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Gen Con 2012 and Official Call for Volunteers!

Monday, February 27, 2012


Illustration by Kevin Yan

For Gen Con 2012, we plan to make this the biggest and best Gen Con yet! I am scheduling 750 tables of Pathfinder Society over the four days. We are also bringing the GM 101 workshops that debuted at Paizo Con (and were discussed in last Monday’s blog) to Gen Con. They will hopefully be a hit and draw in new players and GMs to Pathfinder Society, as well as make active Pathfinder Society players take the next step and help to GM in their home regions.

We will be hosting Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box Introductions. During nine of the 10 slots at Gen Con, we are setting aside four tables at each slot for these events. These are scheduled with new players in mind. The first 45–60 minutes will be exploring the contents of the Beginner Box, explaining the rules, and reviewing the pregenerated characters. The final 4 hours of each slot will be playing through the four 1-hour adventures that were offered during the Beginner Box Bash.

In addition, we are adding a Pathfinder Kid’s Track to our gaming area. We are focusing on players aged 6–12 and we will be using the Beginner Box for this as well. Each Kid’s Track slot will be 2 hours long and each player will receive a check-off card, very similar to what was used at the Beginner Box Bash. The first hour teaches roleplaying and rules and reviews the pregenerated characters found in the Beginner Box. During the second hour, one of the four 1-hour adventures used during the Beginner Box Bash will be played. We will be restricting tables to four children players and are requiring a parent or guardian be present with each child (or multiple children if they have two or more interested in participating) for the entire 2 hours. The parent or guardian will assist the child when needed. But, we want to make this a good and memorable experience for the kids that attend Gen Con, who often find little they can participate in, especially with others their own age. We will be scheduling eight slots per day for the Kid’s Track. However, we are only scheduling one adventure each day. If a child comes back and plays a different adventure each of the 4 days, he will be able to present his check-off card and receive a special certificate. We may also have other giveaways or special prizes. I will be very picky when choosing volunteer GMs for the Kid’s Track. I prefer to have schoolteachers and other professionals with experience dealing with children, but I will consider GMs who are parents even if they do not deal with children regularly in their profession. If you are volunteering to GM the Kid’s Track, please make sure to include all of your credentials. Also, since these are scheduled as 2-hour blocks, a GM will be required to run two Kid’s Track slots back to back in a 4-hour block to count as one slot of credit toward GM rewards.

Finally, we are adding an invitation-only second round to the Gen Con Special: Race for the Runecarved Key! The first round will be what you have come to know and love as the Pathfinder Special. It will be 75 tables all working together to overcome some nasty problem the Decemvirate wants dealt with. However, the change this year is that we are adding a special, secret scoring system. The top three tables from each tier will advance to the invitation-only second round.

This second round will be one of the deadliest dungeons ever explored by the Pathfinder Society, and only the very best of the organization’s agents even have a chance of surviving. Again, let me emphasize—this will be a true and deadly test of the Pathfinder Society’s best teams. It is almost a guarantee some Pathfinders will die. Make sure to bring your A-game. The first round will be made available to qualifying conventions worldwide after Gen Con 2012 as it is every year. However, the second round is only being offered this once—at Gencon 2012.

At this point I am looking at restricting the GM pool to only 4- and 5-Star GMs. To top it off, the players that advance to the second round will trade in their Chronicle sheets received after the first round as their tickets to this invitation-only event. When they complete the second round, they will receive new Chronicle sheets with a very special boon. We haven’t forgotten about our volunteer GMs for the special either. We didn’t want them to miss out on the opportunity to play in the invitation-only second round. So, we will be entering all Round 1 GMs into a drawing, were we will pull six names. Those six GMs will then receive a seat at a 16th table of the second round.

The observant readers may have caught that I just mentioned 16 tables and are scratching their heads that three tables from each tier and the special GM table don’t add up to 16 tables. Well, you are right. Like last week’s blog that announced a special Tier 12+ event at Paizo Con, we are adding a Tier 12+ to both rounds of this year’s Gen Con special! The special will be written for Subtiers 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9, 10–11, and 12+, and we'll actually have 19 tables of round 2.

Now, let’s talk about the GMs and volunteers we need to pull all of the above off and make it an awesome Gen Con.

I need a minimum of 125 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society games, Beginner Box Introductions, and Kid’s Track events. I’ll continue taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled, at which point I will create a waiting list in the event a scheduled GM has to cancel his or her Gen Con trip for whatever reason. I also need eight Volunteer Assistants for each slot of the show. These folks will not GM during their volunteer slots, but will instead help me run Pathfinder Society HQ—including marshalling, collecting tickets, distributing GM packs, and entering tracking sheets into the database—and will be our go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society.

Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at Gen Con 2012. Keep in mind that you’re volunteering for slots, not a specific event. I will let you know the slots and scenarios you have been assigned as soon as possible. You may designate what tier scenarios you wish to GM but this is not guaranteed to be filled. I will do the best I can to accommodate your requests. My target date to get all GMs their assigned schedules is April 10. This should allow you plenty of time to plan a schedule, before the May 20 event registration, with your friends and family who are also attending Gen Con 2012. Please let me know via email which days you will be at the convention and how many slots you are volunteering for at Gen Con 2012.

Volunteer Tiers and Rewards

Tier 1 GM Volunteers
Tier 1 GM volunteers are my every day GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success. Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 7 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 7 slots if they so desire. Any slots over 7 will be used as overfill GMs. Overfill GMs are requested to show up for muster but will be free for the slot if a scenario has all of its assigned GMs present. I only have room for 80 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you won't be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:

  • A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2012 badge
  • A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room in the Hyatt Regency Hotel
  • A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions
  • A FREE Bestiary Box (pawn set)
  • A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2012 T-Shirt

Tier 2 GM Volunteers
Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 6 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:

  • A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2012 badge
  • A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions
  • A FREE Bestiary Box (pawn set)
  • A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2012 T-Shirt

Tier 3 GM Volunteers
While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 3. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 5 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:

  • A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2012 badge
  • A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions
  • A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2012 T-Shirt

Tier 4 GM Volunteers
This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 4 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 3 slots. Tier 4 GMs receive:

  • A $10 per slot voucher for Paizo.com credit, useable at the show or anytime after, including with your subscriptions
  • A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2012 T-Shirt

Volunteering for One or Two Slot
While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one or two slots during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.

When Volunteering...

Please be specific about what days and how many slots you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to slots and scenarios on an as-needed basis. I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. You must have a gencon.com account and you must include your gencon.com account number in your email or I won’t be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 5 or more slots). Finally, include your Paizo.com email account so I can make sure you receive the scenarios in your downloads.

Slot 1: Thursday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Slot 2: Thursday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Slot 3: Thursday 7 P.M. to Midnight
Slot 4: Friday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Slot 5: Friday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Slot 6: Friday 7 P.M. to Midnight (Gen Con Special Round 1)
Slot 7: Saturday 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Slot 8: Saturday 1 P.M. to 6 P.M.
Slot 9: Saturday 7 P.M. to Midnight (Gen Con Special Round 2)
Slot 10: Sunday 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.

All Gen Con 2012 volunteers please email me at mike.brock@paizo.com with the subject line Gen Con Volunteer.

Thanks in advance for volunteering, good luck, and have a great spring and summer convention season!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

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Tags: Conventions Gen Con Kevin Yan Pathfinder Society
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Grand Lodge 4/5

One thing I forgot to mention in the blog above is we will be hosting a Pathfinder Society Members meeting on Wed, Aug 15 from 4-6 pm. I know it will conflict with some gaming at the Ram, Scottys, and other locations (I participated in those the last few years), but Wed afternoon is just about the only time to schedule this. I apologize for any schedule conflicts with Wed. gaming.
3/5

Message sent and looking forward to another great PFS at GenCon!
Paizo Employee 5/5 Canadian Maplecakes

Excellent... really looking forward to this! :)
Grand Lodge 4/5

When volunteering, please remember:

Please be specific about what days and how many slots you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to slots and scenarios on an as-needed basis. I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. You must have a gencon.com account and you must include your gencon.com account number in your email or I won’t be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 5 or more slots). Finally, include your Paizo.com email account so I can make sure you receive the scenarios in your downloads.

Also, please include your PFS Number and GM star rating if you have one.
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Was a little late in sending my email this year..;)

Please verify the state laws regarding background checks for adults interacting with minors in both the home state of paizo and gencon. There are liability issues and child endangerment issues to consider. I strongly urge you speak with legal council and social services if you have not done so already. Best luck and be safe.
The Exchange 5/5
8 people marked this as a favorite.

Mike's background as a police detective has me pretty comfortable that he knows what he's doing.
2/5 *
1 person marked this as a favorite.

The beginner box tables and Kid's Track tables sound like great ideas. Good work.

I'm intrigued by round 2 of the special as well. Now I gotta decide whether I want to try that or spend time with (3+) friends at subtier 1-2. Hmmm...
5/5
2 people marked this as a favorite.

There's no way anyone could convince me to GM this year at Gen Con!

FREE. LIMITED EDITION. T-SHIRT?! SOLD! I'm in. :-)

Can I get a free booster of Pathfinder Battles minis for each PC I kill?
Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Kyle Baird wrote:
Can I get a free booster of Pathfinder Battles minis for each PC I kill?

I don't think WizKids produced that many ;-)

5/5
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Blog wrote:
This second round will be one of the deadliest dungeons ever explored by the Pathfinder Society, and only the very best of the organization’s agents even have a chance of surviving. Again, let me emphasize—this will be a true and deadly test of the Pathfinder Society’s best teams. It is almost a guarantee some Pathfinders will die. Make sure to bring your A-game.

Muhuhahahahhaha!

The Exchange 4/5

I know a group of us from Georgia are going to be bringing our high levels to make a 12+ table to this year's Special. We will hopefully have gone all the way through Tomb of the Iron Medusa by then.

/Did I seriously just get one rounded by a stupid advanced bug looking thing? Seriously?!
//Kyle Pratt knows what I'm talking about.
///Ugh.
Grand Lodge 4/5
13 people marked this as a favorite.
cibet44 wrote:
Please verify the state laws regarding background checks for adults interacting with minors in both the home state of paizo and gencon. There are liability issues and child endangerment issues to consider. I strongly urge you speak with legal council and social services if you have not done so already. Best luck and be safe.

Before Paizo, I worked Crimes Against Children and Special Victims as a police detective for almost 10 years. I have more than 1500 hours of training in all aspects of child abuse, child abduction, and child homicide, as well as various other topics. I also was a member of the NW Georgia child abduction response team. Besides my normal case load, I worked more than 500 cases along side the Department of Family and Childrens' Services in Cobb County Georgia during that time span. I am well aware of the liabilty and child endangerment issues that need to be considered. This is one reason the tables we be located directly alongside PFS HQ. Additionally, it is why we require a parent or guardian to remain with their child at all times during the two hour sessions. Finally, it is why I am personally screening any GM that will be involved with running the tables for 4 children and their parents.

I appreciate your concerns, take the matter of child welfare extremely seriously, and welcome any further emails you may have.
The Exchange 5/5
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Joe, you forgot to mention it was the first round/first initiative count of the entire module...

And then the tank stood in the back for the rest of the day...
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Kyle Baird wrote:
FREE. LIMITED EDITION. T-SHIRT?! SOLD! I'm in. :-)

They say that every year, and every year it is the same exact T-Shirt...;) But I know you know that.. ;)

Looking forward to Limited Edition T-Shirt #5!
The Exchange 4/5
Kyle Pratt wrote:

Joe, you forgot to mention it was the first round/first initiative count of the entire module...

And then the tank stood in the back for the rest of the day...

We don't like to mention those things. And by 'we' I mean 'me.'

Dataphiles 4/5 5/55/55/55/5

I am all signed up! Tier 1 as always.
Sczarni 2/5 RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Email sent! This is my first GenCon, so I am excited to do this!
3/5

The special sounds cool. The tiers sound wacky.

Quote:
Three tables for Tiers 1–5, 3–7, 5–9, and 7–11 should be 12 tables. Well, you are right.

Why all the overlap? 1-5 and 3-7?????????

Which tier does a 9th level play at?
Do you really think there is going to be more than 3 tier 12+ tables?
Wow this sound interesting.

-Swiftbrook
Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

The special will be written for Subtiers 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9, 10–11, and 12+, and we'll actually have 19 tables of round 2. I'll get the above description changed as soon as possible to clarify.
Silver Crusade 5/5

Volunteered for Tier 1, and 7 tables. Put me where you need me.
Grand Lodge 4/5
Mark Moreland wrote:
The special will be written for Subtiers 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9, 10–11, and 12+, and we'll actually have 19 tables of round 2. I'll get the above description changed as soon as possible to clarify.

This is correct. Sorry for any confusion.

Michael Brock wrote:

One thing I forgot to mention in the blog above is we will be hosting a Pathfinder Society Members meeting on Wed, Aug 15 from 4-6 pm. I know it will conflict with some gaming at the Ram, Scottys, and other locations (I participated in those the last few years), but Wed afternoon is just about the only time to schedule this. I apologize for any schedule conflicts with Wed. gaming.

1) is this a general "Pathfinder Society" meeting, or a GenCon DM's/VC's, etc meeting?

and

2) where is this meeting?
Grand Lodge 4/5
TwoWolves wrote:
Michael Brock wrote:

One thing I forgot to mention in the blog above is we will be hosting a Pathfinder Society Members meeting on Wed, Aug 15 from 4-6 pm. I know it will conflict with some gaming at the Ram, Scottys, and other locations (I participated in those the last few years), but Wed afternoon is just about the only time to schedule this. I apologize for any schedule conflicts with Wed. gaming.

1) is this a general "Pathfinder Society" meeting, or a GenCon DM's/VC's, etc meeting?

and

2) where is this meeting?

This is a general Pathfinder Society members meeting. Location TBD by Gen Con.

5/5
Joseph Caubo wrote:
I know a group of us from Georgia are going to be bringing our high levels to make a 12+ table to this year's Special.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Mark Moreland wrote:
The special will be written for Subtiers 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9, 10–11, and 12+, and we'll actually have 19 tables of round 2. I'll get the above description changed as soon as possible to clarify.

This has been added to the blog post :)

The Exchange 4/5
Kyle Baird wrote:
Joseph Caubo wrote:
I know a group of us from Georgia are going to be bringing our high levels to make a 12+ table to this year's Special.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Bring it, Baird! There is only 1 Kyle who can kill me.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/5 ***
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Joseph Caubo wrote:
Bring it, Baird!

Oh, the humanity!!

Silver Crusade 5/5
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Joseph Caubo wrote:


Bring it, Baird!

I feel I should retract my desire to go to Gencon after someone challenges the star of "When Kyle's Attack"...

5/5
Joseph Caubo wrote:
Did I seriously just get one rounded by a stupid advanced bug looking thing? Seriously?!

Just out of pure curiosity, what kind of advanced bug looking thing was it?

Silver Crusade 2/5

Next year, I should hopefully be able to go. Thanks to all the GM's who will make it a great event! Mike, I love the idea for the Kids Tables, brilliant work!
Silver Crusade 5/5

Just got my confirmation for Tier 1. I'm scheduled for a lot of beginner box fun. Which is fine because I love new players.

Out of curiousity will I need to provide my own box, or is that being provided like a scenario would? Either way is fine.
Sczarni 2/5 RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Woot! My first GenCon is going to be fun. When I saw this blog post I mentioned it to my wife. Her response was, "You need to go. I can help pay for it."

I have an awesome wife!
Silver Crusade 5/5

Better than mine! Mine was "You can go, but you pay for it out of your own money."
Silver Crusade 3/5
Joseph Caubo wrote:
Kyle Baird wrote:
Joseph Caubo wrote:
I know a group of us from Georgia are going to be bringing our high levels to make a 12+ table to this year's Special.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Bring it, Baird! There is only 1 Kyle who can kill me.

Strange, for some reason my paranoid sense is tingling again. How much diamond dust do you think we are going to need this time Joe?

In any event, Georgia 12+ party is a-go for GenCon!
Dataphiles 4/5 5/55/55/55/5

15,000 GP worth at least.
Grand Lodge 4/5
Dan Luckett wrote:

Out of curiousity will I need to provide my own box, or is that being provided like a scenario would? Either way is fine.

We will provide Beginner Boxes but you are certainly welcome to bring your own.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Updating numbers before I head home.

We have had 61 volunteers step up to GM thus far.

Of those 61, 43 are Tier 1 GMs.

So, in a little over 8 hours, we have filled nearly half of the tables.

Get your name and requests in before they are all gone.

For everyone who has volunteered thus far, you should have your Gen Con GM Schedule in your inbox. If you haven't received it, let me know and I will send again.

Thanks to all those who have volunteered. We couldn't make this as successful as possible without your efforts.
5/5
Paul Rees wrote:
15,000 GP worth at least.

Where they're going, they'll each need 25,000 gp diamonds. >:)

Hey Joe! Challenge accepted.

Mike, I'm laying claim to their table.
The Exchange 4/5
Kyle Baird wrote:
Paul Rees wrote:
15,000 GP worth at least.

Where they're going, they'll each need 25,000 gp diamonds. >:)

Hey Joe! Challenge accepted.

Mike, I'm laying claim to their table.

This should be entertaining! We'll be at least 15th level by then, if not 16th!

4/5
Kyle Baird wrote:


Hey Joe! Challenge accepted.

Mike, I'm laying claim to their table.

As much as I would love to run that table, I think a TPK would mean so much more to them coming from you.

Joe, I think you owe your party members an apology and a bucket of powdered diamonds each for your hubris.

For K. Baird's enlightenment:

An advanced retriever

You may begin cackling in anticipation, good sir.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Just realized Mike is looking for 80 Tier 1 GMs, that is 48 more then last year, and 20 Hotel rooms. That is a Major investment by Paizo!

To give you an Idea on How major that is... I am assuming the Paizo is getting some kind of discount on Hotel Rooms but a Hotel can run upwards of over $1000+ for Wednesday through Monday, which would mean around $20,000!
Dark Archive 1/5

I think I was the first post for each of the Gen Con volunteers in all the previous years, but since I was prepping then running a game today (so I hope I am excused) I actually just now got to see this great blog. Sounds like the makings of the grandest PFS at Gen con to date.

Quick questions, will there be be a need for HQ assistants this year?

Also Mike, will you be coming to the book fair/expo in New York in May?

See you all at Gen Con!

Edit: I just saw what I was looking for, sending my curriculum vitae shortly.

Edit part duex: ninja'd by my fellow Gen Con veteran Dragonmoon!
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Quick questions, will there be be a need for HQ assistants this year?
Blog wrote:
I also need eight Volunteer Assistants for each slot of the show. These folks will not GM during their volunteer slots, but will instead help me run Pathfinder Society HQ—including marshalling, collecting tickets, distributing GM packs, and entering tracking sheets into the database—and will be our go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society.
Dark Archive 1/5

Thank you, I was reading the blog on my phone and missed some of it scrawling up and down, but read the full blog on the ipad right after I got in from my game. Thanks for the assist Dragonmoon, now get back to trolling the venture captain boards!

;-)

Can volunteer assistants run a special slot 0 to try and kill off ... Er, familiarize Tier 1 GMs on the mods they will be running?

Shouldn't the blog indicate that HQ volunteers also have the very treacherous task of safe guarding all of Liz's cookies ... Often from other HQ volunteers.
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Thanks for the assist Dragonmoon, now get back to trolling the venture captain boards!

Oh if I ever got access to the Venture-Captain boards you most likely would here the screams of anguish all the way from Australia.. ;)

The Exchange

I will keep an ear out for them

So, um, any chance of previews for Advanced Race Guide coming soon?
Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Berselius wrote:
So, um, any chance of previews for Advanced Race Guide coming soon?

Not in a Pathfinder Society blog, no.

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