John Woodford's page

1336: This is About Writing This

OK, that was excellent, and an extremely clever title.

Are the boards affected in any way?

In theory, no--the only thing they changed was the store. I haven't seen any effects on the boards so far.

It took longer than anticipated, but we expected that <g>.

Order of preference for characters:
Dae
Chk-Chk
Navasi
Iseph

Thanks for running!

And the update is being pushed back a week, 8AM PST Monday 11/10.

Once again, O-Chul being the most badass character in the comic.

Anyone who has a problem playing at a table with paladins really needs to just read OOTS to see how they can be done properly.

Damn straight.

"Trust me." "Always."

Though the best paladins I've seen in recent written fiction are T. Kingfisher's, in the White Rat books.

1335: A Righteous Mushroom

I won't spoil the punchline, but it and the strip title are *chef's kiss*.

That, and "Sir Rickets of Pellagra." Never change, Elan.

...but I do have a few questions:

1) How is character creation done? Are players bound by PFS2 guidelines? Or is character creation a bit more loose, allowing for Uncommon or Rare backgrounds et al not yet available in PFS2 play?

2) How do you handle die rolls? Honor system? Online digital dice? GM rolls for everyone?

3) How often do people post? I read the article where quality is often better than quantity, but I would assume most GMs would prefer daily check-ins unless that's physically impossible.

4) Are maps ever used for PBP play? Or is it all done by storytelling?

I'm sure I may have other questions later on, but those are the first ones that come to mind for me. Thank you for your time

Hello and welcome! In order:

1) For Organized Play, we use the same PFS2E character creation rules as in person. That said, in campaign mode (that's the 1E term; can't remember if it's different in 2E) you can play a character through an Adventure Path or other non-PFS adventure and get PFS credit for it--in those cases, you use whatever variant the GM wants (free archetype is a common one).

2) The boards have a dice roller--if you click on the "Show" button at the bottom of the page, next to "How to format your text" you can see the command format for it and things like bold and italics.

3) Aspirationally, at least once/day. In reality, it depends.

4) Mostly people here IME use Google Slides or similar, but I've seen a few people use Roll20. Over on Discord folks use those or Tableplop, and there are probably others.

ETA: Or what miteke wrote while I was typing....

Have fun, and happy gaming!

Hey all! Finished the special recently as my first ever PF1 game, was pretty fun! I want to do more, but I gained a boon as part of the thing (I rolled a 20 at the end), but I'm still unsure what it does. I figured I'd incorporate whatever it is on my character. Been a few days so I figured I'd ask here.

You'll get the boon form via email after the GameDay is done; the special wrapped early, but the event itself won't finish until November 26th.

1334: Like Clockwork

Back to the party!

It'd be friendly to let the GM know you have the ability and (when possible) mention at your turn that you would use the feat if an enemy adjacent to you tried to retreat.

Not sure about PFS1E, but we're coming off of at least two PF1E AP recruitments in the past couple of weeks--so that's still a thing.

Hey, getting old may suck (he said, with something less than two years to go before retirement) (probably), but as far as we know it beats the alternative.

Jealous that you saw Alestorm in concert; the other night I was listening to YouTube videos while exercising, and the algorithm delivered up "Voyage of the Dead Marauder."

Re Corliss, if you stick with cleric you already get +1 BAB and a feat you can use to get Weapon Focus, plus you get 4d6 channeling and 4th level spells.

John Woodford wrote:

GameDay runs through late November. However, at least some of the games here that started in early September should be winding down soon.

I'm already seeing open game announcements on Discord, if that's more your jam.

I just want to get into Starfinder 2e and no one in my local group is playing it.

OK. Scroll up to bigrin42's post from August 22, above, and click the link at the bottom of the post. That will take you to a Google spreadsheet with the sign-ups for the GameDay. You won't be signing up for anything. Click the FCFS Signups tab at the bottom of the sheet. In Cell L22, there's an invitation link for the Find the Path Discord server. Click it and that should take you to the server. There's a forum for SFS2E game sign-ups, and an active recruitment for Invasion's Edge.

GameDay runs through late November. However, at least some of the games here that started in early September should be winding down soon.

I'm already seeing open game announcements on Discord, if that's more your jam.

Matching the verb forms: Abstract, Discuss, Conclude.

rainzax wrote:

Haha, I wish more GMs did feedback.

(But also guilty of side-stepping it myself)

Personally, while the idea is nice, I'd prefer the players take a serious look at their performance. Plenty of GMs take a reflective look at their performance, but it is almost unheard of that players engage in similar self reflection.

Something to keep in mind, though, is there's a qualitative difference between actual shortcomings as a player/GM and differences in play style. Even in OP, which is designed to minimize the impact of stylistic differences, there are still players that I'd prefer not to GM for...not because they're incompetent players, but because I know that I will have less fun running for them. (That cuts both ways, so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm on someone else's similar list.) It's arguably worse in PbP, because the games last much longer.

1333: Well That Sucks

Some foreshadowing?

At the risk of getting dogpiled for a lame joke, I agree that this is not the place to talk about parrots who have swallowed watches... ;)

Or large numbers of bloodsucking arthropods, for that matter.

Brad clarified that the start is at 0001 UST on 9/4.

Brad clarified that the start is at 0001 UST on 9/4.

I don't think there's a number for Flaxseed/1E; you just have to report your session using the form linked in the thread header. If there was a reporting number, it would've been in the header (like the one for Cottonseed/2E).

Nale is too clever by half.

1331: Please Remain Seating

Well, that's going to be interesting.

Blake's Tiger

John Woodford
Shifty
Miteke (BK)

Are you still interested in the 03-04/03-07 arc? I have some games that just ended (or are in the final encounter so I've got some availability)...

Yes, I'm still interested.

I've got too much on my plate to consider it, but I suggest you create a new thread to find a replacement GM. The original recruitment thread...the one you're using...is labeled "private," so most people will skip over it without opening.

1330: Weak in the Knees

That was a bit of a stretch.

RPG Chronicles is telling me to enter an Event Code. Where do I get this number? Can I just put in a random number?

I think you use the same number as when you fill out a chronicle sheet by hand or log a session on the boards.

On the one hand, I didn't think much of his writing on Secret Wars when it first came out, and thinking about why forty years later I doubt my opinion would change much if I read it again.

OTOH, he was editor-in-chief at Marvel at a time when they produced some IMO amazing material, and though I can't say how much he personally contributed to that he at least didn't get in the way. So yeah. Fsck cancer, and my condolences to those who knew him.

1329: Throw Back

Don't ever change, Thog.

And the final form bears more than a passing resemblance to Hellboy--good catch, Raven!

I'd be interested. I have a Level 4 halfling Rogue (thief) whose background is a former slave in Cheliax.

John Woodford wrote:

1328: Facing Rules

So Nale retains a few scruples....

You can't retain something you never had. This is literally the first time Nale has ever had any scruples.

Point taken. Being killed by his father and spending time in the Pit seems to have changed him. As one might expect....

1328: Facing Rules

So Nale retains a few scruples....

But now I'm wondering...did they bring him back so they could sacrifice him to create the tie to the fountain?

1327: Tooth or Consequences

Another unexpected* return!

*By me, at least.

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Yep, I try avoid recruitment threads to avoid spreading conversations across three channels instead of two.

So should I just use discussion thread for recruitment?

If you already have players (say, if you recruited everyone through Flaxseed), just create a discussion thread and direct the players there.

I usually open a recruitment or discussion thread first, then a gameplay thread. At some point the prompt to tie the threads to a campaign should proc.

Remember that you don't need a recruitment thread if you already have your players.

TriOmegaZero wrote:

roll4initiative wrote:

phaeton_nz wrote:

I'm also considering my 5th star. I've got the 150 tables but need to run more specials.

And yes, I agree on the playing more bit.

I'm 2 specials away from my 5th Star! I think I have over 300 games GMd. I just never did conventions that often. Gonna try to get them done the next 2 PbP cons.

You also have the option of running the pregen specials as well, as they're no longer limited and open to any GM.

Which ones are those?

06-98 Serpent's Rise and 07-99 Through Maelstrom Rift are the only ones I've played.

ETA: There's also 06-99 True Dragons of Absalom, 07-98 Serpent's Ire, and I don't know whether Bonekeep counts.

Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard-Boiled Egg!

(GNU Terry Pratchett)

Truly evil beings would have been able to resist the temptation to make that "hard bargain" joke.

When they say "Our regulations are written in blood," they're being literal.

1324: Damned Red Tape

"Should I assume they're going to monologue about what that does?"

"Pretty safe bet, yeah."

I'd be interested, once my L2 character finishes the current scenario.

Exam is over. A third attempt will not be necessary. It's not a Natural 20, but I'll take it.

240/300 (passing is 210)

I can live again... :)

It may be the second time around... but it's still pretty intense! :)

Well done!

I am reminded of the late John M. Ford's description of tragedy as what happens when a character who by rights should be the hero gets hit in the one place where they're not heroic. (That was also where I learned that "tragedy" comes from a Greek term that actually translates as "a song about goats.")

1323: Maybe Some Crabs

A bit more travelogue as the plot continues to unfold.

So, it seems I can't setup a Gameplay thread for my table, can someone please help me? In the settings it shows I already have a linked Gameplay thread, but it's like it doesn't exist (I can post in there).

It looks like you created the thread, posted to it, attached it to the campaign, and then deleted your first post. If that's the case I don't think you can do anything to recover from it; you'll have to engage Paizo Customer Service.

(If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate a correction. One of the new campaigns I just joined has the same problem )

Whatever he ends up as he'll have a goatee, though.

1322: Traditional Considerations

Set and spike!

Just to clarify: no unchained classes?