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Hey everybody, got a question I need help with. I usually run the adventure paths but have recently gotten into running Society games. The group I will be starting with is for the most part newbies. My plan is to make a "loose" campaign out of each season. Now I know that Season 0 is somewhat unbalanced and some are retired, but I will be running it as a campaign and not a society so I will probably run the retired scenarios. I guess my question comes down to "What is the best order to run the scenarios in for maximum story effect by season?" I have seen similar posts about this but I am more curious about doing it by season. I know some changes will have to be made to make it more campaign like, but I just need to know the best order to run them in. I got all of season 0 and season 1 and will be getting season 2 and season 3. Thank you in advance for any help I can get.
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Why would you do this to anyone, much less newbies? If you run a non-PFS campaign of PFS Scenarios you are robbing your players of the ability to play them for the actual PFS experience.
By experience, I mean the play experience, not credit or chronicle sheets.
While PFS play might not be your cup of tea, it could be for the inexperienced players and you are chewing up limited resources for them. I'd try to make a campaign out of the older 3.5 modules, 3rd party material, or even the Sanctioned Modules before I burned PFS scenarios.
But to answer your question:
If you are dead set on running by season just run them in numerical order. Try not to skip backwards in a single season while leveling, but be aware that certain plot points may be missed by not playing the higher or lower leveled scenarios in a season.
There are a few threads about running scenarios in a campaign order, Drogon's post on campaigns should help you a lot.
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The main reason is because we will be meeting sporadically and they have zero interest in actual society play. I originally brought up the idea of adventure paths but they are worried of the time gaps that may occur in between sessions, where as the scenarios are a bit more self contained. I do have a good chunk of the modules and was planning on integrating them in. I know this may not seem popular to some people but I have already played most of the seasons and just thought it would be neat to make a "loose" campaign based on PFS scenarios.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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PlagueWind, I'm running a PFS-legal "home campaign," to see what it's like. One of the best parts of the campaign has been the "Venture Captain's Help Wanted" board. During the week, between game sessions, I send everybody a list of the three options for the next game session. The players decide which mission they want to take.
For example, after "The Citadel of Fire", I posted:
When you arrive back in the Pathfinder lodge at Gurat, there is a message
waiting for you from VC Adril Hestram: "Our Society has lost one of our greatest
assets. The venerable venture-captain Targos min-Katheer has passed away, from
unknown causes. We are seeking an honor guard to accompany his remains from the
small city of Lopul, in southern Qadira, to the capital city of Katheer, in time
for the installation of the new venture captain. You are the closest team of
Pathfinders to Lopul, and you've proven yourselves capable of handling such a
mission. If you were able to discover the cause of my old friend's death, I would
be obliged to you."
If you decline, you can examine the Venture-Captains' Job Board back in the
Grand Lodge:
VC Dennil Hamshanks: Seeking a competent party of Pathfinders to travel to the
Verduran Forest and negotiate the recovery of an artifact from a hostile little
band of gnomes.
Also on the board is a slip of parchment with the following scrawled on it:
"Team of agents needed to avenge Wittlestone and recover stolen relics. Travel
to Diobel and wait at The Tails for further instructions."
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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PlagueWind, I'm running a PFS-legal "home campaign," to see what it's like. One of the best parts of the campaign has been the "Venture Captain's Help Wanted" board. During the week, between game sessions, I send everybody a list of the three options for the next game session. The players decide which mission they want to take.
I am doing something similar for my group. I started off with them being hired to explore the Fallen Fortress ouside of Absalom. Afterwords they were asked to join the PFs. I have been trying to run Absalom based scenarios and they have only ventured outside of Absalom to Cassomir (Devil We Know). They are only 3rd level, so they haven't done many adventures yet, but I have a plan to run them as long as they survive, which has been close a few times. Unfortunately, they are experienced players and have managed to miss out on a date with Pharasma.
I introduce a little roleplaying between scenarios to hook them. But I think I will steal Chris' idea for the mission board.
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Using PFS scenarios as part of a larger campaign, or one shots outside of normal PFS play is a perfectly viable way to enjoy PFS. The strengths of PFS play are obvious (short, very loosely connected adventures work great with irregular groups), but let's face it...the very rigid system and required paperwork, while absolutely needed for organized play, are drawbacks for most. If someone wants to throw those aside, use their own rules and the such, but run these scenarios in another context, then I say, "have fun!" :) Just keep in mind (and let your players know) that if they move out of town, to a convention, etc., their characters won't be legal for official play. For some, that won't matter.
And then there's always my old post.