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Hi all -
I actually really try to make sure I'm well read up on the modules before running them.
So I've read the entire module, reviewed the faction missions, and marked where in the mod they are to get their 'reward.'
So from that I write an intro for each faction for each module. They never give anything away - but when you're handed a book to deliver, a letter to deposit or whatever, I say that you get an envelope with another envelope, or a book is handed to you.
These are usually as your leaving the lodge and heading to the mission. Usually plenty of time to do this. So far I've only seen one faction mission that takes place while getting your mission from the faction sector leader (a newer module revolving the Grandmaster Torch).
Here's a random example:
Andoran - A military woman, calls out to you as you pick up supplies. Turning around you see an older woman, with the rank of corporal from Andorans military. She holds papers - she passes them to you and says "your newest orders, sir" - she then turns and walks away.
Sure, your players aren't in the military or in some other aspect of the Andoran forces, but it just gives a little something extra.
For Cheliax, I usually have a 'slip' (derogatory term for a Halfling slave) come up to the PC and say something like - my master offers to beat me for your pleasure if you'll permit me to wipe the dirt from your shoes. Without waiting for a reply he bends to clean your shoes and you notice a note (book or other) left behind.
For the Osirion faction - at last years NeonCon there was a player that played an Ulfen warrior. He was decked out in the narliest Cheliaxian gear, yet he was a member of the Osirion faction. So I've written how this huge Ulfen in Cheliaxian colors comes crashing through the market and 'bumps' into the Osirion player. Demanding an apology or some other thing, he offers a letter/bag of coins/whatever in exchange.
For the Taldor faction - well I sometimes use my PC as the deliverer. It's Goldfrapp the Naked Taldoran Trebuchet. Halfling 1st edition style Bard that rides his Lioness and likes to be naked (it helps that I have a full drawing of him in most of his 'glory') that delivers the note for the Glory of TALDOR!
I've run a bunch of modules and try to keep the delivery as fresh as possible. It really just takes a bunch of creativity to do it. Heck, I think sometimes I've spent longer on getting the faction missions up to snuff than reviewing and preparing the entire module.
Hope that gives you some ideas on presenting the faction missions. Personally, I think it's rather lame as it is now. The factions are a secret war, one the leaders of the Society don't really approve of. As such, how are you to get those missions, as it seems that it would be unlikely that the leader of the lodge would give them out. Then, if you don't want your faction known, it's hard to pass it off if the lodge commander passes them out. So I like the annomonyous aspect that I try to provide (except, I suppose when I have a naked Halfling describing the Taldan glory and passes out a mission).
So I'll be following this thread to see how others pass out faction missions.
Theocrat Issak
NeonCon 2010 Pathfinder Coordinator
November 4-7
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Cheliax, an invisible imp lands on your shoulder and whispers your mission into your ear.
Andoran, like a swarm of locusts, street urchins suddenly surround you begging for spare coppers. They leave as quickly as they came. When you check your coinpurse you find it still there to your relief, but a slip of paper has been added.
Qadira, depending on the day of the week you received your Society assignment, you visit one of seven rug merchants in the Foreign Quarter's bazaars. The merchant instructs you to inspect the quality of his many wares, pointing out in particular a fine camelhair rug from Katapesh. Between the fourth and fifth rug you feel a slip of paper woven into the fibers, exactly where it is supposed to be.
Taldor, definitely should be fun to involve the Temple of Calistria and the sacred prostitutes who work there. Depends on the players at the table. Also could involve picking the mission up at a drop point under a seat in the opera.
Osirion, should involve a gravesite or a funeral.
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We have a local player of a barbarian who rarely completes his faction missions, as he complains that they scribble those "pictures that talk" on paper and expect him to understand them (which he doesn't, being illiterate). I assume his faction leaders would get these instructions to him verbally, knowing his limitation, but I don't really have any justification in the rules for that. I agree that the "faction mission delivery" is fairly vanilla, and I appreciate the ideas presented by the folks in this thread.
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We have a local player of a barbarian who rarely completes his faction missions, as he complains that they scribble those "pictures that talk" on paper and expect him to understand them (which he doesn't, being illiterate). I assume his faction leaders would get these instructions to him verbally, knowing his limitation, but I don't really have any justification in the rules for that. I agree that the "faction mission delivery" is fairly vanilla, and I appreciate the ideas presented by the folks in this thread.
Pathfinder Barbarians no longer suffer from being illiterate. Its simply no longer something they have.
Now if the player wants to declare himself illiterate and play it that way, more power to him.
JP
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We have a local player of a barbarian who rarely completes his faction missions, as he complains that they scribble those "pictures that talk" on paper and expect him to understand them (which he doesn't, being illiterate). I assume his faction leaders would get these instructions to him verbally, knowing his limitation, but I don't really have any justification in the rules for that. I agree that the "faction mission delivery" is fairly vanilla, and I appreciate the ideas presented by the folks in this thread.
I have encountered many players with reading disabilities who don't understand what the faction mission is looking for. Taking them aside and verbally explaining it to them might be a great help. Unfortunately there isn't always time to do this for each player. And I don't often have the patience.
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Why do so few people bother to read Seekers of Secrets now that it's out?
Because reading and digesting yet another book is a higher barrier of entry to play.
I'm not judging one way or the other, I'm just responding to your question: it's because most players think that basic understanding of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook is all you need to play in the Pathfinder Society. If you told everyone that they needed to fully read and master the PS Player's Guide, as well as Seekers of Secrets, there would be fewer players. So many (perhaps most) PS players haven't read it and may not even know it's a requirement to do so (as they aren't fully conversant with the PS Player's Guide, either).
Thanks for pointing out the illiteracy switch between 3.5 and PFRPG! I'll let my player know his character suddenly understands those "pictures that talk."
Why do so few people bother to read Seekers of Secrets now that it's out?Because reading and digesting yet another book is a higher barrier of entry to play.
I'm not judging one way or the other, I'm just responding to your question: it's because most players think that basic understanding of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook is all you need to play in the Pathfinder Society. If you told everyone that they needed to fully read and master the PS Player's Guide, as well as Seekers of Secrets, there would be fewer players. So many (perhaps most) PS players haven't read it and may not even know it's a requirement to do so (as they aren't fully conversant with the PS Player's Guide, either).
But everyone who wants to be a regular member of PFS play should be required to read the Guide or they are going to end up making illegal characters or making mistakes with the rules that are different in OP from the Core rules. The first thing I would ask all my players at a table is if each of them has read the player section of the Guide, and if not, then they would be given a copy to skim through before things started. Also, Seekers of Secrets is a Core book for PFS, meaning the GM is required to have a copy at the table and not the player, unlike the additional resources, where the player is required to have a copy and not hope that the GM just happens to have it. That said, it has been posted elsewhere, including by Joshua, that most PC's do not go through the usual requirements detailed in Seekers for membership in the Society. There are others ways to gain entry, such as the method used in Master of the Fallen Fortress. I won't say what it is for those still avoiding spoilers about it.
As for the original question, using some sort of faction mission intro is fine if you are running at home, where your time limit is more flexible, but when you are running in that tight 4 hour limit, even if you only take 5 minutes per player to intro the mission to them and you have 6 players, then that is a half hour of play time lost.
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Also, Seekers of Secrets is a Core book for PFS, meaning the GM is required to have a copy at the table and not the player
Not to derail the thread, but you are mistaken about something critical.
Pathfinder Society Organized Play assumes that every player has a copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, a copy of Pathfinder Chronicles: Seekers of Secrets—A Guide to the Pathfinder Society, and that every Game Master has the above plus a copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary.
Yes, but Josh has said that if you show up to play but do not have a copy of Seekers, you can still play. To me that means the player does not have to own a copy to be allowed to play. Heck, if GM's were as strict with that rule as you want to interpret it, then most new players would never try the game if it meant they had to go and buy not only the Core Rulebook, but also Seekers, before they could even sit at a table and try the game.
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Yes, but Josh has said that if you show up to play but do not have a copy of Seekers, you can still play. To me that means the player does not have to own a copy to be allowed to play. Heck, if GM's were as strict with that rule as you want to interpret it, then most new players would never try the game if it meant they had to go and buy not only the Core Rulebook, but also Seekers, before they could even sit at a table and try the game.
I'm not saying to turn anyone away, but you know that. Neither is the Guide. It does however intend that you own said book and are familiar with it's contents. So to pretend like it's not part of the rules is wrong. To understand there are real implications to ownership of said book, and not every player will have it is fine. To explain to someone else what the Core Assumption is incorrectly is not.
The game I'm running tomorrow I bet zero players will own SoS. It's not going to stop me from running it. It's not going to stop me from expecting them to know the material it covers. It's not going to stop me from suggesting they buy a copy.
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I think in regard to the Seeker of Secrets we have to be careful not to appear elitist. Don't get me wrong - I think a long term player at some stage should read the book. But if I would only allow players who read the book at my table I would end up with ZERO players in a 100 I'm radius around me.
Step 1: convince old RPG players or even gamers never having played before a RPG to try out Pathfinder and especially the Pathfinder Society
Step 2: convince them to come back to the table
Step 3: convince them to get a copy of the core rulebook for themselves
Step 4: encourage them to go to other events apart of my own table
Step 5: get former game masters to try out game mastering a PFS game
Step 6: encourage them to get the Seekers of Secrets and other fitting background material about their character and about Golarion to fit in
I'm not saying all the steps have to be done in exactly this order. And if you have some old OP veterans who already have played Pathfinder then starting with the Seeker of Secrets might be even a sensible start.
But you need to ensure not to scare away new players. I haven't yet GMed a single game above tier 1-2 (and I just got my first star). For a lot of players at my table it was their very first PFS game. A lot of them played with the PreGens. I eve n have two Core Rulebooks to share at the table for players who don't yet have the rules.
Yes - once they come back most buy their rulebook. It seems to coincide more or less with reaching level 2 - also depends a little bit on available income.
For the Seekers - I will encourage them once they reach level 3 or above. Once I can assume they are committed. But I certainly don't start with this as a requisite
Thod
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For the Taldor faction - well I sometimes use my PC as the deliverer. It's Goldfrapp the Naked Taldoran Trebuchet. Halfling 1st edition style Bard that rides his Lioness and likes to be naked (it helps that I have a full drawing of him in most of his 'glory') that delivers the note for the Glory of TALDOR!...
Something tells me he hasn't quite grasped the concept of the 'secret war'...
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Somewhere on these boards, Josh has stated that Seeker of Secrets isn't all PFS. There is/was a post regarding languages and how some players don't speak Taldane (common) because they're Kellish or something. I used the Grand Lodge Slang from SoS as 'proof' that all PFS members should be able to speak to each other. Josh said that the fluff in the begining of the book doesn't really apply. So no, there is not Grand Lodge Slang language that all PFS members can speak, there was no real three year test or other aspects of the book.
As for the value of SoS for a PFS player - I think it is important. However, at my monthly Vegas Game Day's several of the players do not even have a Core Rule book. But being that I've back in October we had 1 GM and 2 players and July's Game Day had two full tables for two sessions, I think I've grown it quickly. Making players have the rulebook and SoS/AA or any other book just doesn't always work. Esp. here in Vegas with an official 14.5% unemployment rate (which is much higher, because all those that are no longer getting benefits are not counted - and I'm one that's been out for 2 years). So we make due, for the furtherment of the Society as a whole. Plus I have an extra copy and most have at least a PDF.
Be Well.
Theocrat Issak
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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I've invited players to come up with creative ways for them to get their facton mission briefing.
One player decided that there was a book in the library, almost never checked out, that always held his mission.
Another player decided that she received her mission briefings through message, or through coins that whispered to her when she jingled them and held them up to her ear.
A lot of players tie their mission briefings into their day jobs.
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I've invited players to come up with creative ways for them to get their facton mission briefing.
One player decided that there was a book in the library, almost never checked out, that always held his mission.
Another player decided that she received her mission briefings through message, or through coins that whispered to her when she jingled them and held them up to her ear.
A lot of players tie their mission briefings into their day jobs.
Now this I like! I think I will introduce this idea to our players this weekend.
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Now this I like! I think I will introduce this idea to our players this weekend.I've invited players to come up with creative ways for them to get their facton mission briefing.
One player decided that there was a book in the library, almost never checked out, that always held his mission.
Another player decided that she received her mission briefings through message, or through coins that whispered to her when she jingled them and held them up to her ear.
A lot of players tie their mission briefings into their day jobs.
I like this too and now I feel lazy as a GM, usually I just pass out the faction missions while the sign-up sheet goes around so that the players can familiarize themselves with their missions while I am setting up. I need to rethink this, but it really has to be something that doesn't use up too much time because I am almost always on a schedule when PFS is involved.