Solstice Scar Update

Friday, February 23, 2018

At PaizoCon 2017, Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild launched a new form of multi-table interactive special (usually shortened to just “a Special”). In doing so, we changed up two big assumptions from past Specials. First, other Specials traditionally kicked off a new season and included integral plot developments that really incentivized playing that Special as soon as possible. Second, those Specials were each built to be self-contained, to portray snapshot events that never evolved, and needed to be built from the ground up each time. As we explored new ways to provide Specials to more conventions—particularly to those taking place between January and May, by which point many people have already played the big Special that debuted at Gen Con the previous year—we developed Pathfinder Society Special #8–99: The Solstice Scar, a modular Special comprised of numerous 90-minute-long parts that can be swapped out over time to tell an evolving story.

How does “The Solstice Scar” work?

The Solstice Scar consists of three 90-minute chapters, called parts, and each time we swap out an older part and add a newer one, we release a new version of the adventure. At PaizoCon 2017, we released Version A (aka #8–99A), which consisted of Parts 1, 2, and 3. About a month ago we sent out Version B, which consists of Parts 1, 3, and 4. Each new version's repeats that process, removing one older part and adding on a new part. That means that if you play all versions of The Solstice Scar, you'll experience some parts several times while also experiencing new content.

“Season Agnostic”: One of the key design goals was to create a story that could stand on its own. The Solstice Scar does not interact directly with any of the season storylines, instead telling its own epic narrative.

Replay: Playing The Solstice Scar multiple times does suggest that someone can play it multiple times, right? That's right, specifically each version of this Special is considered a separate adventure for the purpose of reporting. That means you can earn credit once as a player and as a GM each time we release a new version. What's more, that also means that the same character can play and earn credit for each version; there's even a boon with a niche cumulative award.

Restrictions: This Special is playable in any venue that can field the minimum 3 tables. That makes it an excellent fit for everything from large conventions to smaller local events.

Retirement: Each version of The Solstice Scar is only playable for a limited time (approximately 6 months). Once a new version of the adventure's released to the public, the previous version is retired from play. There is a possibility that we'll release a combined 6-part version after Part D is out in the wild for a while.

Exclusivity Windows: Each version has approximately a 6-month life cycle. When a new version is first ready, it's available only to spotlight events for a window of about 1–2 months; you won't be able to buy it during this time, and during this period, people can play both that version and the previous version. After that, the new version's available to the public and playable for another 4–5 months. I've provided more exact dates in the Timeline section below.

Access: If your event would benefit from running The Solstice Scar, particularly during the summer exclusivity window for Version C and the January exclusivity window for Version D, contact your Regional Venture Coordinator.

Authors: This modular structure also allows us to bring in several authors over the course of the storyline. Andrew Hoskins wrote Parts 1–4 when we first outlined the story, and Kalervo Oikarinen is concluding the narrative with Parts 5 and 6.

Versions: There are four versions of The Solstice Scar scheduled.

• Version A (Parts 1, 2, and 3)
• Version B (Parts 1, 3, and 4)
• Version C (Parts 3, 4, and 5)
• Version D (Parts 4, 5, and 6)

Timeline

Here's how the dates break down for The Solstice Scar. The exclusivity window for Version D includes some approximate dates that we'll be locking in over time.

May 28, 2017: Version A launched at PaizoCon, beginning the exclusivity window.

August 4, 2017: Version A featured at Gen Con, after which the exclusivity window ended. The Special became available for any qualifying events.

January 12, 2018: Version B features at numerous conventions worldwide, beginning the exclusivity window. During this time, Version A is still playable at all venues.

February 21, 2018: The exclusivity window for Version B ends. Version A is retired.

May 27, 2018: Version C launches at PaizoCon, beginning its exclusivity window. During this time, Version B is still playable at all venues.

August 6, 2018: Version C features at Gen Con, after which the exclusivity window ends. Version B is retired.

January XXXX, 2019: Version D features at numerous conventions worldwide, beginning the exclusivity window. During this time, Version C is still playable at all venues.

February XXXX, 2019: The exclusivity window for Version D ends. Version C is retired.

Feedback

The Solstice Scar is a neat experiment that's worked out fairly well so far, and we're always open to feedback on how we can adapt the model to continue providing great multi-table experiences. Let us know what you'd like to see and where the Society should go for its next big story.

John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer