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Ferius thank you for the clarification.I am sure you all know this, but the replays you get for your stars renew at each Gen Con each year.Download the guide again. As mentioned up thread, that was the language in the Beta version of the 5.0 Guide to Organized Play, but it was revised before the official 5.0 version of the Guide was released. GM Star replays are currently one per star per lifetime, and they do not renew at GenCon.
EDIT - ninja'd by Patrick, and yes, people do seem very confused about this particular point.
And just to clarify my clarification, the language that Patrick posted is the current and correct language that is in the GtoP. I was typing my message when he posted, not in reply to him, but it was meant to be in agreement with him. Under the current rules, you may re-play or re-run one scenario per GM star ever. There is no renewing of GM Star replay credits. While it is possible that will change in the future, that is currently where things stand.
Spread the word, because a lot of people are (understandably) still confused. A lot of language changed from the Beta guide 5.0 to the official guide 5.0, so I encourage everyone to download it again if you can't remember when you last did, just to be sure you have the latest version.
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I too 'wasted' a replay under the impression that the replays would refresh the first day of every Gen Con. Had I known at the time that my replay wouldn't refresh, I wouldn't have spent it. I'd have rather played at that table for no credit and save the replay for a special boon or chronicle item for a character that could really make great use of it.
I suppose it's better to use a replay than never use it because you save it forever.. but mark me down as one of those who think it SHOULD refresh every year.
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A lot of language changed from the Beta guide 5.0 to the official guide 5.0, so I encourage everyone to download it again if you can't remember when you last did, just to be sure you have the latest version.
The download date is part of the watermark at the top and bottom of every page. My version was downloaded on Aug 12, 2013 and has the final wording.
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Lifetime definitely influences their use, by making us "save them" for important scenarios.
I've used one for something with a caster item I got on a melee and replayed to get that item on a caster.
I'll consider replaying Bonekeep with a second character (I and II), so that would make it 3 of my 4 used.
Of the 10 or so stars in the area, I've only known one other person who replayed from a GM star.
I've ran into a lot of people who would have replayed but when I explained to them it was lifetime not yearly they changed their mind.
Venture-Captain, Missouri—Cape Girardeau
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I very strongly encourage a revision of the system to allow stars to renew. When we *thought* that's how it worked, it made scheduling certain difficult but good-for-the-community tables much easier to make happen. I don't see much downside to allowing the replays to refresh (you'd hope that 3-5 star GMs would use them responsibly anyway!), and I've seen a real upside.
I agree with this. Right now, my players are hoarding their stars for a replay of Eyes of the Ten, since they are afraid there might never be another Retirement arc of scenarios and will not recharge yearly.
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I really can't remember seeing many (any?) people recently saying they don't want the replays to renew. I didn't go back through this whole thread, so there might be one or two. But a very unscientific polling seems the be in favor of that.
Locally, I haven't seen one used yet. There have been a couple of people who said they'd probably use one to replay Waking Rune, a few more who've said maybe to replay a scenario they didn't finish or don't remember, and a couple who've said they might save them for Eyes of the Ten. I could end up going for any of those three options. My instinct is to save them for EotT, because there are only so many ways to get a character to level 13, but the chances of me getting to four stars in the near future are slim. So we'll see.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32
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How would you guys feel if you could get your stars refreshed by volunteering to GM at GenCon or your local regional convention/online event? Each new season you could get them back, you just have to do some volunteer time in exchange for a seasonal boon. Does that seem like a fair trade?
You already have to do volunteer work to get them - GM tables. I wouldn't be opposed to the concept in general, though.
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Does that seem like a fair trade?
Not really. In addition to a nightmare of validation, one of the key 'boons' of star rewards is spreading various benefits out to places that don't have conventions.
The hard-working GM, tirelessly keeping a small group going far from big cities might have to rerun scenarios many times as people cycle in and out.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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How would you guys feel if you could get your stars refreshed by volunteering to GM at GenCon or your local regional convention/online event? Each new season you could get them back, you just have to do some volunteer time in exchange for a seasonal boon. Does that seem like a fair trade?You already have to do volunteer work to get them - GM tables. I wouldn't be opposed to the concept in general, though.
This.
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To answer the one-time versus renewable question, the campaign staff can just ask itself what it wants the star-replays to do. Do they want people to be able to replay tables to help other tables go off, while keeping replay very limited so we don't get a deluge of replay, or do they want people to rarely ever replay, because they see it as something which is only beneficial to the replaying player?
Or...
Does the staff want replay to occur in limited amounts, or do they not want to it occur? If the former, GM replays need to be renewable. If not, then the current system is fine.
-Matt
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I honestly don't see a problem with a number of people replaying scenarios every year. It's already written in the guide if you're being disruptive and ruining other people's fun by metagaming and such, the GM has every right to kick you out. I think that'd be the only issue with allowing star replays to replenish every year, lots of people with a star replay "flooding" tables of games they're already played. To be honest, this isn't too different from someone who runs a scenario and then plays it, he knows what's coming, he knows what to expect.
I'd love to see the replays be renewable, but if that doesn't happen, I don't see myself replaying any scenario unless under very rare circumstances.
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I have no problems sitting at a table for no credit so the table can go off, but I do think the replays make it more fun. I have a better time role playing when it's my own character instead of a pregen. Granted, there's nothing preventing me from using my own character regardless, but the 'all risk, no reward' rules regarding death and consumables discourage it.
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I'm using my first replay on Tomb of the Iron Medusa, which we got most of the way through now. We only have a party of 4...wouldn't have happened without me because there's no level 13-15 pregens available. I probably would have wanted to replay anyway, because that's an awesome module and high level play is fun. :p
And we are all having a blast with it!
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16
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I have used 2 of my 3 available replays. I don't understand why some people are essentially hoarding them. If you never use them it is effectively like not having them at all. Also if no-one uses them this first year, how will Mike and John have any data to decide if they should become renewable?
Unless, of course, you are opposed to even limited replay on a philosophical basis. Which some people are.
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Just make sure you do not burn out, man. We had our founding VC burn out from not taking opportunities to play, which killed half of our community. To make sure this doesn't happen again I try and give our current VL opportunities to play by taking over every so often.
I am almost at that first star and plan to use it for something special (bonekeep or waking rune).
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I used one replay to let my new Archivist Bard play CSI: Absalom (also known as "God's Market Gamble"). She's something of a Kreighton Shane fangirl, and I couldn't resist having her in one of the few scenarios he gives the briefing for.
I'm planning to use another for my (ahem) Free Merchant magus to play "No Plunder, No Pay". I'm trying to see how many ships he can commandeer. (He is currently the captain of the Hydra's Fang, fresh out of having its hold thoroughly scrubbed.)
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Does that seem like a fair trade?Not really. In addition to a nightmare of validation, one of the key 'boons' of star rewards is spreading various benefits out to places that don't have conventions.
The hard-working GM, tirelessly keeping a small group going far from big cities might have to rerun scenarios many times as people cycle in and out.
I agree. Half my tables came from helping one store keep going during a period when they were short on gms. I don't see how this is any less valuable than volunteering for a large con. I do not mind a minimal commitment to renew each year, say 3 to 5 tables gmed per star with all stars potentially renewing even if they didn't the previous year.
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Venture-Captain, Netherlands
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I agree. Half my tables came from helping one store keep going during a period when they were short on gms. I don't see how this is any less valuable than volunteering for a large con. I do not mind a minimal commitment to renew each year, say 3 to 5 tables gmed per star with all stars potentially renewing even if they didn't the previous year.Does that seem like a fair trade?Not really. In addition to a nightmare of validation, one of the key 'boons' of star rewards is spreading various benefits out to places that don't have conventions.
The hard-working GM, tirelessly keeping a small group going far from big cities might have to rerun scenarios many times as people cycle in and out.
This. Not everyone has time or money to go to a large con. And not every country has one. So that would not be fair to GM's that put in a lot of time and effort.
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I'd be flabbergasted if Star replays allow you to replay a scenario/module with the same character which is one reading of your post Deussu
As for replays refreshing. A reset of replays for Gencon next year should see if the impact of replay hoarders spending their stars is a bad thing. I have not seen anyone claiming that replays have been a disaster so a refresh looks likely at this stage. (Purely from an outsiders perspective with no more than the initial plan to annually refresh to go on)
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I'd be flabbergasted if Star replays allow you to replay a scenario/module with the same character which is one reading of your post Deussu
He didn't. I was the GM for the second game, and I very clearly remember Deussu's frustration over not being able to play a character properly in the subtier we ended up in because the character he'd used on the previous playthrough was the only one he had in that subtier.
Anyway, it's been almost a year since the star replays came out, and I'm still sitting on mine. I originally planned to use my stars on scenarios where we had a TPK: however, as time has gone by, I've decided I'll use them on scenarios I enjoyed if I get the chance to play them, since it's pretty unlikely I'll get to play those specific scenarios. I've been getting very slightly more mileage out of the GM star chronicle boon.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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Perhaps refreshed replays would work with a limit of only use a refresh on each mod once? That keeps them from being used as annual EoT boons. (Have to admit though, a high level mod worth reuniting once a year with new chars sounds cool. Don't think EoT is that.)
That is how the rules are currently written. A person can only get three Chronicle sheets total for any given scenario/module: one for playing, one for GMing, and one using a GM star to replay for credit or gain a second Chronicle sheet for GMing.
Alternatively, campaign GMs who are recognized for their efforts by receiving GM stars (see page 37), may receive additional player or GM credit for a number of
non-Tier 1 scenarios or sanctioned modules per GM star they have earned... For each of these adventures, she can thus earn a total of three Chronicle sheets, rather than the two normally allowed.