|
Repeatedly, people have written in this thread that playing the Special with an unprepared GM was preferable than not playing it at all. Do you folks really feel that way? Even when an unprepared GM, skimming over a line, can misinterpret the conditions and kill the party?
I think if it is done right....meaning both sides get to fudge a few things then yes I would love to play. If the control is taken out of the table GM's hands and he is forced into a set of rules that he does not understand or even know...then "No".
What you are describing would be unfair and impossible to do in a scored, competitive event. If your GM fudged some things your table may beat out other tables who played by the rules.
That's what makes the special tricky. I don't care if my GM modifies the chase mechanic normally, but you can't do that kind of thing in a scored event.
YES...I would rather NOT have played at all vs. having a GM reading over a TIMED scenario. As far as missing something and "killing" the party....I think even a GM who is about to kill a party member or group would go back and reread a line that would cause that.
|
|
Wondering what other people thought about this years special at gencon?? Not one of my favorites...but some of that is my fault and some I thought was the special design.
I had generic tickets so I knew that I might not get in but thought I would try. But the mustering was really a mess by us (level 3-4). The poor guy working the clip board had no idea what was going on and went back repeatedly for clarification and communication. They tried to seat all the real tickets first and then generics. This makes sense but there were no lines, no organization, no groups so the poor guy was mobbed.
I got there an hour early and stood by the muster point hoping to get in line but it seems that since there was no lines it did not matter everyone just mobbed the door and chaos ensued. (really needed a protection from chaos). The biggest issue I had..is I got there early, stood in line, checked in the muster captain (not sure what he is called) as soon as he showed up but others of the same level were seated before me. In fact at the end I was told there would be no table for me....after they seated a bunch of generics right in front of me that showed up later. I guess I should have been more pushy and really pestered the the guy. Luckily one of the other people that was not getting in was a GM (2 star I believe) and he offered to run the mod cold for the people that were left. Which was great!!!! I could not thank him enough...awesome support from the community. I got lucky...there were a bunch of lower levels that got turned away....
We had issues with some of the timed events as both the GM and the party stumbled to understand and catch up since we were seated late. But our biggest issue was a lack of party diversity, not having any skill based characters on the table. We had 2 clerics, 2 barbarians and alchemist. This made the special extremely challenging for us but I guess was the luck of the draw.
Can I suggest something for maybe future years? I like that the special are...
MUSTERING is a very odd word you guys have been choosing to use for your posts... is that word a blogging word that is used a lot or just a military phrase? The word makes me want a hot dog or a pretzel!
How about :
Synonyms
1. convoke. See gather. 1, 4. convene; congregate. 5. gathering, assembly, convention.
Antonyms
1, 4. scatter, separate.
Just a thought:) And yes I am completely joking about the word use.
Contributor
|
Jonathan, Thursty,
As a table judge, I'd like to ask: how did any given table's work help contribute to the results of Round One? I know we were handing slips up to HQ, indicating that we had run different encounters, but not whether the table had succeeded or failed at them.
What purpose did that end up serving?
The order the bidders dropped out indicated the success or failure of the room's collective efforts.
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
"I've been playing games since before you were born! Now get off my lawn!"
<3*
*This is an emoticon. It is meant to symbolize a sideways heart, and generally denotes love. In this context, the writer is likely using the emoticon to symbolize platonic affection. Emoticons are commonly used by the Internet generation to bring tone to otherwise flat typed messages.
|
Contributor
|
So, I wanted to carefully read through all the threads before I posted.
(Chris gets my special attention because, well he's pretty special. I love Chris!)
Anyway,
I'd really like to thank everyone for being involved with this years specials, showing up and playing in them and all else.
I'm glad to hear so many of you enjoyed what it is all of us are trying to do, which ultimately is to try to make a lot of people happy at once.
I feel bad that we couldn't, but I also know at this point that inevitably the law of averages is going to kick my butt and someone's going to walk away unhappy.
Especially with timed events that are going to be scored and are well, competitive.
With regard to the sheer number of "sand box" encounters in Act 2.
For those who felt like they didn't have enough time to play them all thanks for wanting to see every detail however, it was quite intentionally written so playing all of them was near impossible. For the old school D&D guys (like myself) think of it as the room in the dungeon you never went into. Everyone was scored on these encounters to determine whether or not you qualified for the second night's competition. If you felt rushed, you were supposed to. If you didn't like feeling rushed, competitive play is probably not your thing.
As far as the TPK in the second night goes, it probably would have helped to have an Overseer GM blasting out time warnings like we do in Part 1. An overseer Sheila could have easily sent a telepathic warning or something.
I hear Chris loud and clear on the GM prep thing, however nobody is perfect and sometimes it helps to have a strong helmsmen steering the ship. Big events need an Overseer.
Start together/finish together. Then there aren't issues about time.
Another thing that would have helped would be to put Night 2 in the overflow room.
HInd sight is 20/20.
Again, thanks to everyone for participating and I hope we can all do it again sometime!
Much Love,
Evil Hitch
PS. John Cary... I'm really sorry about the White Castle siege. Lets not play that LARP again.
Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
|
I was actually surprised that it wasn't.. I assumed it was going to be but once I saw those gamers coming to the room I guess I should have said something...Oooo. That would have been clever!
Another thing that would have helped would be to put Night 2 in the overflow room.
HInd sight is 20/20.
Yeah, I assumed when it was first talked about that it would be a closed doors invite only event, so was surprised to hear that they played it in the main room.
I'll add my thoughts. I played in the 10-11 tier. It was a blast. We really had lots of fun running through it. I do wish we had more time to enjoy some of the parts, because all of us had a blast playing together. Besides my cousin and I, nobody knew each other, but boy we had fun.
I never made it to part II. There were rumors throughout the con that part II was a win or die scenario. The omen should have been the chronicle sheet from part I. As has been mentioned, any scenario really has to do with the DM quality, and the group quality. My paladin of Iomedae was truly ready to die impart II if I made it. The epic chance would have been worth it.
What I would have liked to have seen, we're back-up slots available for folks that didn't make it, since it sounds like people who qualified were no-shows.
Thanks for everyone who volunteered, played with me, and paizo for a great time!
PS: Kyle, thanks for allowing my Scotty's group to be your first kill at Gencon! And also so people understand, he's one of the best DMs I've had the chance to play with.
|
|
Wondering what other people thought about this years special at gencon?? Not one of my favorites...but some of that is my fault and some I thought was the special design.
I had generic tickets so I knew that I might not get in but thought I would try. But the mustering was really a mess by us (level 3-4). The poor guy working the clip board had no idea what was going on and went back repeatedly for clarification and communication. They tried to seat all the real tickets first and then generics. This makes sense but there were no lines, no organization, no groups so the poor guy was mobbed.
I got there an hour early and stood by the muster point hoping to get in line but it seems that since there was no lines it did not matter everyone just mobbed the door and chaos ensued. (really needed a protection from chaos). The biggest issue I had..is I got there early, stood in line, checked in the muster captain (not sure what he is called) as soon as he showed up but others of the same level were seated before me. In fact at the end I was told there would be no table for me....after they seated a bunch of generics right in front of me that showed up later. I guess I should have been more pushy and really pestered the the guy. Luckily one of the other people that was not getting in was a GM (2 star I believe) and he offered to run the mod cold for the people that were left. Which was great!!!! I could not thank him enough...awesome support from the community. I got lucky...there were a bunch of lower levels that got turned away....
We had issues with some of the timed events as both the GM and the party stumbled to understand and catch up since we were seated late. But our biggest issue was a lack of party diversity, not having any skill based characters on the table. We had 2 clerics, 2 barbarians and alchemist. This made the special extremely challenging for us but I guess was the luck of the draw.
Can I suggest something for maybe future years? I like that the special are...
"Lack luster and poorly executed." That is the sentence I am using to sum up my experience with the PFS special called Race for the Runecarved Key. Where to start? Well...how about the mechanics of how it was ran....
(1) "READING" of the scenario:
Do not have someone "read" the plot to the audience/players, especially if they are NOT a good public speaker. I found that our table zoned out after the first few stumbles of the reading. ( let the DM sum it up or have the choice to read it to his table) Start with action! Not some long monologue...the intro to the scenario was BORING and not engaging at all!!!!
(2) Competence of the GM's who are running the "Special" :
Have a min of a 3 Star GM run the first slot. (Our GM was NOT organized or prepared and lacked rule comprehension that only comes with experience.)
(3) Check in:
Have the gaggle of Paizo people who seem to be up on the stage just BSing come around and check in on each table and see how things are running. ( if that had happen, we could have stressed to them how horribly wrong our experience was going!)
(4) Unneeded DRAMA:
Do not waste our time with a mock auction! LAME LAME LAME.... it was a poor addition to the "role playing" experience and boring as hell! Let the RP happen at the table not in a room filled with hundreds of players.
(5) Wasted time:
Do not make players RUN to the stage to delivery how well the group is doing! I think we had to have a "runner" leave the game six times during game play, which slowed play, flow and time for a scenario; that was key to completing tasks on time in order to go to the second round. ( again, you should have had the many Paizo people who were just sitting around up on stage, come by and collect completion slips with the raise of a hand by the table.)
(6) No CHASE mechanics:
The chase mechanics slowed down what little momentum the scenario had. Our GM opted to use the Chase cards which then had to be explained and then reexplained as we went along due to most players not knowing how they work. ( again, NOT a good place to introduce rules that are unfamiliar to players when working on a time crunch!)
(7) Get rid of the "secret" point system:
The point system was never really explained to us and once the game was done and the point system was explained... it came off as asinine. I saw all the players at my table look at each other in confusion while told how they would have scored higher if they had done A, B or C in this event.... the solutions seemed far fetch and sometimes impossible to know.
Now the good point of the special, none of which PFS was responsible for.
(1) GREAT players:
The saving grace of the night were the players I got to sit with at my table. We were all very frustrated with how the GM was running the game but the players made the best of a very bad situation. We laughed, we cried...we cried some more and then laughed again. We all learned the value of a well prepared GM, the well written story and the inclusion of many different play styles and lack of skills we surly needed in order to be successful.
I hope this post will reach the open ears of the PFS staff for next year and hopefully they will take a good look at what makes a good gaming experience and what can make for a bad one.
|
PS: Kyle, thanks for allowing my Scotty's group to be your first kill at Gencon! And also so people understand, he's one of the best DMs I've had the chance to play with.
I made sure there were at least three tables between me and any game Kyle was running all weekend, but he still managed to kill me Saturday night from something like five tables away in Special: Part II.
Special I was awesome. Special II was awesome. My main gripe for the second part of the special was communications. Knowing there is a deadline (a few hours) is one thing. Knowing that it is a literal deadline is another. Having that very important point (poorly)made from across a noisy room where lots of games other than the special were ongoing was . . . deadly.
Looking forward to the Year of the Risen Rune and Gencon 2013. Keep up the good work. Thanks to everyone involved.
|
|
Blow it all to hell. My table was full of great players.
Mustering was fun. Having the Muster Captains demand full groups first, followed by forcing players to muster themselves, is part of the experience. They are there to seat groups, not play cruise director to every single individual. There are simply not enough VOLUNTEERS to do that. Players can take some responsibility there.
The gathering of pathfinders at the beginning of Special: I was fun, like having every stinky, shiny, boisterous, mousy pathfinder in the same room at the same time.
The competitive nature demands a scoring system. It forces the event to be point driven, and typically whoever gathers the most points wins. The Specials covered a broad range of activities, including RP, skills challenges, wave-after-wave grinds, and (especially Saturday) lots of puzzles. LOVED the variety. LOVED that the point system was secret, because it keeps people from gaming the system. Just accomplish what was asked of you, the best way you can figure to do so.
Based on the posts so far, in addition to what I saw Friday and Saturday, it seems like communications (especially Saturday night) and GM preparation would be the two biggest areas for improvement. Perhaps narrowing the range of what tiers or sub-tiers a GM might prep for would help. I am just not sure what that looks like, given the nature of Gencon registration, and the fact that people are registering for the event in April but not actually sitting down to it until August. A lot can happen to a character in five months.
|
|
Check in and Wasted Time
I was the only Paizo on stage the entire night. Are you referring to the volunteers that were helping enter tracking sheets into the database, collect and sort tickets for the event, and help facilitate with counting the votes that were coming in fast and furious?
As for checking in, sure I can take that into consideration, but as the only Paizo employee in the room, and running on not having slept for more than 46 hours, I think going around to 87 tables and getting feedback from each one is a bit much.
(2) Competence of the GM's who are running the "Special" :
Have a min of a 3 Star GM run the first slot. (Our GM was NOT organized or prepared and lacked rule comprehension that only comes with experience.).
I would absolutely do that. We have approximately 120 three star or higher GMs. However, those people have to volunteer their time to GM. I can't force them to GM. And if I was to limit it to that requirement, we would only have run 24 tables that night as that is how many 3+ star GMs volunteered to GM the Special. If you have a solution as to how to make this happen, I am certainly all ears.
Most of your other issues are on the development side and I will let Mark address those if he wants.
Regardless, thanks for the feedback. I'm sorry we could not provide the quality experience you were expecting and we will try to do better next year.
|
|
"I've been playing games since before you were born! Now get off my lawn!"<3*
*This is an emoticon. It is meant to symbolize a sideways heart, and generally denotes love. In this context, the writer is likely using the emoticon to symbolize platonic affection. Emoticons are commonly used by the Internet generation to bring tone to otherwise flat typed messages.
Girly, some of us were using "emoticons" (we called them "smileys" back then) when you were in diapers. Ain't nuttin' new 'bout dat.
|
(3) Check in:
Have the gaggle of Paizo people who seem to be up on the stage just BSing come around and check in on each table and see how things are running. ( if that had happen, we could have stressed to them how horribly wrong our experience was going!)
I was one of the individual's up at the HQ. About every 15 minutes I would hit a few tables, and see how things were going. Some tables were very positive, and others were having a rough time. No one when I was making my rounds said that the writing was bad or boring. The feedback I got was 1: Did not like the competitive/high pressure gaming experience, 2: Was having a rough time due to party issues (classes and personalities, or 3: was having a blast.
Now, I personally was mostly trying to hit up my constituency (Michigan) specifically. It was a little selfish on my part, but they're the ones I know and can immediately relate with and know what feedback is valid, and which is just plain old fashioned belly aching. I did hit up any table that looked "interesting" as well, or if I knew a player there. Either way, I'm sorry I did not get to your table to hear how you felt.
I will note that I ended up being pulled to a table to cover for a GM who had to rush to the ER. It was one of my most trying scenarios I've ever run because I made a point not to read the scenario before Gencon knowing that I was not going to GM it, and may possibly get to play in it first. So, that definitely hindered my ability to try and gauge how everyone was doing.
|
To add to what Shawn was saying,
I think if next year there were tables on the outside of each "room" (A-J??) that were set up by scenario to help facilitate players that could help in matters. I also feel that blocking in the room while still leaving a small hallway between them (as WotC did for DnD Next) could help cut down on noise pollution and provide a more personal gaming experience for both the players and the GM.
Yes there was one table outside but when others, and myself, would ask questions of a volunteer they would venture into the PFS gaming hall to get an answer. I would bring the main table out in the GenCon hall especially with the perk of the "auction incentives" for players, and bidders, to see. Should this be unable to be done then at least bring it on the inside of the gaming hall right as you walk in, much like DnD did in their gaming rooms.
PFS GM's are the face of the company for some gamers, and the face of a living campaign system to others. Having a system in place, whether it be using Shawn's 3 star system or getting the recommendation of a VC/ VL in their region, should not be overlooked for the sake of filling in a facilitator at the GMing table. Personally, Special or otherwise, I think that any GM that runs a PFS scenario at sanctioned regional events where there is a VC/VL should be evaluated over the course of three scenarios to determine there rules knowledge, adaptability, story-telling, and ability to have fun at the gaming table. Otherwise, if they cannot meet this set of criteria then then can wait 2 months and attempt to try again.
There are many things that seemed to have happened behind the scenes for PFS and the PFS Special, and I do not want to sound as though I take those things for granted in the sacrifices people made to get the job done. I appreciate all the effort that was made, and all that is attempting to be done from this point forward.
The face of PFS was perhaps overlooked and compromised at GenCon and I want it to be the best that it possibly can be as I am proud to be a PFS member.
|
If it is going to be a competition, and timed, and timing can matter for scoring purposes, don't let anyone start the scenario until everyone playing that scenario is seated. Clean and simple solution.
Or just get the start and end times? Or the actual time counts for scoring but not for the big scary you die part?
|
|
(4) Unneeded DRAMA:
Do not waste our time with a mock auction! LAME LAME LAME.... it was a poor addition to the "role playing" experience and boring as hell! Let the RP happen at the table not in a room filled with hundreds of players.
I just wanted to point out that while you saw this as wasted RP it was also the ONLY way to see, at the half-way point, where your table was sitting in comparison to other in the same level bracket where you stood in comparison of scoring. That way you could pick up your game if you needed to.
Canadian Maplecakes
|
I just wanted to point out that while you saw this as wasted RP it was also the ONLY way to see, at the half-way point, where your table was sitting in comparison to other in the same level bracket where you stood in comparison of scoring. That way you could pick up your game if you needed to.
This.
|
|
I just wanted to point out that while you saw this as wasted RP it was also the ONLY way to see, at the half-way point, where your table was sitting in comparison to other in the same level bracket where you stood in comparison of scoring. That way you could pick up your game if you needed to.This.
Clint,
I wish we could have picked up something....:( There was no miracle that could have brought us back from the dead.
|
Contributor
|
I feel bad when folks like Shawn have a poop time at Gen Con, especially when they don't know what they're getting themselves into.
People don't always understand what a special is and the sign up for an event like this thinking its going to be like any other game. Its not.
There are a lot of people trying to do something at one time, which is a near impossible task.
People who have played in specials before understand that, and understand how wonky a special can be at times. People just looking for a "normal" PFS game aren't going to get it during a special. They're going to get a big crazy event
|
Contributor
|
I just wanted to point out that while you saw this as wasted RP it was also the ONLY way to see, at the half-way point, where your table was sitting in comparison to other in the same level bracket where you stood in comparison of scoring. That way you could pick up your game if you needed to.
Thanks Clint.
That was certainly the purpose. And really, the actual running of the auction went pretty quick.As far as the whole role-play thing. There must have been at least one person who enjoyed watching me get my throat slit. The whole room cheered loud enough.
|
|
I know I played harder at that point, believing that I saw 2 tables in our bracket outplaying us. I abandoned the shrine immediately not waiting for my party to finish of the assassins that were in there in order to track down the guy in the chase scene. Caught him in one round!
Shenanigans! He starts 3 cards away and disappears into the 4th before PCs are supposed to act... Or so I'm told ;-)
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
I understand the appeal of having a tremendous number of people, all participating in the same event. I do. And I really appreciate the fact that there was a lot more going on in that than beating up an Infernal Draco-lich or something. Yep, yep, yep. It was sophisticated and complex.
But
... you know ...
... maybe the Special next year could be an adventure combining five or six tables instead of 90. So there's still a sense of epicness about it, but individual characters aren't lost in the shuffle.
I've played and run "Year of the Shadow Lodge" with huge numbers of people, dozens and dozens of tables. It also works with three. And I think it works better with 3 - 6 tables.
|
|
I know I played harder at that point, believing that I saw 2 tables in our bracket outplaying us. I abandoned the shrine immediately not waiting for my party to finish of the assassins that were in there in order to track down the guy in the chase scene. Caught him in one round!Shenanigans! He starts 3 cards away and disappears into the 4th before PCs are supposed to act... Or so I'm told ;-)
Tim, I had completely forgot about you getting your throat cut! YES!!! That was a good part of the auction!
....and Tim.... you are one of the few guys I pay attention to or even know their name when it comes to Paizo. I was told that maybe the final edit of the Special was out of your hands and perhaps you had things written things to go differently than what was actually played, please tell me that might be some of the reasons why I felt it could have been better:)
I am what you call a "closet" fan of yours...and those of you who know me...know I am not really into being a FAN BOY of anything:)
Thank you for responding to the post.
Shawn
|
|
Marshal Thoughts:A couple of suggestions in this arena...
- Instruction Board - Have a board (preferably a few spread out over an area, so multiple players can read them at once) with some simple marshaling instructions. Perhaps an easel on a tripod (or three). It should have things like, "1. Please organize into groups of six players. We will be taking full tables of all real tickets first, then grabbing partial and full generic tables, if extra DMs are available. 2. Select one player from your group as a representative. Send the representative to speak with a marshal in the hall area in front of the main PS gaming room (marshals are the people in the purple shirts with the pathfinder goblins on the front). Please give them your average party level, and tell them whether you are a group of full real tickets, partial real tickets, or all generic tickets. 3. If you are unable to find a table of players to form up with, please go to..." etc. The board will help to spread the word about what players can expect, and what they should be doing.
- APL Zones - Post a sign or board at a spot in the hall where groups of players of certain levels can gather, such as 'Levels 1-2' and 'Levels 9-10'. This will help the players find each other more easily, making full tables of six players easier to accomplish. Be sure to include a note about this in the Instruction Board.
I would like to second these suggestions. When I was asked to muster this is exactly what I instructed the players to do. From years of experience coordinating many, many events and conventions this works. I zipped through mustering in no time. I even had a couple people make comments on its efficiency. My only hold up was waiting when I was allowed to sit generics.
I saw people taking a personal approach to filling seats. This shouldn't happen. The person mustering cannot be held responsible to make balanced parties. Without guidelines for the players a mob will result and the person mustering will become overwhelmed.
I would like to add guideline #4: have a cut off time when a player is considered late. I don't know if GenCon has rules about this but someone who arrives over 15 minutes late and expects to be seated creates a huge disruption for those who arrived on time and ready to be sat. If possible within GenCon rules, if a person is 15 minutes late his ticket becomes a generic.
One point I would clarify in the above suggestion #1 is to have the person mustering clearly understand when he can sit generics. For example, if all real tickets are pre-mustered and sat then he can move to real/generic hybrid tables at 5 minutes after the hour. Then at 10 minutes after the hour all generics are assigned tables, if available, and any late arrivers with real tickets automatically become generics.
The clipboard with DMs names, tier level, etc. worked well. It would help though if the DMs checked in at the mustering area and provided their PFS ID. All that is needed, in my opinion, is incorporating these suggestions as a model and making it better using constructive feedback from this thread.
|
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
|
In a couple of weeks time, we'll be able to report back how well Rise of the Rune Carved Key works with 12 tables (and a double-length slot to take off some of the intense time pressure, and allow time to explore more facets of the scenario). And "Blood Under Absalom" with a slightly smaller number of tables (also in a double-length slot).
I've been trying to avoid spoilers for this year's special - I'm hoping to be able to play in both of the offerings. But I have seen a few posters expressing regret that they had to rush past possibly interesting diversions, so I'm optimistic that the additional time will be put to good use.
|
|
I know I played harder at that point, believing that I saw 2 tables in our bracket outplaying us. I abandoned the shrine immediately not waiting for my party to finish of the assassins that were in there in order to track down the guy in the chase scene. Caught him in one round!Shenanigans! He starts 3 cards away and disappears into the 4th before PCs are supposed to act... Or so I'm told ;-)
I did the double Card move, but on his turn when he disappears into the fourth he rolled a 1 on his advancement, I guess he GM forgot to cast a spell? But with my boots of Haste I advanced to the same card and Grappled him. But I just went with what my table GM said, if it was played incorrectly, then I didn't know it.
|
|
I just wanted to point out that while you saw this as wasted RP it was also the ONLY way to see, at the half-way point, where your table was sitting in comparison to other in the same level bracket where you stood in comparison of scoring. That way you could pick up your game if you needed to.(4) Unneeded DRAMA:
Do not waste our time with a mock auction! LAME LAME LAME.... it was a poor addition to the "role playing" experience and boring as hell! Let the RP happen at the table not in a room filled with hundreds of players.
Additionally,
There were options (if you made it that far--basically if you made it out of the Cathedral within a couple rounds) in part II, where you could earn tons of extra key points by fighting wave after wave of beasties.
|
|
I would like to add guideline #4: have a cut off time when a player is considered late. I don't know if GenCon has rules about this but someone who arrives over 15 minutes late and expects to be seated creates a huge disruption for those who arrived on time and ready to be sat. If possible within GenCon rules, if a person is 15 minutes late his ticket becomes a generic.
This X 1000
I'd rather seat generics who arrive on time than real tickets who arrive late. I think this goes for any slot, not just the special.
|
|
(3) Check in:
Have the gaggle of Paizo people who seem to be up on the stage just BSing come around and check in on each table and see how things are running. ( if that had happen, we could have stressed to them how horribly wrong our experience was going!)I was one of the individual's up at the HQ. About every 15 minutes I would hit a few tables, and see how things were going. Some tables were very positive, and others were having a rough time. No one when I was making my rounds said that the writing was bad or boring. The feedback I got was 1: Did not like the competitive/high pressure gaming experience, 2: Was having a rough time due to party issues (classes and personalities, or 3: was having a blast.
Now, I personally was mostly trying to hit up my constituency (Michigan) specifically. It was a little selfish on my part, but they're the ones I know and can immediately relate with and know what feedback is valid, and which is just plain old fashioned belly aching. I did hit up any table that looked "interesting" as well, or if I knew a player there. Either way, I'm sorry I did not get to your table to hear how you felt.
I will note that I ended up being pulled to a table to cover for a GM who had to rush to the ER. It was one of my most trying scenarios I've ever run because I made a point not to read the scenario before Gencon knowing that I was not going to GM it, and may possibly get to play in it first. So, that definitely hindered my ability to try and gauge how everyone was doing.
I was at the table Daniel jumped in on to help out. Up until the point of our GM having an emergency the table was having a good time. Daniel did a great job trying to cope with GMing a mod he had not prepared and was just thrown into.
Thanks again Daniel!
Nathan Meyers
PFS NYC GM/Player
|
Was your table "Too Many Bards"? (I think that was the name.) One of my friends ran that group thru the 1st part. He had a blast with that group.
This year was my first GenCon and first time playing Society (although I have been playing Pathfinder in general since Beta). My soon to be hubby and I played together and had an incredible time (can you say nerd pre-honeymoon?).
Mustering was not much of an issue for us. It did look chaotic, but I admit that we jumped some of the volunteers about 30 minutes before the event with a full group and landed at table #2. We were grabbed by four other people who were friends to complete their group and it ended up being really great. Everyone had experience with the game and were really cool.
Our group won top of our tier (1-2) for both events and walked away with Goblin boons. The event itself was really different for my sweetie and I. We come from a group that tends to run a little slower (aka extremely RP heavy). This fast paced and timed event was a refreshing change. The sense of urgency really got us hyped up, and many high fives and hugs of relief occurred.
For the second part we had Mike Brock DM for us, which we were all excited and terrified for. He did an amazing job (and on very little sleep!) and convinced one of our players to hop on the dragon's back (to his death). We lost two players in part #2 and narrowly escaped with, maybe, two minutes left. It was wild!
I, personally, had a wonderful time. The new people we met and the deep sense of urgency gave me the experience of one of the best games I have ever played with Pathfinder (Carrion Crown being a close second). I am moving to Baltimore in a few weeks and will have a few PFS options there. I will certainly get more deeply involved with Society after this event.
Prepare thyself for the Goblin Queen! And good luck to the DM who will be getting our Goblin party next year!
|
|
Putting in moral dilemmas was a conscious decision. Don't like having to make difficult choices? Don't play a paladin. There were several morally acceptable ways of accomplishing the same tasks, they just weren't obvious.As someone who wasn't there, part of the complaint was GMs who wouldn't let those "non-obvious" methods fly.
...which is a table variation issue, I know. But time-pressed, competitive events aren't a good place for this kind of thing.
One of the core rules in the PFSGtOP is to reward creative solutions. If a GM can't tell the difference between a softball and a creative solution, they should ask for help.