Still have invites available. Either PM with your email address or email hoffmanpfu at gmail.com
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With the buddy promotion going on there is an opportunity to spend 15 days learning and enjoying PFO. PFO is a game being created as we play, so there are bugs and the learning curve is a bit steep. This guide is going to help you get into the game, enjoy your first few days and point you to the right guides for further help. If you have completed any of the steps below skip them but try to do them all.
If you have been waiting to get in and try Pathfinder Online, here is your chance. The faculty of Pathfinder University have a bunch of Buddy Invites which will give you an opportunity to try Pathfinder Online for 15 days. Before you do, here are three considerations: 1. Pathfinder Online is in Early Enrollment. What this means is both an opportunity to shape a game during development and an opportunity to see the bugs and bad things in an early release. Be aware that things change every two weeks, sometimes for the better, sometimes just to try something out. :)
We hope you join us in the Pathfinder University as we have classes and live help both available. To Join Pathfinder University (PFU) in game click on the tower in the top left, search for PFU, select Pathfinder University and then hit apply to Join. Pathfinder University is for new players in their first 90 days while they are getting comfortable with the game and finding their permanent home. If you want to try out Pathfinder Online, PM Axi Hoffman or email hoffmanpfu at gmail.com and I will find someone in our faculty that still has an open invite.
New announcement: Pathfinder University is proud to announce that we will have a keep side chat with Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey, Sunday at 3PM EST in Thornkeep (within the keep palisade) and on the Golarion Mumble. Ryan has agreed to answer our questions (as best as he can) and Hoffman will be the moderator. What that means is you can post your questions here, PM them to Hoffman and/or ask them in Hex or PM via Mumble during the event. I am going to try to ask Ryan questions that impact the most players first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. We encourage everyone to join us in keep in Thornkeep as we would love to see a large group of players together. Dress to impress and wear your best for the pictures. We will also try to record the session to share for those who can't make it. Bottom line details: Event: Public Keepside Chat with Ryan Dancey
Pathfinder University is a company for new players in their first 90 days. More information is available here.
Pathfinder University is proud to announce that we will have a keep side chat with Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey, Sunday at 3PM EST in Thornkeep (within the keep palisade) and on the Golarion Mumble. Ryan has agreed to answer our questions (as best as he can) and Hoffman will be the moderator. What that means is you can post your questions here, PM them to Hoffman and/or ask them in Hex or PM via Mumble during the event. I am going to try to ask Ryan questions that impact the most players first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. We encourage everyone to join us in keep in Thornkeep as we would love to see a large group of players together. Dress to impress and wear your best for the pictures. We will also try to record the session to share for those who can't make it. Bottom line details: Event: Public Keepside Chat with Ryan Dancey
Pathfinder University is a company for new players in their first 90 days. More information is available here.
The pvp lecture Saturday 28th at 9pm best will be by Cheatle of TEO. This lecture is relevant for everyone playing on a pvp server - meaning everyone. While most known for his guide and his vast (some would say unnatural) knowledge of everything PFO, Cheatle was also one of the winners of the first 2-vs-2 pvp tournament (together with Phyllain) and the commander of Brighthaven's military. Cheatle will talk about how to live and thrive in a pvp environment, various game mechanics relevant to pvp, and give advice for attackers, defenders and civilians. (And, knowing Cheatle, answer all your questions. About everything). The lecture currently seems like it will be on mumble only with no physical counterpart in TK. (The good part of that is that you don't need to change to expendable gear to attend).
Also keep your eyes open that Pathfinder University will soon be allowing companies of new players to join for 90 days as a company. Same rules as being a student of the university, but it will give you a temporary settlement while you are learning the game. So bottom line is, everyone should get on the Golarion/University Mumble. :)
PFU has given out 15 buddy passes so far and have more. I hope all who tried the pass are enjoying the game and I was happy to see some in our classes already. We have also published a guide on what to do in your first 15 days here. Email hoffmanpfu at gmail.com with your email address and I will find a buddy pass to send you.
Pathfinder University's next chat will be a Keepside chat with Lee Hammock, Lead Game Designer of Goblinworks, Wednesday 2/25 8pm EST. (We decided to call it a keepside chat as last time there was no fire.) The session will be held in Thornkeep (within the keep palisade) and on the Golarion Mumble. Lee has agreed to answer our questions (as best as he can) and Hoffman will be the moderator. What that means is you can post your questions here, PM them to Hoffman and/or ask them in Hex or PM via Mumble during the event. I am going to try to ask Lee questions that impact the most players first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. We encourage everyone to join us in keep in Thornkeep as we would love to see a large group of players together. Dress to impress and wear your best for the pictures. We will also try to record the session to share for those who can't make it. Bottom line details: Event: Public Keepside Chat with Lee Hammock, Lead Game Designer
Pathfinder University is now holding daily classes. The entire class list is available here. Pathfinder University will be holding its classes in Thornkeep and on the Golarion Mumble and all are welcome to come. Pathfinder University is a company for new players in their first 90 days. More information is available here.
Although I have seen Locke on the Mumble, he is not more than a passerby in the University channel. Keep in mind that the Golarion/University mumble is open to ALL. I will take responsibility for what occurs in the University channels but all settlements have channels in the mumble and I'm not sure it would be fair for either Caldeathe (who created the Golarion Mumble) or me to be held responsible for users in other settlements/channels. I would be happy to help reach out to Locke but as he is not a member of PFU, I don't have any 'control' over him. I would defer to Caldeathe if anything should happen to Locke on the Mumble (that being said, I have no clue what the issue with Locke is, and have not been able to speak with him). If anyone has a problem with a member of the University, I suggest PM'ing me, Vorsk or Foxglove and we will address the issue. Keep in mind that these are new users, so we would be better off handling the first issue privately before publicly posting there is an issue. PFU follows two rules: 1. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In most cases we are going to try to give students a chance to make things right (as they may have not known better). Second time they break the rules, they are out of PFU. As you say in your post, I would encourage you take the issue up directly with Locke before you paint PFU with what he has done. (Especially since he is not a PFU member). Please feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.
New PFU schedule just posted by Foxglove: Greetings!
MONDAY 23rd, 9pm EST, "How to solo red mobs" with Duffy. Strategies for solo and small group PvE. Recommended for all classes and levels. TUESDAY 24th, 8pm EST, "How stuff works: crafting101" with Thannon Forsworn. Overview of the crafting system from resource nodes to finished items, how everything ties togeher and advice on levelling crafters. Recommended for anyone who wants to be part of the economy - and even more for those trying to manage on their own. WEDNESDAY 25th, 8pm EST. "Fireside chat with Lee Hammock". Aka Hoffmann bombarding the PFO lead designer with your questions. Recommended for everyone playing (or considering playing) the game. THURSDAY 26th, 9pm + 10pm EST. Sspitfire double lecture. "Lean builds: ability scores and xp budgeting" (with Q&A), followed by "Most important numbers in PFO". A look at the math behind the combat system and how to make that math work for you. Guaranteed muggle layman friendly, but math nerds are welcome too. FRIDAY 27th, 9pm EST. We are proud to welcome guest lecturer Pino from TEO. "Bring'em back alive: travelling Golarion safely". Master class on aggro range and different mob behaviour, with focus on getting away alive.
SATURDAY 28th - PVP lecture with a highly qualified guest lecturer. Stay tuned for more info. SUNDAY 1st, 10am + 1.30pm (and beyond) EST. Double lecture from Vorsk. First up "Divine service", an overview of the cleric class, including EE3 and EE4 updates.
ALL LECTURES are held on the Golarion mumble.
Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of company membership, alignment and reputation. Lectures are physically held in Thornkeep Keep unless another location is stated in the lecture description. Being physically present is not required but recommended, as we aim to end each lecture with an activity to practise new knowledge together.
A great day was had by all. PFU faculty gave out 6 buddy invites, helped a bunch of new players and even led a small group to fight OGG! (Tier 2 escalation near River Bank). Thanks to all who participated and helped. We have more classes this week; Monday 2/23 at 9PM EST Duffy will be presenting How to Solo Red Mobs and Small Group PvE. He will include some simple feat setups including armor/feature/implement choices, combat states, combat debuffs, and how to capitalize on these effects both solo and with groups. Tuesday 2/24 at 8PM EST Thannon Forsworn will be doing Crafting 101 overview course on how gathering, refining, and crafting are all interwoven and some general advice about leveling crafting. All classes will meet in the Thornkeep Keep and be hosted on the Pathfinder University Mumble at golarion.mumble.com port 3093. Download the mumble client here Breaking news! Just confirmed our next two fireside chats with the Goblinworks team: Wednesday 2/25 at 8PM Est we will have Lee Hammock, Lead Game Designer. Wednesday 3/4 at 8PM Est we will have Bob Settles, who is the brains behind the monsters and escalations. We are working with both Ryan Dancey (CEO) and Tork (settlements/large warfare) to find a time that works, and we are going to do a different time than Wednesday at 8. :) We are going to try to record and broadcast these on Twitch also. Our last Fireside chat (with Lisa Stevens, COO of Goblinworks and CEO of Paizo is available here All classes are held on the Golarion/University mumble and in the Thornkeep Keep. Mumble information:
It may be enlightening to listen to Lisa Stevens talk about the connections between Paizo and Goblinworks (video here). I asked her specifically about the connections and how much the Paizo group are involved. What Caldeathe and Decius said is right on that there are issues with the D20 SRD and converting things to a computer game.
Once you have your buddy access, here is what to do in your first 15 days: With the buddy promotion going on there is an opportunity to spend 15 days learning and enjoying PFO. PFO is a game being created as we play, so there are bugs and the learning curve is a bit steep. This guide is going to help you get into the game, enjoy your first few days and point you to the right guides for further help. If you have completed any of the steps below skip them but try to do them all.
With most of the US in the cold, snowy weather, there isn't a better time to try out Pathfinder Online. You can get free access for 15 days by PM'ing Hoffman with your email address for a buddy invite (if you have friends who also want to join, send their email also). Once you have downloaded PFO and logged in, Pathfinder University is offering a new player help day Sunday 2/22 from 1PM-9PM Eastern. Pathfinder University is going to dedicate Sunday, 2/22 1-9pm Eastern, to helping new players (including an excursion to take out an escalation hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4:00). New Player help day is being provided by the Pathfinder University but all are welcome to learn and help others. For New Players: The best way to get help is to join the Golarion/University Mumble: Golarion Mumble Server
If you haven't tried Mumble it is a voice chat program that can be downloaded here. You do not have to have a microphone for your computer as you can still type, but at least you will be able to hear the conversations. If you have trouble with mumble, their support page is here. If you cannot get on Mumble, we will also be providing support in the Help channel (just click on the help tab and it should come up). Keep in mind that when you are in help you cannot see any whispers, so occasionally look in hex or local. To send a whisper type /w charactername, message (the comma is important) and to reply you can just type /r message. Additionally, I (and others) will be in and/or around Thornkeep to help players. That means if you need gear (FREE to new players), want to go exploring, or just want to meet someone in game, come to Thornkeep. We will also be holding daily classes in Thornkeep so it is a good place to be. To get to Thornkeep, Press M for map, look towards the east for the city with three large stars around it, that is Thornkeep. Double click on Thornkeep and that will drop a pin that you can follow on your minimap and start running. To continuously run hit R and you can then sprint by hitting Ctrl. As a side note, most everything is in the encyclopedic 'Cheatle's Guide'. This guide is both a guide itself and a guide to guides. For those who prefer more pictures and a prettier guide, check out SSpitfire's guide. About the Pathfinder University - PFU (previously known as River Academy): PFU exists to help new players through their first 90 days in Pathfinder Online. We will host daily classes and events like this (new player day). Pathfinder University is a company for new players, which provides a home for 90 days (after 90 days players must leave the Pathfinder University company, and may do so at any time). The intent is to give new players a 'home' while they are learning about the game and other companies/settlements. To join PFU, click on the tower icon in the top left, put University in search bar, hit return and then click apply. We will be basing out of Thornkeep, using the Golarion mumble for voice communications (golarion.mumble.com port 3093) and will be using the new player forum at Goblinworks.com for our forums.
Pathfinder University will be hosting a series of classes this week to help new players. Our next class is tonight, Thursday 2/19 at 9pm. Our guest speaker is SSpitfire who will be talking about feat trees, followed by a discussion about PFO math underlying the combat system. Friday 2/20 at 10pm central EU time (UCT+1) we will have Foxglove presenting Gearing Up; how to get beter gear and use it too. This class will provide an intro on crafting Tier 1 +2 gear, and Foxglove will help you make your own! We are going to provide some supplies but are always interested in donations to the university of gear and raw/salvage/refined goods. Sunday 2/22 Will be new player day from 1-9 Eastern, but will have a special session hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4. Expanding Problems: An Introduction to Escalations. A brief introduction to how escalations work, how to approach them, and their importance to the game. Followed by in the field experience taking on an escalation with the class. Monday 2/23 at 9PM EST Duffy will be presenting How to Solo Red Mobs and Small Group PvE. He will include some simple feat setups including armor/feature/implement choices, combat states, combat debuffs, and how to capitalize on these effects both solo and with groups. Tuesday 2/24 at 8PM EST Thannon Forsworn will be doing Crafting 101 overview course on how gathering, refining, and crafting are all interwoven and some general advice about leveling crafting. All classes will meet in the Thornkeep Keep and be hosted on the Pathfinder University Mumble at golarion.mumble.com port 3093. Download the mumble client here Breaking news! Just confirmed our next two fireside chats with the Goblinworks team: Wednesday 2/25 at 8PM Est we will have Lee Hammock, Lead Game Designer. Wednesday 3/4 at 8PM Est we will have Bob Settles, who is the brains behind the monsters and escalations. We are working with both Ryan Dancey (CEO) and Tork (settlements/large warfare) to find a time that works, and we are going to do a different time than Wednesday at 8. :) We are going to try to record and broadcast these on Twitch also. Our last Fireside chat (with Lisa Stevens, COO of Goblinworks and CEO of Paizo is available here All classes are held on the Golarion/University mumble and in the Thornkeep Keep. Mumble information:
Breaking news! Just confirmed our next two fireside chats with the Goblinworks team: Wednesday 2/25 at 8PM Est we will have Lee Hammock, Lead Game Designer. Wednesday 3/4 at 8PM Est we will have Bob Settles, who is the brains behind the monsters and escalations. We are working with both Ryan Dancey (CEO) and Tork (settlements/large warfare) to find a time that works, and we are going to do a different time than Wednesday at 8. :) We are going to try to record and broadcast these on Twitch also. Our last Fireside chat (with Lisa Stevens, COO of Goblinworks and CEO of Paizo is available here All classes are held on the Golarion/University mumble and in the Thornkeep Keep. Mumble information:
For those who want codes, PM Axi Hoffman with your email address and I will get you a code ASAP. We have pooled our codes from the faculty so I have quite a few ready to go!
Pathfinder University is going to dedicate Sunday, 2/22 1-9pm Eastern, to helping new players (including an excursion to take out an escalation hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4:00). New Player help day is being provided by the Pathfinder University but all are welcome to learn and help others. For New Players: The best way to get help is to join the Golarion/University Mumble: Golarion Mumble Server
If you haven't tried Mumble it is a voice chat program that can be downloaded here. You do not have to have a microphone for your computer as you can still type, but at least you will be able to hear the conversations. If you have trouble with mumble, their support page is here. If you cannot get on Mumble, we will also be providing support in the Help channel (just click on the help tab and it should come up). Keep in mind that when you are in help you cannot see any whispers, so occasionally look in hex or local. To send a whisper type /w charactername, message (the comma is important) and to reply you can just type /r message. Additionally, I (and others) will be in and/or around Thornkeep to help players. That means if you need gear (FREE to new players), want to go exploring, or just want to meet someone in game, come to Thornkeep. We will also be holding daily classes (starting Wednesday, 2/18) in Thornkeep so it is a good place to be. To get to Thornkeep, Press M for map, look towards the east for the city with three large stars around it, that is Thornkeep. Double click on Thornkeep and that will drop a pin that you can follow on your minimap and start running. To continuously run hit R and you can then sprint by hitting Ctrl. As a side note, most everything is in the encyclopedic 'Cheatle's Guide'. This guide is both a guide itself and a guide to guides. For those who prefer more pictures and a prettier guide, check out SSpitfire's guide. For Experienced Players: We can use your help today. You are welcome to join us on Mumble or in Help and this is a great opportunity to meet new players (who may want to join you). While in Help, lets keep the chat to only helping new players. In the Golarion Mumble we have made classrooms so that you can take a group our adventuring but please keep the company promotion to one short message. :) ALL are welcome to help. We will also be looking for permanent faculty for the University if anyone is interested. About the Pathfinder University - PFU (previously known as River Academy): PFU exists to help new players through their first 90 days in Pathfinder Online. We will host daily classes and events like this (new player day). Pathfinder University is a company for new players, which provides a home for 90 days (after 90 days players must leave the Pathfinder University company, and may do so at any time). The intent is to give new players a 'home' while they are learning about the game and other companies/settlements. To join PFU, click on the tower icon in the top left, put University in search bar, hit return and then click apply. We will be basing out of Thornkeep, using the Golarion mumble for voice communications (golarion.mumble.com port 3093) and will be using the new player forum at Goblinworks.com for our forums.
Tyncale, I hear you on the Inns. You will love camps/small holdings if you want to sit around the fire. I was fortunately to get to play with base camps and small holdings in the test server and you actually do sit on the ground and 'warm up'. So if it exists for camps, there may be a way for the tech to work for inns also.
Pathfinder University will be hosting a series of classes this week to help new players. Our next class is tonight, Thursday 2/19 at 9pm. Our guest speaker is SSpitfire who will be talking about feat trees, followed by a discussion about PFO math underlying the combat system. Friday 2/20 at 10pm central EU time (UCT+1) we will have Foxglove presenting Gearing Up; how to get beter gear and use it too. This class will provide an intro on crafting Tier 1 +2 gear, and Foxglove will help you make your own! We are going to provide some supplies but are always interested in donations to the university of gear and raw/salvage/refined goods. Sunday 2/22 Will be new player day from 1-9 Eastern, but will have a special session hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4. Expanding Problems: An Introduction to Escalations. A brief introduction to how escalations work, how to approach them, and their importance to the game. Followed by in the field experience taking on an escalation with the class. Monday 2/23 at 9PM EST Duffy will be presenting How to Solo Red Mobs and Small Group PvE. He will include some simple feat setups including armor/feature/implement choices, combat states, combat debuffs, and how to capitalize on these effects both solo and with groups. Tuesday 2/24 at 8PM EST Thannon Forsworn will be doing Crafting 101 overview course on how gathering, refining, and crafting are all interwoven and some general advice about leveling crafting. All classes will meet in the Thornkeep Keep and be hosted on the Pathfinder University Mumble at golarion.mumble.com port 3093. Download the mumble client here About Pathfinder University (PFU) - PFU is a company and home for new players (in their first 90 days) that provides support, training (including regular classes) and fun for those who are just learning PFO. A player can only be a member of the Pathfinder University for their first 90 days. After their first 90 days they need to move to another company in PFO. The intent of the Pathfinder University is to give people a place to grow, try things out, and then move to the right company/settlement for them. Pathfinder University will be a collaborative (sharing in resources and supplies) and will have regularly scheduled events and classes. To join PFU, click on the tower icon in the top left, put PFU in search bar, hit return, select Pathfinder University and then click apply. For more info on Pathfinder University click here
Pathfinder University will be hosting a series of classes this week to help new players. Our next class is tonight, Thursday 2/19 at 9pm. Our guest speaker is SSpitfire who will be talking about feat trees, followed by a discussion about PFO math underlying the combat system. Friday 2/20 at 10pm central EU time (UCT+1) we will have Foxglove presenting Gearing Up; how to get beter gear and use it too. This class will provide an intro on crafting Tier 1 +2 gear, and Foxglove will help you make your own! We are going to provide some supplies but are always interested in donations to the university of gear and raw/salvage/refined goods. Sunday 2/22 Will be new player day from 1-9 Eastern, but will have a special session hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4. Expanding Problems: An Introduction to Escalations. A brief introduction to how escalations work, how to approach them, and their importance to the game. Followed by in the field experience taking on an escalation with the class. Monday 2/23 at 9PM EST Duffy will be presenting How to Solo Red Mobs and Small Group PvE. He will include some simple feat setups including armor/feature/implement choices, combat states, combat debuffs, and how to capitalize on these effects both solo and with groups. Tuesday 2/24 at 8PM EST Thannon Forsworn will be doing Crafting 101 overview course on how gathering, refining, and crafting are all interwoven and some general advice about leveling crafting. All classes will meet in the Thornkeep Keep and be hosted on the Pathfinder University Mumble at golarion.mumble.com port 3093. Download the mumble client here
I want to say thank you to Lisa for joining us, Pino and Decius for recording/broadcasting the session and to all of you who attended. It was a great session. We got to hear about the past, present and future of the game in addition to learning a bit about Lisa. Spoiler:
We learned about the origin story of Lisa and Ryan, and how Lisa hated Ryan at first but grew to be great friends. We learned about holdings including manor houses and how they can be enlarged over time Lisa shared that she has one of the 5 largest Star Wars collections in the world, and her coolest item. Since this is in a spoiler window, her coolest item is Yoda. You heard that right, Lisa has the molds and multiple heads of Yoda in her possession which were bequeathed to her by the original creator of Yoda! Our next class is tonight, Thursday 2/19 at 9pm. Our guest speaker is SSpitfire who will be talking about feat trees, followed by a discussion about PFO math underlying the combat system. Friday 2/20 at 10pm central EU time (UCT+1) we will have Foxglove presenting Gearing Up; how to get beter gear and use it too. This class will provide an intro on crafting Tier 1 +2 gear, and Foxglove will help you make your own! We are going to provide some supplies but are always interested in donations to the university of gear and raw/salvage/refined goods. Sunday 2/22 Will be new player day from 1-9 Eastern, but will have a special session hosted by Vorsk from 1:30-4. Expanding Problems: An Introduction to Escalations. A brief introduction to how escalations work, how to approach them, and their importance to the game. Followed by in the field experience taking on an escalation with the class. Monday 2/23 at 9PM EST Duffy will be presenting How to Solo Red Mobs and Small Group PvE. He will include some simple feat setups including armor/feature/implement choices, combat states, combat debuffs, and how to capitalize on these effects both solo and with groups. Tuesday 2/24 at 8PM EST Thannon Forsworn will be doing Crafting 101 overview course on how gathering, refining, and crafting are all interwoven and some general advice about leveling crafting.
For those who are spending their first 15 days trying PFO here is a guide to help you get into the game, enjoy your first few days and point you to the right guides for further help. If you have completed any of the steps below skip them but try to do them all. (it may help to print it and keep as a reference you can check off)
Just checked with Lisa and we are ok to record and it will be posted a day or two afterwards. Hope to see you all there tomorrow night for the live session. If you attend live we are going to do a 'photo shoot' and you will have your opportunity to ask questions.
Thanks to all for your help. We have had volunteers from companies across the map and hope to have a list of supporting companies soon. Pathfinder University is proud to announce our first class will be a public Fireside Chat with Goblinworks COO and Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens, Wednesday 2/18 at 8PM Eastern in Thornkeep (within the keep palisade) and on the Golarion Mumble. Lisa has agreed to answer our questions (as best as she can) and Hoffman will be the moderator. What that means is you can post your questions here, PM them to Hoffman and/or ask them in Hex or PM via Mumble during the event. I am going to try to ask Lisa questions that impact the most players first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. We encourage everyone to join us in keep in Thornkeep as we would love to see a large group of players together. Dress to impress and wear your best for the pictures. We will also try to record the session to share for those who can't make it. Bottom line details: Event: Public Fireside Chat with Lisa Stevens
This is the first class of the Pathfinder University curriculum. We will launch a daily class series after this. Pathfinder University will be holding its classes in Thornkeep and on the Golarion Mumble and all are welcome to come.
I hear you on 90 days feeling like a long stay. I am hoping that people find their final company well before the 90 days, it is a max stay not minimum. What I am trying to avoid is new players being pressured into picking a company before they know their play style and what the company/settlement brings. For example I was recently a new player who wants to PVP who is part of a company/settlement that is anti-pvp. It sounds easy enough to 'switch' companies/settlements but there are loyalties and politics in play. The 90 days is also there so that they can rise to leadership of their new player peers, which may encourage people to create their own companies. Those companies will of course need a settlement to join but we shouldn't discourage people from making their own companies with their own focus.
I am going to try to ask Lisa questions that impact the largest player groups first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. Yes Randomwalker. I am planning on getting to the questions that impact more players not that are neccisarily part of larger groups. And for those who recommend a real fire I'm sure we can make something happen. Just figured the keep is the easiest thing to find. ;)
Pathfinder University is proud to announce our first class will be a public Fireside Chat with Goblinworks COO and Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens, Wednesday 2/18 at 8PM Eastern in Thornkeep (within the keep palisade) and on the Golarion Mumble. Lisa has agreed to answer our questions (as best as she can) and Hoffman will be the moderator. What that means is you can post your questions here, PM them to Hoffman and/or ask them in Hex or PM via Mumble during the event. I am going to try to ask Lisa questions that impact the largest player groups first, and during the event will be watching Hex chat for follow up questions. We encourage everyone to join us in keep in Thornkeep as we would love to see a large group of players together. Dress to impress and wear your best for the pictures. We will also try to record the session to share for those who can't make it. Bottom line details: Event: Public Fireside Chat with Lisa Stevens
This is the first class of the Pathfinder University curriculum. We will launch a daily class series after this. Pathfinder University will be holding its classes in Thornkeep and on the Golarion Mumble and all are welcome to come. Pathfinder University is a company for new players in their first 90 days. More information is available here.
If you have been waiting to get in and try Pathfinder Online, here is your chance. The faculty of Pathfinder University have a bunch of Buddy Invites which will give you an opportunity to try Pathfinder Online for 15 days. Before you do, here are three considerations: 1. Pathfinder Online is in Early Enrollment. What this means is both an opportunity to shape a game during development and an opportunity to see the bugs and bad things in an early release. Be aware that things change every two weeks, sometimes for the better, sometimes just to try something out. :)
We hope you join us in the Pathfinder University as we have classes and live help both available. To Join Pathfinder University (PFU) in game click on the tower in the top left, search for PFU, select Pathfinder University and then hit apply to Join. Pathfinder University is for new players in their first 90 days while they are getting comfortable with the game and finding their permanent home. If you want to try out Pathfinder Online, PM Axi Hoffman and I will find someone in our faculty that still has an open invite.
If you have been waiting to get in and try Pathfinder Online, here is your chance. The faculty of Pathfinder University have a bunch of Buddy Invites which will give you an opportunity to try Pathfinder Online for 15 days. Before you do, here are three considerations: 1. Pathfinder Online is in Early Enrollment. What this means is both an opportunity to shape a game during development and an opportunity to see the bugs and bad things in an early release. Be aware that things change every two weeks, sometimes for the better, sometimes just to try something out. :)
We hope you join us in the Pathfinder University as we have classes and live help both available. To Join Pathfinder University (PFU) in game click on the tower in the top left, search for PFU, select Pathfinder University and then hit apply to Join. Pathfinder University is for new players in their first 90 days while they are getting comfortable with the game and finding their permanent home. If you want to try out Pathfinder Online, PM Axi Hoffman and I will find someone in our faculty that still has an open invite.
About the Pathfinder University - PFU (previously known as River Academy): Pathfinder University (PFU) is a company and home for new players (in their first 90 days) that provides support, training (including regular classes) and fun for those who are just learning PFO. A player can only be a member of the Pathfinder University for their first 90 days. After their first 90 days they need to move to another company in PFO. The intent of the Pathfinder University is to give people a place to grow, try things out, and then move to the right company/settlement for them. Pathfinder University will be a collaborative (sharing in resources and supplies) and will have regularly scheduled events and classes. Classes will be held at Thornkeep, taught by companies from across the map and open to all. Pathfinder University will have an officer structure to allow people a chance to lead the company but will ultimately report to PFU Faculty. In this way the PFU Faculty are the only ‘permanent’ officers of the Pathfinder University as we are committed to only allowing people to stay in the academy for 90 days. Pathfinder University holds RiverBank as a training grounds for those who want to try out settlement mechanics and the like. RiverBank is an unaligned, neutral settlement located in the South West Plains [-09.18] PFU is basing out of Thornkeep, uses the Golarion mumble for voice communications (golarion.mumble.com port 3093) and will be using the new player forum at Goblinworks.com for our forums. [b}To join PFU[/b], click on the tower icon in the top left, put PFU in search bar, hit return, select Pathfinder University and then click apply. Rules of the Pathfinder University
Pathfinder University Faculty staff the help channel, Thornkeep and the University mumble. Golarion Mumble Server
If you haven't tried Mumble it is a voice chat program that can be downloaded here. You do not have to have a microphone for your computer as you can still type, but at least you will be able to hear the conversations. If you have trouble with mumble, their support page is here. If you cannot get on Mumble, we will also be providing support in the Help channel (just click on the help tab and it should come up). Keep in mind that when you are in help you cannot see any whispers, so occasionally look in hex or local. To send a whisper type /w charactername, message (the comma is important) and to reply you can just type /r message. Additionally, I (and others) will be in and/or around Thornkeep to help players. That means if you need gear (FREE to new players), want to go exploring, or just want to meet someone in game, come to Thornkeep. We will also be holding daily classes (starting Wednesday, 2/18) in Thornkeep so it is a good place to be. To get to Thornkeep, Press M for map, look towards the east for the city with three large stars around it, that is Thornkeep. Double click on Thornkeep and that will drop a pin that you can follow on your minimap and start running. To continuously run hit R and you can then sprint by hitting Ctrl.
If you have questions about PFU, please feel free to contact Vorsk, Master of Students, Foxglove, Master of Curriculum or Hoffman Grand Master of PFU.
Just to keep everyone up to date, this idea is moving forward as the Pathfinder University. We had a great first New Player help day today and will have another one next Sunday 2/22 from 1-9est (8 hours after the server comes back up. We chose to change the name to Pathfinder University to prevent confusion for new players with the Wizard Academy. Pathfinder University will hold classes in Thornkeep but will still keep RiverBank as a training ground (for those who want to learn settlement/company mechanics, POIs, etc). RiverBank is leaving the EBA to become a neutral settlement for training. Formal announcements and more to come in the next day.
We had a great day today helping new players and great support across the board. It was fun! So fun that we are going to set up another new player day next Sunday, 2/22 from 1pm-9pm eastern (8 hours from the server reset). We are also going to try to keep help and the mumble staffed as much as we can throughout the week. More to come on the launch of the Pathfinder University. Our first open class is scheduled for this Wednesday 2/18 at 8pm eastern with a special guest speaker (more to come).
It is a cold day here in the Midwest, so I am going to dedicate today (Sunday, 2/15 1-9pm, occasional breaks for food...) to helping new players. New Player help day is being provided by the Pathfinder University but all are welcome to learn and help others. For New Players: The best way to get help is to join the Golarion/University Mumble: Golarion Mumble Server
If you haven't tried Mumble it is a voice chat program that can be downloaded here. You do not have to have a microphone for your computer as you can still type, but at least you will be able to hear the conversations. If you have trouble with mumble, their support page is here. If you cannot get on Mumble, we will also be providing support in the Help channel (just click on the help tab and it should come up). Keep in mind that when you are in help you cannot see any whispers, so occasionally look in hex or local. To send a whisper type /w charactername, message (the comma is important) and to reply you can just type /r message. Additionally, I (and others) will be in and/or around Thornkeep to help players. That means if you need gear (FREE to new players), want to go exploring, or just want to meet someone in game, come to Thornkeep. We will also be holding daily classes (starting Wednesday, 2/18) in Thornkeep so it is a good place to be. To get to Thornkeep, Press M for map, look towards the east for the city with three large stars around it, that is Thornkeep. Double click on Thornkeep and that will drop a pin that you can follow on your minimap and start running. To continuously run hit R and you can then sprint by hitting Ctrl. As a side note, most everything is in the encyclopedic 'Cheatle's Guide'. This guide is both a guide itself and a guide to guides. For those who prefer more pictures and a prettier guide, check out SSpitfire's guide. For Experienced Players: We can use your help today. You are welcome to join us on Mumble or in Help and this is a great opportunity to meet new players (who may want to join you). While in Help, lets keep the chat to only helping new players. In the Golarion Mumble we have made classrooms so that you can take a group our adventuring but please keep the company promotion to one short message. :) ALL are welcome to help. We will also be looking for permanent faculty for the University if anyone is interested. About the Pathfinder University - PFU (previously known as River Academy): PFU exists to help new players through their first 90 days in Pathfinder Online. We will host daily classes and events like this (new player day). Pathfinder University is a company for new players, which provides a home for 90 days (after 90 days players must leave the Pathfinder University company, and may do so at any time). The intent is to give new players a 'home' while they are learning about the game and other companies/settlements. To join PFU, click on the tower icon in the top left, put University in search bar, hit return and then click apply. We will be basing out of Thornkeep, using the Golarion mumble for voice communications (golarion.mumble.com port 3093) and will be using the new player forum at Goblinworks.com for our forums.
So what has probably happened here is that Mumble is running in minimized mode (kind of annoying). The way to open it back up is to put your mouse over the icon in the task bar, it will pop up a mini screen and then click on the mini screen. The other thing that works is to reboot and then mumble shouldn't be running and launch a new instance of it.
After a bit of thought (and some long term planning) we have decided to move the classes and Academy to Thornkeep (with intent of doing a 'mirror' Academy in Fort Inevitable when it opens). Additionally, we will be utilizing the Golarion Mumble for communication. We have partnered with Caldeathe (thanks!) and the Academy is paying to increase the Mumble capacity in hopes of keeping everything neutral. Golarion Mumble Server
More to come. Our first class will start next Wednesday with a guest speaker (all to be announced soon).
If Riverbank withdrew from the Everbloom Alliance and proclaimed itself a neutral settlement going forward, would that change some of the perception of bias? Kabal, great question. I'm trying to figure out how to make things neutral as I want to see the Academy work. I'm trying to figure out how to do Guurzak's walking academy, or things in Marchmont, or others... The goal of the Academy is to help new players and the game. Being part of an alliance helps to provide support but if there is enough support from all of the groups (evenly) to support a Neutral Academy, then it is something I would like to look at. So the question is, under what circumstances would the Academy be accepted as neutral and gain full server wide support (or as full as possible)?
Name: River Guides
River Guides are a loosely knit company of people dedicated to helping new players. River Guides will provide support in the Help, hold classes and help those in the River Academy to grow. To be a River Guide you need to have 1 month experience in PFO (will probably grow in the future) and be willing to commit 2-4 hours per week in Help. Those who are part of another company but would like to volunteer as guides are welcome, but when acting as a guide (either as part of the company or not) they need to abide by the rules of the River Academy and Supporting Companies/Settlements. For those who want to teach classes but not necessarily be a River Guide member, PM Randomwalker our Dean of Curriculum. Who Should Join River Guides? People who enjoy helping other players and are looking to make teaching part of their play style. You are welcome to follow your own path and grow your character however you want and all playstyles are welcome. As the River Academy grows, there will be more opportunities to work with new players and teach them the ropes. This may include leading escalations, giving tours, setting up trade agreements or whatever your heart desires. We are currently recruiting for both Guides and those who would like to be leaders of the Guides and Academy. Here is an opportunity to help grow the pfo community, help new players and be a leader! Rules for River Guides:
Joining The River Guides:
Mumble Usage: CotP has a dedicated 24/7 Mumble server. Mumble usage is a requirement for all River Guides, but a microphone is not required. This is because Mumble is where most of our conversations happen, and if you aren't in there, you really will not get integrated into the community as much as we would like. Mumble does offer text chat options and if everyone in-game is using the Mumble then you can likely reply to comments on the Mumble via our in-game chat as well. The Mumble setup guide for our server can be found here. Address: 74.201.57.188
About the River Academy - The River Academy a company for new pfo players and is time limited. A player can only be a member of the River Academy for their first 90 days. After their first 90 days they need to move to another company in PFO. The intent of the River Academy is to give people a place to grow, try things out, and then move to the right company/settlement for them. River Academy will be a collaborative (sharing in resources and supplies) and will have regularly scheduled events and classes. Classes will be held at RiverBank but taught by companies from across the map and open to all. River Academy will have an officer structure to allow people a chance to lead the company but will ultimately report to the River Guides. In this way the River Guides are the only ‘permanent’ officers of the River Academy as we are committed to only allowing people to stay in the academy for 90 days. Rules of the River Academy 1. No PVP within RiverBank or the six core hexes surrounding RiverBank unless it is in a tower pvp window or a River Academy sanctioned event (i.e. a class on PVP).
Although I am sad to hear that politics may prevent some from participating, we still plan on launching the River Academy with classes to start next week. All will be welcome to attend. I agree with many of the comments in this thread (would be better as an npc type city, not as part of an alliance, etc) and that is why my first post plainly stated the existing alliances and connections. At this point anyone who can put together a group to help teach new players (understanding we are all new..) would have a political connection and to hide it would be wrong. I decided instead of trying to pretend to be completely neutral to set some boundaries (90 days, invite everyone to teach, etc) but understand completely if people do not agree. If someone wants to start another Academy, please feel free and as Duffy says, it would be great to have a TK and FI Academy. I would gladly volunteer to be an adjunct instructor in another Academy. At the same time, keep your eyes open for the official launch of the River Academy shortly.
@Ziaster, I'm glad at least you were able to make a good decision. PFO has a lot of the lore and feel of Pathfinder but it is an MMO. (emphasis o the multi-player). The best analogy would be playing Pathfinder alone vs with a group. It is the group that makes it fun. I don't know about you but my tabletop group has just as much fun chatting and messing around as actually playing Pathfinder. (same in PFO) @Midnight - If everyone helps new players and puts River Academy out of business, all the better. Ryan has made it very clear that GW's focus is on features so the community's focus has to be on helping each other learn the game. My belief is that it would be easier for one group (River Academy or another) to do the coordination group with help from other settlements but if each company or settlement ups their training of new players, all the better. @Lemkii - Right on! (exactly what I have been thinking)
First, I really appreciate the discussion (and that hit hasn't turned into a flame war as too many threads have lately). Random provided some good answers (which I agree with) but thought I would share my thoughts. 1. You are 100% correct that being part of the EBA is a 'problem'. That being said, I'm with Thod that I'm not sure even EL is neutral enough for everyone to agree. I watched some of the threads about neutrality and decided there was essentially no such thing right now in PFO (with all respect to EL, I'm not sure anyone is trusted right now as neutral). What I am trying to do is rather than making a claim of being neutral, I am trying to be upfront about connections and invite others to join. We are hoping to have representatives from across the map teach (and plug their company/settlement). We are recruiting for three leadership positions (Dean of Students, Dean of Guides and Dean of Curriculum). Randomwalker is going to be our Dean of Curriculum but I would love to see the other two positions filled by people who came from the other large alliances. 2. The location of RiverBank is good and bad. Right now I agree that Marchmont would be better BUT as soon as Fort Inevitable is in, RiverBank is 3 hexes away. (and all new players will be starting in Fort Inevitable or Thornkeep) Randomwalker is correct that we have skeletons, bandits and ogres all within 1 hex, so escalations are plentiful in the southwest. 3. I would probably set up some things in Marchmont but there are three issues with that: A. Marchmont is a temporary solution for new player start. B. There is too much ganking going on just outside of Marchmont and C. It would be very hard to enforce the common rules as Random stated. 4. My hope by setting the arbitrary 90 day rule is to keep RiverBank from moving away from the mission of helping new players and encourage people to go elsewhere. At the end of 90 days someone could choose to be a guide and stay in RiverBank but that would be committing themselves to teaching others and I expect the guides to be a small group. I am actually hoping that players will find their new company (final home) right about the time they make Tier 2 (30-45 days) but I don't want to force that. The other thing the 90 days does is gives people a chance to be student leaders. (think about cadets- after 30 days they can become a student leader of the Academy but can only be in the role for 60 days or when their 90 days runs out, whichever comes first). Thod, someone is welcome to stay in RiverBank (anyone is welcome to hang out there) but by tracking when people join the Academy we can easily remove them from the company when they reach 90 days (i.e. warn them 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 week out, followed by a kick at 90 days). 5. At this point, I cannot guarantee how many go to EBA settlements at the 90 day mark or others. What I can guess is that they will be more interested in joining companies that help the Academy, (i.e. teach classes, do exercises, etc) than those who don't. We need settlements that cater to different groups to be part of this initiatives. For example we need groups with a bit more of an evil alignment, those who are racially based, more role playing, etc, etc, etc... I understand and appreciate your concerns and as they say, the proof is in the pudding. At this point settlements have to make their choice about if they want to support the effort or not (with the reservations expressed above) and I understand people choosing either way. I would encourage anyone who wants to start another academy (be it at EL, TK, Marchmont, roving, whatever) to. My back of the napkin math based on comments here is that there is 1,000-2,000 players who are currently not in a company. Even if the River Academy is hugely successful, we are not going to be able to help all of them. Each company should have their own way of helping new players, and ALL are welcome to join the River Academy classes, even if you are not a member of the Academy. We hope to post our first class list in a week so lets see how it goes.
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