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Both APs and the new multi-level modules sanction "campaign mode" play, where the game is run with whatever home rules the GM likes and PFS chronicles are distributed as though they were pregen credits.
Is there any possibility we could open the door for older, already-sanctioned modules to be run the same way? The module format only lends itself moderately well to organized play (IMO), but the now-established "campaign mode" would allow for PFS players to enjoy older single-level modules with more freedom, in a setting more conducive to an ongoing story, while still allowing us to get credit for them in the same way we can choose to get credit for APs and new modules.
Also, since it has been noted that some of the older modules fit into APs fairly well, this will allow GMs the ability to do that even when running APs for credit.
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wait
explain this to me like I am five
can you give an example of such a module, and how you would GM it?
Presently, I can run the first book of Rise of the Runelords for a table of first level non-PFS-legal characters. They would be level 3 by the end, and then they would get a Chronicle that operates as GM credit, in that it can be applied to any character in the legal range (for this particular book, 3-5).
Or I can run the section of the book for PFS-legal characters who have reached level 3, 4, or 5 via PFS games.
So my proposed policy would do the same thing with modules. An example:
Instead of running The Harrowing for a table of PFS characters between 8th and 10th, I could run it for a table of 9th level "home game characters," and give out Chronicles that could be applied to any level 8-10 PFS characters.
This would have allowed me to play it with my Sleepless Detective (or a modified version thereof) instead of my Paladin, which certainly would have been more appropriate; it also would allow me as GM to insert it into an AP, or build a campaign entirely out of modules without having to conform to every single aspect of PFS play (which is the whole point of "home game" mode for APs.)
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I don't think increasing the number of ways to "play" PFS without following PFS rules is a good idea for the campaign. With sanctioned Adventure Paths, it is a necessary compromise, since only parts of it are sanctioned. With sanctioned modules, you are still playing the whole module, so there's no reason to allow non-PFS-legal characters to do so; they aren't missing anything.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Doesn't this return to the rules we had a few years ago, that playing a module didn't expend any resourcesand incurred no risk of death?
If you want to play the Harrowing with your Sleepless Detective, go for it; rock the house. Not everything needs PFS credit.
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On this one, I agree with Scott and Chris. If you want credit, play it with your PFS character. Unlike an AP or the new modules, you don't risk losing out on the story by just playing the sanctioned portions.
That, and why would you want more chances to NOT get to play your PFS character? The biggest downside I see in the new format is that you're taking away the chance to play your PFS character for that whole level.
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
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I have seen 5 PFS regulation characters DIE in the last 3 months... They just POP right up after spending some 5000 Gold and 8 Prestige. There is no RISK OF DEATH (at least not permanent) in PFS scenarios! Those of you who believe there is, are living in a world of Illusion..!
Mention that to the 11.2 rogue that was disintegrated in a scenario I GMed a year or so ago.
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Venture-Captain, Massachusetts—Central & West
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Mention that to the 11.2 rogue that was disintegrated in a scenario I ran a year or so ago.I have seen 5 PFS regulation characters DIE in the last 3 months... They just POP right up after spending some 5000 Gold and 8 Prestige. There is no RISK OF DEATH (at least not permanent) in PFS scenarios! Those of you who believe there is, are living in a world of Illusion..!
I personally got run over by a giant stone hamster ball that my witch animated out of a Wall of Stone to get through a Cloudkill cast by an enemy.
Moral of the story: SAVE UP FOR THE RESURRECTION!
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The reason we are able to do 'home game' mode with APs and the new Modules is because threat of death actually matters. If you die, you have to raise yourself to complete the rest of the AP otherwise you are SOL. The pre-Dragon's Demand modules are much shorter and thus, not much of a threat if you die as it's pretty much a one-shot.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Todd,
Our mileage may vary, but don't most home campaigns allow for replacement characters? There are active threads on the boards this week discussing what level the replacements should be when they come in.
So far, I haven't seen any suggestion that bringing in replacement characters should lover the value of the Chronicle when it gets applied to an unrelated PFS character. Although, if you're right, that the campaign leadership is expecting that players will have their dead characters pay for raise dead and restorations, then it seems reasonable that short-curcuiting that process, rolling up a replacement, should have a negative impact on the Chronicle.
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I'd certainly like to have the option, and seeing as the new modules are running that way, it would reduce the confusion.
This is the only reason I like this idea. Reducing the number of rule exceptions being made because of situational circumstances is something I think is a good idea for both the Guide and the campaign.
But, do I think this is a needed change to help make PFS better overall? No, not really. :/
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Mention that to the 11.2 rogue that was disintegrated in a scenario I ran a year or so ago.I have seen 5 PFS regulation characters DIE in the last 3 months... They just POP right up after spending some 5000 Gold and 8 Prestige. There is no RISK OF DEATH (at least not permanent) in PFS scenarios! Those of you who believe there is, are living in a world of Illusion..!
I personally got run over by a giant stone hamster ball that my witch animated out of a Wall of Stone to get through a Cloudkill cast by an enemy.
Moral of the story: SAVE UP FOR THE RESURRECTION!
That was one tough fight!. David I thought you were playing a cleric of mephistopholese? you were playing a witch? I remember we called it the "Hamster ball of Doom" :D
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The reason we are able to do 'home game' mode with APs and the new Modules is because threat of death actually matters. If you die, you have to raise yourself to complete the rest of the AP otherwise you are SOL. The pre-Dragon's Demand modules are much shorter and thus, not much of a threat if you die as it's pretty much a one-shot.
No, actually, it is because the sanctioned pieces of these longer campaigns lose most of the backstory, and a lot of the flavor.
The campaign/home game/story mode option is to allow the players to experience the full story of the AP or newer module.
In PFS mode, you can play the different pieces with different PCs in any order.
So, in PFS mode, it is entirely possible that you play the section where you fight the BBEG before you ever see why you should, or why it is the BBEG.
In PFS mode, you also are not going to run across the clues, themed items, and foreshadowing available in the full game.
You also miss the whole intro segment, the A series of encounters, that help explain some of the backstory. You also miss the amusing exploration of the dead Wizard's Tower. Again, a lot of backstory is in that place. And it also means that part of Chronicle 2's coverage is for something that becomes fairly nonsensical, and would be a real toughie to be able to draw PFS PCs into.
The PCs get to sit through an auction, where most of the stuff comes from the Wizard's Tower that they don't get to explore. Meh. The general auction is a quick RP segment, but, for PFS PCs, they have to sit through something that they know little about, and that participating in is not supported by PFS rules. Even if they bid and win something, I don't think it is something they get to mark as purchased, especially since they get a huge fund-matching thing in there, too.
To be honest, the boon related to the auction is interesting, but not terribly helpful. Definitely won't affect wealth by level, either.
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When modules were first sanctioned for PFS play years ago. They had rules to run in a home-game like manner. This option was removed and replaced with the current system. I don't see home game mode getting opened back up.
The reason APs and the new super-length modules(Dragon's Demand onward) allow home game mode is to allow players to play the whole thing cover to cover.
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I think that anything to help bridge the gap between PFS and home play is a positive thing for the campaign. With all the great work that the leadership has done over the past year to include people in nascent and far flung PFS communities I think that one of the purposes of PFS should be to try to nurture a community to the point where it can spin off home groups.
APs in home campaign mode are a great way to introduce new players who came to the game through PFS specifically to all the richness that the game has to offer in a long-term campaign with persistent character interaction. Letting the older modules serve as a more bite sized portion of the fullness of the game can only be a good thing from my perspective.
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Is there any hope that we can see an update or a response from this, as I'm considering running a Dragon's Demand and I would like to continue it in campaign mode to a point where people can continue to get credit as they advance, but as it stands, I would have to jump the party from the end of Dragon's Demand up to Wardens and that wouldn't be fun (nor do I think the same characters would likely be appropriate for each of the games)
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32
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Is there any hope that we can see an update or a response from this, as I'm considering running a Dragon's Demand and I would like to continue it in campaign mode to a point where people can continue to get credit as they advance, but as it stands, I would have to jump the party from the end of Dragon's Demand up to Wardens and that wouldn't be fun (nor do I think the same characters would likely be appropriate for each of the games)
From the looks of things, Tears at Bitter Manor will likely be a great continuation - that's where my group's going to be headed.