GMs STILL NEEDED! - Enchanted Grounds - Highlands Ranch - June 2017 PFS

[Drogon]

Hello everyone,

I still need two GMs before I can announce this month's PFS. One for Saturday morning and one for Saturday afternoon. Please help do your part by taking one of these games so that people can play this month.

Saturday, June 17th, 9:00 AM:
#8-07, From the Tome of Righteous Repose (tier 3-7)

Saturday, June 17th, 2:00 PM:
#6-07, Valley of Veiled Flame (tier 5-9)

Monday, June 26th, 6:00 PM:
#8-21, Champion's Chalice Part 2 - Agents of the Eye (tier 1-5)
#8-12, Tyranny of Winds Part 3 - Caught in the Eclipse (tier 3-7)
#8-20, Torrent's Last Will (tier 7-11)

IMPORTANT: If you offer to run one, please get in touch with me privately. The email address is Jeff@EnchantedGrounds.com <--Clicking this link will get your computer to generate an email directly to me. DO NOT simply reply to this email (the one you are reading right now) as that reply will not get to me.

Jeff
Enchanted Grounds

[CDragos]

I would like to GM Champions chalice part 2 on either Monday.

Thanks!
Christian D

[Stry]

I don't suppose there are any tests to pass in order to be a GM?
Honestly I'd be up to volunteer, but I barely have any experience as a GM, so I'm not sure how well I would do.

[Drogon]

I don't suppose there are any tests to pass in order to be a GM?
Honestly I'd be up to volunteer, but I barely have any experience as a GM, so I'm not sure how well I would do.

Nope, no test. If you want to GM, then you can GM. It is entirely up to you.

To answer the question on how much experience you have: how much have you played? If you've played a lot (say, weekly over the past year or so), then you have a pretty good idea of what a GM does. PFS adventures are designed to be completed in a 4-hour slot. So, get it, read it, gather your minis/tokens, put together your maps, and you're good to go.

A more nuanced take on GM preparation: reading it a second time is a good idea so that you are sure of the story you are presenting. The really good GMs will know how they're going to approach each NPC in terms of personality, and will have a very good idea of what each bad guy's battle plan will be (and will obviously make themselves very familiar with the bad guy stat block and abilities). Many even make sure to read up on the history and background of the area the adventure is taking place so that they can properly portray the setting. But, ultimately, if you run a clean game (meaning you're not constantly looking up rules or trying to figure out what comes next in the adventure), then you are doing a good job of making sure the players have fun.

So, if you'd like to GM, you are welcome to give it a whirl. If you want to play a few games, first, I totally understand. Just let me know what you'd like to do.

[Stry]

Yeah, come to think of it, it is probably better if I run at least one Pathfinder Society game as a player before I dive in to GMing a game. I haven't played a Pathfinder Society game before, so I was on this forum looking to sign up for a tier 1 slot as a player actually (with a new lv1 character).

[Drogon]

When I correlated playing experience to GMing experience, I wasn't just referring to PFS. If you've been playing in someone's home campaign regularly, and you like their game, you have a good idea of what you like in a GM. That experience translates very easily to PFS. Playing PFS itself certainly helps in giving you an idea of what your pacing should be, but there are plenty of us who began GMing PFS right away upon joining the campaign. Some of us are still doing it 9 years later and have bunches of stars next to our names, even. Doesn't mean we don't run home games, as well. :-)

[Stry]

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence! Still not sure I'd GM right away though, since I don't own any Pathfinder books/maps/GM screen yet either. I was planning to start a Core lv1 character and just buy the Core Rulebook for PFS to see if I like it =\

[Stry]

Quick question: Does a GM doing a game for Pathfinder Society need to have proof of ownership of all the materials used for the adventure path (Bestiaries, Advanced Player's Guide, Game Mastery Guide, etc.) or could a GM use free PDFs/apps?

I know players need to bring all the books/pages relevant to their character and they need to be physical books or watermarked pdf pages, so I'm wondering if I would have to buy a huge pile of books in order to start GMing.

[Drogon]

You are allowed to use the PFSRD, located on Paizo's website, to GM games for Pathfinder Society. Each adventure lists specifically which books you will need to find rules from, and there is a number of books that the developers limit the writers to using (3 or 4, I think).

Book ownership rules are enforced on players only due to the (usually) large number of rule books players use to create their characters. GMs are NOT required to be familiar with every single rule ever printed, so players are therefore required to present the rule they are using to any GM who questions what the rule does.

[Drogon]

Updated. Still need two GMs before I can announce for players.

[Drogon]

Down to needing just the Saturday morning game covered. If someone takes that I can announce the remainder of the month.

[Drogon]

Thank you, Erin, for taking up the GM reins. Everyone appreciates it, particularly me.