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I am looking to start running some PFS games and have a couple questions on getting started.
1: Is the GM required to have a character in order to apply the GM rewards to at the end of a session? At this time it is doubtful that I will actually be running a PC for a good while as no member of my group will even consider being a GM (PFS or otherwise).
2: Do the seasons / scenarios have to be played in any particular order? Such as Season 0 start to finish? Or am I right in assuming that as long as the group meets the requirements for a particular module, that module can be played at any time within the campaign?
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1. You can apply them to any PFS character slot number, even if you don't have a character made yet. The credit will sit there and will be immediately applied when you do decide to make a character with that number.
For example, you GM First steps part 1, 2 and 3 and assign all the credit to your PFS number (12345 in this example) and to the "first" character slot, thusly: 12345-1. If later you finally get to play, you can make your character (let's say a level 1 fighter). Upon creation, those GM credits apply immediately, giving you 3 xp and leveling your character to level 2, even before your first game.
2. Scenarios can indeed be played in any order you wish. As you have probably already seen, seasons 0-3 have a few multi-part scenarios where it does benefit you and the group to run them in order. But even those are not REQUIRED to be played in order at all. You can start with any scenario you want.
Of course, if it's your first time GMing PFS, a lot of us are going to recommend you start with the "First Steps" series of scenarios. They are free, easy to run, and very fun.
Good luck!
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Yeah, I have a level 5.667 GM credit character right now. I decided around level 3 for him that he would be a wizard (I'll probably start playing him now, he's a "slow" specialist, and I didn't want to play him until he actually had the slow spell).
As long as you haven't played it yet, it really doesn't matter whether you even have a character concept in mind. It's one of the neat perks of GMing...you get a character that gets full prestige, no danger of dying, and full gold every single scenario until you start playing them (and even still you can keep giving them GM credit after if you wanted), and in addition to all that you get it while having a great time being a GM! Pretty nice deal if you ask me.
Although, I guess technically one thing you need to know is what faction the character will be, since you have to report that along with it.
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Another point to consider is that you don't HAVE to take GM credit the first time you run an adventure. If you are not ready to take GM credit the first 3 times you run a game you can wait until the 4th or even a later run before taking GM credit for the adventure.
Though, most adventures you may only take GM credit once.
And when you do take GM credit, you must apply it to a specific character number when you report the event. Holding a Chronicle sheet and deciding which character to apply it to later is not allowed.
However, if the character you choose is not within the level range of the adventure you must "hold" the Chronicle sheet until the character reaches the lowest level of the adventure before adding the sheet to that character's stack of Chronicles.
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So essentially, and this an extreme case, I could strictly GM an never apply any GM credits to any character and this would never be an issue? If I decided only to take credit on characters I create and actually play, the GM rewards would just fly off into nowhere, and that would be acceptable?
Call me odd, but I like the idea, personally anyway, of only applying session credits to a PC that was played and earned it. At least in my own PC collection.
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So essentially, and this an extreme case, I could strictly GM an never apply any GM credits to any character and this would never be an issue? If I decided only to take credit on characters I create and actually play, the GM rewards would just fly off into nowhere, and that would be acceptable?
Call me odd, but I like the idea, personally anyway, of only applying session credits to a PC that was played and earned it. At least in my own PC collection.
Then that is fine. You are welcome to GM as much as your heart desires without taking a single chronicle sheet as credit.
I usually take them when I GM because my sweet spot for playing characters is levels 4-9 or so. GM credit lets me begin playing characters at level 3 or 4 pretty easily.
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Stewart, while you don't have to take credit, you might want to look at this form another angle, the one that GM credit was actually designed to cover: What happens when someone else steps up to GM?
If you don't take credit, you are forcing all the other players, 3-5 of them, to have to start new PCs, whether they want to or not.
If you do take the credit, you will have a PC who is at, more or less, the same level as those of your players, so the new GM steps in, and everyone gets to keep playing their normal PCs.
It is, of course, your choice, but it is something to keep in mind, and maybe discuss with your players, along with the idea that, eventually, it would be nice if one (ormore!) of them were to step up and GM.
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Stewart, while you don't have to take credit, you might want to look at this form another angle, the one that GM credit was actually designed to cover: What happens when someone else steps up to GM?
This.
I like GM credits because another GM and I alternate. If it wasn't for GM credits, we would lag behind the rest of the group.