OPC Log—15 Arodus 4716

So, do ALL modules now have a campaign mode? Including The Emerald Spire and the smaller modules? The new guide seems to say so, but I would really appreciate an official answer. Or at least let me know if you are thinking on it.

These new rules received mixed reviews, and specifically, applying credit from playing a pregenerated character.

I was wondering if a part of the Blog got left out.

It's not necessarily that these new "changes" received mixed reviews. It's more like we're unsure what they actually are.

Any upcoming clarifications? The two biggest I can think of involve using "character resources" to clear conditions obtained while playing a Pregen, and exactly how Pregen credit may be applied.

Also, there's a discrepancy in applying Tiered Chronicles. One section states that characters must fall within the Tier of the Chronicle, and another section states that Level 2 PCs may receive credit for Tier 1 Chronicles.

Thanks in advance for all of your hard work.

Congrats to all the coin recipients and double congrats to that Bob guy!

Guide Revisions wrote:

These new rules received mixed reviews, and specifically, applying credit from playing a pregenerated character.

I was wondering if a part of the Blog got left out.

It's not necessarily that these new "changes" received mixed reviews. It's more like we're unsure what they actually are.

Any upcoming clarifications? The two biggest I can think of involve using "character resources" to clear conditions obtained while playing a Pregen, and exactly how Pregen credit may be applied.

Also, there's a discrepancy in applying Tiered Chronicles. One section states that characters must fall within the Tier of the Chronicle, and another section states that Level 2 PCs may receive credit for Tier 1 Chronicles.

Thanks in advance for all of your hard work.

Oh there were definitely some mixed reviews, or the threads wouldn't have been locked. :)

But as you say there are also plenty of cases where things were just unclear and clarifications are needed. Hopefully the appropriate questions will get reposted (but without arguments).

Congratulations to the new 5 Star GMs, Campaign Coin recipients, and Bob Jonquet as the first member of the Order of the Wayfinder!!

Whilst I understand the desire to let some rules (e.g. pregens must be applied to a character chosen at the start of the game) a period of play to see how they bed in, other rules in the guide need explanation now.

To take examples from the message boards; with Wayfinder stats no longer in the guide, is ownership of a Sourcebook required? And, how are the pooling resources rules meant to work?

Congrats to all of the new 5-star GMs! Congrats to the Campaign Service Award recipients! And congrats to the Order of the Wayfinder inductee - it's a great idea to have an award that isn't based on length of service.

... but yes - there are lots of new rules in the Guide that are holding up play because they're unclear. Is there any way we can get a FAQ or clarification on:

* pregen credit - how does this actually work? Both for pregens in regular games, and for pregen-only specials.

* Wayfinders - legal without another source book, or not?

* pooling resources: is the list of items given exhaustive or not? Can it be done in advance, or only for reimbursement? What happens to items that aren't used during the scenario?

These three areas just can't be adjudicated fairly across tables. (Selfish disclaimed: we have a big event in two weeks with a dozen pregen only specials, probable iconic pregen usage, and people with wayfinder who don't know if they're legal or not.)

I see a lot of worthy names here! Congratulations to all, especially Bob Jonquet!

Enjoy your time with your family, Tonya. There'll be plenty of time to get clarifications when you come back to us.

Hmm

Congrats to all!

* Wayfinders - legal without another source book, or not?

This is even more interesting for CORE campaign, where there is no longer any legal source for having a Wayfinder, unless the reference counts for it.

Negatory if you play the confirmation you get cert access to a wayfinder. There are also other carted way finders out there.

... but yes - there are lots of new rules in the Guide that are holding up play because they're unclear. Is there any way we can get a FAQ or clarification on:

* pregen credit - how does this actually work? Both for pregens in regular games, and for pregen-only specials.

* Wayfinders - legal without another source book, or not?

* pooling resources: is the list of items given exhaustive or not? Can it be done in advance, or only for reimbursement? What happens to items that aren't used during the scenario?

These three areas just can't be adjudicated fairly across tables. (Selfish disclaimed: we have a big event in two weeks with a dozen pregen only specials, probable iconic pregen usage, and people with wayfinder who don't know if they're legal or not.)

*pregen credit - it works as it has in the past, but you must decide what character number is receiving credit before starting play. This works for either pregenerated iconics or pregen specials.

*The wayfinder sidebar missing from the guide was an omission. It got lost when the guide was reformatted. It will be added to the next revision.

*pooling resources - this was in response to a thread about using items on others during game play. It is for reimbursement. So if Player A has a breath of life scroll they use on another player, then during post game wrap up any player at the table can decide to reimburse a portion of the cost to Player A. Being reimbursement only helps with questions about items that aren't used during scenarios.

-T

Guide Revisions wrote:

These new rules received mixed reviews, and specifically, applying credit from playing a pregenerated character.

I was wondering if a part of the Blog got left out.

It's not necessarily that these new "changes" received mixed reviews. It's more like we're unsure what they actually are.

Any upcoming clarifications? The two biggest I can think of involve using "character resources" to clear conditions obtained while playing a Pregen, and exactly how Pregen credit may be applied.

Also, there's a discrepancy in applying Tiered Chronicles. One section states that characters must fall within the Tier of the Chronicle, and another section states that Level 2 PCs may receive credit for Tier 1 Chronicles.

Thanks in advance for all of your hard work.

We are working on a revision, as changes as large scale as were made mean things will get missed (Wayfinder), mistakes will be made (GM reroll bonus) and clarifications needed.

As for the dead pregen issue - Any resources on the chronicle in question may be used to resolve the character "deductible" owed if raising a pregenerated iconic character. How this applies to pregenerated specials is something I want to discuss with the team before proceeding.

Tiered Chronicles - a character must be within Tier. For Tier 1-2 chronicles on repayable scenarios and modules, you may play once at level 2.

So, do ALL modules now have a campaign mode? Including The Emerald Spire and the smaller modules? The new guide seems to say so, but I would really appreciate an official answer. Or at least let me know if you are thinking on it.

The guide is written so that we may include a campaign mode in either Adventure Paths or Modules as they are sanctioned. Each sanctioning document will list the particular modes for the sanctioned AP or module. So no, it is not universal, it depends on each individual piece.

-T

Tiered Chronicles - a character must be within Tier. For Tier 1-2 chronicles on repayable scenarios and modules, you may play once at level 2.

Sorry, one more clarification on this. The only two Tier 1 chronicles (other than retired scenarios) are First Steps Part 1: In Service to Lore, and Master of the Fallen Fortress. Those can or cannot be played once by a second level character?

I apologize for needing to ask again, but there has been a lot of confusion around MoFF specifically. I believe from your statement that the answer appears to be that a level 2 character cannot play either of those.

Congratulations to all the wonderful award recipients!

Congratulations to all the reward recipients!

I look forward to seeing the update on the Season 8 Roleplaying Guild Guide. I feel the organization is much better and hope you can quickly update it to resolve some of the current uncertainty mentioned by others above.

Huge congratulations to all of the new Five Star GMs, Campaign Coin recipients, and especially to Bob Jonquet on Order of the Wayfinder - well deserved all around, everyone!!!

In a three player game, if the pregen the GM runs gets killed, does the GM's PC die as well?

Congrats to all of the new 5-star GMs! Congrats to the Campaign Service Award recipients! And congrats to the Order of the Wayfinder inductee - it's a great idea to have an award that isn't based on length of service.

The coin isn't based on length of service, either.

In a three player game, if the pregen the GM runs gets killed, does the GM's PC die as well?

A GM doesn't have to take a chronicle, so they don't have to apply it to a character. But as a matter of fairness, I think they should have to decide at the beginning of the game if they are going to take a chronicle. As well, if the have already taken a chronicle for that adventure, the can't take another without burning a replay star.

Congratulations to the Bob Jonquet Campaign coin recipients and the new 5-star GMs. I'm excited to see where Season 8 will take us and how the newly available races will integrate with society play.

*pooling resources - this was in response to a thread about using items on others during game play. It is for reimbursement. So if Player A has a breath of life scroll they use on another player, then during post game wrap up any player at the table can decide to reimburse a portion of the cost to Player A. Being reimbursement only helps with questions about items that aren't used during scenarios.

-T

Thank you. That is awesome.

Congrats to all the new 5 stars, coin recipients, and Bob Jonquet! Thanks Tonya for the quick responses to some of the pressing questions about the new guide.

Thanks for the clarifications Tonya, enjoy the remainder of your break. :)

That's one impressive award.

Thanks for the replies for the Guide and considering an update.

Fred Strauss wrote:

In a three player game, if the pregen the GM runs gets killed, does the GM's PC die as well?

A GM doesn't have to take a chronicle, so they don't have to apply it to a character. But as a matter of fairness, I think they should have to decide at the beginning of the game if they are going to take a chronicle. As well, if the have already taken a chronicle for that adventure, the can't take another without burning a replay star.

Wait... If a GM is required to play a pregen in a game they're running to complete the table so it is run-able, they get both GM and Player credit for the same game? Is that new?

Mark Stratton wrote:

Fred Strauss wrote:

In a three player game, if the pregen the GM runs gets killed, does the GM's PC die as well?

A GM doesn't have to take a chronicle, so they don't have to apply it to a character. But as a matter of fairness, I think they should have to decide at the beginning of the game if they are going to take a chronicle. As well, if the have already taken a chronicle for that adventure, the can't take another without burning a replay star.

Wait... If a GM is required to play a pregen in a game they're running to complete the table so it is run-able, they get both GM and Player credit for the same game? Is that new?

No.

GM plays a scenario: Gets play credit.

GM plays a CORE scenario: Gets CORE play credit.

GM runs a scenario: Gets GM credit.

GM runs a CORE scenario: Gets CORE GM credit.

EDIT: TL;DR: ONE Chronicle per GM/player per scenario barring unusual circumstances.

Aside from GM star replays or special boons, those are the only ways one can get credit from a scenario.

GMs mentioned above about 'taking' or not 'taking' a chronicle is related to GMing only -- ie, do they give themselves credit for running or not, under the same restrictions as above.

If I've missed something, please correct me?

Just so I'm clear: there's going to be a Guide revision, but we should expect it to take about half a year from now? So no sense in waiting for it before printing?

In a three player game, if the pregen the GM runs gets killed, does the GM's PC die as well?

The GM isn't getting player credit for running the pregen. Their GM credit is not dependant on the pregen surviving as it has nothing to do with whether there is a pregen there or not.

*pooling resources - this was in response to a thread about using items on others during game play. It is for reimbursement. So if Player A has a breath of life scroll they use on another player, then during post game wrap up any player at the table can decide to reimburse a portion of the cost to Player A. Being reimbursement only helps with questions about items that aren't used during scenarios.

Yikes, OK. The Guide doesn't seem to say this at all. It says:

This includes pooling money to buy breath of life or raise dead scrolls or potions for use in the game.

This sounds very much like pooling resources to purchase items which may or may not be used -- which begs the question, who keeps the items after the scenario?

It is not clear at all that this is about reimbursing items used during a game. Indeed, I would argue that the text in the Guide says something very different from your quote above. Rewriting is needed if that's what the meaning was supposed to be.

Until the Guide is edited, at least we can use her quote for those that are unaware.

I've already shared a few of John's clarifications from the other threads.

Thanks, Tonya! That clarifies everything. Thanks for all the hard work from the team.

*pregen credit - it works as it has in the past, but you must decide what character number is receiving credit before starting play. This works for either pregenerated iconics or pregen specials.

Neither the way the guide is written nor this statement negates THIS current FAQ.

If my PC or pregenerated character dies permanently, what happens?

Player characters and pregenerated characters who do not return to the realm of the living receive 0 XP, 0 PP, 0 gold, and no items or boons. This is marked on their Chronicle sheet along with a note that the character is permanently dead. If a player was planning to hold the Chronicle from a pregenerated character and apply it to a lower level PC once the PC reached the level of the pregenerated character, they must either apply the Chronicle sheet immediately and report the PC as dead or assign the Chronicle sheet to a new level 1 PC (ie a new PC number) and report that character as dead.

We've always had to assign credit up front, this FAQ created a clause where if that pregen died, then we could change our decision and save that character by killing off a new character. If what's been said is truly the desire of campaign management (in spite of the outcry of the 500 post thread that got locked), then this FAQ should be removed--otherwise there's really no change as the FAQ still exists.

Tonya Woldridge wrote:

*pregen credit - it works as it has in the past, but you must decide what character number is receiving credit before starting play. This works for either pregenerated iconics or pregen specials.

Neither the way the guide is written nor this statement negates THIS current FAQ.

Quote:

If my PC or pregenerated character dies permanently, what happens?

Player characters and pregenerated characters who do not return to the realm of the living receive 0 XP, 0 PP, 0 gold, and no items or boons. This is marked on their Chronicle sheet along with a note that the character is permanently dead. If a player was planning to hold the Chronicle from a pregenerated character and apply it to a lower level PC once the PC reached the level of the pregenerated character, they must either apply the Chronicle sheet immediately and report the PC as dead or assign the Chronicle sheet to a new level 1 PC (ie a new PC number) and report that character as dead.

We've always had to assign credit up front, this FAQ created a clause where if that pregen died, then we could change our decision and save that character by killing off a new character. If what's been said is truly the desire of campaign management (in spite of the outcry of the 500 post thread that got locked), then this FAQ should be removed--otherwise there's really no change as the FAQ still exists.

Better yet, put in strikethroughs and a note about what's changed. Just removing the FAQ might make you think it's still there you just can't find it at the moment.

To the FAQ point, will the current FAQ's about PFS be adjusted to fit the new rulings of the new guide?

The guide is written so that we may include a campaign mode in either Adventure Paths or Modules as they are sanctioned. Each sanctioning document will list the particular modes for the sanctioned AP or module. So no, it is not universal, it depends on each individual piece.

-T

Thanks Tonya. Hope the revised guide clarifies this!

Congrats to all of the new 5-star GMs! Congrats to the Campaign Service Award recipients! And congrats to the Order of the Wayfinder inductee - it's a great idea to have an award that isn't based on length of service.

I can confirm it isn't for years of service - I've been a VL less than two years and received a campaign service coin (I'm still not sure what I did to earn this and am very humbled by the recognition). If you think that there's someone deserving in your lodge of a coin, I would definitely consider sending in a message to your RVC or Tonya about it.

I as very humbled & honoured to receive mine from Tonya at Paizocon UK. The coin originally was a service reward though that changed recently & if I may echo Rigby, if there is someone who has gone above & beyond the call in making PFS in your area special let your RVC know about them!

Congratulations William. (Long time no see?)