OPC Musings
Hi everybody,
This blog is going to be a little different. As you know, a couple of weeks ago, Paizo announced a restructuring, laying off eleven employees—including both Pathfinder Society developers—and severely reducing our Organized Play output.
I’m trying not to focus on any of that, and instead focus on the positive. On the thousands of players worldwide, on the people who have reached out to check in on me and my coworkers. On you all, who love our games so much and are determined to do whatever you can to help us, and to keep playing.
The future is going to be rocky. I don’t have answers today, but I will soon, and they’ll be what they’ll be. For now, just know that we love you all. I’m going to keep the rest of this blog as positive as possible, as we need some good news in our lives right now, and I’ve got plenty of that to share.
Digital Adventure Releases
The following adventures will be released on August 3, 2026, and can be run at events beginning on that date.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-01: Intro to the Year of Clockwork Mystery
Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-02: The Fey Reclamation
Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-03: For the Love of Vanity
Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-04: A Theft in Riddleport
Starfinder Society Scenario #2-01: The First Cut
Starfinder Society Scenario #2-02: Solar Shake Up
Starfinder Society Scenario #2-03: Bittersweet
Starfinder Society Scenario #2-04: A Watery Grave
GM and Volunteer Recognition
Campaign Service Coins
Convention season has truly begun! One of my favorite things I get to do when I attend conventions is hand out Campaign Coins. We award these coins to members of the community who have gone above and beyond to provide an exceptional program to the community at large. Campaign Coins are awarded based on nominations; if you believe someone in your community is deserving of this award (whether or not they are a Venture Officer), send an email to organizedplay[at]paizo[dot]com with their name and reasons.
Congratulations to a record batch of Campaign Coin awards:
Kirill Shtorm, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #892
Derek Pearson, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #894
Mark Price, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #895
Emese Kollár, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #933
Brenael, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #940
Michael Beck, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #946
Treassa Cumpston, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #950
JJ Yardley, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #953
Geoff Barbour, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #954
Solatra, AKA Stygia, credited as Sasha Laranoa Harving, who now holds a Campaign Coin and OP ID #957
Order of the Wayfinder
In addition to the Campaign Service Coin, we also have one other award: the Order of the Wayfinder. This award is given out only once per year, and it recognizes a member of the community who has provided exceptional service. Typically, we give this award to individuals who have taken on a particular project and knocked it out of the park. Previously, this award has been awarded to the head of our Gen Con committee and our Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Online region, among others.
In the past month I was actually able to induct two new members into the Order of the Wayfinder. While I had 2025’s in my pocket last year, there was never a good opportunity to award it, and I fixed that this year.
Ian Hawthorne, photographer Auke Teeniga
2025 Order of the Wayfinder - Ian Hawthorne (#109)
Ian has been the Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Isles region (covering Great Britain & Ireland) since just before I joined the company. In that time, he has been the very model of a modern RVC. The Isles region was hit hard by the pandemic-era lockdowns, but his leadership steered them through and into a growth period today. His calm and decisive leadership has seen the region through turbulence these past six years. He has also served as one of the lead organizers for their presence at UK Games Expo, one of Europe’s largest gaming conventions and the region’s largest event of the year, as well as establishing a presence at Tabletop Scotland. Ian is someone whose opinions I trust implicitly, and he’s a delight to spend any length of time with. I am thrilled to induct Ian into the Order of the Wayfinder.
:Janice Piette, photographer Betty Jo Osthoff
2026 Order of the Wayfinder - Janice Piette (#110)
Janice is the outgoing Venture Captain for the state of Ohio, a state that holds a special place in my heart. She took over in a turbulent time for the state and the area, but her leadership kept things steady and on track. She has served as the lead for Origins, the largest convention in the state and one of Organized Play’s largest presences outside of Gen Con, and led her team to a number of incredibly successful conventions. There’s nobody in the area who doesn’t love Janice and isn’t sad to see her leaving us later this year. She may be downsizing for a move to France, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without giving her one more thing to take with her.
GM Ranks
Whether stars, novas, glyphs, or a secret fourth thing, achieving a 5 ranking in any program involves a substantial amount of time. To achieve the 5th milestone, a GM must run 150 games, of which at least 50 must be unique scenarios and 10 special scenarios, as well as running between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependent). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!
This month we had one GM reach their fifth rank!
5th Glyph (PFS2): Brian Dailey
If you believe you’ve completed your 5th rank but haven’t been announced yet, please email me at organizedplay@paizo.com.
Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And be excellent to each other. We’ll see you at Gen Con!
Alex Speidel
Convention and Organized Play Manager