Archive for April, 2011

The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part VI: Establish Order, No Matter the Costs Monday, April 25, 2011 The proud empire of Cheliax once spread across two continents, but fell to diabolical rule after 30 years of civil war following Aroden’s death. Chelaxians believe their nation superior to the others in the Inner Sea region, and won’t let something as simple as the death of their patron god prevent them from attaining their prophesied age of glory. The ruling House Thrune and its allies rose to power amid chaos, and established order with the help of the armies of Hell; they maintain control decades later with the same regimented organization of their infernal minions. Though Cheliax already controls the Arch of Aroden, and thus the western entrance to the Inner Sea, Queen Abrogail II’s strategists know that control of Absalom is vital if Cheliax hopes to establish order...

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The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part V: The Quest Monday, April 18, 2011 The hardest part of organizing and running Pathfinder Society events is selecting what adventures to offer on a given day. A coordinator needs to have an idea of how many players will show up, how many GMs will volunteer, what level range all participants will want and be able to play in, and most importantly, what people have and haven’t played before. The sanctioning of Pathfinder Modules for Society credit was the first step in adding to coordinators’ arsenals of available adventures, and last week we unveiled yet another set of material for Pathfinder Society play: Pathfinder Society Quests. Pathfinder Society Quests are two- to three-encounter mini-adventures covering two subtiers designed to be run in under two hours. Whether you need to run them when a party moves like a greased snake through a...

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The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part IV: Freedom and Democracy For All! Monday, April 11, 2011 The young nation of Andoran threw off the shackles of aristocracy when its liege nation Cheliax adopted an official policy of diabolism after Aroden’s death, and has since established itself as the Inner Sea’s largest democracy. Though free from the tyrannical rule of Taldor and Cheliax, Andoran hopes to see tyranny in all its forms wiped from the Inner Sea, and its allies strive ever to increase their own presence in Absalom, which they see as the key to ending slavery and oppression’s hold on the weak and poor of Avistan and Garund. Through the efforts of the Steel Falcon branch of Andoran’s elite military Eagle Knights—especially the work of the naval Gray Corsairs—the nation aspires to advance its ideals abroad through diplomacy and battle. Congratulations, Andoren Pathfinders! Since the very...

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The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play Part III: The Rules that Govern the World Monday, April 4, 2011 Continuing our series of Monday blogs on the future of the Pathfinder Society, today let’s talk about the campaign documents that outline the rules of the campaign. The Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play has seen several incarnations since the campaign began in summer 2008. Currently in version 3.0.2, it has grown to a dense, 38-page PDF including the basics for players, GMs, and coordinators, as well as many explanations and clarifications of rare corner cases. While most of these rules are staying the same, the nature of any campaign is that it evolves. And the current document is simply too unwieldy for us to continually update, re-layout, and re-edit (not to mention print, for all of you following along at home). Today, we’ll be updating the document to version 3.0.3...

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