Venture-Captain Brackett's page

you receive a summons...

this thread will be for "table mustering" of the Play-by-Post play of PFS scenario #1-25, 'Grim Symphony' for PaizoCon Online 2021. Registration is via Warhorn.

"#7–22: Bid for Alabastrine is designed for levels 1–5.
...also contributes directly to the ongoing storyline of the Exchange Faction."

(times mentioned below are relative to Eastern USA time zone)

This is being run for "Gameday VIII" online event and thus won't officially begin until August 26th. In the meantime I will be looking for players that I think will fit a couple important criteria:

First, if you've read the scenario blurb you've probably figured out this is a social encounter. If you didn't read the blurb let me spell it out: "this is a social encounter." So I will be looking for players who appear they will enjoy roleplaying. If grid-based tactics are your main thing, I politely ask that you look elsewhere. Everyone will have a better time.

The second criteria pertains to real-life availability. To be fully transparent my own availability is not what I feel it should be. But I'm hoping to turn this downside into a possible opportunity for players who may be in a similar situation. I work 60+ hrs/wk mostly in the form of 10-12hr shifts M-F and frequent 4-6hr extras Sat and/or Sun. I also happen to play PFS F2F Thurs evenings and Sunday afternoons. What the heck does that leave?!? Well, I have a large chunk of time Saturday afternoon/evening (in UTC terms I think that's approx Sat 20:00 - Sun 05:00 or thereabouts.) I will be able to post quick things during my lunch breaks (if my phone behaves). More elaborate/detailed posts most evenings. But ideally I would like to find players who can all be online Sat and we can play semi-live. I don't want to go to VTT (Virtual TableTop) because I don't want to feel forced into a single sitting. If the roleplay is going *well* this scenario can grow time-wise. I'm fine with letting it take as long as we want, if everyone is enjoying the gameplay.

So if you have a busy work week but some freetime Saturdays, maybe this is just what you're looking for? Let me know:

Hello and welcome to my first attempt at GMing a PbP session. Thank you in advance for your patience with me as I get my bearings...

I have GMed before in F2F (Face to Face) PFS play, but since there's no history of that visible here, allow me to give you a short blurb on my "style".

My guiding Rule #1 is that, to the best of my ability, everyone has fun. A student of Linguistics may notice there are a couple caveats. One is the "best of my ability". I don't derive personal pleasure from handing out TPKs (Total Party Kill). That does not mean I'm "easy". I am obligated to run a scenario as written, by the rules of Pathfinder/PFS. Particular scenarios are scripted to be deadly and that's how I run those. This is not one of those scenarios at least. So hopefully it will suffice to say that if your character does something heroically foolish, they will suffer appropriate consequences. If a player is struggling with a rule/mechanic/whatever I will help you. The second caveat is that *everyone* has fun. If one person's idea of fun is at odds with everyone else's, I'm obligated to remedy that. This does not mean I will target optimized characters. Unless the behavior of a player/character is completely monopolizing the table, trivializing whole encounters, and nullifying other's existence, then I may feel a need to intervene.

That said, if your character has any...unusual..capabilities that might require GM discretion it's best to bring that up before playing if you want to know my opinion on it.

...or any other questions: fire away!

Venture-Captain Brackett sits at a narrow table in the grand
entryway at the Pathfinder Society’s lodge in Almas...