Cottonseed Lodge (PFS2)

Game Master Redelia

rainzax wrote:

Haha, I wish more GMs did feedback.

(But also guilty of side-stepping it myself)

Personally, while the idea is nice, I'd prefer the players take a serious look at their performance. Plenty of GMs take a reflective look at their performance, but it is almost unheard of that players engage in similar self reflection.

Something to keep in mind, though, is there's a qualitative difference between actual shortcomings as a player/GM and differences in play style. Even in OP, which is designed to minimize the impact of stylistic differences, there are still players that I'd prefer not to GM for...not because they're incompetent players, but because I know that I will have less fun running for them. (That cuts both ways, so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm on someone else's similar list.) It's arguably worse in PbP, because the games last much longer.

I will tell you that if you give me a form it is likely that what you'll mostly get from me is positive feedback.

There is also Ye Olde Compliment Sandwich: say something nice, say constructive criticism, and then say something nice.

Just a heads up for my tables. I lost home internet service last night. So there will be a delay in updates.

GM Hmm wrote:

I will tell you that if you give me a form it is likely that what you'll mostly get from me is positive feedback.

There is also Ye Olde Compliment Sandwich: say something nice, say constructive criticism, and then say something nice.

We call it Kiss-Kick-Kiss... say something nice - kick them - then say something nice :)

I'm a fan of the (thinly-veiled) Rose, Bud, Thorn.

It's a Verdant Wheel way of doing it.

(aka bread-bread-meat or kiss-kiss-kick by analogy).

Envoys' Alliance: ally, future ally, ally
Horizon Hunters: prepare, march, rest
Radiant Oath: light, harm, heal
Vigilant Seal: protect, destroy, contain

I think I'm missing one but I can't think of it at the moment.

Grand Archive

Grand Archive: abstract, discussion, conclusions

Matching the verb forms: Abstract, Discuss, Conclude.

Just a heads up for my tables. I lost home internet service last night. So there will be a delay in updates.

Tiger's Internet issues continue. Please bot him if he's playing in your game, and be patient if he is GMing for you.

Thanks.
Hmm

Thanks for passing on the message for him, HMM.

I'm back. Hmm is the best! :)

just a head's up -- my monitor at home is showing signs that it's about to hit the Dying 4 state.

You are having a rough go of it. Best wishes to you and your electronics.

ATTENTION PATHFINDERS

The recent announcent about the launch of the new Paizo store may have some concerned about what will happen to the forums and how that will impact play here in general and PBP Gameday XIV games in particular. There is no expected impact other than the "couple of days" downtime for the games that are being run off the forums. However, we all know that tech upgrades rarely go smoothly, so we will need to be flexible and roll with whatever happens.

For standard scenarios being run on the Paizo Forums, that means just checking in on your games regularly and waiting for the site to come back up. If technical glitches keep games from being finished before the end date of Gameday, we will work with you to finish up and get some late reporting in.

For those running or playing in the PFS1, PFS2, or SFS1 Multi-Table Specials, we will likely pause ALL games (both on the forums and in the discords) until the forums players are able to rejoin.

For updates check here (if available) or head to discord, such as this one for Organised Play topics.

I want to inform the games I’m currently running and playing that I’ve been experiencing internet issues since yesterday, preventing me from posting updates, and it’s also challenging for me to update through my mobile device.

It's this stupid weather we're having. Two typhoons in the last week or so.

Move the Phillipines closer to New Zealand, it should solve the typhoon problem.

Hah. We've had the odd hurricane wander this far south. I blame global warming and the idiots who don't realise it's a problem.

Well, also for a heads up for my tables -- I will be traveling for both work and some R&R at the end from 6 Oct to 13 October. I will be checking and posting but please expect some delays. 6 and 13 are my travel days so there will be less activity from me (but then again, 6 Oct Philippine time is still Sunday in the US) :)

oh and one other thing -- I'm between PCs at home (due to the Windows 11 update -- have to buy a new PC altogether as my current one won't run W11). Only place I can make good updates (at least, updates that are not sparse) is at work for now.

Please be patient with me as I have quite a bit of stuff happening ATM :)

For what its worth, the windows 10 end-of-support is what prompted me to proactively switch to linux in january of this year. It was a little bit of learning curve but overall its been great. If your computer can run windows 10 then it will be able to run linux and could replace the need to buy a new PC. You would want to make sure you backup data on an external drive first though so you dont lose anything in the switch. There's lots of info/guides out there but if you need help then let me know

I still have my mom and my SO set up on windows since that is what they are used to and like, but if you don't want to spend money on a new computer then linux might be worth looking into.

true, but as a Windows gamer, I really need Windows. Plus some of the stuff I do for work are mostly MS Office based and without running any funky emulators which make Office problematic, switching was the only option I had. My issue is that my PC was too old to run W11 (TPM requirement)...

But Linux is really the way to go. My backend servers at work are all running Linux, including the file servers and domain controllers...

My 2 Linux-based domain controllers are named after 2 people that I like playing PbP with:

a. Primary (w/ DHCP) - TekiStronggut (Hmm's PC)
b. Secondary - named in honor of my first PbP GM (Tyranius)

I'm honored. Are you sure though that you want a server named after the goddess of forgotten and unlikely heroes?

(On the other hand, my new nickname is the 'Rememberer' so maybe that works! I will try to offer all the divine protection that I can!)

Teki Stronggut
Retired Pathfinder (and newly ascended goddess)

Any particular version of Linux?

Any particular version of Linux?

File Servers: Ubuntu Server 24.04.3 LTS (no desktop/GUI)

Oh and those familiar with Ubuntu should know that they use animal names to name their releases.

22.04 is Jammy Jellyfish
24.04 is NOBLE NUMBAT :)

Just as a reminder - tomorrow is a travel day for me. I will be checking the boards but there will be delays.

Can Dawn of the Frogs be replayed via a Replay Boon (well, 3 of them) since there are 3 chronicle sheets? Lorespire doesn't allow replays when it's a single chronicle...

Granted and purchased Replays can only be used on adventures that grant 4 XP or fewer.

Is the relevant text from the OP Guide.

Pathfinder Game Night: Dawn of the Frogs presents three short adventures for 1st level.

Each adventure has its own chronicle sheet.

I see no reason why it wouldn't be allowed. The product is 3 adventures, each with its own 4xp sheet. (Even if they are just labeled Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3)

Just a note for my tables. There's a cough/cold bug making the rounds at work and I just got it. I'm fine, just a bit miserable ATM (something about failing a fortitude save...). Thanks for your patience.

To the games I’m currently playing and running. I thought I’d have the mental capacity to post updates, but unfortunately, I don’t. I’m in the middle of a work audit right now, and I’m too tired to post after work. If possible, please delay or bot my character when needed. For the games I’m running, kindly wait for my updates once I get the chance. Thank you for your understanding.

Take your time! The games will be there after you're rested.

Hi everyone!
I’m completely new to Pathfinder and Paizo Organized Play, and I’m really excited to start getting involved! I’ve just started my first two adventures here on the forums and it's been a lot of fun so far.
I’d love to find a good beginner-friendly adventure so If anyone has recommendations for scenarios that are great for first-time players — I’d really appreciate your suggestions!
I’m still learning the ropes of Pathfinder and the online Paizo community, so any advice or friendly guidance is very welcome. Thank you so much in advance :)

Hi everyone!

I’m completely new to Pathfinder and Paizo Organized Play, and I’m really excited to start getting involved! I’ve just started my first two adventures here on the forums and it's been a lot of fun so far.
I’d love to find a good beginner-friendly adventure so If anyone has recommendations for scenarios that are great for first-time players — I’d really appreciate your suggestions!
I’m still learning the ropes of Pathfinder and the online Paizo community, so any advice or friendly guidance is very welcome. Thank you so much in advance :)

I would suggest any of the x-01 scenarios. They are the first scenario of each season, are for levels 1-4, are repeatable (that is, any number of your characters may play those scenarios), introduce the theme or major characters of each season, and are generally relatively straight-forward in how they run.

Hi everyone!

I’m completely new to Pathfinder and Paizo Organized Play, and I’m really excited to start getting involved! I’ve just started my first two adventures here on the forums and it's been a lot of fun so far.
I’d love to find a good beginner-friendly adventure so If anyone has recommendations for scenarios that are great for first-time players — I’d really appreciate your suggestions!
I’m still learning the ropes of Pathfinder and the online Paizo community, so any advice or friendly guidance is very welcome. Thank you so much in advance :)

Welcome, lilythium! I'm glad to see that you have already jumped into a few adventures and are having fun.

As Ira mentioned, the x-01 scenarios make for good first scenarios, especially if you are looking for an introduction to some of the major storylines.

If you are looking to learn more about rules and mechanics, a number of bounties and quests would be a good place to begin. Many involve combats involving particular conditions and/or encounters using one of the rules subsystems, so they serve as a good way to become introduced to some of the rules. They are also pretty short, designed to be played within a hour or two in a face-to-face game (which generally translates to about a week or two via PbP).

With our PbP Gameday still ongoing, I expect a few of my tables will be wrapping up soon. So, if there is a particular adventure that think you would like to try, I would be happy to offer a table of it and save a seat for you (and any other beginner players).

Hi everyone!

I’m completely new to Pathfinder and Paizo Organized Play, and I’m really excited to start getting involved! I’ve just started my first two adventures here on the forums and it's been a lot of fun so far.
I’d love to find a good beginner-friendly adventure so If anyone has recommendations for scenarios that are great for first-time players — I’d really appreciate your suggestions!
I’m still learning the ropes of Pathfinder and the online Paizo community, so any advice or friendly guidance is very welcome. Thank you so much in advance :)

For introduction to the Pathfinder Society and the various factions:

For raw fun in a quick game:
Bounty 4 Cat's Cradle (level 1 only)
Bounty 5 Witch's Winter Holiday (level 1 only)
Bounty 9 Fishing in Anthusis (level 1 only)
Bounty 10 Hillcross Roundup (level 1 only)

Series 2 Quest 20 The Dacilane Academy's Show Must Go On (level 1-4)
Series 2 Quest 22 Friends in Need (level 1-4)

I would add one piece of advice though if you go for a level 1-4 adventure, make sure there isn’t too big a gap in character levels. Being a first level character in a group where everyone else is 3-4 tends to be a lot less fun. The Pathfinder 2 and Starfinder 2 rules system doesn’t work well when character levels are too far apart. The low level characters can often find they are unable to be effective.

With our PbP Gameday still ongoing, I expect a few of my tables will be wrapping up soon. So, if there is a particular adventure that think you would like to try, I would be happy to offer a table of it and save a seat for you (and any other beginner players).

Lilythium, take GM Valen (aka Lysle) up on his offer. He's a great PBP GM.

Valen, Llilythium is playing in a game with me and she's a really good new player. She'll bring a lot to your table.

Hmm

The next time I start a Level 1-4 game, I will save lilythium a seat, assuming nobody by the name of flora-ine comes around and reacts first.

There's probably enough alumni-niums of Gameday games to start a game. Sulfur those people, I may offer #1-02. I'll make sure they get a seat before all the seats argon.

But this bro-mine is a little busy for the next week or two, so I don't have enough time to zinc into a game.

Ooh #1-02 is a good scenario!

Lily's eyes widen, then widen more, until she looks somewhere between astonished and on the verge of happy tears. “Oh… oh wow,” she murmurs, blinking rapidly. “That’s— that’s so many replies!”

She laughs softly, the sound bubbling with both nervous energy and joy. Her cheeks are pink from the warmth of it all, and her smile doesn’t seem to fade even as she shakes her head in disbelief. "Thank you kindly for the welcome and all the advice. I’ve just started walking the Pathfinder Society trails, and already they’ve led me to some fine company. "

"Tempest, thank you for the kind words! Im still new to this but I'll do my best to live up to the praise" Her eyes shine with a mix of gratitude and excitement and says, "Actually, GM Valen… if you ever decide to run 1-12 The Burden of Envy again, I’d love to join! but I'll be honored to join any adventure you'll offer."

The next time I start a Level 1-4 game, I will save lilythium a seat, assuming nobody by the name of flora-ine comes around and reacts first.

There's probably enough alumni-niums of Gameday games to start a game. Sulfur those people, I may offer #1-02. I'll make sure they get a seat before all the seats argon.

But this bro-mine is a little busy for the next week or two, so I don't have enough time to zinc into a game.

"I’ll admit, I’m feeling pretty noble about the offer — you could say it helium-nates my spirits and sparked a reaction. I'll gladly take that seat whenever you're ready, I’m sure it’ll be an ionic experience. No pressure — I know things can get a little volatile when the schedule’s full. In the meantime, I’ll stay positive and keep my energy stable."

Lysle and/or Watery Soup, I may have another PBP newbie coming your way. I'm going to point drakkonflye to this discussion as they want to roleplay.

Hmm

"Actually, GM Valen… if you ever decide to run 1-12 The Burden of Envy again, I’d love to join! but I'll be honored to join any adventure you'll offer."

The honor is mine...

By request, now recruiting for a table of Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-12: Burden's Envy. This is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st-through 4th-level characters.

I would ask for the present time that only those who consider themselves to be new players sign up.

Two seats are reserved for lilythium and drakkonflye.

Sign-ups can be done here. After you sign-up, feel free to dot-and-delete in the Gameplay thread. Should you have any questions, feel free to post them here, in the Discussion thread for the table, or via PM.

After November 4th, any unclaimed seats will be made available on a first signed-up, first seated basis.

I am part of a trio that are playing together. The other two are new players. Would you be amenable to the three of us joining?

(Edit: For clarity, the characters just achieved level 2)

lilythium wrote:

"Actually, GM Valen… if you ever decide to run 1-12 The Burden of Envy again, I’d love to join! but I'll be honored to join any adventure you'll offer."

The honor is mine...

By request, now recruiting for a table of Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-12: Burden's Envy. This is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st-through 4th-level characters.

I would ask for the present time that only those who consider themselves to be new players sign up.

Two seats are reserved for lilythium and drakkonflye.

Sign-ups can be done here. After you sign-up, feel free to dot-and-delete in the Gameplay thread. Should you have any questions, feel free to post them here, in the Discussion thread for the table, or via PM.

After November 4th, any unclaimed seats will be made available on a first signed-up, first seated basis.

This is a really fun scenario. It was one of the first ones I played.

GM Valen wrote:

lilythium wrote:

"Actually, GM Valen… if you ever decide to run 1-12 The Burden of Envy again, I’d love to join! but I'll be honored to join any adventure you'll offer."

The honor is mine...

By request, now recruiting for a table of Pathfinder Society Scenario #1-12: Burden's Envy. This is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st-through 4th-level characters.

I would ask for the present time that only those who consider themselves to be new players sign up.

Two seats are reserved for lilythium and drakkonflye.

Sign-ups can be done here. After you sign-up, feel free to dot-and-delete in the Gameplay thread. Should you have any questions, feel free to post them here, in the Discussion thread for the table, or via PM.

After November 4th, any unclaimed seats will be made available on a first signed-up, first seated basis.

This is a really fun scenario. It was one of the first ones I played.

Likewise. It was my second or third PFS game.

I am part of a trio that are playing together. The other two are new players. Would you be amenable to the three of us joining?

(Edit: For clarity, the characters just achieved level 2)

I want to focus on newer players first, but I have seen a bit of interest from more seasoned players as well. I am humbled by the continued interest and kind words, especially for an old scenario.

I will stick with my current offer limiting the table to new players until November 4th, but I am leaning towards offering a second table (life permitting).

With the three players you mentioned, that would be a legal table in and of itself (and I am sure we could add a few more, especially given the availability of ACP and replays).

ATTENTION PATHFINDERS

It looks like the plan is for Paizo.com to go down at 8 a.m. Pacific on Monday, November 3rd, and the site will likely remain down for a few days.

You can check out the latest Paizo blog for an update on the timelines for the forums being down while they implement the new store. See here for details.

Lysle and/or Watery Soup, I may have another PBP newbie coming your way. I'm going to point drakkonflye to this discussion as they want to roleplay.

Hmm

Hello, that would be me, and thank you Hmm for sending the information my way.

1) How is character creation done? Are players bound by PFS2 guidelines? Or is character creation a bit more loose, allowing for Uncommon or Rare backgrounds et al not yet available in PFS2 play?

2) How do you handle die rolls? Honor system? Online digital dice? GM rolls for everyone?

3) How often do people post? I read the article where quality is often better than quantity, but I would assume most GMs would prefer daily check-ins unless that's physically impossible.

4) Are maps ever used for PBP play? Or is it all done by storytelling?

I'm sure I may have other questions later on, but those are the first ones that come to mind for me. Thank you for your time

You could take a look at an ongoing game for examples if you are interested. There are PLENTY of them and your best bet is to just pick one that launched from the recruitment thread of this forum and look at it.

Uncommon/rare stuff is available if you have a boon to use them. You can get these boons by spending achievement points you accumulate by playing in PFS, from boons awarded specifically by the chronicle sheet you earned from a game you have played, and sometimes because a class feature calls for it (in which case a boon is not needed).

In practice, character sheets are sometimes checked by GMs but not always, and they will more likely check if you use an ability they know is hard to come by or if something seems off. Sometimes the GM thinks it is off and discovers that they did not know of some rule or boon. You never stop learning, I guess. But it is usually handled with kindness and consideration and the questioning of a character sheet is not to be considered distrustful. Really, they are just doing their job right. Many players (myself included) welcome audits just to know that I got it right and often I can learn something.

Die rolls are typically done using the forums dice bot. Check out the "How to format your test" spoiler below. It tells you how to make a roll.

Some GMs move at different speeds but the most common requirement is at least one post a business day/weekend. Sometimes we run specials during conventions and they can be abnormally fast paced.

Maps are generally handled using google docs or google slides, but some use a more sophisticated interface like roll20. It is up to the GM. Theater of the Mind (mapless) is a thing too, but rarer, and usually when a map is not really useful.

...but I do have a few questions:

1) How is character creation done? Are players bound by PFS2 guidelines? Or is character creation a bit more loose, allowing for Uncommon or Rare backgrounds et al not yet available in PFS2 play?

2) How do you handle die rolls? Honor system? Online digital dice? GM rolls for everyone?

3) How often do people post? I read the article where quality is often better than quantity, but I would assume most GMs would prefer daily check-ins unless that's physically impossible.

4) Are maps ever used for PBP play? Or is it all done by storytelling?

I'm sure I may have other questions later on, but those are the first ones that come to mind for me. Thank you for your time

Hello and welcome! In order:

1) For Organized Play, we use the same PFS2E character creation rules as in person. That said, in campaign mode (that's the 1E term; can't remember if it's different in 2E) you can play a character through an Adventure Path or other non-PFS adventure and get PFS credit for it--in those cases, you use whatever variant the GM wants (free archetype is a common one).

2) The boards have a dice roller--if you click on the "Show" button at the bottom of the page, next to "How to format your text" you can see the command format for it and things like bold and italics.

3) Aspirationally, at least once/day. In reality, it depends.

4) Mostly people here IME use Google Slides or similar, but I've seen a few people use Roll20. Over on Discord folks use those or Tableplop, and there are probably others.

ETA: Or what miteke wrote while I was typing....

Have fun, and happy gaming!