Greetings, ‘Finders! We’re about a month out from PAX Unplugged, and we’re excited to give you a sneak peek at everything Paizo will be doing at the show this year!

Organized Play

Paizo Organized Play will be running two-hour quests and four-hour scenarios for Pathfinder Society (second edition), as well as demos and two-hour scenarios for the Starfinder playtest! Quests and Starfinder playtest scenarios are available on a first-come, first-served walk-up basis. Early signups for our four-hour PFS2 scenarios are available on our PAX Unplugged Warhorn; signups begin on November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

All our games are new player friendly; we will have pregenerated characters, including the new animist and exemplar iconics, and we’re ready to get you playing in no time! Paizo’s game space is booth 56A in the Gaming Hall, just to the left of the main queue area.

Board Game Demos

Interested in giving Pathfinder Elemental Stones or Pathfinder Goblin Firework Fight a try? We’ll have demo tables in our play area running games of both!

Plus, get an exclusive first look at Pathfinder Quest! Pathfinder Quest is a cooperative dungeon crawling game for 1–4 players, crowdfunding in Spring 2025. PAX Unplugged attendees will have the opportunity to be the first to play Pathfinder Quest at our demo tables!

Sign up on BackerKit for our pre-launch mailing list to get an exclusive metal coin with your pledge!

Book Signings

Paizo is excited to be bringing Liane Merciel to PAX Unplugged for exclusive book signings at our retail partner’s booth! During select time windows each day (times to be announced), come by Card Titan’s booth to meet the author of Godsrain: A Pathfinder Novel and get your copy signed!

Bring your copy from home or purchase a copy at Card Titan while supplies last!

Retail Partner

We’re partnering with Card Titan as our PAX Unplugged retailer once again! Find Pathfinder and Starfinder essentials like the remastered Core rulebooks, Starfinder Playtest Rulebook, Pathfinder War of Immortals, Godsrain: A Pathfinder Novel, and more at Booth 3202!

Something Impossible…

Mark your calendars for December 4^th! Paizo will be hosting a special stream announcing something Impossible….

We look forward to seeing you all at PAX Unplugged! Be sure to stop by our play space, join us for a book signing, and say hello!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on November 27, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-06: Rotten Apples*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-07: A God Falls Where Magic Fails*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #7-08: Envar's Awesome Rescue*

*part of a subscription

Organized Play Community Survey

Paizo Organized Play is seeking feedback on our programs as we look to Starfinder Second Edition and beyond. Whether you’ve been playing Organized Play for years, have just joined the Society, or haven’t yet played a game with us, we’re looking for your thoughts on our programs.

The survey below should take 5-10 minutes to complete, and the data will be invaluable to the future of our programs. Please take the survey and spread the word! It won’t be open for very long, so don’t be like me and open it in a tab expecting to get back to it later.

Take the survey here!

Sanctioning Update

Big month for sanctioning! You could even say it’s…mythic. I mean, I wouldn’t, but you could. Pathfinder War of Immortals was released last week and is now sanctioned for Pathfinder Society play! The exemplar and animist classes are freely available to all Pathfinder Society characters (whose players own the book, anyway), and the exemplar archetype is available as a one-character-only boon in the Boon Store. Go forth and enjoy your mythic power*!

Sanctioning documents for the Curtain Call Adventure Path have also been posted on the product and landing pages, for those of you in an operatic mood. This month, expect to see the sanctioning of Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, filled with more information on gods than you can shake a wand of bless at!

*Some restrictions apply, see scenarios for details, results may vary, do not consume mythic berries without first consulting your healer.

Guide to Organized Play Revisions

After soliciting community feedback, the Guide to Organized Play has been updated with the following changes:

• “Run as Written” has been retitled to “Run Prudently,” and its restrictions have been clarified and loosened.
• The “Permitted Table Adjustments” section has been added to the Game Master’s portion of the guide, copying much of the same text.
• Pathfinder Society agents now have access to all uncommon languages, where previously they only had access to certain uncommon regional

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

This month, one new Campaign Coin was awarded! 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 Tom Gross, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #866.

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 six different GMs reach their fifth rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Gerald Colliou, Michael Morairty, Willis Sloat, Don Treadway

5th Nova(SFS1): Charlene (Half the Sky), Darrel Curry

If you believe you’ve completed your 5th rank but haven’t been announced yet, please email me at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Conventions

Convention season may be winding down, but we’ve still got plenty of local conventions on the horizon! Check out the Conventions calendar for dozens of upcoming events to get your Paizo fix in.

We’re also still seeking GMs to join us at PAX Unplugged in December! Run three games for us, and you’ll get a free badge into the show. This show will be the first chance for you to try out the new Pathfinder Quest board game, and you won’t want to miss that!

Until next time adventurers—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And don’t forget to fill out the survey!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

I’m sorry, you mean to tell me it’s October already? I’m pretty sure I just got back from Gen Con. Time flies when the leaves are falling, I guess!

We’ve got a quick update for you this month, so I wanted to highlight a couple of things here at the top. Every year I see people ask for spooky scenarios for October, so Rue put together a collection of some of our spookiest, creepiest, and downright scariest adventures on the blog!

As some of you with keen eyes noticed, I did some poking around in the backend a couple of weeks ago to start setting up Starfinder Society (second edition). In doing so, I temporarily moved the Acquisitives faction into the new program. I have put it back where it belongs and I don’t believe any characters were harmed in the process, but if you notice lingering issues, please do let me know!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on October 30, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Silver Bark, Golden Blades*

Pathfinder Quest (Series 2) #21: Infernal Infiltration

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #7-07: Submerged Stars*

Starfinder Playtest Scenario #4: Rescue at Shimmerstone Mine

*part of a subscription

Sanctioning

A quiet month on the sanctioning front! We did manage to get Pathfinder adventure Prey for Death’s sanctioning documents out even before last month’s blog was posted, so you can now enjoy assassinating some folks and earning credit for PFS in the process! The Pathfinder Curtain Call Adventure Path is just about ready to be posted at press time, so keep an eye out for that as well.

This month, of course, the big news is Pathfinder War of Immortals and its two new classes. We’ll have that ready for you on its delayed street date, October 30 (sorry, shipping issues!). Pathfinder Lost Omens Divine Mysteries is also chugging along and will be posted in November upon release.

GM Recognition

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 five different GMs reach their fifth rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Jesse Butz, Hilary Moon Murphy, Robert Parker, Hali Peterson

5th Nova(SFS1): Matthew Vertz

If you believe you’ve completed your 5th rank but haven’t been announced yet, please email me at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Conventions

Convention season may be winding down, but we’ve still got plenty of local conventions on the horizon! Check out the Conventions calendar for dozens of upcoming events to get your Paizo fix in.

We’re also still seeking GMs to join us at PAX Unplugged in December! Run three games for us and you’ll get a free badge into the show. This show will be the first chance for you to try out the new Pathfinder Quest board game, and you won’t want to miss that!

Until next time Pathfinders—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And watch out for spooky scary skeletons!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on September 25, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-03: Godsrain in a Godless Land*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-04: An Enkindled Carnival*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #7-06: Archives of Eternity*

Starfinder Playtest Scenario #3: Wheel of Monsters

*part of a subscription

Sanctioning

Last week, we released the Lost Omens: Tian Xia Character Guide! This is an incredible book, packed to the brim with exciting new character options. It’s also sanctioned for Pathfinder Society play! You can find boons for the uncommon and rare ancestries in the Boon Store, as well as some other uncommon or rare archetypes. Note that a lot of the uncommon content in this book is accessed simply by creating a character from Tian Xia; you won’t find boons for these options, as you have other ways to access it!

Speaking of which, when we were working on the two Tian Xia books, we noticed an issue with the World Traveler boon. This boon allows you to select a second region to treat as a home region for character options…but it didn’t actually include Tian Xia. Whoops! We’ve updated this boon as a result to future-proof it. The new text is below, and it remains available in the Boon Store for just 20 Achievement Points.

> World Traveler (Slotless): You have traveled widely, spending a considerable amount of time in a distant region and absorbing the local customs. When you assign this boon to a character, select a country or city on Golarion. You qualify as being from that city or country, as well as any regions which contain it, for the purpose of fulfilling the Access prerequisite of uncommon character options, in addition to any other access benefits you have from other sources. For example, a character who selected Alkenstar fulfills access requirements for Alkenstar as well as the Mana Wastes and the Impossible Lands, and a character who selects Hwanggot fulfills requirements for Hwanggot and Tian Xia.

We’re a little behind on adventure sanctioning right now, but we’re working hard on Prey for Death and the Curtain Call Adventure Path. In just a few short weeks, at the end of October, we’ll see our next major rulebook release in War of Immortals, and we hope you’re all excited!

New Pathfinder Society Year

The Year of Immortal Influence is officially upon us, and with it comes some new updates! First of all, the Guide to Organized Play has been officially updated to version 6.00. This version of the guide does not contain major rules changes, but there has been a major reorganization to make it more usable and bring it in line with the Guide for Starfinder Society. If you wish to leave feedback, you can do so in this forum thread, which also has a summary of the changes.

Additionally, we have released new pregenerated characters! This update adds pregens for the eight Player Core 2 classes (alchemist, barbarian, champion, investigator, monk, oracle, sorcerer and swashbuckler), as well as the kineticist from Rage of Elements. The previous pregens have not been updated or altered as part of this update.

As all legacy pregenerated characters have been updated, Pathfinder Society players must use the Remastered versions going forward. Please leave any errors or comments on the product page!

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

While attending PaizoCon Europe last month, I awarded three Campaign Coins to outstanding volunteers! 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; so 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@paizo.com with their name and reasons.

Congratulations to:

Frank Richard, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #916

Damien Monnier, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #917

"Mr. Fred" Frederic Meulenijzer, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #918

Unfortunately, due to my busy travel schedule, I did not have time this month to catch up on GMs who have earned their 5th rank. My sincerest apologies to those GMs who are waiting patiently; I promise you will all be celebrated in next month’s blog.

Conventions

Convention season may be on the tail end, but we’ve still got some fantastic events coming up in September and October! You can (and should!) check out our conventions calendar to see events with a Paizo Organized Play presence near you.

Earlier today, we began soliciting volunteers for PAX Unplugged! Last year’s show was an incredible success and we’re looking to make the show bigger and better this year. We’re looking for talented GMs to run Pathfinder Society quests and scenarios, as well as Starfinder Playtest scenarios. If you’d like to join us this December in Philadelphia, you can find all the information in yesterday's blog!

Alright, that’s enough from me. Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy some chocolate. You deserve it.

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on August 28, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Immortal Influence*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-02: Rain Falls on the Mountain of Sea and Sky*

Pathfinder Quest (Series 2) #20: The Dacilane Academy's Show Must Go On

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #7-05: The Day the River Died*

*part of a subscription

Gen Con Recap

We're back from Gen Con, and at this point we’re just about caught up on sleep!

During the Best Four Days in Gaming, we ran:

• 415 Pathfinder Society tables
• 129 Starfinder Society tables
• 198 tables of the Starfinder Playtest
• 115 demo tables of Pathfinder and Starfinder Second Edition

You can read more about Gen Con in last week’s recap blog!

Sanctioning Updates

Pathfinder Player Core 2 released at Gen Con, and sanctioning has been posted on the Character Options page! As it is now after August 12, the Remaster Guidelines take effect for all characters as well. Please be sure to review them and leave any questions in the remaster thread; once my travel schedule calms down I intend to go through and figure out what problems we’ve discovered that need guidance from the OP team.

The Wardens of Wildwood Adventure Path is also sanctioned at this time! We’re working on Pathfinder Adventure Prey for Death now, so don’t speedrun the adventure too quickly (though I wouldn’t blame you, it’s a lot of fun). Also on our upcoming radar are the Pathfinder Lost Omens Tian Xia Character Guide, followed by the Curtain CallAdventure Path and Pathfinder War of Immortals.

Starfinder Playtest

The Starfinder Playtest has begun! The Starfinder Playtest tracking sheet is now available at starfinderplaytest.com, ready for you to track your participation in the two playtest scenarios as well as the published softcover adventures. Let us know what you think in the playtest surveys!

GM Recognition

As Gen Con is our biggest stage, we took the time to do quite a bit of recognition of our volunteers!

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 Additional Resources review team and our Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Online region, among others.

This year’s recipient, awarded at Gen Con, was Lucas Servideo. Lucas is a longtime volunteer with Paizo Organized Play and currently serves as the Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Northeast region. Over the past several years, Lucas has been dedicated to the Pathfinder Academy program, which is our program for younger players and new Pathfinders. Bringing new players into the program is crucial, and Lucas is a warm, welcoming, and dedicated first point of contact for our youngest Pathfinders. He has been a crucial advocate for this program, and I was thrilled to award him with the Wayfinder this year while he was dressed as his contemplative character. That’s just how we do things around here.

Campaign Service Coins

Additionally, I awarded two Campaign Service Coins at Gen Con! 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@paizo.com with their name and reasons.

Congratulations to:

David Malkiewicz, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #908

Darrel Curry, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #909

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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!

5th Star (PFS1): Jason Belter

5th Glyph (PFS2): John Brinkman, David Malkiewicz, Mykal Merrill

If you believe you’ve completed your 5th rank but haven’t been announced yet, please email me at organizedplay@paizo.com.

That’s quite enough from me! I’m off to PaizoCon Europe to eat cheese and chocolate—and probably do some gaming somewhere in there. Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the summer sunshine (or winter sunshine, for our southern hemisphere friends)!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Bonjour Pathfinders and Starfinders,
It's time to officially announce PaizoCon Europe 2024 and PaizoCon Online Europe 2024! Both events will be held from August 15 to August 18, 2024. I’ll be attending the physical event in Geneva, and I hope to see some of you there!

Please read on for more information from our European volunteers about the events.

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

The European Organized Play volunteers have joined together and are pleased to invite you to four days of Pathfinder and Starfinder gaming. Games will be offered in various languages, both in person in Geneva, Switzerland, and across multiple online VTTs, hopefully with something to suit everyone.

The event will feature the current season’s specials for both Pathfinder Second Edition and Starfinder:

• PFS #6-00: Salt of the Ocean (levels 1-8)
• SFS1 #6-99: The End Awakens (levels 1-4)

In addition, there will be a range of games across Pathfinder Second Edition, Pathfinder First Edition, Starfinder First Edition, and the playtest adventure for Starfinder Second Edition.

We will use two parallel events with two separate Warhorn events:

For the in-person event : https://warhorn.net/events/paizocon-europe-2024

For the online event: https://warhorn.net/events/paizocon-online-europe-2024

If you want to GM or HQ:

For the physical event, please contact us directly at paizoconeurope@gmail.com

For the online event, please complete this form: https://framaforms.org/volunteering-for-paizocon-online-europe-2024-1718885600

Important Dates:

• 27 June: GM and staff signups open
• 13 July: Early GM signups open; GMs may sign up for one player seat per slot they are scheduled to run
• 15 July (1900 CEST/1300 Eastern time): Player sign-ups open
• 12 August: Warhorn will be closed to sort tables
• 15-18 August: PaizoCon Europe 2024

We look forward to sharing these four days of play with you!

From the Organizers,
Benoît Gros
RVC Francia

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on March 27, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-12: Mischief in the Maze*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-13: Thick as Thieves*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-15: Extraction from Azlanti Space*
Starfinder Bounty #12: Under Pressure

*part of a subscription

Guide Updates

Version 5.10 of the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society has been published! This version contains some important updates, including removing axiomatic and anarchic runes, which must be returned for a full refund as they no longer function with the removal of alignment; and making some remaster-related changes to Spellcasting Services and PCs with Disabilities.

A full changelog is available here. Please let us know if there are any further questions or concerns!

FAQ Updates

To go along with the Guide, we’ve added a couple new FAQ answers to the Pathfinder Society FAQ page! Specifically, there is now suggested guidance on running Influence encounters in PFS, as well as clarity on how to get items made from special materials.

Sanctioning Updates

February might be our quietest release month in recent memory, with just a single flip-mat on top of our OP scenarios! But of course, that’s all due to next month’s Seven Dooms for Sandpoint, a double-length AP taking you back to where it all began. As such, the sanctioning machine is kicking up again!

We expect Seven Dooms to be sanctioned for PFS play upon release, and players will get access to a pretty cool item for completing the adventure! No spoilers, yet. We’ll also be sanctioning the Pathfinder Monster Core but, other than summoning creatures, there aren’t very many player-facing options in this book.

In April, we expect to drop sanctioning for the Tian Xia World Guide, and then in May we’ll turn our attention to Howl of the Wild as well as our final Starfinder First Edition release, Mechageddon! Lots of new content on the horizon for you all, hope you’re excited!

GM Recognition

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 two GMs earn their 5th rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Zackery Kuehn and Jess Miller-Camp

That’s all from me this month, folks! Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get ready for convention season!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

After the longest January in memory (seriously, I swear it was eight weeks long), it’s now the shortest month of the year! Before you know it, it’ll be March, then May… and then PaizoCon… and Gen Con… oh no, I have so much to do. Can I have some of January back?!

We’re currently recruiting GMs for PaizoCon Online and Gen Con Indy! Find more on that later in the blog. As convention season begins to rev up its engines, we’re all very excited for what’s in store!

In personal news, last weekend my husband and I welcomed two darling kitties, Mochi and Sasha, into our home! They’re still getting settled but we’re in love with them already. Sorry in advance for becoming an Insufferable Cat Dad, it’s who I am now.

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on February 28, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-11: Equal Exchanges – The Hidden Current*

Pathfinder Quest (Series 2) #17: Escorting a Mirage

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-13: Beginning of the End*

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-14: The Missing*

*part of a subscription

2024 Premier Conventions

Convention Recruitment

2024 is going to be an incredibly exciting year for Paizo. Be part of the excitement by volunteering as an Organized Play GM at our Premier Conventions! Our volunteer GMs are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and the most helpful skittermanders in the galaxy. Last year, our volunteers ran over 1,000 games online and in person, and we’re looking to exceed that in 2024!

We are currently seeking volunteers for our two Premier Plus conventions: PaizoCon Online and Gen Con Indianapolis. Our friends in Columbus are also recruiting GMs for Origins, which I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be returning to this year!

You can get all the information in this blog post. Spots are going fast, so don’t delay, apply today!

PaizoCon @ Your FLGS

We’ve also announced the locations for this year’s pilot PaizoCon @ program! Nine game stores, as well as KublaCon in California, will be hosting PaizoCon events concurrent with the online show. Check out this blog post for the locations, an interactive map and more!

Interactive Special Presentation Survey

As we start to build out the presentations for our interactive specials, we wanted to take the community’s temperature on how they’re working and what improvements can be made. If you’ve played in any of our multi-table specials over the past few years, and especially if you’ve been a House GM, we’d love to hear your thoughts in this brief survey!

2024 GM Boons

With the recent influx of new players, Paizo Organized Play’s biggest problem is that we simply don’t have enough GMs to run games all the time. We’re always looking for ways to incentivize people into the GM chair, and we’ve got a new one this year!

Below are download links for two brand-new boons. These boons will unlock character options as you GM games. While you can run games with your friends and complete the boons that way, they will unlock faster if you GM at RSP-supported locations like your local game store, or at conventions (like, perhaps…Gen Con or PaizoCon).

We hope that those of you who have yet to take the plunge into GMing find this a great incentive to start, and that our long-time GMs are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Make sure to tell your friends about the rewards of GMing games for Organized Play!

Download the boons here:

Pathfinder Society (second edition) || Starfinder Society

Sanctioning Updates

New Content

New year, new sanctioning! We’re pleased to announce that sanctioning for our latest two adventure paths has been posted: Season of Ghosts for Pathfinder, and Scoured Stars for Starfinder. Long-time players may notice that the chronicle sheets for the Scoured Stars AP look familiar; in most cases, we took the original scenario chronicles and updated them based on the new content. We’ve also posted boons and sanctioning for the two Dynamite comics: Pathfinder: Wake the Dead and Starfinder: Angels of the Drift.

Updates

We’ve also made a couple of updates to the Character Options pages based on the Remaster and new errata.

For Pathfinder Society, we clarified that legacy bards can still use the Remastered feats in Player Core with bothinspire courage and courageous anthem, to clear up that final bit of confusion. We also added a clarification to the Curse Maelstrom archetype for those who have unlocked it via the GM boons. Finally, it was brought to our attention that a number of 5th-level [Ancestry] Weapon Innovator feats have been included in the 1st-level [Ancestry] Weapon Familiarity feats in Player Core. Any character who has been affected by this may freely retrain their 5th-level ancestry feat out of the Weapon Innovator feat into something else!

On the Starfinder Society side, the recent Starfinder errata allowed us to make a couple of changes. The chlorophyll infusion serum from StarfinderPorts of Call and the Forced Deconstruction mechanic trick from Starfinder Enhancedare now permitted for use with the design team’s changes.

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

This month, a new Campaign Service Coins was awarded! 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:

Marc Daoust, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #874

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 two GMs earn their 5th rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Federico Grecuccio (who is the first GM I’m aware of to do their three evaluation games in three different languages)

5th Nova (SFS1): Jake Rennels

That’s all from me this month, folks! Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And stick around for a big announcement later today!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Here’s a look behind the scenes at our PAX Unplugged demo!

Hiya, it’s me Jenny Jarzabski (Senior Developer) reporting in from the field! I got to spread some Veskmas cheer by running the playtest demo at Pax Unplugged, and I’m here to tell you all about it! This playtest is an encounter designed to test out some of the basic rules of Starfinder Second Edition. Reading on might spoil the demo’s content, so for those of you planning to attend Owlcon (in February) or Norwescon (in March) where some Starfinder team members might be running this demo, you’ve been warned!

Here’s Jenny GMing for one of many amazing demo tables at PAXU!

PAXU Demo
Map: Starfinder Flip-Mat: Mining Operation
Character Level: 3rd

The goal of this demo was to test out what we’ve been working on internally with a wider pool of players and see some early reactions from the community. I won’t be going into extreme detail about everything we tested in the demo, especially since some of those rules may have changed after we implemented feedback and prepared the Playtest Rulebook for the printer over the past two weeks! If you want the full experience, you’ll have to find me or one of my teammates at an upcoming convention or wait for the next batch of demos we’ll no doubt be cooking up for GenCon!

Players chose from the following premade characters:

• Envoy
• Mystic
• Operative
• Solarian

The Fight
The players approached from the north of a seemingly abandoned mining site strewn with cranes, vehicles, crates, and other large objects providing that sweet, sweet cover. A massive pit in the center of the map created an obstacle for characters favoring melee combat styles. But these lucky gamers were playing a game that favors ranged combat (YEEHAW!) so they all had a ranged damage option in the form of guns! Pew pew pew! Even so, some attacks and abilities perform better in closer quarters. The solarian’s playstyle focuses on getting close to enemies and hitting them with powerful attacks from their solar weapons, and some of the mystic’s spells don’t work from too far away—so not everyone thought it was a good idea to camp out at the edge of the map behind the safety of cover. (Just the operative. Always. So tacticool.)

As the players investigated the mine, a trio of pirates popped out from behind cover and fired the first shots of the battle. These pirates were packing guns of their own—machine guns! This meant they could shoot from a distance or get close and unleash a rain of bullets on multiple targets with automatic fire. The pirates’ tactics were to shoot once from a distance, then move in and switch to spraying auto-fire to pew pew as many of their enemies as possible.

Tactics and Playtesting
Changing the pirates’ tactics changed the encounter. I experimented with some different tactics and eventually settled into a routine of two pirates following their normal tactics, while a third perched behind a toolchest (cover) on top of the crane. Sometimes, it was like running two battles in one: a sniper fight between crane guy and the operative, and the chaos of machine gun space pirates versus everyone else. Other times, the players disrupted this setup—they gravity welled crane guy off his perch, attacked him with his own shadow, and more! Poor crane guy!

The point is, different groups always used different tactics. Patterns emerged, of course. Generally, the operative hung back and kept in cover while sniping, while the mystic slung spells and pew pew’d from a medium distance. Sometimes the mystic even got into melee and used their painglaive to share their emotions with the enemy on a more personal level. The solarian usually charged into battle, either going after the sniper (RIP crane guy) and using abilities to try to drag him off his perch or intercepting the gunners on their way toward the party. The envoy had a lot of choices between shooting and giving directives like Get in There! to boost everyone’s speed, or Kiss It Better to “heal” someone with temporary HP. No two groups I GM’d for used exactly the same combination of actions. Considering each premade character only contained a snapshot of the rules we’ll be playtesting later this year, you should expect a lot of fun choices when you build your first playtest characters.

A Note About Pregens
he StarFriends (as we members of the Starfinder team call ourselves) each designed one of the premade characters available for the demo. Dustin created the mystic, Jessica whipped up an envoy, Mike crafted a solarian, and Jenny built an operative. Thursty designed the encounter, so we gave the boss a pass this time!

Here’s Jenny CRITTING that amazing demo table! Oh no!

Bonus Encounter
If the players ROFLstomped the pirates, say with a string of crits, the demo had a second encounter loaded in the chamber so the demo wouldn’t run disappointingly short. A fourth pirate gunner and his hacked robot ally emerged from a building and attacked the party right after they defeated the pirates. The robot advanced and went pew pew pew with its laser rifle while the pirate crept up behind it, using her hacked tank-bot as mobile cover until she reached spray-and-pray range. The robot might power down at half HP or use its healing nanites to keep fighting longer, depending on the group. Only a handful of groups played the bonus encounter, including the Cosmic Critters. More about that in a minute.

A Veskmas Miracle
Playing games with nufriends in the community is always a great time. Thanks to all you gamers at PAX: Unplugged who wandered over to the Paizo tables to try Starfinder 2. Thank you to the GMs who volunteered their time to run demo tables—y’all are some space badasses!

Speaking of space badasses, in addition to the public playtests, I had the honor of playing the demo with the wonderful casts of Atomless, Cosmic Crit, and No Quest for the Wicked. They really kept me on my toes with their rolls and roleplay. You can listen to the Cosmic Critmas demo here; my sessions with Atomless and No Quest are coming soon!

But I Want More!
Do you want more teasers about the playtest rules? Are you looking for spoilers before release? Interested in more detailed notes about our internal playtesting? Stay tuned to this space for more news from the StarFriends SOON™!

Jenny Jarzabski
Senior Developer (Starfinder)

Hello, Pathfinders and Starfinders! 2024 is going to be an incredibly exciting year for Paizo. This year, we’re releasing major Pathfinder rulebooks, including Howl of the Wild, the Lost Omens Tian Xia World Guide, and Player Core 2, as well as launching the playtest for Starfinder’s new edition!

We’d like to invite you to be part of the excitement by volunteering as an Organized Play GM! Our volunteer GMs are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and the most helpful skittermanders in the galaxy. Last year, our volunteers ran over 1,000 games online and in person, and we’re looking to exceed that in 2024!

If you love our games so much that you want to introduce new players to them, and if you’re ready to GM on the biggest stages we can offer, then we want you to join the team! Even if you’ve never run Pathfinder or Starfinder Society before, our support team will make sure that you have everything you need to run your best games ever.

New this year, all GMs who run games at Premier or Premier Plus events will receive a $15 paizo.com voucher per block, which can also be spent in the Paizo booth at Gen Con in Indianapolis. Those who volunteer for more blocks may receive badges to the show, PDF or print products, or hotel rooms based on their commitment.

At this time, we’re accepting GMs for PaizoCon Online and Gen Con Indianapolis; information about Gen Con Online will come once Gen Con provides more information about the event. We’ve also included information from our friends at Origins; while Paizo won’t have an official presence there, we’re recognizing them as a Premier event, which means additional rewards for GMs and players. Who knows, maybe you’ll even see some Paizo staff at the event!

PaizoCon Online 2024

PaizoCon Online 2024 will take place online from May 24-27, 2024. It will have a physical component in the form of our PaizoCon@ program; see last week’s blog for more details. New content at this show includes the launch of Starfinder Society Year 7 (the final year for Starfinder first edition), the new Starfinder Society interactive special, and new Pathfinder Society scenarios.

Please note that this year we will be scheduling all PaizoCon Online events on Tabletop.Events. As such, GMs will need to create a free account prior to completing the volunteer form.

We are currently seeking volunteers for the following roles:

• Game Master: Run tables of Organized Play Scenarios, Bounties, and Quests.
• Headquarters (HQ): Answer player and GM questions, seat players, handle conflicts and disputes, and report games after completion.

Please read this important information before applying:

• Volunteer applications will be reviewed and accepted or rejected by the PaizoCon Organizing Committee. Filling this form out does not guarantee acceptance; you will receive an email with further information from the PaizoCon committee.
• PaizoCon Online schedules will be assigned by the committee. You will be asked for your preference of system and level, but you will not necessarily be able to choose the specific scenario(s) you run. There is a free-form field at the end of the form to enter specific requests, though there’s no guarantee they will be honored.
• Reward information is listed in the table below. GMs who do not qualify for a badge will still need to purchase one if they wish to play games.
• Applications will be processed on a rolling basis, beginning no later than March 1. The earlier you get your application in, the more likely it is you’ll get the scenarios you want. Please be patient while we put the final details of the convention together internally before we send out GM emails!
• Adventure authors interested in running tables of scenarios they have written should fill out this form and then follow up by emailing paizoorgplayhq@gmail.com. Anybody interested in running games outside of the Organized Play offerings (such as Infinite content, homebrew content, or games from other publishers) will be able to propose events once tickets go on sale. Stay tuned for future information!
• Any questions about the GM signup process should be sent to the committee at paizoorgplayhq@gmail.com.

Rewards Table

Blocks	PDF Product	Player Badge	Early Sign-Up Access	In-Game Reward	Voucher
6+ blocks	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
5 blocks		✓	✓	✓	✓
4 blocks		✓	✓	✓	✓
3 blocks		✓	✓	✓	✓
2 blocks			✓	✓	✓
1 block				✓	✓

*Definitions for rewards:

• PDF Product: A PDF of any Paizo product valued at $29.99 or less.
• Player Badge: A badge for the duration of the event. GMs must have a badge before registering to play games.
• Early Sign-Up Access: One week before signups open, GMs may sign up for one game per block they are running.
• In-game reward: A reward for characters based on the current Organized Play program GM reward programs. Pathfinder Society (First Edition) is paper boons, and Pathfinder Society (Second Edition)/Starfinder Society (First Edition) is Achievement Point rewards at the Premier Plus (2.0x) level.
• Voucher: Earn one voucher for $15 that is spendable on paizo.com for every block run.

Important Dates

Please note that these dates are tentative and subject to change.

• April 10 (Wed): Early player signups begin for GMs.
• April 17 (Wed): Player signups begin for all badge holders.
• May 24-27: PaizoCon Online!

PaizoCon Online 2024 Volunteer Application

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Gen Con Indy 2024

Gen Con Indianapolis will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 1-4, 2024. While we intend to participate in Gen Con Online, this application is only for the in-person show. New content at this show includes the launch of Pathfinder Society Year 6, the new Pathfinder Society Special, and the second run of the Starfinder Society interactive special. It will also feature the launch of the Starfinder Second Edition Playtest!

We are currently seeking volunteers for the following roles:

• Game Master: Run tables of Organized Play Scenarios, Bounties, and Quests.
• Headquarters (HQ): Answer player and GM questions, seat players, handle conflicts and disputes, and report games after completion.
• Demo GM: Run quick demos for new players, giving them a short Pathfinder/Starfinder experience before quickly turning the table over for the next group. Our Demo GMs may receive an Exhibitor badge in compensation for the fast and furious nature of the position, subject to availability.
• Board Game Demo GM: Run demo tables for Goblin Firework Fight and Elemental Stones. Applicants should have strong board game knowledge (both our games and general board games) and preferably have related demo experience.
• Academy GM: Run games for young children (under 18) and their families, and provide a safe, welcoming environment for our youngest gamers. This position requires proof of a completed background check (employment in education, public service, or something similar may be accepted as verification that you have completed a background check).

Please read this important information before applying:

• Volunteer applications will be reviewed and accepted or rejected by the Gen Con Organizing Committee. Filling this form out does not guarantee acceptance; you will receive an email with further information from the Gen Con committee.
• Gen Con Indy schedules will be assigned by the committee. You will be asked for your preference of system and level, but you will not necessarily be able to choose the specific scenario(s) you run. The committee’s intention is to assign people to run the same scenario multiple times during the weekend, to minimize the amount of preparation required. There is a free-form field at the end of the form to enter specific requests, though there’s no guarantee they will be honored.
• Reward information is listed in the table below. GMs who don’t qualify for a badge will still need to purchase one.
• Volunteers will be accepted on a rolling basis, and schedules should be assigned within two weeks of your application. Once your schedule is assigned and you confirm, you are considered committed to attending the event.
• Adventure authors interested in running tables of scenarios they have written should fill out the volunteer form and then follow up by emailing genconleads@gmail.com. Please note that we have a limited number of tables and that the schedule is fairly locked-in at this stage, but we’ll do our best to get you slotted into your scenario if it’s on the schedule.
• Any questions about the GM signup process should be sent to the committee at genconleads@gmail.com.

Rewards Table

Blocks	Housing	Product	Dice Bag*	Player Badge	Volunteer Attire	In-Game Reward	Voucher
7+ blocks	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
6 blocks		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
5 blocks			✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
4 blocks			✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
3 blocks				✓	✓	✓	✓
2 blocks					✓	✓	✓
1 block					✓	✓	✓

*Definitions for rewards:

• Housing: GMs will be housed at two volunteers per room. More volunteers (up to four) may be added to one room if all volunteers agree. More information is available on the application form.
• Product: A physical copy of a Paizo product, chosen from a list of recent releases prior to the convention.
• Dice Bag: A custom handmade dice bag with Pathfinder or Starfinder logo. Available to volunteers for 4 or more blocks who also commit to remaining masked while volunteering.
• Player Badge: A badge for the duration of the event. GMs must have a Player badge before registering to play games. Demo GMs may receive an Exhibitor badge if our allotment allows for it.
• Volunteer Attire: One shirt per day of volunteering (unless you received shirts in the previous year).
• In-game reward: A reward for characters based on the current Organized Play program GM reward programs. Pathfinder Society (First Edition)/Pathfinder Adventure Card Society is paper boons, and Pathfinder Society (Second Edition)/Starfinder Society (First Edition) is Achievement Point rewards at the Premier Plus (2.0x) level.
• Voucher: Earn one voucher for $15 that is spendable on paizo.com or at the Paizo booth for every block run.

Important Dates

Note that these dates are from Gen Con directly; other dates specifically relevant to us may be added.

• February 11: Indy badge registration begins.
• TBA: Indy housing portal opens.
• TBA (May): Indy event catalog goes live.
• May 19: Indy event registration begins.
• August 1-4: Gen Con Indy!

Gen Con Indy 2024 Volunteer Application

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Origins 2024

Ohio Org Play will again be sponsoring Pathfinder and Starfinder Society at Origins Game Fair from June 19-23, 2024, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

For those who have not been to Origins in the past, the convention runs from mid-day Wednesday to mid-day Sunday, for a total of 12 event slots. We set our scenario-length slots up as 5 hours of gaming, with 1 hour meal breaks between sessions to give our GMs plenty of time to eat and re-energize. More about Origins can be found here: https://www.originsgamefair.com/

We are currently seeking volunteers for the following roles:

• Game Master: Run tables of Organized Play Scenarios, Bounties, and Quests.
• Headquarters (HQ): Answer player and GM questions, seat players, handle conflicts and disputes, and report games after completion.

Volunteer applications will be reviewed by the organizing committee. Filling the volunteer form out does not guarantee acceptance. As this is a large con with many moving parts, GM schedules will be assigned by the committee and sent out in order of volunteering. Volunteer early to lock in your preferences! Once your schedule is assigned and you confirm, you are considered committed to attending the event.

We value each of our volunteers who help to make this event happen. As a reward, we have Ohio Org Play shirts, water bottles, badges, accommodations for you or your vehicle, and bonus Achievement Points to send your way. But wait! This year, there’s more! Paizo has generously stepped in to provide voucher rewards to our GM volunteers this year, as well as free product for those who volunteer for more slots. Here’s a grid to keep track of everything:

Origins Rewards Table

Blocks	Ohio Org Play Water Bottle	¼ Hotel or Parking Pass	Paizo Product	Origins Badge	Ohio Org Play T-Shirt	Paizo Vouchers	In-Game Reward
10	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
9	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
8		X	X	X	X	X	X
7		X	X	X	X	X	X
6			X	X	X	X	X
5				X	X	X	X
4				X	X	X	X
3					X	X	X
2					X	X	X
1						X	X

Reward Details:

• Origins Badge: A weekend badge for the event. All attendees and GMs must have a badge. Those volunteering for 4 or more slots will receive a free badge. All others must purchase a badge on their own. Most Origins events are included in the base badge price.
• In-game reward: A reward for characters based on the current Organized Play program GM reward programs. Pathfinder Society (First Edition)/Pathfinder Adventure Card Society is paper boons, and Pathfinder Society (Second Edition)/Starfinder Society (First Edition) is Achievement Point rewards with a 1.75 multiplier.
• Vouchers: Earn one voucher for $15 that is spendable on paizo.com for each GM slot completed.
• T-Shirt: All volunteers for 2 or more slots will receive 1 Ohio Org Play 2024 t-shirt to wear on Saturday.
• PDF Product: A PDF of any Paizo product valued at $29.99 or less.
• Hotel/Parking: Volunteers for 7 or more slots will have the option of shared hotel space or a free parking pass. Hotel space is Wednesday night to Sunday Morning. We will work with volunteers who select this option to arrange rooming assignments.
• Water Bottle: Volunteers for 9 or more slots will also receive a Custom Ohio Org Play reusable water bottle to keep you hydrated all weekend long.

Important Dates

• Volunteer ASAP to lock in your scenario/slot preferences!
• April 13: Event registration opens.
• June 19-23: Origins Game Fair!

Please contact OhioOrgPlay@gmail.com with any questions.

Origins 2024 Volunteer Application

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Premier Conventions Planning Server

Anybody interested in volunteering at PaizoCon Online or Gen Con should join the Premier Conventions planning server by clicking the image below. Follow the instructions in #welcome to get access to the relevant channels. All important information will be conveyed on this server as well as via email, so please join the server!

Thank you all so much for volunteering! These events can’t happen without our volunteer GMs and organizers, and we’re so lucky to have you all. We’re looking forward to another fantastic year of conventions!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

David Peever, Adrian FireclawDrake, and Jocelyn Hamilton
PaizoCon Online Committee

Heather Vigil, Kevin Baumann, Rebecca Fehn, and Joe Mathos
Gen Con Indy Committee

Janice Piette
Venture Captain–Ohio

OPC Musings

Happy 2024, everybody! I don’t know about you all, but I’m still writing 2023 on my checks. Or I would be, if we wrote checks still.

We’ve got a great year coming up for you all! The Pathfinder Remaster continues to roll out, the Starfinder 2 playtest will launch, and we’ve got several great conventions spinning up. Not a lot has happened since our last blog (and not to give too much away, but I’m actually writing this four days after the December update went live), so let’s focus on what’s coming soon!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on January 31, 2024.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-09: Equal Exchanges – Skymetal Hoard*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-10: The Crocodile's Smile*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-12: Yesteryear's Hope*
Starfinder Bounty #11: The Aucturn Dilemma

*part of a subscription

Premier Plus Convention Recruitment

Are you interested in joining the legion of Paizo volunteers to help us put on some of the best conventions around? Then tune into the blog on January 18, when we’ll be posting recruitment for PaizoCon Online and Gen Con Indy GM volunteers! Our volunteers run Pathfinder and Starfinder Society games for hundreds of players, and we’d love to have you join us. Whether it’s your first time GMing or you’re a seasoned veteran, our team will welcome you and give you everything you need to give the players a fantastic experience.

This year, I’m pleased to announce that GM rewards for each slot will be increased to a $15 voucher. That means for every slot you run, you get $15 to spend on our webstore or in our booth at Gen Con on anything you like!

Pathfinder Remaster & Guide to Organized Play Updates

At the end of December, we published some updates to the Pathfinder Society Character Options page and the Remaster Guidelines page. The primary change here was to re-allow certain spellhearts we previously banned, with some clarifications about how to handle them after the Remaster’s removal of spell schools. It’s heartening to see that we’re getting fewer and fewer questions about rules clarifications, that means things are being answered in a timely manner! Please don’t hesitate to let us know about any outstanding issues.

The Guide to Organized Play has also been updated! Primarily, this change is to bring text in line with the remaster: changing “flat-footed” to “off-guard,” “spell level” to “spell rank,” and so on. We’ve also added citations referencing both the Player Core and the Core Rulebook where appropriate.

Sanctioning

After a quiet December, the sanctioning machine roars back to life! This month, expect to see the release of sanctioning documents for the Starfinder Scoured Stars Adventure Path, which I’m extremely excited about, as well as the Pathfinder Season of Ghosts Adventure Path. Additionally, the Starfinder Society Character Options page will be updated with sanctioning for the material found in the Angels of the Drift comic series.

In March, we’ll be dropping sanctioning for Seven Dooms for Sandpoint, as well as the new Pathfinder Monster Core.

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 two GMs earn their 5th rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Landon Hatfield, Eric Parker

Happy new year, everybody! Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get ready for convention signups!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

I am very sorry to report to you all that Linda Zayas-Palmer’s last day with Paizo was October 20th. Linda has been with Organized Play for more than a decade, from her time as a GM to being hired at Paizo and eventually leading development. She's launched two separate Organized Play programs, which is a feat few can match. We will miss her terribly, and I will miss her especially as a partner in crime (metaphorically, of course; we never did any crimes that you can prove). If you are so inclined, please leave a nice message for her in the comments below!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on November 29, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-06: Ukuja, The First Wall*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-07: Sewer Dragon Crisis*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-10: The Death of Kortus IV*
Starfinder Bounty #10: Those who were Taken

*part of a subscription

Organized Play Foundation/Guides to Organized Play Down

The Organized Play Foundation website, which hosts the Guide to Organized Play, is currently down. At press time, we do not yet have a timeline for restored service. As I have updates to share, I will post them in this thread.

That thread also contains PDF exports of the most recent editions of the Guide we have archived. We’re aware they are not the most up-to-date versions, but they should work for the time being. We’re actively working to get the Guides back up and running for you all!

Pathfinder Society and the Remaster

Last week, we released the first broad strokes of our plans to update characters to the Pathfinder Remaster! It’s a very long blog and I could recap it here, but really, it’s best if you just read it yourself; I promise it’s painless. When the books release on the 15th, these rules will be added to the Guide to Organized Play in much more detail.

Also announced in that blog was the removal of Pathfinder Schools, which are to be replaced with the easier and more fun Pathfinder Provisions. Enjoy the new consumables, whose guidelines will be ready for use in play on November 15 alongside Player Core and GM Core! For the earliest access to the new content, subscribe to the Pathfinder Rulebook line today.

PAX Unplugged

Next time a monthly update posts, I’ll be at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia! You can register for the Warhorn and sign up for games here.

Note that we are offering only a limited number of early signups for our scenario tables. Per PAX Guidelines, demo offerings such as Pathfinder Bounties, board game demos, and Starfinder 2 demos are strictly on a walk-up basis. We’re also reserving a couple of seats at our scenario tables for walk-up players as well.

We’ve still got room for a few more volunteers as well! If you’re interested in helping us show off our games to the PAX Unplugged audience, get all the info and register to volunteer here.

Sanctioning

October was a big month for us! Both Starfinder Enhanced and Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge hit shelves, and both are now sanctioned for use in Organized Play! Starfinder Enhanced’s rules can be found on the Starfinder Society Character Options page, and Rusthenge’s sanctioning documents can be downloaded from the product page.

Next on our list is more adventure content, with both the Season of Ghosts AP and the long-awaited (by me) Scoured Stars hardcover compilation dropping in January. After that, Tian Xia and the second half of the Pathfinder Remaster await us!

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

This month, several new Campaign Service Coins were awarded at local conventions! 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 they are a Venture Officer or not), send an email to organizedplay@paizo.com with their name and reasons.

Congratulations to:
Amie Tracey, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #880
Robert Wiesehuegel , who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #881
Amber Howell, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #882
and Jim Dick (Xathos), who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #905

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th rank!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Half the Sky (Charlene)

That’s all from me! Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get ready to Remaster!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

The weather’s taken a dramatic turn here in Seattle. Just a week ago it was bright sunshine and beautiful skies, but now things are dark, gloomy, dramatic, and chilly. It’s the perfect weather to curl up inside with your friends and family and play some games! We’ve got some great spooky scenarios for you this season, and some wintery adventures coming up to chill your bones. Let’s get into it!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on October 25, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-05: The Island of the Vibrant Dead*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-08: Lost Revelry*

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-09: Ridgerock Rescue*

*part of a subscription

PAX Unplugged

We're just under two months until PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia! Today we’re excited to let you know that pre-signups for our scenarios will open this coming Tuesday, October 9. You can register for the Warhorn and get ready for signups here.

Note that we are offering only a limited number of early signups for our scenario tables. Per PAX guidelines, demo offerings such as Pathfinder Bounties, board game demos, and Starfinder 2 demos are strictly on a walk-up basis. We’re also reserving a couple of seats at our scenario tables for walk-up players as well.

We’ve still got room for a few more volunteers as well! If you’re interested in helping us show off our games to the PAX Unplugged audience, get all the info and register to volunteer here.

Organized Play: Now Streaming on Foundry VTT

To show off our brand-new Society Foundry modules, the marketing team decided to put together a couple of very special liveplays for you! The first episodes of both our Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society liveplays have already aired, featuring a colorful cast of Paizo staffers capably led through our adventures by GM Jason Keeley! You can catch the conclusion to those adventures this Tuesday, October 10, and next Tuesday, October 17, on our Twitch or YouTube channel!

We hope you enjoy them—and hey, if you let my boss know you like them, we might get away with running some more…

The Perks of Board Gaming

As Paizo continues to release board games, as well as bring new licensed partners and their games into the fold, we thought we should look at how to reward players who own or play these games! As such, we’ve added a new category to the Accessory Perks page for board games!

Each current program has a listed benefit, and players who own a game and bring proof may select this benefit. However, to encourage actually playing the games, any participant in a session of a Pathfinder or Starfinder board game gains the benefit for 24 hours following the session. Why not get in a quick game of Goblin Firework Fight before your next convention slot?

Toys of Boundless Wonder 2023

For the past two years, the Northern Virginia lodge has organized a Toys for Tots event, bringing in the League of Aroden last year. This year’s event has just been announced, and they’re hoping to make it bigger and better than ever! If your local store or lodge is interested in helping to support a wonderful holiday program, and getting a chance to run this year’s Pathfinder Society special, read up on the event on the League of Aroden's blog.

GM Recognition

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 Additional Resources review team and our Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Online region, among others.

This year’s Wayfinder was awarded at Gen Con Indy, but apparently I neglected to announce it widely until today. This year’s recipient was Heather Vigil. Heather has been the lead on our Gen Con Committee since before I was hired, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I couldn’t run the show without her. Her depth of knowledge keeps the show running smoothly every year, and her dedication to the program is unmatched. On top of Gen Con, she runs two other conventions in Cincinnati each year, and finds time to make beautiful custom dice bags for the volunteers. She’s an absolute treasure to this organization and I’m so pleased to recognize her with this award, even if she’ll never forgive me for it.

Campaign Service Coins

This month, one new Campaign Service Coin was awarded at a local convention. 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:
Gary Bush, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #884

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 two GMs earn their 5th rank!
5th Nova (SFS1): Noah Posthuma
5th Glyph (PFS2): Stephan V

That's all from me! Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And play some games!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Congratulations on surviving Gen Con, players! I’m assuming, anyway. Like the June update, I’m writing this before Gen Con even begins. What did you think of those new announcements? That Starfinder Second Edition sounds pretty cool! [note to future self: remove this if we don’t announce it so I don’t blow the surprise]

Seriously though, I’m SO excited to finally be able to share all the new information with you all! The new edition of Starfinder, a playtest coming up for Pathfinder, the Remaster on the horizon, and so much more. It’s an exciting time at Paizo HQ! And this blog is chock-full of information, so let’s dive right in.

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on August 30, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Unfettered Exploration*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-02: The Blackwood Lost*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-06: Tomorrow's Seekers*†
Starfinder Bounty #9: Burning Ambitions

*part of a subscription
† released early to Venture Officers to run during the month of August

Convention News

This section usually lives at the bottom of the blog, but there’s some news I wanted to make sure had a prominent place! The OP team’s travel schedule for the rest of 2023 has been locked in. Here’s where you can come out and meet us!

August 18-20: I will be at Dragonflight in Bellevue, WA somewhat unofficially.

September 1-4 (Labor Day weekend): I will be attending Gateway in Los Angeles, CA.

Additionally, Josh Foster will be attending DragonCon in Atlanta, GA!

September 29-October 1: Jessica Catalan and I (as well as possibly others) will be attending SkålCon in Minneapolis, MN. A number of Paizo staffers and freelancers will also be at BigBadCon in San Francisco, though we don't have an official presence.

Finally, and perhaps most newsworthy...

December 1-3: Paizo returns to PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA! Volunteer applications are now open. This convention will be the first chance for you to demo Starfinder Second Edition with a member of the Starfinder team!

We'll also be running acquisition-focused tables of Pathfinder, Starfinder, and for the first time, board game demos of Goblin Firework Fight and Elemental Stones! I'm very excited to be returning to the show. Again, applications are now open, and we’d love to have you join us!

On top of all of these, the fall months are some of our most active for local conventions. These smaller conventions are a great way to meet your local Pathfinder and Starfinder community, so we recommend you check out our convention calendar to find one near you!

Sanctioning Updates

Has anything interesting been released for Pathfinder lately? Probably not, right?

Ah, well, except Pathfinder Rage of Elements. That’s pretty exciting, and it’s now sanctioned for play! Rules are available on the Character Options page, and there are new boons in the Boon Store for some of the Uncommon options.

For Starfinder Society, the Drift Hackers Adventure Path sanctioning documents have finally been uploaded, allowing you to earn credit for playing through the adventures!

Coming up next will be sanctioning for Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge and the Sky King’s Tomb Adventure Path, as well as Starfinder Enhanced. Now that we’re on the other side of Gen Con, we’re also going to be spending time working on the rules regarding the new Remastered books, which we hope to have ready well in advance of their release.

Pathfinder Class Playtest

The Pathfinder Rules & Lore team has announced the next class playtest scheduled for September 1! Pathfinder Society will support this playtest as we’ve supported all class playtests using the rules in the Guide to Organized Play. In short: you can build and play characters using the new rules and apply credit to your existing characters as if they were pregenerated characters.

Remember that GM participation in playtests is opt-in. If a GM chooses not to allow characters from a ruleset they’re not familiar with, that’s entirely acceptable! We hope you all enjoy the newest creations from the Rules & Lore team.

Starfinder Second Edition Field Tests

Starfinder Second Edition is coming! In anticipation of the full playtest in 2024, the Starfinder team has begun releasing Starfinder Field Tests. These bite-size PDFs are packed with information on upcoming classes and rules, as well as the design team’s goals and thoughts. You can download the first one at starfinderplaytest.com.

We just want to clarify that for Starfinder Society play, these options are not legal. Once we get closer to the full playtest, we’ll share the specifics of how Starfinder Society will support it. For now, please enjoy the previews and get ready to playtest at our conventions next year!

Pathfinder and Starfinder Society on Foundry VTT

Some exciting news for our Foundry GMs and players!

Starting August 30th, we’ll be giving Pathfinder and Starfinder Society the same premium treatment on Foundry VTT that we’ve been giving our Pathfinder Adventure Paths. Each of these modules will be a one-time purchase that will be updated throughout the season with new content as we release it, and will be available in both a streamlined version that only provides maps and tokens for those who own the PDFs as well as a deluxe version that also includes fully-styled journals containing all of the adventure content. Keep an eye on the Paizo blog for updates!

First Seeker Election

The polls have opened for the Starfinder Society’s First Seeker election! Agents are flocking from around the galaxy to cast their votes. The early polls are in, and the race is neck and neck (and neck and neck)!

While Starfinder Society Scenario #6-06: Tomorrow’s Seekers releases at the end of the month, Venture Officers have been granted early access to maximize your opportunities to play the adventure before casting your vote. We encourage you all to get out and meet the candidates! As it’s repeatable, you can even play it multiple times for credit to get the clearest view of your options. Once you’ve done so, head to paizo.com/firstseeker to cast your vote.

Pathfinder Society Year 5 Updates

With the launch of PFS Year 5 last week, the following updates have gone into effect!

• The changeling versatile heritage is now freely available to all players, due to the Society’s adventures involving the night hag Aslynn.
• More adventurers of uncommon ancestries have joined the Pathfinder Society in the past few years, so the tengu and ratfolk ancestries are also freely available!
• Additionally, in preparation for their inclusion in the upcoming Pathfinder Player Core book, the tiefling and aasimar versatile heritages are freely available to all players.
• Boons for all of the above freely available options have been removed from the Boon Store. Players who previously purchased those boons will have them updated to grant a free use of the resurrection ritual to those characters, as we have done for past ancestries.
• Finally, due to the influx of planar energy throughout Golarion, the geniekin versatile heritage has been reduced to 40 Achievement Points! This boon has also been updated to include the talos and ardandeheritages from Pathfinder Rage of Elements.

Boon Updates

Boon Request Threads

The OP team gets requests all the time for boons for character options. Now that the Boon Store is up and running, I thought it would be best to centralize those requests in one location, so I did that! There are now Boon Request threads for Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society pinned in their respective forums. Feel free to head over to favorite the suggestions you like and add new ones if they haven’t already been posted.

Seeker of Knowledge

Just a note that, now that replays are functional, the Seeker of Knowledge boons in the boon store also now work correctly! Purchasing one of these boons grants your account 4 SFS Replays, one per reputation tier. Players who previously purchased these boons should now see four additional Replays in their account as well.

Retail Incentive Program Updates

Our Retail Incentive Program is designed to help players support the game stores and venues that host our games, often for free, while earning in-game benefits. Over the past year, we’ve heard some recommendations to improve it, and I’m delighted to share the new version of the program now!

You can download PDFs of the rules for Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society now on the Retail Incentive Program page. The major changes are:

• Adding a new “heroic” tier, unlocked when a table spends of $100 or more
• Altering or replacing boons that reduced the gold cost of healing now that those benefits primarily use Achievement Points
• Making the benefits more versatile and/or slightly more useful

Overall, the intention of programs like the RIP and the Accessory Perks is to provide incentives to players and GMs to support our products and venues. The goal is not for these to be hard rules, but to encourage GMs and organizers to adopt a “spirit of the law” reading of any of these programs to ensure all players are enjoying themselves. Thanks to all the volunteers who provided feedback on these revisions!

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

This month, two new Campaign Service Coins were awarded to volunteers by their RVC. 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@paizo.com with their name and reasons

Congratulations to:
Bill Tobin, who now holds a campaign coin and OP ID #896
Brad Grinstead (bigrin42), who nows holds a campaign coin and OP ID #897

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And unlock the elemental power within you!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Greetings, players! We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be attending PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA this December! We’ll be running scenarios, bounties, and demos for Pathfinder and Starfinder Society. We’ll also be running demos of our board games for the first time!

This show will also be your first chance to demo the brand new Starfinder Second Edition! Our volunteers, led by a member of the Starfinder design team, will be showing off this exciting update to our game.

We’re now soliciting volunteers for the show! We are currently seeking volunteers for the following roles:

• Game Master: Run tables of Organized Play Scenarios
• Bounty GM: Run bounty tables for Pathfinder (Second Edition)
• SF2 Demo GM: Run demo tables for Starfinder (Second Edition). Applicants should have strong Starfinder knowledge (both lore and system) and preferably have related demo experience.
• Board Game Demo GM: Run demo tables for Goblin Firework Fight and Elemental Stones. Applicants should have strong board game knowledge (both our games and general board games) and preferably have related demo experience.
• Headquarters (HQ): Answer player and GM questions, seat players, handle conflicts and disputes, and report games after completion

Please read this important information before applying:

• Volunteer applications will be reviewed and accepted or rejected by the PAX Unplugged Organizing Committee. Filling this form out does not guarantee acceptance; you will receive an email with further information from the PAXU committee.
• PAX Unplugged schedules will be assigned by the committee. You will be asked for your preference of system and level, but you will not necessarily be able to choose the specific scenario(s) you run. The committee’s intention is to assign people to run the same scenario multiple times during the weekend. There is a free-form field at the end of the form to enter specific requests, though there’s no guarantee they will be honored.
• Reward information is listed in the table below. GMs who do not qualify for a badge will still need to purchase one.
• Applications will be processed on a rolling basis, beginning no later than August 28. The earlier you get your application in, the more likely it is you’ll get the scenarios you want. Please be patient as we put the final details on the convention internally before we send out GM emails!
• Please note that we will not be providing hotel rooms for GMs. All GMs will need to provide their own accommodation. Parking reimbursement is available for 7+ slot GMs if requested.
• Any questions about the GM signup process should be sent to the committee at paxunplugged[at]gmail[dot]com.

Rewards Table

Blocks	Parking Pass	Hardcover Product	Exhibitor Badge	In-Game Reward	Voucher
7+ blocks	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
6 blocks		✓	✓	✓	✓
5 blocks			✓	✓	✓
4 blocks			✓	✓	✓
3 blocks			✓	✓	✓
2 blocks				✓	✓
1 block				✓	✓

*Definitions for rewards:

• Exhibitor Badge: a badge for the duration of the event.
• In-game reward: A reward for characters based on the current organized play GM reward programs. Pathfinder Society (Second Edition)/Starfinder Society is Achievement Point rewards at the Premier Plus (2.0x) level. Benefits for board game & SF2 Demo GMs are TBD.
• Hardcover Product: GMs at this tier will be able to choose between Pathfinder Player Core, Pathfinder GM Core, or Starfinder Enhanced.
• Parking Pass: Reimbursement for parking at up to $30/day.
• Voucher: earn one voucher for $10 spendable on paizo.com for every block run.

PAX Unplugged 2023 Volunteer Application

Major Conventions Planning Server

Anybody interested in volunteering at PAX Unplugged should join the OPF Major Conventions planning server by clicking the image below. Follow the instructions in #welcome to get access to the relevant channels. All important information will be conveyed on this server as well as via email, so please join the server!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Brad Fiske and Nicholas Ruchlewicz
PAX Unplugged Organizing Committee

OPC Musings

Happy July, everybody! I hope those of you who attended Pride events last month had a lovely time; I certainly enjoyed Seattle Pride. Now, however, is the month of a different sin. Tragically not Sloth, there’s too much to do!

Gen Con is less than a month away! We’ll have over 500 tables of games running in Indianapolis and several hundred sessions online as well. I can’t wait to see the Sagamore filled to the brim once again; Gen Con’s a lot of work, but the dopamine hit is worth it. After that, no rest for the wicked—we’ve got plenty to do this fall between the Pathfinder Remaster, fall conventions, and several other things I’m so close to being able to talk about.

Luckily, this month’s update is much shorter than last month’s! Look out for a blog later this month about the Pathfinder Society rule changes for Year 5, but for now, let’s dive in.

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on July 26, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-16: Dacilane Academy's First Great Prank War*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-17: Trapping the Hag's Claw*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Unearthing Ulumbia*

*part of a subscription

First Seeker Election

Last month we announced the four candidates to be the next First Seeker of the Starfinder Society! If you haven’t checked out the blog already, head over to meet Aurora Everbright, Dr. Heldin Sevaile, Nykiti Lampadephoros, and Sarmak.

On Paizo Live last week I also revealed the campaign posters for the candidates! The art team hit it out of the park with these. Head over to paizo.com/firstseeker to download the posters so you can print them out and plaster them all over your game store’s walls.

The ballot will open on August 3 with the launch of SFS #6-06: Tomorrow’s Seekers at Gen Con. We encourage everybody to play through the scenario as many times as you want before casting your vote! The polls close on October 31, 2023.

Sanctioning Update

We’ve had a busy month in the sanctioning mines! Last month we released sanctioning for The Enmity Cycle, the standalone Pathfinder adventure, as well as Pathfinder Lost Omens Highhelm, the latest infusion of Golarion lore. We also posted sanctioning documents for both A Few Flowers More and Operation Seaside Park, the two Free RPG Day adventures for this year (for Pathfinder and Starfinder, respectively). Remember that after Free RPG Day, these adventures are not permitted to be run for credit until July 25, 2023.

We’ve been hard at work getting Pathfinder Rage of Elements ready for Gen Con, and I think you’ll see it ready for play on the first day of the show! The Stolen Fate and Drift Hackers Adventure Paths are also ready to fly as soon as the sanctioning documents are in my hands, which should be any day now. After that, our focus will turn to the Sky King’s Tomb AP, as well as the twin knockout punches of Starfinder Enhanced and the new Pathfinder Player Coreand GM Core.

GM Recognition

This month, two new Campaign Service Coins were awarded to volunteers by their RVC. 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:
Joe Blomquist, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #876
Jeff Stop, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #877

Conventions

Watch this space next month for what I hope will be some very exciting news on the convention front! I’m not able to discuss it just yet, but we’ve got some big news coming.

Until then, I’ll remind you all that in addition to Gen Con in a little under a month (!!!), there are plenty of local conventions this summer and fall. Check out our Conventions calendar to see where you can find Paizo Organized Play activities!

I told you this month was shorter! Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And, apparently, gossip?

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Welcome back to the OP Monthly Update! I know we missed last month, that’s entirely my fault. I was on my honeymoon, and then we announced a little thing called the Pathfinder Core Remaster, and by the time I came up for air, it was already mid-May!

Luckily it’s smooth sailing now, which is a lie, because convention season is in full swing! As I write this blog we’re doing our final preparations for PaizoCon Online. I can’t wait for this show, and I’m so excited for our upcoming shows like UK Games Expo and Gen Con. Not to mention, this fall I’ll be heading to a few local conventions! More on that soon, hopefully. For now, I’ve got a supersized OP update to deliver, so let’s get started.

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on June 28, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-15: In Glorious Battle

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #6-03: Project Dawn
Starfinder Society Scenario #6-04: Secrets Long Submerged

*part of a subscription

Pathfinder Core Remaster

Last month, we announced the Pathfinder Core Remaster: an overhaul and update of our Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset, a necessary but difficult maneuver given the events of recent months. I am sure that for many of you, the first question was “how will this affect Pathfinder Society?” The short answer is: we don’t know yet! The longer answer is that these books literally don’t exist fully yet; they won’t go to the printer for another month or so. Until they do, we can’t begin to answer these questions.

Rest assured that as soon as we can, the OP team will be diving into the new rule changes to figure out how to make the updates as seamless as possible for the community. For now, I ask for your patience on this topic. There will be many questions to answer in the weeks ahead, but we’ve got a steady hand on the metaphorical tiller.

FAQ and Boon Updates

In the quiet time before convention prep, the Pathfinder Society developers and I had some time to sit down and hammer out some updates to boons available in the boon store, as well as to handle some FAQs for the program. The full updates are available on the FAQ page, but here’s a summary of the changes:

• The Second Chance boon has been updated to indicate that purchasing and using this boon also covers the cost of recovering your body and any lost possessions if necessary. If a character is undead (such as a skeleton), they can use this boon to benefit from a similar ritual to restore themselves to their previously undead state.
• Similarly, an FAQ clarifies that in the event that your character ends a scenario alive but otherwise inaccessible (such as being imprisoned or transported to another plane), the Second Chance boon can be purchased and used to return your character to safety.
• Another FAQ clarifies which version of an item or character option to use in the event the option is reprinted in another book. In short, a hardcover printing of an option is considered the standard option unless otherwise stated. This applies to both Pathfinder and Starfinder Society.
• The Secondary Initiation boon has also been clarified to cover how it handles entry requirements for organizations (it handwaves them as occurring offscreen) and which ranks PCs can choose to be within organizations (anything reasonable is fair game, but no, your PCs are not fourth-mark Firebrands).
• Finally, we have issued one minor clarification to the Magic Arrow feat from the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide, which you can find on the Character Options page as normal.

Starfinder Society Year 6 Updates

Program Changes

SFS Year 6 launched at PaizoCon Online! Hopefully, anyway; I’m writing this before the show, so if a dinosaur attacks, someone let future me know. The following Starfinder species are now considered “always available”: gnoll, hanakan, kiirinta, quorlu, raxilite, shimreen. Players are free to build characters of these species as often as they like; as always, characters with an Admittance Boon for these species gain an additional +2 to one ability score immediately.

The Achievement Point cost for a boon to play a character of the following species has been reduced to 80 Achievement Points: astriapi, cephalume, contemplative, trox, uplifted bear, urog. Meanwhile, the following species are now playable with the purchase of a boon from the online Boon Store: entu colony, huitz’plina, grippli, kitsune, kobold, psacynoid, samsaran, scyphozoan, trinir, and tryziarka.

Finally, a few more boons have been added to the Boon Store! Starfinders who enjoy having a permanent emblem of their position can now purchase the Marked Starfinder boon for 2 AcP after playing at least one session to gain a Society Subdermal Graft. Additionally, characters can now undergo a Training Montage (or Extended Training Montage) to retrain their character’s abilities! These provide more robust retraining options than the previously available mnemonic editor. Full text of these boons, as always, can be found on the Starfinder Society FAQ page.

The Guide to Organized Play: Starfinder Society has been updated with all these changes, as well as a brand-new overhaul and visual upgrade! Incredible thanks to Jared Thaler and Peter Nalepa, both of whom have worked very hard to make the guide more user-friendly and accessible. They’ve created a feedback thread on the forums for comments or questions.

First Seeker Election

Last month we formally announced Starfinder Society #6-06: Tomorrow’s Seekers! This scenario will allow you to meet the four PCs who were selected to vie for the title of First Seeker. You may note my name on the cover as the author; I’m so excited for this adventure and for you all to meet these wonderful colorful characters!

Look for some upcoming blogs where we’ll be revealing the candidates, their platforms, and a bit more about them. Campaign season begins when the ballot opens at Gen Con (August 1–4), and the voting period will close in mid-October. If you want to cast your vote, don’t miss your chance to play the scenario in that two-month period!

Sanctioning

One of the reasons we could get away with missing April’s blog was that it was a pretty quiet month on the release front! Luckily, we’ve got some new toys for you this month!

For Pathfinder Society, this month’s new release is the brand-new standalone adventure, The Enmity Cycle. The sanctioning documents for this adventure are just waiting to be exported; once they are, we’ll be sure to add them to the product page.

On the Starfinder side, the new hardcover rulebook Starfinder Ports of Call has been released and sanctioned for play! Visit the Character Options page for all the details. While you’re there, why not check out the new options from the Drift Hackers Adventure Path, which are also now sanctioned! Chronicle sheets for players and GMs will also be available on the product page for the AP as soon as they’re exported.

Coming up next, we’ll be getting sanctioning documents out for the Free RPG Day adventures (foreshadowing for the next section)! After that, for Pathfinder Society we’ve got the Stolen Fate Adventure Path and Pathfinder Lost Omens Highhelm on the docket, and Starfinder Society will be pretty quiet until the fall!

Free RPG Day

June 24 is Free RPG Day here in the United States! This initiative provides retailers with exclusive access to free RPG products from a number of companies, including Paizo. We have two adventures in this year’s kit: A Few Flowers Morefor Pathfinder and <em>Operation: Seaside Park for Starfinder

If your store is participating in this event, sanctioning documents and chronicle sheets will be available prior to the event! You’ll be able to get credit for your Organized Play characters after participating in these adventures. Free RPG Day is a great way to kickstart a new RPG group at a store, so we encourage you all to head to a participating retailerfor the event!

GM Recognition

At PaizoCon Online last weekend, I awarded three individuals with brand new Campaign Coins and Organized Play IDs. 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:
Jofiane “Fi,” who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #887
Milan Badzic, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #888
and Harmeshver “Resh” Singh, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #889

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Nova for Starfinder Society and one earn their 5th Glyph for Pathfinder Society (second edition).

5th Nova (SFS): Terry T
5th Glyph (PFS2): Tim Munsie (TMun)

Congratulations to our outstanding GMs and volunteers!

Conventions

It’s convention season! As this blog is posted, I’ll be getting ready for my first games at UK Games Expo in Birmingham. It’s my first official trip abroad and I can’t wait to meet our European community! If you’re in the area, come say hi!

We've also announced PaizoCon South Pacific, running from June 30–July 2 in Sydney, Australia! While I won’t be attending (this year...), the Paizo community will be turning out for a great time.

And of course, there are tons of local conventions in your area! Check out our conventions calendar to see what events are happening near you and go roll some dice.

That’s quite enough from me—thanks for sticking with the supersized update. There’s a reason we try to do these monthly! Until next time, Explore! Report! Cooperate! And have a spot of tea!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Registration for PaizoCon Online games opens next Monday! If you haven’t already, be sure to purchase your ticket now. If you’ve never used Warhorn to sign up for games before, here’s a brief explanation on how to register for the event and sign up for your games.

What’s Warhorn?

Warhorn is an online game scheduling platform. In addition to signing up for games, you can use the Discussion tab to ask questions of your GM or fellow players. Your GM can add links to the sign-in sheet and their VTT ahead of time.

Registering on Warhorn

1. If you haven’t already, create a Warhorn account. Remember the email you used, as the PaizoCon ticket purchase process will ask for this email!
2. Visit the PaizoCon Online 2023 Warhorn.
3. In the upper right corner or on the right side of the screen, click “Register.”

That’s it! You’re now registered for the event. Clearing attendees to sign up for games is a manual process. At least once every 24 hours, we’ll go through and grant the correct permissions to every user who has bought a ticket since our last check, so please be patient!

Once you’re cleared to sign up for games, you’ll receive an email from Warhorn letting you know. In the meantime, you can view the event schedule and plan out what games you’d like to join!

Signing Up for Games

1. Navigate to the listing for the game you want to join.
2. Click “Sign Up to Play” at the top of the player list.
3. For scenarios, you’re now signed up to play! For lottery games, you’ve joined the queue to potentially be selected to play in that game.

Lottery Games

Some of our events run by Paizo staffers or community members are likely to be in very high demand, and we don’t want to limit them to the fastest clickers. As such, we’re designating some games as Lottery Games in their description. Players who are interested in a Lottery Game can sign up as normal before 9am Pacific time on May 15, 2023. On this date, the signups will be closed and the players will be randomly chosen to play. Should any of these players drop, the seat will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have any questions about the signup process, be sure to drop them in the comments, or head over to the Paizo Events Discord server. We can’t wait to see you at PaizoCon Online!

PaizoCon Online 2023 Team

OPC Musings

Happy spring, everybody! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, or at least I assume they are. I live in Seattle. That’s not how it works here.

We’ve got a busy few months coming up for Organized Play! I’m going on my honeymoon at the end of April, PaizoCon is in less than 60 days, and after that–well, you’ll see. We’re hard at working churning out the next few months of scenarios. I think you’re really going to like what we’ve got planned for you!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on April 26, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-12: Negotiations for the Star Gun*
Pathfinder Quest (Series 2) #14: The Swordlord’s Challenge

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-16: To Catch A King*

*part of a subscription

Getting Started Pages

One of the consistent problems we’ve had in Organized Play is that there’s no one-stop overview of how our programs work to give to new players. Well…not anymore! Thanks to some help from Josh Foster, our Organized Play Developer, as well as Maryssa Lagervall and Andrew White on the tech team, I present our brand new Getting Started pages for Pathfinder and Starfinder Society! These pages are intended to give new players everything they need to get started and find their gaming group. We hope you find them useful and informative! If you see any errors or have suggestions for improvement, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Sanctioning Update

This was a big month for Organized Play sanctioning!

Pathfinder Society

For Pathfinder Society, the Gatewalkers Adventure Path recently released its final volume. Chronicle Sheets and sanctioning documents are now available on the store pages.

The big news, of course, is the sanctioning of Lost Omens: Firebrands. As I announced on the forums last week, we’re trying something new by listing the reasons why certain options aren’t permitted in the campaign. This is an experiment to see if the community can handle this feedback without using it as an invitation for debate, or as ammunition against our designers, editors and writers.

Starfinder Society

This month saw the release of the Drift Crisis Case Files! We broke from tradition slightly on this book as well by sanctioning each case file as a double-length scenario. Our hope is that doing so provides organizers with some additional content to be run at events with longer slots or over multiple weeks at a retail location. Let us know how it works for you!

Upcoming

Looking ahead, the next books on our radar are the Drift Hackers Adventure Path and Ports of Call for Starfinder. It’s likely that, due to internal issues, the Drift Hackers AP will see a slight delay from street date, but we should have it (and Ports of Call) ready by PaizoCon Online. On the Pathfinder side, the next adventure release is The Enmity Cyclein May, and we won’t have another hardcover until June with Lost Omens: Highhelm, but right now we’re on track for both of those. We’ll also be working to ensure the documents for the Free RPG Day adventures for both systems are available in time for the June 24 event!

Updates

We’ve also just pushed a couple of minor changes to the Treasure Vault items on the Pathfinder Character Options page. We added a missing access condition to the polytool to bring it in line with Lost Omens: Gods and Magic, permitted the black tendril shot thanks to errata, and removed the cassisian helmet from legality. Any character who purchased the helmet can sell it back for full price.

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

While at GenghisCon at the end of February, I was able to award a Campagin Coin. 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@paizo.com with their name and reasons.

Congratulations to:
Zach Armstrong, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #883

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Star for Pathfinder Society (first edition) and two earn their 5th Glyph for Pathfinder Society (second edition).

5th Star (PFS1): Jerry Wayne
5th Glyph (PFS2): Doug Hahn, Michelle Moniz

Congratulations to our outstanding GMs and volunteers!

Convention News

Convention season is in full swing! Our Convention Calendar is chock-full of events from around the world, and we encourage everyone to go out and support their local shows.

PaizoCon

On the PaizoCon front, tickets for the show went on sale yesterday, and we're excited to see you all! Game signups will begin on April 10 for our GMs and April 17 for all attendees. Make sure to register on our Warhorn beforehand so we can get you set up to sign up!

We’re also excited to be partnering with KublaCon in California for PaizoCon @ KublaCon! If you’re interested in playing in physical space with the community, they’re our exclusive partner for a physical event this year. You’ll be able to play all the new PaizoCon releases, including the Starfinder Special on Saturday morning, and watch the panels from their viewing space. Tickets and hotel rooms are available now on their website, and signups for games are already open on their Warhorn.

Gen Con

This week we began signups for GMs at Gen Con Online 2023! All the information is available in our blog, but GMs will be able to run the new scenarios and be rewarded as if they were attending the event in Indianapolis, all from the comfort of their home! We look forward to seeing you all virtually, we expect a great turnout for our events this year.

For Gen Con Indy, while GM applications are still open, at this stage we may not be able to offer new volunteers badges or hotel rooms. We welcome all GM volunteers, we can always use more people interested in running tables or filling in for last-minute drops!

UK Games Expo

Finally, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be attending UK Games Expo this year! I’ll be running a few games in our Organized Play space and otherwise just visiting the show to make connections. If you’ll be at the show as well, feel free to reach out, I’d love to say hi to our UK community!

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! and show your flair with a Pathfinder pin!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Greetings, players! The time has finally come to open volunteer applications for Gen Con Online 2023. Please read all the information in this blog before filling out the application form, and let the team know if you have any questions!

Gen Con Online 2023

Gen Con Indianapolis will take place online from August 3–6, 2023. This application is only for the online show; those interested in being part of our offerings in the Sagamore Ballroom in Indianapolis should visit our previous blog on the subject.

New content at this show includes the launch of Pathfinder Society Year 5, the new Pathfinder Society Special and the second American run of the Starfinder Society interactive special, and new Starfinder Society scenarios (including your first chance to meet the new First Seeker Candidates).

We're currently seeking volunteers for the following roles:

• Game Master: Run tables of Organized Play Scenarios, Bounties and Quests
• Headquarters (HQ): Answer player and GM questions, seat players, handle conflicts and disputes, and report games after completion

Please read this important information before applying:

• Volunteer applications will be reviewed and accepted or rejected by the Gen Con Organizing Committee. Filling out this form doesn’t guarantee acceptance; you’ll receive an email with further information from the Gen Con committee.
• Gen Con Online schedules will be assigned by the committee. You’ll be asked for your preference of system and level, but you won’t necessarily be able to choose the specific scenario(s) you run. The committee’s intention is to assign people to run the same scenario multiple times during the weekend. There’s a free-form field at the end of the form to enter specific requests, though there’s no guarantee they’ll be honored.
• Reward information is listed in the table below.
• Volunteers will be accepted on a rolling basis, and schedules should be assigned within two weeks of your application. Once your schedule is assigned and you confirm, you’re considered to be committed to attending the event.
• Adventure authors interested in running tables of scenarios they’ve written should fill out the volunteer form and then follow up by emailing genconleads@gmail.com. We’ll do our best to get you slotted into your scenario if it’s on the schedule.
• Gen Con Online doesn’t accept tables run in languages other than English.
• Any questions about the GM sign-up process should be sent to the committee at genconleads@gmail.com.

Rewards Table

Blocks	Product	In-Game Reward	Voucher
6+ blocks	✓	✓	✓
5 blocks		✓	✓
4 blocks		✓	✓
3 blocks		✓	✓
2 blocks		✓	✓
1 block		✓	✓

*Definitions for rewards:

• In-game reward: A reward for characters based on the current organized play program GM reward programs. Pathfinder Society (first edition)/Pathfinder Adventure Card Society is paper boons, Pathfinder Society (second edition)/Starfinder Society is Achievement Point rewards at the Premier Plus (2.0x) level.
• Product: a PDF copy of any Paizo product valued at $29.99 or less.
• Voucher: earn one voucher for $10 spendable on paizo.com for every block run.

Note that Gen Con Online badges are free, so GMs are asked to obtain their own badges for the show.

Gen Con Online 2023 Volunteer Application

Major Conventions Planning Server

Anybody interested in volunteering at Gen Con Online should join the OPF Major Conventions planning server by clicking the image below. Follow the instructions in #welcome to get access to the relevant channels. All important information will be conveyed on this server as well as via email, so please join the server!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Heather Vigil, Joe Blomquist, Kevin Baumann, Rebecca Fehn and Joe Mathos
Gen Con Organizing Committee

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on March 29, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-11: Prisoners of the Electric Castle*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-15: Beta Test*

*part of a subscription

Starfinder Society Year 6

The Year of Fortune’s Fall is upon us, Starfinders! This month, Jessica announced the theme for Starfinder Society Year 6, launching at PaizoCon Online at the end of May. When a mysterious and powerful criminal syndicate, dubbed the Organization, enacts a bloody attack within the Pact Worlds, First Seeker Ehu Hadif vows to bring an end to their predations. Yet, this attack is only the opening salvo in a plot destined to doom millions.

It’s up to you to unravel the plans of the Organization and bring the group’s leaders to justice! This Organization has been waiting in the wings for years, but now they must be stopped before it’s too late!

Replays

One of the most-requested features in my time here has been the ability to replay scenarios. Whether it’s because you have another character who would fit perfectly into an adventure or just because you want to help make a table fire, this has been something players and GMs have asked for constantly. I’m delighted to tell you that, thanks to the tireless work of our tech team, this is now possible!

If you check your Organized Play account, you will see that you now have Replays available for Pathfinder Society (both first and second edition) as well as Starfinder Society. Here are the rules governing these Replays, which will be added to the Guide to Organized Play during the next update:

• All players (current and future) start with 2 replays. Current players may have obtained additional replays as a thanks for your patience while we got the system up and running. [1]
• GMs will earn one replay for each GM rank they achieve. Additionally, on January 1st of each year we will run a report to grant GMs one replay per GM rank for each active system. [2]
• Additional replays for PFS2 and SFS can be purchased at a rate of 40 Achievement Points per replay. This cost does not increase over time. Players must purchase a replay prior to completion and reporting of the scenario they are replaying.
• Players must indicate to their GM when they are using a replay. When reporting a replayed scenario, the GM should check the “Consume Replay” box next to the character’s information so they earn full credit for the scenario.
• Players who replay a scenario earn full rewards as a result of their playthrough. They get access to any boons and items on their Chronicle Sheet, as well as gold, XP and Reputation, all subject to the outcome of the scenario.
• Replays are not used when GMing a scenario; GMs will continue to earn table credit and AcP for GMing a non-repeatable scenario.
• Replays can be used on sanctioned content that is scenario-length or shorter, such as One-Shots, non-repeatable Quests and Free RPG Day adventures. Replays cannot be used on long-form content such as standalone modules or Adventure Path volumes.

[1] The formula for additional replays is 2 replays for every 50 games played or GMed in the program prior to February 18, 2023.
[2] This functionality does not exist yet, tech is currently assessing the feasibility of doing so, but I'm confident in our/their abilities. If it is infeasible to do so automatically in a short timeframe I will investigate manual solutions.

As a reminder, per the rules in the Guide to Organized Play, players must inform their GMs when they are replaying a scenario, whether it’s because they are using a Replay or because it is a Repeatable scenario they have played before. Players replaying a scenario should not use metagame knowledge to ruin the experience for first-time players.

GMs are explicitly permitted to limit signups to their tables based on non-discriminatory criteria, such as limiting a run of a scenario to first-time players if they prefer.

We’re also aware of some minor issues with reduced Achievement Points or table credit that occurred as a result of this code update. We’re digging into the exact causes but hope to have fixes rolled out very soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions about incorrect counts of any points, including Replays, don’t hesitate to email orgplayreportingerrors@paizo.com. Thank you for your patience as we made these technical updates, and enjoy the new Replays!

Starfinder Errata Updates

Last month, the Starfinder team announced a host of new errata and updates to the core Starfinder rules. Any rule changes like this are always considered to apply immediately to Starfinder Society play, so these changes are now in effect at our tables.

Additionally, some of these changes address the initial reasons we did not allow certain character options for play in Starfinder Society. We’re pleased to announce that the following options are now legal in Starfinder Society play:

• Starfinder Armory: all garottes and vibrogarottes
• Starfinder Pact Worlds: mature xenolash
• Starfinder Drift Crisis: thasphalt blaster
• Starfinder Interstellar Species: Devastating Throw, Draconic Shot, Hurl Ally, ink gland augmentation, linnormling creature companion
• Horizons of the Vast Adventure Path: Zeitgeist mystic connection

The Starfinder Society Character Options page has been updated to reflect these changes, as well as to remove some additional clarifications that are now part of the core rules.

Sanctioning

Last week, with the release of Treasure Vault, we sanctioned the options for Pathfinder Society play! Delve into the vaults and discover your new favorite items! Sanctioning is posted on the Pathfinder Society Character Options pageas usual, and boons are available in the Boon Store.

This month, we’ll be taking a look at Lost Omens: Firebrands and the Drift Crisis Case Files for Starfinder, with the goal to get sanctioning for both ready for street date.  After that, while we prepare for Starfinder Ports of Call in May, we’ll be working on the Drift Hackers and Gatewalkers Adventure Paths.

GM Recognition

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Star for Pathfinder Society (first edition).

5th Star (PFS1): Gregg Homerding

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! and enjoy revisiting some favorite scenarios!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Third Party Kon is ready to celebrate the PaizoVerse! TPK is a celebration of the PaizoVerse's rapid expansion in all its forms during the President's Day weekend, February 17-20. As Paizo and other publishers announce their support for the Open RPG Creative License (ORC), there has never been a better time to make or try third party content. The mods at r/Pathfinder2e have seen the incredible growth of the community even before the age of the ORC, and TPK wants to recognize that.

So how can you get involved?

GAME MASTERS: Run a game for players! Our Game Masters page has a great selection of free third party scenarios made by outstanding authors like Mark Seifter of Roll for Combat, Shawn Pommier of Eldritch Osiris Games, and Matthew Ninness of Sinclair's Library!

We also have instructions to sign players up to your game through RPGChronicles! Games will be hosted on the r/Pathfinder2e Discord server. We definitely recommend trying one of our scenarios out, or using a Foundry VTT-ready bounty available on Paizo’s website. Remember, you can use third party options in tables that still get credit for Organized Play using Adventure Mode if you’re running an Adventure Path, the Beginner Box, Standalone Adventures, or a One-Shot Product!

If you need help designing a homebrew one shot, World Anvil is giving 40% off any yearly subscription using the code TPK2023 at checkout!

PLAYERS: Try new options available from Pathfinder Infinite authors and masters! Our Players page lists many 3PP ancestries, items, archetypes, and even classes like the Legendary Medium from Legendary Games to try! As GMs register games with us, you’ll also be able to join them! Find your GM on the r/Pathfinder2e Discord TPK Channel, then make a character to play!

EVERYONE: TPK is hosting a 24-hour stream from Friday to Monday of actual plays and creator panels, featuring some of the most well-known voices in the community! Visit our Stream Schedule to see what you might want to watch.

You should also support the content creators making the PaizoVerse so diverse! We’ve teamed up with DriveThruRPG to sell a TPK MegaBundle of third party products! The sale will go live during the weekend on our website, so make sure you don’t miss out on your chance to get tons of great stuff at a steep discount.

CREATORS: There’s still time to join the TPK MegaBundle sale and submit your own demo options for players! Visit the TPK Creators page to find out how! We’ll be accepting demo material up to February 15th.

Start your adventure into the #PaizoVerse at #TPK23!

By Pete Zupan, r/Pathfinder2e mod and host of Rise of the Rulelords podcast.

Paizo publishes more adventures, character options, and monsters for Pathfinder and Starfinder than many could play in a lifetime…

But is it enough?

There are more ideas about ways to experience Pathfinder than even Paizo can keep up with, and the PaizoVerse community has stepped up to fulfill those needs. Authors, including a growing number of Infinite Masters, are creating new classes, monsters, and adventures every day on Pathfinder Infinite. Plus, they’re empowered to expand on the Lost Omens setting in “what if-style,” non-canon ways. Third Party Kon wants to celebrate that.

With the success of events like Beginner Box Day, we saw the power of the community to rally around a game we love. Over 300 people and 60 GMs participated in the inaugural event, and since then, the r/Pathfinder2e subreddit has surpassed 55k members. The event couldn’t have succeeded without help from the community, nor could it prosper just on player zeal. Rather, the efforts of a dedicated group of content creators and publishers have helped bring the game to a wider audience, showing people how many other options are out there. As the PaizoVerse grows, so does the love of the game. More and more often, publishers are adding Pathfinder Second Edition as an option for their rulebooks and adventures, and platforms like Foundry VTT are joining in adding exclusive Pathfinder products like the deluxe Beginner Box module and Bestiary Tokens!

Third Party Kon is a celebration of the PaizoVerse in all its forms. What is the ‘PaizoVerse’? It’s the growing collection of actual plays, bloggers, youtubers, podcasters, artists, and publishers who have made the hobby of playing Paizo-made games into a community.

During the President's Day weekend:

1. We’ll be airing a 24-hour stream of interviews from the best creators in the PaizoVerse and live plays of third party adventures from shows you know and love.


2. Of course, no gaming convention would be complete without free game demos! During TPK, players and Game Masters will get to experience the breadth of community-created ancestries, classes, spells, weapons, monsters, settings, and adventures of third party content at no extra charge.

Of course, we can’t do this without the participation of the PaizoVerse! TPK is accepting pitches to join our stream until January 14th. The first round of demo materials will also be added starting January 21st, so make sure your product is among the first that players see! Send your stuff to pf2events.com/creators.

Be part of the first PaizoVerse-run celebration! Make sure to join us for TPK, February 17 to 20, 2023 at pf2events.com, and join the largest group of Pathfinders at reddit.com/r/pathfinder2e.

OPC Musings

Well would you look at that number at the top, it’s already 2023! Don’t forget to date your checks correctly, I know I’m forever scribbling out the previous year for the first month or so.

I’m very excited for what’s coming in 2023. Obviously we have some fantastic products coming down the line, but I’m even more excited about the future of Organized Play. We’ve got two great metaplots in the works for you, and we’re going to be working hard to make the program even better this year. It’s a new year and we’ve got a lot to talk about already, so let’s dive right in!

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on January 25, 2023.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-08: Battle for Star's Fate*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-13: Finding the Forgotten*

*part of a subscription

Pathfinder Core Rulebook Errata

Earlier this week, the Rules & Lore team announced a new errata policy, as well as posting some new changes to the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. Obviously these changes are going to affect Pathfinder Society play, so here’s how to handle them:

• All new rule changes in the 4th printing of the Core Rulebook are in effect immediately.
• Dust of disappearance has been made uncommon. Any character who previously purchased the item may keep it. It will be added to the Avid Collector - Core Rulebook boon for future purchases and characters.
• The horse animal companion rules have been updated, and apply immediately. Any character who no longer wants a horse animal companion may freely change their animal companion to a new animal. Retraining out of an animal companion entirely follows the normal rules for retraining.
• The alchemist class updates provide a number of changes and upgrades. Any alchemists built under the old rules can freely retrain their research field and any feats except those that specifically prohibit doing so (such as lineage feats). Any items purchased with gold can be sold back for the full purchase price. Retraining out of the alchemist class entirely can only be done with the normal retraining rules.
• The Core Rulebook now allows all characters to take two free ability boosts instead of the printed options for their ancestry. Newly created characters in Pathfinder Society may use this rule; previously built characters may not unless they rebuild the character from scratch with a boon.
• However, to retain the legality of numerous existing characters, the Pathfinder Society campaign will continue to offer the Voluntary Flaws optional ruleset and retain the text within the Guide to Organized Play.

Once again, these changes go into effect immediately. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we missed any updates that you’re not sure how to handle!

The Replacement of Ehu Hadif

This is your final reminder that if your character is interested in becoming the new First Seeker, time is running out! The deadline to purchase the First Seeker Candidate boon and send in your information is January 16, 2023. This is a hard deadline; after this date, submissions will be closed and we’ll begin to review the candidates and make decisions.

Toys of Boundless Wonder

Last month, multiple regions and local game stores came together for our Toys of Boundless Wonder event to play games and boost donations for Toys for Tots. The event was a smash success, with over 60 tables during the two-week event and 18 simultaneous tables playing this year’s Pathfinder Society Special! There’s a full writeup on the League of Aroden site, which I encourage you all to check out, but I wanted to include some photos here. Stay tuned for details on next year’s event!

Left to Right, photos taken by Ryan Youngbar and Trevor Peryea

Left to Right, photos taken by Patrick McElfresh and Zach Davis

Sanctioning Update

Last month, we posted boons to unlock various character options from the Blood Lords Adventure Path! Your characters can now take the Ashes mystery, cast new and horrifying spells, and more! We also updated the text of the Undead Companions boon from Pathfinder Book of the Dead to incorporate some undead companions from this Adventure Path. The full text of these boons is, as always, available on the Pathfinder Society FAQ page.

Looking ahead, the next two projects on our radar are the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Adventure Path compilation, as well as Pathfinder Treasure Vault. Right now we’re on track to have sanctioning for both books available on their release!

GM Recognition

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Glyph for PFS2. Congratulations!

5th Glyph (PFS2): Bill Tobin

Conventions

With a new year comes new conventions! Our convention calendar is already looking rather full in January, and February and March are starting to fill out as well. Check it out and see if there are any conventions in your area to play Pathfinder and Starfinder Society!

I’m also pleased to announce two more conventions where I’ll be making an appearance!

First, I’ll be attending DunDraCon in Los Angeles, California, from February 17¬–20. It’s my first official trip to California and my first time in Los Angeles, so I’m excited to spend Presidents Day with our LA lodge!

After that, I’ll immediately be heading to Denver for GenghisCon the next weekend, February 23–26! The Mile High City is host to one of the Great Plains’ premiere conventions, and both Tonya Woldridge and I will be attending.

If you’re in the area of either of these shows, I encourage you to come out and say hi! Visiting local shows is one of my favorite parts of my job, and it’s wonderful to see the various communities come together.

Finally, for those of you eager to volunteer at Gen Con or PaizoCon this year, come back to the blog next week for some more news…

I’ll see you next week for more! Until then—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And have fun in the desert!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Greetings, players! I’m pleased to let you know that the wheels have already begun to spin up for 2023’s convention season.

For our major shows (such as PaizoCon and Gen Con), we have a volunteer organizing committee that runs our organized play space. This group works closely with me, as the Organized Play Coordinator, to determine the schedule, recruit GMs, and get them everything they need to make the show a success!

Illustration by Lucas Villalva Machado

While we’re still finalizing what our presence looks like for Gen Con, we know we’re going to need a few new members of our leadership team. Applications for these positions are open until January 1, 2023. After that, I’ll anonymize the submissions and discuss them with our existing Gen Con Committee.

Please note that joining a leadership team is a significant commitment, as there is a lot of preparation work to do to get ready for a show. More information about the leadership team’s responsibilities and rewards are available in this document. If you’re not already a Venture Officer, we’ll be asking you to sign a volunteer agreement stating that you agree to these commitments. Note that anybody is free to apply for a committee; we welcome those who are not already Venture Officers!

Gen Con 2023 is seeking applicants for the following positions:

Online Committee Member

We’re looking to add one member whose sole responsibility will be to focus on Gen Con Online. This position is not required to attend the show in Indianapolis (and in fact, it will be much easier if they don’t). We’re asking them to oversee operations via our Discord during the show: coordinating with HQ, ensuring GMs have what they need, and taking responsibility for the Organized Play-related activities. It’s a tall order, so we’re looking for someone experienced with online conventions.

Academy Assistant

The Pathfinder and Starfinder Academies are our programs designed to teach young players (under the age of 18) about our games in a safe, family-friendly environment. We’re looking for someone who wants to learn about this program this year, with the goal of training them to take over next year. As a result, we’re looking for applicants willing to take on a multi-year commitment for this position. The ideal candidate enjoys working with children and families and can mentor GMs on playing with young children. A background check is required for this position at the applicant’s expense; this is only required once the position is offered and accepted, and previous checks (such as from a teaching or youth group) will be accepted.

Headquarters Department Head

At major conventions, we have a team of HQ volunteers whose task is to support GMs, answer questions from players, and muster players to tables. The HQ staff is the backbone of our conventions, and we can’t run a show without them. We’re looking for someone to serve as our Department Head for this team. They’ll work to train our in-person HQ staff on best practices, serve as backup for the team in the event of issues, and document methods for future conventions. The ideal candidate has experience with running HQ at larger conventions and is able to train new staffers quickly.

If you’re interested in any of these positions, please fill out the form below! If necessary, we’ll contact applicants with follow-up questions and notify all applicants of their status before the end of January. We’re looking forward to working with you at the Best Four Days in Gaming!

APPLICATION LINK

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Happy Kuthona, players! Whether you celebrate Winter Week, First Choices, Crystalhue, Renewal or any other holiday, this time of year is one to gather with friends and family (safely) and enjoy the holidays. I hope you’re all looking forward to your favorite holiday traditions!

This month’s update may be a quiet one, but I assure you that we’re anything but quiet behind the scenes. We’ve started planning for 2023 conventions and over the past couple of weeks, I’ve also heard the pitches for the new seasons of Pathfinder and Starfinder Society. I think you’re all really going to like what we have planned for next year!

I don’t think I have another blog where I get to talk to you all directly before the holiday break, so before I go, let me just say: thank you all so much for your support of our games. We love what we do, each and every one of us, and I’m so lucky that my job puts me in such close contact with our community. I get to hear stories from your tables and experience firsthand the joy that gaming brings. I hope you all have wonderful gaming plans for the holidays, and that your cup runneth over in the new year.

Digital Adventure Releases

These adventures will be available on December 14, 2022. Note the early date due to the holidays!

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-07: A Most Wondrous Exchange!*

Pathfinder Bounty #21: Against the Unliving

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-12: Envar’s Expeditions*

Starfinder Bounty #6: Songbird Rescue

*part of a subscription

The Replacement of Ehu Hadif

For those of you with Starfinder Society characters interested in becoming the new First Seeker, time is running out! The deadline to purchase the First Seeker Candidate boon and send in your information is January 16, 2023.

We’ve got quite a few candidates already, but the more the merrier! We welcome all entries and look forward to hearing about your characters.

PaizoCon Online 2023

Prior to Thanksgiving, we announced that PaizoCon 2023 will be an online-only event. We’re already hard at work planning the show, but we’re looking for attendee feedback on what you’d like to see next year! Please head over to last week’s blog post and drop your thoughts in the comments.

I can already tell you that we’ll be premiering our new Starfinder Society season and interactive special, as well as launching some new Pathfinder Society content as well. We’re looking forward to Memorial Day weekend!

Sanctioning Update

November was a very busy month for us, with major releases across both our product lines.

For Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Lost Omens Impossible Lands is now sanctioned for play! The new ancestries are available in the boon store and the options are listed on the Character Options page. Next on our radar is reviewing the character options from the Blood Lords Adventure Path, which we hope to add via boons in the boon store. We’re also starting the process of sanctioning Pathfinder Treasure Vault, which has set a record for “most individual character options in a single book” for this edition.

One note on the Impossible Lands sanctioning: we initially listed the kashrishi’s Community Knowledge feat as Restricted. However, the community pointed out that it’s identical to the android’s Nanite Surge feat, which is legal, so we’re changing Community Knowledge to be legal as well.

Over in the Pact Worlds, Starfinder Interstellar Species is now sanctioned for use in Starfinder Society play! Enjoy the new evolutionist class as well as new options themed around 25 fan-favorite species with the sanctioning on the Character Options page. Additionally, Starfinder Adventure To Defy the Dragon is now sanctioned for credit! Players and GMs earn one level of credit for playing this adventure.

GM Recognition

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Glyph for PFS2.

5th Glyph (PFS2): Emese Kollár

Until next time, Explore! Report! Cooperate! And stay warm out there!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Greetings, Pathfinders and Starfinders! Today is Thanksgiving here in the United States. This year, I’m thankful for so much. We were able to return to physical conventions this year, and we pulled off a successful PaizoCon and Gen Con in-person in addition to their online counterparts. I got to travel to several local conventions and spend time with even more of you at your home events, and our Paizo family continues to grow with new hires.

Most of all, I’m thankful for how generous our community continues to be. Each year, we have dozens of charity events that raise money for worthy causes, and I wanted to take today to recognize some of them!

Illustration by Lucas Villalva Machado

Emerald Con, April 1–3
Right in Paizo’s backyard, this event raised $5,005 for Food Lifeline, which distributes meals to food banks, shelters and meal programs. This year’s event is in-person and online next weekend, and spots are still available!

Cosmic Crittercon 5, April 29-May 1
This year, the Crittermanders raised $5,943 for Doctors Without Borders, and once again enjoyed cookies while they did so!

GlyphCon, May 6–8
The Canadian community in Alberta raised $450 for The Hub homeless shelter in Leduc, Alberta!

Gen Con 2022, August 4–7
Our charity auction this year featured boons, custom earrings and dice bags, and signed copies of hardcover books. We raised $5,856 for The Patachou Foundation, which provides daily meals and learning experiences to underprivileged children.

SkålCon 2022, September 30–October 2
SkålCOnline, November 11–13
These two conventions in Minneapolis raised over $4400 to benefit Tubman, a local shelter, and Pawsitivity Service Dogs, which rescues dogs and trains them to act as service dogs.

Crittacon 2022, October 13–16
The Italian PFS community came together and raised €187 to improve food storage in Malawi and provide school meals in South Sudan. This funding will cover more than 200 shared meals!

Gobloween 2022, October 28–30
Boys and girls of every age joined this spooky event to raise $141 for the Monroe County Animal Shelter.

Defenders of the Healing Flame, November 5–December 31
This Extra Life team has raised over $3,600 so far for local children’s hospitals! The fundraiser is ongoing with a stream planned for December.

PF2e Foundry Community Extra Life Fundraiser, November 19
At press time, this fundraiser put on by the volunteer Foundry developers had raised over $9,100 for children’s hospitals!

We’ve also raised money for charity through five Humble Bundles this year: Pathfinder Second Edition Beginners Bundle: $35,382 for The Trevor Project and Tabletop Gaymers.

Pathfinder First Edition Character Options Bundle: $25,649 for the National Coalition Against Censorship

Stand With Ukraine Bundle (including the Pathfinder and Starfinder Core Rulebooks): $20,738,895 for Ukrainian relief

Pathfinder Strength of Thousands Bundle: $55,043 for Comicbooks for Kids Give the Gift of Pathfinder & Starfinder Bundle: Still ongoing; currently more than $22,000 raised for the Carl Brandon Society

We’ve still got more charity events this year, including Emerald Con, Cayden’s Ascension, and the Toys of Boundless Wonder drive. Thank you all so much for your generosity this year; you all get an extra Hero Point in your next session!

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy your feasts!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Happy October! It’s fall, and the winds of change are blowing. When this blog is posted, I’ll be on a plane to Cincinnati for CinCityCon, and then in just a couple of weeks I’ll be headed to Asheville for Scarefest. I can’t wait to see you all! Getting to visit conventions is one of the best parts of my job; it really helps remind me why what I’m doing is important. If you’re in the area of either of these conventions, come on out and join us!

Plenty to talk about this month so I won’t pontificate too much, let’s get right into it!

New Boons

Spooky Scary Skeletons (Send Shivers Down the Boon Store)

Back when Book of the Dead was sanctioned, we let you know that we had plans for allowing the skeleton ancestry in a limited capacity. Here, in the spookiest month, I’m delighted to announce that the time has come!

Those of you who have already played Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-02: Return to the Grave know that, thanks to a recent expedition into the Gravelands, several skeletal adventurers were returned to Absalom. Those adventurers have elected to join us in the Pathfinder Society as they cope with their new existence!

There is now a boon in the Achievement Point store called “Steadfast Refugee.” This boon costs 206 Achievement Points* and can only be purchased once per player. It allows you to build and play a skeleton adventurer who was traveling through Lastwall before meeting their untimely demise and rebirth

Make no bones about it: while your character may be a skeleton, they are still expected to adhere to the ideals of the Pathfinder Society. They cannot be evil, and you as a player are expected to remember that other players have various tolerance for horror themes (not to mention that “playing the xylophone with your ribs” is funny a maximum of twice per session). Playing a skeletal character is naturally more perilous; other characters built for healing may not be able to heal you, so you may have to be more self-sufficient than normal.

Other characters can also be assured that traveling with a skeletal Pathfinder does not violate their anathema in any way. Pharasma has been consulted on this one and while she’s not thrilled, she understands that these Pathfinders didn’t willingly become undead, so you are under no obligation to smite them on sight. PVP is still prohibited, even if your party member is using their own skull as a basilisk ball.

*(get it, because that’s how many bones most humans have)

Condition Removal

We’ve also added a couple of new boons for condition removal in Pathfinder Society, based on requests from the community.

First up, the Pathfinder Condition Removal boon is available for 20 AcP. It can heal a number of conditions that could also be removed by purchasing healing services with gold; however, it provides another avenue should your character find their coin purse a bit light as they slowly turn to stone. The full text is available on the FAQ page.

Second is the Penitent Pathfinder boon! Since the beginning of the campaign, we’ve said that all characters have access to the atone ritual, should they violate their anathemas enough to require it. However, it’s been unclear how one learns the ritual or casts it, so we’ve simplified it. This 20 AcP boon provides the benefits of a successful atone ritual, provided your character still spends the 30 days of downtime in penance as required by the ritual.

Sanctioning Updates

Kingmaker Adventure Path

At long last, the Kingmaker Adventure Path arrives later this month! We’re all excited to bring you this update of one of our most beloved adventures, and I’m even more delighted to announce how sanctioning will work!

This adventure is unlike any other. As a sandbox adventure in one volume, it’s nigh impossible for us to determine the exact points where Chronicle Sheets should be awarded to players… so we’re not going to. The sanctioning documents will include one generic Chronicle, which GMs are instructed to award to their players for every three levels your characters achieve. This means that once characters reach levels 4, 7, 10 and so on, a Chronicle Sheet will be awarded, up to a maximum of six. You can apply these to one character or spread them across multiple as usual.

As a bonus, we’ll also be sanctioning the adventures in the Kingmaker Companion Guide! Sanctioning the Dark Archive Case Files has gone over well, and these small personal quests with your companions are complete enough to function as standalone adventures as well. You may also find that completing these adventures unlocks new options from your companions as well…

All these sanctioning documents will be posted on the product pages prior to street date later this month. We hope you all enjoy this new iteration of the adventure!

Starfinder Adventures

In addition to Kingmaker, we’ve got two Starfinder adventures ready for sanctioning this month! Both the Dead Suns Adventure Path compilation and the final volume of the Drift Crashers Adventure Path release this month. Sanctioning documents and Chronicle Sheets for both will be posted by the end of the month as well!

The Dead Suns Adventure Path will be very similar to the previous sanctioning for the six-volume iteration, and you’ll see many of the same boons as well. There’s no new rules content in this book, so you won’t see a new entry on the Character Options page, though ownership of this compilation gives you access to any character options published in it. The Drift Crashers Adventure Path will be added to the Character Options page at the end of the month as normal.

Sanctioning Rule Updates

Finally in sanctioning news, we have two rule updates to announce. First, we’ve updated the text on the Pathfinder Society Character Options page to be clearer about how one gains access to an option printed in a Pathfinder Adventure or Adventure Path. Previously, the rule could be read incorrectly to mean that all characters had access to anything printed in an Adventure. The new text has been added to the Character Options page and is quoted below, which should hopefully be clearer to all!

Using Options from Pathfinder Adventures or Adventure Paths
Typically, characters cannot select options from a Pathfinder Adventure. However, Chronicle Sheets from sanctioned Adventures or boons from the Achievement Points store often grant characters access to options from these Adventures.

Ownership of Adventures or Adventure Paths is not required for Character Option use in the Pathfinder Society campaign, as long as rules are referenced from the official Pathfinder Reference Document (prd).

Second, with the release of the Kingmaker Adventure Path comes our first foray into producing content in-house for “the world’s oldest RPG!” We wanted to give our dedicated players a way to earn Pathfinder Society credit for running this content, even if their gaming group might be a little reluctant to switch systems. As such, the following text has been added to the Guide to Organized Play:

If Paizo has released an official conversion of a sanctioned adventure to another game system (such as the ''Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary (5e)'' or ''Pathfinder Adventure Path: Abomination Vaults (5e)''), GMs and players may play these adventures using those rules and earn credit as if they had played it using Pathfinder rules. Adventures that have not been converted by Paizo in this way must be played using standard Adventure Mode rules.

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

We award Campaign Service 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.

This month, several RVCs were able to award Campaign Coins on my behalf at Hurricon, SkålCon, and SydCon. Congratulations to:

Shane Murphy, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #864
Greg Ferguson, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #865
Sandra Wilkinson, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #867
Ryan Blomquist, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #871

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Star for PFS1, two GMs earn their 5th Nova for SFS, and three GMs earn their 5th Glyph for PFS2.

5th Star (PFS1): Kyle Ashcraft
5th Nova (SFS): Milan Badzic, Jim Crase
5th Glyph (PFS2): Brad Fiske, Ivis Flanagan, Shannon Steward

I want to recognize Milan Badzic in particular. He is, to the best of my knowledge, the first person to complete the Triple Crown, having earned the 5th rank in Pathfinder Society (first edition), Pathfinder Society (second edition), and Starfinder Society. That’s no easy feat, and I truly don’t know if we’ll see it matched anytime soon. Congratulations, Milan, and please enjoy some time off, you’ve earned it!

Conventions

As I mentioned at the top, I’ll be attending CinCityCon and Scarefest this October, and I’ll also be joining the Minnesota crew at SkålCOnline in November for some Dark Archive weirdness. But as the year closes out, we’ve got plenty of events, both online and in-person, for you to finish strong! Check out our convention calendar for all the latest listings.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And have a spooktacular month!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Welcome to a joint update for August and September! After Gen Con I simply did not have the energy to write an update for August, and now it’s almost September, so we’ve combined them into one mega-update.

Speaking of which, I had an absolute blast at my first-ever Gen Con! It was fantastic getting to see so many community members coming out and enjoying our return to the Sagamore ballroom. Watching more than 50 tables run through Enter the Pallid Peak during the special was a real treat, and I returned from the weekend emotionally recharged (and physically exhausted). I’m already putting some plans into motion to improve the program and make it the best version of itself thanks to some conversations I had that weekend.

Illustration by Lucas Villalva Machado

Digital Adventure Releases

August 2022

These adventures will be available on August 31, 2022.

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Boundless Wonder*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-02: Return to the Grave*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-03: Linnorm's Legacy*
Pathfinder Bounty #20: Burden in Bloodcove

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-06: Tarnished Legacy: Historia's Holdout*
Starfinder Society Scenario #5-07: Planar Bloom*

September 2022

These adventures will be available on September 28, 2022.

Pathfinder Societ

Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-04: To Seek the Heart of Calamity*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-08: Tarnished Legacy: Star Sugar Superstar!!!*

*part of a subscription

Sanctioning

Newly Sanctioned: Last month we sanctioned Dark Archive for Pathfinder Society and Redshift Rally for Starfinder Society! For Dark Archive, the Character Options are available for use, and the 8 Case File adventures have sanctioning documents on the product page. They all grant 2 XP and commensurate rewards. Redshift Rally is sanctioned for play, and its Character Options are available for use as well.

Upcoming: Lost Omens: Travel Guide sanctioning is finished and ready for a street date next week, so look for those Character Options next Wednesday! Crown of the Kobold King and the Dead Suns hardcover have both had their release dates shifted to October, but we should be on track to have them both ready on release. The Drift Crashers Adventure Path should also be sanctioned around the release of the third volume in October.

We do intend to sanction the Kingmaker Adventure Path and associated content for Pathfinder Society! However, it’s a lot of content that we have not yet started reviewing, so we can’t guarantee that sanctioning will be ready for its release at the end of October. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as we make progress.

Guide Updates

Pathfinder Adventure Card Society

That’s right, there’s a PACS update! Been a while since we had one of those. We’ve long said that we intended to release one final version of the PACS Guide to cover any lingering issues and close out the program. Well, that day is today! The Guide has been updated to its final form at this time.

Major updates include the addition of Adventurer’s Packs, the sanctioning of content published on Infinite for play, and various other changes. The Guide is available for download now!

GM Recognition

Campaign Service Coins

While at Gen Con, I was able to award a number of additional 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:
Chris Johnson, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #858
Doug Edwards, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #859
Kristin Bollerman, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #860
Jim Crase, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #861
Rebecca Fehn, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #862
and Tim Munsie (TMun), who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #863

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 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 Additional Resources review team and our Regional Venture-Coordinator for the Online region, among others.

I am pleased to finally announce that the 2021 recipient of the Order of the Wayfinder is Barb Wilkins. Since 2018, Barb has been the one-woman show behind sending out volunteer agreements to our Venture Officers. Every year, this involves sending out literally hundreds of agreements to volunteers, ensuring that they’ve been signed and returned, and maintaining the master list of every Venture Officer worldwide. It’s a monumental task, and one that she has done for nearly four years now. Her work is undeniably vital to Organized Play, and I am delighted to have presented this award to her at Gen Con this year.

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, achieving a 5 ranking in any program involves a substantial amount of time. To achieve the fifth milestone, a GM must run 150 games, which must include at least 50 unique scenarios and 10 special scenarios, as well as run 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 four GMs earn their 5th Star for PFS1 and two GMs earn their 5th Glyph for PFS2.

5th Star: Zackery Kuehn, Ben Tash, Christopher Waterfield, and Denis Wishnevsky
5th Glyph: Milan Badzic and Robert Bollerman

Conventions

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be attending two regional shows this October! First up, I'll be at CinCityCon in Cincinnati, Ohio from October 7–9 (that’s over Indigenous Peoples’ Day so it’s a long weekend). Tickets are on sale now at https://cincitycon.com/; the tables I'm running will be charity tickets.

I'll also be attending Scarefest in Asheville, North Carolina from October 21–23, which is just a perfect convention for a big scaredy-cat like me! Tickets are available on their website at https://avlscarefest.com/ and game signups are on their Warhorn at https://warhorn.net/events/asheville-scarefest.

I'm looking forward to getting out to see you all this fall! I've got some fun tables planned and I can't wait.

If you’re not in the neighborhood of these shows, or you’re looking for more fun closer to home or online, check out our conventions calendar! We’ve got tons of shows coming up in the home stretch of 2023 for you to check out and support.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the new Year of Boundless Wonder!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

G’day, players! Paizo and the Organized Play Foundation volunteers are pleased to announce PaizoCon South Pacific 2022!

The Australian community will be gathering September 23-25, 2022, at The Metropolitan Spring Hill in Brisbane for a return to physical Pathfinder and Starfinder gaming. Events will feature the new interactive special, PFS 3-98: Expedition into Pallid Peril, exclusive early access to the September scenario releases, and more!

Tickets and more information are available on their Warhorn page. GM signups will begin on August 6, and player signups begin on August 23.

If you have questions about the event, check out their Warhorn page, or email Daniel Flood at daniel[at]creakingchair[dot]com. We can’t wait to see you all in Brisbane!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Digital Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available July 27, 2022:

Pathfinder Society

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-18: Dacilane Academy’s Delightful Disaster*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-19: Mean Streets of Shadow Absalom*

Starfinder Society

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-05: Boom-block Gambit*

Starfinder Bounty #4: Poacher’s Prize

* - part of a subscription

Achievement Points Update

Our tech team is working hard to fix the issues with Achievement Points not being awarded properly (or, indeed, at all). Our hope is the code will be able to roll out later this week; if this changes, I’ll be sure to let you know! We appreciate your patience as we work to get this resolved.

Pins & Perks

As we announced last month our Pathfinder Society faction pins are now available! You can purchase them from the paizo.com webstore or your friendly local game store to show your Pathfinder Society pride. Starfinder Society faction pins remain in stock, and our Pathfinder Society (first edition) faction pins are now discounted!

As promised, the Organized Play Perks page has been updated to reflect the benefits of bringing these accessories with you to game days. The system has been revamped to make it easier to understand and to ensure any future merchandise counts without having to revise the policy constantly. Don your pins proudly and reap the benefits!

Pathfinder Society Year 4 Rule Changes

Last week we posted a blog discussing our rule changes for Pathfinder Society Year 4. In short, there aren’t many! We’ve added some new boons to the store and are reducing some prices on others but overall, we don’t have major changes planned. Check out the blog for more details.

Conventions

Gen Con Indy and Gen Con Online are just under a month away! We’re excited to see you all in the Sagamore Ballroom once again and we hope you’re looking forward to it. Tickets for our physical events are almost completely sold out, but more turn up occasionally, so be sure to keep a close eye on events you’re interested in! Tickets for Gen Con Online can be purchased starting this Sunday July 10, so be sure to be online to grab your seats!

After that, PaizoCon Europe will be running their events just two weeks later, from August 18-21. They’ll have the new August scenarios just as Gen Con did, so if you can’t visit us at Gen Con, PaizoCon Europe Online might be your best bet! You can find more information on their Warhorn page. Player signups open on July 15 at 12 noon BST.

My hope is very soon, I’ll be able to start announcing other convention travel for later this year. I’ve been working on a plan for how I can see as many of you as possible this fall, so stay tuned!/p>

As always, you can see upcoming conventions on our Conventions Calendar. Find your local community and support your local shows!

Sanctioning

We are delighted to announce today the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path is now sanctioned for Pathfinder Society play! Delve into the seedy underbelly of the clockwork city and thwart a deadly plan, all while earning experience for your Society characters! The sanctioning documents are available on the product pages and should be added to the landing page shortly.

This month, we should be able to post sanctioning for Pathfinder Dark Archive (both the character options and the adventures within) as well as Redshift Rally for Starfinder. It’s convention season so our schedules are pretty busy, but we’re aiming for street date on both! Looking ahead, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Travel Guide is next on our list, followed by Crown of the Kobold King and the Dead Suns compilation.

GM Recognition

Campaign Coins

I intend to award some Campaign Coins at Gen Con/Gen Con Online, as well as potentially at PaizoCon Online Europe. If you would like to nominate one or more individuals for these coins, please email the nomination to organizedplay@paizo.com no later than July 15, so I have time to consider them.

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 two GMs earn their 5th Star for PFS1, and one GM earn their 5th Glyph for PFS2.

5th Star (PFS1): Derek Larsen (Tyranius), Nathan Goodrich
5th Glyph (PFS2): Olivier Brochet aka Zog

Congratulations to our new 5-rank GMs and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! I’ll see you at Gen Con!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

I’m gonna drop a hot take at the top of this blog: I think PaizoCon was a success this year! Everybody who’d been there before couldn’t help but comment on how different it felt, but as someone with no base of reference, I had a great time. We ran over 100 Organized Play games in the ballroom, including our first hybrid special. I got to hang out with some of my awesome coworkers and meet some fantastic community members, and I spent way too much money in our store!

No, it wasn’t a perfect show. There are things to iron out before Gen Con and things to improve for next year. A non-zero number of people (myself included) tested positive for COVID after the show (I’m doing fine, thanks for asking). Overall, I’m so thrilled with my first physical PaizoCon

I have a ton of things to talk about in this blog—it might be the longest blog I’ve ever written—so strap in, and let’s blast through these updates!

Digital Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available June 29, 2022.

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-16: Escape from Oppara*

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-17: Dreams of a Dustbound Isle*

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Scenario #5-04: Fragment of the 4th*

*part of a subscription

Illustration by Nicholas Phillips

Year of Boundless Wonder

At our PaizoCon panel, Pathfinder Society developer Mike Kimmel announced the title for Year 4: Year of Boundless Wonder! We’re very excited for this new metaplot, featuring a treasure hoard full of wondrous items and treacherous secrets. More information about the year’s stories, as well as any rule changes, will be forthcoming between now and the year’s launch at Gen Con Indy and Gen Con Online. For now, be sure to check out our panel on YouTube and the announcement blog.

Achievement Points Update

I have good news and bad news!

The good news: last week, tech rolled a code update that, among other things, should start every new player with 80 Achievement Points for both Pathfinder and Starfinder Society and retroactively grant those points to current players as well. One of the most consistent complaints about the program at large is that new players can’t play weird characters from the jump. This 80 AcP grant is enough to purchase an uncommon ancestry, some new character options, or just resurrect your character a couple of times after making… interesting choices. We hope that this will ease a new player’s introduction to the system and benefit those of you who have been working diligently to save up for something shiny as well!

The bad news: doing so apparently broke AcP entirely in new and exciting ways. We’ve had reports of some people not seeing the grant yet, and other reports of events not awarding AcP for sessions anymore. Obviously, this is a problem, and tech is actively working on fixing it. Please know that fixing this is my highest priority, and I hope to see the issues resolved soon. Thank you all so much for your patience!

PFS Faction Pins

A couple of months ago on Paizo Live!, I announced that we’d be getting new faction pins in the store for PaizoCon. Unfortunately, thanks to shipping chaos, they missed it by one day and arrived just after the show closed. Luckily, they’re now available in the Paizo store!

Paizo Organized Play
Envoy’s Alliance
Grand Archive
Horizon Hunters
Radiant Oath
Verdant Wheel
Vigilant Seal

The Accessory Perks page has had an update in the works for some time. Now that these pins have arrived, that will hopefully be the motivation I need to put the final touches on the page and get it live so that these pins provide an in-game benefit. Until then, enjoy the bling!

Major Convention Recruitment

We’re currently recruiting GMs for Gen Con Online as well as PaizoCon Online Europe! Earlier today we posted a blog with more information on both, so for the sake of brevity here I will link you over there for more information.

Sanctioning

We released a ton of products, and sanctioning for other products, in May. So many that I don’t have time for fun commentary and I’m just going to list them all out!

Pathfinder Society

• A Fistful of Flowers (sanctioning documents, in advance of Free RPG Day this month)
• Abomination Vaults (sanctioning documents)
• Pathfinder Lost Omens: Knights of Lastwall (Character Options)
• Shadows at Sundown (sanctioning documents)

Starfinder Society

• Drift Crisis (Character Options)
• Horizons of the Vast Adventure Path (Character Options and sanctioning documents)
• SF One-Shot #4: Before the Storm (sanctioning documents)
• Skitter Warp (sanctioning documents, in advance of Free RPG Day this month)

Upcoming

Next on our sanctioning radar, in no particular order, are:

• Dark Archive
• Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path
• Redshift Rally
• Pathfinder Lost Omens: Travel Guide

New FAQ Answers

Prior to PaizoCon, we posted a couple of new answers to crafting-related questions on the PFS FAQ page. I will reproduce the text here, but the most current version can always be found on that page.

Can I upgrade permanent items?
Yes, players may upgrade permanent magical items or items made from special materials using the Crafting rules on page 535 of the Core Rulebook. Players may not upgrade adventuring gear or consumable items in this manner.

Can I pay the cost difference to upgrade a permanent item instead of using Craft to do it myself? Yes. The Pathfinder Society has numerous crafters that assist their fellow agents. Use the rules for upgrading magic items on page 535 of the Core Rulebook.

GM Recognition

Campaign Coins

At PaizoCon, we awarded six new Campaign Service Coins. These Coins are given to volunteers who go above and beyond the typical volunteer duties to support their communities and Organized Play. Nominations are always accepted; volunteers may be nominated by emailing organizedplay@paizo.com with their name, region and a description of their service. As we begin to return to physical events, we hope to resume awarding these in-person, so letting us know what upcoming events they’re attending is also useful.

Congratulations to: David Peever, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #852
Jocelyn Hamilton, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #853
Preston Hudson, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #854
Dennis Muldoon, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #855
Glen Parnell, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #856
Nicole Heits, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #857

GM Ranks

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Star for PFS1 and one GM earn their 5th Nova for SFS.

5th Star: LeRoy Byrd

5th Nova: Nikolaus Beattie

Congratulations to our new 5-rank GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you’ve achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Upcoming Conventions

In addition to our major shows, convention season is in full swing! We have tons of events around the world scheduled for this summer, and we encourage you to support your local shows! Any convention that has filed for event support can be found on our conventions calendar.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the Year of Redemption’s Rise!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

While Paizo gears up for PaizoCon the last weekend in May, our partners across the Atlantic are preparing for UK Games Expo, which runs the following weekend, June 3-5. The largest tabletop gaming convention in the United Kingdom, UK Games Expo is the perfect opportunity for European Paizo fans to get their game on!

Paizo won’t have any staff in attendance but have partnered with the convention to debut Pathfinder Dinky Dungeon, a lighthearted adventure in which players navigate a floor full of tiles and face off against everything from deadly traps and monsters to being cursed to wear a silly hat for the rest of the game. We were very excited to work with the folks behind the show to develop this family-friendly sorta-LARP and hope attendees have as much fun playing it as we did working on it. Be sure to post pictures of yourselves playing Pathfinder Dinky Dungeon and tag Paizo’s social media accounts, and we’ll make sure to amplify the most embarrassing best ones!

For those Pathfinder and Starfinder fans looking for something a bit more traditional, we’ll also have a large organized play presence at the show. Here’s more information from Regional Venture-Coordinator Ian Hawthorne of the Isles Region:

UK Games Expo has long held a place in the UK Pathfinder Society’s heart. From its humble beginnings in the Clarendon Suites back in 2007, we have seen it grow until now it occupies three exhibition halls and several function rooms at the National Exhibition Centre, as well as spilling over into the board game and RPG haven that is the nearby Hilton Hotel.

Yes, it’s a big event! It's also the perfect place to play Pathfinder and Starfinder. Terry Thambipillai, VC for the Midlands Region, has coordinated a wonderful mix of PFS1, PFS2, and Starfinder games available over eight different gaming slots. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy a game or three and still be able to watch seminars, play boardgames, or shop until you drop. We have a mixture of games suited both to invested and new players—UKGE is a great place to play for the first time in a relaxed, supportive, and fun environment!

All the details on how to buy tickets and find us can be found on the UK Games Expo website. Hope to see you there!

Hello friends! With PaizoCon 2022 just a few short weeks away, we wanted to highlight our newest releases premiere at the show, as well as some of our author and VIP events. Let’s dive in!

New Releases

We’ll be launching our brand new season of Starfinder Society at the show, and our first levels 9-12 scenario for Pathfinder Society (second edition). We’ve also got tables of our upcoming Free RPG Day adventures as an exclusive preview, the new Starfinder interactive special running in Seattle and online simultaneously, and a new Pathfinder Bounty!

SFS Intro: Year of Redemption’s Rise

Seattle: Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 4 | Slot 8

Online: Slot 1 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 4 | Slot 8 | Slot 8 | Slot 10 | Slot 11 | Slot 11 | Slot 12

Play-by-Post: Paizo Forums | Paizo Forums

SFS #5-02: Road to Reconciliation

Seattle: Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 4 | Slot 8

Online: Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 4 | Slot 8 | Slot 10 | Slot 11

Play-by-Post: Paizo Forums | Mythweavers

SFS #5-03: Combatant’s Concerto: Fugue of the Traitor

Seattle: Slot 1

Online: Slot 4 | Slot 4 | Slot 10

Play-by-Post: Mythweavers

SFS Special #4-99: A Time of Crisis

Seattle: Physical Games (Slot 6)

Online: Online Games (Slot 6)

SF Adventure: Skitter Warp (Free RPG Day 2022)

Seattle: Slot 1

Online: Slot 2 | Slot 10 | Slot 11

PFS #3-15: Cavern of the Sundered Song

Seattle: Slot 1 | Slot 4 | Slot 4 | Slot 8

Online: Slot 1 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 2 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 4 | Slot 4 | Slot 4 | Slot 6 | Slot 7 | Slot 8 | Slot 8 | Slot 8 | Slot 10 | Slot 10 | Slot 11 | Slot 11 | Slot 12 | Slot 12

Play-by-Post: Discord

PF Adventure: A Fistful of Flowers (Free RPG Day 2022)

Seattle: Slot 1 | Slot 8

Online: Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 4 | Slot 4 | Slot 7 | Slot 7 | Slot 8 | Slot 10 | Slot 10 | Slot 11 | Slot 12 | Slot 12

PF Bounty #19: Grim Tidings

Seattle: Slot 5a | Slot 9a | Slot 9a

Online: Slot 2a | Slot 4a | Slot 5a | Slot 5a | Slot 5a | Slot 7a | Slot 8b | Slot 9a | Slot 9a

Play-by-Post: Discord

Author Tables

We’re lucky enough to have a number of authors running one or more tables of scenarios they wrote at PaizoCon! You won’t want to miss these, as these authors know their adventures inside and out.

Seattle Tables

PFS2 #2-16: Freedom for Wishes with author Jessica Redekop - Slot 1

SFS Intro: Year of Redemption’s Rise with author Alex Speidel - Slot 2

Online Tables

PFS1 #10-03: Death on the Ice with author Scott Young - Slot 10

PFS2 #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria with author Scott Young - Slot 1 | Slot 4

PFS2 #3-05: Inheritor's Rite with author Elizabeth V Nold - Slot 4

PFS2 #3-10: Delve the Pallid Depths with author Caryn DiMarco - Slot 10

SF Bounty #1: The Cantina Job with author John Godek III - Slot 5a | Slot 9a

SF Bounty #2: Test Flight with author Michael Bramnik - Slot 5a

Play-by-Post Tables

PF2 Bounty #17: Sodden Stories with author Michael Bramnik - Paizo

PFS2 #3-09: The Secluded Siege with author Lysle Kapp - Paizo

SF Bounty #2: Test Flight with author Michael Bramnik - Paizo

SFS #4-12: A Festive Operation with author Ivis Flanagan - Paizo

VIP Events

Finally, we have some very special games and panels you won’t see anywhere else to highlight!

Seattle Events

Celestian’s Compass - Jessica Redekop
In this Planescape adventure, a group of clueless adventurers blitz into the Birdcage and fall on a few darks while they search for an ambitious dazzler and the artifact he bobbed from their Prime. No prior knowledge of Planescape is required.

Red Fields - Wayfinder 22 Side Trek Adventure - Ivis Flanagan
Violent clashes have recently broken out between the Ariserphia centaur tribe of the Kortos Mounts and the people of Dianne, a logging town in the eastern Immenwood. Answering the town’s call for help, the PCs must quickly discover the truth of the situation before it spirals out of control, with the fate of both settlements in their hands.

Heroes for 2nd Edition Highdelve - Dennis Muldoon Highdelve is in danger, and only true heroes can save the day! Young human cousins Brialla and Meraina, as well as Kiliuk the tempestuous half-orc and Torgen the stoic dwarf, find themselves engrossed in Highdelve’s joyous summer festival, the Brightbloom Jubilee. But all is shattered when trouble arrives to threaten not just the festival but the whole town! Can the brave young heroes save the day and become heroes for Highdelve?

Online Content Creation Q&A - Roll for Combat
Join top online content creators Stephen Glicker (Roll for Combat), Vanessa Hoskins (Know Direction, Roll for Combat), Brogan Kelley (Nonat1s), and Mark Seifter (Arcane Mark, Roll for Combat) as we discuss tips, tricks, struggles, and triumphs in online content creation, and answer all your questions. This panel covers all kinds of online content: podcasts, live streams, and videos!

Creating a Winning Monster for RPG Superstar! - Roll for Combat
Join Pathfinder 2nd edition co-creator Mark Seifter and Stephen Glicker from Roll for Combat as they explain how to build a better monster for your game, as well as how to write a winning monster for the RPG Superstar contest.

Battlezoo 2022 Future Products, Spoilers and Q&A - Roll for Combat
This year, Battlezoo brought you creatures, monster parts, dragons, dungeons, and a mega-adventure, but next year will be even wilder! Join Pathfinder 2nd edition co-creator Mark Seifter and Stephen Glicker from Roll for Combat for the big reveal of next year’s line-up.

Online Events

Red Fields - Wayfinder 22 Side Trek Adventure - Michael Bramnik (VTT) and Ivis Flanagan (Play-by-Post)
Violent clashes have recently broken out between the Ariserphia centaur tribe of the Kortos Mounts and the people of Dianne, a logging town in the eastern Immenwood. Answering the town’s call for help, the PCs must quickly discover the truth of the situation before it spirals out of control, with the fate of both settlements in their hands.

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We can’t wait to see you all at PaizoCon! Be sure to tune into the Organized Play panel, streamed live on our Twitch channel at 2pm Pacific on Saturday, May 28th. We’ll be discussing the upcoming Year of Redemption’s Rise and revealing the name and storyline for Pathfinder Society Year 4, so you won’t want to miss out!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

It’s no secret that the past two years have been hard on the program. One w¬ay we’ve seen this most clearly is in convention support. Prior to the pandemic, we would send out support to hundreds of events worldwide; obviously, mass gatherings have been in short supply since then. Last year was our smallest year since we started keeping records in 2016.

However, I can see the ecosystem starting to return. As of this week, I have nearly all the events through May submitted, and we’ll be sending out support to double the number of events I had at this time last year. Summer is typically our busiest time, and I can’t wait to see how many more I get. It’s a positive sign in a time when we could all use some good news!

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available April 27, 2022:

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-13: Guardian's Covenant**
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-14: The Tomb Between Worlds*

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Scenario #4-16: Hope for the Future**
Starfinder Bounty #3: A Green Place

*part of a subscription

Major Conventions

Volunteer applications are now open for both PaizoCon and Gen Con Indy! GMs are accepted on a rolling basis for both, so if you’re interested in GMing or volunteering, make sure to head over to their respective blogs and fill out the forms.

PaizoCon GM selections will close this Saturday, April 9; after this point, GM schedules can only be changed with the organizing committee’s approval. Player signups will open to GMs on Wednesday, April 13th; to Warhorn VIPs on April 15; and to all players on April 16. Unfortunately I have no new information to share on badge sales; please email paizocon@paizo.com with any such questions.

For Gen Con Indy, our soft cutoff for GMs is April 30. GMs may sign up after this date, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be considered for a room or be able to sign up for more than a backup GM slot. We have no information on Gen Con Online at this time; once we hear more from the Gen Con staff, we’ll be sure to let you know.

We can’t wait to see you all at PaizoCon and Gen Con this year!

Sanctioning

We’ve been hard at work in the sanctioning mines this month! First up, we sanctioned the Tyrant’s Grasp Adventure Path for Pathfinder Society (first edition). This will be the final content sanctioned for First Edition; while we intend to leave reporting open indefinitely, we won’t be providing any new content for the campaign at this stage. Thank you all for your patience as we got through the final pieces!

For Pathfinder Society (second edition), we sanctioned the Quest for the Frozen Flame Adventure Path. There are also two boons for the Pine Leshy Heritage in the Achievement Points store: one for all players, and a discounted version for those who play through the AP. Quit needling us about it!

Starfinder Society got sanctioning for the third one-shot, System Takedown, which can be applied to a character of any level.

Looking ahead, we have sanctioning for Book of the Dead ready to go for its street date, and we’ll have a blog on the topic later in the month. We’re also working on Lost Omens: Knights of Lastwall, as well as the Horizons of the Vast Adventure Path and Drift Crisis for Starfinder Society.

GM Recognition

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 completed our second hat trick, with one new 5-rank GM in each program!

5th Star (PFS1): Steven Crow
5th Nova (SFS): Jocelyn Hamilton
5th Glyph (PFS2): Nicholas Ruchlewicz

Congratulations to our new 5-rank GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Conventions

As I mentioned above, we have a ton of events planned in the next few months! Check out our conventions calendar and see if there’s an event near you. There are some great events happening around Memorial Day weekend, so if you can’t make it out to PaizoCon, you might find a local group near you!

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the spring sunshine!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Convention Season 2022

Last week we announced PaizoCon 2022, a four-day online event with a simultaneous three-day physical event. I can’t wait to see you all online and in Seattle for this year’s convention! We’ve got lots of exciting new products to announce via our online streams, as well as tons of Organized Play games during the weekend. For more information, check out last week’s blog.

If you’re interested in volunteering during the event, please visit this blog and fill out the attached form! We need GMs and volunteers to make the event run, so even if you’re a first-time volunteer, we’d love to have you. The deadline for early GM signups is March 17; signups received after that date might not be cleared in time for game selection.

For those waiting patiently for Gen Con volunteer information, I’m meeting with the Gen Con committee this week to work on putting the final pieces into place. I’m hoping to have volunteer signups open in the next couple of weeks.

Illustration by Michele Giorgi

Starfinder Society Year 5

As we announced last week, Year 5 of Starfinder Society is titled “Year of Redemption’s Rise!” We’ll be launching this year’s storyline at PaizoCon 2022, both online and at the physical show, with three brand-new scenarios. Strap in, Starfinders, and get ready for a year like you’ve never seen!

It was also announced that five new species will be made always-available, and three new factions will be opened up to all Starfinders. Information on these changes, as well as any other new rule changes, will be discussed further in a blog prior to PaizoCon focused specifically on these changes. We don’t have any other major program changes planned at this time, but if we change course, we’ll be sure to let you know well before PaizoCon.

Sanctioning

We didn’t have any new material sanctioned this month, mostly because there wasn’t much more material to sanction yet! Behind the scenes, we’re starting to work on Book of the Dead, which I anticipate we’ll have ready for its street date. We’re also working on polishing off sanctioning for the Tyrant’s Grasp AP, the last of our PF1 Adventure Paths to be sanctioned, and we’re looking ahead to Lost Omens Knights of Lastwall, the Quest for the Frozen Flame and Horizons of the Vast APs, and even the Drift Crisis rulebook.

While I have you all here, there were a couple other topics I wanted to touch on.

Retroactive Sanctioning: In the past, there have been questions about how to handle chronicle sheets for adventures that have been sanctioned after a group completes the adventure. Previously the guidance has been that while this is technically illegal, there were ways to skirt the system by having a fake wrap-up session, which is silly and weird, so I’m doing away with that loophole.

Going forward, if an adventure is sanctioned after your group completes it, your GM is absolutely permitted. (and encouraged!) to issue chronicles for all interested players. These chronicles should be applied as if your group had finished the session on the day you receive the chronicle. You couldn’t, for example, retroactively apply it to a character at an earlier date and bump all their future chronicles up in level; this breaks the timestream and makes the Hounds of Tindalos mad.

Updated Sanctioning Documents: Wayyyyy back in August we announced an update to our sanctioning documents and the increase in Reputation that would come along with it. And then, y’know, we had a busy few months. However, I am now pleased to announce that the project has been finished! All sanctioning documents have been fully updated and should reflect the most recent version of the rules. Please let me know if you encounter any issues!

Normally this would be where I’d put GM Recognition, but this month I don’t have any new 5-rank GMs to announce. Instead, I’ll just thank all our GMs, especially those who have volunteered already for PaizoCon and Gen Con. You’re all fantastic and we literally wouldn’t be able to do this without you!

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And don’t forget to sign up for PaizoCon!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

It’s that time of year again when the convention machine begins to grind to life! We’re working hard on plans for PaizoCon and Gen Con, and hope to have news to share with you very soon, stay tuned. We’re also seeing event support requests start to roll in, which is always great! Lots of other things to talk about this month, so let’s dive right in!

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available February 23, 2022:

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-10: Delve the Pallid Depths*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-11: No Time for Treason*
Pathfinder Bounty #18: From Family Lost
Pathfinder One-Shot #4: Mark of the Mantis

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Scenario #4-14: Rasheen's Remembrance*

*part of a subscription

Pathfinder Society-Specific Rule Updates

This month, we published several rule clarifications & updates that apply specifically to the Pathfinder Society campaign. These clarifications are always available on the Organized Play FAQ pages or in the appropriate Guide to Organized Play, but we wanted to make sure we highlighted them here.

Massive Damage

When considering if a character would be killed outright by Massive Damage, you should treat their maximum Hit Points as 20 if they have fewer than 20 maximum Hit Points. This clarification is to attempt to avoid killing first-level characters outright. If a new player is about to do something reckless that will almost certainly result in their death (such as their character leaping off a cliff), ensure that they understand the potential consequences first.

Similar Lore

If a scenario calls for a specific Lore and a player has an extremely similar Lore (such as Pathfinder Lore in place of Pathfinder Society Lore), the GM should permit the use of that Lore. If a Lore is adjacent (e.g. Academia Lore in place of Library Lore), the GM can permit its use if they feel the two overlap enough. Ultimately, the GM is empowered to use their best judgment in such situations. This guidance has been floating around for a while, so we wanted to codify it in the FAQ page.

Additional Languages

The Character Creation section of the Guide to Organized Play has been updated to grant all Pathfinder Society characters an additional regional language at character creation. It’s important to us that the characters in the campaign represent the diversity of the world of Golarion, and this small change ensures that characters from a region outside the Inner Sea can more accurately represent their home and know their home region’s language. Most characters will gain an additional language as a result of this update.

Bequeathal Boons

The section of the Bequeathal boons that required a character receiving access to wait until their level matched the level of the originating chronicle sheet has been removed. This created unintentional tangles with sanctioned material that could be applied to a character of any level and was unnecessary with the way the game system gives most options a level anyway. The boons have been updated in the Achievement Points store; any previously-downloaded versions can be downloaded again to update the language, but doing so is not required.

Starfinder Errata

Last week, the Starfinder team released some errata, including updates for the newly-released Galactic Magic. In particular, this errata changed the text of the Genetics Field of Study for biohackers.

Any character who finds that this change materially affects their character is free to choose a different field of study for their biohacker with no required time or credit investment. We are updating the language around similar rules updates in the Guide to Organized Play to ensure that future changes of the same type will be handled similarly.

Sanctioning

This month was a busy month for sanctioning! We released sanctioning for Starfinder Galactic Magic on release date, and then updated it a few hours later to allow another option through (you’re welcome, vanguard fans)! We also updated the sanctioning for the Character Operations Manual to finally permit Qi Adept through for soldiers. For Pathfinder Society (First Edition), the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path is sanctioned for play and available for reporting.

February is a fairly quiet month on the product release front, so it’s possible that there won’t be any new content next time I talk to you. I’m working with our art team to get the final updates of the older sanctioned content completed so as to ensure that all sanctioned material is consistent and awards the correct rewards. Generally speaking, the next material to be newly sanctioned will be Book of the Dead and the Quest for the Frozen Flame Adventure Path for Pathfinder Society (Second Edition); the Horizons of the Vast Adventure Path for Starfinder Society; and the Tyrant’s Grasp Adventure Path for Pathfinder Society (First Edition), which should close the book on new material for that campaign.

GM Recognition

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 completed a hat trick for the first time, with one new 5-rank GM in each program!

5th Star (PFS1): Wally Waltner
5th Nova (SFS): Landon Hatfield
5th Glyph (PFS2): Jimmy Dick

Congratulations to our new 5-rank GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

That’s quite enough from me, so I’ll sign off now. Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And stay tuned for news about SFS Year 5, coming soon!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. That’s not because I’m perfect—far from it!—but because inevitably I will forget about them in a couple of weeks without someone to hold me accountable. However, it occurred to me that this space is an excellent place to set out some goals for this year, which I hope you’ll all help me complete. So here are some of my New Year’s resolutions for Organized Play in 2022:

1. Work with our tech department to roll out some exciting new improvements to the Achievement Points system
2. Have a successful 2022 convention season
3. Earn my third nova for Starfinder Society—and maybe my second glyph for Pathfinder Society?

What are some of your resolutions for this year? Let me know in the comments!

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available January 26, 2022:

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-08: Foundation's Price*
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-09: The Secluded Siege*

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Scenario #4-13: Hard Reset*
Starfinder Bounty #1: The Cantina Job

*part of a subscription

Convention Organizing Committees

As we begin to plan our 2022 conventions, we’re seeking individuals interested in joining the organizing committees for our major shows! If you’re interested in helping to plan PaizoCon, Gen Con, or PaizoCon Europe, head over to last week’s blog post and submit an application. Applications close tomorrow (Friday, January 7), so don’t delay! We hope to release information soon about our plans for these shows and how to volunteer as a GM.

Starfinder Fame Update

As of last Friday, Starfinder Fame has officially expired. Any lingering Fame you haven’t spent yet is space dust in the wind; be sure to record your final purchases in your records.

All boon conversion tasks should be completed at this time as well. The Starfinder Society FAQ has been updated with the information on converting certain boons to Fame; please refer players to that page if they have questions.

Starfinder Nova Update

Last month, we announced that we would be adding SFS #4-09: Through Sea and Storm to the Nova qualification list; however, a paragraph was inadvertently omitted from the blog post. Rather than sneak it in, I decided to save it for this post and announce that SFS #1-39: The Herald’s War will be retired from Nova qualification. As of March 1, 2022, any future runs of that scenario will not count as Specials for the purpose of Nova qualification. This grace period is intended to allow any GMs who had already been planning to run the scenario for credit to do so before we close the door. We don’t intend to retire any future scenarios from Nova qualification—this scenario was always a stopgap until we had enough scenarios in the requisite level ranges.

Sanctioning

With the office quiet for the holidays, we were able to take advantage of our lighter workloads and really blast through the outstanding sanctioning tasks! The following rulebooks and adventures have been sanctioned for play since last month: Lost Omens Monsters of Myth, Absalom, City of Lost Omens, the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, and rules options from the Agents of Edgewatch Adventure Path (via the Achievement Points system). For Starfinder, we harnessed the power of the precog, and can announce that we have Galactic Magic ready to go for its street date!

We’ve also got some sanctioning in the pipeline that’s not quite ready yet, but watch the @PaizoOrgPlay Twitter feed for sanctioning announcements, or check back here next month.

GM Recognition

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 earn their 5th Glyph for Pathfinder Society (second edition)!

5th Glyph - Tim Ayers

Congratulations to our new 5-rank GM, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you’ve achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the new year!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Greetings, players! As we close out 2021, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite things: numbers and data! Let’s review some of the accomplishments and events of 2021, shall we?

Major Conventions: 4; PaizoCon Online, PAX Online, PaizoCon Online Europe and Gen Con Online
PaizoCon Tables: 839, run by 243 GMs
PAX Online Tables: 81, run by 38 GMs
PCOE Tables: 260, run by 115 GMs
Gen Con Online Tables: 429, run by 132 GMs
Other Supported Conventions: 80, running nearly 4,000 tables of adventures worldwide

Scenarios Released: 57, including 2 interactive specials
Rulebooks Sanctioned: 10
Adventures Sanctioned: 31
Ziggys Saved: 1
Sanctuaries Shattered: Wouldn’t you like to know
Total Tables Run Worldwide: Over 15,000!

When I look back at this year, I think the theme is resilience through uncertainty. Between shipping crises (remember when the boat was stuck? good times!), the ongoing pandemic, and shakeups at Paizo, this year has been tumultuous, to say the least. But this is the best community out there, and you all have rolled with the punches, adapted to the new terrain, and kept playing with us. I can’t thank you all enough for everything, and I can’t wait to see you all in 2022.

Before I leave you, I have a message from Mike Kimmel to share.

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Hey everyone! The end of the calendar year also marks the end of my first year on the Organized Play team. It’s been a year filled with challenges, rewards, and adventures. One of my fondest memories of the year was being able to write my first adventure outline for Paizo, which led to a little bounty called Hillcross Roundup. I’m looking forward to outlining and developing more adventures and tackling more challenges in the months ahead. Later this year, we’ll be wrapping up the Year of Shattered Sanctuaries and jumping into Year 4. I can’t wait to share these exciting adventures with you! I hope I’ll have opportunities to meet and interact with more members of the community in 2022, whether that’s online, in person, or both. I want to hear all about your adventures!

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Stay safe and warm, and until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And we’ll see you in 2022!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Mike Kimmel
Pathfinder Society Developer

Greetings, friends! It's that time of year again where we begin to assemble our organizing committees for our major conventions!

Now, we haven't done this in at least a year, if not longer, so let's talk about what that means. For our major shows (such as PaizoCon and Gen Con), we have a volunteer organizing committee that runs our organized play space. This group works closely with me, as the Organized Play Coordinator, to determine the schedule, recruit GMs, and get them everything they need to make the show a success!

Obviously, there's a lot about 2022 that's up in the air. If we've learned anything from the past two years, it's that we can't predict the future. However, I want to share what our current plans are, with the understanding that they may change significantly.

We are currently investigating running our major shows as hybrid shows. This would mean that we would have both a physical presence at the event as well as online offerings, featuring the same scenarios that are premiering at the physical shows. As a result, we're looking for applicants who have the ability to assist with both physical and online events. Safety requirements and all those sorts of things will be announced well in advance of physical shows, we're not ready to talk about those yet, but rest assured that Organized Play will be following the latest CDC Guidelines as well as the show's safety policies to keep attendees safe.

Below is some specific information about the shows we're currently looking to form committees for: PaizoCon 2022, Gen Con 2022 and PaizoCon Europe 2022. There may be additional shows added to the major convention schedule next year (such as PAX Unplugged), and if we add more, we'll do a similar call for committee members. There are some positions we know we're looking for, but we're also seeking general interest for all our shows; let us know if you're interested and what skills you bring to the table!

Please note that joining a committee is a significant commitment; there is a lot of preparation work to do to get ready for a show, and especially coming out of two years of not having physical shows, we'll be doing a lot of rebuilding to figure out our new processes. Committee members are compensated with convention rewards as if they had GMed the maximum number of slots at the convention. Additionally, committee members who are not already Venture Officers are granted benefits for the year at the VL or VC level, depending on their position. Note that anybody is free to apply for a committee; we welcome those who are not already Venture Officers!

PaizoCon 2022

Date: Memorial Day Weekend 2022
Location: Seattle, WA
Needed Positions: Online Department Head, Onsite Department Head, Overnight Online HQ Department Head

Gen Con 2022

Date: August 4-7, 2022
Location:Indianapolis, IN
Needed Positions: Academy/Kids' Track Trainee

PaizoCon Europe 2022

Date and Location: TBD
Needed Positions: General Interest

If you are interested in serving on a committee, please fill out the Google Form below. Information will be shared only with Paizo staff and the current committees. If you are interested in GMing or serving as an HQ staffer, this is not the form for you. We will begin soliciting GMs and HQ staff once the committees are in place. Applications will close on January 7, 2022.

Major Convention Committee Application Form

Thank you all for your interest! Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And enjoy the holiday season!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

OPC Musings

Those of you with high Perception modifiers will notice that this section has a new title. As of Monday, I have been promoted to Paizo’s Organized Play Coordinator! This is a very exciting change that Tonya and I have been working toward for a while. I am now responsible for most of the day-to-day operations of the program, as well as the long-term planning for Organized Play. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m very excited by the prospect!

Tonya, meanwhile, has taken on some new responsibilities as Paizo’s first Director of Community! While she still supervises me and the Organized Play Program, she is also now supervising the Customer Service team, managing our company convention presence, as well as working to strengthen interactions between members of all Paizo communities: our players, customers, staff, freelancers, streamers, and more.

From Tonya: I’ve spent just under 6 years shepherding Paizo’s Organized Play programs. With this handoff, I’m not out of the picture, but my role becomes more strategic and less tactical, as I instead focus on planning, integration with Paizo as a whole, and contributing to the bigger picture. Which means I won’t be as visible in day-to-day activities, as Alex steps into many of the travel and communication duties. This is bittersweet, as I relish the challenges of my new role but will miss the friends and experiences I had as both the OPC and the OPM. I’ve watched Alex grow into the role and am confident in his ability to deliver a quality program, alongside Linda and the developers. Please join me in congratulating Alex on his promotion! Huzzah!

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available September 29, 2021.

Pathfinder:

• Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-02: The East Hill Haunting*
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-03: Echoes of Desperation*
• Pathfinder Bounty #14: The Blackwood Truce

Starfinder:

• Starfinder Society Scenario #4-08: Precious Cargo*

*Part of a subscription

Sanctioning

Let’s start with the big news: Pathfinder Secrets of Magic is now sanctioned for Pathfinder Society! The character options are now available to all characters in the campaign as listed on the Character Options page. For Starfinder Society, we’ve sanctioned Starfinder Adventure: Junker’s Delight for both play and character options, and we’ve also gotten the options from the Devastation Ark Adventure Path out the door. Which means... we’re caught up on both programs! How about that?

Of course, next month we have Pathfinder Guns & Gears, Pathfinder Lost Omens Grand Bazaar, and Starfinder Tech Revolution, not to mention a number of new adventures. So, we have much more on the way very soon! For now, enjoy our newest offerings!

GM Recognition

At PaizoCon Online Europe, we awarded three new Campaign Service Coins. These Coins are given to volunteers who go above and beyond the typical volunteer duties to support their communities and Organized Play. Nominations are always accepted; volunteers may be nominated by emailing organizedplay@paizo.com with their name, region and a description of their service. As we begin to return to physical events, we hope to resume awarding these in-person, so letting us know what upcoming events they’re attending is also useful.

Congratulations to our new Campaign Coin holders:
847 Tom Mannering
848 Andrew Wilson
849 Chris Manning

Upcoming Conventions

This month is our final major convention of the year: Gen Con Online! The catalog is live and tickets are on sale for all our events now. We hope you’re looking forward to the premiere of our newest interactive specials, as well as the rest of our events at the best four days in gaming.

Remember that you can always check out the list of upcoming events using the new Convention Calendar!

Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate! And go learn some magical secrets!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator

Tonya Woldridge
Director of Community

OPA Musings

The news last week about reduced scenario production is, of course, disappointing. We’re saddened that we won’t be bringing as much new Pathfinder and Starfinder Society content to your tables, but we hope you will take this opportunity to try out some of our other sanctioned content for both programs. I myself am starting to plan for a Strength of Thousands run with some of our local players, and I’m very excited for it!

I did want to address a couple of points that we heard from the community in response to the announcement, which was a request for additional replay options as well as an update to the rewards given out by some of our sanctioned Adventures. To the replays, I know this has been a widely-requested option, and we’re working with tech on how we can best make the system work with the desire to replay adventures for credit. This will be a longer-term project, but we will keep you posted as we have news, it’s definitely something I want to see happen as much as the community. For the sanctioned content rewards, we’re finishing up an audit to update some of the rewards for older adventures and make sure everything is working the same going forward. Stay tuned for news on that front very soon!

Finally, one thing that I don’t want to get lost: with the release of our newest Humble Bundle, featuring Starfinder Pact Worlds and the Starfinder Beginner Box at the physical tier, we’re excited to let you know that we’ve sanctioned the adventure in the Beginner Box, Steel Talon’s Lair! You can find the sanctioning on the product page; it awards one scenario’s worth of XP and credits, along with double the Achievement Points, to encourage you all to give the simplified rules of my favorite science-fantasy universe a shot. (OPM Note: The Pathfinder Beginner Box also awards double the Achievement Points).

Artists Sebastian Rodriguez and Mark Molnar

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available August 25, 2021./p>

Pathfinder:

• Pathfinder Society Intro #1: The Second Confirmation*
• Pathfinder Society Intro #2: United in Purpose*
• Pathfinder Society Intro #3: The Year of Shattered Sanctuaries*
• Pathfinder Bounty #13: The Blackwood Abundance

Starfinder:

• Starfinder Society Scenario #4-06: Combatants Concerto: Prelude to Revolution*
• Starfinder Society Scenario #4-07: Haven for Scourged Machines*

*part of a subscription

Starfinder Playtest

On Monday, the playtest for the new evolutionist class began. This playtest is legal for games that take place during the playtest period, using the rules in the Guide to Organized Play. Play-by-post games may use these rules as long as the game begins prior to the conclusion of the playtest, though keep in mind that the playtest survey will close on September 24th. After the playtest concludes, evolutionist characters may not be played until the final publication of the class. We look forward to seeing the new agents in the field!

Sanctioning

With a big month of releases comes an equally large month of sanctioning! This month, we sanctioned the options from Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse, as well as the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix AP and Malevolence. For Starfinder, we also got the rules options for the Galaxy Exploration Manual and the Fly Free or Die Adventure Path onto the Character Options page, as well as sanctioning the adventure included in the Starfinder Beginner Box.

Looking ahead, we’re starting work on Secrets of Magic, and working through the Devastation Ark Adventure Path’s options. On the horizon are Lost Omens: The Grand Bazaar and Junker’s Delight, as well as the Strength of Thousands and Horizons of the Vast Adventure Paths once more volumes of both are released.

GM Recognition

At PAX Online, we awarded a new Campaign Service Coin. These Coins are given to volunteers who go above and beyond the typical volunteer duties to support their communities and Organized Play. Nominations are always accepted; volunteers may be nominated by emailing organizedplay@paizo.com with their name, region and a description of their service. As we begin to return to physical events, we hope to resume awarding these in-person, so letting us know what upcoming events they’re attending is also useful.

Congratulations to Betsy Nold, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID# 846!

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

This month, one GM earned their 5th Star for Pathfinder Society (first edition).

5th Star (PFS1): Tommi Ketonen

If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Upcoming Conventions

Our remaining major conventions are PaizoCon Online Europe, August 19-22, and Gen Con Online, September 16-19. PaizoCon Online Europe’s player signups are open now, and Gen Con Online registration will open August 15.

Remember that you can always check out the list of upcoming events at the new Conventions calendar!

Gen Con Online

The Gen Con Online catalog opens tomorrow for viewing and player registration begins at noon Eastern time on August 15. Paizo has over 450 events listed for Pathfinder Society (both first and second edition), Starfinder Society and the Pathfinder Adventure Card Society.

The Gen Con Online badge is free; session prices this year are as follows:

• Two-hour Bounties and PACS sessions: $2
• Five-hour Scenarios: $4
• PACS Interactive Special: $6
• PFS2 and SFS Interactive Specials: $8

Gen Con Online has a minimum price of $2 per event, regardless of length. We added a bit more to the longer/premium sessions. While online events do not have the same infrastructure costs as physical shows, there are still associated expenses we need to cover. Monies received from ticket sales at Gen Con help offset volunteer rewards, such as GM vouchers and book rewards, and pay for Discord boosts to ensure server stability during the event. We expect that when we return to Gen Con Indy, prices will be set similarly based on their pricing structure.

We look forward to player signups; if you have questions about our events, please email genconleads@gmail.com. If you are interested in volunteering, visit the Organized Play Foundation volunteer opportunities page for more information.

Until next time, Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get ready for the Year of Shattered Sanctuaries!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

OPA Musings

Recently, I foolishly declared that because a couple of our major conventions were delayed, this summer wouldn’t be as bad on the convention front. I retract this statement! We’ve got PAX Online this month, PaizoCon Europe Online next month, and Gen Con after that. Oh, and after that is my wedding. So much for my relaxing summer!

Artists Sebastian Rodriguez and Mark Molnar

Title Changes

We’ve been shuffling around some job titles and responsibilities on the Organized Play development team over the last few weeks to account for the transfer of the Pathfinder and Starfinder One-Shots product lines to this team. To reflect this shift, we’re going to start calling the team the “Digital Adventures Team,” rather than a title more closely associated with our OP programs, as their creative remit now covers items that aren’t directly related to our Organized Play campaigns. (They'll still handle those products as well, just alongside these new items on their docket.)

• Linda Zayas-Palmer is now the Development Manager (Digital Adventures) and manages the Digital Adventures Team, of which the “Organized Play Team” is a subset.
• Thurston Hillman is now titled Developer (Digital Adventures), and will be focusing on Paizo’s One-Shots, Bounties, and Society Interactives.
• Jenny Jarzabski is the Starfinder Society Developer, and Mike Kimmel is the Pathfinder Society Developer, though both share the official title of Organized Play Line Developer. Jenny and Mike are running the day-to-day development of Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society, respectively.

Most of this is just bringing job titles in line with the developers’ day-to-day duties, but we wanted to announce them in case anybody noticed the changes in the masthead of new scenarios.

Starfinder Society Year 4

We’ve got a couple points of clarification with information we’ve released about Starfinder Society Year 4. In addition, we wanted to post an update that we’re currently working on compiling the common questions about the shift away from Fame and will have answers to some of the outstanding issues and boons prior to the Fame spending deadline.

Table Size

It was brought to our attention that there was an additional rule change with Year 4 of Starfinder Society that didn’t get the spotlight it should’ve. As of the beginning of Year 4, the maximum player count for a table is six players. Seven-player tables are no longer permitted. We didn’t intend to sneak this change by anybody, we just forgot to announce it with the rest of the changes!

New Ships

We have one final piece of business to attend to with our new year of Starfinder Society, and that’s the Azata! This brand new ship is available to all players, and its statistics are now available in the Starfinder Society Guide.

Artist Mark Molnar

Pathfinder Society Year 3

Last month, we announced the title for Pathfinder Society Year 3: the Year of Shattered Sanctuaries. We’re excited for you all to experience this new storyline; from what I’ve read so far, it’ll be a great year for veteran and brand-new players alike. One of the highlights for new players is the three-part introduction arc we talked about in the Paizo Intro Blog last Thursday. Mike Kimmel did an interview with the Danger Club Podcast—go check it out for some more teasers, and stay tuned to the blog for more news!

Sanctioning

The big headline for this month’s sanctioning update is for our First Edition players! We’re pleased to announce that updated versions of the PFS (first edition) Additional Resources and Campaign Clarifications have been released and take effect immediately. We anticipate that this will be the final version of these documents, barring any major issues. We’re still working on sanctioning documents for the final Adventure Paths, but their rules options are all factored into this update.

I don’t have as much to report for our active programs this month. For Pathfinder Society, sanctioning documents for the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Adventure Path and Malevolence are both ready to go live when the books are released on July 7th. Next on the list for PFS is Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse and the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path. For Starfinder Society, I’m pleased to announce that the Character Options page has been updated to include the options in the Galaxy Exploration Manual. We weren’t able to get Fly Free or Die or Devastation Ark’s character options out this month, but we’re working on those as our next priority.

GM Recognition

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run 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 have several GMs to recognize!

5th Star: Filipp Kovalev, Lindsey Long
5th Nova: Michael Beck, James Carter, Rebecca Fehn

Congratulations to our GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Upcoming Conventions

Remember that you can use the new Conventions calendar to check out all the upcoming conventions with a Paizo Organized Play presence! I also wanted to republish the information for all our major shows here so it’s all in one place.

PAX Online – July 15-18

Warhorn link: https://warhorn.net/events/paizo-organized-play-pax-online-2021
GM registration form: https://forms.gle/X8ansVaoyjD2zd7A7
Contact email: paizoorgplayhq@gmail.com
New releases: None; convention focused on acquisitions and new players

PaizoCon Europe Online – August 19-22

Warhorn link: https://warhorn.net/events/paizocon-online-europe-2021
GM registration form: https://forms.gle/nekXPhFXtbskCm1BA
Contact email: paizoconeurope@gmail.com
New releases: PFS Intro 1: The Second Confirmation, PFS Intro 2: United in Purpose, PFS Intro: Year of Shattered Sanctuaries

Gen Con Online – September 16-19

Website link: https://www.gencon.com/online
GM registration form: https://forms.gle/EcmxjF36GmVrR7979
Contact email: GenConLeads@gmail.com
New releases: PFS and SFS Interactive Specials

Until next time - Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Paizo will not be attending this year's Origins Gamefaire. The show has not announced an online component, so at this point we aren’t planning to provide programming that weekend. We are looking forward to returning to physical conventions in the future, but we aren’t quite to that point yet. Thanks, and stay safe!

Bonjour and Güten Tag, players and GMs! We know you’re all getting ready for PaizoCon Online this weekend, but we wanted to share some more information about an upcoming show, PaizoCon Europe Online!

Dates and Times

PaizoCon Europe Online will run from August 19–22, 2021. The game blocks have been separated into six-hour segments, and we made a handy chart to help with time zone differences:

Block	Start Time (Central Europe)	Start Time (British Summer Time)	Start Time (Pacific Daylight Time)
Morning (Fri/Sat/Sun Only)	9:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 AM
Afternoon	3:00 PM	2:00 PM	6:00 AM
Evening	9:00 PM	8:00 PM	12:00 PM
Overnight (Thurs/Fri/Sat Only)	3:00 AM	2:00 AM	6:00 PM

There will be a total of 14 blocks of games over the weekend. European organizers and HQ volunteers will coordinate most of the blocks, with an American crew taking on the overnight block as well as the Sunday evening block. GMs and players are free to sign up for games in time zones that work best for them.

Playable Content

At this event, we’ll be kicking off Year 4 of Pathfinder Society with three new intro scenarios. First up, we have PFS Intro #1: The Second Confirmation and PFS Intro #2: United in Purpose. PFS Intro #3 (3-01), by Mike Kimmel, launches the year's metaplot. The title has yet to be revealed, as it is the same as the Year’s title. We plan to announce both shortly, so keep your eyes focused on upcoming blogs!

In addition to our new Pathfinder Society releases, there will be a selection of new and favorite scenarios for Starfinder Society, as well as scenarios from both editions of Pathfinder Society. The schedule will appear on Warhorn once it is finalized. Check out the Important Dates section for details!

In addition to our new Pathfinder Society releases, there will be a selection of new and favorite scenarios for Starfinder Society, as well as scenarios from both editions of Pathfinder Society. The schedule will appear on Warhorn once it is finalized. Check out the Important Dates section for details!

Badges

For this event, there will be a €10 badge fee for all players. GMs who run 1-2 games will pay €5, and GMs who run 3 or more games, or do not want to play at all, will be granted a free badge. All money raised by badge fees will be divided between three charities as chosen by our organizers: Alzheimer’s Research UK, Fonds Mimosa, and Stiftung Deutsche Krebshilfe.

This convention also features sponsored badges! If you wish to help another player out, you may add an extra €10 badge to your payment, which will be allocated to a community member who requests one. If you wish to request a sponsored badge, email paizoconeurope[at]gmail[dot]com with your name and Warhorn email, no other information necessary. Sponsored badges will be awarded by random draw. Sponsoring a badge is a great way to give a little extra to these charities while also helping out a member of the community; so far at PaizoCon Online, we’ve had a sponsored badge available for everybody who requests one (and still have a few available for attendees).

GM Signups

If you wish to GM games at PaizoCon Europe Online, fill out the GM Interest Form linked below. The Organizing Committee will reach out to you to confirm your acceptance and let you know how to get set up for GM signups.

GM Interest Form

Important Dates

Here are some important dates for the event:

• 7 June: Warhorn schedule is complete and publicly available
• 21 June: GM signups open on Warhorn; all confirmed and paid GMs will be able to claim their games at this time.
• 19 July: Warhorn opens for player signups
• 16 August: Warhorn player signups close; walk-ups will be used to fill any open seats
• 19-22 August: PaizoCon Europe Online!

Questions

If you have questions about this event, please email the organizing committee at paizoconeurope[at]gmail[dot]com. As this is a licensed partner show, Paizo staff have minimal ability to answer questions and will likely direct you on to the organizers.

We look forward to seeing you all this weekend, and then again in August for our Pathfinder Society season launch! Until then, Erkunden! Informe! Coopérer!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

OPA Musings

When Paizo hired me, there were a lot of hazards that I expected to come with the job. Traveling a lot? Hasn’t been an issue yet, but I’m prepared for that. Spending more on dice? That’s alright, I don’t have to buy rulebooks anymore, surely that’ll be an even trade (it’s not, but don’t tell my budget). Increased stress from dealing with the public? I worked retail, I’ll be alright. The thing I didn’t anticipate, however, was that my job would become impossible to describe to people.

Usually I start with “volunteer coordination,” because of course I work with hundreds of venture officers regularly. Then I move on to “event planning”—conventions are definitely event planning, people can grasp that. But how do you explain that you had a very important hour-long conversation about whether or not the robots in this art should be humanoid, how many limbs they should have, and what that might signify to players? And that you then spent an hour discussing the implications of glasses on a nearsighted character in a fantasy world?

I’ve also been hired to write a Bounty (shameless plug!), and naturally once it was publicly announced I emailed my parents to let them know, because it’s exciting! My dad’s response was, verbatim, “Ok? I gotta say, I’m kinda lost about this adventure. But good job?” Hazards of the job, I guess; my brother works in esports, so I foresee a lifetime of holidays where family members just nod and smile at us.

PaizoCon Online

PaizoCon Online is coming next month! We hope you’re all working hard on prepping your tables and characters for a weekend of Paizo gaming.

Last week, we announced two of our liveplays for the event, as well as the titles of the new Pathfinder and Starfinder One-Shots. PaizoCon Online will be your first chance to play these new adventures, and there are still seats open for both, as well as tons of other tables! Just a reminder that player signups will close on Monday, May 24 to give the organizers time to fold tables that won’t fire. Walk-up seats will be available during each slot to fill open seats as they arise.

Sanctioning

At the beginning of April, we released the sanctioning for the Abomination Vaults Adventure Path. We also intend to release the sanctioning for Pathfinder Adventure: Malevolence in the next week, once the warehouse is able to begin sending out the book to customers.

Our next items are Bestiary 3 and the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Adventure Path for Pathfinder (second edition), and the Devastation Ark Adventure Path and Galaxy Exploration Manual for Starfinder. We’re also planning to sanction the two new One-Shots, Band on the Run and Dinner at Lionlodge, upon their release at PaizoCon.

Starfinder Updates

As we announced last week, Starfinder Achievement Points are coming! As of May 28, all games reported will earn AcP for Starfinder Society, and any games played on or after that date should not award Fame on the Chronicle Sheets. More details on this exciting new change are available in last week’s blog.

You can also visit your My Organized Play page now to see some of the boons that will be available initially; we’ll add more whenever we have time, so keep checking back!

GM Recognition

We had no GMs reach their 5th rank this month. If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Upcoming Conventions

In addition to PaizoCon Online, we have a number of conventions coming up offering Pathfinder and Starfinder Society! If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for organized play support.

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
POPCon 2021	Fenton, MI	5/7/2021	Online	None	Alex
PaizoCon Online	Seattle, WA	5/28/2021	Online	PACS 7-99	Yes
Con Summer Drain 21	Gulf Region	6/11/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Con-Current 2021	Columbus, OH	6/11/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite	Alex, Tonya
PaizoCon Europe Online	Online	8/19/2021	Online	TBA	TBA
GenCon	Indianapolis, IN	9/16/2021	Hybrid	PFS 3-99, SFS 3-99 (Titles TBA)	TBA
MegaMooseCon 2021	Richburg, SC	9/17/2021	TBD	None
Nuke-Con 2021	Council Bluffs, IA	9/24/2021	TBD	None

Come back next week for a very exciting blog from our own Jenny Jarzabski. Until then, Explore! Report! Cooperate! And get ready for PaizoCon!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Guest Blog by Fenway Jones
Jasper's Game Day
Founder and President

Jasper’s Game Week, running from April 30th-May 11th 2021, is a TTRPG streaming event with both streams to watch and games to play run by Jasper’s Game Day (JGD). With our partners Paizo and MiniTerrainDomain and sponsors Ardent Roleplay/Meeples and Dragons, Hearthsinger Games, Penny for a Tale, Lark Adventures, and the Paizo Organized Play Convention, we are raising money for suicide prevention and awareness.

This year’s events include our Paizo Organized Play convention and Streaming events! Start Playing Games is also running a JGD fundraiser for the duration of the event where GMs can run any game they would like with proceeds donated to JGD. During the stream events, you may also purchase Reroll tickets to give adventurers a bit of extra luck in all online games, along with other rewards, available at https://jaspersgameday.com/jaspers-game-week/. Visit https://jaspersgameday.com/jaspers-game-week-schedule/ for details on game offerings and signup.

Don’t forget that during the streams you have the ability to watch and affect the games with people like Jason Bulmahn, Erik Mona, B Dave Walters and so many more!

Paizo Organized Play Convention!

Sign Up Here

Streaming Schedule Channel: Twitch.tv/hearthsingergames

May 8th

12 p.m.-3 p.m. EST GM: Anne Richmond
Game System: Starfinder!
Celebrity Players:
Erik Mona
Sydney Ammanuel
Kiah

3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. EST GM: Waffles from Waffles and Maple Syrup
Game System: Pathfinder 2
Celebrity Players:
Matthew Lillard
Matthew Capodicasa
Syrup from Waffles and Maple Syrup

10:30 p.m.-1: 30 a.m. EST GM: Jake Kile from Queue Times
Game System: Pathfinder Second Edition
Celebrity Players:
Nathan (Maker's Misfits)
Bee Zelda (Broadswords)

May 9th

12 p.m.-3 p.m. EST GM: Chris “Chrifu” Bernal
Game System: Pathfinder Second Edition
Celebrity Players:
Wyatt Rowe
Derry Zumi

3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. EST GM: Quinn Murphy
Game System: Pathfinder Second Edition
Celebrity Players:
Rick Sandidige
Jeremy Cobb from Three Black Halflings

7 p.m.-10 p.m. EST GM: Justin Harris (Tableverse)
Game System: Starfinder
Celebrity Players:
B Dave Walters
Helena Anderson
Anne Richmond

10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. EST GM: PJ Megaw (Nat 20 Productions)
Game System: Pathfinder Second Edition
Celebrity Players:
Michelle Rapp
Thomas Winkley

May 10th

12 p.m.-3 p.m. EST GM: Dan Thompson (Danger Club)
Game System: Pathfinder Second Edition
Celebrity Players:
Jasper William Cartwright (Three Black Halflings)
Drak
Jason Bulmahn
Silvanna Russo

3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. EST GM: Vana
Game System: Pathfinder 2
Celebrity Players:
Chanzlyn
Megan Caves
Wendy Lee Szany

7pm-10pm EST GM: Adam Kelly (Southern Tomfoolery)
Game System: Starfinder
Celebrity Players:
Anne Richmond
Michelle Nguyen Bradley
Irene Campos

10:30 p.m.-1: 30 a.m. EST GM: Jess Negin
Game System: Pathfinder 2
Celebrity Players:
Jessica Lynn Parsons
Alexandra Hensley
Aubrey Vakarian

We strive to use gaming to reduce the stigma around talking about suicide prevention and mental health. Tables are composed of both TTRPG streamers and auction winners who have bid for seats to play with them. We place an emphasis on having a diverse group of GMs and players and accessible tables and games.

Jasper’s Game Day is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) non-profit that raises funds for suicide prevention and awareness. Net proceeds are donated to suicide prevention and awareness charities, crisis centers, and hotlines. We use gaming to build community and spread our mission that You are Not a Critical Failure. Visit www.jaspersgameday.com to learn more about us. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National helpline at 1-800-273-8255 or text 741-741, you do not have to roll for initiative alone.

OPM Musings

Tonya’s busy getting ready for her vacation, so I’ve taken over her musings for the month! Do not be alarmed. Last week, Linda and I did an interview with Know Direction, talking about the future of Organized Play and conventions this year. It was a really great time and I definitely encourage you all to watch or listen to it, but there were a few big announcements I wanted to republish here to make sure everyone sees them:

• Pathfinder Society Year 3 will premiere at PaizoCon Europe Online, August 19-22! In the interview we referred to this event as “an unnamed event in August,” but we’re allowed to say the name now.
• The interactive specials for Pathfinder and Starfinder Society will premiere at Gen Con, September 16-19. These interactive specials are linked specials; the events of the Pathfinder special will affect the Starfinder event, so we encourage convention organizers to schedule both. Thurston and Jenny gave our authors a great concept to work with, and we’re excited for them to tell you more!
• Finally, Linda dropped some exciting teasers for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Society special at PaizoCon Online: Ron Lundeen is the author, and it’s going to give players a chance to experience a new facet of the PACS stories they’ve enjoyed over the history of the program.

We hope you’re looking forward to what we have in store over the next few months! Convention season is nearly upon us, which is both exciting and terrifying. But enough of my rambling, let’s see what else we’ve got to announce.

Events

We hope you all enjoyed the Double Points weekend for the new Pathfinder One-Shot, Sundered Waves! We had over 150 tables reported during that release weekend and are very pleased with the response. We’re looking at our release schedule to see when our next special event of this type might be, so stay tuned to the blog for future announcements.

Tonight at 6pm Pacific time, player signups for PaizoCon Online will open! Don’t forget to join the Discord server(direct link = paizo.events) for the latest news and updates. The PaizoCon Warhorn also includes our stream schedule; you’re free to sign up as a “player” to help plan your schedule for the event.

Sanctioning

The big sanctioning news this month is for our Starfinders: we have a brand new Starfinder Society Character Options page! This page updates the look to match the Pathfinder Society page and make it more user-friendly. In addition, Alien Archive 4, is now sanctioned for play! While you will need a boon to use any of the new races to build a PC, the equipment and class options contained in the book are now available to you. You’ll also notice that we’ve expanded the Core Sources to include the Starfinder Alien Archive.

On the Pathfinder side, we’re sanctioning Abomination Vaults and expect to complete it in the next two weeks, but no later than the end of April. We’ll post about it when it’s done!

Both of our Character Options pages have also added links to the errata for books which have had errata released. We hope this change will make the pages even more useful to our players. We’ll be looking at sanctioning the two One-Shots scheduled for release at PaizoCon next so that they’re ready for the event. After that, our upcoming sanctioning schedule includes the Devastation Ark Adventure Path for Starfinder, Bestiary 3 and Malevolence for Pathfinder, and have started working on Tyrant’s Grasp and Return of the Runelords for Pathfinder (first edition).

GM Achievements

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

Two GMs received their fifth star in the past month. We have no new 5 Nova or 5 Glyph GMs to announce.

5th Star (PFS1): Juan Sanchez and Andrew Torgerud

Congratulations to our new 5 Star GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com.

Conventions

In addition to PaizoCon Online, we have a number of conventions offering Pathfinder and Starfinder Society!

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
River Raiders	Lindfield NSW, Australia	4/2/2021	Online	None
Farmageddon VIII	Farmer City, IL	4/23/2021	Online	None
CritterCon IV	Cosmic Crittermander Discord	4/23/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite	Alex
Chupacabracon 2021	Austin, TX	4/30/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Sac OPF TakeTwo Con 2: The Return	Sacramento, CA	4/30/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
POPCon 2021	Fenton, MI	5/7/2021	Online	None	Alex
PaizoCon Online	Seattle, WA	5/28/2021	Online	PACS 7-99	Yes
Con Summer Drain 21	Gulf Region	6/11/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
ConCurrent 2021	Columbus, OH	6/11/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite	Alex
PaizoCon Europe Online	Online	8/19/2021	Online	TBA	TBA
GenCon	Indianapolis, IN	9/17/2021	Hybrid	PFS 3-99, SFS 3-99 (Titles TBA)	TBA

As a final note, tune into Paizo Live! this Friday at 4pm PDT, where our own Mike Kimmel will be a featured guest. He’ll be talking about the Pathfinder Bounties, as well as our Organized Play products

We’ll see you next week for a special preview of our PaizoCon releases for Pathfinder Society! Until then: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

OPM Musings

I really believe we are caught in a time loop. I am absolutely certain I wrote my February musings last week. The past month’s flurry of activity involved much planning - we are just a week away from revealing information regarding Starfinder Society Year 4, and we’ve mapped a solid plan for Pathfinder Society Year 3. PaizoCon planning is moving forward, which means convention season is well under way, and we’ve got a few upcoming announcements on that front. In addition, we’re talking to our pals at Know Direction about appearing on their show. Plus a few more still undisclosed projects that we hope to share shortly!

Be sure to keep your eyes on the blogs as March will bring many announcements and I don’t want any of our community members to miss the great information we have to share.

PaizoCon Volunteers

The first day of GM signups saw over 90% of our offered games filled. Plan is to add more games on the Warhorn, then do round 2 of signups. We will continue until we run out of GMs. Last year, we ran over 800 games. Let’s see if we can top that this year! Anyone who wants to join the GM or HQ teams should visit the Organized Play Foundation’s website for volunteer benefit information and to access the registration form. From there, the organizing committee reviews the form information and sends an email acceptance outlining the next steps. If you want to participate in wave two of registrations, be sure to complete the form by noon Friday, March 5th. There is no last day to volunteer, but spaces are filled on a first registered basis and GMs get access to player registration 24 hours early (March 31) alongside Warhorn VIPs.

Anyone wanting to play at PaizoCon can register for badges in advance of the April 1st player signup date; to do so, visit the PaizoCon Warhorn and follow the instructions on the main page.

Sanctioning

Last week, we posted an update on our sanctioning progress, and we already have an update to that post. Bestiary 2 is now sanctioned on the Character Options page and is available to use! It joins the Lost Omens Ancestry Guide, The Slithering and all our previous rulebooks as usable Pathfinder Society material. Our next focus is Bestiary 3 as well as the Abomination Vaults Adventure Path.

We’ve got new Character Options pages for Starfinder Society in the works to replace the current pdf Additional Resources document. When that rolls out (maybe even this month, if everything aligns), it will include new sanctioning for Alien Archive 4. After that, we’ll look to catch up with the Devastation Ark and Fly Free or Die Adventure Paths as well as investigate sanctioning the Starfinder Beginner Box.

On the Pathfinder (first edition) front. Our hope is to produce sanctioning documents out for the remaining content by the end of the summer, but that will depend on available time as convention season ramps up.

GM Achievements

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

Two GMs received their fifth nova in the past month. We have no new 5 Star or 5 Glyph GMs to announce.

5th Nova: John Godek and Nils Janson

Congratulations to our new 5 Nova GMs, and thank you for your dedication! If you believe you have achieved your 5th rank but haven’t been announced, email us at organizedplay@paizo.com

Conventions

In addition to PaizoCon Online, we have a number of conventions offering Pathfinder and Starfinder Society!

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
Reaper Virtual Expo	Denton, TX	3/5/2021	Online	None	Alex, Jenny
BahliCon 2021	Great Lakes Region	3/11/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
COS VCON	Butler, PA	3/19/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Whos Yer CONline	Great Lakes Region	3/19/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
River Raiders	Lindfield NSW, Australia	4/2/2021	Online	None
Farmageddon VIII	Farmer City, IL	4/23/2021	Online	None
Jasper's Game Week	Detroit, MI	5/7/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
PaizoCon Online	Seattle, WA	5/28/2021	Online	PACS 7-99	Yes
Con Summer Drain 21	Gulf Region	6/11/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite

We’ll see you next week for some big news!

Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

OPM Musings

Wow, the month flew by. Activity the last few weeks focused on getting January scenarios out of the door, working on future scenarios, planning for our new seasons, and ramping up for convention season. We’re putting some finishing touches on our plans and will share them with everyone in a few weeks.

It’s been satisfying to have some of our longer-term projects come to fruition. Over the next few months, we hope to bring a few more projects across the finish line. I’ll leave it to Alex to reveal our latest project.

New FAQ Pages

We’re glad there was such a positive response to the new Pathfinder Society Character Options page last week because we’ve got another new set of pages for you: FAQ pages for Paizo Organized Play have now been updated! We’ve got areas for general organized play questions, as well as areas for program-specific questions. Just like the Character Options page, this update both refreshes the look of the pages and will make it easier for the Organized Play team to publish content. We’re still tweaking these pages, so you may see some changes in how the content is organized, but if you have feedback, let us know! We’ve kept the Pathfinder Society (first edition) pages in the legacy format.

Eagle-eyed players will notice that the Pathfinder Society FAQ page currently contains the full text of a number of boons. You’ve been asking for a place to view the full text of boons before buying them, and now we’ve got one! Any boon that is more complicated than its short description will have its text published on this page. Boons that unlock ancestries or similarly self-evident boons will not have their text published.

The FAQ page also contains the full text of our Year 2 Chronicle Boons. As we discussed in last week’s blog, there is an issue where GMs cannot download these boons after running the game, so we’re pleased to offer this workaround. Any GM with a chronicle sheet for running a Year 2 scenario with a boon attached can use the full text as published on the FAQ page instead of downloading the boon. Once the bug is fixed, these boons will be removed from the FAQ page to avoid spoilers.

Fame

Last week, we updated the community regarding our Pathfinder Society digitization efforts. At this point, Fame is no longer a spendable currency and we are not tracking it in any way. Reputation still exists and unlocks benefits for characters via the Achievement Point system on your “My Organized Play” page. You can see your current Reputation with the factions (note, it is called Fame on the webpage in a holdover from Pathfinder Society (first edition), which is something we have queued to fix.)

Sanctioning

We caught up on some of the outstanding tasks, as well as kept up with our goal of day one sanctioning. Last month, we finished up Troubles in Otari and added the character options from the The Threefold Conspiracy to the Starfinder Society Additional Resource document. By the end of this month, we hope to have The Slithering and another update to Starfinder Society Additional Resouces. We also are on target to have Lost Omens: Ancestry Guide ready on release day (February 24th). We haven’t forgotten the Pathfinder (first edition) outstanding items, but we haven’t had the capacity to dip back into that system yet.

GM Achievements

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

We had one GM earn their 5th star this month. No GMs earned their fifth Nova or Glyph.

5th Star: Dawn Upson

Congratulations on your achievement, Dawn!

Conventions

Convention season is just around the corner, and we’re starting to kick up planning for our major conventions. We hope to have information on how to volunteer soon! In the meantime, there are plenty of local events offering Paizo Organized Play. If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for organized play support.

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
COTN 2021	Plymouth, MN	2/12/2021	Online	None
Orccon 2021	Los Angeles, CA	2/12/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
OutPost IV: Roll Them Bones	Online	2/16/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King in Thorns
Total Con 35	Marlborough, MA	2/18/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King in Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
George WashingCon 2021	Bloomington, IN	2/19/2021	Online	None
Hamburg Society Con online	Hamburg, Germany	2/26/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King in Thorns
Reaper Virtual Expo	Denton, TX	3/5/2021	Online	None	Alex
COS VCON	Butler, PA	3/19/2021	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite

Come back next week for a very special guest blog from the Organized Play Foundation!

Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

OPM Musings

But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more…

With the calendar turned to 2021 and vaccines starting to rollout, we’ve got a chance that some of us will actually get to travel to conventions. Unfortunately, we aren’t quite at the point where it is safe to attend events in person. So for the next few months, our presence will remain digital. We’re in talks with a few shows about being virtual guests and will let you know more as soon as we make the final determinations. If you have a digital show between now and April and would like some organized play participation, please email the team at organizedplay@paizo.com with your event particulars.

Not traveling gives us a few more months of internal process smoothing and a chance to finalize a few projects. In addition, Alex’s first anniversary at Paizo approaches. His presence on the team brought much needed stability to program functions and the venture-officer support. I look forward to doing even more now that we’ve acclimated him into the program. Most of the planned projects involve behind the scenes activities, but we hope that they make the forward-facing aspects even better for our community.

Alright, that’s enough musing from me. Without further ado, let’s get to the list of updates for this month!

New OP Developer

As we announced in last week’s blog, Mike Kimmel has joined the team as our newest developer! A prolific Paizo freelancer, Mike wrote many beloved adventures for Organized Play, such as Starfinder Society Scenario #1-22: The Protectorate Petition and Pathfinder Society Scenario #7–10: The Consortium Compact, as well as backmatter for Pathfinder Adventure Path #135: Runeplague and parts of several Lost Omens rulebooks. He also founded the Freelance Forge community, a forum for current and prospective RPG freelancers. You’ll hear more from him next week, but we’re thrilled to bring him on board and can’t wait to see what our fully-staffed team produces going forward!

Digitization

We originally set the final day for Fame purchases in Pathfinder Society as December 31st. I’m happy to say we all took a much needed holiday break. This does make getting final decisions through the pipeline a bit problematic. So we decided to push the deadline out to January 31st, 2021. This is it, though, the final extension. Once February hits, Fame will be gone as a purchasable currency.

We know there are still a few items that we haven’t imported to either AcP or faction reputation or game rewards. We took the transition process slowly to make sure we’re doing it right and not breaking anything more than we had to. Some of the outstanding items, such as a method of bequeathing rewards between character and alternative methods to revive dead characters, are questions we will answer in the next few weeks and will share with you once we make decisions.

Sanctioning

Right before Christmas, we announced sanctioning for the latest Pathfinder adventure, Troubles in Otari, which offers a great transition from Beginner Box play to utilizing the full Pathfinder ruleset.

We’re also excited to announce that the Starfinder Society Additional Resources have now been updated! This update includes the character options from the Threefold Conspiracy adventure path, which were accidentally passed over when we released the chronicles.

Looking forward, work on Pathfinder Adventure: The Slithering nears completion and we hope to upload sanctioning before the end of the month. After that, we’ll shift gears to rulebooks, focusing on Starfinder Alien Archive 4 and the upcoming Pathfinder Lost Omens: Ancestry Guide (releasing in February), before we jump back into adventures. We’ll keep you all updated as we have news to share.

GM Achievements

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

One GM received their fifth star in the last month. We had no one reach 5 Novas or 5 Glyphs.

5th Star: Shannon Petrosky

Congratulations to our new 5 Star GM, and thank you for your dedication!

Conventions

In their holiday message and update, Gen Con announced that they were postponing badge registration and event submission until they have a better idea of what the year will bring. Once we know their plan, we’ll have more info to share about volunteering for that event. We’ll have information on volunteering for other Paizo-sponsored conventions soon as well. There are just a few questions left to answer before we are ready to push go!

Otherwise, we have a few events on the calendar already to look forward to in 2021! If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for organized play support.

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
OrcaCon Online 2021	Bellevue, WA	1/8/2021	Online	None	Alex
Con Damage '21	Gulf Region	1/22/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns
EpiDemiCon	Great Lakes Region	1/22/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
COTN 2021	Plymouth, MN	2/12/2021	Online	None

Until next time: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Beginning January 4, 2021, prices for all Pathfinder Society (second edition) and Starfinder Society scenarios, as well as the Pathfinder Bounties, will increase due to rising production costs. High-level scenarios (level range 7-10 and higher) received an additional increase due to the extra time and attention needed from authors/developers related to added complexity of play at higher levels. To help our community with budgeting costs, we plan to produce no more than one high-level scenario per month across both Pathfinder and Starfinder Society lines.

The changes outlined below apply retroactively to Pathfinder Society (second edition) and Starfinder Society scenarios and the Pathfinder Bounties. Pathfinder Society (first edition) and Pathfinder Adventure Card Game scenarios will not be affected

Product	Old Price	New Price	New Subscriber Price
Standard PFS2/SFS Scenario	$4.99	$5.99	$4.79
High-Level Scenario	$4.99	$6.99	$5.59
Bounty	$1.99	$2.99	N/A
Interactive Special	$9.99	$9.99	N/A

As always, subscribers will receive a 20% discount off the cover price for new releases in their subscription. Paizo Advantage customers can also receive free subscriptions to one or both lines of Organized Play scenarios.

Again, these changes will take effect January 4, 2021, and will apply to all previous adventures for Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society (second edition). If you wish to make changes to your subscriptions in light of this information, please email customer.service@paizo.com. Thanks for your understanding!

Until then - Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

OPM Musings

In many ways, I’m relieved to see the home stretch of 2020 and that the new year lies just beyond the horizon. With Covid, murder hornets, wildfires, protests, elections, and beloved icons passing, this year packed more into it than I’d expect in a decade. I felt the lack of conventions the most. You, our community, mean the world to me and it physically hurt not to get to meet up with you and get to chat about gaming, organized play, and maybe even our favorite television shows (though I have a great store of talking points now!). As vaccine availability allows us to reopen, I urge everyone to not rush back into games spaces, but to do so responsibility in an effort to keep our communities safe! We will be back together again soon, but only by being careful can we all be together again.

Scenario Release Update

As mentioned above, this year dealt us unforeseen challenges. Almost as if to put convention season crunch into perspective, good ole 2020 gave us a “hold beer” moment scenario production. We’ve done our best to not let the difficulties of remote work impact our production schedules, but as we come to the end of the year, we just didn’t quite meet our goals. We felt it best to share the changes to our schedule now, so that organizers and GMs can plan accordingly, instead of waiting for our monthly release blogs. Here’s a summary of our changes:

December scenarios (PFS 2-09 and 2-10, Bounty 5 and SFS 3-13 and 3-14) will be released on December 30th, the last Wednesday in the month. While we ordinarily try to release early due to the holidays, a pile up of products in the pipeline meant we just couldn’t meet our desired release of December 16th, and are opting to go with the standard organized play release date instead.

Due to an author not being able to complete their contract, we have to push one Pathfinder Society scenario out of January release and into February. In January, we will release PFS 2-11: The Pathfinder Trials, and Bounty 6 for Pathfinder Society. Both Starfinder Society scenarios (3-15 & 3-16) will release as well. February releases include PFS 2-12, 2-13 and 2-14, as well as Bounty 7 and SFS 3-17 and 3-18. Thank you all for your understanding and patience!

Sanctioning

Last month, we announced sanctioning for the Pathfinder Beginner Box. We divided the adventure in the box, “Menace Under Otari,” into two parts and wrote a chronicle for each part. As an incentive to reaching out to new players and building your communities, we designated the adventure as a repeatable event which awards double AcP; players must use the pregens in the Beginner Box or build characters using the rules within the product.

Originally, our next agenda included The Slithering for Pathfinder (second edition). To capitalize on the Beginner Box momentum, we’re diverting briefly to sanction Troubles in Otari first. For Starfinder, we queued up the Devastation Ark AP. Of course, we still have the remaining PF1 content on radar as well.

Several people asked what about our timelines and priorities regarding sanctioning. We tried a different process with the Beginner Box that worked reasonably well, so we will use that method on the next few projects and refine the process. We hope this will get the adventure sanctioning out the door without placing as large a burden on the product line developers and get us caught up so that we can achieve our goal of day one sanctioning on all products. But until that point, we are still a bit behind. We’ll inform you in these blogs as we have updates to share, so stay tuned!

Stars/Novas/Glyphs

Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, 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 run between one and three games for venture-captains (program dependant). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!

Two GMs received their fifth star in the last month. We had no one reach 5 Novas or 5 Glyphs.

5th Star: Densial Edmonds, Daniel Harvey

Congratulations to our new 5 Star GMs, and thank you for your dedication!

Conventions

December is usually a quiet month for conventions, but 2021’s schedule is starting to roll in. If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for organized play support!

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
Emerald Con	Seattle, WA	12/4/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite	Tonya, Jenny
Con Damage '21	Gulf Region	1/22/2021	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns
COTN 2021	Plymouth, MN	2/12/2021	Online	None

We’ve got an announcement for later today, so visit us back here this afternoon for some exciting news! And don’t forget: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, and several other countries celebrated their day of giving thanks over the past months. While celebrations look very different for all of us this year, we wanted to take a moment to give thanks to our Paizo community. Without you all, the worlds of Pathfinder and Starfinder would be just stories we told ourselves. We’re grateful for all your support, and wish you well as this year comes to a close. We also want to thank the Organized Play community organizers for supporting our programs in the face of tremendous adversity. Without the venture-officers, we would lack structure and without GMs, games. To all of you who spend time planning schedules and completing tasks behind the scenes, a huge shout out of thanks!

Every year we have several dozen conventions/events which support charities. We developed the charity boon programs to support these efforts. This year, without physical gatherings, we thought the support for charities would diminish. In light of this year’s adverse conditions, we’re especially thankful for the tremendous generosity of our players. We’d like to recognize a few the events who conducted charitable activities and supported the charities’ good works!

Contingency 2020, Hunstanton, England
This event in February raised £7500, or $9934 USD, for Alzheimer's Society UK.

Owlcon 2020, Houston TX
The Texas Organized Play community ran over 50 tables and raised $260 for Extra Lifein February of this year.

PFS MANCon, Manchester, England
While this event was cancelled due to the start of the pandemic, many of the attendees donated fees and refunds to the nominated charity. The equivalent of $635 USD was donated to the Alzheimer’s Society to help tackle dementia.

CoVcon, Pittsburgh PA
COSCON quickly moved online when lockdown began in March. Through their efforts, they raised $268 to support Royal Family KIDS and the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.

CritterCon 3, Online
The Cosmic Crittermanders ran their third event to benefit Doctors Without Borders in April of this year, raising $6741 and running 76 tables.

PaizoCon Francia, Geneva, Switzerland
One of our few in-person events, this convention raised around 500 Swiss Francs, or $550 USD, for Fonds Mimosa.

Displacement Con, Grand Rapids MI
The unofficial replacement for Grand Con, this event featured board games and Adventurer’s League in addition to Paizo Organized Play games. A total of $225 was raised for Make-A-Wish of Michigan.

Gen Con Online, Indianapolis IN
The charity auction at Gen Con raised $11,008.66, which will be donated to Gen Con Online’s partner charities: Take This, Trinity Haven and I Need Diverse Games.

Pittsburgh Con Online, Pittsburgh PA
A new event, this online convention raised $188 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The local volunteers hope to run the event again next year!

Tavern Con 2020, Ithaca MI
This event raised $460 for Gaming for a Cure.

SkålCon Online 2020, Minneapolis MN
This online convention was attended by several members of the Organized Play team, and it raised $4700 for local charity Tubman.

Defenders of the Healing Flame, Multiple Lodges
Unable to conduct in-person marathons, 7 lodges teamed up to raise money for Extra Life. Through 55 tables of play, they raised $6,529 for Children’s Miracle Network. Thanks to the members of Bluegrass Lodge in Kentucky, Queen City Lodge in Cincinnati, Virginia Lodge, Boston Metro Lodge, Mid-Maryland Lodge, Central Jersey Lodge, North Shore MA Lodge and the NE Indiana Organized Play community for all your efforts!

CONGlomerate, Online
Just this month, the online region raised $1,070 for Extra Life and the Seattle Childrens’ Hospital.

In total, this year our Organized Play community raised more than $42,000 for charity. Thank you all so much for your incredible efforts! All charities are linked above, if you would like to support your community’s fundraising or learn about the charities’ goals. Your efforts truly exemplify the “Cooperate” portion of the Pathfinder Society motto, and we can’t wait to see what the community will do in 2021 and beyond.

Check back next week for our Monthly Update! Until then: Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

OPM Musings

We’ve kinda slowed down a bit on the convention front, with PAX Online being our last big show of 2020, but that doesn’t mean the program slowed down. On the editorial side of the team, we have earlier than last Wed of the month release dates for Nov and Dec scenarios to avoid releasing items on American Thanksgiving or Christmas/Kwanzaa. We also hope to have space to allow our team to take some time off over the holidays.

In this downtime between active conventions, we also do quite a bit of our planning for the upcoming years. Look for more information in blogs after the first of the year. We also use the time to complete outstanding tasks, like mailing charity boons and producing goblin songs. Finally, we like to take this time to get 2021 conventions spun up and the background items put into place.

To that end, we’re currently in talks with volunteers at the Organized Play Foundation about the makeup of our 2021 convention teams. With the uncertainty of in-person shows as well as digital platform use for conventions, we’ve got to shake up how we are doing things, including revamping the Department Head structure, looking to have a hybrid digital-physical committee, and streamlining volunteer registration processes. As these changes deal with volunteers, the specifics will appear on the Organized Play Foundation website. As soon as the information is posted, we will bump this blog. Expect this to happen in the next week or so.

Fame Conversion Status

Unfortunately, we did not quite make our October goals. We did get every boon into the system, but we did not publish the conversion guide out to our community. With the accelerated production schedule of Nov and Dec, to get products out before the holidays, we just could not put one more thing into our schedule. We still have this on our radar and hope to have more information out to you, but we don’t want to prioritize it over getting out the monthly scenarios. We will keep you updated via blogs on where we are and what our new timeline is expected to be. We are also adjusting schedules so that a delay on our end doesn’t remove integration time from the community. Thank you for your patience.

Sanctioning

A new batch of sanctioning was posted last week! This included the Extinction Curse Adventure Path for Pathfinder Society (second edition), as well as the remainder of The Threefold Conspiracy AP for Starfinder Society. If you’re new and want to know more about what sanctioning is and why we do it, there’s some good information in that blog as well, check it out!

Next in the queue for sanctioning is the Pathfinder (second edition) Beginner Box, which we do hope to have sanctioned before the end of the month. After that, we’ll take a look at Devastation Ark, The Slithering, and the remaining PF1 Adventure Paths to determine what’s next on our priority list

Stars/Novas/Glyphs

This month, we had time to review all outstanding four-star and four-nova GMs. Now that the system is more automated, we are able to keep closer track of those GMs on the road to the top. We believe that we have contacted every GM on that list to let them know what’s left to become a five-star or five-nova GM. If you were not contacted and feel you should have been, please email us at organizedplay[at]paizo[dot]com and we’ll check it out.

As a result of this process, we discovered several GMs who had completed all their requirements. They are recognized below; congratulations, and thank you for all the time you have devoted to Organized Play!

Congratulations to:

• 5 Star GMs:
• Steven Lee
• Betsy Nold
• 5 Nova GMs:
• Doug Edwards
• Mike Bramnik

Convention Listing

If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for Organized Play support!

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
Viking Lodge Halloween Con 2020	Copenhagen, Denmark	11/6/2020	Online
Virtual Mepacon 39	Allentown, PA	11/6/2020	Online
Carnage 2020	West Dover, VT	11/6/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
CONglomerate	Online	11/6/2020	Online
Midwest Game Fest Online 2020	Kansas City, MO	11/12/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Lone Star Con	Texas	11/13/2020	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
MACE 2020	Charlotte, NC	11/13/2020	Hybrid
ConQuest Avalon: Morganna's Quest	Bay Area, CA	11/20/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns
Fin d'année 2020 Francia	Francia	11/26/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
TurkeyCon 2020	Burlingame, CA	11/27/2020	Online
WinterWolfCon ‘20	Online	11/27/2020	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Emerald Con	Seattle, WA	12/4/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns, SFS 3-00 The Last Bite	Tonya

Don’t forget to come back next week for previews on the November releases for Paizo Organized Play!

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

OPM Musings

A little over six months ago, I joined the Paizo team as the new (and first!) Organized Play Associate. Those six months have been an adventure. I had a total of eight days in the office before I was suddenly working from home in a different timezone. We went from discussing floor plans for the Sagamore to scrambling to put together our first completely online convention. My poor dice sit neglected in their bag as macros have replaced them (alright, not really, I take them out regularly, I can’t bear to let them sit unrolled).

That paints a bleak picture. Let me brighten it up! I’ve seen how resilient our community can be, as we moved online and kept playing at full force. I’ve seen how hard our Online Region venture-officers worked to welcome the entire world into their realm. I’ve witnessed the passion our players have for our products, passion matched only by the people I work with. Tonya has taken a vacation, which hasn’t happened in far too long, and is also the reason I get to take over this space for the month!

I will be very honest: I love my job. I love coming to work each day and helping to support some talented creatives. I love working with the volunteers and the players, all of them, even you. I think it’s important to remember that gaming is at the heart of what we do. Games are meant to be fun, and we’re all playing this one together. I’m having fun! Let’s keep it going.

Sanctioning

While no new hardcover books came out this month, Lost Omens Pathfinder Society Guide comes out on October 14! We hope you’re all looking forward to it, and we’re aiming to have it sanctioned as soon as possible, ideally on Oct 15th! To let you all We’ll post a blog as well as update the Character Options blog.

By month’s end, we aim to have sanctioning posted for Extinction Curse and the remainder of The Threefold Conspiracy. We’ll post a blog when we add them to the website, so keep an eye out on Thursdays! The team is also currently working through Tyrant’s Grasp and will begin to look at the still unsanctioned APs in the coming weeks.

Chronicle Boons

Many of you have noticed that there are now Chronicle Boons available on the Boons tab of My Organized Play. These Chronicle Boons will replace the boons on the Chronicle sheets you’re used to. They have no cost and can be purchased for any character who qualifies.

If you already have a boon from Season 1 on your chronicle sheet, you don’t need to purchase it again online, though you certainly can if you like! Season 2 scenarios will only list boons online, so those boons, such as the boon for PFS 2-00: The King in Thorns, will need to be purchased.

There is currently a bug where characters with GM credit do not qualify for a scenario’s chronicle boon; we have sent this to tech and are hopeful for a fix very soon. Other feature requests we’ve made include the ability to hide boons that a character does not qualify for, or which they have already purchased.

Guides

Last week, we released the new Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society (second edition) on the Organized Play Foundation’s website. This is a complete update and overhaul. Many sections were trimmed or outright removed, and a number of upgrades were made for ease of use. We discussed some of the changes in our recent blog about our goals for the future, and later today we'll be publishing a blog discussing how to bring your characters in compliance with the new rules.

Our goal is to continue refining the Guide in the coming weeks, based on community feedback. Once the text is finalized, the OPF will create a PDF version for download.

Stars/Novas/Glyphs

Several GMs received their fifth star in the last month. Doing so indicates a commitment to Organized Play, as to achieve this milestone, a GM must run 150 games, of which at least 50 must be unique scenarios and 10 special scenarios, as well as run a game for a venture-captain. A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach five stars is 650 hours!

Congratulations to:
Patrick Berndt
RC Craigo
Melvin Ngo

For Novas and Glyphs, the online evaluation system is active and GMs should confirm their observer entered their evaluation into the system.

Convention Listing

If you don’t see a convention on the list that you think should be there, contact the event organizer and ask them to register their event for Organized Play support!

Convention	Location	Start Date	Status	Interactive Events	Staff Attendance
Nuke-Con	Omaha, NE	10/2/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns
SkålCon Online 2020	Minneapolis, MN	10/9/2020	Online		Tonya, Thurston, Alex
Save Against Fear 2020	Harrisburg, PA	10/9/2020	Online
Friend Con 2020	Bloomington-Normal, IL	10/9/202	Online
Rolling in the Isles	Isles Region	10/11/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns
AB-Confusion	Germany/Netherlands	10/16/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Canceled Con	Online	10/23/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
G0b10w33n Online	Bloomington, IN	10/29/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Virtual Mepacon 39	Allentown, PA	11/6/2020	Online
Midwest Game Fest Online 2020	Kansas City, MO	11/12/2020	Online	PFS2 2-00 The King In Thorns SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
Lone Star Con	Texas	11/13/2020	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite
MACE 2020	Charlotte, NC	11/27/2020	Hybrid
WolfCon Online '20	Online	11/27/2020	Online	SFS 3-00 The Last Bite

Don’t forget to come back next week for more exciting organized play news!

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Associate

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

The Strength of Thousands Adventure Path is coming in July 2021! This six-part, monthly Adventure Path takes characters from 1st to 20th level. It’s set in the Magaambya magic academy in the Mwangi Expanse, the oldest and most prestigious magic school in our world. We’ve been looking to tell a “magic school” story for a long time, and we’re thrilled to tell a non-Western magic school story set in the Magaambya. In Strength of Thousands, the characters start as students, become teachers, and ultimately hold the fate of the school in their hands.

Magaambya by Tomasz Chistowski

The name of this Adventure Path comes from a school motto; each teacher and student stands on the shoulders of thousands who have come before, so the weight of reputation and responsibility rests squarely on the heroes’ shoulders.

Strength of Thousands is open to characters of all kinds, but it’s a magic school, so some spellcasting ability is necessary. If you like playing fighters or monks or other non-spellcasting classes, don’t worry! We’re layering on additional spellcasting ability to all characters in this Adventure Path, so if you can’t normally cast spells, you get a little bit of spellcasting. If you are a spellcaster already, you get a little more. This makes the characters slightly more powerful than normal, but lets them feel like students in the world’s premiere magic school.

Celebration by Tomasz Chistowski

The adventures initially focus on the Magaambya, but soon expand to take place all over the Mwangi Expanse (and even beyond, in an interplanetary excursion!). The teachers at the Magaambya are also diplomats and guardians of the world, and we want the players to really feel that. You’ll undertake diplomatic missions in the dangerous city of Mzali, stage a rescue in the Sodden Lands, and uncover secrets lost for thousands of years.

Strength of Thousands gets tons of support in supplemental articles in each volume, including rosters of fellow students and faculty members and an academia downtime subsystem so characters get more skilled throughout their academic years as students (and as teachers). We expect Strength of Thousands to span many in-game years and thrill real-world players for a long time!

Storyteller - Mikhail Palamarchuk

We’ve established a diverse and talented team of authors for the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path. Rather than talk about them, let’s have them tell you who they are in their own words!

Kindled Magic, by Alexandria Bustion and Eleanor Ferron
Allie Bustion is an award-winning freelance narrative designer and writer who has worked on their own indie titles, like HEIST and Misbehavin', as well as Sea of Legends. You can find their name in recent and upcoming books from Paizo and others, including the Mwangi Expanse world guide, the Starship Operations Manual, and Lost Omens: Legends. More often than not, they can be found on Twitter (@madpierrot) taking a lot of pictures of their cat or analyzing popular media or on Twitch (MadPierrotTV) playing Apex Legends and Final Fantasy XIV. More of their work can be found on madpierrot.design, madpierrot.itch.io, and patreon.com/madpierrot.

Hello! I'm Eleanor Ferron, a mixed-race author, artist, and Developer here at Paizo. Along with my fabulous colleague Luis Loza, I work on the Lost Omens setting guides for Pathfinder 2E. I’ve also illustrated several RPG products, such as the role-playing card game and campaign assistant, Short Order Heroes. Both Luis and I have been working hard on coordinating an incredible crew of authors for the Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse book that will accompany the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, and so I am incredibly excited to see that setting come to life for players and GMs to explore!M.o

Spoken on the Song Wind, by Quinn Murphy
My name is Quinn Murphy. I’ve been doing freelance design and publishing my own games for a little over a decade, and have been in love with RPGs for most of my life. Over the years I’ve done design work for Dungeons & Dragons (4th Edition), Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, Misspent Youth, Trinity Continuum: Aeon, and more. I’ve been working with Paizo since last year, starting with the Pathfinder Society Quest Archaeology in Aspenthar and other projects. I am really excited to be working on the Strength of Thousands Adventure Path, where we can introduce players to wonders and teachings of the Magaambya firsthand!

Hurricane’s Howl, by Michelle Jones
I'm Michelle Jones, author of Hurricane's Howl and contributor to World Guide: Mwangi Expanse. I've been a Paizo freelancer for about 4 years now, and I'm so excited to finally write for an adventure path. Since most of my Pathfinder work up until now was on the Player Companion line, I always had to ask myself what new rules players would find exciting. It was always a fun challenge, but working on Hurricane's Howl and the World Guide gave me the opportunity to do what I'm really passionate about. The opportunity to tell a story, introduce new characters, and explore a part of the world that really deserves some love. So read World Guide: Mwangi Expanse and play Hurricane's Howl; I promise you are in for a good time. Find me on Twitter @AleshaKills.

Secrets of the Temple-City, by Luis Loza
Luis Loza is a developer at Paizo Inc. working on Pathfinder Second Edition. His work includes rules, campaign setting material, and adventure development for Pathfinder. As a writer, he takes inspiration from a variety of places including folklore from his Mexican heritage, books, movies, and video games. He lives in Seattle with his wife and a cat that should really be more cuddly if you ask him. You can learn more about him and his work at luisloza.com.

Doorway to the Red Star, by Michael Sayre
Hello! My name is Michael Sayre and I’m a designer and former Pathfinder Society developer here at Paizo. I was born and raised in Alaska, where my family is from for as far back as anyone can trace! I’m of primarily Tlingit and Irish descent, and my family are shareholders in the Goldbelt Corporation, a company formed for the Tlingit and Haida people of southeast Alaska following the Alaska Native Claims Act. Pushing the boundaries of the stories we tell beyond Golarion’s Inner Sea has been both a professional goal and a personal passion of mine since I started work at Paizo, and without giving any spoilers as to the particulars of my contribution to this project, that’s definitely something this adventure has allowed me to do!

Shadows of the Ancients, by Saif Ansari
Saif Ansari thought he had created role-playing games while making up stories with his brother in India. After emigrating to the US, he realized a whole gaming industry existed and has been running games ever since. Saif has published short fiction and short plays, appeared in anthologies, written for games, and was nominated for an ENnie back in 2017. He runs games in New York City and also lives there with his wife and two children.

Watch the Lost Omens Announcement Panel here!

Hey, there! Luis, here! Eleanor and I have been hard at work getting the next book in the Lost Omens line ready to go, and we’re proud to announce it here for you today. Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse is coming June 2021! This 312-page book will be our deepest dive in all of Pathfinder’s history into the Mwangi Expanse!

Mwangi Expanse Cover, Art by Ekaterina Burmak

Watch the Lost Omens Announcement Panel here!

Mwangi Expanse will be exploring various subjects that make the region what it is today. You’ll get to learn about the events that shaped the history of the Expanse, like the rise and fall of the serpentfolk empire and Old-Mage Jatembe’s rediscovery of magic. Learn about the dozens of cultures and people of the Expanse—from Alijae elves to Zenj humans. You’ll also get to understand the role of faith in the Mwangi Expanse and learn about the different gods of the region, which include established deities like Grandmother Spider as well as newer deities like Adanye, the catfolk deity of imagination and protection.

Grandmother Spider, Art by Valeria Lutfullina

Beyond the peoples and beliefs of the Mwangi Expanse, we’ll get to show you the region itself, traveling along the waterways of the area and trekking into its misty rainforests. The book will also take you to the various important cities of the region, like Nantambu, home of the fabled Magaambya academy, and Mzali, the temple-city home of the evil god-child, Walkena. Finally, we’ll get to experience the dangers of the Mwangi Expanse by showcasing some of the region’s nastier monsters, including old classics like chaura-kas and new threats like corpse-eating karina.

Anadi, Art by Alexander Nanitchkov

Of course, the book will also include new rules options to play characters from the Mwangi Expanse. These include cultural items like Song’o fighting sticks or the magic masks that Alijae elves use to chronicle their genealogy. It also includes the player rules for those new deities to worship that I mentioned. Most exciting of all, I feel, are the new ancestries featured in the book. This book features six new ancestries: anadi, conrasu, gnoll, golomas, grippli, and shisks! These six represent a good mix of classic ancestries and new ancestries that we know fans have been wanting to see.

We hope that everyone out there is as excited as we are to check out Lost Omens Mwangi Expanse. Look forward to learning all about it next summer!

Luis Loza
Developer