
Velocinox |
So I thought it would be a good idea to register our adventuring company with the pathfinder society and perhaps even join and begin working our way up the ladder.
Then, I read the joining requirements. Well, sorry Pathfinder Society, I'll not be derailing our entire campaign to trudge off to Absalom and endure months or years of downtime (or worse in-game months or years of shoehorning our entire gaming group into a 'go to college' campaign setting) just to satisfy your sense of 'quality' members.
Wouldn't a society of fiercely independent adventurers be better served by a meritocrious society that lets anyone join AND THEN weeds out the pretenders and slackers? Don't keep out the ones that would rather spend time unearthing the world's secrets than engaging in a glorified spring break trip to Absalom?
Seriously though, why isn't joining the Pathfinder Society just as easy in-game as it is for real? Go to the local lodge, sign a document, pledge your service, abide by shared goals, report outcomes. Simple.
Think about it in-game... think about all the adventurers that are discovering things in their normal adventures that never come to light in the society because they don't want to participate in some stupid lengthy social ritual first?
Who in-character is a Pathfinder member that didn't just hand-wave it during creation, or be presented with it honorarily Ex post facto? Your entire beginning campaign would have to be completely dedicated to just that.
Sorry, but I think the entire beginning section of Seeker of Secrets was poorly planned and written. Please update this to make sense, and allow the average campaign player a chance to join without making everyone else at the table bend to their will.
(Yes, I know this can be house-ruled, but most GMs that play Golarion just go with canon if they haven't come across a problem.)
P.S. Just for clarity, this has nothing to do with the real world official-play Pathfinder Society. I have nothing against them and I enjoy participating. This is entirely about the in-game canon about a society that is all about gaining as much knowledge as possible preventing those very same people they want from joining because those people are too busy off doing what the society would have them doing anyway...)