PFS scenarios as non-PFS modules

[Unruly]

As far as I'm aware, I don't have any PFS games running anywhere in my area(and if I do I wouldn't be able to attend most likely). But I see the PFS scenarios on the main page every once in a while and I wonder how well they'd work as modules to throw into a regular game.

So I guess I'm just wanting to know things like "How long are they," and "Do they require PFS-specific knowledge?"

[Lyee]

They're designed to be fairly short and don't have much connection from one to the next. I'd much more recommend an adventure path for an ongoing campaign. For games with shorter lifespans, it could work, but I'd still more recommend a single module of an AP or something.

[Unruly]

I kind of figured that they're not really interconnected, and I do have modules and APs available to me. I'm just looking for stuff that could be run in a single 2-3 hour session and could act as a side-adventure of sorts. Something to do as a downtime adventure between major plot points.

Plus, they're cheap, so I figured I'd at least ask about them.

[PhelanArcetus]

If you're looking for something to insert in your game, a PFS scenario is generally pretty easy. I normally treat them as one-shots, but in a lot of ways they're easy to adapt.

I'm less familiar with the way they work in season 5, as the faction mission approach changed. Basically, an NPC or organization will give the party a mission to accomplish. So there's your hook right there. Before season 5, each scenario also comes with a faction mission (PFS characters each choose a faction at character creation) - basically you have the mission the organization wants, and a secondary task your personal patron wants. Often the faction missions are relatively clunky and also rather secondary, so you can get away with just dropping them when you adapt the scenario.

For the most part, everything relevant to the scenario, except general Golarion knowledge, is in the scenario itself, especially if you ignore the faction missions.

[pauljathome]

I've brought several into an ongoing campaign. Sometimes they can be dropped in trivially (usually just changing the hook), sometimes they take more surgery.

The time to run a scenario can depend a lot on your groups style. Some are actually fairly open ended and can easily take a lot longer than the 4 or so hours they are designed to take in PFS. Some will, once striped if the PFS specific faction stuff, take less time