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As a lot of people seem to be missing the extra information provided in the Faction Status Reports - Year of the Demon that are found in the Faction Talk subforum of PFS, in the next revision of the Society Guide could a clear link be added to the small section entitled "Season 5 Faction Goals" on page 18?
Perhaps indicate that the forums should be checked regularly as they will be updated during the year as various Faction Missions get done (or not get done)?
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Seconded.
This is especially annoying, as you have the seasons goals listed in the field guide, and then MORE season goals hidden somewhere else. I would not think to check a status report for the season goal to find the season goal itself because looking at the guide I think i already know the season goal.
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I think its going to come down to pcs asking more questions. If you have someone just on the table because she likes playing the fighter who hits stuff for 30 damage each round, then unless you decide to get more involved you arnt going to be able to progress to far in the mission (unless of course you have other fellow faction buddies on the table)
I have no problems with characters/players asking questions. Sometimes however they start in a place where they know absolutely nothing . and thus its clear they neither have a copy of the guide or are likely to read the pages Im mentioning.
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I think its going to come down to pcs asking more questions. If you have someone just on the table because she likes playing the fighter who hits stuff for 30 damage each round, then unless you decide to get more involved you arnt going to be able to progress to far in the mission (unless of course you have other fellow faction buddies on the table)
I have no problems with characters/players asking questions. Sometimes however they start in a place where they know absolutely nothing . and thus its clear they neither have a copy of the guide or are likely to read the pages Im mentioning.
There is NO WAY for your PC to question your way to a faction objective you don't know about. Your faction head isn't there at all, so theres no one to question.
Chelaxians are told to be on the lookout for artifacts of power. You have a few means of trying to get to them. While trying to figure out what you're supposed to do to get your hands on one it turns out
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The final line of Dralneen's letter saysIn the meantime, learn what you can about the crusaders’ foibles and their fortifications’ flaws. Our plans cannot come to fruition without that.I think that's pretty clear.
The problem isn't that that letter isn't clear, its that no one knows to look for/in that letter.
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Blonde Cheliaxian at table, "oh, Mr. Big Norse Wolf (looks at crib notes in palm) what are your foibles and the flaws in your fortifications?"
Mostly that we dug the den under a tree with an adventitious root system for stability and if the tree gets knocked over the whole th.. HEY!
The (major) problem isn't asking the question on your hand, its getting the information to put there. Its not in the season goals listed in the guide or the first letter, its in the second letter.
Another problem is that unless you have the exact date of the letter and the release date of the scenario handy you have three things to try to do at multiple stages: you now have to look for
foibles in the defenders
weaknesses in the fortress
look for artifacts of power
Look for a source of power to establish order (possibly with the base commander)
Thats 4 different sticks to try to poke at everything in the scenario with. Its like having the old faction missions for the entire season handed to you at once and you need to guess which one isn't a waste of everyone's time.
So you check that hand at every fortress you come accross. You check the other hand when you see something that might be an artifact of power. You check your right foot when you meet anyone in a leadership position, and you check your left foot whenever you meet a defender
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It seems many people are claiming that the new faction missions "couldn't be easier", or "you must be a moron if you didn't get your mission". My experience with the missions thus far is nothing short of frustrating.
1) I have members of all (or at least 7 factions)... and only ever received emails from two faction heads. What about the other 5? Now that I re-read them I _think_ they are pre-season 5 letters. I'm not sure.
2) I've thus far played 3 of the 5 new scenarios.
a) 5-02: I managed to (sheer luck) play with my Cheliaxan. However I'd only managed to get my hands on the short faction blurb vice the long and spent entire mission with my eyes peeled looking for artifacts of power. Missed out on asking about fortifications and weaknesses, something I would've enjoyed role playing. Frustrated.
b) 5-01: Kept asking if anyone knew which factions were supported by 5-01, no one knew, GM wasn't willing (I don't blame him). Played with Grand Lodge (aka 'wrong faction'). Had characters that were the correct factions that I could have played. Frustrated.
c) 5-03: Someone happened to know that it was a Taldor mod, party makeup "worked" that my Taldor PC was viable. Played, got boon. Frustrated that the other two mods didn't work out so well.
d) ACTIVELY TRYING to find out the faction opportunities for 5-04/5-05 and can't. Keep hearing that they are in the 'blurbs', have tried to find the blurbs (short of buying the mod) and can't. Frustrated.
Faction letters need to be easy to find downloads on the PFS pages.
I think non-members should be _able_ to get faction rewards from other factions... sometimes party composition drives character selection.
Table desperately needs a healer or an arcane and your only "correct" faction that is in tier is a BDF or vice versa.
My experience with new faction missions is just frustrating.
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I once again voice my dislike for thus seasonss faction missions. I hate having to choose a pc while having to choose between the right faction versus the right role/level.
Ask about the weaknesses if a fort? How many people are dumb enough to share that info that could then be revealed through interrogation? Even the people you trust should only be told.on a.need to know basis and how often can you establish trust with only a single mission?
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
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To find the blurbs, go to the PFS scenario product page under the GM tab and read the blurb for each scenario. You will find the factions particularly interested in the scenario.
For example:
5-06: Content in "You Have What You Hold" also contributes directly to the ongoing storyline of the Sczarni faction.
5-07: Content in "Port Godless" also contributes directly to the ongoing storylines of the Cheliax, Osirion, and Qadira factions.
5-09: Content in "The Traitor’s Lodge" also contributes to the ongoing storyline of the Grand Lodge faction.
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Ask about the weaknesses if a fort? How many people are dumb enough to share that info that could then be revealed through interrogation? Even the people you trust should only be told.on a.need to know basis and how often can you establish trust with only a single mission?
I recognize your frustration with the new system, but are you really going to start applying logic to the requests that are made of you in-game? If your character is really diplomatic, then you can make it happen with a Diplomacy check.
Sorry to be so blunt, but this is like saying, "How am I supposed to convince that town guard to let me pass? He's a town guard - his job is to stop me!" That's precisely what Diplomacy checks are for.
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To find the blurbs, go to the PFS scenario product page under the GM tab and read the blurb for each scenario. You will find the factions particularly interested in the scenario.
Here is my issue as GM. Not a single of my local players hardly ever visits these boards. They come to my place, enjoy RP and are pretty laid back.
The old missions worked fine for me. I had them as 2-3 pages in my scenario, printed them out, handed them out - done. Players liked them as they added role play opportunity.
The new system doesn't suit these players at all. They either miss the missions - unless this is what they would go anyhow (Silver Crusade and Ward Stone Patrol - actually the whole group aimed to do this without prompting) or they won't have a clue what they are supposed to do (Cheliax).
I can go hunting for the letters here on the board - but that is additional work for me.
I think it's a great idea - but I wonder how well it works for the occasional player - or the player doing a scenario in a years time. We don't follow the latest scenarios. If possible I look for older scenarios as I have a group of new players. Actually - I had to as there wasn't enough tier 1-5 to get them to level 3.
It just seems now an additional burden for me which is unfortunate.
Yes - in an ideal world all that is responsibility of players. But I'm talking here non hard-core players. They don't have a connection to these pages. Actually thinking about it - looking at my group of junior players - 90% never even registered an account. I have kept their number and code - in case they will do so at some stage.
But expecting any of these (apart of my son) to visit these pages ahead of a game is unrealistic.
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Look at it this way.. divide the seasons into 0-4 and season 5. Season 5 requires the players to have a look at the faction letters in some capacity. I have 2 printed out and laminated from the Shared GM drive (found elsewhere here). At the start of the game I ask if everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing re their faction for Season 5. Whilst most people answer yes (and people will generally answer yes even if they dont because they dont want to be singled out), I still put these pages out there to be viewed.
For Season 1-4, you have no more faction missions. That isnt the way you get your secondary success pp anymore. Everything you need is generally spelt out in the .. in game scenario briefing (which worriedly a lot of players rarely take in fully). Of course you have to as a GM print out the secondary success sheets... print it out once and put it in a folder if you are worried you will lose it.
I personally have no problem with it as it is now. That tune may change as I get to play more season 5 and earlier season.
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I guess it is teaching an old dog some new tricks ...
I did print them out for my players at the start of the season before I GMed 5-01 - but then for several weeks they leveled up (3 brand new players) using older scenarios.
So 5-02 finally comes - and you realize the players aren't prepared in any way and I just didn't do it again.
Guess I will just print them again, laminate the letters and be done with it. And will discard my laminated mission briefings from earlier seasons ?? Well - likely hang on to them as so far the players still like them.
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I don't understand why someone has to have all the faction boon from every module. Here in my area most players activelly failed faction missions that they thought their characters would not do and didn't lost any fun because of that.
Because what if its some totally awesome thing and it completes my character and there's no other way of getting it and....
Drat. A +2 bonus to dayjobs...
The allure of what it MIGHT be, and the desire to never get less than 110% on anything drive a lot of us. Thats something I think they underestimated when they tried to plan on a 50% failure rate on faction missions.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Thod brings up a good point:
As time goes on, faction leaders will be sending out new briefings. If we play 5-08 in the middle of Season 6, the Season 6 faction briefing won't cover the assignment needed to obtain the boon in early/mid Season 5. It will be very difficult for a player to know what's expected of her, and equally difficult for a new-ish GM to track down all those old faction missives.
John, can the relevant two or three faction leader letters be included in the text for the scenarios? Maybe where the five/ten faction assignments used to go in earlier adventures?