As a new GM, I'm considering getting some of the older scenarios to fill in the tables. My only concern is that I see some of them have been retired. I'd hate to get a scenario and spend the time preparing it (I use a lot of visual aids for myself and the players) only to have it be made unusable the next week.
So my questions are:
1. Why does a scenario get retired?
2. Is there any warning that I scenario will be retired?
|
As a new GM, I'm considering getting some of the older scenarios to fill in the tables. My only concern is that I see some of them have been retired. I'd hate to get a scenario and spend the time preparing it (I use a lot of visual aids for myself and the players) only to have it be made unusable the next week.
So my questions are:
1. Why does a scenario get retired?
2. Is there any warning that I scenario will be retired?
You shouldn't have too much to worry about. A few year 0 scenarios were retired but I haven't heard anything about any more retirements to come. In fact some of the year 0 scenarios are set to be updated to Pathfinder rules from 3.5 rules used for year zero.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The former PFS Campaign Manager Josh Frost was not willing to discuss the criteria he used to choose which scenarios to retire. Likely he didn't want to debate about it. Hence, we can only speculate on the reasons. My presumption is the scenarios that were retired suffered from poor reviews by the community. Also, some of them had other issues.
Blood at Dralkard Manor had a reputation for killing a lot of 1st level PCs with a 5-die shocking grasp followed up by a 5-die lightning bolt. Odd how that happens.
Skeleton Moon likewise suffered from an ill-considered encounter that left PCs trapped in a collapsing tower with a huge assassin vine blocking the exit.
Other retired scenarios simply had zero role-play or mystery and were just a series of combats with a thinly veiled cover story. Stay of Execution suffered from a lack of development and might have been a great scenario had it been fleshed out.
I've tried to link the retired scenarios back to their original threads so you can read up on them in case you're interested.
#10: Blood at Dralkard Manor
#15: Asmodeus Mirage
Retired from play on March 29, 2010.
#9: Eye of the Crocodile King
#18: The Trouble with Secrets
#21: The Eternal Obelisk
Retired from play on May 24, 2010.
#11: The Third Riddle
#12: Stay of Execution
#19: Skeleton Moon
#25: Hands of the Muted God
Retired from play on November 15, 2010.
For some reason, I thought that there was also an issue with how well some of them would convert from 3.5 D&D to Pathfinder, i.e. if you used the equivalent creature from PFRPG instead of the 3.5 creature it would be much more deadly.
But I'm probably misremembering.
|
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
#06: Black Waters was announced for retirement, but the great love the playerbase has for that scenario reprieved it from the chopping block.
I'm guessing that Hands of the Muted God, which played with what gods had and hadn't ascended from the Starstone, got a little too close to Golarion lore that the campaign-setting folks have kept vague.
I still think #9: Eye of the Crocodile King is a fun scenario. In the right circumstances, I'd be happy to run it for a group that doesn't care about PFS Chronicles or credit.
Good info, thanks. I'm seeing that only Season 0 scenarios have been retired so I'll chalk it up to getting the bumps out of the system.
I had thought that the conversion would be a factor, but honestly anything 3.5 can be converted by reworking stats or swapping critters. It just takes work that Mike probably doesn't have time for. Still, that's not a reason to retire something (more like an addition to the to-do list).
I had thought that the conversion would be a factor, but honestly anything 3.5 can be converted by reworking stats or swapping critters. It just takes work that Mike probably doesn't have time for. Still, that's not a reason to retire something (more like an addition to the to-do list).
Here's the background on my confusion:
There's a thread somewhere where a player describes a game where the GM converted a 3.5 Huge monstrous centipede to a PFRPG Huge monstrous centipede. Unfortunately, if you use the PFRPG monster advancing rules on a PFRPG (Medium) giant centipede, you end up with something way tougher than the 3.5 version.
I thought that was The Third Riddle, but upon further reflection Third Riddle uses
Director of Brand Strategy
|
There are no additional scenarios we plan to retire in the immediate future. Were we to retire more, we would give the community as much notice as possible so that no one felt blind-sided after purchasing something and finding themselves unable to run it before its retirement date.
There are no additional scenarios we plan to retire in the immediate future. Were we to retire more, we would give the community as much notice as possible so that no one felt blind-sided after purchasing something and finding themselves unable to run it before its retirement date.
That is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks Mark.
