Eric Brittain's page

Hey there, fellow gamers! We've got some seriously awesome news to share from the Organized Play Foundation, and we couldn't be more stoked to spill the beans. So, settle in for some exciting updates.

First things first, earlier we shared news about our brand-new status: we've officially been granted non-profit (tax exempt) status by the IRS. This isn't just a change in paperwork; it's a massive leap forward in our mission to spread the joy of gaming worldwide. We're talking collaborations with game creators, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, convention organizers, and some of the most passionate volunteers out there.

As we venture into this new era, we're eager to join forces with gamers from all corners of the globe. Together, let's amplify the mission of the Organized Play Foundation, creating an inclusive community where games become the bridge that unites us.

Now, here's where you come in! Are you someone with a passion for making a difference? The Organized Play Foundation is on the hunt for 6-10 awesome individuals to join our active working board (LINK). Whether you're a non-profit pro or a gaming enthusiast looking to dive headfirst into a cool adventure, your unique skills and dedication are exactly what we need.

So, what's in it for you when you become part of the team?
* Make a Real Impact: We're all about building safe and inclusive gaming communities that rock.
* Use Your Skills: Whether you have skills in areas like law, accounting, education, marketing, fundraising, or grant writing, your expertise will shine here.
* Monthly Board Meetings: Join us for monthly board meetings where you can strategically contribute your time, talent, or treasure (LINK) to help us level up our mission.[/list]

No prior experience on non-profit boards? Don't let that hold you back! At OPF, we cherish a strong commitment to our cause and the eagerness to make a significant impact.

Join us on the board in a collaborative environment where strategy meets action, working together towards our collective vision.

If you're interested or know someone perfect for this role, please reach out to us. Send an email to board@orgplayfoundation.org with a statement of interest and your resume or LinkedIn profile.

At the Organized Play Foundation, we're all about turning our love for gaming into something bigger—a chance to make the world a better place through play. With our new non-profit status and the opportunity to join our team, we invite you to be a part of our epic journey. Together, we'll build a global community where the magic of gaming brings us all closer and play our way to a brighter future.

To find out more details on Paizo's wonderful oreganized play offerings click here.

At the Organized Play Foundation, We are gamers and our mission is to cultivate a vibrant global community united by the transformative power of play.

Recently we have been granted non-profit (tax exempt) status by the IRS. Today, we're not just announcing a status change, but celebrating a leap forward as this represents a huge step in our ability to share our love of games with others by expanding our horizons through collaborations with game creators, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, convention organizers, and passionate volunteers.

We wish to thank the leadership of Paizo Publishing along with the many volunteers that have made this possible. The initial volunteer program used to grow the Paizo Pathfinder and Starfinder organized play offerings has provided a model for other organized play programs that we are eager to share.

With this tax exempt status, we're poised to make an even greater impact, promoting camaraderie, teamwork, and valuable life skills through the joy of gaming.

Whether you're a creator, industry expert, volunteer, or devoted gamer, this achievement is a testament to our shared commitment to making the world a better place through play.

We are thrilled to welcome Evil Genius Games as our first new corporate partner. They look forward to launching the E.G.O. Program - their organized play program in January 2024. To find out more about the program, click here.

As we venture into this new era, we're eager to join forces with gamers from all corners of the globe. Together, let's amplify the mission of the Organized Play Foundation, creating an inclusive community where games become the bridge that unites us.

Passion leads to greater participation
Participation leads to increased involvement with organization
Involvement with organization often leads to becoming a part of the Venture Corps

This is a very very familiar path

May you have as much fun walking it as I have

To quote nosig in the December 2017 replay thread:

wait - is it time for the Replay thread already?

has it been a year already?.

maybe I missed one or two others in that time - the boards have been getting me down lately so I am tending to avoid them some...

there are lots of older threads on this... .

has anything changed from then?.

but... anyway, I'm kind of conservative. I don't want to brake what we have, trying to "fix" something that I think works fine now...

My vote (not that it really maters) on this is no. If we get it anyway, I'll hold out for as large a time span as possible. replay after 10 years maybe?

The topic of allowing unlimited replay (as opposed to the limited replay currently in place) seems to get brought up every few months like it is a new idea.

This topic gets covered and recovered in a seemingly endless loop, like a haunt that we just can't put to rest.

The TLDR version of why we don't have unlimited replay boils down to:
- The people that made this decision have arguably the most experience with supporting/fostering/maintaining OrgPlay environments of anyone in the world today.
- From this lived experience they have concluded that unlimited replay is "Not a good thing", may quiet possibly be hazardous to OrgPlay environments (again from their own lived experience), and have put in place the limited replay rules that we have in PFS / SFS today.

For more information, some simple searching on the forums will show that requests to change the current replay rules are a regularly recurring topics.

... some stuff ...

... some more stuff ...

The great thing about this program is that the people who are the most knowledgeable about their local gaming communities have the flexibility (within the bounds of the program) to implement a boon distribution mechanic that works best for their specific community (as long as the chance of winning a boon stays 'in bounds').

Gaming is not the same everywhere. Every community has a regional flavor as well as its own idiosyncrasies. This is what makes playing with new people in new areas such a refreshing thing as you never know how things will evolve as you experience the story together.

... and should time pass and you end up with an event that is still un-reported you can reach out to your local Venture Captain or Regional Venture Captain to add the missing session into the system.

Should any VC or RVC not know the way to make this happen please reach out to me on PM and I will walk you through the required rituals. ;-)

I think the issues with understanding exactly what this feat does are enough to warrant its lack of inclusion in PFS.

Looking into my crystal ball and informing what I perceive in its depths with the knowledge of how things have occurred in the past, I foresee that this ruling will stand unchanged and unexplained as the powers that be have learned not to share their reasoning and be pulled into defending the conclusions that they reached.

This is my prediction.

One does not herd cats.

One finds something that the cats want or are interested in and then one throws said thing in the direction you want the cats to go.

This is the only way I have found to approximate to 'herding' cats.

{For those old enough to remember I also present this LINK to a video from a company that I used to work for]

While players may forget after a certain point in any adventurer's career they learn that death is only a financial condition and like all other conditions can be cleared.

Hi Todd!

How long should I wait before I get my baby a PFS number?

Err wait you're not my RVC...

As the RVC for your region Pirate Rob, I would say that now is the best time to do something.

;-)

So let's not exaggerate how hard this is to develop.

And lest it be forgotten, hard mode has other unseen costs.

Hard mode tables tend generate more complaints than 'regular' tables.

Each complaint take a significant amount of time for an organizer or member of the Venture Corps to address.

Hard mode has caused players in my community to leave PFS, even though they asked for it, and even though the table unanimously agreed to play. Even that was not enough.

Strongly opposed to all due to the ripple and culture changes that these changes could engender.

Let gifts stay gifts.

I think that hard mode is perhaps better served being in a home game where the difficulty can be calibrated to the specific players involved.

Put me firmly in the 'no more hard mode' column.

(With a nod to Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues)

I know the events are comin’
I just can’t be sure when
So I’ve been clicking refresh
And hopin’ I’ll see them.
I’m stuck reloading pages
And time keeps draggin’ on
But that timer keeps a tickin’
On down to Paizo-Con.

Maybe I’m just being a baby
As my friends all say to me “Fun
Is out there waitin’
Just join us and get some”
But I’m stuck here clicking refresh
Just to watch my hopes die
‘Cuz when the screen is still the same
I hang my head and cry.

I know that Paizo’s workin’
And traveling near and far
To schedule our events
Both mundane and bizarre
I know that schedule’s comin’
But I can’t be free
I just want to see the events
And that’s what tortures me.

Well, if they posted those events
If my dream schedule was mine
I know that my obsession
Would move just further down the line
I’d still be counting seconds
Waiting for that day
When I can be in Seattle
And join my friends to play.