Wererat6's page

Paz wrote:

What purpose is your monolithic database of book ownership trying to fulfil?

To become sentient and engage mankind in a war for survival?

To rule this world from beyond the grave! (/LoPan)

No ... to save me from half an hour per session of having people wave books or PDFs at me before I can even read the introductory paragraph.

Maybe Fred the Tengu doesn't do any gliding this adventure and I don't need to see his copy of the Advanced Race Guide this day. This is not Advanced Squad Leader; I am not doing this for rollplaying or ruleplaying but roleplaying.

There's just an inverse correlation between the annoyance factor of a mandate and the likelihood that people will actually DO it. Balanced against the time and tedium of paper-checking are:

- Positive value (or perceived value) of the intended behavior (in this case, that GMs and players will know that not only their table but others receiving similar credit are run fairly); and

- Negative consequences/punishment of not doing the intended behavior (whatever happens to players, GMs, coordinators, and the various Venture-leaders if failing to follow the process causes a problem)

A rule that people only follow when the boss is looking, or not at all, isn't a rule at all (consider speeding laws). I write rules for people to follow all the time; and even though the people are being *paid* to follow them, sometimes they don't. They aren't being evil, malicious, spiteful or deliberately fraudulent; they're just making value judgments about their other priorities vs. the ones I'm setting (again, we do this all the time, weighing our time and enjoyment of driving vs. the risk of a ticket).

Anyway it's not a big monolithic anything, nor even a major project. Paizo already has a record of everything I've bought from them; I know this because I can download a new copy any time I like. Just tie the two together and let me optionally allow a GM to see it as a timesaver.

Paz and Matthew,

> (paraphrased) Your idea doesn't help the GM verify individual items/abilities

I agree. I wasn't trying to solve that problem.

However, if I've got 4-6(+) people around the table, I already have enough busy-work getting things set up. Asking each player to pull out every book &/or flip about on their tablet/phone/PC to show me multiple PDFs is not effective. I'd rather say "OK, Fred, you're PFS #98765, right? OK ... (click) yep, you have all the books for a Tengu Magus with a blunderbuss. OK, Jane ..."

Now when Fred tries to glide down a cliff with his Tengu I'm still going to have him show me the page from his paper or e-book, but not until then. As you guys said, it's not my job as GM to know everything, only the core stuff.

The other problem I was trying to solve is virtual tables. If I'm running a game on Roll20 or Google Hangout, do I really need to ask players to buy a webcam and wave the books at me or share the .pdf with the group? Again, if I can take a PFS # and search, I'm done and we can start gaming.

Diego,

> (also paraphrased) I don't want to list all my purchases for a GM (or random person) to search through.

Good point; this should never be a required action, only an option. Anyway I'd definitely suggest that, if this gets any traction, that the search is only by PFS# and provide only the records the player wishes to show (so if you're bringing a core character or just don't like this feature, you could theoretically set all your books to not display, and someone searching on you wouldn't find a thing).

If I'm going to be "lawful neutral" on this as a GM, at least let me be efficient.

Enhancement requests (in user story form):

As a GM, I want to view players' records of purchases of e-books and physical books made through Paizo.com so that I can quickly check that a player has purchased the materials to support their character.

As a player, I want to be able to record purchases of physical books made at other retailers at Paizo.com so that my GM can quickly verify that I have satisfied the PFS requirements for play.

Galnörag wrote:

What about implementing a 'meta' prestige/fame system similar to the one for player characters, but in this case make it for players.

Allow players to accumulate points similar to the way you count GM tables for GM stars, then allow players to spend there prestige to buy boons that have been unlocked by their fame tier.

So maybe the Kitsune boon becomes available after 20 life time points, and it costs 10. Limits the total number of the varied races by making it an expendable player level resource, but makes it open and fair.

If you do X you get Y, not you "might" get Y.

You can still give away the same boons that they might buy, so con attendance gets a chance at a perk, but a perk you can still earn.

I think this whole thing could quickly become a management nightmare for folks who don't report online, but I guess it could be a perk of online reporting?

Additionally, it would be good if a player forced to replay a scenario for no credit (do to shortage of players to fill extra tables) still gets the player fame so that they are incentivized to stay and fill out the table.

As a final though as a local organizer always challenged to find GMs, perhaps GMs get 2 per module?

I think something along this line would be great. You could still stick to the 10% guideline and take out the blind luck aspect.

Create a star system like the GMs have. 10 sessions gives you one star. Which gives you access to tier 1 star boons.
This requires people to put in the time and effort to get the boons yet takes away from the luck. It gives something else for people to strive for and something else for people to collect. It rewards people for being consistent contributors to society.

Everyone wins.

I'm also supportive of this idea. Randomness won't help, but carefully giving people a boon for GM, coordinator, or player participation is a good idea.

"Carefully" IMO because now matter what the method, I think having a flood of Ratmen would only cheese people off, never mind if they're always being outfoxed by Kitsune. :ducks: Seriously, not *too* many variants out there; if everyone's playing a strange race, the norm stops being the norm. (and, for the record, I'm kinda eager to try a Ratman)

A lawful person works within structure rather than by ignoring or breaking rules. A lawful person may, however, even overturn an existing structure if he is convinced that the structure violates its own laws or precepts.

A good person works for the betterment of all (as opposed to an evil person, who works for self-interest &/or for the interest of one more powerful who is themselves inimical to the general weal).

A lawful good person, living in a society with injustices and with wrongs, sets about trying to change them within the existing system. If that's not possible, she can then elect to change the system itself until it is replaced with one both lawful and good.

I can't think of a better example than: "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

In our local organization, knowing PFS would get popular, before I ran game 1 I set out some rules, key among which is that everyone who plays has to GM occasionally.

If we get too many people on a given day, it's already understood that someone gets their opportunity to GM that day.

(The two-table thing wouldn't work in the building we use; the poor GM would constantly be running back and forth between closed doors. Loud Magic players usually occupy the open space.)

Does anyone know how to get your downloads from Paizo (this site) onto your Kindle Fire? I tried but it just doesn't seem to be working for me? Any suggestions?

Copy via USB, or email them to the email address associated with your Kindle Fire. I have my Fire hooked up by USB at this moment prepping for this weekend's game :)