It's certainly not in the Guide to PFS OP

I think someone got confused by the "Pathfinder Lodge" vanity text (which if I recall correctly gets your character promoted to VC and is cheaper if you have completed your retirement arch) and thought it made your character "The VC" and could therefore be subbed in for briefings.

Shadow Lodge 4/5

No, I wasn't confusing it with that, but sort of along those lines. I remember reading years ago, and I think it might have been when Joshua Frost was still in charge, that once you reached Level 12, you could, for fun, substitute your character for the one that gives the briefing.

It wasn't a Boon or anything, just a little nudge for surviving to level 12+.

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/5 *

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:
I've never heard that "reward". It's certainly not in the Guide to PFS OP

Perhaps because it would be too much of a spoiler. I have seen my buddy do this thing, probably because of the boon that I am inferring is at the end of that story arc.

Also I kept the original guy when I did the scenario. However, I got my lodge organizer to agree that I may insist on running scenarios in chronological order to avoid this silliness.

Dark Archive 5/5

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Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps Subscriber
RocMeAsmodeus wrote:
Eric Clingenpeel wrote:
I've never heard that "reward". It's certainly not in the Guide to PFS OP

Perhaps because it would be too much of a spoiler. I have seen my buddy do this thing, probably because of the boon that I am inferring is at the end of that story arc.

Also I kept the original guy when I did the scenario. However, I got my lodge organizer to agree that I may insist on running scenarios in chronological order to avoid this silliness.

The recent multi-table specials have a specific point in them where the GM can insert one of their PCs to give pre-briefing social interaction and background information about the area they occur in.

This was a little odd because my VC PC has had a habit of disguising himself as a particular NPC when in the field for the past several levels.... and the appropriateness of that as a disguise is now very different.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ***

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Ignatious the Seeker of Flame wrote:

It was my understanding that one of the rewards for hitting level 12, or successfully completing the Eyes of the Ten was the option of swapping out your PC for the briefing.

Is that no longer true?

This never was a thing.

That being said, I use other people's Seekers/VCs for the mission briefings for modules.

5/5 *****

James McTeague wrote:
Ignatious the Seeker of Flame wrote:

It was my understanding that one of the rewards for hitting level 12, or successfully completing the Eyes of the Ten was the option of swapping out your PC for the briefing.

Is that no longer true?

This never was a thing.

That being said, I use other people's Seekers/VCs for the mission briefings for modules.

Legacy of the Stonelords has it as an option for the introductory chat.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ***

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
andreww wrote:
James McTeague wrote:
Ignatious the Seeker of Flame wrote:

It was my understanding that one of the rewards for hitting level 12, or successfully completing the Eyes of the Ten was the option of swapping out your PC for the briefing.

Is that no longer true?

This never was a thing.

That being said, I use other people's Seekers/VCs for the mission briefings for modules.

Legacy of the Stonelords has it as an option for the introductory chat.

Yeah, but you can use any character for that. It's never been the case that you can replace your character for the VC just because your character is a Seeker/VC.

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