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I started playing PFS around last fall. I understand that if you were able to play through a season's scenarios, you'll have an intimate understanding of how the Society and Factions are progressing.
And, the assumption is that just by playing whatever games were available, eventually I would start to understand that intricate history. However, I end up jumping around seasons and scenarios so much that I'm having a hard time seeing the forest for the trees.
And, to be perfectly honest, sometimes I've tuned out, but mostly forget, a lot of that box text read during play. It's really hard to keep it all straight.
Is there any sort of grand summary of each season and or cumulative summary up until now that can really help players assimilate to what's going on? I play four different characters now, in four different factions. I've seen the faction blogs and I'm still fuzzy on what's really going on. Those blog entries do have a lot of color but I get the sense they assume you've known everything else that's come before. Plus, they're centered mainly on that faction. It would be cool if there was sort of a disinterested third party view of all the drama (factions) too.
One other thing I'm kind of curious about. I understand that the seasons can be influenced by how players play their games. How the heck does that work? There are thousands of players in shops all over the place tackling the same scenarios.
That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.
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That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.
Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.
Mark, I've been playing PFS for two years now, and I found your summary useful. Thank you.
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Thanks for the summary. I was in the same boat, playing since August know there are factions, know they have differing outlooks but not understanding the big picture very well. Season 5 has made it pretty easy, "stop critters from taking over" but had no idea about the other seasons.
As it happens, my summary isn't perfect for learning all about the factions, although a few tidbits enter here and there, since it was more about major events in the Society as a whole. Still, it explained the rise and fall of the Lantern and Shadow Lodge at least!
Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg
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One other thing I'm kind of curious about. I understand that the seasons can be influenced by how players play their games. How the heck does that work? There are thousands of players in shops all over the place tackling the same scenarios.
When reporting a game, there are four checkboxes labeled A,B,C,D. Season 5 scenarios tell the GM which of those boxes to check under which circumstances.
For example, if the PCs had the choice whether to steal Ambrus Valsin's favorite pie recipe during a scenario, it will say something like "If the PCs stole the recipe, check box A. If they also sold it to Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, check box B." In the conclusion of the scenario.After some time (usually halfway through the season and after the season), campaign leadership looks at the numbers to determine the official outcome.
In the above example, if the majority of GMs checked box A during reporting, Ambrus Valsin has then officially lost his favorite pie recipe.
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Ahhhh...thanks for clarifying that. Now, I just gotta be on the lookout for that pie-stealing scenario! ;)
One other thing I'm kind of curious about. I understand that the seasons can be influenced by how players play their games. How the heck does that work? There are thousands of players in shops all over the place tackling the same scenarios.When reporting a game, there are four checkboxes labeled A,B,C,D. Season 5 scenarios tell the GM which of those boxes to check under which circumstances.
For example, if the PCs had the choice whether to steal Ambrus Valsin's favorite pie recipe during a scenario, it will say something like "If the PCs stole the recipe, check box A. If they also sold it to Paracountess Zarta Dralneen, check box B." In the conclusion of the scenario.After some time (usually halfway through the season and after the season), campaign leadership looks at the numbers to determine the official outcome.
In the above example, if the majority of GMs checked box A during reporting, Ambrus Valsin has then officially lost his favorite pie recipe.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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The Pathfinders head to an uninhabited temple of Korada and find that, surprisingly, there are no Aspis this time, but there is actually a cult of Korada.
Reading that scenario it seems to me that even though it was released at the end of the season it takes place before all of the other tapestry scenarios (or is at least co-incident with them) since Aram Zey does not expect to find any living creatures inside the tapestry (which he would if the Pathfinder teams dispatched to other areas of the tapestry had returned by that point). My speculation is that (timeline-wise) Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment happens first, followed by The Icebound Outpost and Wonders in the Weave (teams of Pathfinders are dispatched to separate sections of the tapestry at the same time) with Rats of Round Mountain coming last.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
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Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.
Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
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Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
Nathan,
I dont know how spoiler-filled you guys want the info about the seasons to be, but there was an article on Season 2 that went pretty in depth in Issue 21 of Kobold Quarterly a couple years back. It's pretty thorough. Might be handy for the wiki.
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Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.That's a really helpful resource, Mark. Any chance members of the PathfinderWiki editing team could use your work on the site? I've been wanting to increase the wiki's usefulness regarding the Pathfinder Society metaplot and faction evolutions for a long time, and this sort of overview is immensely helpful. Your original post would be included as a reference on the wiki so you receive proper credit.Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
Linda has the original flowchart, and she would be happy to keep it updated.
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Mark, you not only are welcome to put up that summary, but feel free to host the scenario connections flowchart as well (it's here on Google Drive). Linda and I created both resources after talking to Mike and John at the Paizocon PFS panel about resources they thought would be useful to have perhaps in a blog post or something. They are for the moment not up to date with all of Season 5 yet, but that would be simple to add if people wanted it.Hey there Mark, it seems our paths are crossing more and more. ;-) I have been working with Mark and the editing team on the Pathfinder Wiki to expand more on the Pathfinder Society articles in general. Along with the different factions of PFS, this is a GREAT resource, not only for the Wiki, but for people are interested in learning the story of the society. As I add this to the Wiki, I'll make sure to keep it up-to-date as much as I can. Since the Pathfinder Wiki is free, we encourage people who would like to add to the resource, to do so. Thanks again for your time and effort in this invaluable resource.
Regarding the Flowchart, do you have an edit-able one available by chance? That way, people could add to it.
Nathan,
I dont know how spoiler-filled you guys want the info about the seasons to be, but there was an article on Season 2 that went pretty in depth in Issue 21 of Kobold Quarterly a couple years back. It's pretty thorough. Might be handy for the wiki.
Seth,
Good point. I've talked to Mark Moreland about plots in different season scenarios briefly, and he mentioned that as long as the information doesn't have any in-world canon implications and don't blatantly say, "Hey, here's what happens in this scenario and this scenario and scenario..." we are OK under the Wiki's "Be Bold" policy. Looking at Mark's run-down of each season, I think it does a good job of explaining a high-level summary without giving away what events happen when (read: Naming the scenario that ties to each plot point). I'll ping Mark to have him look at the new articles I've posted on the Wiki (with credits given to Mark S. for his post) and see if he wants me to cut pieces out of it.
As for the Kobold Quarterly Article, I'll check and see if the Wiki covers that article. If not, I'll pick it up and see what information I can glean from it. Thanks for heads up! :)
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I significantly added to the overview in the wiki for the Year of the Ruby Phoenix, after a discussion with John here in the office. We decided that as long as spoilers were general (as in, "The Pathfinders defeated a dragon and learned of the location of the hidden temple" rather than "The PCs fought a CR 7 red dragon with 3 zombie minions, then uncovered Marcos Farabellus as a traitor and veiled master") then citing each scenario is actually preferred. This maintains the wiki's citation policy, and gives people trying to catch up on previous seasons a more thorough overview. Content that plays directly into the season's metaplot (in the case of my example, the Ruby Phoenix/Hao Jin Tapestry scenarios) are separated from the plot elements which touch on other multi-season continuity, like the introduction of recurring characters from later seasons, or spiritual sequels to older scenarios. Anyone who wants to expand on and reorganize the overviews of the other seasons is welcome to do so, using my Season 3 example as a template.
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I significantly added to the overview in the wiki for the Year of the Ruby Phoenix, after a discussion with John here in the office. We decided that as long as spoilers were general (as in, "The Pathfinders defeated a dragon and learned of the location of the hidden temple" rather than "The PCs fought a CR 7 red dragon with 3 zombie minions, then uncovered Marcos Farabellus as a traitor and veiled master") then citing each scenario is actually preferred. This maintains the wiki's citation policy, and gives people trying to catch up on previous seasons a more thorough overview. Content that plays directly into the season's metaplot (in the case of my example, the Ruby Phoenix/Hao Jin Tapestry scenarios) are separated from the plot elements which touch on other multi-season continuity, like the introduction of recurring characters from later seasons, or spiritual sequels to older scenarios. Anyone who wants to expand on and reorganize the overviews of the other seasons is welcome to do so, using my Season 3 example as a template.
I saw it. I have to say, it feels like a few too many spoilers to me are given away now, enough so that the summary is really telling you what happened in a blow by blow. It makes the metagame potential a lot more, which is why I tried to avoid that in my initial pass (I'm told that I have a high tolerance for spoilers compared to the average person, in that I don't think things are spoilers that actually are spoilers, so when my own spoiler alarm is going off, I tend to follow it right away in my own discourse).
However, it's amazingly thorough and comprehensive, so it's excellent, in fact an invaluable resource for an experienced GM or player trying to remember what happened.
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I spotted a few bigger things though--I'll give you one example
And maybe one more because it's a bit interesting in that it's still a spoiler but also not exactly true either
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And maybe one more because it's a bit interesting in that it's still a spoiler but also not exactly true either
** spoiler omitted **
You're confusing the Blakros Matrimony (Season 4), with the Grand Convocation that ran exclusively at PaizoCon and PaizoCon UK the preceding summer. Since no one can play that event any longer, giving more background on the events that transpired during it (and the metaplot consequences of those events) actually helps interweave the special event into the campaign for those who weren't present.
As for the other one, that's a simple edit to obfuscate the proper nouns.
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And maybe one more because it's a bit interesting in that it's still a spoiler but also not exactly true either
** spoiler omitted **
You're confusing the Blakros Matrimony (Season 4), with the Grand Convocation that ran exclusively at PaizoCon and PaizoCon UK the preceding summer. Since no one can play that event any longer, giving more background on the events that transpired during it (and the metaplot consequences of those events) actually helps interweave the special event into the campaign for those who weren't present.
As for the other one, that's a simple edit to obfuscate the proper nouns.
I totally did (even though I was there)! Sorry about that!
As for the other one, that's a simple edit to obfuscate the proper nouns.
And I see it's done--awesome!
One other thing--Sewer Dragons' summary assumes the Pathfinders reached a particular ending (one I've always seen when running and playing, but I suppose the boonless ending is also a resolution to the problem--is the boon ending going to be canon?)