|
| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Characters are considered to be playing in a scenario, module or Adventure Path until they receive a Chronicle sheet for sanctioned content. GMs are advised to work with players who do not finish a scenario, module, or Adventure Path to receive their Chronicle sheets.
When running sanctioned modules and APs in Campaign Mode, how does one handle a player leaving the game? Are there any rules that govern players dropping and new ones being added? Or must the same players that begin the game, finish the game in order for it to be reported and Chronicles awarded?
Let's say I plan to run the entirety of Daughters of Fury, for instance, in Campaign Mode, split over three sessions for a group of four players. After completing the first chapter in our first session, one of those players drops out of the game, never to return. We proceed through the second chapter in our second session with the remaining three players. Prior to starting the third chapter in our third session, we add a new player, who finishes out the module with us.
The player who dropped out after the first session would receive the Chronicle for Part 1. The player who joined for the third session would receive the Chronicle for Part 3. And the other three players would receive the Chronicles for Parts 1, 2 and 3, plus the special fourth Chronicle, if they apply the other three to the same character.
Is that correct? If so, in theory, I could schedule a Campaign Mode run of a multi-session module across multiple dates at a public venue and not concern myself with insuring that the same group of players is available and will attend every session, yes?
|
So, this kind of gets into the nitty gritty reality of Campaign Mode.
Everything is up to the GM.
You could just RP the entire module, and never roll dice once (or vice versa), You could paraphrase the entire thing as a sort of story. You are literally in charge of everything, including the conditions for which players earn Chronicles.
Ideally, you'd run the entire module to the best of your ability for a consistent group and pass out Chronicles at the end. But, as most gamers are aware, campaigns rarely go ideally. So, it's entirely up to you as to how they earn their rewards.
It's also because of that less than ideal possibility I'd recommend you avoid running Campaign Mode games at a public venue. Save Campaign Mode for your private home group, and host just the sanctioned portions for public events.
It's just ripe for strife otherwise.
|
|
It's also because of that less than ideal possibility I'd recommend you avoid running Campaign Mode games at a public venue. Save Campaign Mode for your private home group, and host just the sanctioned portions for public events.
Thanks. More than what "can" be done, I was really looking for what "should" be done and your response has confirmed my expectation.
|
|
You can look back to season 7 guide and it has language about modules and APs being broken into thirds as far as getting XP, PP and gold. I believe that's still the intent, the language just escaped during the attempt at brevity.
Players who do not complete each game session earn 1/3 fewer gold pieces, 1 less XP and 1 less Prestige Point for each session missed. This also applies to players who join later sessions; they receive 1/3 fewer gold pieces, 1 fewer XP and Prestige Point for each session missed.
Unfortunately, I don't believe that actually applies to my hypothetical situation(s). Or, if it does, I'm unsure of how.
For instance, each chapter of Daughters of Fury is sanctioned and earns a player a Chronicle worth up to 3 XP and 4 Prestige Points. If those rules apply to my example, does the player who dropped out after the first session receive the Chronicles for all three sanctioned chapters, with the XP being reduced to 2 and the Prestige Points being reduce to 3 for each of the two sessions not attended and would the player who joined for the last chapter receive Chronicles for the previous sessions missed, with the XP and Prestige Points being reduced likewise.Or maybe they receive only the one Chronicle for the session played, but the XP is reduced to 1 (having missed two sessions) and the Prestige Points are reduced to 2 (again, having missed two sessions).
Personally, I don't know what the intent was or is; I don't believe the season 7 Guide really addressed the newer 64 page modules with their multiple Chronicles or playing them in Campaign Mode.
|
|
For Campaign Mode, using home rules, none of that matters.
That can't be right, can it?
I know there are "no rules" in Campaign Mode when it comes to character creation and actually running the game, but there must be some rules regarding how Chronicles are assigned afterwards and how the game is reported.
If not, one could just run the first encounter, call it a day and give everyone Chronicles for everything.
That can't be right, can it?
|
|
Hypothetical Example:
Chapter 1 includes three dungeon crawls. Each is lengthy, so you decide to divide the entire Chapter over three 4 hour slots at a Convention.
6 players sign up for slots 1 & 2, but only 5 of them continue to slot 3. A new player joins for the last slot.
5 players get a Chronicle with all rewards, 1 player gets 2/3 of the rewards, and 1 player gets 1/3 of the rewards.
|
|
If not, one could just run the first encounter, call it a day and give everyone Chronicles for everything.
That can't be right, can it?
That's what I was referring to up thread.
"Everything is up to the GM."
"So, it's entirely up to you as to how they earn their rewards."
You don't even have to run encounters at all.
|
|
You don't have to run encounters at all.
Do I even need to run the game? Is there truly no limit to how little has to be done in order to give everyone a Chronicle and report the table(s)?
I do understand what you're saying, Nefreet; I'm just incredulous that it's true.
And have you played Daughters of Fury yet? If not, you just did. Where would you like your Chronicles sent?
|
|
I GMed Daughters of Fury in Campaign Mode. We did somewhat of a "speedrun", and completed the entire module in two sessions. I told the story, handwaved what I considered to be trivial encounters, and ran the big fights with additional monsters. If the players were having it too easy, I ad hoc'd the Advanced Simple template to what was left.
We all agreed to that style of play because we're all so invested in PFS, and two APs, that we wouldn't have had time to play through it otherwise.
That's the freedom that Campaign Mode offers.
If you and your group choose to run a single encounter and distribute all Chronicles afterwards, that's your purview. The Paizo police are not going to knock down your door (though they will if you didn't pay for the Module =P).
|
|
Hence why I prefaced my first post in this thread with, "this kind of gets into the nitty gritty reality of Campaign Mode".I'd say it's less "nitty gritty" and more "nebulous".
How so?
In an ideal world, a single GM would run a long lasting Campaign with a consistent group and pass out Chronicles to everyone involved.
But there's a good chance that's not going to happen. Especially so for APs, which often take years to complete.
|
|
Hence why I prefaced my first post in this thread with, "this kind of gets into the nitty gritty reality of Campaign Mode".I'd say it's less "nitty gritty" and more "nebulous".How so?
Probably just a matter of semantics and my understanding of those words.
the most important aspects or practical details of the reality of Campaign Mode vs. the unclear, vague, or ill-defined reality of Campaign Modepotato, potato; tomato, tomato
|
Andy and Nefreet,
Could you extrapolate an example of a Campaign Mode play through where the players changed from session to session? Which players get which Chronicles and how are they adjusted to account for not playing all of the content?
Let's use my running of Dragon's Demand as an example. This was the last thing I ran at Village games. We ran it in two marathon 13 horse sessions. I wish it had taken one more day, as it was very rushed.
In any case, the text above from season 7 guide, would be if part 1 (as defined by the sanctioning document) were started by 6 players, but by my estimation they only played a portion equal to 1/3rd, 2/3rd or more than 2/3rds. And they would get 1XP/2PP, 2XP/3PP, or 3XP/4PP respectively.
So players, A, B, C, D, E, and F.
A through D play all of all 3 parts. Get full credit and all 4 chronicles.
E plays only 2/3rds of part 1, so gets a part 1 chronicle worth 2 XP and 3PP.
F plays all of part 1, but nothing else. So gets a chronicle for part 1 at 3XP and 4 PP.
G and H step in for E and F.
G plays part 2 and 3 and gets full credit for both.
H plays 1/3rd of Part 2, and gets 1 XP and 2 PP part 2 chronicle.
J steps in for H. In campaign mode you can fit him in right after H leaves. But because in PFS play mode, each chronicle represents a discrete module, J could not start play until part 3 starts.
Do not worry if this mixing and matching might cause a session to need more than 7 players or less than 3, if you are playing campaign mode.
Does that help?
|
|
If you and your group choose to run a single encounter and distribute all Chronicles afterwards, that's your purview.And as much as I may joke about it, I wouldn't be able to run anything that way.
Most people wouldn't. It's almost a sort of self policing.
And for those few who would, they'd probably receive negative reactions from their community for doing so.
Being referred to as "nebulous" is enough to make someone not want to continue such a practice.
I think one local person put it this way once: Remember the old Super Mario Brothers game? The first one, on the original Nintendo? If you sat down to play it for the first time, and were given the option to jump down that first tube and fight the end boss immediately, without playing through the rest of the game... Would you?
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
This is very interesting, I just was discussing this with my venture captain and he advised taking away any encounters and/or altering encounters would directly violate running the a module or adventure in its entirety. He advised no chronicle sheet should be given if such changes were made. Is there an official Paizo response anybody knows of that I could reference?
I feel I'm following the story, but I want to change an encounter a bit to tie into another character's background. Where should lines specifically be drawn to altering/removing encounters?
Assuming you're talking about Campaign Mode:
p11 of the Guide to OP.
Campaign Mode: For sanctioned modules and Adventure Paths, GMs are allowed to use their own rules for character creation and running the presented content (the entire book or series).
Also This Blog
Alternatively, if you are participating in a Pathfinder Adventure Path with an ongoing home group undertaking the entire campaign, you may receive credit for playing the sanctioned portions of the adventure as if you had played a pregenerated character. In this case, GMs running the Adventure Path are not bound to the rules of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign when running the campaign or the sanctioned portion of the adventure.
You aren't bound by any of the OP rules. So you can change encounters, make players put on silly hats. Use the Traveler rules system. Give them all holy avengers, let them play goblins. Have a group of 17. Allow pvp. Require custom races, set the game in the Realms, give wizards a d12 HD, Let whoever orders the pizza gain an extra level, create undead as a pharasman, play a gestalt half drow synsthesist/Fochlucan Lyrist with power points, VMC and a free weapon wielding ape companion who has multiclassed into the old wisdom based Hellknight prc and doesn't require handle animal
|
| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Personally, I do not think the intention is that you can completely ignore the module/AP as written. It gives the players the freedom to create any PC the GM will allow. A nice option for those who feel the standard PFS rules are too heavy-handed. It also allows the GM to use whatever rules s/he wants to run the material. Want to use alternate systems like spell points, disadvantages, Hero Points, etc., go ahead. Want to ban gunslingers or allow drow, fine. However, I believe it still requires you to run the module/AP that you have signed up to play. It seems to allow for the addition of encounters and/or material and the GM is certainly permitted to run encounters schematically, but you should still run what was written. Otherwise, what's the point? Why not just make up your own campaign and randomly select sanctioned chronicles to award under the guise of campaign mode?
"Campaign Mode: For sanctioned modules and Adventure Paths, GMs are allowed to use their own rules for character creation and running the presented content"
IMO, that means there are no restrictions on character creation and the GM can use whatever RULES they want, but must still "run(ning) the presented content"
I would love to hear an official clarification on this
|
|
I see running the presented content as following the story as given and using the written encounters as guidelines. With the time commitment involved in running an AP or even an extended module there's no reason that a GM shouldn't take the time to understand the players and characters at the table and be able to tweak encounters to provide them with an appropriate challenge.
Really if we're expected to run encounters as written for modules then there's no reason to ever run one again for PFS. It becomes an exercise in masochism either for the GM or players depending on how well the suited the party is for the adventure.