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.
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
The only exception to this is if the grappler has progressed to imposing the 'tied up' state. At this point if the DC to escape the grapple exceeds what the target of the grapple can achieve with a natural 20 on a CMB check then they have no escape from the bonds.
The Paizo PRD entry on Grapple under the 'Tie Up' section wrote:
Tie Up: If you have your target pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious, you can use rope to tie him up. This works like a pin effect, but the DC to escape the bonds is equal to 20 + your Combat Maneuver Bonus (instead of your CMD). The ropes do not need to make a check every round to maintain the pin. If you are grappling the target, you can attempt to tie him up in ropes, but doing so requires a combat maneuver check at a –10 penalty. If the DC to escape from these bindings is higher than 20 + the target's CMB, the target cannot escape from the bonds, even with a natural 20 on the check.
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.
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.
When exactly fast healing happens in the round is not specified.
As long as it is consistent in its timing I do not think there will be a problem.
It does seem perhaps a little bit more simple if this happens first in the creature's round as it easily deals with constant damage over time, such as from environmental hazards.
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.
In any case, if a player is causing a proble. at a table/event and it is a problem. for more than one person then this 'problen' player needs to be talked to.
People do not yet consistently have the power to read minds and until we all do the best way to communicate is directly, kindly, specifically, and in an environment where the 'problem ' person can maintain face (privately, or as privately as is safe for all involved).
It is very possible that this 'problem' player does not realize that they are causing any problems. Once you have a conversation with them that raises specific instances and the problems that they caused, the 'problem' player now has this information and can change their behavior accordingly.
It they will not change their behavior then it is my suggestion that they be invited to 'find their fun elsewhere'. Organized play is not for everyone and selfishness is something that I have found to damage both game sessionever and the communities that support them.
TL;DR: Talk to your problem players and they may change their behaviors.
You should be aware that an Aranea, from bestiary 2, with 6 levels of sorceror could be counted as an 11th sorceror for casting purposes (for example the Aranea sorceror in Paizo's Jade Regent AP).
You may want to add to the rules, that even critters that "cast as a Nth level casting class" do not add their N to any class levels they may acquire if that's your intention.
Jon
Any clarification on this?
There are multiple beasties out there with caster levels. Are they allowed? What happens if we add more of the same caster levels?
If this is allowed we could end up with 10th level casters in the event.
I do not believe that this is your intent and I would appreciate your feedback on the above.
Any change will take time from Paizo folks to implement.
The amount of time that the Paizo folks have is limited and is currently focused on other higher priority (from their broader perspective) activities.
Working on implementing a modifications to allow for an update to hard mode, will require time from the Paizo folks to accomplish.
This time will be taken away from other (likely) high priority items.
Therefor implementing the changes to support an updated hard mode would have costs, would take time, and can not be accomplished without tradeoffs.
If the new hard mode would only serve a limited portion of the population (only get used at 10% of the tables) does it really make sense to focus the limited time of Paizo folks on something that will be lightly used, by a fragment of the community?
I believe that the answer is obvious.
If a player wants a hard mode experience right now they can either:
A) Look for it elsewhere (like in a home game) where it can be tailored to their own specific wants.
B) Play an adventure path in campaign mode (which is almost like playing a home game).
C) Self handicap, to increase their own experience of difficulty.
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.
If you really want a challenge to your characters that is customized to you and consistently has encounters in the ranges that you personally consider to be the best, then your best method to achieve this is to play in a home game.
An organized play campaign like PFS is not and will never be a home game. Organized play needs to stick firmly to the middle path to succeed. Other campaigns have experimented with drifting from this middle path to provide greater challenge only to see their play numbers fall.
To stay on that middle path the play experience needs to be largely the same between tables regardless of where they are played. This means limiting the GMs set of options.
PFS is not the place to get your powergaming fix. If you truly want the challenge I would suggest looking for it elsewhere.
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.
Kingdom-Con is coming up soon and will have a lot of PFS goodness to offer.
This is an amazing 4-day convention that is packed with awesome, so sign up and join us as we:
- Explore the complete Blakros story arc
- Present even more season 7 scenarios
- Run the Pathfinder modules Murder's Mark (levels 1-2), Fangwood Keep (levels 3-5), Plunder & Peril (levels 3-7), and The Ruby Phoenix Tournament (Levels 10-12)
- Provide an opportunity to test your characters against the challenge of all of the levels of Bonekeep
- Offer midnight madness, for those of you who are up for it
Come and join us at this wonderful growing local convention!
Sign up for the convention and get Eventbrite tickets for the games at: Kingdom-Con 2016
Also remember that "Hard mode" is only as challenging as your GM's level of system mastery.
A GM with formidable system mastery could make even the easier scenarios (I'm look at you Goblin Blood Dead) challenging due to the amount and flexibility of the actions/responses they have at their disposal.
You might think that you need to pour through various obscure sourcebooks to build a broken character that causes nobody else at your table to have fun, but that isn't true!
Let's take a deeper look at this central concept "the character that a person plays impacts the fun of the table".
I would argue that this could be better stated as "the way that a player plays their character impacts the fun of the table". I know many people who could take exactly this build a written and use it to add to the table's experience and enjoyment of gaming session.
It is my strong contention that the mechanics of any build can be played by a player who is skilled at spotlight sharing and is knowledgable of the communal nature of the game can add to the fun of any table by the way they choose to play.
I also contend that any build, without regards to optimization, can be played by a selfish player who ignores or doesn't care about the experience of the other people at the table can severely impact the fun of the table.
It is the person that causes the issue not the marks on the page.
The person playing the character makes a conscious choice to take each action they do in game. The motivation behind these actions whether communal/sharing or individual/selfish shape whether their contributions to the experience will be positive or negative.
If we attempt to address this problem by addressing the rules the problem person will still have their 'bad' behavior patterns and just express them in another area. All we do is push the issue into a different area.
If we take the time to address the person who is the root cause of the issue we have a chance of getting things to change.
Sometimes there will be people who just bug us for no rational reason, times like this we have found one of our own issues to work on.
Sometimes people seriously don't have any understanding that their behavior is a problem, in these cases we have a duty to inform them as kindly, clearly, and in-dramatically as possible.
Sometimes people understand the impact they have on others and aren't willing to change. In these cases I believe we al have a duty to our community to invite these individuals to have their fun (get their lulz) elsewhere.
These conversations are not always easy and looking at our own issues can also be challenging but by facing the issues as they are we can all work together to make our hobby safer, more fun, and even more jam packed with awesomeness.
Where: Town and Country Resort
500 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108
Tel: 619-291-7131; 800-772-8527
Web site: www.towncountry.com/
Email: res@towncountry.com
ConDor is the longest running fantasy and science fiction convention in San Diego.
ConDor is a dessert parfait (and everyone likes parfaits!) made up of confectionary layers of science fiction, fantasy, horror, art, music, discussion, real actual space science, films, gaming, shopping, partying, and food!
If ConDor were a person, it would be your favorite uncle from out of town who visits once a year and brings toys and games. You know, the one your parents aren't too happy with, because he shoots from the hip and always tells the truth, no matter what.
ConDor is a comfortable convention. You can actually find time to sit in the big comfy chairs in the hotel lobby and gossip for a while, or even just read a book. You can meet all your old friends here, and make a bunch of new ones.
If ConDor were a tv show, it would be "I Dream of Jeannie," where science fiction and fantasy get along happily together, along with a little romance and some healthy laughs.
If ConDor were a zoo...well, hey, there are some who say it is! But it's a happy little zoo, where there aren't any bars on the cages, and, in fact, nobody is completely sure who are the exhibits and who are the visitors!
Come to ConDor, the convention that isn't afraid to mix metaphors.
This certainly has been the case in the past. Any rationale that is presented is debated and argued about. Any reason given is never reason enough. People will always have an opinion why things should be done differently,
Our Paizonian leaders have certainly learned from the past.
They are wise and have successfully shepherded the PFS OP campaign through many years.
What they are doing is working and I do not see a reason why they would want to change it.
The first step is always the same, confirm that this really is a problem. Sometimes our own "stuff" makes us see issues where they don't exist. Talk to others and get confirmation.
A step that follows this is always the same as well and it is talk to the ones causing the problem. Be kind. Be unemotional. Do not argue. Be very specific about particular incidents and the problems they cause. People argue more over generalities and less over the specific instances.
If you have the ability set consequences and timeline in which the behavior needs to be changed.
Then you just need to stick to the timeline and consequences if they choose not to change.
A player can be disruptive. A character can be disruptive. Both are possible independent or together.
I believe that while any person can play disruptively and any character build can be used disruptively there is no character build that by its very construction must always be disruptive when played.
I would challenge anyone to attempt to create and to post a characters that can only be played disruptively based on the mechanics of the build.
To me , it is always about choice. I can use a hammer irresponsibly and While I realize that is a choice I could make I do not choose to do so. I take the responsibility for my actions and refuse to believe and have also to date encountered no proof that an object is responsible for my action.
Yeah, I still think all of those examples you listed are on the player—not for making that character, but for playing that character in that way.
I agree complete with what The Fox said.
The character build by itself is just a piece of paper, which on its own does not cause issues in a game. it is how the characters abilities are used by the player in the context of the table that causes problems. The players choices/actions create the disruption.
Any and every characters can be played by a collaborative player non-disruptively.
Any and every characters played by a selfish player can be used disruptively.
It is about the choices the person makes and not the instrument they use to execute those choices in the game.
