Help deciding modules for a home PFS game

[Lucio]

To get my current RPG group interested in Pathfinder, and the society in general, I'm looking at running some modules set in and around Sandpoint.

Since my group has a chaotic murder-hobo streak at times, I thought I could start with "We Be Goblins", to demonstrate the system, then help them build up adventurers to use in some modules.

My problem is trying to tie in a theme, and I'd also like to fit in Jade Regent 1 so they have the fun of wiping out the tribe of goblins they'd have built up empathy towards.

In an ideal world I'd run them in the following order.

We Be Goblins
Rise of the RuneLords - Adventure 1
Jade Regent - Adventure 1 (same characters)
We Be Goblins 2

Unfortunate I can't see a way to do that, have them level up at an appropriate rate for PFS without running additional modules, and even then, Rise of the RuneLords sanctioned section is level 3, meaning they'd be level 4 going into Jade Regent 1 which seems a little high if I want to run the opening stages.

If anyone has some ideas of how to work around this, as well as suggesting any modules for level 1-3 characters set in and around Sandpoint, it'd be appreciated

[Paz]

Why not just run one of the adventure paths in full as a home game?

[Lucio]

Paz wrote:

Why not just run one of the adventure paths in full as a home game?

I'd thought about it, but when discussing the idea with my group they felt that it was too confusing having a Pathfinder character for the adventure, but another one to take with them to events.

[Paz]

You can find a list of PFS scenarios in Varisia HERE. The module 'Feast of Ravenmoor' is also set in the region.

However, I think any confusion cause by having separate AP & PFS PCs is preferable to the confusion of telling an AP story in fits and starts by only running the sanctioned sections and interspersing it with other adventures.

[Tiaburn]

For my party it was, like
1) Starting in Nirmathas with "Crypt of the Everflame"
2) Travelling to Magnimar & doing "Rise of the Goblin Guild"
3) Dreaming about goblin in "We Be Goblins"
Planned:
4) Travelling to Ilsurian for carnival and solving Murder's Mark
5) Returning to Magnimar to discover some "Cryptmage Dillema"
6) Having good Society Credit they are helping locals to solve issue in Ravenmoar

[Paz]

I've just spotted that THIS is a much better (and more up-to-date) list of adventures set in Varisia. However, not everything on that list is sanctioned for PFS play.

[Lucio]

Thanks to you both, those lists are very helpful in planning out some adventures for my group and there appears to be enough material to keep us occupied till level 6 or 7.

As an aside whilst I understand that the sanctioned benefits for an AP only apply for the relevant section, is there any harm in playing the other parts through, assuming they don't get any gold or xp?

[SCPRedMage]

Lucio wrote:

As an aside whilst I understand that the sanctioned benefits for an AP only apply for the relevant section, is there any harm in playing the other parts through, assuming they don't get any gold or xp?

Technically you can only play the non-sanctioned parts in "campaign mode", aka the "home game" suggestion you shot down earlier (for perfectly valid reasons, mind you). If you were to run them anyways, you wouldn't be running the adventure "as written", as far as PFS is concerned.

Besides which, making them go through the non-sanctioned parts means they will likely have to use more resources, potentially meaning they'll use more consumables and the like because of it, which will push them further behind in what the system assumes for wealth, as well as what other players who had GMs that DIDN'T throw the extra content at them got out of it. It's the latter that really matters, and it's why the "run-as-written" rule exists: to make sure that players get as close to the same experience as possible, regardless of who runs it.