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I've just been told that Rogue Eidolon (Mark Seifter) has been approved for his 5th star and as Venture-Captain of the Boston Lodge, I have the honor of making the announcement.
Mark has been there right from the start of the Boston Lodge at our flagship store, Pandemonium in Cambridge, MA. Since our first weekly game in October 2011 he has been there every week, missing less than a handful of games in order to attend a major convention or family event. He took on the role of Store Liaison for Pandemonium in April 2012 allowing me to support other venues and has increased our player base there tremendously.
As a GM Mark's rules knowledge is amazing and he often knows the abilities of a player's character better than the player after just a few minutes of game play. But he does not run a GM vs. players game. He is quick to point out any options a player has if they seem to be unsure of what to do. His portrayal of NPCs is highly entertaining as well. While he can be a very challenging GM, he is always extremely fair.
Please join me in congratulating Mark on his accomplishment. For those who would like to talk to him in person, he will be attending PaizoCon in July.
Below are some quotes from our local players in support of Mark's 5th star:
"He is an extraordinary GM."
"... thoughtful, always prepared, extremely knowledgeable, ..."
"He is very balanced in how he manages the possibility of player death, not pulling punches, but not being unnecessarily lethal. There is always a sense that all of our actions have consequences and I thoroughly enjoy sitting at his table."
"Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable about the game, he has an infectious passion for it."
"Mark has also been super responsive to questions via email. Whether it was a question about a rule, a character build, or module prep. He's an invaluable resource."
"... a genuine sense of fun and joy at every moment of every game ..."
"Mark has been a perfect host at his tables, and at events he has coordinated. He is always anxious to make sure that each person – old and new – has the best time that they can."
"Every session that I play with Mark, I feel that I absorb a new technique that improves my own GMing. He has basic inborn talent to GM, and has clearly worked hard to develop those skills to an art form. I count myself very fortunate to be able to play at his table with some regularity, and cannot think of a person who warrants the honor of a fifth star more."
Congratulations Rogue!
Nice work!
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Having had the pleasure playing with Mark I'll have to agree with everything from the opening post. He is super fun on both sides of the table. And I really enjoy how he's both challenging and extremely fair as a GM. I see it as a combination of extensive knowledge of the system, and natural talent for gamemastering.
Mark, you rock!
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Mark is an amazing GM.
When I first met him, he was recruiting new players for a home game. I'd never played a tabletop RPG before, but his welcoming enthusiasm, immersive creativity, and friendly humor made me feel part of the group right away.
He is a natural at introducing others to the rules of the game. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules and the setting, and always goes the extra mile to make sure that he puts in all the little details that make the setting shine through.
Congratulations dear! You certainly deserve 5 stars :)
Congrats RE!
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Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
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Welcome to the mountain! Please read the briefing that is waiting in your room and make sure to avoid the hot tub as the goblins were in it last and left it in quiet a foul state.
;-)
Those weren't goblins. That was John Compton speaking in his four different voices.
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Wow, thanks everyone!
Special thanks first to Linda (Marie above) for all her support. It wouldn't have been possible without you.
Thanks to Don for working to build our region from a few disparate home groups into a strong and thriving region with plenty of active and dedicated players.
Thanks to Samuli for being one of those players--your characters always have something interesting going on with them both mechanically and RPwise, and it's fun to have you at the table. Thanks to Mike Brock, Chris Mortika, Chris Bonnet, Andrew Christian, and Adam Mogyorodi (among others, but you're the ones who posted here, so you're the ones I know are reading to see this) for each showing me at your tables different aspects of what it means to be a 5 Star GM (even though you're not there yet, Andrew and Adam, I feel you will be some day).
Mike, in Shades of Ice Part 1, you taught me to follow my instincts when it comes to generously encouraging character choices with bonuses and penalties in social situations to help make the world come alive--my brother still talks about the time his Mysterious Stranger failed to influence the Ulfen bartender with a 21 Diplomacy (but of course he failed--when you asked him what drink he wanted, he said "Water").
Chris M, in City of Strangers Part 2, you showed me how much benefit can be gained from just a few voices as well as how to wring the PCs for tension when they try a skill check, even if their success was assured or if the check ultimately isn't too important (your great play of the atmosphere got Linda to run out and buy a Qadira shirt over what was ultimately a minor Bluff check, since we had the paladin with us playing down and we were winning the fights easily). I'll post some stories and advice later when I get a chance.
Chris B, in The Golemworks Incident, you showed how much fun it can be to reward creative solutions when you let my invisibly sneaking monk steal the naughty paintings when I didn't think to (as I later found out was the stated mission) try a direct approach. You improvised smoothly and I completely thought it was in the scenario. My biggest strength as a GM, I think, is improvising, and in PFS, it's not always easy to do that, so I'm always glad to see skilled examples in PFS play.
Andrew, in Race for the Runecarved Key, you showed how important it is for a GM to have integrity. I know from other players that some GMs were just letting their group Diplomacy-steamroll the mini-encounters for massive key points. Having read and run it myself, I see that you presented to us exactly the challenge we were meant to face, even if we ended the scenario disappointed in ourselves. That's not always an easy thing to do, but it is the right thing, and it's crucial for a 5 Star GM to maintain the trust of the players.
Adam, in Goblinblood Dead, you reinforced an important lesson that I've seen expressed on the forums a few times--your table embodied it: It doesn't matter what the scenario is, a GM in tune with the table's dynamics can make it great. I really don't think Goblinblood Dead is a great scenario, and it's way too easy at the tier we played for one. Further, we had a young player who needed help in RP from the others at the table. And you totally nailed the dynamic of the table--you prompted the young player just enough to get him into the idea of RPing how he's diplomacying, and you just generally kept the whole team in the zone with great energy and enthusiasm.
Thanks to those here in this thread who I've chatted with (Cheapy, BNW, and Walter Sheppard, probably among others), who I've shared plenty of posts with (Jiggy and Benjamin Falk, certainly among others), to those who enjoyed my guides, and to everyone else for making PFS great!
~RE/Mark
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Mike, in Shades of Ice Part 1, you taught me to follow my instincts when it comes to generously encouraging character choices with bonuses and penalties in social situations to help make the world come alive--my brother still talks about the time his Mysterious Stranger failed to influence the Ulfen bartender with a 21 Diplomacy (but of course he failed--when you asked him what drink he wanted, he said "Water").
Hey! Don't thank that Brock guy. He knocked me out and tried to coup de grace me as a brand new character.
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Mike, in Shades of Ice Part 1, you taught me to follow my instincts when it comes to generously encouraging character choices with bonuses and penalties in social situations to help make the world come alive--my brother still talks about the time his Mysterious Stranger failed to influence the Ulfen bartender with a 21 Diplomacy (but of course he failed--when you asked him what drink he wanted, he said "Water").Hey! Don't thank that Brock guy. He knocked me out and tried to coup de grace me.
Quiet you. He had the enemy move and then initiate a coup de grace using the "Start Full Round Action" standard action, thus allowing plenty of opportunities for the rest of the team to drop the guy, rather than having him move and attack and then pull the CdG out of thin air the next round. That's definitely the sign of a 5 Star GM.
