Standardization of Organized Play?

[Will J]

Has there been any discussion about how you make a cohesive episodic and open campaign in Glorantha when folks are likely building characters from all sorts of backgrounds and locations?

I mean, I’m not saying we should steal the Pathfinder Society’s premise necessarily, but it would make things much easier to write scenarios where the characters belong to an organization (If Prax I’d suggest the Whitebull Society).

It would certainly make sense as to why they are in Pavis one week, Delecti’s Swamp the next, and the Elder Wilds the next. It would also create ready-made hooks for asking PC’s to perform missions.

[Todd-2]

Indeed, Jason and I have talked about this several times. It's a priority once we get home campaign materials out of the development cycle.

Question we are still grappling with: how do we write scenarios for standardized convention play where we know nothing about what skills and magic the table will have? Home stuff can be an outline for GMs to tune, but that's too much to expect for just-met-you-all environments. At least in D&D/Pathfinder players self-organize tables to have each class. RQ had more choices than that. Even two Orlanthi can be radically different.

The scenario contest sidesteps that by using pregens from the core rules.

Edited December 5, 2018 by Todd@Chaosium
fixing typo

[soltakss]

Mongoose tried it, but it never really got anywhere.

It would be interesting to see how this could work.

[Sean_RDP]

This is a topic that is always close to my heart. I was heavily involved in the Living Greyhawk (D&D 3/3.5) campaign as a player, volunteer, writer, and eventually regional admin. To be honest it felt like the perfect storm as we had great player involvement, layers of modules (Core, Meta-Region, and Region) and a large number of modules to play. But players have changed, somewhat, and expectations have changed, a lot, and Runequest is not D&D. There was also a huge convention culture around and that grew up a bit at that time (a friend and I ran a con of our own for two years, I think successfully) and for an RQ Organized Play to be worthwhile, it would need to tap into the current version of that.

What do players want?

In general, I found players wanted to play with cool things, be powerful, the illusion of choice, and for their actions to be campaign relevant. Sure, "Our table killed Bob the Goblin!" was great but even more so if killing Bob was unique campaign wide. RQ veterans or Glorantha fans want to feel as if they are in the middle of events, touching greatness even if not doing greatness themselves. But what would the new players want? What would someone coming from D&D or FATE or Powered by the Apocalypse want? And you will need new players, new blood, new authors, but especially the new players. Younger players too, not just the children of adults who played though these would be a great source of new players as well. I think defining what a role player in 2019 wants from an organized play is paramount. After all their main examples are Pathfinder Society, Starfinder Society, and especially Adventure League. which are far different animals. 

How about the rules?

There are parts of the new rules that are, vague. This is not a problem for home games but for organized play it breeds chaos. So, a simple errata that cleans up a few vague rules for the organized play only! This is not Chaosium giving an official ruling, it is Chaosium and the organizers avoiding SAN loss by making campaign specific rulings. Which rules? Well not going to get bogged down in that but basically if you read through and you think "that sounds vague" then write a sentence clarifying it.

What about characters?

I think having the pre-gens as nameless and easy entries to play would be good. Maybe campaign specific pre-gens? These could act as templates for each Homeland. Over time more templates could be approved and added. And then a simple version of character generation could be published in the campaign doc. I would avoid one overarching society as that seems artificial. However, maybe a movement lead by a new NPC (or an old one) that brings together these roving vagabonds to tackle important tasks in Dragon Pass. 

As for progression and potent items. Players like simple things. Like, add 5%+your Skill Category Mod for each skill you used successfully during play of that session. Certs and printing certs can be a pain, but players also like collecting things. A token of some kind for each module or a sheet with space to write in module names and loot.  For buying and selling mundane stuff, I would make that part of each session, where the GM and players upgrade the mundane items as needed. 

Stories, Adventures, and The Campaign

Let's start with campaign first. Unequivocally the campaign should be in the current timeline, but an alternate timeline. Embrace YGMV and make it know what happens in OP Glorantha stays in OP Glorantha. I also think there is no reason not to put it in Dragon Pass, BUT with occasional adventures in other lands to take advantage of products written for those lands. After all the Organized Play is a way of marketing new products to players and I say that without a trace of cynicism.  It needs to be worth Chaosium's efforts. 

I would break the adventures down to Homeland specific stories and then other stories if there is time and resources. Six Homelands means six mods per year? Maybe Focus on three Homeland each year and give each one a duology. So 2019 (as an example) Esrolia, Sartar, and Prax. Esrolia Pt1 comes out in April and part 2 in October. The other Homelands follow in May/November and June/December. Again just an example.

D&D has its Epic each year and other big con adventures. So perhaps a conventions only 4-8 hour Hero Quest each year. 

***

I apologize if all of the above seems presumptuous, it is not meant to be.  Doing organized play well and efficiently and cost effectively won't be easy at first. I do not even know, outside a few of us, if anyone really wants it. But I do think it is worth exploring for a number of reasons and OP is a great way to get people playing the game. 

[Psullie]

I think just keep it simple, perhaps a loose string of connected adventures that build a nice narrative that highlights the end of the 3rd age and the start of the Hero Wars. I do like the concept of focusing on regions that are developed with Chaosium, right now it's Dragon Prax and we have a couple of Sartar focused games (hidden tower, a darkness at Runegate, plus the GM pack scenarios) with more to come. A convention scenarios primary goal is to showcase what is special about the world and the rules so as to invite new players.

I just got back from Dragonmeet in London where I ran one of only three other RuneQuest games (with another HeroQuest game on offer) out of 75 planned RPG's not including the organised Pathfinder & D&D games. RuneQuest is still a niche market with relatively few players (while hanging out at the Chaosium stand I saw a lot of people looking for the new rules though, so that may change) and my table of 7 players filled up at once with people very eager to play, easily another 3-4 tables could of been filled, so we really need GM's to organise local games. 

[davidthegnome]

I am in a group of people who run games at five or more conventions each year. We started with only D&D Adventurers League, but now we run Call of Cthulhu, Conan, Esper Genisis, Savage Worlds, Star Wars, and more. For 2019, we will be doing 8 cons. We will start running RuneQuest this coming year.

I think what Sean_RDP has said is already pretty good. I never had the chance to play in Living Greyhawk, but I do write adventures for the Adventurers League's Convention Created Content program. CCC's are written to support specific conventions. They have some oversight from the AL admins, who mostly look for egregious changes to the setting or major characters, make sure any magic item is within their guidelines, and a couple other things. The quality of the adventure, its editing, arts, and maps, etc are the responsibility of the folks creating the adventure and the admins don't have much to do with that part unless there is some kind of offensive content. These adventures are required to be posted to the DMsGuild within 6 months of their premiere.

I think 6 adventures a year is probably fine. As the OP goes on, folks that play RQ often can rely on the backlog to fill the gap. D&D does have their multiple epic adventures. To expand on that a little; They are up to two or more a year now for those. Conventions or events can request the epics, they aren't available for sale on the DMsGuild like the rest of the adventures.

Of course, RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu are different beasts from D&D. D&D has a much more limited skill list, so probably someone in a party is going to have any required skill. On top of that, because it's a d20 system, even a group with a low score in a skill is going to probably have at least one person roll high enough. That can happen in BRP too, but the chances are a bit lower. I think this could be helped with a character creation guidance that maybe suggests a handful of skills that players should consider taking.

Speaking of characters. IMO, pregens are absolutely vital for convention play. Trying to explain all of the options along with some kind of basic history or cultural primer is just too much in the time limits. Players need to be able to just jump in and go. If you want them to learn about Glorantha, that needs to be shown to them in play (not just read at them, they don't care, seriously).

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

[soltakss]

20 minutes ago, davidthegnome said:

I am in a group of people who run games at five or more conventions each year. We started with only D&D Adventurers League, but now we run Call of Cthulhu, Conan, Esper Genisis, Savage Worlds, Star Wars, and more. For 2019, we will be doing 8 cons. We will start running RuneQuest this coming year.

Good to hear.

Have you heard about Runemasters? We are a bunch of Gloranthan GMs who commit to running at least one Gloranthan game at a convention under the Runemasters brand. It's just to get more Gloranthan gaming at conventions. Send me a PM if you are interested in knowing more about this.

[davidthegnome]

6 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Good to hear.

Have you heard about Runemasters? We are a bunch of Gloranthan GMs who commit to running at least one Gloranthan game at a convention under the Runemasters brand. It's just to get more Gloranthan gaming at conventions. Send me a PM if you are interested in knowing more about this.

PM sent

[Todd-2]

On 11/30/2018 at 8:24 PM, Sean_RDP said:

 

What do players want?

In general, I found players wanted to play with cool things, be powerful, the illusion of choice, and for their actions to be campaign relevant. Sure, "Our table killed Bob the Goblin!" was great but even more so if killing Bob was unique campaign wide. RQ veterans or Glorantha fans want to feel as if they are in the middle of events, touching greatness even if not doing greatness themselves. But what would the new players want? What would someone coming from D&D or FATE or Powered by the Apocalypse want? And you will need new players, new blood, new authors, but especially the new players. Younger players too, not just the children of adults who played though these would be a great source of new players as well. I think defining what a role player in 2019 wants from an organized play is paramount. After all their main examples are Pathfinder Society, Starfinder Society, and especially Adventure League. which are far different animals. 

How about the rules?

There are parts of the new rules that are, vague. This is not a problem for home games but for organized play it breeds chaos. So, a simple errata that cleans up a few vague rules for the organized play only! This is not Chaosium giving an official ruling, it is Chaosium and the organizers avoiding SAN loss by making campaign specific rulings. Which rules? Well not going to get bogged down in that but basically if you read through and you think "that sounds vague" then write a sentence clarifying it.

What about characters?

I think having the pre-gens as nameless and easy entries to play would be good. Maybe campaign specific pre-gens? These could act as templates for each Homeland. Over time more templates could be approved and added. And then a simple version of character generation could be published in the campaign doc. I would avoid one overarching society as that seems artificial. However, maybe a movement lead by a new NPC (or an old one) that brings together these roving vagabonds to tackle important tasks in Dragon Pass. 

As for progression and potent items. Players like simple things. Like, add 5%+your Skill Category Mod for each skill you used successfully during play of that session. Certs and printing certs can be a pain, but players also like collecting things. A token of some kind for each module or a sheet with space to write in module names and loot.  For buying and selling mundane stuff, I would make that part of each session, where the GM and players upgrade the mundane items as needed. 

Stories, Adventures, and The Campaign

Let's start with campaign first. Unequivocally the campaign should be in the current timeline, but an alternate timeline. Embrace YGMV and make it know what happens in OP Glorantha stays in OP Glorantha. I also think there is no reason not to put it in Dragon Pass, BUT with occasional adventures in other lands to take advantage of products written for those lands. After all the Organized Play is a way of marketing new products to players and I say that without a trace of cynicism.  It needs to be worth Chaosium's efforts. 

I would break the adventures down to Homeland specific stories and then other stories if there is time and resources. Six Homelands means six mods per year? Maybe Focus on three Homeland each year and give each one a duology. So 2019 (as an example) Esrolia, Sartar, and Prax. Esrolia Pt1 comes out in April and part 2 in October. The other Homelands follow in May/November and June/December. Again just an example.

D&D has its Epic each year and other big con adventures. So perhaps a conventions only 4-8 hour Hero Quest each year. 

***

I apologize if all of the above seems presumptuous, it is not meant to be.  Doing organized play well and efficiently and cost effectively won't be easy at first. I do not even know, outside a few of us, if anyone really wants it. But I do think it is worth exploring for a number of reasons and OP is a great way to get people playing the game. 

I feel like you skipped some things, perhaps making assumptions about what an organized play campaign "must" include, but not being explicit about those assumptions.

For instance, should there be character advancement? Who is writing these scenarios and how do we keep that from draining the resources used to create published content? How is an OP living game better at getting people to try the game rather than a carefully designed demo scenario intended for conventions or a home campaign?

And you passed right over my key concern: how do you write scenarios that work for all characters, when the players have a much wider array of choices? The Lightbringers alone are five playable archetypes (with some extreme variants within those cults). To that add a shaman, a wizard, and an Earth priestess. And much more. D&D and Pathfinder have some key archetypes (Mage, Warrior, Healer, Thief), but they use such a restrictive set of skills that their adventures barely require skill rolls and everything MUST devolve to combat at some point. Player groups are expected to self-select a balanced party. What does that term mean for RQ?

And I don't know, as a writer, if the band at any given table is going to have a good scan skill, or singing, or bargain, or insight, or Air Rune, or Hate Lunars . Not unless I use pre-gens. Which starts to defeat the idea of character advancement.

Further, what makes RuneQuest unique is that your own relations drive the narrative. You are sent on missions by your chief or queen, to better the situation for your own people. Or perhaps your own village (like Apple Lane) is under a threat which you have to resolve to keep from losing your own cows and orchards. RQ is not a game where the adventurers are wandering murder hobos, arriving at a different village each week.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We ARE developing scenarios for convention play, both through our contest and in house. And taking the easy route, they currently use Vasana, Harmast and the rest of the gang; but do not have any character advancement or the gaining of items that travel from adventure to adventure. And we are currently working on several books of scenarios and campaign settings in house, but these are intended for home play. That takes a lot of writing and editing resources already. So again, development of a "living" campaign will come later. Giving us time to seek workable answers for the challenges listed above.

[Todd-2]

On 12/2/2018 at 8:04 AM, davidthegnome said:

PM sent

Emailing Todd@chaosium.com is the more dependable route. I'm not on this forum year-round, especially given how much I am traveling to meet people in person at conventions.

[Sean_RDP]

1 hour ago, Todd@Chaosium said:

We ARE developing scenarios for convention play, both through our contest and in house. And taking the easy route, they currently use Vasana, Harmast and the rest of the gang; but do not have any character advancement or the gaining of items that travel from adventure to adventure. And we are currently working on several books of scenarios and campaign settings in house, but these are intended for home play. That takes a lot of writing and editing resources already. So again, development of a "living" campaign will come later. Giving us time to seek workable answers for the challenges listed above.

Those are all great points, but especially the parts about the unique nature of RQG and the amount of resources it would take. Not insurmountable of course, but still a ton of commitment. 

[Gryphaea]

As well as face to face convention play, can I also quietly advocate for on-line play as well.

While there is a great deal of overlap between the two, there are some differences and potential opportunities that on-line presents. I think a future facing development strategy for RuneQuest  (and Cthulhu) should also consider online play, if only as a facet of a wider stratergy.

If we organise games as outreach for new players I think the on-line arena is important for several reasons. On-line is often a way that those returning to the hobby after decades of absence dip their toe in the water again - RuneQuest has a very strong competitive advantage here as it was a dominant brand in the previous decades. Online play has also had an historic association with maintaining play groups which would otherwise break up when players physically move away from one another, and bringing such groups back together again. Also, the new generation of players are far more comfortable with on-line play and if we are looking at under 25s then we really need to have some kind of online stratergy.
From my own experience I would also like to share two further thoughts, online play give us a chance to reach out to potentially ignored or difficult to reach players. In the sessions I have GMd for in on-line conventions I have had the feeling I was enabling players to join in who because of (for want of a better phrase) their additional needs would not have been able to access traditional convention play. Secondly, I have found that if I have scheduled games in time slots that are accessible to folks beyond the USA and Western Europe then I still get players and that they are grateful for the opportunity to play. RuneQuest is a game with truly global reach and one which is not so deeply tied to Western Cultural stereotypes - I think it would be interesting to see if we can strengthen the global community that plays the game. 

[Spence]

So here goes my 2 cents 😜

First Organized Play and Convention Play are two different things.  

Convention Play, being different than Organized Play also has two general types.  

First is a short adventure designed to introduce the game to people that have never played it or are returning to try it after many years away.

Second, a short adventure designed for veteran players to have a chance to play and have fun with gaming peers.   

While a worthy topic, it is not the subject of the OP.

So on to Organized Play (OP).

My first point is that it is generally designed as a means for players and GM’s to be able to actually play.  Whether it is the GM that simply does not have the time to create the material to run regularly or the player that does not have a gaming group.  It is also the spring board for new players to be introduced to the game.  

But OP cannot exist in information overload.  Here is an example and actually the reason I haven’t picked up Runequest (RQ).  Though I am still really interested or I wouldn’t be here now.  The current version of RQ has more history than some real-world countries and a new player usually will not expend an effort equivalent to a 4-year degree just to be able to make an educated guess on what to play.

D&D 5th has fixed this by reducing it’s Forgotten Realms information by 99.999999%.  It lightly covers the world and cultures in the PHB and has a single campaign book on the Sword Coast.  Sure, the old hardcore players can remember volumes, but the new player only has a small slice of information that can be read and comprehended in a single evening.  The Adventures used in the League will have additional adventure specific options and rules, which are also short and concise.  Pre-Gen PC’s are available for each class/race from 1st to 10th levels.  In each organized play arc, a player can show up and play the entire arc or can simply drop in and play any session.  At my FLGS D&D 5th has become the only active OP and is actually running out of room and is even having to turn away players due to a DM shortage.

This translates to: “We can make a character or use a pre-gen.  They can be from Esrolia, Sartar, Prax, Esrolia or Dragon Pass…..   Hey come back! It’s really easy I promise….” As they flee to a game they can play today.

For each League Play Adventure pick ONE region with a short list of options for characters.  Have multiple scenarios with each one accommodating character advancement from the previous.  That way a player can use one character through the entire adventure, but drop in players can simply take one of the pre-gens suitable for each scenario.    Do not try to encompass every single race/culture/occupation/religion in the OP Adventure.  Pick a small manageable selection and go with it.

Each subsequent OP Adventure could showcase a different region/setting with included options.

Each OP Adventure should be accommodating to new players who will only have the 5 or 10 minutes to read about their PC prior to starting play with the pre-gen they picked in those 5 to 10 minutes.  

That is what draws in players.  That is why D&D 5th’s Adventurers League is always packed.  

Also avoid mandatory specifics for players to participate.  
Pathfinder Society has practically disappeared where I am at and D&D Adventurers League has snowballed because a player can simply arrive and play.

The last time I tried to drop in and try to see if I’d still like Pathfinder, the Pathfinder Society people running the “event” were more invested in the Pathfinder Society Rules and registration than playing.  Tax season was more fun.  So, I tried D&D 5th instead.  The D&D peeps asked me if I had a DCI number and when I said no and I wasn’t interested in one now, they said “cool, well pick a Pre-Gen and jump in”.

Now I fully understand that Pathfinder Society isn’t really supposed to work like that.  But it is an illustration of what not to do.

Remember that RQ may have close to 30 years of world building, but those new players that you need to expand the game are not really interested in learning it in their first exposure.  

Aim for the NEW player, not the already established Fan.  Established fans are already building their own adventure and campaigns using all of their knowledge.  An Organized Play system is really there to help spread the game to new players.

Simple, concise and accommodating.
And most importantly, short to learn. 

If a new player cannot get a feel for the game setting and playing their character by reading a one page summary, the adventure has missed the point of OP.

[g33k]

Something I have done with "deep lore" settings (in this case, Ars Magica / Mythic Europe) at a convention is possibly relevant... the "character in an envelope."

Each envelope had a VERY SHORT description of the PC, listing mostly public/obvious info about that PC.  It also, if relevant, mentioned having any "Dark Secret" or "Hidden Past" or the like, so the player(s) would know about that feature (some players ADORE having a "dark secret" or the like; others ABHOR it).

There was a brief (1-page) outline of "Mythic Europe & the Order of Hermes" that was available to read, and re-read if desired, and that I read out loud (because different folks absorb info differently).

Then I spread the envelopes onto the table for them to choose, according to preference.  I made sure there was at least "2 of everything" -- 2 melee types, 2 ranged-combat types, 2 scout/ranger types, 2 quirky-oddball types, 2 dark/secret past types, 2 "generalist/utility" magi, etc etc etc.  About twice as many PC''s to choose from as there was room at the table to play, so nobody was "stuck" with the "last choice".

Then INSIDE the envelope, each PC had the character sheet with all their details, House within the Order, details of spells or other supernatural powers, etc (and of course any secrets). .  Also, each had enough info to understand the who/what/why of the other PC's in the group.

Nobody had to deal with the whole infodump -- there was maybe 15 pages of info, all told, but NOBODY saw more than 2-3 pages (unless they solicited others' info) -- but everyone had rich detail for THEIR character, and info to help with relating to the other characters at the table.

THEN I allowed anyone who knew the system & wanted to customize (or had problems with their choice) some time to work the details to better suit them.

The key was nesting the info:  a brief context/overview then a choice which led the players into their characters.  Character-sheet 1st, with evocative spell-names, Virtues & Flaws, etc... then the details to fill in their curiosity.  Get their buy-in, get them to CARE about the character, and the details are MUCH more interesting to them.

===

For Glorantha, I'd include (in addition to a standard character sheet):

• a 1 page "political" doc, roughly 50% the PC's homeland / local polity (who am I) & 50% surrounding ones;
• a comparable 1-page "cults" doc 50% the PC cult & 50% related/rival/enemy ones;
• an expanded spell-list, with descriptions of spells;
• other notable details as needed (e.g. you need more to explain the Morokanth than the Bison Tribe!).

This calls for a bit more work than the typical 5e "Adventurer's League" or "PFS" stuff.

But with Glorantha, that's IMHO unavoidable -- everybody gets "pseudo-medieval euro-pastiche fantasy" these days, the Dwarf/Elf/Orc/etc & Fighter/Wizard/Cleric/etc tropes; they are ubiquitous these days!  People don't "get" the whole "pseudo-Classical-Bronze-Age & Mediterranean/Vedic/Edda pastiche mytho-fantasy" tropes in the same way.

But we don't have to throw them into the deep end; we don't even have to throw them into the shallow end!  Give them a bathing-suit that suits them, give them a choice of stairway, ladder, ramp, or diving board, and show them the lap-swim lane if they like THAT or the stand-waist-deep-and-visit area if they like THAT.  They'll find their own way to the raucous section of the pool, or the high-dive platform, or the hot-tub, as their own preferences suit them.

 

[g33k]

On 12/5/2018 at 11:28 AM, Todd@Chaosium said:

For instance, should there be character advancement?

Yes, absolutely!  The tick-box "learn by doing" advancement is a hallmark of RQ and a really wonderful element; it should be featured in any demo/OP program on offer!

On 12/5/2018 at 11:28 AM, Todd@Chaosium said:

Who is writing these scenarios and how do we keep that from draining the resources used to create published content?

I think it looks like you've hit on a good model -- do an "open call" and get fans & authors to submit material.  More than one respected RPG author got their start that way, after all!  Admittedly, you still have the edit/art/layout issues to consider, but you might be able to re-use some art, farm out edit/layout to freelancers?  You guys seem to have a decent handle on this, from what I can see.

 

On 12/5/2018 at 11:28 AM, Todd@Chaosium said:

How is an OP living game better at getting people to try the game rather than a carefully designed demo scenario intended for conventions or a home campaign?

I don't think a "Living Game" IS any better at getting people to try it that first time; after all, the newbies can't really tell from the outside, can they?

Except...

Except insofar as ongoing campaigns tend to have more-invested / more-enthusiastic players, who may do a better job of being player-ambassadors, spreading the word, inviting friends, bringing the game out of the OP program to their homes and schools and their own non-OP games.  I don't think it's a unidirectional cause/effect thing, though -- I think the larger player-base allows for (rather than creating) that small fraction of devoted players, of potential player-ambassadors, to get nurtured in their FLGS'es.  The more-casual players try it, and drift away; or only play occasionally, etc.  There may be as MANY players at any given table... but the avid ones keep coming back, bring friends, etc.

Would those avid ones, those "player-ambassadors," do the same if it were a bunch of standalone / demo / one-shot adventures?  I dunno, I really don't.

I think it's worth separating out some of the threads of "drop-in play" and "living campaign" and "player / character portability;"  not try to clone all the features of other OP programs.  It's possible to do drop-in RQ, with a suite of PC's available for drop-in play.  You might have a "living" game with ongoing PC's AND permit drop-in PCs who are wandering Humakti sell-swords, Orlanth Adventurous "itinerant adventurer" types, Heroquest'ers from various cults, etc etc etc -- PC's who are happy to lend a hand with the current adventure, but not invested in the broader situation and who "hit the road" when/if the player decides that game isn't for them after all...

I also think it's worth looking at "new players" vs. "new-to-RQ" (likely PFS or D&D-AL) players.  Which cohort will a RQ OP program get more of?  Again:  I dunno!  Though I'm confident that statistical variance will mean there will be tables leaning (or entirely) one way, AND tables going t'other way.  Helping new players learn the ropes of RPG'ing is rather different than helping D&D-heritage players understand how RQ is different (both in mechanics and world-assumptions).  I think helping the OP game-masters with these parallel but dissimilar chores could be a really key element of a successful OP program.

 

[g33k]

20 hours ago, Spence said:

...
Pathfinder Society has practically disappeared where I am at and D&D Adventurers League has snowballed because a player can simply arrive and play.

The last time I tried to drop in and try to see if I’d still like Pathfinder, the Pathfinder Society people running the “event” were more invested in the Pathfinder Society Rules and registration than playing.  Tax season was more fun.  So, I tried D&D 5th instead.  The D&D peeps asked me if I had a DCI number and when I said no and I wasn’t interested in one now, they said “cool, well pick a Pre-Gen and jump in”...

The last time I had a chance to compare them was at a 'Con.  D&DAL was... present, I guess.  So I heard.  Never saw them much.  PFS has a hallway outside 3-4 rooms.  All the rooms were running games, 3-5 tables per room; all of them seemed to be actively playing, not rules-wrangling.  1-3 PFS "officials" (depending on time of day) were in the hallway outside, to expedite players in getting characters and getting to a table to game (if they were new) or getting their existing PFS characters updated... and to a table to game.  There was a HUGE box of pre-gen PC's available to browse and take, play, steal, whatever.

[Spence]

On 1/16/2019 at 9:19 PM, g33k said:

The last time I had a chance to compare them was at a 'Con.  D&DAL was... present, I guess.  So I heard.  Never saw them much.  PFS has a hallway outside 3-4 rooms.  All the rooms were running games, 3-5 tables per room; all of them seemed to be actively playing, not rules-wrangling.  1-3 PFS "officials" (depending on time of day) were in the hallway outside, to expedite players in getting characters and getting to a table to game (if they were new) or getting their existing PFS characters updated... and to a table to game.  There was a HUGE box of pre-gen PC's available to browse and take, play, steal, whatever.

It's amazing how wide the difference in gaming experiences it can be, isn't it?