NEW to PCS

[Klokk]

So.. Just starting up with this PCS stuff. Myself and another are going to swap off being DM, so one of us dont end up "eating" all the adventures.

That said, this evening ill be DMing the First Step part 1 and maybe 2.

What I am wondering is there any certain Order to go through the http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/scenarios/sanctioned? or is it just kinda willy nilly pick one of whatever level range you need.

Something on the lines of an adventure pack?

Appolgies if this has been covered elsewhere, never been too good with search functions.

Thanks

[Harley Quinn X]

If adventures are meant to be played in some sort of order, they usually will have a "Part X" on the name. The First Steps series is an exception to this in that they don't have to be played in order to make sense.

Other than that, it's a pick-whatever-sounds-appealing type of affair. There are some scenarios which deal with similar topics that people like the go through in order. For example, some scenarios involving the Blakros Family like Mists of Mwangi, Voice in the Void, Penumbral Accords, and Echoes of the Overwatched.

In season 3, there are scenarios that are tied to the Year of the Ruby Phoenix metaplot, and those show up with a red phoenix emblem in the top-left corner of the scenario picture.

EDIT: Here is the link to the proposed list of Season 2 scenarios with metaplot, mentioned by Fromper below.

[Fromper]

In season 2, there were a lot of adventures tied to the Shadow Lodge metaplot. There have been threads listing those, if you want to look them up.

[Pirate Rob]

Wolvyn_Ansol wrote:

So.. Just starting up with this PCS stuff. Myself and another are going to swap off being DM, so one of us dont end up "eating" all the adventures.

Note that in PFS the GM will earn gold/prestige etc (everything except boons) from adventures that they run, and are not prohibited from later playing the adventure as well.

[Jiggy]

Wolvyn_Ansol wrote:

So.. Just starting up with this PCS stuff. Myself and another are going to swap off being DM, so one of us dont end up "eating" all the adventures.

Looks like your question got answered, but regarding the above, are you aware that you can get credit for GMing? The GM gets a chronicle sheet for the scenario just like everyone else does. He can apply it to any legal character he has (at the appropriate subtier for that character, regardless of subtier played) and get full gold and prestige (but no boons).

So unless you're running repeats or something, you don't have to worry about "eating" the scenario. :)

[Harley Quinn X]

I'm guessing he's referring to the cost of purchasing the scenarios. Then again, people could just pitch in to a "Scenario Fund."

[Klokk]

i was talking physical cost of adventures at 10 bucks a piece, my scratch off ticket wining is only worth 5 adventures :) Ill be paying the whole thing other gm just lost his job./

[Purple Fluffy CatBunnyGnome]

Wolvyn_Ansol wrote:

i was talking physical cost of adventures at 10 bucks a piece, my scratch off ticket wining is only worth 5 adventures :) Ill be paying the whole thing other gm just lost his job./

modules are 10, scenarios are 3 ...

[Harley Quinn X]

Sorry to hear about your GM's recent misfortunes. However, pricing may need to be cleared up.

The sanctioned Modules (which are usually played over 2-3 or more sittings) cost about $10 for a PDF. Even though the link you posted does have "scenarios" in the URL, they are considered different from scenarios.

The PFS Scenarios (which are generally just one sitting) are $4 for the PDF.

That may help with the financial burdens. Some people stick to Modules for price efficiency (If you play over three sessions, that's about $3.33 a session) but you lose out a bit as far as Prestige Points. Others do Scenarios only for fear of missing out on Prestige Points per level, etc.

[Eric Clingenpeel]

There's also the ability to gift pdfs to others if you know their account name. I've done this in the past when one of our GMs wanted to run, but didn't have the funds.

[Mike Mistele]

David Montgomery wrote:

The sanctioned Modules (which are usually played over 2-3 or more sittings) cost about $10 for a PDF. Even though the link you posted does have "scenarios" in the URL, they are considered different from scenarios.

The PFS Scenarios (which are generally just one sitting) are $4 for the PDF.

Just to add a bit more clarification:

"Sanctioned modules" are Pathfinder modules which Paizo has written and released for general play (i.e., they aren't specifically written for use in Pathfinder Society play). They exist in hard-copy format as well as PDF. There are several of these which can *also* be used in PFS play (that's what "sanctioned" refers to). As David notes, they're generally longer than a traditional PFS scenario, which is one reason why they cost more.

"Pathfinder Society scenarios" are adventures which Paizo has written and released specifically for PFS play (though there's nothing preventing you for using PFS scenarios in a non-PFS game). They generally only exist in the PDF format, and are usually written to fit into a more constrained time (generally around 4.5 hours), so that they can more easily be used for conventions and retail play.

[Klokk]

Does it matter what Season I choose to bring the crew though? as in have to start at 0, then 1 and so one or is it possible to mix and match however desired?

THanks again for the answers. so quickly.

[Eric Clingenpeel]

Nope, any season you'd like to run them in. Just make sure to note they changed things in season 3, so the older seasons need a little tweaking for faction missions (not changes to the missions themselves, just which faction gets what mission. Its all in the Guide to PFSOP).

[Harley Quinn X]

No need to start in a certain point or even go in order. Feel free to pick and choose whatever sounds interesting. You can do a Season 3 scenario one meeting, and then go back to Season 0, then Season 1. There's no order prescribed. As Eric said above, since some of the factions aren't available in earlier scenarios, see "Adapting Previous Seasons" on page 24 of the Guide to Organized Play for mappings between new factions to the older ones.

[Klokk]

sounds great, many thanks. basically 2 scenarios a level?

[Harley Quinn X]

Three. Each scenario gives 1 XP. You level up every 3 XP you earn. I hope you and your group enjoy PFS!

[Jiggy]

Wolvyn_Ansol wrote:

basically 2 scenarios a level?

Actually, it's 1 XP per scenario and 3 XP per level.

EDIT: Ninja'd.

[Harley Quinn X]

Jiggy wrote:

Wolvyn_Ansol wrote:

basically 2 scenarios a level?

Actually, it's 1 XP per scenario and 3 XP per level.

EDIT: Ninja'd.

Muahaha. *poofs into cloud of smoke*

[Jason S]

Personally I'd stay away from most season 0 scenarios. Eventually you'll get disappointed and think something is wrong with PFS in general. A lot of things have changed and been fixed since then.

Also, (non-updated) season 0 scenarios are using D&D 3.5 rules.

[Thorkull]

There's no pre-set order for scenarios to be played in, however:

1. There are significant plot changes (adding 5 new factions -- including the Shadow Lodge) in Season 3 that makes them stand out in contrast to the previous seasons.

2. Season 0 was written with the 3.5 ruleset and requires some minor adjustments. Also, the combats tend to be easier than the later seasons as a result.

3. If you play the First Steps series, be aware that you can only play them at level 1, so you should knock all 3 of them out first.

4. There is one other series (Season 1's "The Devil We Know") that requires you to play parts 1 & 2 before playing 3, and part 3 before playing 4.

Welcome to the Pathfinder Society!