PFS GenCon Noob


Pathfinder Society


A few questions from a GenCon first-timer and someone not-so experienced in PFS.

I know PFS asks that you own your sources. Am I expected to bring them all to the convention?

Is it possible to start multiple characters and get them to a decent level?
Is it possible to take a level 1 and get them to 10-11?

This'll be my first time at any sort of gaming convention and I'll be spending a lot of it alone and I'm worried I'll back myself out of participating in anything. What are some good tips for first timers?

5/5 5/55/55/5

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Echos Myron wrote:

A few questions from a GenCon first-timer and someone not-so experienced in PFS.

I know PFS asks that you own your sources. Am I expected to bring them all to the convention?

technically yes but... the odds of you actually getting an audit decrease dramatically with the size of your geek bag. If people see a small library of stuff

If you are stuck for bag space/carrying capacity prioritize the sources that 1) are absolutely integral to your character 2) have some wonky rules interactions the dm is going to want to look at. It's no big deal if you can't use your wand of infernal healing because you got caught in an audit but having your archtype not work/entier character not work is a bigger deal.

Quote:
Is it possible to start multiple characters and get them to a decent level?

12 is kind of the cap. after that it gets tricky to have more than one (but it's expanding)

Is it possible to take a level 1 and get them to 10-11?

Quote:
This'll be my first time at any sort of gaming convention and I'll be spending a lot of it alone and I'm worried I'll back myself out of participating in anything. What are some good tips for first timers?

You are home.

you are going to find a place where you finally blend in. Scary as that seems to be.

Grand Lodge 3/5

The conventions are quite fun, but daunting at first. Loads of good people are about, and willing to help if asked. Just be prepared for those who say that there is only one way to play a class.

Bring snacks and a drink or two in a small bag, in case thirst and hunger decide to rear their ugly heads.

Some of my most memorable games came from a convention, and I knew only a few people from working HQ a day or two.

Also, pacing is key, as you don't want to tire yourself to the point where you get the con crud....

Other than that, welcome to the Pathfinder Society!

(It's my first time to GenCon as well, and I'm quite excited about it.)

5/5 5/55/55/5

I have a gencon brass tacks thread down in the DM discussion.

Should be an interesting week.

4/5 ** Venture-Agent, Missouri—St. Louis

Assuming you mean ability to get a character to decent level AT GENCON? No. In theory, you could play every slot and get a character to just shy of 5th level, but that's an awful lot of time spent playing Pathfinder that you could spend doing other stuff. Not that Pathfinder Society isn't a blast, but there's a lot of things happening at GenCon, and it'd be a shame to spend the entire time in the Sagamore. ;)

Grand Lodge 5/5

One suggestion to deal with the sources issue, particularly if you don't go the PDF route (which is the best way for GC honestly, tablets/phones are a lot lighter :) ). Don't bring all your characters. I know, this sounds a bit odd but hear me out. I, for example have 19 characters with at least one XP, but in the time I've been going to GenCon, I've never brought more than 5 or so. I bring any characters I'm committed to playing (this year my Rondelero) and a few others so I have one for each tier. Haven't made the cut yet, but I'll probably bring my Brawler 2, Scythe Fighter 4, Rondelero 6, Enchantress (Arcanist 10...yes, THAT Enchantress) and maybe one other. Keeps the weight down which, honestly, is HUGE at something like GenCon.

As also was said thought, while there's plenty of PFS goodness going on including some awesome looking stuff, spending time outside of the Sagamore is essential to a full GenCon experience


Thanks for the responses and great advice. I'm simply mapping out whether I should concern myself with PFS or not. If I do play, I'll probably sick with two or three games at most.

I purchased the humble bundle awhile back that came with a bunch of PDFs, but I've been lazy about downloading them on my kindle. I'll have to set aside some time for that.

Any games, pathfinder or other, that any of you would recommend? As it is, I've purchased one ticket for a Mutants and Masterminds game and a buddy I'm meeting up with got us tickets for a 5e game.

4/5 5/5 Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Tampere

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Echos Myron wrote:
Any games, pathfinder or other, that any of you would recommend? As it is, I've purchased one ticket for a Mutants and Masterminds game and a buddy I'm meeting up with got us tickets for a 5e game.

Consider for a moment where you are posing this question and try and deduce whether you're likely to get answers other than "Pathfinder".

Lantern Lodge 5/5

For what it's worth, I spent all 4 days of my first GenCon traversing the dealer's room, demoing games, and didn't feel like I scoped it completely.

Getting into a PFS scenario or two and leaving 'flex time' that you can use for any activity sounds like a perfect fit.

Liberty's Edge 3/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha

Echos Myron wrote:
I purchased the humble bundle awhile back that came with a bunch of PDFs, but I've been lazy about downloading them on my kindle. I'll have to set aside some time for that.

With the Humble Bundle you have all the resources you will need to get started. Take the time to download them and keep the Kindle handy just in case you need it.

I recommend printing out your download page from here so you can show it to a GM to prove you have the resource in case you run out of power on the Kindle.

You can also not worry about a character and only play pregens. That way you can try out different flavors and then start building your first character when you get back home.

I will be GMing 7-21, The Sun Orchid Scheme over the Con. Hope to see you at one my tables!

Dark Archive

I think gunslinger is the ideal first character. Or anything from the advanced class guide.

This was advice given to me. Not great


My first PFS character was a Mutagen Mauler Brawler but I was so reserved at the table that I honestly feel like I didn't contribute enough. I'm really excited to kick back and enjoy myself this time around.

@Gary Bush, I see a bunch of 7-21. Are you running all of them?

Liberty's Edge 3/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha

Oh boy no! I am will be running just 1 of many tables. I think there is anywhere from 5 to 10 tables running in each slot. I have no inside knowledge, just looking at the number of tickets and dividing by 6.


The ambient sound in the ballroom where the PFS games are played can get kind of loud, particularly during the big con special events (which I, nevertheless, recommend). If your hearing isn't great, sit as close to the GM as you can manage. The noise levels are generally a lot lower for non-special events because it's not as crowded. If that's better for you, plan to do off-special events. They're also plenty of fun.

There are definitely other good games worth checking out. Mutants and Masterminds and D&D5 are both good choices - though getting into events for them may be a challenge since competition for the tickets has probably been high. Get some generics, show up at events, and hope someone with specific tickets doesn't show (that happens relatively frequently, but people with specific tickets get priority).

Don't forget board games too. There's usually quite a bit of RoboRally going on.

Don't forget that, as a 1st level character, you can rebuild between scenarios until you reach 2nd level. So if that character doesn't work too well for your first scenario, REBUILD for the second and try again.

Sovereign Court 3/5

I'm GMing a great scenario to learn more about Pathfinder Society (the scenario is called The Wounded Wisp) on Saturday at 2pm. You should definitely heed others' advice and spend some time checking out the rest of the con, but get in some Pathfinder!

Community / Forums / Organized Play / Pathfinder Society / PFS GenCon Noob All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.