Steps to become a GM for PFS online


Pathfinder Society


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Pretty much as the tittle say.

I'm interested in GMing a couple of scenarios by playing PbP here in the forum. So, where to start?

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

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Hey friend! Thanks for stepping up!

I'd suggest introducing yourself to the Flaxseed Lodge, but all you need to do is run a recruitment thread or a just start private PFS gameplay in the Play by Post forum if you already have players.

Some dumb questions:

Have you played PbP?
Do you have a Paizo event number so that you can report your scenarios?

If your answers are no and no, I suggest playing through a game first to get a sense of the conventions of PbP. You can apply for your own event number easily by clicking on the Resources for GMs.

I'd be happy to provide advice, mentorship or any other help to get you started.

Is there anything specific you have questions about?

Hmm


Hi, thanks for your help.

Hmm wrote:


Some dumb questions:

Have you played PbP?
Do you have a Paizo event number so that you can report your scenarios?

If your answers are no and no, I suggest playing through a game first to get a sense of the conventions of PbP. You can apply for your own event number easily by clicking on the resources for GMs.

My answers are yes and no. I've been playing Pbp for a long time but have not much knowledge of the inner working of PFS.

Hmm wrote:


I'd be happy to provide advice, mentorship or any other help to get you started.

HmmIs there anything specific you have questions about?

Well, what products I have to buy?, what forms I have to fill?, anything else I need to know?

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Okay, so you're starting at the beginning. That's fine! We'll walk you through some of what you have to know.

PFS PbP games have a few quirks. Have you played some PFS? Or read the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide? The guide is free, and has a lot of great information, but it makes more sense if you've actually played some PFS. We can walk you through the basics.

The products you have to buy:
1) The scenario you're GMing.
2) You may want to buy map packs to go with the scenario, but it is possible to extract those from the PDF using Adobe or other tools. We can link you to useful threads if you need help with this.

Free products that you must have:
1) The Roleplaying Guild Guide
2) An Event Number -- you can create New Events here.
3) Google Slides (for your maps)
4) Google Docs (for composing GM posts, and for keeping blocks for initiative, perception and save rolls for your players)
5) A program to edit PDFs

Forms that you have to fill out
1) Chronicle sheets from the adventure that you're running
2) Reporting the scenario session on the event form that you created when you applied for your number.

I'm sure that I'll think of more things as I go. This will all make much more sense as we do this.

Hmm

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

So... Let's begin with basics.

Choosing your scenario. As a new GM, I would suggest doing something fairly simple and easy. Are there any low level adventures that you've already played and liked?

Hmm


I'm totally new to PFS. I've played and liked temple of empyreal enlightenment but not for PFS.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment is great fun! So, totally new to PFS, and you're jumping in as a GM! I admire your spirit!

So... My guess is that you've played PbP, wanted to give GMing a try, and got the recommendation to first GM something short, like a PFS scenario. And that's how you wound up here. Is this correct?

I'm just asking so that I can have a clear idea of what you want to do as a GM, so I can guide you better.

Hmm


GM Hmm wrote:


So... My guess is that you've played PbP, wanted to give GMing a try, and got the recommendation to first GM something short, like a PFS scenario. And that's how you wound up here. Is this correct?

Hmm

Well, I've been playing and GMing pbp from a long time, I just want to try PFS because, as you say, the scenarios are short (We finished temple of empyreal enlightenment in pbp, something that is harder to do with longer adventures)

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Okay, that's great. And since you've GMed non-PFS PbP, you'll already know most of the PbP conventions and I won't have to make you go over those.

I'm going to suggest that you pick something fun and short, maybe even a low-level 1-2 adventure that is replayable in PFS. Since you've GMed before, I'm going to suggest the following options:

1) Consortium Compact -- It's a recent adventure for levels 1-2 that has a lot of player choice, but has all stat blocks included, and it's fun. It has a nice mix of combat and RP.

2) Mists of Mwangi -- It's the very first of the episodes in the infamous Blakros Museum. It's a combat-heavy romp that you can ham up as a GM.

3) The Confirmation -- It's a classic, and it's replayable. It has a little of everything.

4) Sun Orchid Scheme -- I love this one so much I co-wrote Player Handouts and a GM Prep Sheet for it. Think Ocean's Eleven, but for low-level characters.

For having the closest feel to Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, I think that option 1 or 4 might be good fits for you.

Hmm

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Nicos, I realized that I missed something important.

The first thing you need to do is join the society and get a PFS player number.

This number will be on every chronicle sheet you GM, and also on the sheet of every character you play! It's how the society tracks you.

When you finish a Scenario, you fill out chronicles for the players. These chronicles are a record of a players accomplishments, wealth and prestige in the society.

Will you be planning to play PFS yourself? If so, you can apply chronicles from the scenarios you GM to a PFS character of your own. Details for all of this are in the Roleplaying Guild Guide.

Hmm

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

Once you've got yourself started, some people have posted ideas for whole campaign arcs. Those are lists of scenarios organized by themes. You can browse through to give yourself an idea of what to run/play for a more cohesive experience.

Liberty's Edge 5/5 Regional Venture-Coordinator, Online

Howdy, Nicos - welcome to PFS PbP Online Play.

GM Hmm, et al, have already done a great job with hints and help above - thanks guys.

To extend that, I'll have our PFS Online Venture-Agents for PbP drop you a line to help make sure you get a smooth start and help you get going.

If you need any help at all, with anything, feel free to drop us a line at any time. (My Contact Information will be below)

Here are the Online VOs you'll want to keep on speed-dial for future reference:

James AKA Iammars, VL-Online Play
Mike AKA Endless Forms, VA-Online Play - PbP (Paizo)
Kris AKA Greycloak of Bowness, VA-Online Play - PbP (Mythweavers)

There is a terrific PFS Online Play PbP community, so I am sure you will find a ton of volunteers to help you get going as well.

Also make sure to check out he Flax Seed Lodge - much of the Paizo Forums PFS PbP play goes through there: http://paizo.com/campaigns/TheFlaxseedLodgeCoreCampaign/discussion&page =last

And Mythweavers has a solid PFS PbP community: http://www.myth-weavers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19749

Best of luck,

- Jesse

Jesse R. Davis [IronHelixx]
PFS Venture-Captain, Online Play
Jesse@PathfinderSocietyOnline.com
http://PathfinderSocietyOnline.com

Our Mission: To Champion, Serve, Support, and Build the PFS Online Community.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

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Having Jess chime in here underscores a very important aspect about the PFS GM community. You don't have to go it alone.

There are lots of resources, and other GMs that have gone through an adventure are more than willing to help.

Two resources that every PFS GM should know about:

1) Pathfinder Society GM Discussion. There are GM threads devoted to just about every scenario where GMs ask questions, share ideas and discuss potential pitfalls in a scenario.

2) PFS Shared GM Prep. This is where GMs share their handy-dandy prep documents. Not every adventure has one, but most do. Invaluable!

Good luck, Nicos. Don't hesitate to ask questions or seek help!

Hmm


I'll read all this and will (hopefully!) soon join the fray as a PFS GM!

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Oh... we'd totally welcome you, Eschie! Do you have any questions we can answer?

Hmm

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Maybe we can put together a mini-guide type deal to be able to send to people interested in GMing? I know that when I was first starting out, there was a lot of stumbling around before I found the Flaxseed Lodge. Of course, maybe we can just point people to this thread since HMM and Jesse have covered pretty much everything.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

I was thinking about consolidating this thread into a mini-guide. Do you want to join me in this endeavor, Rigby?

I realize now that I have several mini-guides I want to put together:

  • Botting in PFS PBP
  • Pacing in PBP (not limited to PFS)
  • So you want to GM PFS PbP
  • Recommended Practices for PFS PbP (though that might be combined with the mini-guide, above.)
But first... I need to conclude the module that my current group is running through, or they WILL revolt!

Hmm

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'd be up for it! Even though I'm not a SUPER active GM, since I tend to only run my ongoing Second Darkness game, GM one PbP at a time and maybe play in one PbP at a time - though I definitely think "Running Multiple Games at Once" is good thing to tackle. But, maybe we should take this to PM and then unveil when it's all done?

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/5 **** Venture-Lieutenant, Virginia—Norfolk

Totally following this. :):) I always need more advise and help. And I'm running my first PbP tomorrow.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Hey Shannon!

There are some things that may be different for you in PBP than they would be in a live game. First off, is your first PbP going to have a recruitment thread, or are you going to be pulling in people you already know?

If you're doing a recruitment thread, I recommend having people apply with a form:

__

    Please reply with the following information:

    Player's forum handle:
    Character name:
    PFS#
    Race/Class(es)/Level(s):
    Faction:
    Any special rules, boons, or corner cases you need to let me know about:

    Day Job Roll:

    1) This will be a fast-moving game. Do you agree to post daily and let the group know about absences or vacations?

    2) If you are going to be absent for a day, do you agree to be botted in combat to keep things moving?

    3) Write a few sentences about your character in your character's own voice. Feel free to ham it up!

___

You don't have to use this exact form. Feel free to come up with your own questions / points! But it's nice to have all this information early so it's there when you need it.

The last three statements on the form are there primarily to set expectations. Hey, I want you to participate. Hey, I might bot you every once in a while to keep things moving. Hey, I want you to roleplay. The more clear both you and your players are about expectations, the less likely anyone's going to get disappointed.

Hmm

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

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To have a fast moving pbp, you need three main elements:

1) A great group of players with good chemistry;

2) A responsive GM;

3) Some savvy about the tricks that make pbp go faster:

  • Blocked initiative, perception checks and saves;
  • Spoilered skill checks;
  • Pushes and hooks to make sure that your players have stuff to which to respond;
  • Map links in GM headers so that they're always accessible;
  • Preparing a few posts ahead when possible.
___

The first element can be a matter of luck or really good recruitment savvy. The rest is the stuff you provide. Still, remember that PbP is a partnership of what you provide and what your players offer.

Many of these tips are outlined in the Campaign Info Tab for the Flaxseed Lodge under PbPing for GMs.

I also recommend Painlord's Guide to PbP GMing.

Hmm


Ok. Thank you all for the advices.

Now, uhm, I Just finishing reading the PFS guild guide and is filling the chronicle sheet the pain it seems to be?

Something else, there seems to be no much words dedicated to playing pbp. For example, is the block initiative legal to play in pbp? can I copy-paste the battle map from the scenario pdf and post it in the gameplay?, If I open a recruitment thread I have to accept the first 4-6 people who submit a character?

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Great! You read the guide! Now let's answer your questions.

CHRONICLE SHEETS

Chronicle sheets are a little less than the pain they seem to be. I wish they would update the guide to reflect common practice.

Even in F2F games, most GMs fill out only the following:

1) The top line: Naming the player, the character, the PFS number and the faction;
2) The bottom line: The name of your event ('Nicos PbP' is a fine event name), your event code number, your name either printed or signed, your PFS number;
3) The spots requiring GM initials in the right column: Tier played, XP earned, gold earned and day job.

There also may be boons or treasure crossed off depending on the tier played, the character's faction or what happened in a mission. I'll PM you a link to a chronicle sheet that I did, so you can see how I filled it out.

The only time it may approach pain level is if you get a wizard or other prepared caster who wishes to scribe spells into a spell book. You'll need to record the spells he or she learned on the chronicle sheet, somewhere. Be proactive, and ask prepared arcane casters if they're doing this.

BLOCKED INITIATIVE

Common practice and legal!

MAPS

Usually these are extracted from the PDF to get a clean copy and then uploaded into a google slides file. Google slides are preferable to google drawings because most people on mobile devices can move their own minis. Check out the Doom link in my profile for an example. Most GMs have a link to the slide show in their header while the game is progressing.

CHARACTER RECRUITMENT

You can choose whether your PbP game is public or private. Many PbP GMs take the first six people who apply and just go. However, you can also state that you're running a recruitment, and that you're going to be picky. Just be open about what you're doing, and how you're selecting spots, and it will all work out.

Hmm

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

So, for others reading this, it sounds like we'd need two conversion guides here.

One for experienced PbP GMs who'd like to try jumping into PFS.

One for experienced Face to Face PFS GMs who'd like to try GMing PbP.

Or maybe just one guide with multiple sections? Do any of you who've been reading along here have thoughts on how you'd like it to be organized? I feel like I've been monopolizing this thread, and want to make certain that the kind of information presented here is helpful.

Hmm


Ok, I think I'm ready to try it. I only need to choose one low level adventure from the first years of PFS, any recommendation?.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

So you want something from one of the early seasons, specifically? How about Assault on the Kingdom of Impossible? That one has some good RP and a fun set up. Clever plot twists too. I loved playing it!

Mists of Mwangi is a classic. That's the first of the Blakros Museum arc. It's mostly combat, but there is some rp and the setting itself is fun.

I had fun GMing Beggar's Pearl -- another scenario that is mostly combat.

Hopefully others will chime in here with suggestions.

Hmm

Dark Archive 1/5

Nicos, if you are looking for a player that you want in your first game (and if needed an help out) I can help

As for starting: Confirmation always works, Consortium Compact (I loved that one and prefer it over confirmation tbh).

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

I also love Consortium Compact, and recommended it. It's not an early season episode, but it's great!

Hmm


Still undecided but I think it will be mist of Mwangi

Psyblade wrote:

Nicos, if you are looking for a player that you want in your first game (and if needed an help out) I can help

That would be great.

Dark Archive 1/5

Nicos wrote:

Still undecided but I think it will be mist of Mwangi

Psyblade wrote:

Nicos, if you are looking for a player that you want in your first game (and if needed an help out) I can help

That would be great.

Let me know when you want to kick it off, I might bring a fresh lvl 1 char, or 1 with 1 scenario under it's belt

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