A fundamental problem with the Society Shepherd boon

[FiddlersGreen]

Benefit: If you brought a new player—a player without a
Starfinder Society character or playing their first Starfinder Society
session—you earn 1 additional Fame and 1 additional Reputation
with the Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo) faction.
Special: You can benefit from this boon only a number of times
equal to your current Reputation Tier with the Second Seekers
(Luwazi Elsebo) faction. Each time you fulfill the requirements of
this boon, mark it on your Chronicle sheet along with the associated
Reputation Tier. Have the GM sign beside this notation.

When I first get access to the boon, I'll likely be level 2 (in fact my current character with the boon is level 2) - no problem there. However, by the time he gets to tier 2, he'll likely be level 4, which I suppose is still within the realm of possiblity for bringing a new player's character to the same table. The problem comes with the next 2 tiers. At reputation 25, I'll probably be at level 5 at least, and level 8 at tier 4. Odds are it will difficult for me to bring a new player to a subtier 7-8 table, and even if I did, it would probably be a bad idea since a new player in a 7-8 table will be completely lost. But if I bring a new player to a commencement table (a good table to get him started), I will not be able to bring my tier 4 reputation second seeker.

Can we get a ruling that if you bring a new character to any table, you can get a check on this boon even if you are not playing at that table using the character that has this boon slotted? I presume you will still need to include a copy of the chronicle with the records for the character with this boon.

Otherwise the only way to get the 3rd and 4th benefit of this boon would be to do something very un-shepherd-like and give the new player a very difficult introduction to the game.

[Belafon]

FiddlersGreen wrote:

Can we get a ruling that if you bring a new character to any table, you can get a check on this boon even if you are not playing at that table using the character that has this boon slotted?

I'm pretty sure that is the intention. The boon just says that you have to bring a player, not that they have to be at your table.

Quote:

I presume you will still need to include a copy of the chronicle with the records for the character with this boon.

Not sure what you're saying here. Lets say Brenda brings Alicia to a game day. Brenda plays in a 5-8 game while Alicia starts off with a 1-4. As long as Brenda's character has the Society Shepherd boon (and hasn't hit the tier max), she can get the extra Fame and Reputation. Brenda makes a note of the additional gain on the 5-8 Chronicle she receives that day; there's no other chronicle to "include a copy of."

[FiddlersGreen]

Kevin Willis wrote:

Not sure what you're saying here. Lets say Brenda brings Alicia to a game day. Brenda plays in a 5-8 game while Alicia starts off with a 1-4. As long as Brenda's character has the Society Shepherd boon (and hasn't hit the tier max), she can get the extra Fame and Reputation. Brenda makes a note of the additional gain on the 5-8 Chronicle she receives that day; there's no other chronicle to "include a copy of."

But if Brenda goes to play a 5-8 game while Alicia who she brought is left to play a 1-4 game on her own with people she does not know, how is Brenda being a shepherd to Alicia?

If I might invite you to put yourself in the hypothetical Alicia's shoes for a moment, how would Alicia feel as a new player if Brenda brought her to a game day, only to run off to do her own thing? Surely it would be more helpful to Alicia for Brenda to be at that table with her to guide her and coach her? Isn't the point of the boon for Brenda to introduce and coach the new player Alicia? But that would preclude Brenda playing with her tier 3 or 4 character at the same time.

Alicia would eventually need to learn to play with other players on her own without Brenda, but she should not need to be doing that at her very first game. That should be the point of having a shepherd with her.

What I am hoping to be able to do is, when I am at tier 3, and I run the commencement for a group of people new to Starfinder (which I am hoping to do sometime next year - already have 3 players in mind who know each other, just need to sort out timetables), when I issue chronicle sheets, I am hoping to be able to gain the benefit from the boon for bringing new players even though I am not getting a chronicle for the tier 3 character at all in that session. I would think I should be able to since I am still bringing new players to the game (one completely new to RPGs and the other being a father-son pair who currently play 5th edition D&D), and actively coaching them and teaching them the game.

[Thurston Hillman]

Since day 0, I've been compiling errata/ adjustments that I hope to get published in the guide and other documents; so I'll be sure to add this one to the list.

For now, how about we go with:

Official Clarification on Society Shepherd Boon:

You should receive the Society Shepherd boon rewards as long as you bring a new player to a regular game night / game day / other suitable event, and that player ends up playing a full session worth of material (such as a scenario or Quest pack). This new player does NOT have to be sitting at the same table as you, but they must confirm that you were responsible for them coming to try out Starfinder. You should get the GM of your game to confirm this, and they can make the notation on your Chronicle.