warfteiner's page

I've tried getting core games up at my shop, but to-date we've had 0 actually get off the ground. Even my new players would rather pick up an extra book or supplement so that they have a few extra toys - and my veterans would rather do the same than try to play through on "hard mode" (they prefer the art project that is full-scale Pathfinder).

I can see that large markets have some core appeal, and I'm happy to see those tables going off, but maaaaan, we've had no luck and a number of disappointed faces. We've totally discontinued core games in our neck of the woods.

Very true. 2 floors down as of today, and Land Rush in full swing. MOAR REPORTING :p

Eric's got great taste in minions, and I've run tables for Robert several times in the past.

Great picks! Michigan is in good shape, I think :)

And it's also something else:

the focus of our next in-store PFS event, as soon I can get the info on PFS sanctioning :)

Thanks, Brian - stinks you can't be here, but you do a TON for your local community. Generous offer as it was :)

For everyone else... we're on to day #2, and already exploring running un-scheduled tables! New players walking in and asking "What's this Pathfinder thing all about?" make me quite happy.

If you're in the area and want to check us out, don't feel like you're limited to the warhorn information. Come on out, grab a drink and toss some dice - we'll find a seat for you!

Falling attendance can be very worrisome, and there have been some awesome ideas up - it's great to see so many voices chime in.

The small village where I live and run most of my games has a permanent population of less than 3,000. We have one stoplight downtown, 5 bars, and - at last count - 7 churches all within about ten minutes of each other. I don't think that your immediate-vicinity population is super-important, to be honest. It's all in how you work with your community; the schools can be a huge boost if you address them respectfully and appropriately.

That said, we run the following in my store:

*) 1 table of PFS every Sunday (sometimes 2)
*) 1 table of Kingmaker, twice a month
*) 1 table of Shattered Star, twice a month
*) 2-3 homebrew games every week

*) plus all sorts of other systems several times a month

Creating tracking tools, like what nosig pointed out (nice description, btw; happen to have a doc you can share?), can be incredibly helpful. Some other things that I've discovered that have really helped us:

*) run We Be Goblins! at least once per quarter. It's a great "learn to play" tool, especially or younger players or for spouses that aren't quite sure what this gaming thing is all about
*) run WBG2 soon after if possible - this helps show that these games can maintain a narrative continuity
*) talk to your gamers, encourage them to bring snacks; this promotes social interactivity!
*) if you are the store owner or organizer, take time to sit with the players and play every so often, it's a huge morale boost

I've done some crazier things, as well. For example, when we were running a ton of D&D Encounters (5-6 tables each slot, 2 slots, for an entire season) I challenged my players to not miss a single game. They didn't. I picked up a pizza party, and a local pizza shop actually chipped in at $4/ pizza. For Pathfinder stuff, I challenged my players to help me set up a local miniconvention: last year, I scheduled 15 tables thinking I'd run 11 of them (ran 30!!); this year, I've got 50 tables scheduled.

If you work to build the community, the social side of the game, the players will flock to you. You need to ask yourself, though, how you plan to define that success:

are you successful when you run ALL THE TABLES in EVERY SLOT?

-or-

are you successful when your core group shows up regularly?

Good luck, all!

If we listen carefully, we may yet hear Sin's lilting cant. (nevermind that he lives several area codes away)

AND!

I promise that this will probably be the last time I bump this thread, what with Linkscon kicking off in less than 22 hours. ;)

See you all there!

Some of my most vocal, and regular, gamers are women. My wife, for example, gets incredibly perturbed when she misses a play opportunity ;)

The thing that I've found that works best is:

Remember that women who game are gamers.

They're not "one of the guys", or "unicorns", or "a minority in the industry". It's a throwaway to consider our gamers in terms of "young", "old", "male", "female" and so on - just treat them like they're gamers. The dice will roll, I promise you!

Recruiting female players for your table should take absolutely no special attention. As with any curious or reluctant potential dice-chucker, run a fun game with a great GM; "We Be Goblins!" has been instrumental in building my store's gaming group.

So... it's been a minute since I upped posts on several sites. It's like I've been stupid busy or something :/ (I work in IT/ webhosting, and yeah... holy cow, it's been a loooong couple weeks)

We have plenty of open seats for players, and looking for signups on warhorn! Walk-ins are definitely welcome, for sure, but pre-signups help us better organize the craziness.

See you on May 8th at Game Links!

Sin -- I've added 4-26: The Waking Rune just for you :) 7pm Friday!

Rats just won't fit this year, but I'd be happy to get a local gameday set up with you so we can run parts 1 & 2 of Round Mountain in sequence.

Brian, Sin... I'd be honored to have you both come up for the event. You're both good people and damn fine GMs :)

Sin -- the couch is yours!

Yeah, yeah, I'm old. Now get off my lawn.... kids today. :P

@Brian -- yeah, Mike has said that we can run Bonekeep part 2 so long as we have 50 other tables during the event. So, once I get closer to having those seats filled I'll be posting that adventure (currently soft-scheduled for Sunday afternoon).

Hey all!

After the shenanigans of last year's LinksCon event, it is with no small amount of joy (and trepidation) that I am announcing...

LinksCon part 2: Even More LinksCon! (now with 51 tables)

If you find yourselves in the wilds of mid-Michigan in mid-May, we'd love to have you stop in and join us for a fantastic weekend of PFS gaming. Fowlerville, our base of operations, is a small town with great food, weird people, and a pretty sweet little candy shop right downtown.

WHAT: LinksCon
WHEN: May 8th - 11th, 2014 (Thursday night through Sunday night)
WHERE: Game Links, 140 E. Grand River Ave, Fowlerville, MI 48836
WHO: you, me, and a bunch of other dice-chucking people

Event summary on the Paizo calendar

THE WARHORNS! ALL OF THEM!

We're running a wider range of adventures this year than we did last year, but we're also going to be running the Battle Interactive on Saturday night. There is no door charge, but a $2 fee per slot played is required - $1 of that goes into store credit for you, and the $1 goes into your DM's store credit.

We are NOT collecting table fees from within Warhorn. Warhorn is merely a way to reserve a seat... so if you find that you cannot attend after you've signed up, please be so kind as to log in and remove your name from the list. We will be endeavoring to provide games to everyone throughout the weekend, so even if you're waitlisted please give us a shot - you might be surprised what our team can cook up.

FowlervillapaloozaCONamania!!!! (that one's just for you, Eric C.)

I really enjoy reading these posts, especially where community building has been a focus. Nicely done :)

(also, if you read this... I'd love to talk to you about your map - VERY cool)

Hey folks - I'm one of the two PFS guys here at WF this year (the other being the wonderfully talented Chris Mortika!), and I realize that it's a stressful situation for people that just want to get in and throw dice.

It's not my place to talk about previous events, but I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone that has come out this year, is still here, or plans on checking out things on Sunday morning - weather permitting, of course.

We've seen a bunch of new players with just the two of us, and I've had a couple of volunteer GMs for their own tables - each and every one of you folks are rockstars.

If anyone has feedback about what we were able to offer here at the show I'm all ears. Please feel free to PM me, or if you like, to email me directly. I'll be filing my end-of-show report Monday or Tuesday with Mike Brock directly, and I'd love to be able to include specific feedback for him regarding the event.

(if you're lurking around the show and want to talk to me directly, I'm the guy that a) isn't Chris, and b) is wearing the MSU hat).

Thanks!

I have to admit that I agree: in-character blog updates featuring the various Venture-Captains or faction heads would be great. Also, in-character posts from the point of the view of a bystander at a significant event (possible examples: a survivor of the Siege of the Diamond City, a goblin during the raid on Sandpoint, and so on).

I wish I had more time so I could read all the novels as well as the sourcebooks and some APs, but... yeah. These little juicy morsels would be *great*!

Hrm. Airfare to Florida isn't cheap, but this sounds like a blast. I love unexpected formats like this :)

Maybe this is a dumb question, but is there a post somewhere that shows the results of how last year's voting went? I'd really like to see how mine was "received"; would give me a bit more context when looking at design choices going forward. Alas, it's too late for this year but still...

Hey sir -

Very cool of you to come out with this type of encouragement! :)

Many thanks - and here's to wondering if I'll be able to find my own item in the mix this year.

All I'm taking out of this is that we have an R-rated Pathfinder movie in the works ;)

In all seriousness, though, it would be great to see some more variance in the PC creation process. Not sure that constructs would be a good idea, though

grats man!

I've always found the concept of region-specific adventures pretty interesting, as well. Maybe have them locked to public venues over "X number of tables" or something for the first 90 days, then rolled out worldwide.

Would be cool to have some Taldor-specific adventures in a geographic area... (or Cheliax, etc). Might be tricky to design and pull off, but if we had, for instance, "3 new adventures per [faction, kingdom, etc] per year in each of our geographic regions around the world" I'd be a big fan.

Example (would have to be based on reported tables/ player numbers):

Andoran - Europe
Cheliax - USA & Canada, east of the Mississippi River (appx.)
Grand Lodge - Africa & middle east
Osirian - eastern Asia
Qadira - eastern Europe and Russian Federation
Sczarni - USA & Canada, west of the Mississippi River (appx.)
Silver Crusade - South America
Taldor - Australia

Make a couple (2-3) adventures exclusive to a region for a couple months and see what happens? Would give the authors some time to gather feedback on table results, in addition to putting some more emphasis on "wow, I need to get out to that big 'ol event and play some stuff".

(I didn't assign regions based on anything in particular... just tossed them out there as a thought)

Hey hey - welcome to the GM'ing club :)

It can be a ton of fun learning to GM. Everyone has their own distinct style and flow, for sure.

My main suggestions would be:

1) Stay flexible! Players will rework your plans or possibly even go "off book" at some point. Let them - but coach them back into the story when it's convenient and makes sense.

2) Embrace your inner crazy. By this I mean that whereas players will derail a scenario sometimes, remember that it's ok to do a little bit of the same from time to time. Explore an NPC's personality, encourage the PCs to explore the markets of Katapesh, and so on - let your mind wander/ explore/ expand a little bit, and you'll find that the world within your gaming session takes on a whole new life!

3) Develop a culture of "yes" at the table. As with points #1 and #2, PCs will constantly find new ways to surprise you. I once, in an AD&D game waaaaaaaay back when, had a wizard decide that they weren't going to assault the lich's clifftop castle... he instead opted to recruit his high-level friends and called in favors, and their collective arcane power was used to disintegrate the cliff itself. It was unexpected, and it allowed the PCs to "win" while allowing me to set up some things for the future.

Everything Robert posted is really pertinent as well. I can't stress enough that being a "GM buddy" for a game or two is a great concept. Also, much like he said, feel free to PM me if you have any questions at all.

Good luck with your PbP game. I haven't GM'd one of those, but I've got some coworkers that swear by them. :)

grats, man!

I'm pretty sure we've met before (I lived in the Boston area for awhile, and ran some games at Pandemonium as well as out in Framingham) -- great area, and very vocal gamers :) I hope we meet again someday

I instituted a $2/ table policy at our store not long after we opened, largely because of the fact that most RPG players tend to only rarely purchase things.

The $2 fee actually becomes $1 in the player's store credit, and they get a $1 token that they hand to the GM - in some cases, players have purchased extra DM tokens as "tips" when a GM has run a really great experience. Each token that a GM turns in becomes a $1 credit for their own account.

In actuality, the player is paying $1 for 4-5 hours of entertainment, and the GMs do pretty well for themselves. We've been able to purchase a handful of scenarios and have them printed and sleeved in binders for on-the-fly games, and have even retained some minis that people have traded in so GMs need very little by way of materials to start.

tl;dr -- the $2 table thing was NOT an issue for our players, and our GMs have really enjoyed it!

Fantastic job :)

Getting up the nerve to GM is a big accomplishment in and of itself, and to see you coming here and sharing your insight is incredibly awesome!

Keep up the great work, and like you said - remember to have fun too

Bob/ Chris -

I don't speak for the convention owners, but yes, in the past you've been able to request specific mods/ adventures to run. Dave and the gang have been extremely willing to work with people that want to run games that way, though they usually append the "we can't guarantee, but we'll do our best" disclaimer. If there's a high demand for a specific adventure (such as the 4E BI, or a PFS special if there's one available) some GMs may find that they've been tasked with running a slot or two of that in addition to their requests.

Baldman Games uses a 5-hour slot for their convention model, and it's something that I've adopted for my local events. It works out really well. This also allows them to simplify their system requests (so, everything is a 5-hour slot, no matter if it's DDN, 4E, PFS, etc).

If you're interested in volunteering, use and abuse the "notes" box at the end of the application. Dave's good people, even if he IS from Ohio.

If anyone wants to volunteer to run tables at Winter Fantasy, please visit the following link:

Winter Fantasy Judge Registration

Aw, thanks all :)

.... oh wow, this means people are thinking of me? I MUST HIDE!

(and by hide, I mean run the games and make the words.... do stuff... for players... and whatnot)

Much appreciated! I'm very much looking forward to additional development here in central Michigan :)

Additionally, there is Winter Fantasy in Fort Wayne (http://wintfan.baldmangames.com/) February 6th-9th.

Not sure what the official stance would be on lengthy PFS games at that show, but I can dig for you if you like.

I'll be announcing more details about Linkscon in a few days, but I can safely tell you that we run the show in early May. This will be our second year, and I'm anticipating 50+ tables this year.

Dates: May 2nd - 4th, 2014
Location: Fowlerville, Michigan
Venue: Game Links

If you find that you're willing to be in the area, I'd be happy to have you out. If you're more interested in standard gamedays, we run every other Sunday in Fowlerville.

PM me if you need specifics? I realize this would be a hike for you based on your message, but would be pretty sweet.

(apologies to Canadians and people that live in Ohio, of course)

Can our state of Michigan make touch attacks on Canada?

--> Yes, Michigan can make touch attacks on Canada. However, Canada can - and almost always will - respond with an opportunity action to chuck a member of Nickelback at us.

Does Michigan flank the Mackinac Bridge?

--> This is correct.

Do we get a bonus for higher ground against Ohio?

--> In spirit, yes. To be fair, everyone gets a bonus against Ohio. The reason really doesn't matter.

Is the upper peninsula the lower peninsula's eidolon?

--> Actually, no. Eidolons can improve over time by adding new abilities, features, and even spells (or spell-like abilities). As the upper peninsula is already maxed out on snowmobile trails, wolves, and drunken Michigan Tech students, there can be no further improvements to the peninsula. Maybe when Mythic Landmasses releases at some point in the future, though?

Is the Toledo Strip our familiar or animal companion?

--> The Toledo Strip is neither familiar nor natural. It is, in fact, a soulless aberration that even Ohio does not want back.

Can Michigan use Lay on Hands?

--> ... Michigan only has one hand, but it can high five Canada. In the face!

Is Michigan the karate chop of America if America was a monk?

--> It's more of an open-hand slap. Nonlethal damage, of course, but it has some severe stopping power if we invoke our Autoworker's Union Strike.

Do the great lakes give us a caster level bonus for water spells?

--> Even better: our water spells ignore SR, DR, and even common sense. Plus, they deal +1d20 zebra mussels per casting.

Hey all!

With Eric Clingenpeel recently being promoted to VC for central Michigan, I wanted to reach out to the community and share the fact that PFS is alive and kicking here in the middle of the mitten!

I had been running regular games at Game Links in Fowlerville (east of Lansing), and once I hit my 4th star I decided to take a couple months off. Now that that's done, we're screaming to go once more. We're looking to re-up our PFS GMs and keep the dice rolling.

There are a couple gameshops in Lansing that are also looking to expand their player and GM bases. While I can't speak for them directly, I do casually keep in touch with a couple of other organizers via Facebook and would be happy to get new, newly-returned, or curious gamers in touch with people that can make things happen here in our area.

Our events aren't always posted in this board, but if you check out the Michigan PFS site you should see what we have going across the state:

http://michiganpfs.org

I'm no VC, VL, or anything else (though I have other random letters that I can put on a business card, heh)... I'm just a guy with some books, some dice, and a desire to help people have a good time with other like-minded nerds.

Take care, and I hope to see more new faces at our gamedays. I'm open to scenario and module requests - keep in touch!

Was good to see you at the show, Mason. Let me know if you'd like me to run a specific module/ scenario for you sometime!

Well deserved, Eric.

You've been vocal and mobile; I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the region in the future.

I've had a lot of fun - primarily with the woman in charge of the Lantern Lodge - running the various VCs over the last couple years. Reading a bit about their history - be it from the old First Steps line or one of the various books - can really make prep dead-simple for these NPCs.

Sure, they were Pathfinders... but it's been so long that those days are almost a lifetime away. Now? Now they're managers, having to take calculated risks, and ultimately responsible for their own success or failure in the grand scheme of things.

I used to actually look forward to the moments when the "bully" or the low-Cha PCs would try to insert their thoughts. Was quite fun to banter inside the context and scope of the adventure. Unfortunately I've been taking a break since earning my 4th star and running some other game systems.

Grats, Brian - you've run for me before :) Nicely done!

To be honest, I don't think that PFS needs any more races at all.

And with that said, I'd like to say that there's a big difference between "need" and "could use".

The addition of new races can breathe life into established players - after all, they'll be starting new characters at level 1. And since PFS is a campaign that will always be looking for new players, we NEED more level 1 players - without them, how will the truly new people (that have never touched the system before in their lives) be able to jump in and "see how it's done"?

Some people have cited the power creep that races might have, and others have cited that Pathfinder, and Golarion specifically, has a humanocentric point of view, and still others have simply had comments like "I want new races because I want new races". Nobody's wrong; nobody's right.

The thing is, I'd love to see some new races unlocked because I can use that to drive some new players into my games, and also into my store. I own the LGS, and being able to say to a new player "Hey, the publisher JUST released this new race last Monday and I have some seats available in Saturday's game - want in?" gives the retail arm of Paizo just a bit more clout; it puts some extra coins in my pocket, too, which means that I can continue to bribe, er, "reward" my DMs for their time in-store.

Tabletop RPGs hit a critical mass as time rolls on, and the addition of new content can help keep fresh meat filling our seats.

So we don't NEED new races, but seeing some new ones would do AWESOME things for our community.

For the record, I really support having 4- and 5-star GMs send an SASE to Paizo for a brand-new race unlock ;) (yes, I'm of the ripe old age of 35 and I know what an SASE is)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand yes, I wanted to address your core concern as well:

Direct conversion of the Adventure System games!

I've done this as well, as it can lead to a pretty interesting "DM-less" game system. Very good for those beer-and-pretzels games!

Use the same "Find the APL, level up creatures in your favorite editor" system as described above.

When you read the card, movement says to basically "move the monster adjacent to the nearest Hero". You can very easily substitute in "The monster walks to the nearest Hero"; this would allow for opportunity attacks as per normal.

The biggest hurdle with this type of setup is really just the conversion time that goes into the front end. You're looking at converting 16-20 monsters to be APL-appropriate, and a large number of distinct encounters as well. If you're scrapping the Encounter cards, this is largely mitigated but the Encounter cards are also a huge part of the Castle Ravenloft boardgame experience.

It's a lot of work and my players seemed to enjoy the standard conversion I tried a couple years back, but as a GM I really didn't care for the final product all that much - a GM should be involved, man!

Just my opinion.

Hey there!

I actually ran a custom battle interactive in my store last night as a post-Halloween treat for our players. Here's the outline (the very short version):

Count Strahd von Zarovich has put a plan into place to escape from the Demiplane of Dread. A Vistani seer has corralled the PCs and informed them of this plan, and also told the PCs about rumors of certain long-standing rituals that give Strahd a significant chunk of his strength (you know, because players never ask WHY the NPC knows something).

Table 1 used the Castle Ravenloft game along with the Curse of Undeath (Dungeon Command) expansion.

Table 2 used the Wrath of Ashardalon game along with the Blood of Gruumsh (Dungeon Command) expansion.

Table 3 used the Legend of Drizzt game along with the Sting of Lolth (Dungeon Command) expansion.

Each table would enter their zone and find that the rooms were blacked out by the mist. Bright light (typically in a 20' radius thanks to common spells/ effects) and bodily presence (10' radius, thanks to life energy) would 'dispel' the mist on the next tile and would trigger the placement of a new tile - along with a new creature or two. The event itself ran into other goodies and neat things, but I'll just break down the core concept here.

I chose not to use the Encounter cards, as they took far too much "page-flipping" for a timed event but in a less time-sensitive format here is what I've used in the past:

Determine table APL.

Use HeroLab - fact-checked, of course - to create a new portfolio with level-appropriate monster challenges. If a card is 1xp, then the creature should be APL - 1 in HL; 2xp: APL; 3xp: APL + 1; 4x: APL + 3. YMMV, of course. Keeping the creatures in 'portfolio' format keeps the information easy to access for other DMs in your area, and very easy to modify/ update/ reuse. You can print directly, or save as a text/ HTML file for future editing (Word, like many other editors, can write/edit in HTML mode).

Level up traps and hazards (Encounter Cards) as appropriate for your table; this, I've found, is the longest and most frustrating portion of the conversion process.

Draw cards for monsters just like normal, and flip Encounter Cards for all the black triangles just like normal.

I've found that letting the players flip the monster and Encounter Cards really keeps them "in the moment", and I can just flip through my bundle of paperwork behind the DM screen. Once you find a rhythm for this process it's actually really cool.

If you're anywhere near central Michigan drop me a line, I'd be happy to give you a running demo. :)

I would actually push for Precise Shot as your feat choice as opposed to Point Blank Shot at level 1 - since you're not making ranged touch attacks (bows targeting AC and all), anytime you can negate a large penalty you should consider it.

Some of the popular Ranger builds that I've seen have taken a 1- or 2-level dip into Fighter simply for "feat cheese". Heck, many of the Gunslinger builds I've checked out do the same thing.

Rangers are really flexible, but really need to have some end-of-the-line focus to become the monster that you want them to be.

Based on your skill choices, are you looking at moving into the animal companion stuff?

Spicy Sirloin Sand- Chipotle marinated sirloin steak, tomatoes, red onions, green pappers, siracha mayo, pepper jack cheese $12.50

--> Chelaxian Luxuriant Sirloin

Shewman Special- Peanut Butter, Jalapeno’s, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles $10.50

--> Guaril's Special

BIG ASS BURGER- 32oz chuck burger! (This item does not come with a side!) Choose from 4 different styles…ask your server $32.00 Oh yeah! Everyone who attempts this challenge receives a FREE BIG ASS BURGER t-shirt just for the attempt!

--> Zutha's Mid-morning Snack- 32oz chuck burger! Inspired by the Runelord of Gluttony himself, you may choose from 4 different styles...

Brew-homeade Desserts

Carrot Cake- Almond cream cheese icing… $5.50

--> Druid Surprise (who knew those dirty druids could make something so good?)

Scotty’s Chocolate Cake- Chocolate icing & Toffee Chips (Ask to have it served warm!)

--> Shadow Lodge Sweet Reward

Oh, Free RPG Day, how many little goblins you've brought me...

1 table of We Be Goblins
4 tables of We Be Goblins Too

and we still have tomorrows WBG/ WBG2/ PFS schedule to tackle...

(woot!)

I recently ran a convention that had a focus on Thornkeep - we were able to run every portion of the dungeon in a traditional convention slot (4.5 hours; 8am-1pm, 1pm-6pm, 7pm-midnight).

Thornkeep's running time, though, is largely dependant upon the convention staff's instructions to the GMs - if the GMs are encouraged to fully utilize the village, then your playtime will be greatly lengthened. Most of our tables were "pick-up" gamers and were by means optimized, and although there were a few deaths the tables were 100% successful (no TPKs and every "main bad guy" went down!).

If your local convention is splitting the event then yes, be sure to play both parts! I've had a ton of fun running and playing this particular module and I hope you do too.

Hey Juce734 - I'm not in Ann Arbor, but I run PFS games every Sunday in Fowlerville (would be ~45 minutes from you) at Game Links.

Hitting us up on michiganpfs.org is a great idea, too; I'll look for your post there.

I don't personally know anyone in Ann Arbor seeking a local game right now, but I'll talk to some people on US-23 and up near Brighton to see what they're doing right now.

Drop me a line if you like; glad to help :)

There are some things that we all keep in our respective bags, for sure - here's my list:

[traveling]
core rulebook
4 colored markers
basic flip map
tablet (for small shows/events) or printed scenarios for large shows
printed copies or shorthand notes for bestiary 1/2/3 entries
Pathfinder Society Field Guide

[at home]
core rulebook
bestiary 1/2/3 as needed
printed copy of the adventure if an AP/module, otherwise my tablet
binder with my flip maps (without Thornkeep, I keep 4 in my sleeves)
Pathfinder Society Field Guide

I tend to bring a selection of minis regardless of traveling status. I've picked them up off of craigslist and local college trade boards - I live in a college area, so I see these posts every so often.

If you're deadset on using minis, I would recommend one of the following:

pick up random lots from craigslist/ eBay

-OR-

pick up the Reaper "Bones" line; very cheap but their models are phenomenal

You may be able to speak with your local gamestore - if you are making a fairly bulk purchase of minis, some store owners will cut you a discount for prepaying for non-stock items (we do at my store). Also, don't be shy about using Skittles/ Twizzlers/ Starburst for creatures.

Most importantly...

have fun!

I really like the idea of rewarding people by way of boons - whether those be in the form of alternate races or some other factor isn't really the concern, though.

I know that I would appreciate something along the following lines:

*) If you organize and and report an event with 15+ tables (or some other number, perhaps tiered to 15/ 40/ 100+ tables) you qualify for a certain reward

*) at each DM star tier, you qualify for a certain reward

*) if an adventure is played and reported during the first two weeks of release, the DM and players *MAY* qualify for a certain reward

The rewards could be alternate races, of course, but there are other options as well (prestige classes, items, vanities, faction changes, and so on). It's not that I want to see a more complex rewards system, but I would like I see a more "rewarding" reward system.

As a store owner, even organizer, and regular DM I get a lot of questions about "why should I DM?" - and using the "Well, at 4 stars (100 reported tables; fewer if you run modules) you get the ability to run the yearly 4-star and VO special adventure" answer makes people really wonder about the benefit of it.

Some people DM because it is it's own reward. Some, however, would appreciate the extra reward. Emailing a reward PDF to a DM or a player would essentially be zero-cost but a nice little nod of thanks for their time and effort.

tl;dr: races are cool, but so are other little trinkets - and trinkets don't break the huamnocentric view of Golarion.

Grats, man! I don't believe that our paths have crossed, but if you're out in my neck of the woods and want to play sometime just let me know.