I cannot really play in the Pathfinder Society as every problem is with how average its particular rules want me to be. I want to create my own equipment, it says no. I want to pick the more interesting archetypes, it says no. I want to earn more rewards than anyone else, it says no. I dont think I can do anything exceptional if my hands are being tied by all the house rules opposing all my actions and plans.
Best regards I can think of the Society is as a training tool for while waiting for full use of the official Pathfinder game potential in an open minded group.
But are there any other campaigns or groupings? Finding a group not in the Society seems nearly impossible. I think the Society just eats anyone not part of the collective.
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I can assure you that finding a group outside of society is far from impossible. Especially if you're willing to play online over Roll20 or another virtual table top program.
However, PFS is the only official Organized Play Campaign for Pathfinder that I know of and all Organized Play Campaigns have restrictions on things to some degree, so you're probably looking for a normal group, not Organized Play.
If you're willing to play online check the Roll20 forums and various RPG Subreddits. In fact there are plenty of subreddits specifically dedicated to those looking for RPG groups. If you're only looking to play in person, then I'd recommend maybe dealing with Society games for a few sessions and try to find some likeminded people who would want to form a group outside of PFS with you.
Though keep in mind that the vast majority of GMs houserule things to some degree. You'll pretty much always be restricted in some form, even if its bare minimum.
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LPJ Design is also doing Organized Play as of this year.
However, I agree with Jurassic Pratt. If you're looking to design your own equipment or get more rewards than anyone else, it's going to have to be a home game, and you're going to need a lenient GM. Most GMs put their foot down on a lot of things that could possibly disrupt the flow of their story, or would upset the balance of the game in general. Even game designers find that they can't really get away with doing anything custom or be granted higher rewards than their fellow party members.
I want to earn more rewards than anyone else, it says no.Pathfinder Society isn't your problem here. If you can't have fun without everyone else having less fun, you'll never be happy in any campaign, Organized or otherwise.
Very basic idea, use charisma to negotiate for larger rewards from quests. Or craft and sell their own equipment. Or go searching for things in hidden places. Or pickpocket people.
If it helps you understand just think of me as trying to overachieve.
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I want to earn more rewards than anyone else, it says no.Pathfinder Society isn't your problem here. If you can't have fun without everyone else having less fun, you'll never be happy in any campaign, Organized or otherwise.Very basic idea, use charisma to negotiate for larger rewards from quests. Or craft and sell their own equipment. Or go searching for things in hidden places. Or pickpocket people.
If it helps you understand just think of me as trying to overachieve.
Even with that kind of motivation, you’d need a dedicated GM to figure out the math because the system is very specific in what rewards are given per encounter. Once your wealth starts to go over that, suddenly there’s no more rewards despite the encounters being exceptionally more difficult. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to craft your own stuff, or negotiate for better rewards, especially if the treasure you find is useless to the group, but just know that eventually the well you get water from will eventually dry up. That’s practically every system too.
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Please keep in mind, PFS and other organized play tries to use the Wealth by Level rules and guide to keep their rewards in line to what the character should be at during their career. These "limits" are a part of the game. PFS has made adjustments over time, having added the rules for mid tier gold and adjusting how to determine the group tier and what tier the group needs to play in.
Love it or hate it, the Wealth by Levels guide is going to be a factor in most any Pathfinder game you are going to play in.
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As a GM, if a group of players wanted this type of play style, I certainly could accommodate. It would take more effort. But I could create a sliding scale of rewards based on how well they accomplish a particular task.
hmm...
yeah, PFS does do this doesn't it?
Lets dive into this rabbit hole for a moment:
If I'm running a game, and you are spending time picking pockets, then the adventure becomes you running around picking pockets. If you succeed, then you get some gold and deal with any in world repercussions that might pop up. What happens if you are caught? What happens to local security if there is a rash of lost gold pouches in a particular area of the city? What happens to the local economy when people don't have money to buy things?
I could build an entire campaign around just that. I have in the past. It was fun.
But wow, that world would really have to be extremely fleshed out, or have a GM who is really good at improvising details and then remembering (take copious notes) those details for later sessions.
Because the moment you decide to stop picking pockets and start making some magic item, the adventure changes to you doing that.
But its more than that, as a GM, I have to accommodate more than just you. I have to accommodate several players. That takes that much more effort. And if all the other players want to actually go save the princess or kill the dragon, then as a GM I'm likely to focus on all the other players and just give you a roll in the city every now and again while you are picking pockets.
And if you choose to go the Player vs. Player route and start picking fellow party member's pockets, then the other players are likely to band against you and kill your character. You'd likely be asked to leave the group and not come back if you can't play nice.
And if the campaign does revolve around you picking pockets, then I guarantee you that as the GM, I'm going to bring in a foil. Some Sherlock Holmes-ian detective bent on finding the pickpocket(s) of Abershire Downs.
So trust me, you will be unlikely to find a GM who is just flat out going to give you more rewards than a character of its level should have. That's not how this game works.
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And keep in mind, that Video Games don't really give you extra rewards for harder work. Grinding gives you more "things", but the video games still give you "xp" which helps you level up for doing those things. So you likely will still have the right amount of gold for your level.
And if you want to play a style of game where you are the richest, best, most well equipped character in the land, and all challenges are easy because you picked a crap load of pockets and made a bunch of items, then good luck finding that game. I don't think it exists.
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I remember a game of Oblivion I think (might have actually been Skyrim), where my buddy and I trade the controller back and forth for 8 or 9 hours straight, and we just gathered all the books in all the guild libraries and walked super, super slowly (since we were ridiculously over encumbered) to the book store and sold them. We got nearly 2 million gold and used that to kit up pretty good. Lots of cool magic armor and lots of healing potions and such.
That was fun for the two of us because we'd made the social contract with one another to do so.
But I am betting 6 players around a table, PFS or home game, won't put up with that crap for very long, unless that's the point of the campaign and the GM is building the world around a group of book smugglers and all the consequences there-in.
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Heck, just get together with some folks, formulate a guideline, and create your own Pathfinder gaming society! I myself have been wondering since I joined if there is a group of 'gestalt society' players that go for a more high fantasy take on thing. What about 3PP-friendly 'societies'? It would be cool if people stepped up and made one.
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Just realize that such a labor of love requires blood, sweat, tears, and possibly a significant chunk of your free time/money.
Organized Play campaigns don't spontaneously form and the amount of work involved is... significant.
If you can make a go of it, it'll be impressive.
LPJ Design is also doing Organized Play as of this year.
Heck, just get together with some folks, formulate a guideline, and create your own Pathfinder gaming society! I myself have been wondering since I joined if there is a group of 'gestalt society' players that go for a more high fantasy take on thing. What about 3PP-friendly 'societies'? It would be cool if people stepped up and made one.
NeoExodus Legacies is one such Pathfinder-ruleset-based 3rd party Organized Play campaign. It takes place in another campaign setting of its' own and allows for such things as Dreamscarred Press Psionics (as an example). Of course, you'll still need like-minded people who are willing to play and/or GM for it though. ;)