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The Core Rulebook, The Pathfinder Guide to Society play and the Pathfinder Society Field guide, plus whatever scenario(s) you wish to run are all that is required. The Field guide is $9.99 as a pdf from paizo. Scenarios as $3.99 each. If a player wants to use something that is not in these three resources, it is THEIR responsibility to show you the resource, it is not yours to own it.
Note that Season 4 scenarios have included other material, but as a GM you can use the Pathfinder prd to look up what you need in order to prepare your game.
Problem players happen, but don't spend too much time worrying about it until it actually happens. The majority of players are awesome or only need a little prodding to be awesome; the few problem children (as I call them) show up from time to time and they have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. I find that a quick announcement at the beginning of the game like "OK everyone, we have a limited time (4 hour slot) here, I am not going to accept long arguments in the spirit of keeping the game moving. If there's a disagreement, I will make a ruling and move on. Most of the time it doesn't matter and we can look it up later. If it is possible that it will lead to scenario failure or player death we will take more time" or something to that effect. That often keeps the rules lawyer types from being too much of a problem, and if they start, I just remind them that we need to keep the game moving.
Scenarios typically last 3-5 hours depending on the scenario. There are also modules available that can run anywhere from 5-12 hours or so. And yes, someone has to buy them. $3.99 apiece can usually be covered by perhaps asking the players for a small donation or your FLGS to buy the modules for you. If you like the idea of a longer arc, there are several story arcs in the scenarios and there are modules. I have found, though, that one of the reasons people like organized play is that they can drop in and out as their schedules permit, so sometimes keeping a group together long enough to run a story arc or a module isn't always possible. I try to schedule them on the same day if possible.
My first bit of gming advice is to download the Guide to Organized play and READ IT. Then read it some more. Most of what you need to know is covered there, including generally what is legal and what is not in organized play, how to fill out chronicle sheets, etc. For the most part everything you need to know is there. Good luck!
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Well I'm sure the great and the good of PFS will be along in a while with some good advice.
The core assumption of PFS is that every GM has access to three books. The Pathfinder Core Rulebook, The Bestiary and The Pathfinder Society Field Guide. Those three books are a must and you should start with them. Later on I would say that Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic Bestiaries 2 & 3 and (especially) the Advanced Players Guide are very definitely high on your purchase list.
As a GM you have every right to refuse to run for a disruptive player. Personally I would give players every chance before you sanction them in any way. If you have an issue you should speak to the LGS owner as he/she may have some input.
Each scenario lasts 4-5 hours depending on how fast you run. There is nothing stopping you from asking for 50c or a dollar to cover scenario costs from your players so long as the LGS owner knows and approves. Generally one scenario is good for one session.
As for scenario choices I'd recommend First Steps 1, 2 and 3 as these are good intro scenarios.
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Wolfblood,
Dorothy has some great advice for you! VCs and VLs are readily available to give you a hand and there are a lot of prep threads.
That being said, here is what my ideal starter kit would be:
Prices are approximate from either local big box store or online retailer:
STUFF TO MAKE MAPS AND TAKE NOTES
$25 total
- Two blank Paizo flipmats ($15/ea)
- Two packs of Vis-a-vis wet erase markers ($5/ea)
- Two packs of Bic mechanical pencils ($3/ea)
- Pack of mini legal pads ($2/ea)
- Two cheap "dollar store" mini white erase boards ($1/ea)
STUFF TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOU AND BAD GUYS ARE ON THE MAP
$50 total
- Fantasy Flight Tokens, Red ($3/ea)
- Fantasy Flight Tokens, Blue ($3/ea)
- Fantasy Flight Tokens, Gold ($3/ea)
- Fantasy Flight Tokens, Silver ($3/ea)
- Fantasy Flight Tokens, Green ($3/ea)
- Pathfinder Beginner Box minis ($12/ea)
- Box of Starburst candy ($1/ea)
- Bestiary Box ($25/ea)
BOOKS
$115 total
- Core Rulebook ($35/ea)
- Bestiary ($30/ea)
- Advanced Player's Guide ($30/ea)
- PFS Field Guide ($15/ea)
- PFS Guide to Organized Play, printed and bound ($5/ea)
DICE AND SCREEN
$35 total
I have BAGS of dice. I would say you need at least eight sets, preferably all different colors. $4 to $8/ea. Chessex is my favorite maker, and Noble Knight and Dark Elf Dice have both been excellent to deal with. Dragonchow is where I buy my bags.
I'd say drop $10 for the Pathfinder screen (it's decent and has some useful tables, but the XP chart and treasure chart is stupid and useless) and spend the other $25 on plain, opaque Chessex dice.
Total: $200.00
That's what I use three times a week as a VC and it has served me very, very well.. It's a bit of an investment but I think it's very minimalist.
The blank flipmats allow me to draw four maps and have them ready to go, the wet erase doesn't smudge and I can draw the maps, add area effect spells, keep track of stuff, etc.
My two dry erase boards would be marked up with non-eraseable Sharpie to make (1) a combat tracker [rounds, init, turn, etc] and (2) an effects tracker [conditions, HP, etc.], which is then marked up with wet erase.
FF tokens are great for items (treasure chest, fire in a warehouse), large numbers of bad guys (undead, goblins, townspeople, etc.), whatever.
BB minis are perfect for PCs that don't bring a mini.
The starburst are there for risers.. Fly effects, I'm on a horse, etc.
Bestiary box covers the monsters.. Even if it's a B2, B3 bad guy, at least you have correctly sized bases and can say "This whatever is really a something". You get the idea.
Core assumption is included..
Pretty much everything you would need. ^_^
O.o Starburst for bad guys... hrm... what you kill, you eat?
That's just evil! I like it. :) I've asked my group to offer suggestions.
But that is not the reason I am posting, and questions I have very much pertain to a n00b GM starting Pathfinder Society.
I will be hosting my 3rd game as a GM, my 4th PFS event. I can only hope that I inspire other GM's to step forward within my group so maybe I would have a chance to play.
Regardless, I am strongly considering following up Pathfinder Society Scenario Intro 3 with fetching the latest PFS Scenario up for sale to date. I am *still* trying to get my act together, and I *still* consider PFS as more an experiment in achieving my goal of an entertaining night with my wife and friends as opposed to an unpaid job as an intern for other people to be entertained at my expense. Meaning... I'm not clear if I can sustain this, and I'm not entirely clear if I would want to. So subscribing is not in the Deck-of-Many-Things for me today.
I am displeased that the Scenario Intro 1 had a large map I could not purchase at all, and I had to rely on my ink printer and money to create the map. I purchased a useful dungeon map for Scenario Intro 2, and that event went rather well even for dropping the cash for the map. I don't mind dropping money on *A* map I can use for other things in the future.
Scenario Intro 3 had four maps, three of them are out-of-print, all of them are separate packages instead of something crazy like having two PDF purchases supply all four maps.
I am considering a 'fix' that amounts to sucking the maps out of the freebie PDF, using GIMP to create the grid and a "coloring book" outline of the map objects, printing it on 9 thick sheets each, using colored pencils or crayons to color it in instead of bleeding expensive ink, and otherwise making usable maps that, while not 'professional' looking like the game master flip-mats, and not as 'nice' as if I spent $9 on the PDF and another $20, totalling $29 PER MAP of FOUR to get a nice print out, they would all look nice and appear consistent and be reusable for other things later. But it annoys me as a new GM (never-mind as a new player) that the 'freebie' Scenario suggests maps that are out-of-print and will cost me $29 EACH to create and STILL not be double-sided with all the maps I pay for.
Could Season 5 please please PLEASE build a new "Intro to PFS" series that actually... I dunno... suggests Flip-Maps that Paizo probably currently *sells*? The idea of the Intro series is a good one when the entire group, including the GM is flatly clueless of PFS, factions, and why anyone should care. The execution, however, is lacking and if Season 5 changes factions, the current Intro series will become outdated offering factions that no longer exist.
Related to this issue... if I simply buy "whatever latest low-level PFS Scenario" the week before I finish the last one I have done, can I trust that the maps they want us to use are actually in print for us to purchase? I want a professional appearing game. I want to convince my friends and family I do this for a living, even if they know I don't. As a player, I do not really care for, "Give me 5 minutes while I scrawl this thing on the blank flip-mat. Don't worry, it won't take much longer than the other three times I've done this already today."
I only have one blank flip-mat, it's the one from the Beginner Box. If I only had ONE huge map to worry about, I'd go ahead and draw it out ahead of time and have it ready for the game, I wouldn't bother posting in this forum. I'd put extra effort into having that ONE map look 'pretty', as if I cared about what I was doing and made it the best I could with what I had.
The third in the Intro series has me nervous. What is the current state of Scenarios? Do I really have to choose between, "I suck so you get to enjoy Theater of the Mind" or "Paizo thinks I'm made of money, and they are right?"
BTW, why did I say "new Scenario week before the one in the can"? The last two games I did had the cover page very nicely printed for the scenario to come so they had some idea of what was coming. I want my friends and family to have a reason to come back. I want to set the expectation from that cool cover image so they have to see what it is about.
I just need Paizo to help me keep PFS affordable while maintaining the illusion of professional quality on my games so I can afford to keep coming back. I'm not really made of money. I just want to convince my friends and family that I get paid to do this, and they get to enjoy it free-of-charge.
So do the CURRENT seasons offerings on low-level Scenarios provide some middle ground between, "I'm too poor to pay attention" and "I love to bleed money?"
Sorry, if I had a super-power, it would be talking people to death.
Oh, and going through this pain of making 'coloring book' images of the out-of-print maps, I suppose the .SVGs are not legal for posting in the shared resource drive... bah, why even ask. Saving someone else the pain of this sort of thing, why even think of it?
The reason I *picked* Pathfinder over 3.5e was because I hated the thought of using material no longer supported by the company and having to either wait and scour used book shops, hoping someone was selling at a price I could afford, or 'stealing' PDFs because the material was unavailable at any price. THAT is why I went Pathfinder.
I just have to learn to lower my expectations.
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If you posterazor the maps they are ok to post on the shared drive.
PFS can get expensive, just like any other hobby out there, depending on how much you put into it.
I understand and share your frustration with some of the large custom maps, my work around has been to find afforable flipchart style graph paper pads (5 pads of 50 sheets for 30 + shipping)**, I've invested in some markers and colored pencils and draw the maps out ahead of time as I too hate the break in game flow so a new badly drawn map can be done.
there are also alternatives in game paper (I think 5$ a roll) both options are cheaper than flipmaps and mappacks if you're scrambling for money and cheaper than massive printer ink purchases.
Each scenario is written using the current maps that they are selling, so the older the scenario, the more likely you are that the flipmap might not be available just something to keep in mind.
** there should be a link for the website I use for the graph paper in the shared drive under the helpful resources link, if it's not there let me know and I'll add it
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Romaq
Welcome to Pathfinder Society Organized Play. I understand your desire to make your games look the best that they can. Really I do. I remember last year while living in the "triangle" area of North Carolina, (Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill), I was looking enviously at a 3d terrain sett up a friend of mine made....he even had the pirate ship down to scale....and he was bringing it to Gen Con to run. I watched another one of my friends produce these beautiful to scale color maps that he had pulled directly out of the scenarios and printed.....oh the icing on the cake were the custom magnets for the combat initiative tracker pad. He would make you your own magnet for your character that you could keep and give to a GM for his combat initiative tracker.....
Well all I had to "show for myself "was a blank flip map and some wet erase markers.....but people still wanted to play at games i was running...I think they had fun.
"I suck so you get to enjoy Theater of the Mind" or "Paizo thinks I'm made of money, and they are right?"
I am going to say, Paizo knows we are not made of money....so they practically give us a professionally written edited full color with maps scenario for 4 dollars ( ok 3.99). Thats it.
I know some excellent suggestions have been made up thread on how to defray those costs.
Now the "Theater of the Mind" has been keeping us gamers entertained for decades. The nice thing about it is that there is no special effects budget! none! I only picked up using maps and minis about 7 years ago when I moved from New York City to Vermont. The gaming groups in New York I was a part of didn't use minis and a map....It was only when I moved to Vermont that I ran into using minis and a map.
I have a suspicion that the "Theater of the mind" you experience while playing a role playing game like D&D/Pathfinder is what Video games have been trying to emulate for decades.
I don't think they are there quite yet.
I think the most important question to ask is this: Are you and your friends having fun?
If the answer is yes....what does it matter if you have a "steelSquiere" plastic template for your fire ball or if you are using orange fuzzy pipe cleaners for a template for your fire ball (I do)?
"I just want to convince my friends and family that I get paid to do this, and they get to enjoy it free-of-charge."
I am afraid my friend I just don't understand this sentence. We are all volunteers here. Venture Captains, Venture LTs, and players.....none of us gets paid.
I understand how we all want our presentations to look great. But remember if you are having a good time.....all are having fun the rest will fall into place. So let me just wish you the best of luck with your games.
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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O.o Starburst for bad guys... hrm... what you kill, you eat?
Yep. Starbursts are good, because they are the right size to fit in a grid square.
Personally I, at my own expense, supply custom made "mooks & minions" which are pre-printed with a little "m&m" logo. I'll have several different colours available at the table, so it's fairly easy to keep track of what each one represents.
I have, on occasion, had to number individual bad guys (using a dry-erase marker). It has been my experience that if you have younger players at the table this is not a deterrent; they'll still eat a fallen foe.
"I just want to convince my friends and family that I get paid to do this, and they get to enjoy it free-of-charge." --Romaq
By that, I mean that I want to put together my best, top-notch work.
As a player, I want 'wow'. I suppose it is because I come from the video game background. I want to *see* and *hear* things, or at least have sufficient verbal description I can feel immersed like I do when I'm reading a book or playing a video game.
Given that expectation as a player, and that I can see how it *can* be done using high quality maps, 8x10"s of the faction heads, background music and sound effects, that's the level I have pegged for *me* to produce a game.
I'm also trying to be mindful of time. I can 'front-load' dropping a blank map with a pre-drawn setting. I don't have the experience or the talent, and I do not want to waste the time of my players while I try to sketch The Waterfront Tavern as the fourth map of the night done that way.
If I could drop the cash, and then drop the Flip-Mat of the tavern as well as the other three maps, that would hit the bar I have set, the bar I would expect as a player. Again, I'm a n00b player. I have not had 25 years of "theater of the mind" to have that expectation as either player or GM.
So at this point, I find I can suck the maps out and it is trivial to have GIMP do a 'line art' version of the maps, faintly, in black ink. I'll then go with colored pencil and fill in the line work keeping walls heavy, doors visible, important features clear and then developing my artwork skills with the rest.
I will have to learn to pace things and acquire them as I have time and money in the same place. I *do* hope another "Intro" series is done for Season 5 to keep up-to-date with the rumored faction changes. I also hope they are mindful in the development series that "stable, long-term useful maps constantly kept in print" are likely better choices than maps they are not going to keep alive for more than a season, that the n00b GM is *likely* starting out with Beginner Box pawns and flip-mat, maybe offer a Paizo-short-url with tips on how to create a "WOW" game on a short budget. Perhaps a 'munched' version of the ideas here.
The idea of using wrapped candies as "I don't have these pawns" has me pumped with "WOW", and it has the players from my first two sessions excited also. I'm going to work on those maps. I did ask my wife about getting the PDFs of the maps at $9 each. "$40 in pdf maps and you still have to do all that work?" Eh, yeah. Uhm... no, I'll just suck it out of the PDF, print the black link lightly to find my marks, and go from there. I'll also keep scanning this, and I do thank you for your support and encouragement.
I don't want my friends and family to think they are playing some weird form of Monopoly/ Risk/ Battle-Chess using quirky dice rules and a home-made board that gets swapped out to keep it 'interesting'. I don't want them to even really 'see' the map. I want them in the adventure. At least, as a player, that's the kind of game I would like to be playing.
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If you replace the starbursts with self drawn paper minis, you not only train and encourage your kids (and adult friends) artistic skills giving them a boost in self-confidence, but you also break the vicious circle of giving them addictive sweets that are bad for their health, destroy their teeth and make them fat as a positive amplification which they will probably have to deal with for the rest of their life.
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If you replace the starbursts with self drawn paper minis, you not only train and encourage your kids (and adult friends) artistic skills giving them a boost in self-confidence, but you also break the vicious circle of giving them addictive sweets that are bad for their health, destroy their teeth and make them fat as a positive amplification which they will probably have to deal with for the rest of their life.
Yeah, and replace the game with a strict exercise regiment so one day they could be the Governor of California.
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If you replace the starbursts with self drawn paper minis, you not only train and encourage your kids (and adult friends) artistic skills giving them a boost in self-confidence, but you also break the vicious circle of giving them addictive sweets that are bad for their health, destroy their teeth and make them fat as a positive amplification which they will probably have to deal with for the rest of their life.Yeah, and replace the game with a strict exercise regiment so one day they could be the Governor of California.
Probably a combination would be best there. With the barstarz movement and Mark Lauren you have excellent adresses for exercise. Then introduce Pathfinder in different languages to your kids and they will become really clever. Some math is already included^^
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If you replace the starbursts with self drawn paper minis, you not only train and encourage your kids (and adult friends) artistic skills giving them a boost in self-confidence, but you also break the vicious circle of giving them addictive sweets that are bad for their health, destroy their teeth and make them fat as a positive amplification which they will probably have to deal with for the rest of their life.
Ken,
Don't forget that Starburst made in the US has gelatin in it.
I suppose since you could make do with a 1" square /anything/, you could make baked tofu squares:
Recipe
<spoiler>
http://www.thekitchn.com/try-this-baked-tofu-74358
Baked Tofu
1 (16-ounce) block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce or other marinade
Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Set it on a clean dish towel (or paper towels) on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a handy can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 - 30 minutes.
Cut the tofu into pieces. You can do cubes for croutons, sticks for dipping, flat squares to layer on sandwiches, or any other shape you feel like.
Put the cut tofu in a shallow dish, cover with marinade, and let sit for 15 - 30 minutes. Flip the tofu a few times so the marinade is absorbed evenly. The longer you let the tofu sit, the deeper the flavor will be.
Pre-heat your oven (or toaster oven!) to 350-degrees. Cover a baking sheet (or toaster oven insert) with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick spray. Cook the tofu cubes for 10 minutes and then flip them over. Continue cooking and flipping every 10 minutes until the tofu is as baked as you like it, 20 - 45 minutes total.
Then, to work off the tofu, you can do the following:
While seated, hold your Core Rulebook with both arms over your head for 30 seconds, then rapidly tap your feet on the floor, football-drill style, for 30 seconds. Rest. Repeat 3-5 times.
</spoiler>
Back to the thread, however, I find that all of the uses of Starburst mentioned here are well worth the $1 price tag. ^_^
I am displeased that the Scenario Intro 1 had a large map I could not purchase at all, and I had to rely on my ink printer and money to create the map. I purchased a useful dungeon map for Scenario Intro 2, and that event went rather well even for dropping the cash for the map. I don't mind dropping money on *A* map I can use for other things in the future.
This is why I love two blank flip mats in my bag.. The maps are easy to draw for the most part if you have enough time, and they are infinitely recyclable.
It's old school gaming at the best. Anybody who decides to "roll their own" for maps NEEDS to read Map-Fu by Chris Perkins.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/4dmxp/20120209
Master the techniques in his article, and you'll never want for maps again.
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"I just want to convince my friends and family that I get paid to do this, and they get to enjoy it free-of-charge." --Romaq
Before I give the "GM on the Cheap" List, I would like to state that being a GM while a show, is a show that you can build on your own terms. When I started GMing almost two years ago, I only had the Pathfinder GM's Guide, and the Intros adventures. Luckily for me, I had a great FLGS that let us borrow their own wet-erase map and markers to borrow. Needless to say, I've come a long way and I have Paizo to thank for it. But it wasn't cheap, and something I bought up front, it's taken me two years to get what I use today, and I am still adding to it.
Short version: Buy when you can, and where you can afford it. Stick to your budget and not your dreams. The point of an RPG is to use your imagination, and let that take point, not how perfect you can draw a map. Cause I can tell you now, many of the BEST GM's in Pathfinder Society, can't draw maps perfectly for their lives.
That being said, here is my list of a GM's toolbox on the cheap!
Disclaimer: Although I am pro-Paizo, you can find some of these goodies on the cheap at Amazon, or at your local office supply shop. Some of these things you can also get in bulk at Costco/Sams Club as well.
SOCIETY ADMINISTRATIVE ESSENTIALS
- Two blank Paizo flipmats ($15/ea)
OR
Cheaper option--When I was at con recently, one of my VL's bought a large presentation Post-It Note grid pad. For about 15-30 bucks you get a 1'inch grid map with at least 100 sheets! And if you want to reuse it again, you just rip it from the pad and roll it up! Great for Blakros Museum adventures!!
- Two packs of Vis-a-vis and/or Expo Dry Erase ($5/ea)
- One pack of Bic mechanical pencils/pens ($3/ea)
- Pack of mini legal pads ($2/ea)
- Post-its!!!For secret notes or keeping count of things
($2-5)
- Index Cards! For Table tents, initiative, etc. Size of choice may vary!
STUFF TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOU AND BAD GUYS ARE ON THE MAP
- Bestiary Box ($25/ea)-- It's one of the best boxes for those of us who are not big mini owners.
-Starbursts ($1/ea)---Great on the cheap. And delicious.
BOOKS: On the cheap, it's better to go PDF or utilize the PRD. If you have apps, use those too! But hardcopy wise these are my big three:
- Core Rulebook ($54/ea)
- Bestiary ($30/ea)
- PFS Guide to Organized Play, printed.
You can buy a GM screen and dice on your own terms. You can use an older one if you find one as well.
All in all, this is about $100 if not less if you already have some of these supplies in your personal stash. Good luck friend!
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Thank you. I did purchase the Paizo GM screen, and I have been able to pick up some other goodies from the local game shop. There's a Freebie Table Tent PDF for PFS.
I will see how well I can do with my approach to creating the maps using colored pencils and an outline of the map sucked out of the PDF. I will also be very deliberate in doing a copy + paste of the PDF text portions, then munching the text into a script. I want to keep it flexible so I can drop unnecessary blocks. I don't want to "wall-o-text" bore people to death with reading. For that, they can just read my posts in the forums here.
But the last run of the series is very much more "theater of the mind", save for the four maps.
I do hope Paizo will do a Season 5 'update' to the Intro to PFS series, and I do hope they will work with the authors to have it 'budget conscious.' In addition to being a good intro to PFS players, a bit of love towards the GM just starting out would be a huge help. Sticking to Beginner Box (or at least Bestiary 1), having the FIRST scenario maybe using the dungeon of the BB flip-mat, touches like that would help a great deal.
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Romaq,
Your best bet if you're running a society game is to not mess with the actual format of the scenario. The "walls o text" are meant to give information to the players and provide them with a basis on which to make their decisions. Taking that out means that they don't have all the information and means that they are going to end up with a very different game than anyone else in society play -- which is the opposite of what organized play is about.
There are DC and other information in the intervening blocks of text that can help you when the players begin to get creative, dropping them, again, means that the game is going to be different.
I realize we are all presenting a restrictive view of PFS, however, Paizo and the coordinators have created the rules for us to follow and while they might seem strict at first; if you can work within them you'll find that they are more helpful in the long run than constantly butting your head against them.
I think the idea you have for creating outlines and coloring them in for the maps is a good one
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"The point of an RPG is to use your imagination, and let that take point, not how perfect you can draw a map"
I think Lady Ophelia has summed what I was trying to say in one sentence. Its all about imagination. RPGs are about inspiring your imagination and in turn inspiring the imagination of your players as well.
I like the starburst idea....using them as large minis......I may steal that for my next game this weekend....you can eat what you kill...priceless :D
Again Romaq I wish you luck, and please keep the questions coming.
Thank you. The green-shaded "say this this way" text I would keep in. The problem I have is with the black text, something like the following:
The PC's stumble upon the bear. What they don't know is that the bear is an evil sorcerer in disguise.
That black text often useful information to convey, but I don't want to call "The PCs", "You PC's stumble upon a bear pooping in the woods, what do you do?"
I want to 'use my imagination' as to what they see and how they encounter what is described in the black text without the stumbling-fumbling, "You P... er, I mean your group stumbles upon the Sorc... er, that's not right. A bear pooping in the woods." When I'm trying to describe the scene set in the black text (as opposed to reading the green text somewhere else on the page) I hear myself sounding like I'm flailing away trying not to drown. I don't like that.
I've also had fun with things like, "If the PCs defeat the bear, they may notice the shiny diamond in the rough. DC 15." I had trouble in the black text where I'm talking about the shiny diamond in the rough and then... ARG! I mean, everyone roll perception check... GAH!
So I'm looking at a script that has the DC 15 up front followed by consequences and fleshing out a script, even having that script telling me to grab certain things up front to have ready before presenting them:
PREFETCH fake uncut quartz
DC 15 perception 'diamond in the rough', offer quarts chunks to those successfully checking out the poo if they bother to look.
Yes, I do have uncut quartz, and yes I'm saving it in the event a character of mine is noted for eating trail rations that appear to be coal and is accused of excreting diamonds. Does a bear poo in the woods?
So the 'play as written' will be fulfilled, I'm not leaving anything out. But where I've planned on props and sound effects, where I want to have DC checks *BEFORE* I stumble and say what's there, I'd like to go off of a script. When I have a Faction Head, I print out a copy of their profile image onto paper and I put their 'monologue' on a separate sheet in back. I even practice talking, and I insert hash marks to help me pace what they say so I don't stumble as I read it. I try to keep my face visible so they can see how I convey the message, but I put in every effort to hide myself within the character so even seeing my face, that 'talking head' image is what has their attention.
I plan to have more of a script to manage this sort of thing so I have marks and targets to hit. The stat blocks I already have on separate 'character sheets' printed and modified from Hero Labs. I make sure those sheets match the stat block, and those sheets can become part of my script so I have every detail right there instead of digging it out of the Bestiary.
Nothing gets left out or modified. All I want to do is organize it so I don't 'find' stuff before seeing the DC perception, or I've turned the black text "The PC's" into something more like the green "read as written" text. The green stuff gets copied without changes or omission with the exception of things I act out at the direction of the green text.
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Another "GMing on the Cheap" idea for maps is use Christmas wrapping paper. Many styles of wrapping paper have one inch squares on the back.
I like to print maps with my color laser printer. But, if I'm low on toner or if I know the map will not see any use outside of the one scenario I'm prepping, I'll draw the maps on wrapping paper.
I just noticed this in the OP:
How long does a scenario last?
- 4 hours
I prefer a story that carry out multiple sessions and the ones I see so far seems to be short.
- This is geared towards the more fluid nature of play groups in PFS, which have different people at different tables all over.. There are /some/ "cliffhanger" scenarios (City of Strangers arc). If you like longer scenarios, you can use modules like Crypt of the Everflame, Murder's Mark, etc.
The Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition would be a great purchase for both home games AND PFS if you could get the same players to sit down and run through all of them.
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If there is no FLGS in citiy, what might be another good location?
Perhaps at a cafe or restaurant?
Those can work, though you'll want to talk to the management in advance, to make sure that you're welcome. Many restaurants won't want a group taking up a couple of tables for 4-5 hours, especially if they aren't ordering food and drinks (frankly, some gamers are notoriously cheap that way). OTOH, you may find a restaurant which would be glad to have you, particularly if it's off-peak hours.
Many public libraries have meeting rooms which can be reserved. You may also find that your town has a community center, recreation center, or other public facility, with meeting rooms.
If there's a college in your town, there may be the ability to get a meeting place through the college (such as at the student union), though many schools may require that at least some of the players be students at the school.
If there is no FLGS in citiy, what might be another good location?
Perhaps at a cafe or restaurant?Those can work, though you'll want to talk to the management in advance, to make sure that you're welcome. Many restaurants won't want a group taking up a couple of tables for 4-5 hours, especially if they aren't ordering food and drinks (frankly, some gamers are notoriously cheap that way). OTOH, you may find a restaurant which would be glad to have you, particularly if it's off-peak hours.
Many public libraries have meeting rooms which can be reserved. You may also find that your town has a community center, recreation center, or other public facility, with meeting rooms.
If there's a college in your town, there may be the ability to get a meeting place through the college (such as at the student union), though many schools may require that at least some of the players be students at the school.
+1 to this. I've found that there are a number of unusual venues that will cheerfully give up space like local civic centers, libraries, churches.. Universities and colleges are very good places, especially if you coordinate with SGA and call it a "retention activity" with aims of "reducing homesickness and improving social interaction".
If you're going to do restaurants, there are a number of chain buffets that have "early bird" dinners and allow the use of a meeting room. This would be the least expensive and easiest place to get organized in -- people have a fixed cost every week, can get up and serve themselves as the mood strikes, and you've got a more private area than others. A quick call ahead to management would be a smart idea.
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If you're going to do restaurants, there are a number of chain buffets that have "early bird" dinners and allow the use of a meeting room. This would be the least expensive and easiest place to get organized in -- people have a fixed cost every week, can get up and serve themselves as the mood strikes, and you've got a more private area than others. A quick call ahead to management would be a smart idea.
OOH Buffet's! I didn't think about those for locations! I am in need of a public location in my area, and there are tons of buffet's that have meeting rooms and really big tables!
Thanks for the tip!
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You game at 8am? Seriously? At that time a lot of spots aren´t even open here!
Lol .. we were doing a housewarming con with a friend ... couldn't game at his place that early in the morning and the food court was open ... only other time I game at 8am is at conventions because convention organizers are merciless ;)
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You game at 8am? Seriously? At that time a lot of spots aren´t even open here!
A lot of malls now open up early in the morning (especially in the winter), as they're popular places for people (especially seniors) to go walk. Other than the coffee shops, most of the stores in the mall won't be open yet, but it does mean that the public areas of the mall are accessible.
I am considering a 'fix' that amounts to sucking the maps out of the freebie PDF, using GIMP to create the grid and a "coloring book" outline of the map objects, printing it on 9 thick sheets each, using colored pencils or crayons to color it in instead of bleeding expensive ink, and otherwise making usable maps that, while not 'professional' looking like the game master flip-mats, and not as 'nice' as if I spent $9 on the PDF and another $20, totalling $29 PER MAP of FOUR to get a nice print...
My solution here is to buy a large roll of transparent acetate from your local craft store. (I found one at Hobby Lobby for about $10.) You can then cut sheets off to the size you need, lay them over your battle grid, and pre-draw any maps that you will need before the game session to the detail and quality that you desire. If you use wet-erase markers you will not need to worry about the ink running or bleeding off during game (after it dries) and you can clean it with a wet paper towel and reuse it so that the acetate becomes a permanent asset in your gaming collection.
Then, when the map is needed during the game, you can lay it over the battle grid with no delay. I adopted this as a solution for home-made maps in house campaigns, but it should work for your needs as well.
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You game at 8am? Seriously? At that time a lot of spots aren´t even open here!A lot of malls now open up early in the morning (especially in the winter), as they're popular places for people (especially seniors) to go walk. Other than the coffee shops, most of the stores in the mall won't be open yet, but it does mean that the public areas of the mall are accessible.
That seems to be a definite cultural difference. We don´t have as many or often no malls at all, but a lot of small shops. Most public areas are not really suited for sitting down several hours and play a game, except if you go to a park in summer. Places like coffes, bars, pubs, restaurants are the next adequate thing i guess. Else you need to reserve a room somewhere like at a youth instituition, some church community site, university or whatever. But rooms are rare and you need to pay mostly.
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That seems to be a definite cultural difference. We don´t have as many or often no malls at all, but a lot of small shops.
Possibly so (I'm guessing you may not live in the U.S., Ken). Large, enclosed shopping malls are pretty common in most American cities (even smaller cities). Most malls have a "food court", a large central area with tables, surrounded by a number of fast-food restaurants and coffee shops.
Typically, the stores in a mall open at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. (most malls have stipulations in their contracts with the individual stores that the stores have to be open during the mall's normal "operating hours"). However, as noted above, a lot of malls have become willing to open their public ares (i.e., the corridors) earlier in the morning, to allow people to get their morning walks in, in a climate-controlled environment. Go to a typical mall around 8 a.m., and you'll see little knots of people (primarily senior citizens) strolling their way past not-yet-open shops. :-)
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You game at 8am? Seriously? At that time a lot of spots aren´t even open here!
That seems to be a definite cultural difference. We don´t have as many or often no malls at all, but a lot of small shops. Most public areas are not really suited for sitting down several hours and play a game, except if you go to a park in summer. Places like coffes, bars, pubs, restaurants are the next adequate thing i guess. Else you need to reserve a room somewhere like at a youth instituition, some church community site, university or whatever. But rooms are rare and you need to pay mostly.
First: 8am slots, suck. But can be done with lots and lots of coffee involved. I hate 9am slots too, cause if I had it my way, we would always start at 10am. So I can host a breakfast suite party at my hotel room for GM's.. (Something I would love to do in BAPS hint-hint)
Secondly: Coffee shops, especially small business ones make great places to game. They are open and comfortable and hello!- Coffee, tea and other goodies. I game at a pizza parlor and they look forward to us coming in cause we will drop lots (and I mean lots) of good money on foods, drinks, salads and sodas. And it's the same application here. Just be sure to chat with the shop owners and get approval before you set up permanent shop.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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First: 8am slots, suck. But can be done with lots and lots of coffee involved. I hate 9am slots too, cause if I had it my way, we would always start at 10am. So I can host a breakfast suite party at my hotel room for GM's.. (Something I would love to do in BAPS hint-hint)
I think that a 10:00am start is a really bad idea.
You really need to leave at least an hour between slots at a convention to allow for the inevitable table that starts late, tables that run long, and just to allow the GM some time to fill out and hand in the paperwork. Plus, of course, everybody (even GMs) need time to eat, time for bathroom breaks, and just possibly a little time to do something outside the PFS room. So if you're starting the first tables at 10:00 it's going to be at least midnight before the last table finishes.Not everybody stays at the hotel, either, so they're going to have to add the time for their travel as well. People tend to arrange their regular schedules to start their work day by 8:00 or 9:00 am, so getting to a convention by 9:00 isn't that much different. Getting to bed after midnight (sometimes well after midnight ...) will conflict with their internal clock. I don't want my GMs (or players, come to that) short of sleep (or cutting corners to grab an extra 15 minutes of sleep).
