Here's the ongoing class! Come check in, and we'll get talking about how we want to organize it, and what we want to tackle first.
Hmm
My biggest challenge will be maps, so lots of patience and help will be appreciated
I don't want to go first... so can I sign up to run The Monolith? - puts me smack in the middle if we go in order...
As for characters, since we have to play pregens... I think I'd like to play Estra, the Spiritualist, or Quinn, the investigator. I've never played Estra before so it might be fun to learn a new class... and I just love playing investigators, so I'd be happy with either one.
I'm here. Should we choose a character to play with? Is 1st level enough or does it have to be zero XP?
I am here. Don't mind where I go in the order. Will have to go sometime, so not fussy. Also not super fussy about what I play.
I'll GM any of them. Any pregen is fine with me too.
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You actually don't need pregens for this! Tonya and John opened both this and Silverhex to your own first level characters.
That said... The advantage of pregens is that their gear automatically replenishes each episode, and you can try out different pregens each time if you want to get a chance to play with a class you've never tried before each time.
Do you all want to do this with the pregens or with your own first level characters?
So... JAFO has volunteered for Monument. Should we just roll for everyone else? By the way, GM Bearington is soooo cute!
Hmm
Checking in! I'm happy to roll to see who runs the remaining sections. As far as who/what to play goes, I'd personally prefer to play my own character but I'm also cool with playing pregens if it's all or nothing and more people want to do pregens :)
Much as I'd like to play one of my own, all my 1st lvls are all involved in games, except for 2 which are registered but not fully fleshed out yet, so I'm going to use Estra, at least for the first quest... If I like her, I'll continue with her, otherwise, I'll switch out for another.
We can totally do a mixed group of pregens and real characters if you want. The first level characters do not have to be Zero XP.
So, let's roll for sections:
Bearington, you got "Harrow" which I actually like to run as the first quest because it introduces a party to Dunhob with a bit of RP, a prophecy and then a chance to problem solve. Would you be good with going first?
Four would normally be "Monolith" which has already been taken. You get "University!" This gives you a chance for some RP, some weirdness with an office and a bit of combat in a glass hot house.
Oh, you get the "Manor"! That's a great one for a bit of atmosphere and some fun low level combats.
So that leaves Thinking Flesh and Of Anything. One of you gets to craft the closing episode with the crazy psychic plant, and one of you get a scene in the wilderness with the nutty professor.
Let's roll to see which one of you gets to close us out. OfAnything, you're heads. ThinkingFlesh, you're tails.
OfAnything gets "Lightning" with the nutty professor. ThinkingFlesh, you get "Epicenter".
Sounds good to me! I'll be thinking on what character I want to play; I've got an idea for a witch character that I've been wanting to make but I've also got plenty of other options as well :D
Thanks Hmmm. University you say. I'll have a read of it while the boss isn't looking (I just started work for the day).
I also have a couple of options for characters. I have a brand spanking new War Drummer Skald or a brand spanking new Living Grimoire Inquisitor and I have kinda been wanting to make a bard.
GM Choon, do you want to play along as a character? Today is my crazy Wednesday, so I'll be back later tonight with our first homework assignments and maybe a discussion of the oddities of PFS play.
See you all tonight!
Hmm
Out of the phenomena, I think Lightning is the one I am least happy with how I've run it. I'll happily take the opportunity to improve.
I have no problems with going first! when is our start date? I'll review my quest right now.
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So... Homework Assignments for the GM Six:
1) Please download Phantom Phenomena, if you haven't already.
2) I'd like you to read the background information in the first part of Page 3, and then read all of your assigned section and the handout that corresponds to your section.
Some of you guys are experienced GMs, and probably already know how to read a PFS scenario. Others are just starting out. When I started, I found prepping some scenarios to be a tremendous hurdle.
For those of you new to PFS GMing, standard scenarios usually have several key parts:
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Each of these quests, in addition to being part of an ongoing story, is sort of a mini-adventure. There's adventure backstory. There's an adventure summary. There's (kinda sorta) a mission briefing in the form of Dr. Quolorum's letters -- the handouts at the back. Some of the quests even have built in "know before you go" skill checks. There's a thin bit of setting, some box text, things to explore and monsters to fight.
One of the things that I love about Phantom Phenomena is that it has good bones. It gives you a pretty good base story with some atmosphere, but it has lots of places that would be enriched by the GM adding details, or bringing characters like the nutty professor to life. It is also fairly loosely written, allowing player characters to use different skills to accomplish things like breaking into the 'Lucky Lantern.'
I want you to read your quest and look for places where you can bring out story and enrich setting. Can you add a sound or a smell description to make things a bit more vivid? Is there a place where you want to really bring out a bit of spooky atmosphere?
Another thing to consider is the "Mission Briefing." The handouts were designed as a way to give a convention GM who was just handed this quest series a way to quickly brief characters. You can use the letters, or you could have the mission delivered in character by the good professor. Or... you can do what GMs frequently do when adapting modules to PFS. Add a quick in character briefing from a favorite NPC Venture Captain, and then provide the letter.
What I want you to do, basically, is consider the little quest you've been given, and think a bit about what you can do with it. Try to go for few piquant details rather than having a wall of description. The point is to pull the characters into the setting, and give them a place to play.
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When you get a little time, read or re-read Painlord's Guide to PbP GMing.
It is GREAT stuff, though I think the single most important thing in there is "Finish what you start." You're going to make mistakes. (I just did, in misrembering which quest went first.). We all make them. Give yourself permission to make mistakes, learn from them and move on.
We're here to have fun.
Hmm
I have no problems with going first! when is our start date? I'll review my quest right now.
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Bearington, when would you like to start? Will a few days be enough, or would you like a week in order to prepare?
Shall we walk you through some basic prep steps of the things I like to set up before I start?
Hmm
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I think by Sunday I should be able to have it together. How do I set up a thread with tabs and all that?This is in Painlord's Guide, don't worry about this.
EDIT: WAIT! This: "Shall we walk you through some basic prep steps of the things I like to set up before I start?" just sank in. I would like a quick break down of what you like to set up. I know what I think I need/what I do for F2f games, but some structure for a PbP game would be appreciated.
GM Choon
Do you have specific questions that I can answer about GMing in PFS, or do you want me and the other folks in the group to just talk about PFS oddities that can surprise you at first as a GM?
Hmm
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I think by Sunday I should be able to have it together. How do I set up a thread with tabs and all that?
Okay, here are the steps. They are super-duper easy.
1) Go to the Play-by-Post forum.
2) Add new thread. You can title it 'GM 101 -- Bearington's Harrow' or something else descriptive.
3) If you have a first post in mind, you can use that, but you should also feel free to have the first post be a brief place holder, like:
Then you can make your second post as beautiful and detailed as you like, later!
4) Add a campaign when it prompts you to do so.
5) Report back here with a link and I will add it to the top of the thread, and to my own GM headers.
Hmm
PS Choon and the others spectating... If any of you have any tips, please, feel free to comment here. I want us all teaching each other!
Here is the link to the Campaign Tab. I'll populate the rest of it between now and Sunday.
EDIT: WAIT! This: "Shall we walk you through some basic prep steps of the things I like to set up before I start?" just sank in. I would like a quick break down of what you like to set up. I know what I think I need/what I do for F2f games, but some structure for a PbP game would be appreciated.
Prepping for Games:
1) Read the adventure.
2) Look to see if ANYONE ELSE had done prep, either in the PFS Prep site or in the PFS GM forum.
Etc.
I wrote a whole thread on this. It's an evolving process for me, and I've gotten much more efficient!
But you likely know most of that already.
PBP-specific Prep
Player's forum handle:
Character name:
PFS#
Race/Class(es)/Level(s):
Faction:
Day Job Roll, if any:
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1) Any special rules, boons, or corner cases you need to let me know about:
2) A few sentences about your character and his or her previous adventures, both out of character and in character as your character would describe him or herself. Why are you in the society?
3) May I bot you in combat or for an occasional skill check to ensure a fast moving game?
4) What are your go-to combat tactics for botting purposes?
(Feel free to also include this on your character sheet, where you can even have your dice rolls ready to go.)
5) Will you be able to post 2-3 times a day on average, barring occasional days off (Cons, Work, Short Vacations, etc?)
I like to set posting expectations early, and get those job rolls upfront.
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Stuff I put in there:
- A copy of the scenario, so that I can refer to it if on the road.
- Any helpful materials I found on PFS Prep.
- A google doc with player initiative and perception blocks. This doc also includes any posts that I want to compose in advance.
- The slide show I use for maps.
There may be other things too, but those are the main ones that I set up.
um... you lost me on step 2... how do you do that? I have no clue - I told you i'd be technology challenged... maps and such are going to be my downfall, I'm afraid...
Hmmm...this seems like very bad design in the module. The primary battle map given for my part has the locations of the monsters hardcoded in, and a giveaway of one of their names written in big letters across the entryway where the PCs will have to go first.
How can I get a good map without a lot of bad Photoshop work?
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um... you lost me on step 2... how do you do that? I have no clue - I told you i'd be technology challenged... maps and such are going to be my downfall, I'm afraid...
Nearly right!
You are gonna look back in a month or two and laugh that you had doubts.
Lore, you create wonderful artwork, sometimes by experimenting and creating, and sometimes by following a pattern/guide, right?
This is really no different. You just have to learn how to do it.
And the good news is you have a GREAT teacher.
Now, go do your homework ;)
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um... you lost me on step 2... how do you do that? I have no clue - I told you i'd be technology challenged... maps and such are going to be my downfall, I'm afraid...
Thanks for letting me know where you have trouble. I want to know anytime you need more explanation (or a different and more clear explanation.)
The second step of making a google drive folder to keep everything together is optional. It's more of an organizational thing than anything else! JAFO, do you use google for anything (like gmail?) If so, you already have a google drive account. Google drive is free and convenient, but you don't have to organize yourself there.
What are you using for a computer set-up? We can take this one step at a time!
Hmmm...this seems like very bad design in the module. The primary battle map given for my part has the locations of the monsters hardcoded in, and a giveaway of one of their names written in big letters across the entryway where the PCs will have to go first.
How can I get a good map without a lot of bad Photoshop work?
Great question!
These images have layers. You can extract the underlying image to get one without all the markings on it. So you would you like some steps for trying image extraction and making a slide show?
Try this guide, and let me know if it is helpful.
It is far easier than it sounds!
um... you lost me on step 2... how do you do that? I have no clue - I told you i'd be technology challenged... maps and such are going to be my downfall, I'm afraid...Nearly right!
You are gonna look back in a month or two and laugh that you had doubts.
Lore, you create wonderful artwork, sometimes by experimenting and creating, and sometimes by following a pattern/guide, right?
This is really no different. You just have to learn how to do it.
And the good news is you have a GREAT teacher.
Now, go do your homework ;)
Thank you for that vote of confidence!
Eadie and Choon and other GMs reading along, if you have tips, feel free to share them! I would love to have others chiming in! Also, if you figure out how to do something, feel free to help someone else too. I want you all helping each other as we go.
Hmm
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Thanks, Hmm. The click-and-copy method didn't work to extract images, but ExtractPDF worked like a charm for me.
I tried the guide for images.. and have no idea what a 'snipping tool' is... can you explain please what it is and how to access/use it? thanks
also, tried to extract, but it says my copy of phantom phenomenon is password protected and it won't extract anything... any solution?
What kind of computer are you using? Did you try the ExtractPDF link that worked for ThinkingFlesh?
JAFO, if you have Windows the Snipping Tool is one of the little utilities that comes with the system. Usually it can be found in "Accessories" in your Start Menu but you can do a search for "Snipping Tool" if you don't see it. The icon is a pair of scissors with a red circle.
It's small but very useful.
If your copy of Phantom Phenomena is password protected I suggest downloading another copy. It's free.
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Just so I can get a feel for it and what I should play, what is everyone else thinking of playing?
In other news I have been roped into GMing my first Face-to-Face game this weekend for a group of friends. They have never played Pathfinder before, a couple have played D&D so we'll be kind of learning together.
I'm working on making a witch and will probably play that unless we end up sorely lacking in some other area :)
Also I'm going to be working on the technical aspects of the homework this evening so if I figure anything handy out about the maps and such I'll be sure to post it here!
Finally, good luck on the game Ietsuna! I'm sure you'll do great and I hope everyone has a great time :)
It wont be anything spectacular. Black Fang's Dungeon probably, although We Be Goblins could be hilarious.
If you're looking for a great low-level adventure with a mix of roleplay and interesting combat, Murder's Mark is excellent -- though it may be more work to prep than a simple dungeon crawl.
We Be Goblins is awesome, though and through! I adore its mix of puzzles, games and combat. It is such a well-written module.
Just so I can get a feel for it and what I should play, what is everyone else thinking of playing?
If Choon decides not to play, I think I may come in with a vigilante, just so I can keep wearing a mask.
Hmm
Group has decided on Black Fang's Dungeon. Happily I have the pawns and the map from the beginner's box so that will make prep a little less stressful.
downloaded again and still password protected... I can extract the zipped file but I can't extract the pdf and convert it to a word doc.
I was thinking of bringing a cleric as my PC, but I'm flexible.
downloaded again and still password protected... I can extract the zipped file but I can't extract the pdf and convert it to a word doc.
You shouldn't have to convert it to a word doc.
What system are you on, JAFO? Are you in Windows? Do you have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader?
yes I have acro reader... I thought it would be easier to cut and paste text in word... and yes, windows 7.
Alright. Jafo, I want you to create a slide show. While signed into Google, go to slides.google.com.
Let's start with that step.
That will give us a destination for your extracted map.
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Oh, and as you can tell from my header, Bearington's gameplay is ready for dot-and-delete. You can follow the link in my header to Bearington's campaign.
GM 101: Harrow
Bearington, here's the coding if you want to copy it into your own GM Header: [url=http://tinyurl.com/gm101h]Harrow[/url]
I made a drive.. made the all the items in it open for view except the module... it's here... how do I make it into a slide show?
And how do I modify the map so there is fog of war ?
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Oh, I do have one tip for the start – that I learnt the hard way!
If you are the GM that created the Gameplay thread, DO NOT dot-and-delete your first Gameplay post!
It totally bjorks Gameplay, so that nobody (including you) can post there until the Paizo moderators unlock and reset it.
lol thanks Eadie... good to know!
I made a drive.. made the all the items in it open for view except the module... it's here... how do I make it into a slide show?
And how do I modify the map so there is fog of war ?
I won't be able to see your home drive, just sub-folders when you give permission. But... This is progress!
Now, go to slides.google.com!
Hmm
ok... how do I get my items from drive to slides? Sorry for being so clueless... I knew this part would be a challenge for me.
I've pasted the link into the name portion of my alias' profile, but it isn't showing up when I post. Are there minimum character requirements to have it do that? Also, how do I put information below the title of my campaign (the space above the thread tabs)?
paste it in race, class/lvl or gender... name doesn't show in status line.
Holy crap. This was not updating for me. Sorry. I'll get to reading and start actually participating here in a bit. :)