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Hope this helps! This certainly gives me a great start! I already had my eye on #1-09 because it would resonate with my players on a meta level. We played another game called SLA Industries that also has a reality tv/perform for the camera aspect that they will love as a sort of callback. Since #1-05 can be a bridge, that is excellent! The whole thing also gives me time to drop public vids to build hype for the "greatest exploration event this side of the Gap! Beamed live throughout the Pack Worlds! Brought to you with limited commercial interruptions by Nova Solutions and Clashwear!" It feels like a really good high note to go out on for this short run event. I'm totally psyched! I love your reasonings and detail provided. Thank you so much! I am certainly still open to other opinions and input of anyone else wants to share, but Daniel looks to have given me a solid list.
I am going to be running a 5 session engagement of SFS for my gaming group. I am looking for recommendations from the community out of the 11 available scenarios which 4 should I add to #1-01 to give the group a great taste of what SFS is about. Give the 5 session length, we are likely using pre-gens so playing the level 3-6 scenarios is absolutely an option. The group has a wide spectrum across the 3.5/Pathfinder/PFS experience going from total n00b to retired Venture-Captain. None of us have actually played Starfinder though. Even if you don't have 4 (or 5 if you can convince me why I shouldn't run #1-01) recommendations I'll gladly take individual scenario recommendations. I would also appreciate it very much if you are clear about why you are recommending a given scenario. Was is the overall story? A great personal character moment? A fantastic, viscerally satisfying combat? Your favorite faction shined? Was it the Strawberry Machine Cake? I realize I am sort of overlooking #1-00 because it is not part of my subscription. Is that a good move or a bad move? Thanks for taking the time!
Quentin, thanks for the play report and the review! As to your original question, for the future reference of others, I would probably not send any of the hold encounter above deck. Kinore's tactics I believe are reflective of that. He hears some fighting above deck, releases his pets and then hides hoping to surprise someone. So he is not sitting idle, he's activly trying to take advantage of the situation. The captain could be consitered to start burning evidence at the end of Round 1 of combat in the hold. I have heard tales of parties triggering all 3 encounters at once, and it is certainly possible but for the sake of your players it is best to try and keep the encounters as serialized as possible. As a GM I wouldn't be looking for ways to trigger the encounters together, but I would be looking for logical outcomes to player choices. I hear what you are saying about the names and multitude of things being thrown at the party, but I will politely counter-point with these keywords: sleuths, espionage, and Soverign Court. I feel the level of attention to detail desired is in line with these things. :D
It's already calculated into the scenario rewards. If you don't get the bounty, you lose out on that gold. Exactly this. Lady Darchana has the bounty payment on Captain Wardak and the At Sea authorized (725 gp at Subtier 1–2, 1025 gp at Subtier 4–5). This is money that is calculated into the final total subtier amounts, just like any other encounter.
I believe the original intent was for the to be for the Sovereign Court but during development that boon was opened up to everyone so the Chronicle is correct. Later on at the end the text seems to make it more clear that this is open to everyone: If the PCs successfully negotiated a refund in Lady Silviana’s name, each PC also gains the Budding Friendship (Lady Silviana) boon on his Chronicle sheet.
But your main/only point seems to be that 5e is a better rule set than the Core Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Either way that is your opinion, but coming to a PFS message board about Core mode play to point out your opinion on the matter is not likely to be well received. The state of the 5e rules vs. the PFRPG rules really has no place in this particular place. There is nothing from a rules or theory perspective that can be changed here. Advantage/disadvantage mechanics are great because of their elegance at the table, but you cannot expect they will be adopted into Core mode play because you come here and argue for it. If you want to help the Core community, provide feedback that is relevant and specific to it, not just that you feel 5e does things better. Ya follow?
I'm not asking for Core to be compared to Norm, I'm asking for Core to be compared to other games as well. First, I have no stake in this either way (Normal/Core). I have played and run both, each has its own PROs and CONs. What I am reading from you though is you seem to be looking at Core as though it were some kind of product line. It is not that, not really. I mean, I guess it is a product line with a very short list of products in it. But it is not new and it will never be expanded on, so... It is just another way to play a game, of which there are many ways to play already. You cannot really market it in the same way you would a full product line because, in truth, all your players (probably) already have the book they need. Does that excuse the chaos and confusion of how it is presented to potential players at a game store or convention? Absolutely not. But you cannot bring to bare the same marketing channels and resources to solve that problem as you would to launch a new product because they are largely incomparable. Normal PFS play does not get the right kind of marketing (largely), so how are you going to justify targeting a sub-set of a sub-set of a sub-set? It is not really a system you should try to compare to other systems in that sense. It is a mode of play for an existing system. That other game is different, for different reasons. This game is different for different reasons, and Core mode play, as far as I can tell, largely appeals to: 1) new consumers afraid of the weight of system mastery, 2) consumers who find system bloat unappealing, and 3) consumers who just want to replay for credit for whatever reasons they deem valid. Why would you try to compare a mode of play with a completely other game system? Doom on Nightmare mode is nothing like Mario64. It is true. It is ok to enjoy them both, or not. But it is a little illogical to say Doom is loosing players to Mario64 because of the Nightmare mode setting. Being dismissed because you disagree is lame and lazy, however it is a little unclear to me what you actual want out of this interaction (sharing your experience). It sounds to me like you are saying "Core play will never work because of 5e." So from that perspective, taken from your original post on the matter, it does sort of seem like you are chaffing under the Pathfinder Rules as a whole and find 5e to be a better suited system for your style of play. If so that's great. But you cannot really come in and advocate for Core play to be more like 5e, that just isn't a realistic goal for you or for Pazio. What makes core special is that there are a certain sub-set of gamers who really, really enjoy being able to do it differently. Summoners piss you off? Core. Gunslingers piss you off? Core. Don't even understand why the Advanced Class Guide is a book? Core. Want to brag that you can do it without all those new fangled fancy feats? Core. Hate power creep? Core. Want to fix problems inherent to the Pathfinder Core Rules?
Asarnils' force missile takes down one of the skeletons! Barret drops some grease on the latecomers! The lead one manages not to fall, but the one behind him does! It stands up and tries to move forward toward Barret, but falls again! The third one easily passes by his fallen companion and moves in to attack!
*miss*
Round 2
Party is up!
There is also the free player's companion for Elemental Evil which has some new races, classes and spells in it for your general rules reference. The Basic PDF covers the basics though :) It'd be sort of like getting the Beginner's Box Player's Guide for free (without stunning artwork though). EDIT to avoid confusion.
Looks like so far:
I would be very interested in giving this a try! I will make a Rogue type. Also, spinningdice, there is a Player's Guide for Elemental Evil which has some official new races included (and spells). Linked here. I am not looking to play one of these races, just passing along the information.
Parfin smashes into Thug #1! Rose is able to trip the unsuspecting Thug #2! Thug #1 stabs at Parfin with his rapier but misses badly! *miss* Thug #2 stands up, takes a 5' step toward Rose and then tries to run her through but also misses! *miss* Round 1 Miette
Jericho is up!
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“I am not aware of any of his personal dealings, frankly. Friends, enemies…” Venture-Captain Valsin shakes his head. “Sadly I do have much additional intelligence to provide on these matters. He was well compensated by the Ten for his assistance, but his link to the Puddles is unknown to me. The codebook itself by my understanding is a small, thin book, perhaps 5 or 6 inches in length and half that in width. The binding is worn, black leather. Well preserved for it’s age apparently.” Barret knows several important locations in the Puddles and some of the history of the area. It is an section of town you avoid if you can help it, or like to be wet. Those who stay in the Puddles have no other recourse or are up to no good. There are several well established gangs and thieves’ guilds in the Puddles.
Torsen’s Maw is ostensibly a cliffside park that overlooks the ocean. Prior to the earthquake the area was a home for the Torsen family. When the ground shifted and split open, the house was destroyed as much of the land slid into the ocean. A young, strung out looking half-elf server at the Soggy Piper tells you that the toughs that came in and grabs the people eating had the strangest looking tattoos they had ever see. They were animated, and depicted a pack of dogs fighting with each other. Barret recognizes them as members of the War Hounder gang.
Sounds like a good time Blackbot!. Just because he was removed from the combat doesn't mean he has to be removed from the scene though. Having Kinore mauled by the hound as the PCs enter the scene is a great way to set the tone however! Or having him present but as a non-combatant shouting for the hound to attack the slaves or whathaveyou.
There was a Kreighton Shane look-alike at GenCon last year who took part in the special as Kreigthon Shane (I think it was actually Mark Garringer, so prepare to freak out). That was, in fact, me. :)
Gag Halfrunt, also said, "Vell, Mark's just zis guy, you know?"
Silbeg I'm not sure I'm following you there. The docking certificate on file would be for At Sea since it has been in Absalom before. There would not yet be a docking certificate for the Kat Season as it has yet to dock for the first time under that name. There are three references to the docking certificate in the pdf, 2 of them reference At Sea and one Kat Season, but that one should also refer to the ship as At Sea. Not a big deal either way though :) I will be at Gen Con for sure, we'll have to see if we can get a table!
The docking certificate would have been issued for the At Season. The verbiage on page 12 is a typo. I probably mixed them up in my turnover and it wasn't picked up in development. As to your second question, yes. It is official permission to dock. The implication being that if the ship doesn't have an official docking certificate then they must have been paying someone bribes to dock. The certificate is issued by the Harbormaster's Grange, which is a powerful city office. A Paladin would very likely have a pretty big problem with taking and destroying an official city document.
The main deck of the At Sea has two 10-foot-square wood grates that access the hold below. Two doors access the forecastle’s cabin, and a ladder leads up to the forecastle’s deck. The helm is positioned on the raised quarterdeck at the stern, accessible by short staircases on both sides. Curtzog seems confused and slightly unhappy about the idea of disturbing the captain, but after a few suggestive brushes with Kaylee he finally agrees. Heading through a door to the forecastle's cabin, you hear him in the hold below knocking on a door. After a short back and forth with the captain, you can hear him stomping back up the stairs. "Cap'in 'll be right up." After a few minutes, a Keleshite woman emerges from the forecastle's cabin door carrying a lantern. The Keleshite woman is dressed in studded leather, and wears two ornately decorated kukris at her waist. Her black hair is held out of her face by a faded yellow bandana. She has a dark mole on her left cheek just below her eye. "What in the name of the Eye of Abendego is going on here pilot? I have an important meeting with Goodman Hugen tomorrow and I'll be sure to bring up the ...incompetence in great detail. Can we please get underway?"
The halfling seems a sluggish to respond to the Pathfinders. She yawns again and stretches, smiling at Kaylee. "Thank you dear, the stew is a recipe from my gran. It never fails to please." She takes the letter, breaks the seal and nods to herself as she reads it. Inspector Ginsi is happy to help after reading Lady Darchana’s request. It takes her a few minutes after reading the request to confirm the pending docking request for the Kat Season in her ledger. "Nope, it doesn't look like they've docked yet, they are still at sea." She then takes a different ledger out, locates and sign out a rowboat, and finally several minutes later locates the pilot roster. After looking over the pilot rosters, she excuses herself to notify a pilot to prepare for departure, leaving the Pathfinders alone in the empty office. The door opens again after about five minutes and Inspector Gilsi enters, all smiles. She says they have a pilot waiting at Docking Slip 49, a dwarf named Zigil. "She's a hoot and a half! You'll love her!" Ginsi offers. The Pathfinders quickly head to their assigned slip, as the sun slips down below the western horizon. Checking the knots tied in a rope attached to a rowboat, a female dwarf stands with her back to you. As you approach she turns, looking over her shoulder. Zigil grunts a greeting as you arrive a the small rowboat. "You row, I navigate." she says curtly. She points at Hrothgar's large companion and says, "Not on this rowboat." "Ready when you are," she says gruffly.
Belven walks around the side of the building checking things out, but finds nothing else. Kaylee tries the door and finds that it is, in fact, unlocked. There are also some scratch marks in the wooden frame by the lock. Hrothgar peers around as well, and thinks he hears the faint sound of breaking glass from behind the eastern door. Mahdi’s Chattel is pleasantly decorated. An Andoren rug lies over the polished wooden floor of the entryway, and a small decorative table holds a curious stone statue. The eastern half of the room is in slight disarray, apparently from light renovations that are nearly complete. The stone statue stands almost 2 feet tall, weighs 15 pounds, and has simian features, massive horns, and a long tail. The windows have been smashed, and broken glass lies on the floor and on the desk on the opposite side. The work table in the center of the display parlor conceals a heavy, polished stone with a 4-inch-diameter steel ring attached to the top, providing an anchor for manacle chains.
Venture-Captain Valsin nods his head as Wulfren recounts the day's adventure, it is the closest thing to pride you've ever seen on this man's face. A look of pure surprise comes over his face at the mention of the name Muhlia. "Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri?" the Venture-Captain whistles. "Now, that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time." Lady Darchana arches an eyebrow and looks at Valsin. "It's worse than I feared then." Turning back to the Pathfinders, "It seems this may become an all too often greeting for awhile." She begins casting a spell* and then glances around the room carefully. *DC 19 Spellcraft:
Detect scrying "Pathfinders, you have done a great service to Absalom today. The full extent, understandably, may never be widely known or recognized by the sleeping masses, but know that the Pathfinder Society can count on me as a friend and ally, and I hope that I may call upon you again in the future should the need arise." she says, satisfied with her magic. Rilla recounts what she can to Venture-Captain Valsin about her time spent in the Okeno slave markets on Stonespire Island, confirming several interactions with a heavily veiled humanoid woman who forcibly took blood samples on two occasions. Finally Rilla asks, "What of Sahar? The others?" Venture-Captain Valsin closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head. "No contact," is all he says on the matter. Fin
I'd be very interested. Long history of PbP, I have my own PBH and I'm presently playing a wild elf ranger in my local game. I've been extremely interested in doing some 5e in Golarion. I but my teeth on FR, but I'm so far removed from that setting at this point, I prefer to say in Golarion for sure. I would probably take a cleric, but I am open to play anything that is not a ranger. Not because I don't like the ranger, but I am getting first hand play of that class already :)
There are two more gnolls at the far end of the hallway, having not been as quick as their companions... Party Initiative:
Dobin - Init: Jericho - Init: Kwin - Init: Miette - Init: Parfin - Init: Rose - Init: Gnoll 5 - Init: Gnoll 6 - Init: Gnoll 3 - Init: Round 1:
Dobin and Rose are up!
Eric is right on-point here. There are more head nods to Slave Pits than tie-ins. Both involve doing political favors for well connected Houses in Absalom. There are important scenes in both that take place in Misery Row, and thus can be used to build a sense of continuity for the characters and Slave Ships can be a particularly good callback to Slave Pits if you run them a few sessions apart from each other. Back to back would probably not have the same impact as running them a 3-5 sessions apart, like running Mists of the Mwangi and Voice in the Void. I was also deliberate about including gnolls on the ship for the same reason to give a sense of continuity. As for the Muhlia reveal, that has been a bit more of a let down than I expected. It is really good in the sense that it sets up the obvious future conflict, however it's a little sad for me that many (newer) players have no idea she was ever a thing. When she steps back into the spotlight though it'll be amazing.
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