November 2021 Organized Play Update

OPC Musings

By the time you read this, I will have returned from my first physical convention as a Paizo employee! I’ll be flying to Minneapolis with Tonya to attend SkålCon and I’m very excited about it. I’m writing this blog before the trip, so I don’t have any stories to tell, but ask future Alex (which, again, will be present Alex once you read this) about it!

Back when I was hired, which the calendar insists was only 20 months ago, I expected to be traveling a lot more than I have so far. I will admit the introverted, awkward part of me (that’s all of me) is glad I met the community online, where I’m much funnier and able to log off when I need to. Still, there’s something about physical gaming that I’ve missed, the energy is different online (but the prep’s a lot easier, so it’s a trade-off)!

Hopefully in 2022 I’ll be able to attend more shows and meet more people in-person, but I suspect the landscape has changed in ways we can’t expect. Until then, I look forward to more online games with all of you!

Digital Adventure Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available November 19, 2021:

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-05: Inheritor's Rite*
Pathfinder Bounty #16: Boom Town Betrayal

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Scenario #4-11: A World's Ambition*

*part of a subscription

Starfinder Society Fame Updates

Earlier this year, we announced that Starfinder Society would be transitioning to the Achievement Points system, and that Fame would be disappearing. This sparked several questions to which we promised answers.

Good news, I have answers for you! But you’ll have to wait a little longer for them. There’s a second blog scheduled later today that’s dedicated entirely to that topic, to keep everything in one place. So, hang tight and we’ll circle back to this topic later!

Sanctioning

First, the bad news: I have no new rulebook content to share with you at this time. I know everybody is eager to get their hands on guns, gears, and everything for sale in the Grand Bazaar, but we simply haven’t had the time to take a look at it yet. It’s the top of our priority list once the schedule crunch lets up, we promise.

Now, while we don’t have rules content for you, we do have some newly sanctioned adventures! For Pathfinder (second edition), Night of the Gray Death and Head-Shot the Rot are both sanctioned for play. You can find the sanctioning documents on their product pages. For Starfinder, we’ll have the next one-shot, The Great Grav-Train Robbery, sanctioned by the time it releases.

And finally, for our Pathfinder (first edition) players, the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path is now sanctioned for play! We know it’s been a long time coming; we tried to get it out at the same time the Owlcat game released, but the best laid plans of ysoki and men, etc, etc. The chronicles for this AP can be applied to a character of any level as well!

My goal is that by this time next month, we’ll have Guns & Gears and Lost Omens: Grand Bazaar sanctioned... just in time for the December releases! Hooray!

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 reach their fifth star for Pathfinder Society (first edition) and one reach their fifth nova for Starfinder Society.

5th Star: Jason Thuel
5th Nova Stephan V

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.

Upcoming Conventions

Winter tends to be our quiet time for conventions, but that doesn’t mean our schedule is entirely silent! We’ve still got plenty of great events, both online and in-person. Check out the conventions calendar for a full list and be sure to click on the events for more details.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator