Cottonseed Lodge (PFS2)

Game Master Redelia

I do something similar, though my workflow is a little different. I start with a template, similar to Hmm's (though not so stylish). I select the first few slides (usually up through the map of Golarion), and use those to create my GM deck for that scenario. I have a bunch of assets in that template file, such as the Inner Sea map and the pictures of lots of venture-captains, which I copy over as needed into my GM deck. Any time a scenario has a flip-mat I don't yet have in the template, I copy it in to the template deck so that next time that map is used in a scenario I can just copy it over. Once I've built my GM deck for a scenario (like this one for 2-14 Lost in Flames), I'm then done with the template deck. Then, when I'm running a table, I make a new deck to be the player-facing deck and copy things over from the GM deck as needed. That way I can have GM-facing slides with stat blocks and such that the players never see, I can run multiple tables from the same GM deck, and I never have to reset it.

Dennis, may I copy your template?

I have a baseline myself but it could use some organization...

Sure, go for it.

Dennis, I would also like a copy. I have been looking to start GMing PbP, and this looks very useful.

This is great stuff. I started by stealing GM Tiger's PowerPoint for Port Pub Peril, but am looking to start running other things, so these templates will be super helpful.

Thanks!

This is great stuff. I started by stealing GM Tiger's PowerPoint for Port Pub Peril, but am looking to start running other things, so these templates will be super helpful.

Thanks!

I thought the bar regulars looked familiar... ;)

Dennis, I would also like a copy. I have been looking to start GMing PbP, and this looks very useful.

Feel free to make yourself a copy.

I know this isn't the best place to ask rules questions, but I was wanting to double check I am not missing something obvious before asking in the rules forums. Can a cleric with the Syncretism feat choose a pantheon as their second deity?

You're probably best off asking that in the rules forum.

From the pedantic perspective, it would be "No." The feat instructs you to select a second deity where Pantheons are collections of deities and they are introduced in LO:G&M as a separate entry within the Philosophies chapter and not listed in the master list of deities within LO:G&M. They're listed on AoN under Deities, presumably, for simplicity of organization.

From another perspective, "Sure. Why not?" They have all of the components of a deity.

However, do you need to choose a Pantheon mechanically? For cloistered clerics, the domains granted by a pantheon can all be found within one of the member deities, and, for warpriests, the weapons can all be found within one of the member deities. I suppose if you were trying to get around the alignment restriction or PFS legality of the member deity that had the domain/weapon you wanted to gain, which would probably push toward the more conservative/pedantic ruling.

The other place to ask is the PFS forums if you want to try to get an unofficial-official answer, but you risk pushing yourself into a corner.

Mostly for the flavor of following all of the sun deities (via Touch of the Sun) with a conrasu versus picking one. If needed I could readily pick one of them instead. Thanks for the response, I'll go check with the rules forums now.

At the table, there's probably not too many who would ever notice. However, you risk table variation between the two extremes with the subjectivity of intent, and I, at least, don't enjoy table variation with my core build choices so I try to avoid it in exchange for peace of mind.

Is anyone looking to run Quest #9: Wayfinder Origins (3-6, repeatable) anytime soon?

My Bard is now level 5 with 51 XP and I’m looking to get him the one XP needed to be aligned with the leveling.

I have been working toward GMing PbP, so I am willing to run Quest #9. It helps that I have already run it on VTT.

It will be my first time running on PbP, so I may be a little rough.

I can probably be ready to run by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest

I’ll play. I’m planning to run it myself but I usually like playing them first to get the feel for it.

Teki is a level four goblin bard Goddess who probably should do this one, just to even out her XP. Also, I have not played her in a while, and I really need to play once every few levels of GM credit just to prevent myself from losing touch with the character.

"Will you have room for the Goblin Goddess of Forgotten and Unlikely Heroes?" Then she pauses. "Er... Future goddess. Starstone Ascension pending..."

And since that is three people already, perhaps we should move this one to Recruitment?

I also have a level 3 character who can participate in it.

OK you convinced me.

Be gentle with me, but constructive criticism will be appreciated. I am also posting in the Recruiting thread, but with Tentative reservations for the folks who expressed interest here

From somebody with a "few" pbps under their belt my biggest 2 pieces of advice:

Think about what's been enjoyable when you've played, do that.

Think about what hasn't been enjoyable when you've played, don't do that.

And if you have questions don't be afraid to ask!

If there are still folks who have not played Q07 (A Curious Claim), I can run another table. 3-6 non-repeatable.

Thanks for all the support, and I'll do my best to ask questions as they come up.

At this point I am trying to get a handle on the mechanics: how to optimize Google slides page size for viewing on different platforms; collect user data via a table on a slide, or stealing one of the Google sheets others use; even how to create the campaign, as when I tried to create a thread where I thought it went, I got redirected to where it should have been.

I think I have things in a workable state right now. I have the Google slides sized at half the map size, hoping that will make it easy for people to find a view percentage that works for them.

I have never been overly concerned with image size on slides. Different people will view in vastly different devices, but its super easy to zoom in and out.

https://www.rpgchronicles.net/ is how most online games generate chronicles these days. You create the game, send players the links and they fill in their own information. At the end you input things like # of bundles and tadaa chronicle sheets. It's awesome.

Even reduces one more avenue for typos since you don't have to transcribe their PFS numbers etc.

what's the policy (or is there one) on non-English PFS games? Some of the folks from my IRL group may want to try but with English not their first language, they may want to use "Taglish (Tagalog+English)". If they're my games I can moderate it, but I don't want to accidentally violate some policy if I can help it.

Thanks for all the support, and I'll do my best to ask questions as they come up.

At this point I am trying to get a handle on the mechanics: how to optimize Google slides page size for viewing on different platforms; collect user data via a table on a slide, or stealing one of the Google sheets others use; even how to create the campaign, as when I tried to create a thread where I thought it went, I got redirected to where it should have been.

I think I have things in a workable state right now. I have the Google slides sized at half the map size, hoping that will make it easy for people to find a view percentage that works for them.

My first few games GM'ing PbP were clunky. It gets smoother in time. Don't hesitate to ask if you need help. We all had to start from zero.

what's the policy (or is there one) on non-English PFS games? Some of the folks from my IRL group may want to try but with English not their first language, they may want to use "Taglish (Tagalog+English)". If they're my games I can moderate it, but I don't want to accidentally violate some policy if I can help it.

Paizo's forums require it to be in English. That's a general rule for public forums, regardless of what you're using them for, I've gathered: posts need to be in a language the moderators can be read.

I have never been overly concerned with image size on slides. Different people will view in vastly different devices, but its super easy to zoom in and out.

https://www.rpgchronicles.net/ is how most online games generate chronicles these days. You create the game, send players the links and they fill in their own information. At the end you input things like # of bundles and tadaa chronicle sheets. It's awesome.

Even reduces one more avenue for typos since you don't have to transcribe their PFS numbers etc.

I was recently playing on my Android tablet, and noticed that if the map is bigger than the slide it is placed on, Chrome on Android doesn't let me scroll off the screen to see sections of the map that aren't within the slide page size. When the combat was on the edge of the map, it was annoying.

GM Tiger wrote:

what's the policy (or is there one) on non-English PFS games? Some of the folks from my IRL group may want to try but with English not their first language, they may want to use "Taglish (Tagalog+English)". If they're my games I can moderate it, but I don't want to accidentally violate some policy if I can help it.

Paizo's forums require it to be in English. That's a general rule for public forums, regardless of what you're using them for, I've gathered: posts need to be in a language the moderators can be read.

You could set up a Discord server (Disclaimer: I have no idea how hard that is, but my impression is that it's not hard at all) and run a PbD game there in any language you want. Or check with the folks over at MythWeavers or the official Discord lodges to see if they can let you run in another language.

Man, for some reason I never saw new posts in this thread. Posting to hopefully change it ;)

If you haven't posted in Gameplay, you might try that, too.

GM Tiger wrote:

Recruitment is open for:

Pathfinder Society Quest #7: A Curious Claim

A Pathfinder Society Quest designed for levels 3–6 (subtiers 3–4 and 5–6).

Money is power in the land of Druma and those who know how best to manipulate the economics of the land have the most of both. The PCs are sent to Druma to investigate a missing ship and the particulars of an insurance claim related to its disappearance, though both ravenous undead and agents of one of the Pathfinder Society's fiercest rival organizations seek to keep them from the truth behind the ship's sad end.

Written by: Dennis Muldoon

Signup Link

Start Date: 27 December 2021 or 48h after we get a legal table (4 players), whichever comes first. My inkling is that lots of people have played this so filling it will be a bit difficult, but we can try.

I can/will join this if there is still space when I finish 3x01 with you and apply a level from reporting Hellknight Hill to the character.

As of right now, Q07 on Paizo (I opened another table on Discord) is not quite legal yet (3 seats taken). You certainly have some time. Worst case, I can just run it again.

Your table is legal: 3 seats is legal with 1 player-run pregen.
In fact, 2 seats are legal with 2 player-run pregens, as long as pregens exist for the tier.

Scenarios without pregens (tier 7+) are legal at 3 with unanimous table assent and is considered "Hard Mode."

Your table is legal: 3 seats is legal with 1 player-run pregen.

In fact, 2 seats are legal with 2 player-run pregens, as long as pregens exist for the tier.

Scenarios without pregens (tier 7+) are legal at 3 with unanimous table assent and is considered "Hard Mode."

When you say "Player-Run", meaning one of the existing players will take a pregen? Or a 4th player jumps in with the pregen?

Legal Table Size

Adventures with a Minimum level of 5 or lower. For these adventures, the GM can run a table of two or three players, and can add additional appropriately leveled pregenerated iconic characters in order to meet the minimum table size of four PCs.

The GM can either play these characters themselves or deputize one or more players to run them, provided the player agrees to do so and feels capable of running an additional character.

Note the 2nd paragraph. Pregens to make a legal table are by default GM-run, and a Gamemaster can optionally ask the players if they are comfortable to run a pregen character on top of their own individual character. But a Gamemaster can't force this onto a player.

So if you have 3 players you can add a pregen that the GM would run by default. You can ask one of the 3 players if they are comfortable controlling the pregen but if no one does then the GM would need to control it.

Alternatively you can wait until there is a legal table without pregens.

Thank you for the correct, redeux!

How do we do the reporting for the double ACP one-shot event?

How do we do the reporting for the double ACP one-shot event?

Chronicle Information

Reporting Links
Starfinder Reporting Link

Pathfinder 2e Reporting Link

Cool. Thanks;.

I finished up, too. Happy Holidays!

Hmm

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!,

Shifting to Discussion

I though this was the first time 3-99 was being run, how could someone have played it?

It released last September so a few of the live groups and conventions hae run it already. This is the first for PbP. We would have loved to run it for the last Gameday but its release was 1-2 weeks after Gameday start and wouldn't have given the GM's any time to prepare.

You might have meant to put that in the 3-99 thread, not the Cottonseed, but there's only 3 edit minutes left...

From Recruiting

I though this was the first time 3-99 was being run, how could someone have played it?

GenCon, I believe, was its premier, and I'm guessing any Con after that.

Correct that 3-99 premiered at Gen Con. After that there are certain requirements for conventions to run it until the public release (August 2022). It's not quite "any" convention since last year King In Thorns was run a bit too often prior to public release and as a result the restrictions to run were tightened a bit for 3-99.

But regardless, it will be the first time 3-99 is played via play-by-post!

Good to know, some of us don't always remember which specials we've played and trying to track through your sessions even with a filtered search(which doesn't filter everything as it should be in my case) just to find it can be a hastle.

Yeah, I gave up on using the site to track what I've played and created myself a spreadsheet instead. It was a good opportunity to go through and audit my chronicles at the same time.

There's also pfstracker.net, which works pretty well.

I also use a spreadsheet that just has the list of scenarios and which characters I applied GM or PC credit towards.

Some GM's did put together similar spreadsheets---

From the Cayden's Keg discord (a Org Play online lodge) GM Myk put together This tracking sheet

There also was GM Lesrek who put together This tracking sheet.

If wanting to use one of those you'll need to to go File -> Make a copy. And if you have questions probably the best way to get help is ask the creator in the Cayden's Keg discord since I am unsure if either of those GM's watch the forums.

HERE is the tracker I made. Feel free to make a copy if you'd like.

Here is the one I use for myself. Anyone who wants to can make a copy.