Faction mission unclear

[The Grandfather]

Reading scenario #29 it quickly became appearant to me that there are discrepancies in some faction missions between the what the letter/handout says and what the faction mission section at the end of the scenario says.

E.g.:

Chelliax faction members must free a contact and secretly deliver a letter (acording to the handout). The faction mission states nothing of secrecy.

In general, what should we assume to be correct the faction mission section or the handout?

[Doug Doug]

The Grandfather wrote:

Reading scenario #29 it quickly became appearant to me that there are discrepancies in some faction missions between the what the letter/handout says and what the faction mission section at the end of the scenario says.

** spoiler omitted **

In general, what should we assume to be correct the faction mission section or the handout?

Although it can be the source of a lot of grief if there's an inconsistency, the Faction Mission success conditions at the end of the scenario trump whatever may be written on the mission handout itself. It can't hurt that a PC takes pains to complete their mission undiscovered. Logically they should always be concealing their actions when working on a mission. But if they aren't a stealthy class even simple missions can be very difficult. Often it's the thought that counts, and sometimes it's more entertaining.

If the conditions for success at the end of the scenario don't jive with what the Faction Mission handout appears to ask for, it is fair to explain the mission to the player in different terms. Don't just tell them they failed out of hand. Give them a fighting chance. Keep in mind that some missions are supposed to be difficult and you should not be giving away the points. Make the players work for them. I suggest that if you know it comes down to a skill check that they have no chance of making, give them a warning that it will be very hard for them to succeed at. Ask them if they would like to role-play through the attempt for a circumstance bonus to their roll. If they miss a point once in a while it is not the end of the world. Sometimes players will think of creative ways to complete their mission if they lack the skill set needed, or are unable to make the DC. Reward creativity. But always remember if players earn points because the GM handwaves them through their mission, it really cheeses off other players who had to work to get their point.

I know that was more than you asked for, but the boards are slow today and I felt chatty :)

[The Grandfather]

We had a 0 slot yesterday and it shows there is one more of these inconcistencies in #29.

E.g. :

Qadira faction members are asked to destroy the captain's log of the Prancing Prince. But the faction mission section states the award should be given if the objective is achieved secretly (which the players could not posibly have known as it was not explicitly required in the handout).

Has Josh commented on such issues before?

[The Grandfather]

This thread needs to be moved to Pathfinder Society GM Discussion.

Thanks

[Doug Doug]

The Grandfather wrote:

We had a 0 slot yesterday and it shows there is one more of these inconcistencies in #29.

** spoiler omitted **

Has Josh commented on such issues before?

Josh has commented before but no scenario has ever been edited after release due to Faction Mission inconsistencies. Most of the time ruling on the inconsistencies is left to the GM's discretion.

[Larry the Crook]

I would definitely say that the Cheliax player gets two PA, and probably also the Qadira players.

[The Grandfather]

Larry the Crook wrote:

I would definitely say that the Cheliax player gets two PA, and probably also the Qadira players.

I am sure you would... Chellaxian mongrel;)

[Joshua J. Frost]

Moved.

In general, I leave such decisions up to the GM. I can see wherein the confusion lies, though, and will keep such wording in mind as I develop future scenarios.

In the future, let's try to keep all discussion of a particular scenario from a GM perspective in the scenario's particular thread in the GM Discussion forum for Pathfinder Society. That way rulings/decisions/etc. can all be found in one place for a scenario.

With the new paizo.com search feature, finding a thread should be easier than ever. :-)

[Mikado67]

i had a problem this weekend with my taldor faction mission...it said get a dog beg borrow buy or steal one...i figured easy enough...id buy one but of course the scenario said for the gm you had to make an animal handling check so the beg borrow buy or steal was out the door. Also i noticed that the baron cant sign his name correctly he doesnt seem to like the letter "C"

[raylyynsedai]

Mikado67 wrote:

i had a problem this weekend with my taldor faction mission...it said get a dog beg borrow buy or steal one...i figured easy enough...id buy one but of course the scenario said for the gm you had to make an animal handling check so the beg borrow buy or steal was out the door. Also i noticed that the baron cant sign his name correctly he doesnt seem to like the letter "C"

As a Gm i would explain to you just aquiring the dog was not enough you needed a willing dog. I would adjust the DC according to the method you obtained said dog. Bought would make a lower DC, borrowed would be slightly lower depending on the starting disposition of the dog and its owner to you. steal would be harder, dogs are loyal and just wont go with anyone who snatches them. other modifiers could be applied through rp. (dogs favorite treat, a chew toy... etc.) basically the point is the AH check is to make sure that the dog is more than a snarling mass in a cage useless to you (or your faction)in the future.

As to the letter C name a noble that does not have a personality quirk ;)