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Pathfinder's RSP program now has 6 boon options while SFS still has only 1 boon.
Many of our local players have won multiple copies of the "Relics of Golarian" boon which most players consider useless. A 20% discount on 12 items is objectively a terrible boon (the other 8 "relics of golarian" are out of tier for current society play). As I've shared before, I often find these boons left behind at the game table because players know they're garbage.
Meanwhile Pathfinder players enjoy such awesomeness as a boon that allows them to become mythic for 3 minutes (and the ability to recharge it!), add a class skill, or get resurrected even if they don't have the fame to warrant it. Most of all, PFS players rolling a 19/20 have several boons to choose from.
The RSP program serves as encouragement for people to play games in public venues which are overseen by a VC. Since Starfinder Society was forced on PFS VOs, who in many cases have little interest in Starfinder, that's an even harder sell. In these areas it would be much easier to run and promote Starfinder separate from the existing PFS-favoring VO structure or RSP program generally.
This is a plea, from one of the many people who've worked tirelessly to develop and maintain a local SFS community over the last year, please stop neglecting Starfinder in the RSP program. It would cost nothing but a little time to draft up a few more SFS boons to offer us.
Actually lets make it easier, here's some suggestions:
- "Friend in the business" Purchase a single item from Armory as if it was on a chronicle sheet (tier level+2)
- "Magitech Power Core Boost" Increase power core output by 20PCU (ie +1 on divert to shields) and engineer checks can be made with either mysticism or engineering
- "Prototype Biotech Hull" You gain access to a prototype pegasus or drake ship with a partially biological hull, AC is reduced by 2 but the ship's hull can be healed by spells and effects as if it were a living construct (other actions in starship combat, CRB322)
- "On-the-job Training" exactly as the PFS boon by the same name
- "AI Research Assistant" (Ally) Searching the infosphere or library chips can be done in 2 rounds instead of 2 minutes
- "Work/life balance" Whenever you roll 19 or 20 for dayjob check, you may preform an additional non-dayjob downtime action
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I've admittedly forgotten to roll for player RSP rewards for SFS for several weeks now. After nearly every one of our regulars has received one (in several cases, multiple) Relics of Golarion, now people are more excited to get their Free RPG Day-related module boxes checked. We still keep track of RSP GM credit for those associated boons, but not only have I not remembered to roll in several weeks, none of the players at the table have bothered to remind me.
All of that being said, I like the suggestions above. I might try to throw together a few myself later if I have time.
Venture-Lieutenant, Ohio—Dayton
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I fully support this topic. I understood the singular boon for the first year of SFS, but when we got no new RSP boons it was disappointing. While mutliple people view some of the PFS RSP boons as being less desirable (looking at you Xenophobia and Xenophile) at least there is a choice on the PFS side.
I sincerely hope that the folks in charge are looking at ways to expand RSP support for SFS.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Well, I find the PFS player RSP boons rather lackluster too. I could live without them (less paperwork). I'm happy with the GM boons though.
But if we're going to continue with player boons, then let's make them useful yeah. Some of Arc Riley's ideas are pretty workable.
"Friend in the business" Purchase a single item from Armory as if it was on a chronicle sheet (tier level+2)
Good promo for a new product, not really OP because the advantage quickly fades.
"Magitech Power Core Boost" Increase power core output by 20PCU (ie +1 on divert to shields) and engineer checks can be made with either mysticism or engineering
"Prototype Biotech Hull" You gain access to a prototype pegasus or drake ship with a partially biological hull, AC is reduced by 2 but the ship's hull can be healed by spells and effects as if it were a living construct (other actions in starship combat, CRB322)
Not so sure about these, they change game rules rather a lot. A bit beyond the normal scope for a boon.
On the other hand, if SFS leadership wanted to alter the dynamic of Starship combat to throw a bone to Mystics or other classes that don't generally have an aptitude for it, this could be a way of doing it; as a "earned gift" it doesn't lose Paizo much face, but as an RSP thing it's also globally available without making people buy extra books.
"On-the-job Training" exactly as the PFS boon by the same name
"AI Research Assistant" (Ally) Searching the infosphere or library chips can be done in 2 rounds instead of 2 minutes
"Work/life balance" Whenever you roll 19 or 20 for dayjob check, you may preform an additional non-dayjob downtime action
These all sound useful and not too intrusive. I'd be happy with boons like that.
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Vote Arc Riley for western-U.S. regional Starfinder Venture thingy.
One thing us in the pacific northwest have going for us is our regional venture captain Walter Sheppard. His Paizo profile page lays bare his feelings on Starfinder in the first, all-caps sentence.
Many VOs neither play nor GM Starfinder. They might be polite to Starfinder players, they may even sometimes provide some assistance in reserving venue space, but its not their passion and not what they signed up for. They're not going to put the same level of energy into promoting it as they do Pathfinder, we're lucky if they remember to include "Welcome to Starfinder" boons in their print jobs. Many still refer to their local Paizo Organized Play group as "Pathfinder Society". That's certainly true here.
My point though is that SFS supporters have enough social and organizational hurdles to work through to not have it compounded by Starfinder being seen as Paizo's least favorite child - and that's one of the effects of showering PFS with 6 RSP boons while leaving SFS with only one.
"Magitech Power Core Boost" Increase power core output by 20PCU (ie +1 on divert to shields) and engineer checks can be made with either mysticism or engineeringNot so sure about these, they change game rules rather a lot. A bit beyond the normal scope for a boon.
Just to champion this one a bit, I like it because it provides both a universal bonus (+1 when you divert to shields) and lets mystics and solarians be more useful it starship combat. Functionally its similar to allowing mystics and solarians to add Engineering as a class skill, though it could be constrained by only allowing Mysticism to be used for Divert checks (not patch, hold it together, etc).
This hearkens back to Quests: Into the Unknown where you could use either Engineering or Mysticism to interact with the undead ship's engines.
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On the other hand, if SFS leadership wanted to alter the dynamic of Starship combat to throw a bone to Mystics or other classes that don't generally have an aptitude for it...
They actually did. A nice convention goer who hates mystics gave it to me to use on my mystic. :)
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Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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On the other hand, if SFS leadership wanted to alter the dynamic of Starship combat to throw a bone to Mystics or other classes that don't generally have an aptitude for it...They actually did. A nice convention goer who hates mystics gave it to me to use on my mystic. :)
Tell me more?
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I don't have the boon accessible at the moment but the title is something like 'Mystic Guidance System.' It's a ship boon that allows someone to use ranks in Mysticism for their gunnery check.
Starfinder Society Developer
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First off: Apologies for my delayed response. It's now the Wednesday after Gen Con and I've made some time to get to replies on the forums!
Now, this is a topic that was only brought to my attention a few days before Gen Con. As some background, most volunteer-related boons are tasks that get added to a list of items that I need to complete during the year. For one reason or another, it looks like the 2018 update for the RSP boon (player edition) never went through and I only made an update to the RSP GM boon. There was a discussion during our post-Gen Con OP meeting today about this topic, and it on my radar for correction.
So where do we go from here? To make-up for this hiccup, I'm going to see about getting a new 2018 RSP boon to fill the gap. This boon should be far more interesting than the current option, though don't expect anything too earth-shattering. Now, there's only a few months left between now and the launch of the 2019 RSP boons, so I've got plans for a really special RSP (player and GM) boon for next year!
Hope that helps.
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2018 RSP boon to fill the gap
This is great news! But the word "boon" singular still concerns me.
When PFS players roll a 19/20 at the table they now have 6 boons to choose from. Some will argue that a few are much more valued than others, but they still have a choice.
Players/GMs who play weekly will (on average) earn at least 5 boons over the course of the year. Even a really awesome boon will feel a lot less special after winning your 3rd or 4th copy - and everyone you're playing with has several copies of the same boon as well.
As I understand, when the RSP program launched last February the boon package included 4 player boons plus 1 GM boon. I remember having a choice of 4 boons last Summer when I earned my first.
If my opinion has any weight in this decision, I'd vote for a few neat one-time/limited-use boons over one really awesome boon. Even "Relics of Golarian" would have been fine if it was one of several we could choose from.
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Starfinder Society Developer
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I understand the apprehension surrounding a single RSP boon. I suspect we'll update the 2017 entry with a single replacement. I'll be looking at adding more boons in the future, but for now, my focus is on updating the one that went missing. As with all things, it's a time investment (Fun Fact: the text on just the 10 the boons for Gen Con was about half the length of a scenario.) So for now, I'll focus on updating what was missed and then once that's resolved, I'll see about expanding the program and when we can fit in the resources to do so.
Thanks all!
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To offer a counter-perspective, as someone who has a community that plays SFS monthly, one really awesome boon is far preferable for our little community to 4-5 boons like "Xenophile/Xenophobia". We're each likely to get 1 player/rolled boon over the course of the year, so it's great when it has some punch (or trade value, if it doesn't fit our builds). :)
Thankfully, it sounds like we'll get to listen to our delicious Strawberry Machine Cake AND keep it NIS too! (One boon soon, moar boons in the not-too-distant future).
Many thanks to Arc Riley for pointing out the need for more Starfinder love in the RSP!
Edit: Also, I realize the fact that Thursty is awesome went without saying in my initial post. So I had to rectify this! Thanks, Thursty!