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Have you considered running it the way that Pathfinder Society is done? (Maybe even use the scenarios from there).
Characters level up after three sessions and the scenarios are written so that you can have characters with wide variations in their levels.
Start with reading the Guild Guide as it tells you the basics of running a game as well as how to make characters.
Any character not in the story would be given EXP for some side quest they are doing. Just having players say what their character is doing in the distance, and problem solved.
My group abandoned XP a long time ago and switched to leveling based on plot. Most APs already support this. If you don't use APs just decide what level you want players to be at certain parts of your story.
I deal out normal XP to attending players, and those that missed get a chunk as well. I just made my own arbitrary formula: 5/8ths of the given experience,+200 from levels 1st through 5th, and now+500 6th level and above. That... Just seemed fair to me.
I always hated it when someone who wasn't there got the same goods I got, but I don't want the others to fall behind either.
Have you considered running it the way that Pathfinder Society is done? (Maybe even use the scenarios from there).
Characters level up after three sessions and the scenarios are written so that you can have characters with wide variations in their levels.
There is no reason not to run it as actual PFS games. Just have everyone create a Paizo account and register their characters. Hand out a sheet after each game.
If they ever have the opportunity to attend a convention, they can take their character with them.
there's plenty of reason to not play it like pfs.
Would you mind expanding on the negativity?
What don't you like about PFS?| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
there's plenty of reason to not play it like pfs.Would you mind expanding on the negativity?
What don't you like about PFS?
No houserules. Limited rewards. Limited materials for use. Limited to campaign modules. Alignment restrictions. Restrictions on possible player actions. Forced use of all official interpretations. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of those. Not entirely sure on all the rules. Not hating or saying badwrongfun but there is definitely reason
@OP if still reading this I also recommend plot XP. Swapped over 4 years ago and it is so much better than encounter based. Also have a current game with roughly 4 players that can't attend often. It helps them out a ton.
While PFS has it's downsides, it isn't all bad and many of the restrictions named by Dastis you'll get in pretty much any well managed campaign or don't really exist (It has plenty of house rules for instance - you just don't get to add to them). It is still potentially a good answer to the OPs difficulties. It is certainly worth giving it a run. If nothing else you can take what works and carry that forward, leave what doesn't work behind.
Just because you start reporting doesn't mean you have to keep doing so.
there's plenty of reason to not play it like pfs.Would you mind expanding on the negativity?
What don't you like about PFS?No houserules. Limited rewards. Limited materials for use. Limited to campaign modules. Alignment restrictions. Restrictions on possible player actions. Forced use of all official interpretations. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of those. Not entirely sure on all the rules. Not hating or saying badwrongfun but there is definitely reason
@OP if still reading this I also recommend plot XP. Swapped over 4 years ago and it is so much better than encounter based. Also have a current game with roughly 4 players that can't attend often. It helps them out a ton.
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). Credit is applied to an appropriate
Roleplaying Guild character as if the character created
were a pregenerated character.
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). Credit is applied to an appropriate
Roleplaying Guild character as if the character created
were a pregenerated character.
Umm, the second word of the explanation ("sanctioned") would already break it for me. I am the GM, I do the major part of the work, so I am not interested whether PFS people graciously allow me to use something - or not. PFS is appearantly a good format for some people, but bad for others - so it's just fair to offer an undecided player / GM both perspectives.
this and also needing to spend hundreds of dollars on books just to make one character because you need to own every book you take content from in order for your character to use it, there is also little to no customization, gm can't make anything new or change how game mechanics work, players also have less freedom in addition of if any one shifts to evil they just flat out lose their character and can't play them anymore which ruins a good character progression story, pfs also hates many many options and nerfes the crap out of them with and most of them just hurt martial characters while not really impeding casters in the slightest when martials need all the help they can get in the 1st place they also complain to paizo about things being omg op af even when their not so paizo goes around with their nerf bat making the things pfs deems op into the ground and making them useless thus ruining the game for all the non pfs people because there is now a pfs inspired erata on a thing that we use that is now trash just because pfs doesn't like it even though we aren't the ones playing pfs we still get effectedthere's plenty of reason to not play it like pfs.Would you mind expanding on the negativity?
What don't you like about PFS?No houserules. Limited rewards. Limited materials for use. Limited to campaign modules. Alignment restrictions. Restrictions on possible player actions. Forced use of all official interpretations. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of those. Not entirely sure on all the rules. Not hating or saying badwrongfun but there is definitely reason
Just expanding on my earlier post as some of these criticisms are not necessarily an accurate representation. A large majority of these complaints will turn up in almost any campaign. I have known many GMs put limits on source materials, I myself will not allow anyone to play an evil character, and I know many GMs who share that view, I know many GMs who will weaken some options, or run strictly by the rules. PFS has it's faults, but very few of them are restricted to PFS. The restrictions on actions for example are just slightly more formal "don't be a richard" that all players should be abiding by anyway.
On the limited rewards - characters usually end up above wealth by level.
It is also wrong to lay all of the errata at PFS' door, Sure they are responsible for some, but when you get a huge pool of players telling you that something doesn't work, that's a lot of people to ignore.
Even many of the issues that are truly specific to PFS can be sidestepped in a closed group as long as everyone is aware of the actual restrictions and agrees not to abide by them - there is no PFS police knocking on your door to check up on you. Of course that messes with one of the true benefits of PFS, the ability to take your character anywhere in the world and drop into a local game.
I'm not PFS' greatest fan, but:
a) criticise it where it is actually at fault, and
b) it does what it sets out to do and does that specific set of things well. One of those things it does well is set up a solid framework for drop in/drop out play with short missions following an overarching story each season. Exactly the kind of thing that would help the OP - even if they decide to leave the rest of the baggage behind.
It is also great if you don't have the time to build your own campaigns - not everyone does.
The biggest limitations of PFS IMO (and all of them are justifiable in context of a global organised campaign)are lack of customisation and the other restrictions on the GM, requirement on players to own the material they rely on, and the paperwork (oh dear god, the paperwork!).
The rest is nothing you won't find in many other campaigns.