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I like the idea of the factions in PFS, but there's one faction I think is missing.... Absalom. Personally I'd love to be able to have a character that is more about keeping Absalom free of the meddling influence of all five factions. Any insight on why that choice isn't available or couldn't be made such at some point?
Thanks.
/Paul
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Main problem would be their Faction Missions would be missing for all previous season scenarios, and I doubt Paizo would go back and write them in, and even if they did, some GMs may run a scenario printed without the new faction mission.
It might work if it were made clear that factions only score one prestige point for playing a scenario for which it has no provided mission, similar to a GM reward.
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I like the idea of the factions in PFS, but there's one faction I think is missing.... Absalom. Personally I'd love to be able to have a character that is more about keeping Absalom free of the meddling influence of all five factions. Any insight on why that choice isn't available or couldn't be made such at some point?
Thanks.
/Paul
i agree with you, i have taken my liking to Absalom, so I would prefer to keep it safe than help one of the opther factions grow... and going factionless is crippling yourself
besides its not like Lord Gyr doesn't know the other 5 factions are moving against Absalom and playing them along while preparing his own resources!
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Main problem would be their Faction Missions would be missing for all previous season scenarios, and I doubt Paizo would go back and write them in, and even if they did, some GMs may run a scenario printed without the new faction mission.
It might work if it were made clear that factions only score one prestige point for playing a scenario for which it has no provided mission, similar to a GM reward.
Actually it could easily be done by introducing the new faction going forward from a certain point, becoming eligible after playing a certain module, perhaps just before end of Year 1. It could be an award from the module, sorta like how WotC in their living campaigns awards unique class playing. The faction award could designate how to handle modules before its appearance and if done at the approriate time would be just before the phazing out of older modules (i.e. Year 0 modules get retired).
It's definitely something to think about and I agree it would be an interesting faction to play. Their whole objective might be to simply record what the other factions find or at least a certain number. When ever another faction does their missions they Absalom member gets a chance to spot them doing it. Just an idea.
A Drow faction would be really cool...
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Before we get too crazy remember the concept for faction missions. They represent your national affiliation and that countries desire to call on you as a patriot to complete certain missions that will increase their standing in Goalrion. I know there are only five nations represented, but Josh and the guys don't need something for every little nation. Absalom is a city not a nation and the drow are just well evil, if that is your goal then join Taldor and call it a day.
Accually I think it is a great idea and sure they may not be in the pervious adventures but there is a reason for that.
They did not know.
Basicly when this all started the pathfinders ecta, they took it much at face value thinking some people where going to make grabs for personal glory but what they didn't think there were people making subtle marks for others.
I mean it makes sense that people would be out for themselves.
But they find repeated time that people avoid vast personal gain.
After this they said why did they avoid this?
The answer is the factions.
Shocked at what they discovered attempt to while on 'offical' bussiness create as much havoc as possiable for other nations, with any hope creating conflict between the other nations.
I am not up on all of the lore but it sounds like it could work to me.
Director of Brand Strategy
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I am not up on all of the lore but it sounds like it could work to me.
It's not an issue so much of lore as it is game balance. If I am a member of a "new" faction and I play an older scenario at a convention, what mission do I do? I get zero faction prestige for that scenario? That would piss me off and wouldn't promote the society to new players who might not know not to attempt older scenarios with a newly made PC of the Absalom (or any other late model) faction.
I am not up on all of the lore but it sounds like it could work to me.It's not an issue so much of lore as it is game balance. If I am a member of a "new" faction and I play an older scenario at a convention, what mission do I do? I get zero faction prestige for that scenario? That would piss me off and wouldn't promote the society to new players who might not know not to attempt older scenarios with a newly made PC of the Absalom (or any other late model) faction.
It's simple you don't play one in older scenarios.
You do not always have to play the same character.|
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So here is question, how many factions do they need to create? I mean really, they have five for a reason it's not because "they didn't know" they wrote the world for cryin out loud. One thing the left open is that you can be from an country, you just claim affiliation to the major 5. Kinda like the real world there are the super powers, then there is say Finland or another nation which is not a world power. Besides not every faction mission is going to mesh with your character. Many are a direct violation of ones alignment. Try being a Paladin for Taldor or Qadira, or a Druid for Cheliax, the list goes on. Prestige is a faction thing, not a Pathfinder thing. If you stop playing PFS because your desire for a faction is not represented or you can't complete every mission BOO HOO your playing for the wrong reasons. Prestige is a benefit not a right.
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Director of Brand Strategy
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It's simple you don't play one in older scenarios.
You do not always have to play the same character.
Having organized a fair number of tables, I think that's an easer assertion to make than it is to put into practice. If I can only find offer a single table and find it difficult to fill that table, adding the additional restrictions is only going to make it harder.
If it's a Season Zero 7-11 scenario and someone has only an 8th level PC of some new faction, do they not get to play it until they make a new PC of one of the original five factions and then play through eighteen unplayed scenarios to get that PC up to the right level to play that scenario?
What if it's a pickup game at a FLGS of a Season 1 tier 1-2 scenario and someone shows up with their level one PC that' just needs one more scenario to get level two. Are you going to deny them the right to play in the scenario unless they either play a pregen or take the time to make up a new PC? If they decide that's not worth it, what if you no longer have four players?
I am a huge proponent for people having and playing more than one PC, but logistically, adding new elements to the system is going to make years of product obsolete. And even if they went for it and added a sixth faction, what happens when people want a seventh? And an eighth? Each time a new faction is added, it will make every scenario that came before that much less compatible with the current rules set. We already have to deal with the switch between 3.5 and PFRPG. How much more complicated does it need to be?
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Besides not every faction mission is going to mesh with your character. Many are a direct violation of ones alignment. Try being a Paladin for Taldor or Qadira, or a Druid for Cheliax, the list goes on.
A Paladin is always going to have problems with faction missions (or pretty much any adventures), thanks to their code of conduct and their unique knack for losing class abilities if they do what many adventures require that they do to succeed in their mission. That's part of the challenge of playing with one. Faction missions are just another poke in their eye with a sharp stick. Poke, poke.
There are a dozen other countries that would be viable Faction options. Heck, a Razmiran faction, devoted to gaining power and status and respect for their nation (and god), could be neat, but if I want to play a Razmiri, I'll just call him a Taldan, Andoran or Chelaxian, and be working inside their factions to further my own agenda...
I have looked over the Golarion map before to figure out why it is those five factions, and I see that four of the five countries the factions are from directly surround the part of the Inner Sea that contains the island that Absalom is on, thus giving them political and territorial reasons to fight over the city. But I also wonder sort of the opposite of why aren't there more factions, more it is why is there a Cheliax faction when they are so far away. Now, looking at the map only and not reading the histories of the countries, I wonder if there is a faction for Cheliax, why isn't there one for Thuvia or Katapesh. They are coastal countries also and maybe not even as far from Ablasom as Cheliax. And on the point about an Absalom faction, if there was one added, shouldn't it be more of a Kortos faction, which would be trying to keep the foreigners out and control both islands and not just the city?
Having organized a fair number of tables, I think that's an easer assertion to make than it is to put into practice.It's simple you don't play one in older scenarios.
You do not always have to play the same character.
Fair and complex go hand in hand.
As your a self pro claimed fan I am far more neutral let me say this.Some people are *****. (choose whatever word you feel appropate)
It does not matter the number of concession's you give them they will cause you problems.
To use the words of someone else whom has posted here in regards to my entry into pathfinder society.
'I am glad there is no play killing rule'
Some of the time the rubber must hit the road.
We had some very high level people enter our table because they 'played' some games before hand this would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that it tiered up our games and one of them was intent on **** blocking me.
But the GM must follow the rules.
He could have said that you know everyone hear is level 1 do guys have some level 1 characters?
Was that fair to some of the people no ofcorse not.
But simple and fair are hardly that.
The alternative is errata.
You look at each adventure.
Not that many out at the moment and you say X cause the most disrubtion to the other factions we will give them this goal.
Giving a nuteral faction would make things interesting.
Each to there own though.
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I have looked over the Golarion map before to figure out why it is those five factions, and I see that four of the five countries the factions are from directly surround the part of the Inner Sea that contains the island that Absalom is on, thus giving them political and territorial reasons to fight over the city. But I also wonder sort of the opposite of why aren't there more factions, more it is why is there a Cheliax faction when they are so far away. Now, looking at the map only and not reading the histories of the countries, I wonder if there is a faction for Cheliax, why isn't there one for Thuvia or Katapesh. They are coastal countries also and maybe not even as far from Ablasom as Cheliax. And on the point about an Absalom faction, if there was one added, shouldn't it be more of a Kortos faction, which would be trying to keep the foreigners out and control both islands and not just the city?
Cheliax considers itself the pinnacle of human nations, has various vassal states around the world, and is very interested in putting the hammer to the last nails in the coffin of Taldor and keeping Andoran from spreading their "insane" ideas of freedom around the world.
Unlike the other factions, which have strong central governments, Thuvia is a coalition of city-states, meaning that their interests like in keeping Thuvia independent and prosperous, and its hard to have larger goals than than when the individual cities are still a strong element of their government.
Katapesh is odd in that, while they have the second largest trade city on the planet, they are ruled by strange aliens (the Pactmasters) that have inscrutable goals, that work by pulling the strings of various merchants and minor rulers across the nation. While they may have goals that are more extensive than "make Katapesh richer," its hard to know what they are, and it would be very hard to have faction missions based on goals and drives that have never been explained.
Beyond geographical location, Taldor and Qadira are major powers, even if Taldor is falling apart around the edges, and have a lot of pull and resources to bring to bear in pushing Absalom on direction or the other (and Taldor has a tenuous claim to the Lordship of Absalom under the right conditions).
Andoran and Osirion are both "up and comers," and while they may not have the power and wealth that the other factions have, they have drive and energy, as well as still having a lot of wealth on their own (just not the wealth of having once been the "empire" that dominated one continent or another, as Cheliax, Taldor, and Qadira via the Keleshite Empire have and/or had).
Osirion also has the interesting dual personality of being a "new and young" nation while still inheriting "Old Osirion's" culture and tradition, giving it a youthful drive with the sense of entitlement that comes from "Old Osirion's" importance and influence before Qadira's control. And, of course, just like Cheliax will get involved in Taldor and Andoran are involved, Osirion will have an interest in Qadira not becoming more powerful.
Finally, being the young idealists with a lot of resource wealth isn't the only drive for Andoran, either, as Cheliax is both morally opposed to them due to slavery, and traditionally opposed, due to their former control of Andoran, they have a history as being under the control of Taldor before Cheliax, and as the biggest mercantile driver of the slave trade, Qadira is a huge idealogical target (and the fact that Osirion has slaves, even if they aren't as cruel to them as Cheliax or as financially driven to push the market as Qadira, pretty much assures that Andoran opposes everyone else).
I guess what I'm trying to say in all of this long winded post is that the factions that exist certainly aren't the only factions that have agents in Absalom, but the five factions chosen have a reason to both try to influence Absalom's politics and to push their agenda before the other factions push theirs, as there is a kind of spider web effect with the chosen factions where if they promote this, they have to oppose that, which involves X and maybe Y.
Finally, an Absalom faction, if you read the Guide to Absalom, would most likely be interested just in keeping tabs on all of the other factions. Absalom's "personality" is much more interested in just knowing that there are plots going on than actively pushing one or squashing another, and unless a given faction was on the verge of dramatically changing Absalom, or, gods forbid, endangering trade, most of the faction missions would most logically be to note other faction missions and report on them, which isn't the most dynamic of goals to consistently give out to players.