Nov Update— PAC Society, New Developer, Stars, Spotlights and Cons

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

I want to apologize for the lack of blogs the past two weeks. I returned from Gamehole Con in Madison and critically failed my fort save, succumbing to con crud of epic proportions. My week enforced vacation provided much needed rest but resulted in some tasks not getting done. On a positive note, that means two days of organized play blogs this week, as we have this one today and our scenario reviews tomorrow.

One of the tasks to sort out on my return involved confusion on how we release Pathfinder Adventure Card Society scenarios. We decided to streamline our workflow and move releases to the last Wednesday of the month, alongside our Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society scenarios. To get on this schedule, Pathfinder Adventure Card Society #6-3: Fortress of Ruin, releases tomorrow, November 20th. An story independent adventure, Pathfinder Adventure Card Society #1: A Night in Bloodthorne Manor, releases December 18th, just in time to play it over the holiday season. The next installment in the Year of Rotting Ruin debuts end of February 2020 and we will be on a mostly every other month schedule from that point. We hope having a regular release cycle will assist event organizers and gaming groups in scheduling their games.

Last, but definitely not least, the organized play team hired a new developer, which brings us back up to pre-Gen Con strength! It gives us great pleasure to have James Case join our team. James comes to us from the Paizo editing department, where he’s wielded his skill with words nimbly for some time. We look forward to utilizing his word skills, excel mastery, and ideas in organized play land. Plans are for James to focus on Pathfinder Society, working with Michael Sayre, but you know the saying about the best laid plans. Yeah, that one. So, who knows what we will wind up with! You can learn more about the newest organized play developer in a self-authored blog coming the second Wednesday of December.

So without further ado, I turn to our regular features.

Campaign Coins

While at PaizoCon Asia-Pacific, two individuals received campaign coins in recognition for their ongoing contributions to our organized play programs. Both currently volunteer as Venture-Captains for their cities. In addition, they travel extensively as GMs and participate in the online community. Please take a moment to congratulate the following community members for their efforts on behalf of our gaming community and congratulate them on receiving new Org Play numbers!

RecipientOrg Play Number
Stephen Coling825
Nik Beattie826

Stars

While the launch of Pathfinder (second edition) means less games run under the first edition rules, we still had a couple GMs complete the requirements earn their 5th GM star. To achieve this milestone, they ran 150 games, including 50 unique scenarios and 10 special scenarios, as well as ran a game for a venture-captain. A conservative estimate of time needed to reach 5-stars is 650 hours! Thank you to the GMs listed below for their time and service on behalf of the Pathfinder Society! We appreciate you very much. Huzzah on their achievement!

Timothy Stapleton
Kirill Storm

Novas & Glyphs

Lots of Paizo.com updates and new tools, so moving one step closer to getting Nova’s automated. Until then, please email evaluation submissions to organizedplay@paizo.com for collation.

Once we get the right graphics updated, you’ll see glyphs appearing on the website. Unfortunately, I’m not a web programmer, so our request is reliant on tech help, and they’ve been busy with quite a few updates (you may have seen a few of them). We will get this resolved shortly and update the organized play ID card to reflect all three programs.

Convention Listing

Though the year draws to a close, convention season hasn’t wrapped up! You can play in Society games at any of the conventions listed below! The list includes all events requesting support as of 15 November. If you see one missing, ping the organizer and have them submit a request for support or have them email me at organizedplay@paizo.com to discuss their event. All of the conventions on the list maintain some type of web presence, be it website, social media page, or Warhorn listing, so if you are interested in attending in either capacity, check out their websites or contact the local venture-officer for more information!

ConventionLocationStart Date
Midwest Game Fest 2019Independence, MO11/14/2019
3XP Winter 2019Sutton, Cambridgeshire, UK11/15/2019
Brazil´s #1-99 The Scoured Stars Invasion 2019Brazil - Various11/15/2019
Contraflow 2019New Orleans, LA11/15/2019
Snafu Con 2019Reno, NV11/15/2019
Dreieichcon 2019Dreieich, Hessen, Germany11/16/2019
ConQuest Avalon 2019Sacramento, CA11/22/2019
DAU 2019 Barcelona 2019Barcelona, Spain11/22/2019
Tracon Hitpoint 2019Tampere, Finland11/22/2019
Ucon 2019Ypsilanti, MI11/22/2019
GobbleCon 2019Burlingame, CA11/29/2019
WinterWolfcon '19Chicago, IL11/29/2019
Dragonmeet 2019London, UK11/30/2019
Winterfest Toys for Tots 2019Pullman, WA12/1/2019
AnonyCon 2019Stamford, CT12/6/2019
PAX Unplugged 2019Philadelphia, PA12/6/2019
Java Starfinder Specia 2019l Jacksonville, Fl12/7/2019
Fairfax Toys For Tots Game Day '19Fairfax, VA12/14/2019
MAGFest 2020Washington, DC1/2/2020
MarsCon 2020Williamsburg, VA1/17/2020
PAX South 2020San Antonio, TX1/17/2020
BASHCon 35 (2020)Toledo, OH2/14/2020

Organized Play Staff Travel

Want to hang out with Paizo staff? Play in a game which they are GM? Check out the list below and come see us at a convention near you. The 2020 travel plan approaches finalization. Once finished, we can update the list below to include 2020 conventions. For those proactive organizers out there, please note the deadline to request Paizo staff attendance for 2021 is 1 June 2020. Organizers may email your interest to organizedplay@paizo.com. Note: staff do not attend conventions that conflict with Paizo-sponsored shows.

Convention Location Start Date Paizo Staffers Scheduled to Attend*
PAX UnpluggedPhiladelphia, PA12/06/2019Tonya, Cosmo, Erik, Jeff, Luis, Lyz, Jason

*Staffers scheduled to attend may change without notice.

Until next time—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Organized Play Pathfinder Society
Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Woot Welcome James!....

Tonya... RIP?

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/55/5 ****

Welcome aboard James!

Congrats to coins and new 5 stars!

4/5 ****

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I for one welcome our new Jamesian overlord.

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

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Yay!

Now to reset my .org play number...

Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Washington—Spokane

Congratulations to the new 5 star GMs and Campaign Coin recipients!!

Welcome, James!!

Shadow Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ***** Contributor

Congratulations to Nik, Stephen, and the newest 5-Star GMs!

Welcome aboard, James!

3/5 5/55/55/55/5 *** Contributor

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Yay, James!

3/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Congrats everyone! :D

Grand Lodge 4/5 *

Hoody-hoo to Stephen and Nik!

1/5 5/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber

MegaGrats to the Coin recepients and welcome to the team, Mister Case.

Shifty Anecdotal...:
After having a very rough experience a few years ago playing at a con I was on the verge of quitting PFS due to a combination of personality conflicts, poor play experience, and in-general not-fun. I managed to luck onto a few good PbP GMs, and one of them was running a 'four part arc' involving 'Risen from the Sands' and then Destiny of the Sands 1, 2, 3.

That was one of the biggest character development scenarios for my dumb-as-bricks barbarian, as someone who was largely reviled by the Society actually took said barbarian under their figurative wing and told them they were actually worth something (in not so many words or actions).

It changed a character from 'just being a rando beatstick' to 'someone who was really desperately trying to be smarter and wiser (or at least not as stupid as they started).

But it wouldn't have happened if Shifty hadn't run with an off-comment that my character made.

There are at least a few other ones I can recall, but the biggest is that Nik's always been building the community, though sometimes it's a bit more subtle than one might expect.

Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Netherlands

Congratulations Stephen, Nik, Timothy and Kirill!

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

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Thanks Wei Ji!

I have had enormous fun in PbP land, and I remember when it was a wild and desolate place. I remember putting together the very first 'PbP Community Multi-Table Special' (Year of the Shadowlodge) and the frenzied excitement and swirling mystery as it kicked off a community-driven game. It was cool having a grass-roots event, and then coming back and doing it again as we started the determined march through the back catalogue - and it opened up a shedload of opportunity to tick up 'specials' for people shooting for the 5 Stars in areas where getting 10 specials done was a nigh impossibility.

Eventually, PbP-land matured and a full-fledged Venture crew arose and whilst I was of mixed feeling about it (the end of community-driven multis) it was good to see PbP bloom into the polished community it is today instead of the wild frontier I'd come into.

I ended up the local VC though, and that has drawn a lot of my time and thought, however I still do enjoy some good PbP Playing & GMing - mostly Starfinder.

I will say I have been busy.

We held the first 'Pathfinder & Starfinder Con' on a cruise ship in August, and I gathered up a decent sized group to 'test the waters'.

Next year, Paizo Con South-Pacific will be held on the Carnival Splendor over four nights and stopping off on a picturesque tropical island off the coast of Australia.

I suppose if you are going to do things, make them monumental.

Wei Ji, despite all the huge and epic set pieces which are loads of fun, it is the smaller gems, the individual human interactions that really give the most value - that I gave you a quality avenue to come and enjoy the hobby and share a few cool times - that's the greatest value.

Paizo Employee 1/5 Organized Play Line Developer

Congrats everyone!

4/5

Well jeez, I didn't think we had twinzie con cruds, but apparently we did! I was bedridden for a week myself after GHC and I could feel it coming on during the drive home.

Second Seekers (Jadnura) 5/55/55/55/5

Congratulations to our new 5 Star GMs and Campaign Coin Recipients!

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

Congratz to James, the Campaign Coin recipients, and the new 5-star GMs!

Paizo Employee Franchise Manager

8 people marked this as a favorite.

Every time I see the abbreviation RIP I think someone died. I'm glad it's just the retailer incentive program!

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
Mark Moreland wrote:
Every time I see the abbreviation RIP I think someone died. I'm glad it's just the retailer incentive program!

Thanks for that clarity Mark... I was trying to figure that out...

3/5 5/55/55/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Ohio—Dayton

Mark Moreland wrote:
Every time I see the abbreviation RIP I think someone died. I'm glad it's just the retailer incentive program!

Speaking of which, is there a trick to finding out why the Retail Incentive Program is mentioned in the title... Then not again until this comment?

2/5 5/5 *****

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I'm guessing cut and paste from last months blog post that used that title.

Sovereign Court 4/5 * Organized Play Manager

1 person marked this as a favorite.
NielsenE wrote:
I'm guessing cut and paste from last months blog post that used that title.

Correct! Changed the date, but not all of the title!

Working to get a correct title in place.

PR Manager

2 people marked this as a favorite.

This blog title has been corrected to more accurately reflect the contents. Thanks.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ***** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

7 people marked this as a favorite.

Wait... James is the new Developer? Oh so very well deserved! I have worked with James on mumble, mumble, NDA projects, and was so impressed with his professionalism and awesome editorial feedback.

JAMES IS AWESOME!

Stephen Coling and Shifty got campaign coins?

WOOOT! YAY for Aussie AWESOMENESS!

I've been impressed with Stephen Coling's posts, and am glad to see him recognized.

I am ecstatic to see Shifty recognized, as he has been one of the most helpful people not just in his region, but everywhere. He has been one of the guiding lights in Play-by-Post, and a personal mentor.

This blog makes me absurdly happy. I want our OPF leadership team to be sane(r) and less over-worked!

Congratulations all!

Hmm

Grand Lodge 4/5 ***** Venture-Captain, Missouri—Columbia

Grats to the new 5 stars!

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ***** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

Also congratulations to the two new five stars. That's a lot of hard work!

Hmm

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