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ANNOUNCING PLAY-BY-POST GAMEDAY IX!
PbP Gameday IX Event # 2701293
Signup Sheet: Recruitment Form
Reporting Link: https://pbpgameday.com/reporting.php
Emergency Channel in case of Paizo Forum Outage: Our channel on the Organized Play Discord at PFSchat.com #pbp_gameday_ix
When: September 01, 2020 - November 10, 2020
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Greetings Pathfinders, Starfinders, & Pathfinder Adventure Card Game enthusiasts!
We’re all very excited to announce the upcoming PbP Gameday IX! This year has certainly been the year of Online Play and we have the widest variety of games we have had the chance to offer. We are not only seeing the beginning of Starfinder Society Year 3: Year of Exploration’s Edge but the official launch of Pathfinder 2nd Edition Advanced Player’s Guide to kick off Pathfinder Society Season 2: Year of Corruption’s Reach! With all of the hubbub, we hope to have a wide variety of games on offer this year from SFS to PFS2 to PACS goodness and of course, plenty of PFS1.
As you will see we have changed a bit of the recruitment method to how Gameday used to be. The GM's will registry their recruitment links (Google sheet, recruitment thread, Promote within the appropriate Lodge, ect) and the players will go into those links and sign up through there.
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As of today, GM registration is officially open! In order for your game to count, it must start on or after Sept 01, 2020 and end on or before November 10, 2020. An item of note, Only games that will count and be reported as a part of Gameday will be those submitted by the GM game submission deadline, No add-ons.
If you need scenario support, you must register your game by August 04, 2020.
During this convention, we’ll also be offering the Pathfinder 1E Special #7-00 The Sky Key Solution run by House GM Dennis and the Starfinder Special #3-00 The Last Bite run by House GM Tyranius.
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How do I sign up to GM?
Go to our GM Registration. Pick out what scenarios you would like to GM. Create your recruitment method, whether it be a google sheet, recruitment thread or even a post within the appropriate lodge and add your recruitment link to the spreadsheet. Once your game has filled please go back to the recruitment sheet and mark your games recruitment as closed.
How do I include a link to my Campaign on the Signup Sheet?
Once your game has been added to the Recruitment Form, you will be able to add that recruitment link easily. It’s best to create the campaign thread early so that your players can find your game easily.
How many games can I sign up to GM?
While you may sign up to GM as many games as you choose, we strongly ask that you consider what you can reasonably handle while still providing a great experience for your players and completing all games within the given timeframe. Remember, life happens to the best of us, so please do not commit to maximum capacity. The GM Submission form allows for you to submit up to 3 tables but you can certainly fill it out again.
If this will be your first time GMing PbP or you are still learning the ropes, we strongly recommend that you only do one game at a time. It’s more work than it looks.
What if I want to sign up to GM a Special?
If you wish to GM one of the Specials above please fill out this form. Deadline for submission is 29 July 2020.
In addition, we require that all those who GM a special have some prior experience with GMing Play-by-Post! GMing PBP is fun, but specials are too time-pressured an environment to learn the techniques of a new format! Instead, GM something else with us, and then apply for the next set of specials we offer.
Is there a limit on how many specials / exclusives I can GM at any given time?
Yes. At any given time, each GM can only GM either:
What do you mean by scenario support?
Paizo will gift you the scenario that you wish to run — if you sign up by our deadline. You can apply for regular scenarios, PACS scenarios or even a module. Not included: APs, Emerald Spire or Thornkeep.
If you need scenario support, you must register your game by August 04, 2020.
What if I want to add a game as a GM after the August 04th Scenario Support Deadline?
That’s fine. You can GM as long as your submission was added before the September 01, 2020 start date, you just need to provide your own copy of the adventure.
I want to run a long module. Can I still do that with there being only one session?
Absolutely! As long as you feel reasonably certain that you’ll be able to finish in the allotted time, or close to it, feel free to GM whatever you like. (Please do not do this unless you are a relatively fast GM.)
May I add a game after September 01, the official start of PBP Gameday IX?
At this time we will not be adding any games past the official start date for a number of reasons. This helps the VO team with tracking games as well as being able to finalize reporting for you in a more timely and efficient manner.
What if I want to be a PACS box runner?
Stay tuned here for further announcements on PACS signups, or check into Flaxseed on Deck (PACS) for questions!
How do I play?
You can find the list of current registered games on Recruitment Form.
Follow the recruitment link and then the GMs instructions regarding recruitment to sign up for their games..
What are the different PBP Lodges?
On Paizo Forums:
We have four other official PbP Lodges available (for RPG games only):
[list]
Why only one session this year?
This allows for a shorter convention and for our GMs and players to have some extra breathing room between PbP Gameday and OutPost early next year.
Will there be boons for Players and GMs?
We expect to be able to offer boons for PFS1, SFS, and PACS plus increased AcP for PFS2.
Can I participate if I am new to Play-by-Post?
Certainly! Just let your GMs and Players know. They’ll be glad to help. We also have plenty of resources available to help you prepare, reach out within the appropriate lodge so we know what you need.
Table [put number in here] is currently full, but it’s marked open. How do I fix that?
You can either ask the GM to mark it closed, or you can mark it closed for them! One reason we switched to a spreadsheet listing was to make it easier for players to find open tables, and to change listings of games to closed when they fill.
Can I sign up to play in both specials?
You may only sign up for one special. We will lift this restriction on August 19th if more tables are needed.
When will you open the seats for signup?
We will open up early signup for GMs on August 05, 2020. This is a courtesy for our GMs. GMs, please limit yourself to 1 table of your choice until August 12th.
General player signup will open August 12, 2020. Please only sign up for the number of games you can handle. It’s better to enjoy one or two games than to get overwhelmed. Also, please remember other people also are excited to play, so please don't sign up for a whole lot of games right away.
Wah! Why do you have so few tables of the Special? I won’t get a seat!
Don’t panic! We will be starting with only so many tables each of Sky key Solution and The Last Bite. We’re doing this so that we can better respond to demand, and so that we don’t overschedule tables.
When will PACS games be listed for signup?
They are coming. Please stay tuned on this thread for more announcements. When recruiting opens up, it will also be announced at Flaxseed on Deck (PACS).
What do I need to play a game of the Adventure Card Game?
Due to COVID-19 verification of your PACS deck is on hold at this time.
How many card games can I sign up to play?
To make sure as many people as possible are able to participate, only two PACS games per player. You may do this in addition to your RPG games.
Who do I contact with questions?
Myth-Weavers: Dax Thura
RPGgeek PFS Guild: Online VO Team
Paizo Forums/Flaxseed Lodge/Cottonseed Lodge/Castamir Station: Lady Ladile, Numbat1, or Lysle
Adventure Card Game: Cartmanbeck
PbP Gameday IX convention in general: Tyranius, Redelia and Michael Hallet
Cosmic Crit Discord: @Cozmic11#0608 and @TheMaskedFerret#7492
Roll for Combat Discord: @Stonesnake#9085 and @TheMaskedFerret#7492
Organized Play Discord: PFSchat.com #pbp_gameday_ix
Or you can ask questions in this thread!
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Future Con Information
Why is there no Retrocon / PlayDis Con this year?
With the sudden world-wide shift to online play this year the online VO team has been helping in large quantities across the board to help make sure everything goes fine with many more additional conventions such as PaizoCon Online and Gencon Online, ect. We are looking to give a small reprieve this year to avoid burnout and have decided to forgo the winter online PbP convention Retrocon. Don’t worry though as it is just for this year and will be back.
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Thank you. One more question, please bear with me. I'm seeing Skitter Shot and Skitter Crash as options, but the new FRPGD Skitter Home not available. Is it because it's too close to the release date that this year's FRPGD adventures aren't available?
This has not been released to play online yet, but should be available for this start date. Let me get with the team on getting that added to the form for you.
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If we've submitted a request to GM one of the specials do we need to wait until we get confirmation we've been selected before posting our table? Will the organization team post them, instead?
I would wait to be contacted by either myself of Dennis. signing up for those is open until the 29th at which point we will scrub through the list for tiers, ect and send out an email to each of you.
GM's will be chosen after the 29th.
But for planning purposes on how many tables to sign up to GM during Gameday I would always be in assumption that you will GM so as not to overload yourself.
Venture-Lieutenant, Online—PbP
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This has not been released to play online yet, but should be available for this start date. Let me get with the team on getting that added to the form for you.
If that's the case I'd like to switch one of my three games out if they are available to run (Think it's August 25th) by then. Who should I contact for this?
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This has not been released to play online yet, but should be available for this start date. Let me get with the team on getting that added to the form for you.If that's the case I'd like to switch one of my three games out if they are available to run (Think it's August 25th) by then. Who should I contact for this?
Which game do you want me to remove for you?
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Venture-Lieutenant, Online—PbP
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Which game do you want me to remove for you?This has not been released to play online yet, but should be available for this start date. Let me get with the team on getting that added to the form for you.If that's the case I'd like to switch one of my three games out if they are available to run (Think it's August 25th) by then. Who should I contact for this?
Skitter Shot, please.
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Skitter Shot, please.Which game do you want me to remove for you?This has not been released to play online yet, but should be available for this start date. Let me get with the team on getting that added to the form for you.If that's the case I'd like to switch one of my three games out if they are available to run (Think it's August 25th) by then. Who should I contact for this?
Deleted your Skitter Shot game
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As you will see we have changed a bit of the recruitment method to how Gameday used to be. The GM's will registry their recruitment links (Google sheet, recruitment thread, Promote within the appropriate Lodge, ect) and the players will go into those links and sign up through there.
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General GM game submissions open - Immediately
Scenario Support Deadline - August 04, 2020
GM early player access - August 05, 2020 (limited to 1 table)
Player seating, general - August 12, 2020
Last day for GM submissions, no games added after this (note earlier deadline for scenario support) - August 31, 2020
Start of PBP Gameday IX - September 01, 2020
End of PBP Gameday IX - November 10,...
Sorry for asking as I'm sure there's a good reason, but I'm genuinely curious. Why the change to recruitment? I've always liked the way the sign-up spreadsheet was set up before; it was read-only until sign-ups were opened up and it was very easy to track things...
This new way opens up a couple of questions, for me at least:
1) Since I set up my Campaign thread (first come, first served) and included a link for recruiting when I registered as a GM, I've already had several hits from folk wanting to play. Since the GM early player access isn't open till August 5th and the general access not till a week later, what do I tell those that have already responded? Do I tell them they'll have to post again once sign-ups are officially open?
2) As for GM early player access, am I correct in assuming that it's only good for those campaigns that are first come, first served? If it's a lottery or a GM choice, GM early access doesn't appear to have any benefit. Looks like most of the sessions being run are first come, first served, so shouldn't be much of an issue, but figured I'd ask just in case...
Thanks.
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Sorry for asking as I'm sure there's a good reason, but I'm genuinely curious. Why the change to recruitment? I've always liked the way the sign-up spreadsheet was set up before; it was read-only until sign-ups were opened up and it was very easy to track things...
This new way opens up a couple of questions, for me at least:
1) Since I set up my Campaign thread (first come, first served) and included a link for recruiting when I registered as a GM, I've already had several hits from folk wanting to play. Since the GM early player access isn't open till August 5th and the general access not till a week later, what do I tell those that have already responded? Do I tell them they'll have to post again once sign-ups are officially open?
2) As for GM early player access, am I correct in assuming that it's only good for those campaigns that are first come, first served? If it's a lottery or a GM choice, GM early access doesn't appear to have any benefit. Looks like most of the sessions being run are first come, first served, so shouldn't be much of an issue, but figured I'd ask just in case...
All good Otha. This format was the way that Gameday originally was recruited. GM's would submit their games to a webpage similar to the reporting tool and openly recruit through the PbP Lodges. We decided give it another go, with the amount of people playing online this year and the amount of online Cons we have, and will continue to have, a larger influx of newer players. By using the open recruitment channels in the Lodges these newer players will be able to see those and hop into a game. The further activity and recruitment posting in those Lodges will help invigorate some of the newer Lodges.
Of course another item I have been doing after House GM'ing the Multi-table Specials is I send out a an After Action Form to solicit feedback. I would like to begin doing the same with the Con's we run. This is after all your, the communities, Con and your feedback should help shape it a bit as we constantly try to improve.
1. Let those players know through a message that now is not the time for open recruitment as GM's are still adding games.
2. FCFS may be your best bet but you can certainly try your hand at a GM recruiting using the lottery method.
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I forsee a (minor) problem with the heterogeneous recruiting: for those who want to get into a non-FCFS game, they may forego their opportunity to join a FCFS game if games fill up quickly.
I'm a big fan of non-FCFS recruiting, so this is more of an open "How can we get it to work?" question than a doom-and-gloom prediction that it won't.
One remark: for Outpost, players were only allowed to sign up for N games initially (N = 3?), and at some point the restriction was lifted. Is that under consideration?
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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I find FCFS recruiting greatly superior to lottery-style seating.
The whole reason I'm involved in PFS is because I was tired of going to conventions, signing up for a whole bunch of games, and maybe getting into one of them. At least with FCFS seating you know right away if you're going to get into a game, and can plan your time appropriately.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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[Donning GM / Convention Organiser's hat, mounting soapbox]
I think letting the GMs have a voice in what games they want to GM is a laudable goal; I have GMed at a convention where I was assigned a scenario, and basically told "this is what you're going to run". The more a GM knows (and likes) a scenario, the more likely he is to run an enjoyable game.
But, equally, you have to provide games that players want to play. Back in the days when we had face-to-face play at conventions we'd typically put out an initial schedule with a guess at what games we'd be running. More than half of the schedule was fairly easy - the most recent few months of scenarios, the current multi-table specials, and the regular bunch of introductory scenarios/quests/whatever for first-time players.
Beyond that was guesswork based on experience (how long is it since we've scheduled this at a local convention; what has proved popular in the past;, etc., etc.).
We'd put a few more games on the schedule than we expected, and keep watch on how signups were going. Games that weren't attracting players would get cut from the schedule; for games that were over-subscribed we'd add a table, and do our best to find another GM. (This was easier in a real-space convention when we could offer incentives for GMs, such as free admission to the convention if you GMed enough tables, GM boons, etc.)
Online conventions are different. But I was not a fan of one thing I saw at PaizoCon this year - only one table of any given scenario in a slot. We really liked it when we were able to offer multiple tables of a scenario in the same slot; that gave us the opportunity to provide well balanced tables (character levels mostly the same, a good spread of classes, etc.).
That's more than enough from me for now ...
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And nothing prevents you from withdrawing your entry from a FCFS game, if you manage to finagle a non-FCFS game after the fact.
Ugh, that ends up being musical chairs.
FCFS may end up being the best way to do conventions - I'm fully prepared for that: it works, and everyone's familiar with it.
But outside of conventions, I really like the question of why this character is playing this scenario, and want to run scenarios where the characters have more at stake than XP and gold. It's be a shame if that couldn't be done in a PbP convention context (I'm pretty sure it can't be done in a F2F convention context so I wouldn't even try).
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But outside of conventions, I really like the question of why this character is playing this scenario, and want to run scenarios where the characters have more at stake than XP and gold.
This sounds like a "GM picks the players" selection process which I understood is not allowed under the convention or RSP rules. My understanding is you can do lottery or FCFS, but not anything where the GM can pick one player over another.
My personal plan for the next time I GM play-by-post is to fill the first 3 spots via FCFS and the last 3 via lottery. If I'm not playing under RSP I will probably 2 FCFS, 2 Lottery, and then 2 of my pick to round out the party.
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Venture-Agent, Colorado—Denver
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I see a few games offering FCFS spots with no mention of waiting until Aug 12th. Can we sign up for those or do we still need to wait until the 12th?
How fast do games fill up for general player seating on sign-up day? I fear I will not get into any games unless I set my alarm for 10 mins before Midnight of Aug 12th, wake up, and groggily, but quickly, sign up for games.
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I see a few games offering FCFS spots with no mention of waiting until Aug 12th. Can we sign up for those or do we still need to wait until the 12th?
How fast do games fill up for general player seating on sign-up day? I fear I will not get into any games unless I set my alarm for 10 mins before Midnight of Aug 12th, wake up, and groggily, but quickly, sign up for games.
In the past, I have not had a problem getting into the Scenario I wanted. Maybe not always the GM that I wanted, but the Scenario has rarely been a problem, even when I've waited a few days to sign up.
Now, please don't blame me if the table you wanted fills in 30 minutes, there are probably more people trying out PbP given pandemic circumstances.
...and that's potentially a lot of people to explain that you can't play the same character in multiple games or play a live game with the same character while in PbP, which technically should be clear from the first point...
EDIT: Given the influx of new online players and the multiple recent online live conventions, you might want to put some explanatory boilerplate in this thread as to what PbP is and is not. Or not. Just a thought.
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I see a few games offering FCFS spots with no mention of waiting until Aug 12th. Can we sign up for those or do we still need to wait until the 12th?
How fast do games fill up for general player seating on sign-up day? I fear I will not get into any games unless I set my alarm for 10 mins before Midnight of Aug 12th, wake up, and groggily, but quickly, sign up for games.
As GM Blake has mentioned, in the past there generally hasn't been a problem getting into a scenario that you want as there are usually a wide variety as well as multiple tables of some of the newer scenarios.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Online—PbP
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Will we be informed when Skitter Home and Little Trouble in Big Absalom are added to the Google Form?Both have been added to the GM registration form. :)
@Tyranius, Thank you, however; I can see Skitter Home on the form, but not Little Trouble in Big Absalom, unfortunately.
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@Tyranius, Thank you, however; I can see Skitter Home on the form, but not Little Trouble in Big Absalom, unfortunately.Will we be informed when Skitter Home and Little Trouble in Big Absalom are added to the Google Form?Both have been added to the GM registration form. :)
It should be fixed and linked up now. When choosing Campaign season and scenario scroll to the bottom and choose PF2 Modules.
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Looks like only one of the games I volunteered to run made it to the list. If you could add PFS 2nd ed 2-2: Mountain of Sea and Sky for FCFS. Thanks
After checking it doesn't look like we even received the submission for your second game, for some reason. Would you care to try resubmitting it, when you get the chance? Our primary spreadsheet gurus are, indeed, busy with GenCon Online this weekend and I'd rather not risk breaking something by trying to manually add your game myself. Thanks! :)
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Venture-Lieutenant, Maryland—Hagerstown
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Looks like only one of the games I volunteered to run made it to the list. If you could add PFS 2nd ed 2-2: Mountain of Sea and Sky for FCFS. ThanksAfter checking it doesn't look like we even received the submission for your second game, for some reason. Would you care to try resubmitting it, when you get the chance? Our primary spreadsheet gurus are, indeed, busy with GenCon Online this weekend and I'd rather not risk breaking something by trying to manually add your game myself. Thanks! :)
Done.
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Any chance there are still spots open to run Sky Key Solution? Happy to also be considered as an alternate if that is a thing. Short two specials to qualify for my fifth star, and didn't see this until today (or I would have signed up earlier).
[edit]Weird that my stars show up, but no nova or glyph...