| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hello,
I tried a couple PFS games lately and I was wondering if people actually liked this kind of adventure.
I probably got bad DMs but the fact that the adventure is meant to be short and done in about 4 hours tops + the fact that characters don't know each other and have no synergy means that:
1) There's little to no RP involved - because the clock is ticking, and nobody cares you're doing this impassionated speech, they just want you to "roll diplomacy" because that's what's written, and anyway what's the point of befriending this barbarian you'll probably never meet again - or maybe in four or five games.
2) There's little to no strategy involved. Since the adventure is supposed to be done with any kind of classes AND not last too long, all fights are insultingly trivial and there's absolutely no sense of danger or accomplishment.
So I was wondering if I was the only one feeling this, if maybe I got unlucky with my DMs (but I don't blame them, they have a schedule), and if some of you have different experiences with PFS.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
There is no wrong way to play the game.
Our local PFS (not a lot of them in Germany) are mostly roll-players as you described them, don't talk, just roll diplomacy.
On a convention we had a game so bad that we had to cancel our next one just to decompress, and while i can enjoy/tolerate some "tactical boardgames" now and then, my girlfriend does not - she was lured in by "focus on investigation". It turned out to be "bard rolls really high, the inquisitor that took us prisoner becomes our friend and tells us everything" (that was still on PF1).
The time constraints probably depend on the table, the last scenario i played was scheduled for 4h but took 7 - and one player was so upset that it wasn't his toon that killed the boss that he threw a tantrum, the GM placating him with some extra boon.
On the other hand, there are some good scenarios, and if you get lucky, you get a good DM and can have some fun without looking for a fixed schedule.
I think there are quite some people enjoying the casualness, collecting boons and points and whatnot and not having to roleplay too hard.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have had the most fun with playing PFS games by post. I find folks really put thought into their characters and posts and you end up getting to know the other players better since the game takes a week or two instead of just a few hours.
|
| 22 people marked this as a favorite. |
I've been playing PFS for ~12 years now. It serves many purposes. It is also basically a volunteer organization, and as such, your PFS experience is going to vary wildly depending on exactly who is running it at that location. I've been to PFS games that sound like your experience, and I've been to ones that are expertly run by professional-grade GMs. Every PFS location has its own flavor, so my suggestion is to try a couple of different places out, see which ones you like, and avoid the ones you don't.
From Paizo's standpoint, PFS is marketing. It is a way to get new players involved in Pathfinder, and to keep existing players engaged. When I run PFS games at medium-sized or larger conventions, at least half of the players in the last few years have never played Pathfinder before. This is an opportunity to give them a taste of the system. Less often we'll get walkbys at a store who are curious, and we can hand them a pregen and have them start play immediately. (Or the store owner will tell someone the schedule so they can stop by on game night.)
PFS also gives Paizo the opportunity to tell smaller, less focused stories in areas that will never get a full module or AP. I've played scenarios in Arcadia, Goka, Nex, Rahadoum, and Shadow Absalom. Also, even though they are one shots, they are often connected to each other -- either in an explicit arc, or by sharing a location. As an example, there are one or two scenarios every season that take place at the Dasilane Academy (a private school in Absalom for the children of Pathfinders) -- you get to learn the different students and teachers and become interested in their ongoing stories. PFS is best thought of as a weekly TV show as opposed to the movie that a full fledged Module is.
As a forever GM in my home games, PFS gives me a chance to actually play characters, and to try out different character combinations in a low-stakes environment. (PFS games are, by and large, not particularly difficult. They get tougher at higher levels, but are still rarely "hard".)
PFS is a social activity, like a book group. Right now I regularly play in 3 different PFS groups, and 2/3 of the people at each session are regulars. (In their town, with not a lot of overlap.) So it is an opporunity to make and maintain friendships. I have people I've gamed with specifically in PFS for 12 years. I have also used it as a way to get my son out of the house when he is depressed and isolating so that he can interact with real people in person.
PFS is a great way for someone to break into GMing for the first time -- I have seen *lots* of new GMs get their start that way. It's low stakes, the structure of an adventure is fairly formulaic, so if they have played a few scenarios they intrinsically understand the rhythm. And since most places rotate GMs, everyone can help out with the rules so it is less intimidating from that standpoint.
PFS is a way that you can play Pathfinder when you don't know anyone else in your area who plays Pathfinder. Even if you prefer home games, you can meet new people and then form a home game with the other people you like and gibe with their playstyle. This happens a *lot* -- my current home games are all with people I originally met playing PFS.
I probably haven't talked enough about conventions -- PFS really is ideal for convention play.
That's it from the top of my head. PFS is a particular flavor of game -- not everyone likes it. Don't feel bad if you don't.
|
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
PFS is great for convention games because you're constrained by a timeslot and people's desire to do other stuff, so having a scenario you are reasonably confident can fit in the allowed time is quite handy. The common rules also mean I can sit down with a character and be pretty confident it's going to work the way I expect it to, even if I don't know the GM.
It's got some downsides, which you noticed. Particularly if you are a more RP heavy player and want to talk out the scene instead of just "roll X", the format and the clock on time slots is not your friend. I find some scenarios are actually significantly shorter than 4 hours and those do leave some room for this kind of play. It's hard to know that in advance though unless you know the GM is picking shorter ones or they specifically advertise it.
You're not the only one feeling it, for sure. My preferred games are my home ones where if we wind up having an hour long RP scene to talk an NPC into signing along with us to resolve a dispute, everyone has a great time because how long it takes doesn't matter. The PFS format isn't for everyone.
But I do appreciate that my whole family can show up for a game at our local con and have a high degree of confidence that we'll get to run a complete story and leave in time for dinner. In that sense it's got its place as a way to play the game. It also acts as a nice way to introduce new players, since they can sit down, grab a pregen, and get playing pretty quickly.
(The metaplot PFS scenarios and the ones that are follow ups to other ones are nice because they get more time to form a larger narrative. If you play a lot, you start to get to know recurring NPCs and plots, which does give it more narrative heft than one off games do. But that requires playing more frequently get the benefit of.)
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
My best gaming memories are playing the year end specials in the Sagamore ballroom in Indianapolis. PFS is what brought me into the hobby 14 years ago, and it's what led me becoming a GM (I rarely get to play, and when I do, it is a PFS game 95 percent of the time) and meeting life long friends.
I'll concede that PFS games don't usually fit into the "ideal" model of a game that most TTRPG players are looking for, but PFS absolutely has a purpose.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have had the most fun with playing PFS games by post. I find folks really put thought into their characters and posts and you end up getting to know the other players better since the game takes a week or two instead of just a few hours.
I only have PFS experience in play-by-post, so I have nothing to compare it to.
But that has been my experience in PFS PBP as well. Since you have at least 24 hours to take your turn, you might as well write up your entire impassioned speech rather than just posting a diplomacy roll. And a group of players who get along with each other will often join back up for the next game. I was in a group that played through about 6 or 8 scenarios as a consistent group over the course of about a year.
Granted, play-by-post format introduces different problems that have to be addressed and managed, but that is a topic for a different thread.
|
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
PFS allows people to more easily meet other people with similar interests. I know quite a few Pathfinders that literally would not exist IRL if PFS wasn't a thing.
It's also a great "safe space" to try out new, and sometimes zany character ideas. I've had adventures alongside literal Hercules, Legolas, and the power rangers. I'm currently planning to make an animate vending machine* (Pathbuilder Progression) modeled after Boxxo (Reborn as a Vending Machine I Now Wander the Dungeon).
| 8 people marked this as a favorite. |
As someone who got into Pathfinder within the last year, PFS has:
* Given me a chance to try the game out
* Allowed me to meet a whole bunch of locals
* Allowed me to play in a larger social space instead of isolated in someone's house
* Allowed me to play around with different characters from week to week
The store we play in closes right at the four hour mark, so we're usually rushed a bit, but we still get in some RP. I even sang my character intro in a bad southern accent once.
I've played and GMed plenty in the past, including running a D&D 4E game for six years, but PFS and equivalents like Adventurer's League are amazing for meeting new people and trying new things.
|
|
| 13 people marked this as a favorite. |
* Allowed me to play in a larger social space instead of isolated in someone's house
This is such an important point that often gets overlooked. While PFS may not always match the quality of some home games due to the inherent character shuffle, it offers something truly unique. After 20 years of roleplaying and thinking I had seen it all, diving into PFS was a revelation. It opened my eyes to the vast diversity of people, games, and playstyles that exist beyond the bubble of my insular group.
Through PFS, I’ve had the privilege of playing with an incredible variety of people: blind players using tactile LEGO character sheets, trans players, introverts and extroverts, players on the spectrum, people from wildly different economic backgrounds, and yes, even a few jerks. But every one of those experiences has been eye-opening. Many of the personalities and ideas I encountered have enriched my own table and deepened my appreciation for the hobby.
While not every PFS game has been a hit, the exposure to such a diverse community of players has been invaluable. These are experiences I simply wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I feel fortunate to have had them.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have had the most fun with playing PFS games by post. I find folks really put thought into their characters and posts and you end up getting to know the other players better since the game takes a week or two instead of just a few hours.I only have PFS experience in play-by-post, so I have nothing to compare it to.
But that has been my experience in PFS PBP as well. Since you have at least 24 hours to take your turn, you might as well write up your entire impassioned speech rather than just posting a diplomacy roll. And a group of players who get along with each other will often join back up for the next game. I was in a group that played through about 6 or 8 scenarios as a consistent group over the course of about a year.
Granted, play-by-post format introduces different problems that have to be addressed and managed, but that is a topic for a different thread.
I've played PFS both in-person live and play-by-post. Both are fun but can feel very different. If you have a time limit because the game store
you're playing at closes in 4 hours then live games can feel rushed. Live games I think deal with the tactical side of the game better than play-by-post, but as you and others have said play-by-post is really great for role-playing, big speeches, and character backgrounds.My best example is my character who reads harrow cards. In a live game, so I don't slow down the game I just draw a card and hold it up as a prop when making a recall knowledge roll or making a decision, just pending the cards is where my knowledge or decision came from without reading the card. In a play-by-post game, I've done multiple full card readings just during character introductions, and full card reading mid-game doesn't slow down the game. I still just use one cards for knowledge or quick decisions, but unlike a live game I have time to read and spin that card into my response, and not just hold it up as a prop.
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
When I first got into PF2e I didn't know anyone that played. before that, I had played D&D for over 20 years with mostly the same group of friends. So PFS was the only way I could find a game. For PF2e and SF organized is the only way I have played, and I'm having a great time with it.
Some of the things I like about PFs are if you can't make it to a game one week it doesn't mess up the game for everyone else. Because of that, you can also show up each week with a different character, instead of playing the same character. It's a good way to meet new people. Part of the fun of going on an adventure is not knowing what's going to happen. not knowing who the rest of the party will be adds to that. It's like being in the military or having a job with lots of travel where you have to deal with new people all the time.
For a character with a deep background to not slow down the game, I tell just a little bit of their story each week during character introduction. Also knowing your character goals and background and how they connect to the game machines lets me squeeze in a bit a role-playing into most of my actions, this goes back to the idea of ARGs and ARBS, and planning for role-playing efficiency.
For me part of the strategy of having a balanced party in PFS is to bring several characters to a game and pick which one to play based on the party's needs. I always have a backup fighter and a strong support healer to play. Also, the strategy for building a single character is very different, Some characters I try to build a character that can survive with a bad mix of classes and not rely on teamwork, for that often they are supporting characters. Some of my characters are a bit off the wall and I only play them if the rest of the party is well-balanced.
Full-party teamwork can be hard to do in PFS but if you are playing a melee character it's easier to talk to another player playing a melee character and work out a strategy for flanking with just them. If you are in a live in-person game sitting next to a player your doing teamwork helps, and makes it easier to make plans without disrupting the rest of the game.
I also plan for teamwork even if the rest of the party doesn't. All my characters always have some kind of backup healing in case no one plays a healer. All my casters have a knife, so they can flank for a melee character if needed. I often do that without ever attacking with the knife. I tend to do that later in a fight when one more big hit could end it. Beyond flanking, if you are into teamwork, playing a strong support character can kind of be the party's teamwork supporting the other players doing what they do best, it's not the same as having a good strategy the whole party is in on, its more of a backup plan knowing your backup plan might be all you have. Several of my support characters have prevented TPKs by thinking that way and having background stories and goals that tied into being prepared for that added up to a lot of ARGs and ARBS.
| 9 people marked this as a favorite. |
I didn't mean any disrespect to PFS players, I was merely interested in their reasons since it seemed to me such a short game would cut into both the roleplaying aspects and the fighting aspects.
I'm really glad I got so many detailed and thoughtful answers. I guess I didn't think about all the people you get to know, and the opportunity for those who don't have a table ready.
So thanks for explaining it to me, it makes much more sense ^^
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
A lot of the things I've enjoyed have already been mentioned, but there's another one I want to highlight: shared experiences.
If I'm playing a scenario with my friends over here, and later on I talk with someone on the far side of the world who's played the same adventure with their group, we get to swap stories. Which side did you pick in the dispute? How did you beat the dragon? And so forth.
You have some of that with adventure paths as well of course, but I get a lot more of it with PFS. It's one of the social side bits that I really like.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I was wondering if people actually liked this kind of adventure.
As someone who has been just shy of a “forever GM” for about 35 years, I like the opportunity to sit down at a table and play a session of my favorite RPG.
1) There's little to no RP involved - because the clock is ticking, and nobody cares you're doing this impassionated speech, they just want you to "roll diplomacy" because that's what's written,
I’ve played at tables where this is true, and I’ve played at tables where it isn’t. That may be what you’re calling “bad GMs,” though I’d probably just call it “a different style” even though I prefer PFS tables where RP is embraced.
and anyway what's the point of befriending this barbarian you'll probably never meet again - or maybe in four or five games.
That’s just a questions of roleplaying, I think. My character doesn’t know he’s in a one-shot, so befriending people is just befriending people..Honestly, it seems a little odd to both complain that roleplaying isn’t emphasized and ask what is the point in roleplaying, but sure.
2) There's little to no strategy involved. Since the adventure is supposed to be done with any kind of classes AND not last too long, all fights are insultingly trivial and there's absolutely no sense of danger or accomplishment.
I have a little more sympathy for this “complaint.” The intended universality can undercut tactical play..
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
PFS is a real-life Westmarches server.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
PFS was quite helpful for me to get a grasp on PF2E when I was just beginning to really get interested in the edition. I'm still attending here in Hamburg when I can and leveling my Champion of Nocticula, for the fun of being a player, even if it's only at low levels. It really helped me to get a good grasp on how the game flows, so my Abomination Vaults group I'm GM'ing has been going very smooth for the first four sessions we already have under our belt (playing bi-weekly).
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
That’s just a questions of roleplaying, I think. My character doesn’t know he’s in a one-shot, so befriending people is just befriending people..Honestly, it seems a little odd to both complain that roleplaying isn’t emphasized and ask what is the point in roleplaying, but sure.
I'm quoting what people at the table I played are saying, not what I'm thinking.
It's a figure of speech, but I should have put quotation marks so it was clearer:
they just want you to "roll diplomacy" because "that's what's written", and "anyway what's the point of befriending this barbarian you'll probably never meet again - or maybe in four or five games".
|
Venture-Agent, France—Paris
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
1) There's little to no RP involved - because the clock is ticking, and nobody cares you're doing this impassionated speech, they just want you to "roll diplomacy" because that's what's written, and anyway what's the point of befriending this barbarian you'll probably never meet again - or maybe in four or five games.
I find that it gets worse with time. Recent adventures are putting more focus on rollplay and less on roleplay. I also slowly start to be pushed away from PFS, only the fact that I have a gaming group of old friends fights this tendency.
2) There's little to no strategy involved. Since the adventure is supposed to be done with any kind of classes AND not last too long, all fights are insultingly trivial and there's absolutely no sense of danger or accomplishment.
Difficulty varies depending on adventures. It's often easy, especially at low level. But actual difficulty can raise a lot when you end up in a party with an imbalance in classes/builds.
Also, I haven't found more strategy in recurring groups. So I think it's not a PFS thing by itself.|
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
I started playing PFS games online during the Pandemic. I've really enjoyed the experience, for a number of reasons.
1) It's hard to get into a long running campaign. I'm lucky... I've been in two so far.
2) I got into my second long running group (we played through Extinction Curse and Outlaws of Alkenstar over a couple of years) because I met the GM through online PFS play.
3) Fitting in a 4-5 hour gaming session every now and then has been relatively painless.
4) I usually enjoy the plotlines.
5) I've "met" some genuinely imaginative, out of the box players. PFS tends to encourage trying out different concepts, ones that might not hold up over a long campaign but are really, really fun.
6) I enjoy GM'ing, and PFS Scenarios fit my GM'ing style quite well. I like bringing life to NPCs, but I suck at coming up with plots. Making homebrew campaigns is not for me.
I owe a lot to online PFS. I credit it with contributing significantly to my continued sanity during the height of the Covid pandemic.
Edited to add: While I realize it can contribute to "roll play", I like that PFS puts a lot of emphasis on Skill Checks and Recall Knowledge Checks. You don't want to neglect either Combat or Out of Combat abilities, no matter what you're playing, because both will definitely come up.
|
Contributor
|
| 11 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have been playing PFS for 11+ years, and it's my preferred way to game. Yes, I have been in a couple wonderful home groups, but I've also had home groups that were dysfunctional as heck. Nothing is worse than discovering that you do not like to game with your friends - some people are great at dinner parties, and then become evil awful jerks that you cannot escape when you share an RPG with them.
PFS came at a time when I was ready to give up on gaming. I was tired of dysfunctional gaming groups where everyone was out for their own thing and there was no real plot except killing creatures and taking their stuff.
Then my boyfriend, Bret, tried out a game of PFS at Convergence. He liked it. He started telling me about the Pathfinder Society with their missions, and their tenets of ‘Don’t be a jerk’ and ‘Explore, Cooperate, Report!’ After a month or so, he asked me if I would like to try it. So I read the Season Six PFS guide cover to cover, and joined him in our first paired build. We came up with Omar and Zahra Senay, a Keleshite couple from Katapesh that just wants to travel everywhere and help everyone. We played Trial by Machine, a deadly scenario for a bunch of first timers just starting out... Still, the group we were in showed teamwork and perseverance, and we all came out alive and with the mission accomplished. I was hooked.
PFS has brought me a community of friends that I love and respect, and given me a chance to know people from all over the globe, as well as those from my favorite store, Dreamers. It's brought me laughter and happiness.
This is a perpetual PFS question, but it really depends on where you are playing your PFS, and whom you are playing with. Some local PFS cultures are very roleplay-heavy - especially the Play-by-Post crowd, but also at the stores at which I play locally in Minnesota. Others are less so. I have found though that if I start roleplaying in an interactive way with other players from the very beginning, most roleplay back with me.
Also, I'm more likely to get roleplay on non-repeatable scenarios, in part because there are surprises for every player.
I have more to say on this and will be back later with some of the advantages of PFS. I'll also say that it's not for everyone, and that's okay too.
Hmm
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
i appreciate all the perspectives shared here.
I was considering doing PFS to get a chance to be a player rather than just GMing.
|
Contributor
|
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
So here are some of the things that I ADORE about PFS.
1) Our leadership. Alex Speidel is beyond awesome. I have no idea how he keeps up his energy.
2) Tight and interesting Scenarios. They might not have the in-depth plot that a home game offers, but they can give you the satisfaction of actually accomplishing something in 3-5 hours. And there are metaplots that carry over multiple scenarios.
3) The ability to travel the world. PFS can be weird sometimes because it sends your character everywhere. Your character gets to experience all the different cultures and craziness of what Golarian (and other planes and planets) has to offer.
4) A rotating cast of characters. In Play-by-Post or in local play, you do get to meet some players and their characters in multiple games, but you also get a constant influx of wonderful new people and fresh characters too. For me, it's like I get the best of a home game with some players that I see a lot, but also new people to shake things up.
5) The Greater Community. What a great assortment of players! How awesome it is to meet them and see and learn about so many different character ideas. I like it locally in face to face games, and I enjoy it internationally through play-by-post. I've played with people from all over the world and made so many new friends.
6) The Passion. In a home game, often half the players are distracted. They're casual players who are there for a social gathering. At a PFS table, everyone who's there is there to GAME. They're focused, and they're there to get the mission done.
7) The Cooperation. This HUGE for me. Pathfinders mostly cooperate. PFS is... wonderful. We have missions. We do missions. We work together!
Hmm
|
Contributor
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
i appreciate all the perspectives shared here.
I was considering doing PFS to get a chance to be a player rather than just GMing.
Bluemagetim -
I hope you try it and get a little bit of your player time going, but I also hope that you like it enough that you consider GMing 1 out of every 5-6 games later on. The PFS community works best when you get people doing both sides of the game. One of the advantages of the random party is that you can easily shift back and forth from the GM seat and don't have to get stuck in that role. The more casual GMs we have, the more everyone gets to play.
I love being a GM, but I do want to play as well, and PFS lets me trade off.
Hmm
Community & Social Media Specialist
|
| 7 people marked this as a favorite. |
PFS is actually what got me into Pathfinder years ago personally! It's a good way to get a taste of the game without starting a full campaign if you don't have the time availability to do so. I'm thankful for that short adventure also because it gave me some lifelong IRL friends. If you prefer longer campaigns, though, I can see why it wouldn't be for you!
|
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
i appreciate all the perspectives shared here.
I was considering doing PFS to get a chance to be a player rather than just GMing.
Rather than repeating everyone’s benefits from above, I want to say that this is one of the things I appreciate most about PFS. Before playing in society I was the primary GM. I quickly learned that gaming on the other side of the screen is fun, helps you learn Pathfinder from a different perspective since 2E is premised on the rules for characters being different than the rules for monsters, and it gives you insight into a variety of GMing styles. That last has really helped me decide what I like in playing the game and has given me good ideas on how to improve my GMing.
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Minnesota—Minneapolis
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I’ll add a few points to the several excellent points made above.
Simplicity of scheduling
When I got involved with PFS, I had a job that often made excessive and unpredictable demands on my time. Many of my friends also had schedules that were full and/or plans would change with little warning.
PFS was a way for me to play the game when I had time. It did not require me to compare my schedule with 4-6 other people in order to figure out when the next game was.
Now that I am retired my schedule isn’t nearly as hectic, but for my home games we still need to do a lot of comparing of schedules to try and find a time that works for everyone. There is very little possibility of a pick up game.
The ability to drop into a game when my schedule allows is still a huge advantage.
Rotating GMs
Many locations will have multiple GMs that will run the adventures. You can see how others manage their table and hopefully get ideas for how to improve your own games.
It also means that there is more room for people to try out GMing with a single, relatively short and simple adventure. They can see what it is like on the other side of the screen. I strongly feel that even if you don’t stay with GMing, trying it out gives you perspective that can make you a better player.
As others mentioned, rotating GMs also means everyone gets a chance as a player as well.
Pre-fab stories
It takes a lot of time and effort to do your own world building and planning of adventures. Yes, that means that you can customize the story to your group of players, but planning that also takes time and effort.
Although scenarios can take different amounts and types of preparation, it is still less than what I would need to do for a home campaign even when using something like an adventure path or module.
|
Venture-Lieutenant, New Zealand—Christchurch
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I loved reading the different perspectives on "the point of PFS" for people, thanks for that. Just a couple of things to add:
First, the community: I've had a couple of tough years, and can say without hyperbole that 2024 was probably the worst year of my life. The community really helped me to get through. I love having shared experiences with people all over the world. I liken it to playing jazz, in that there is a shared repertoire (jazz standards, PFS scenarios), and if you follow a few simple guidelines you can engage in a fun, cooperative, improvisational endeavor (making music, playing PFS) with like-minded people anywhere in the world.
But also, let's talk about some of the more mechanical benefits of PFS, in terms of the structure and how it's set up...
GMs get to play too: This is absolutely crucial for me. A major barrier for me previously is that I enjoy GMing, but I also want to play and develop my own characters. Basically, I enjoy the game partially for that sense of building and progressing a character. In PFS, time spent GMing can also advance your own characters for when you DO get those valuable opportunities to play them.
There are as many ways to play as there are players: PFS is truly a "big tent." Roleplaying enthusiast? There's room for you. Just want to roll dice? There's room for you too. Want to build weird and wacky meme characters? Why not. Want to build serious, deep, complex characters? Absolutely possible. (I should say that I even had a PFS experience in which revelations about a character during a scenario moved me to tears.) Minmaxer? Can do. Care more about narrative than stats? PFS can accommodate that. After I got into PFS, especially online, I really gained an appreciation of the true diversity of players and ways to play the game.
And if you want a more consistent experience with a stable cast, PFS can accomplish that as well—that's basically what happens in my local group. It's not an AP-style campaign, I think of it more like episodes of Star Trek or a pulp fiction-style nonlinear storytelling experience.
But also...You're not stuck with one character or one group: as of this writing, I have twelve PFS characters (and most of my AP characters are variations of my PFS characters...) I routinely play different characters, and to be honest I sometimes get bored of playing just one character in an AP game.
And let's face it, some players or GMs might not be your style for a game that will last years, but you can perhaps make it through a scenario with them.
Oh and regarding GMing, it's a great way to hone your GMing skills, because of the variety of adventures, characters, and players. Also for those of us who don't have time to make a whole campaign ourselves, we still get to GM with the great adventures Paizo puts out.
Speaking of which, at heart the point of PFS is to sell stuff and keep Paizo in business. It's marketing. But it's by far the most interesting and fun marketing program I've ever seen or participated in.
|
Venture-Captain, Kentucky—Lexington
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
6) I enjoy GM'ing, and PFS Scenarios fit my GM'ing style quite well. I like bringing life to NPCs, but I suck at coming up with plots. Making homebrew campaigns is not for me.
This is me. I've tried to run my own stuff and I stress myself out trying to come up with something clever. PFS has everything laid out, so I can worry about out of the box players ;) rather than what happens next.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
6) I enjoy GM'ing, and PFS Scenarios fit my GM'ing style quite well. I like bringing life to NPCs, but I suck at coming up with plots. Making homebrew campaigns is not for me.This is me. I've tried to run my own stuff and I stress myself out trying to come up with something clever. PFS has everything laid out, so I can worry about out of the box players ;) rather than what happens next.
I run only home games. My best strength as a GM is being able to adapt the campaign to the individual desires and the unexpected plot twists of my players. Sticking to the plot of a PFS Scenario would be too restricting for my playstyle.
But when I alter an adventure path, I prefer supplemental material, something short and sweet that can cover the gap created by a player-driven plot twist, rather than writing all the new steps myself.
2) Tight and interesting Scenarios. They might not have the in-depth plot that a home game offers, but they can give you the satisfaction of actually accomplishing something in 3-5 hours. And there are metaplots that carry over multiple scenarios.
I buy those Pathfinder Society Scenarios and insert them into my home games.
Most recently, I used Pathfinder Quest (Series 2) #18: Student Exchange in my Strength of Thousands campaign set at the Magaambya School of Magic. The 1st module Kindled Magic had the PCs run through a series of orientation-week service projects called the Perquisite, supervised by the experienced students in their dormitory. My players wanted the full student life at the Magaambya, so I reversed that the following semester and assigned them to supervise new students in their Prequisite. How did I find a fresh set of Perquisite service projects? The Student Exchange scenario provided them.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
PFS is so I can socialise with people with similar hobbies (ttrpgs). I play with and socialise to find people I like and then whisk them away to home games (or vice versa and I get whisked away).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've never played Pathfinder Society, but I was kind of involved in the old Living Greyhawk back in the day, and eventually I learned that Organized Play wasn't for me.
I think it was as new rules were made available, but over time I saw a rise in the number of "look at me" characters, where the players were less interested in a cooperative experience than they were in showing off their super-special new characters and competing to be the center of attention.
I'm just being a fogey here, but I really enjoyed the early days of LG, where things had to be earned, discovered or unlocked thru play. Not really the point of this thread, but a contrast between what I liked about organized play and how it shifted away from that.
All personal views of course. There are very few wrong ways to play. Just saying that I get the OP's point.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
One of the advantages of PFS is it allows you to experiment with different character builds. My second character is a Fighter with a Greatsword. There's nothing particularly deep about him, and he only has two character traits; he left his home in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords because it's too f*ing cold up there! And he's quite proud of his waxed mustachios.
But my bard is another matter. I saw a picture somewhere of a goblin jamming on an electric guitar, with multi-color sparks flying everywhere. I said to myself, "that's it! my next character is Sparky the Electric Bard!" He's a silly goblin that uses Electric Arc on his steel-string guitar and wears fluffy bunny slippers. Much more character driven.
Oh, and I started a gunslinger once and didn't enjoy it. So I bought a rebuild boon... Shizuru visited her in a dream and now she's a semi-reluctant Champion. And the XP the gunslinger acquired didn't go to waste.
PFS is an situation where it takes all kinds, and that makes it more fun!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I think we all know that the point of PFS is to act as a scapegoat for why someone's pet rule issue needs to be written in airtight legalese, since obviously PFS GMs operate like punchcard computers.
|
Contributor
|
| 8 people marked this as a favorite. |
I think we all know that the point of PFS is to act as a scapegoat for why someone's pet rule issue needs to be written in airtight legalese, since obviously PFS GMs operate like punchcard computers.
I have never run PFS that way, and now the official rules reflect that.
Hmm
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I think we all know that the point of PFS is to act as a scapegoat for why someone's pet rule issue needs to be written in airtight legalese, since obviously PFS GMs operate like punchcard computers.I have never run PFS that way, and now the official rules reflect that.
Hmm
Pretty sure WatersLethe was being sarcastic, but thanks for the link to that thread - had a quick look and found it pretty enlightening as to the changing cultural norms of Society play.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I definitely hear that part of the attraction of PFS is the flexibility: allowing players to try out different class/ancestry/concept combinations; and allowing forever GMs to finally play!; and allowing players to jump to the “other side”.
I only have experience with PFS via PbP, although my character was not PFS-conversant I was still a player - I found almost the entire group lacked role-playing skills and have since learned at least some of them are self-confessed “rollplayers” with little interest in interpersonal roleplaying. I don’t need a small novella with every post (in fact more than a few paragraphs has me scratching out my eyeballs) but at least some understanding that there are characters rather than wandering statblocks would be nice.
It was however a fantastic education in PF2 - running through both Otari sequences (Menace/Trouble) in their entirety - and a particularly tense final battle in the first arc was super fun. The GM was/is fantastic and ran a smooth game both in terms of pacing and setting but also in terms of combat (recaps each round, explanations of rulings etc).
My main problem with PFS is more aesthetic - I find Golarion’s world a little too “banality of fantasy” whereby the Star Trek style “humans with funny heads” actually makes fantastic elements mundane by their ubiquity. As I get older, I tend to want my character to be fairly simple - my character during that Otari opus was a fairy vanilla Human Fighter - wandering around with a Catfolk monk, Leshy sorceror, Halfling cleric and duskwalker warpriest. The only other true “human” was an old witch but she died in that battle under Otari and her player replaced her with an Orc Druid who was fairly wild and ferocious but not very personable.
Interestingly enough, that group decided to move on to a conversion of CotKK but I dropped out (mostly because I found my own character [the Human fighter] had the personality of a cardboard box so the roleplay lack was also mine… ) but also because I was already in another PF2 CotKK and the group added a few more players, and had all changed characters and the group seems to have at least a modicum of RP going on…
So all groups are going to be different, and even the same group will be different moment to moment or scenario to scenario. And PFS allows for those moments to change with frequency.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I will echo Mathmuse in that I look at PFS scenarios as a GM as a way of taking smaller episodes and splicing them into my home games. I haven’t yet, but I am on the lookout.
I’m finally running a home PF2 game for some family/extended family members and given it is a conversion of a third party PF1 adventure the learning curve is steep! I’m hoping some PF2 PFS scenarios will help with getting a greater understanding of challenges, encounters, hazards and expectations. I’m sure standalone adventures or AP volumes could also help…
Venture-Lieutenant, Oregon—Portland
|
3) The ability to travel the world. PFS can be weird sometimes because it sends your character everywhere. Your character gets to experience all the different cultures and craziness of what Golarian (and other planes and planets) has to offer.
I'm late to this thread but I'll add the ability to travel the actual world. I used to travel a lot for work and I've had the chance to drop into PFS games across the US, and even a few in Europe. The folks in the Netherlands were incredibly nice. There's something special about being able to play with completely different people in LA, and Indiana, and Utrecht and still have it feel like it's one massive campaign.
