Venture-Agent, Netherlands—Utrecht
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Okay, my apologies in advance for the potentially charged title, but I didn't really know how else to formulate it.
The past few seasons there have been several adventures in Iobaria, just on the other side of the Inner Sea Region. For years, we've had adventures in the Inner Sea (and sometimes Tian Xia), establishing it as the "home base of Pathfinder." Why the sudden interest in exploring beyond it? This might be just a knee-jerk reaction of me dealing with change, but I'd like to know the reasoning behind it, so I can understand it better.
On the one hand, I can see how Paizo wants to expand its horizons a little, slowly branching out the Inner Sea Region. But on the other hand, I don't see why most of these adventures couldn't have taken place anywhere in the Inner Sea. It's not like everything has been completely mapped out, or that we need a special location for these adventures. From what I understand (I've read up on some lore, but not everything), Iobaria is just as civilised as the ISR, it's just not the "home turf" of the Society.
To be clear, I'm not mad that these adventures take place outside of the Inner Sea, I'm mostly just confused. Understanding the reasoning why it takes place there takes away that confusion.
Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Why the sudden interest in exploring beyond it?
Because that is *literally* what the society was founded to do:
"Explore, Report, Cooperate."
A new area suddenly opened up with the fall of the world wound. Therefore they want to explore it. Same reason there are expeditions to the newly discovered Iruxi homeland.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Could you tell me in a spoiler tag or PM or something what [redacted] is (unless it's got to do with the special)? I've played nearly every scenario up to season 2 about Iobaria, and I don't know what you mean.
Pretty sure [Redacted] is referring to the common cause of the trouble in each of the previous Iobaran adventures.
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(In an out-of-game sense) I seem to recall someone on the OP team saying (maybe in a PaizoCon panel?) that they had been looking for an area of Golarion that Pathfinder Society could have big, long-term, and potentially region-changing adventures without spoiling plans for future APs or modules that might be many years away. After discussion with the rest of Paizo, they settled on Iobaria.
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I have a conspiracy theory that has a call-back all the way back to PFS v1 Season 0 and ties to several APs about the society's in-game interest and why they might be stretching their fingers into the region (reinforced by a thing James Case wrote in a blog not too long ago). I'll learn just how far off I am when scenarios for this winter drop.
Until then, I'll hold the reigns on the specifics, though.
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Venture-Agent, Netherlands—Utrecht
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Could you tell me in a spoiler tag or PM or something what [redacted] is (unless it's got to do with the special)? I've played nearly every scenario up to season 2 about Iobaria, and I don't know what you mean.Pretty sure [Redacted] is referring to the common cause of the trouble in each of the previous Iobaran adventures.
Oh yeah, that might be it. But I thought that was pretty much everywhere, not simply isolated to Iobaria?
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Could you tell me in a spoiler tag or PM or something what [redacted] is (unless it's got to do with the special)? I've played nearly every scenario up to season 2 about Iobaria, and I don't know what you mean.Pretty sure [Redacted] is referring to the common cause of the trouble in each of the previous Iobaran adventures.Oh yeah, that might be it. But I thought that was pretty much everywhere, not simply isolated to Iobaria?
** spoiler omitted **
They turn out to be even *more* special in the follow on adventures.
Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
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From in in-world perspective: Pathfinder Society spent considerable resources (I think? Played most of the Year of the Demon scenarios but haven't read them so not 100% sure of all the background info) in the fight against the world wound threat. Now that the World Wound is just a scar, life can slowly return to the area. It's effectively a new frontier ripe of exploring and pathfinder are (probably? Hopefully?) one of the first groups to sink their claws into the region. Pathfinders have also had previous interest in Cyclopean ruins.
From design point of view: If I recall, it was mentioned in a panel in Paizocon (Or Gencon? Some big con anyway) that the original plan for season 2 metaplot involved diseases and [a creature type prevalent in the region] which made the region a good spot (Plus what Kevin Willis said).
However, the pandemic got the team to abandon the disease angle, I think - but probably decided to keep the location regardless.
Also, yeah, of the new scenarios, the focus has been on Iobaria, but this probably changes as the year goes on - it's unlikely that we get every other scenario set in the same locale. If you look back at season 1, none of the quests are related to the metaplot, and out of the 26 scenarios only 3 are directly connected to the metaplot (Have the Metaplot tag), 1 is loosely connected (I believe, haven't played nor read that yet but based on what happens in the multitable special I believe so), and then there's the multitable special. Three, kinda four scenarios out of a year of adventuring dedicated to the metaplot isn't a lot, especially since they were all published pretty late in the year.
Although, in additon to those three metaplot scenarios, there are actually references to the year one metaplot in at least three or four other scenarios. It's just a shame that the GM might not realize to bring out those mentions /emphasize them if they aren't first familiar with the actual metaplot scenarios.
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I think you're missing some metaplot scenarios in your count above. There were 6 in Season one, not counting the special. Two of which were definitely in the weakly connected category. They weren't using the metaplot tag in the first half of the season though, so the first three on the list don't have the tag -- the first one definitely should have it, the next two are the 'sorta related ones' that could go either way, but I think should have the tag.
1-00
1-08
1-11
1-16
1-17
1-20
2-00
I don't think that changes your argument. Its still about a 25% share of the scenarios which feels about right for a season long arc, and some of them are kind of subsidiary. They covered a wide variety of regions.
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There's also the fact that Iobaria is where the survivors of Sarkoris settled and the Society made contact with them in case some wished to resettle their ancestor's homeland. If they are being supported in that while the lost history is researched, other opportunities in the area should certainly be taken advantage of.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
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I think you're missing some metaplot scenarios in your count above.
The ones you listed in the spoilers are exactly the ones I was thinking about. 2-00, three metaplot marked scenarios, the three earlier scenarios you mentioned but the link isn't quite as clear in those I think, and there's also
which may or may not be related. It sort of gets related in the special, but not sure if it's related at the time when you play it.
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To me the season one metaplot is chasing down information on the four founding members of the society. Launched by 1-00, primarily focused on Kerinha Napsunar given her general absence/lack of mention in the chronicles; she was seen as the surprising one. 1-08/1-11 were primarily that connection, which felt like the primary metaplot at that point, chasing down information about her history.
1-11 pointed you to Bhopan and the beginning of tying the 'historic' metaplot to the modern day metaplot involving Qxal. And pointing us back to the other three more well known founding members -- 16/17/20.
1-21 I don't consider as connected to the metaplot -- it doesn't involve any of the founding pathfinder members, nor Qxal. That fact that one of its core things shows up in 2-00, is an example of the connected world -- that scenarios cross-pollinated, that the OP team weaves stories across multiple arcs. Which is a mark of good story telling in episodic medium. It means each story can still stand alone, but there's fun things for involved fans to find.
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Venture-Captain, Massachusetts—Boston Metro
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I'd think the season 2 metaplot should be more self-centered : even with what happens during season 1, the goal of rebuilding the Pathfinder Society isn't yet finished (unless I missed something, which is probable) so targeting Iobaria might be jumping the gun.
The plotline to season 2 kicks off that idea with a resounding yes.