Lots going on, little to say

So here's a rundown of the things that have happened lately. I've meet several of the players the brother wanted me to, they're cool. I expect to step into a few games. One should fold me in Sunday, one is a Kingmaker AP run starting I'm the spring, and I'll be running two. This doesn't include family games.

Tabletop Forge folded into roll20. Some have been upset, some are thrilled, I am amongst the latter. For those that aren't, it's the same as one company buying another. Sometimes it kills a product, sometimes the company folds technologies into their product. This is the later, and is saving an otherwise doomed vision.

RPG superstar is in round 2 voting, some interesting monsters showed up. Check it out.

Finally, I purchased my reapercon ticket today. It'll be my first real convention. Should be fun!

That's about it for now. A note, I wrote this post on my cyanogened nook. I'm still not good at using it for serious typing.

Abilene, A Gungslinger, RPG Superstar 2013, Paizo's 10 year ride

So, I've been a little quiet lately. Mostly because once again, I've changed cities. This time, back to Abilene. I've only been here a week though, and feel far better settled than other moves. I'm sure that's partially because I already know people, but really I think it'll work this time.

For example, my brother moved here a while back, and found a large chunk of the pathfinder players I kept looking for. Also, a promising game store has opened. I've been by three times now. Nice space, plenty of tables, and a great stock for a startup. They also opened a few months before their original plan. I think despite some challenges it presented them, it's actually a good thing.

I haven't even moved into my own place yet, and I've watched an organized play session, and had a one on one session with the brother. This one in a fantastic race infused western setting. I'm playing a gunslinger. Wow they're powerful, even without the insta-death gunshots lots of people I've conversed with over firearms in RPGs. I didn't walk the floor that night by any means, but I held my own in a situation that should have been bad for a solo character.

That said the character's gonna be a blast (pun only partially intended). I expect to completely enjoy this game. Session reports upon permission.

On a different note, the 2013 RPG Superstar 32 were announced this week. I haven't looked over the whole list yet, but what I've seen so far seems promising. I think this'll be a interesting year, despite no currently twisted tasks.

This year's RPGsuperstar, the mmo, Gamemastery's name change, Rasputin, lots of interesting things coming from Paizo this year. Not surprising considering the truly impressive ten years they've had so far.

Lisa Stevens, Paizo's CEO, spent some time last year talking about that. If you haven't read her 10th anniversary retrospective series. Do so. They really show just how wild their ride has been. Below are links to each entry:

Year 0 2002, Year 1 2003, Year 2 2004, Year 3 2005, Year 4 2006, Year 5 2007, Year 6 2008, Year 7 2009, Year 8 2010, Year 9 2011 Year 10 2012

I've only really followed Paizo since late 2008, but that four and a half years was wild just to watch. I know some are talking about how some of their 2013 products seem like they've jumped the shark. I know some think D&D next is supposed to bring WOtC back to the top. Yet everything (except the MMO) I've heard of Paizo's future releases sounds just as awesome as my first read through the PFRPG beta download. So congrats, good luck, and here's hoping we see ten more years of Paizo and Pathfinder!

Mask finished, RPG Superstar,

So the campaign my brother was running for me and the family is at an "endpoint". His first two plot-lines are done, and now we the characters are at a "anything could happen" stage. We're now official heads for a island colony belonging to the realm we adventured in.

Here's a (very) short description of the last session:

We started the session on the galley Magic Carpet headed for a island a professor from the school the wizard attended wished to return to for study. We did not however, make it to the island.

Our ship was attacked by slaver/pirates. We assisted the crew in defeating the pirates, and captured their ship in the process. We didn't really have enough survivors for a stable prize crew, and interrogation of a captured pirate survivor revealed that they were specifically looking for an immigration ship commissioned by the king. We were only a few days from the port the ship was expected to sail from, so we turned back at the professor's order.

On our return, we discovered the immigration/colony ship hadn't even been announced yet. This, along with an assassination attempt on the king (which we thwarted) provided the king with enough evidence to accuse the person behind these deeds.

At this point, the truth of the immigration/colony ship is revealed. It's commissioned to provide a group of catfolk who the king had been helping defend with a new home. So instead of a single ship, three ships made the trip.

It wasn't quite over once we arrived. The professor's familiar scouted the docks for us and provided back images of the ruined docks and undead. The ruined docks were expected, this colony attempt is actually the second, what wasn't was the undead.

So, the party is shuffled into one of the lifeboats so we can row out, clear the undead, and prep the area for docking ships. After a small skirmish with a combo of gouls, zombies, skeletons, and other midrange undead. The ships land and we go further in to explore.

The previous colony settled the cavern network close to the docks. Exploration discovered evidence that the colony came into conflict with a tribe of lizardmen, and moved deeper for safety. As more of the fate of the previous colony unfolded before us, we discover a temple haunted by the ghost of a catfolk priestess. We're not welcome, but before we can get more info or decide to leave, the ghost re-inhabits its body and attacks. (I'll save why it does this instead of simply attacking for the actual module publication its too good to spoil).

The fight brings out one other very nasty enemy, the truth behind the ghost's presence, and why some of the party's been having some really creepy nightmares. I'll only say that before the party can actually defeat all the presences, they inadvertently provide the ghost with what it needs to rest peacefully. The mask the whole game is named after comes to play as well, but I won't spoil how.

The next session is actually supposed to skip a year in time, and allow the characters and npcs to settle into the new village. We're supposed to switch to me GMing and my brother playing... and I'm not sure I want to skip quite the entire time before the next session... There's all sorts of things a new colony can be exposed to that I think the party would enjoy.

Now, on to other things... next up: It's that time again...

Yep, Paizo's doing RPG Superstar! 2013. I don't have much time to get my wondrous item ready, but after the confirmation last year that I'm still eligible, I'm gonna take another shot at it.

As a quick previous post I also linked to the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter last week. I'll follow this a little as it goes.

There's also a new android app for GMs and Players alike. Pathfinder Toolkit so far looks to be a really nice android 4+ app. I'll mess with it a little more and provide a serious review soon, right now I only have access to one device that supports it, but that should change. If someone who has a 4+ device wants to do a review and send to me, then I'll happily post it here.

I've got a few other ideas to work on for NSNGaming, but right now they're on the back burner, I'm trying to figure out how far I'll actually be moving in January, and what changes to my budget that will make.

Until later...

RPG Superstar Final Round

That's right, the voting for the final round is here.

Here are links to the final four entries.

Rescue Under the Steaming Sea

The Unsheathed Revolution

Doom Comes to Dustpawn

The Scarlet God

Read, contemplate, vote. Good luck to all four!