Faction missions: Handouts vs Scenario

[Shieldknight]

Okay, this came up in our game session tonight.
For rewarding PA, does only one character have to do the faction missions, or do all characters have to do some of them? I know that sounds confusing, but I’m not sure I can phrase that any better without giving spoiler info.

spoiler:

Playing #51 City of Strangers Part 1: It specifically says at the end of the scenario that “PCs from the Taldor faction who insult Dakar and take the beating earn 1 Prestige Award.” Does this mean that every PC from the Taldor faction has to take a beating, or can they all earn the PA if just one of them takes it for the team?

Also, sometimes the message the PC gets from the faction does not quite spell out everything and even though the PC has done what they believe the message said to do, they didn’t do it correctly or they didn’t do it at all.
For example, say a PC is told in a faction handout to deliver a note to a NPC. However in the scenario it specifically says that the note must be delivered without anyone else noticing. But it doesn't say this in the handout. Does the PC get the PA if they gave the note in full view of all the other PC's? Or do they miss out because they didn’t do the mission the way the scenario required, "secretly", despite the fact that the faction handout said that the NPC just needed to receive the note, nothing about how to deliver the note?

This has come up before as well and so I was just trying to clear it up.

[Sir_Wulf]

Such situations generally need to be decided on a case-by-case basis. If one PC accomplishes the mission while others assist, their faction leaders can be expected to approve. If one accomplishes the mission while others fail to help, the others aren't likely to "score any points" (figuratively AND literally) with their faction leaders.

Regarding the other topic, I have written missions that require the PCs to use more discretion and initiative than their faction handout describes. Not everyone agrees with this approach, but there is no substitute for careful judgment in the field.

[Tom Baumbach]

I was under the impression that if one PC accomplishes the faction mission, all PCs for that faction get credit. Not so?

[DarkWhite]

1) If one character successfully completes their faction mission, then all characters of that faction receive the point, correct.

2) Where a faction handout and the scenario conflict, eg such as a faction handout says to perform a task, but the scenario says to perform the task without others observing, then in the interest of fair play, I'd grant the player their faction point, because they performed the task in good faith according to their given instruction.

[Herald]

Tom Baumbach wrote:

I was under the impression that if one PC accomplishes the faction mission, all PCs for that faction get credit. Not so?

I'll back that up too.

[Chris Kenney]

I'll back that up as well. I will also say that, in the real world, there really isn't enough time to run faction missions that are more complex than the absolute straightforward. Players have to jump on the first solution presented and trust that their handout is an accurate description of the situation.

I also haven't run across a single case where the handouts and the requirements are different where this is spelled out in the final module - that's not complexity, it's shoddy writing, editing, or both. I understand that PFS is at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of time that can be dedicated to it, and because of that the modules will not always be up to a standard of perfection. But because of that as a GM I will always assume that when there is a mismatch it is an error and give it to the player.

It's just a case of OOC realities intruding on the game.

[Sir_Wulf]

Chris Kenney wrote:

I'll back that up as well. I will also say that, in the real world, there really isn't enough time to run faction missions that are more complex than the absolute straightforward. Players have to jump on the first solution presented and trust that their handout is an accurate description of the situation.

Beggar's Pearl Spoiler:

Spoiler:

One of the missions in Beggar's Pearl requires faction members to bring back an item from a fugitive murderer, making it possible to target him for magical vengeance. Unfortunately, the man is innocent: He was framed and the faction leaders aren't aware of the true situation. Those speaking with the NPC and his allies may notice that the description given in the faction handout strongly contrasts with other characters' impression of the man, giving a clue that not all is as it appears.

The scenario stated that those who simply grab an item without checking further don't get the faction point, as the faction leaders eventually discover that they were misled. Some players and GMs felt this was unfair, correctly pointing out that the party may encounter the suspect late in the scenario, when they're rushing to wrap up. They may not have time to roleplay that much.

In that situation, I recommend that the PCs receive their faction point, even if they didn't meet the letter of the written requirements. They're trying their best, their actions limited by the time available for the scenario.

[Sir_Wulf]

Tom Baumbach wrote:

I was under the impression that if one PC accomplishes the faction mission, all PCs for that faction get credit. Not so?

Speaking only as a humble GM, I'd generally rule it that way. I'd make an exception for faction members who actively obstruct their peers in ways that would get back to the faction leaders.

[Chris Kenney]

Sir_Wulf wrote:

Chris Kenney wrote:

I'll back that up as well. I will also say that, in the real world, there really isn't enough time to run faction missions that are more complex than the absolute straightforward. Players have to jump on the first solution presented and trust that their handout is an accurate description of the situation.

Beggar's Pearl Spoiler: ** spoiler omitted **

Further Beggar's Pearl Spoiler

Spoiler:

I'm aware of the module. The problem is, in the real world, you've placed it in with a block of two other faction encounters. The GM's going to give the party, as a whole, two to five minutes to interact with these people. Said GM is given no indication, in the NPC's text that anything is amiss. I've played the module once and seen it run twice, all with GMs who had plenty of chance to prepare, and none of them caught that issue.

Which yes, is an issue. The GM isn't given how to run the encounter properly, so it's sloppy writing or editing. Every Qadira member involved got the faction point because this sort of thing happens in PFS modules often enough that it was assumed to be an error.

You also included, in that same encounter, a Cheliaxian mission that you assumed would be 'hard' because it created some kind of a moral dilemma. The problem there was a presumption that you know who the players are. No one's had a problem turning the letter over, because the hints that this might make you a horrible person, again, aren't in the module itself. Plus, of course, Cheliax is the faction that's most likely to attract characters who just won't care.

So the end result isn't an elegant little bit of morality play, but players all eager to get through their own mini-encounters with a harried GM who, far more often than not, is just pressed for time who doesn't understand why his players aren't making a bigger deal out of this OR who is desperately wondering what's wrong with these people that they aren't following the module.