The Flaxseed Pathfinder Lodge: Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Game Master Redelia

Linda’s write up of the change log for the revised guide.

If a Level 5 is playing in a Level 3-7 game, they get the same Out-Of-Tier reward regardless of whether they play up or down. Correct?

In other words, a Level 5 playing with five Level 3 players earns the same amount that a Level 5 playing with five Level 7 players.

If a Level 5 is playing in a Level 3-7 game, they get the same Out-Of-Tier reward regardless of whether they play up or down. Correct?

In other words, a Level 5 playing with five Level 3 players earns the same amount that a Level 5 playing with five Level 7 players.

Yes. But the tier you play at affects other rewards on the chronicle sheet, typically the items that you gain access to.

Hey all.

While forum navigation remains borked, I added a link to the main forum navigation page at the top of Flaxseed. This should be able to help all Flaxseed regulars get where they need to go on these forums, even if they are on mobile platforms.

http://paizo.com/community/forums
I’ll take it down once we get real forum navigation links back.

Hmm

I am so happy to see that.
I only bookmarked on my Laptop and not my other devices. This makes it easier.

Thank you Hmmm.

So, I saw that they have added information to the new guide for the Shifter class. Anyone know when it will be PFS legal? Ultimate Wilderness still isn't listed as legal, yet.

From what John Compton had said earlier in the week it sounded as though the updated files were ready, and were waiting to be uploaded by the web team. I was figuring it would be done this week, but they may have gotten too busy fighting fires from the site upgrade.

Friendly Reminder

Since PM notifications are still not showing and sometimes campaign pages fail to update: If you're playing in any of my games (Faithless & Forgotten, Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible, Solstice Scar B) - things are now happening in Gameplay for each of them so be sure to check in and jump in! :)

I've been having some trouble lately trying to distinguish bold-face. I've personally gone as far as to download a font-replacer plugin that makes the changes a bit more apparent, but I've also left a note on website feedback (link) to highlight the issue. I any one feels the same way, feel free to add to the discussion. I would ask that you keep it civil and not be overly demanding. Asking for a font change after a website design this thorough is a really big deal, though in this case I think some change is justified.

The new website is working better with some browsers than others. On my Macbook, Chrome (which is my preferred browser) does not show bold text in the forum, but otherwise the site works; yet on Safari, bold text does work but the menus are borked.

Oddly, on my ancient university windows 7 laptop (that really is nothing more than a client PC) the site and menus appear to be functioning normally under Internet Explorer 11.

(All my browsers are latest version).

Will post this on the website feedback forum to, in the hope it assists the website team.

Just a head's up to all folks -- check all your Gameplay threads.

I wasn't getting notifcations for one since Friday, at least.

Chrome on Macbook is not showing the bold fonts etc, but they show up fine on Chrome via my PC.

Anyone know how to create new aliases with the new website? I'm not seeing a button.

Anyone know how to create new aliases with the new website? I'm not seeing a button.

you can find a "create alias" button via My Account - Account Settings. You should see the My Account drop down button in the top right of your screen. (At least, this looks like it works on Safari).

Thanks!

I find the new fonts abit hard to read since they seem bigger and bold face doesn't seem much difference, just brighter.

No notifications or PMs either, A having to go through each one individually in case I missed a game or something.

Just a heads up that my Delirium's Tangle game has started. Click on the link to star finding paths!

Hey all.

Compton just announced rules for switching to the Concordance from other factions.

They are remarkably generous.

Hmm

Hey, everyone, I just wanted to let you know that they have fixed the PM notifications. The new notification is a little red circle next to 'My Account' at the top of the screen. If you expand the My Account menu, you also see the number of new messages.

Sweet.

I'm still having notification issues for new posts. FYI

★ --- A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT --- ★

Hello Play-by-Post Friends:

By now you have likely all heard that a new edition, Pathfinder 2.0 (hereafter referred to as 2e) is coming. I am sure that you have many questions and a lot of concerns. Let’s tackle these right now.

Q: Oh no! Will my characters be forced to retire?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Let’s look at the FAQ, shall we?

Yes. We recognize that many of you have not yet finished all 250+ First Edition scenarios, and we're not taking them away! Players will be able to purchase, play, and report classic scenarios with their First Edition characters indefinitely. Even though we will stop creating new First Edition scenarios after July 2019, we expect to see them offered at conventions and enjoyed by Pathfinders for years to come.

^ Here, in the Online Lodges like Flaxseed, Myth-Weavers & RPGgeek, we have infinite table space. We will be able to keep First Edition going just like we have kept Core going. So you will still be able to play, report and level your 1st edition characters.

Even longer answer: Over time, there will be a move towards newer content and newer stories but it will be a gradual shift. At first, Organized Play will likely not have enough 2e adventures for those of us that like to play a lot.

This means that most of us will have 1e and 2e characters, just like many of us have both Pathfinder and Starfinder characters now. Eventually, I expect a drop off in interest in 1e games as more and more people move to 2e, but that it a long ways away. There will always be a home for 1e here.

Q: Will Flaxseed participate in the Playtest?

You bet we will! I am considering, though, having a Flaxseed Lodge spun off for Playtest and 2e. That way there is less confusion about recruiting and characters between the two systems.

Q: What will happen to my GM Stars?

True confession time: I do not know the answer to this. I know that they will remain good for 1e games, but don’t know if there will be a new system in place for 2e. I can promise this, though. I will keep you posted as we learn new things.

The sky is not falling. The world of Organized Play is not ending. We are just going through a transition period, and we will weather it together because we are an awesome lodge full of awesome and amazing people.

Hugs,
Your Loving VC
Hilary Moon Murphy

I hate change... blooop blorp blooop.

Not that fond of changes either, but it often can bring good things.

I figured that I would be proactive and let all of you know what is going on right away.

Hmm

that's cool....can we volunteer as playtesters? or us it a closed thing...a selection by the higher ups?

It's an open playtest. They are soliciting as much feedback as they can get. See the link in Hmm's post.

Yep, it will be an open playtest!

Hmm

Good to know the Online Team is already making some plans and working on things behind the scenes to make the (eventual) transition as smooth as possible! I am cautiously optimistic about these new developments :)

Great, and I just wasted money buying two new hardcover core rulebooks in December. Bleh!!!!

Not looking forward to the changes, especially with the characters not be able to transfer over, but I will be willing to give it a shot.

Great, and I just wasted money buying two new hardcover core rulebooks in December. Bleh!!!!

Well, to be fair, you will be getting over a year of use out of them (even if you stop playing 1st edition as soon as 2nd edition is released); that's not a *terrible* return on investment...

Most likely once they drop second edition, you will need the new book if you want to play the new scenarios in Society Play.

Hate to say it, sounds like pay to continue to play.....

This is a very scary time. My stomach is in knots because the change to 4e is what made me abandon D&D but also let me discover Pathfinder. Now I am worried history will repeat itself. Here is to hoping though.

This is a very scary time. My stomach is in knots because the change to 4e is what made me abandon D&D but also let me discover Pathfinder. Now I am worried history will repeat itself. Here is to hoping though.

It is what caused many of us to change, but going from 3.0 to 3.5 to 4.0 on 2000, 2003, and 2008 respectively was just too much!

10 years on one version is not bad.

The more worrisome things are:

The loss of my beloved tengu
What exactly 'ancestry' is
And goblins... really?

...is still parsing.

Not that fond of changes either, but it often can bring good things.

I figured that I would be proactive and let all of you know what is going on right away.

Hmm

Thanks! Good Communication goes a loooong way to making change easier!

2E announcement is super exciting and completely horrifying all at the same time!

This is a very scary time. My stomach is in knots because the change to 4e is what made me abandon D&D but also let me discover Pathfinder. Now I am worried history will repeat itself. Here is to hoping though.

The exact same thing for me...biggest difference I see is looks like Paizo is sustaining Pathfinder 1e (to include Organized Play) right up to and sort of past the transition. WotC essentially dropped support for 4e once the D&D next Playtest kicked in (or at least it felt that way to me.) This seems different.

The more worrisome things are:

The loss of my beloved tengu
What exactly 'ancestry' is
And goblins... really?

...is still parsing.

Would MUCH rather have tengus than goblins for sure!

I'm sure they already have an Advanced Race Guide planned. You didn't think they would rewrite 10 years of content in a single release, did you?

I know there are things that would be good to change in Pathfinder, but I'm a bit anxious about this announcement for a couple of reasons, both related to Starfinder:

1. I like Starfinder okay, but I don't love it, and I imagine it reflects Paizo's current thinking on good design for an RPG - and I'm not really eager to see Pathfinder rebuilt with that as a model.

2. I love the vast diversity of options in Pathfinder (even if it can be somewhat paralyzing when a character levels up or has shopping to do), and I've found Starfinder to be really limiting, because there's only one book's worth of content to ponder, pick from and plan with. So for the near term, it'll be a limited menu, and I love me some variety. Further down the road, I'm wondering if they're going to create 2e versions of the books that introduced beloved classes (e.g. Advanced Class Guide, Advanced Players Guide), which would allow us to play classes we've come to love, but would have to be pretty boring for a bunch of game designers, to just do conversions from 1e to 2e. Alternatively, they could (and likely will) release whole new books with new classes and such, which is exciting to think about (and more interesting to design), but leaves us without many of the very archetypical character concepts that 1e classes have been built around. And maybe it'll be something in between - there may be a new 'cavalier' that fits the concept, but could be built very differently.

Anyway, the change is a'comin' so I better look for the good in it.

I am looking forward to the changes because there are many things I like about starfinder's structure (especially society play) but something tells me that my typical group will want to stick to 1e. A bit torn on it personally. I am glad the PbP community exists so I can learn and play that way.

I am personally withholding judgement. I am trepetitious about change to begin with.. but I am willing to at least look things over. The one thing I really like about this is that it appears that we have a choice! Everyone seems to be either doom and gloom about Paizo changing things up or happily anticipating it, but the way I interpreted the blog was that 1E is still going to be live in both Pathfinder and Society rules. There may come a day when Society changes to strictly 2E, but that does not look like it is even on the horizon.

Because of this, I am not overly worried at the moment. Let the playtest run, and the revisions take their course. When the new rules are formulated and published I will decide which I like better and go from there. Yea, this could eventually throw a hell of a wrench into the works.. but it might not either. Either way, for at least the next year or more I have a choice of which to play, and will take advantage of it. It does sadden me that there is no current plan to convert current 1E characters to 2E, but even that COULD change if enough people speak out about it.

Long story short: I don't see any reason to panic or to rage quit at this time. A lot of people have brought up valid points, but personally I do not see the direct comparisons that are being made to WotC and their multiple editions that immediately cancel previously made characters. Change can be scary.. and people do get comfortable with familiarity. However, until the final word is released and they decide to completely do away with 1E, I can chill and take it as it comes.

See, I'm looking at ALL the money I have spent on 1e books, scenarios, maps, cards, Hero Lab packs and the like and then see that they are going to a completely new edition? And then STOP producing PFS content for 1e? Not happy at all. I spend this kind of money on a game and game system I expect it to stay for some time to come without throwing it all away! I will give it a good honest look, but I am, right now, NOT HAPPY.

See, I'm looking at ALL the money I have spent on 1e books, scenarios, maps, cards, Hero Lab packs and the like and then see that they are going to a completely new edition? And then STOP producing PFS content for 1e? Not happy at all. I spend this kind of money on a game and game system I expect it to stay for some time to come without throwing it all away! I will give it a good honest look, but I am, right now, NOT HAPPY.

One of the things I do is think about $/hour. The amount of time and enjoyment I get out of a $50 Pathfinder book is DRASTICALLY superior to the return I get from bowling a string, playing an hour of billiards, or heading to an arcade.

I have a full ROOM of books. Pathfinder 2nd edition will be my 8th edition of this game, and I don't regret any of it. I do completely understand wanting to eek out as much as possible, which is why I'm excited about the continuation of the 1e game in organized play.

Another way to look at this is how AWESOME it is that we got more than a decade out of this edition. All previous editions average out to half as long-lived. Pathfinder lasting twice as long as other systems is a testament to how awesomely Paizo nailed it the first time out. I'm excited to see what a decade at the helm brings!

Sure, I've spent a chunk of money on things. Probably not as much as most, but still a good amount. But I simply look at it this way. It's a hobby. What's the difference between spending that kind of money on a xbox and 50 games that will be likely outdated in 2 years? I get most of my enjoyment out of playing a game in the moment and a small amount in planning out character progression. I'm also well aware that a lot of my plans for progression will never come to fruition because... I just don't have the time to do it, regardless of whether the game system stays around.

All that blah simplified. I'm hopeful that 2e smooths and simplifies some of the issues with 1e while sticking with a High Fantasy feel. As for me, I'll continue playing 1e for a while. I'm not exactly one of those 'need the newest thing when it comes out' kind of people though.

I hope no one actually thought 1e would hold up forever. I got over that when 3.5 was announced, and then a second time when Pathfinder began to consume all my 3.5 books. Let's face it here: The need to remain compatible with 3.5 was a necessary evil that is now a 10-year old albatross. I mean we still joke about the 5ft step and the "feat tax" of combat maneuver prereq feats besides Power Attack.

We're going to be playing 1e for a while when 2e comes out anyway; most of the 1e classes and features will definitely not be available when the 2e Core Rulebook comes out, and PFS will have 10 years of 1e content as 2e just gets started.

I saw the writing on the wall with Starfinder, anyway: it was clear they took 1e, updated the rules and then changed the setting to make sure it was incompatible with Swords & Sorcery so no one got confused. It was only a matter of time until they took feedback from those mechanics changes and put them back in to Pathfinder.

Man, Paizo's grown pretty big over the years, huh? Remember when they were just a publishing wing for those 3.5 Wizards?

I spend this kind of money on a game and game system I expect it to stay for some time to come ...

I can sympathize with the frustration. I didn't come to Pathfinder until a few years ago, and I've spent a fair bit of money on books and whatnot as well. From their point of view, though, it has "stayed for some time". Ten years is a long time for an edition to last. Whenever they did this, there would always be people like me that only got a few years (or less) of the edition before the new one came out, there's no way around that. I think as long as they don't turn around two years later and push out 3e, then this is a totally reasonable timeframe for a new edition.

Hi, everyone! We now have a separate campaign, similar to Flaxseed and Castamir, for the Pathfinder 2E playtest. We will get some games going there as soon as we have rules; until then, we can chat about the playtest. Please come HERE if you are interested. You can dot and delete from gameplay (we don't have 2E playtest characters yet to post in character) and then chat in Discussion.

Example: Star Wars RPG by West End Games 2nd Edition Expanded and Revised went a good six or seven years... and there's still an organized play campaign that revolves around it out there.

And it is no longer supported by the publisher, because Lucasfilm moved the rights to WotC

I cut my org teeth on that one, and part of my fear is having to essentially become the content creators to keep a campaign going, or have characters that don't get a good 'story end' -- but by the end of my involvement with that campaign we were spending more time dealing with miniscule niche-BS rules-lawyering crap than building a story that I couldn't do it anymore for personal health reasons.

Been noticing of late that some of the warning signs from there have been creeping in with PFS (not as accelerated, not as jarring because of the campaign rules and guidelines) and it was looking like maybe another year or two before I'd have to re-evaluate my options.

I think, though, if we're going into the sunsetting of the campaign (to a limited extent) then all retired scenarios need to be brought out of retirement unless there are legal reasons they are retired.

I'm not happy about the end of service for all of my PFS characters. It was always going to happen, but now I have a concrete end in sight. But I will continue to run PFS1E until there are no more players to run for.

I'm not happy about the end of service for all of my PFS characters. It was always going to happen, but now I have a concrete end in sight. But I will continue to run PFS1E until there are no more players to run for.

I too echo the above

Change my dear, and it seems not a moment too soon!

I'm just hoping for a gradual sunset of PFS1E, where they just stop making low tier scenarios and produce occasion higher tier scenarios, allowing older characters to slowly fade away as new characters that are made show up in 2E. For that matter, I wonder if it will be possible to create a small subset of scenarios during the crossover that supports either edition simply by using a different set of stat blocks in the appendix. I know that would make for a bit of a beefy scenario, but considering the size of some of the Evergreens, it wouldn't surprise me.