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Ratbane wrote:

I was thinking the same and will plan to go my first PaizoCon . I will travelling by train from Los Angeles so I have figure how to get to con from station. Has anyone have ideas? Thanks in advanced.

A couple I met took the train from SD (or was it Sacremento?) They said it was awesome and they only had to walk a block they pointed out the window as if they could see the train depot (maybe there was a connecting bus though?)

The cool thing was they planned to get enough people to ride the train with them and host a game on the way up or the return. :) I would ask for ride-sharing opportunities closer to the date.

That would be my wife and I... and yes, we came in from Sacramento. We went coach the entire way up but had a room on the way back as we both had to go to work immediately upon our arrival back in town.

It was definitely the way to go. Although the rooms are a bit more expensive than coach seating, remember what's included: meals and drinks (mostly non-alcoholic), beds, shower, and they even had a free wine tasting. As the train passed back through various winery regions, we got to taste the wines they produce. It was neat to see the vineyard and taste the wine all while enjoying the ride home. Oh and don't forget, coach seating on the train is vastly different from coach on a plane. You actually get something capable of reclining, a table, outlets, leg AND feet rests!!

The best part is AMTRAK doesn't require you to get to the station hours early, they don't cavity search you, and you can have up to five bags (of course you have to be able to carry them all on/off yourself with a little help).

As far as getting in town is concerned, it couldn't be easier. Based on the recommendations from another thread, we took the public bus. It picks up around the corner from the station and drops off right across the street from the hotel (hence the finger pointing at the glass). I believe the bus ride was 15-20 minutes and cost us about $3.00

I will definitely go by train again this next year. Although it doesn't appear to be cost effective, it beats the cost of gas, getting a room on the way up/back, wear and tear on my car (my sanity and my marriage too), and I got to sleep/eat/GAME on the way there/back.
...and no I don't work for AMTRAK ;)

If this is open to anyone who'd like to participate, I'd like to swap some of my old pre-paints as well. I assume "the bar" means at the bar in the hotel?

Thanks! This has helped alot.

On second thought if you register a character the system might REQUIRE you to choose a faction. In this case, yes you are better off not registering :)

Actually that's the reason our friends told us to NOT register prior to the Con but I don't want to take up any unnecessary time with character creation (even if we did come with all of our ideas in mind). We're both new to the PFS scene and want to maximize our game time at the Con. Correct me if I'm wrong but without deciding on a faction, we won't get faction traits. Will this significantly hurt us in the scenario? What would you PFS veterans recommend? Thanks for any help you guys provide.

There's also the Drekavac (it's not from the three bestiaries but it is PF) and of course Baba-Yaga. Although you may not want to put Baba-Yaga herself in the campaign, any similarly themed witch should do fine.

Is anyone about to purchase a PaizoCon 2012 3-Day Badge? We ended up with an extra one. I will transfer it to you for a paizo gift certificate.

Your question brings into play a couple of factors (sorry, you’ll need to bear with me on this one):

1. Does an invisible creature continue to “threaten” a defender like he would if he were visible?
I could find nothing in the core rules that clearly defines this but from what I did manage to find, the answer is yes. According to the rules concerning Attacks of Opportunity, an “Invisible creature still gets attacks of opportunity against you when you withdraw” directly implying you threaten creatures around you even when invisible.
Another important note is found in the paragraph concerning “Shooting or Throwing into a Melee”. “Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies of each other and either threatens the other.” This point added alongside my previous one helps to establish that the invisible creature is threatening the defender.

2. What qualifies a given character to get the flanking bonus?
“Only a creature or character that threatens the defender can help an attacker get a flanking bonus”. This point coupled with the above mentioned, tells me that the moment the invisible creature stepped within reach of the defender, he provided his ‘partner’ the flanking bonus.

Now with all that said…I personally am used to using the rule that the defender must perceive the ‘threat’ on both sides in order to provide both attackers the flanking bonus. I like to think the flanking bonus is provided in part due to the ‘distraction’ that flanking naturally creates. If the defender is unaware of a second foe, then what occurred to provide the first creature a bonus – whether it is ‘flanking’ or any other? None. There’s one problem with my argument though.
According to the core rules, “Exactly who is a foe depends on the invisible character’s perceptions”. If it’s all dependent on the invisible creature’s point of view, then it appears I must be wrong.

One final note - There’s always a slew of benefits that come with being a DM, one of which is this: I’m choosing to continue to use my old tried and true way. If you were at my table, you would not provide the flanking bonus to your ‘partner’ until you attacked and therefore became visible.