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Article Summary
- Paizo has officially opened the Pathfinder and Starfinder Society for fan-made adventure scenarios through the existing Infinite open-license publishing program.
- The goal is to increase the amount of PF2E and SF2E organized play scenarios, which has been reduced in recent months due to layoffs and internal restructuring at Paizo.
- Currently, both official Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society content from Paizo has moved from a monthly cadence to being published several times throughout the year.
The doors to official organized play are swinging wide open for independent creators. Paizo has officially announced that fans can now submit their own adventure scenarios to the Pathfinder and Starfinder Society organized play programs. The move was made largely as a result of a decrease in organized play content following recent layoffs, with Paizo now essentially turning to the community to help fill the gap.
Below, we take a closer look at what this means for the future of PF2E and SF2E organized play.
What is the Pathfinder/Starfinder Society organized play program?
Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society are Paizo’s official organized play programs. Operating across local game stores, conventions and home tables, the program allows players to create characters and take part in serialized adventures (known as Scenarios) that contribute to ongoing, universe-spanning storylines known as Metaplots which typically consist of 15-20 scenarios and run for roughly a year (known as a Season).
Players who participate in the program first create an account which allows them to create official character sheets that travel with their characters from table to table. During a season, players can level up their characters, get access to new scenarios and earn Achievement Points which can be used to purchase in-game benefits known as Boons.
In terms of logistics, a volunteer Venture-Officer (who is typically a local game store owner or employee) oversees organized play for a specific geography or online community, setting up the scenarios, providing resources to players and ensuring games are reported accurately in the system. At larger events (such as conventions) a volunteer Event Organizer may also be brought in to manage multiple tables.
Notably the organized play programs are named after in-game organizations baked into the lore, with the Pathfinder Society being a group of heroic adventurers on the world of Golarion and the Starfinder Society consisting of interplanetary explorers and fortune seekers who operate out of Absalom Station in the heart of the Pact Worlds.
What is the Pathfinder Infinite program?
Pathfinder Infinite and Starfinder Infinite are community-driven digital publishing platforms powered by DriveThruRPG in partnership with Paizo. The program features a special Infinite game license that allows independent creators, writers and artists to produce and sell their own original content (such as adventures, rules supplements, fiction and maps) utilizing official Paizo intellectual property and settings. (Notably, the Infinite license is not the same as the ORC License which allows third-party publishers to create Pathfinder and Starfinder materials).
Completed Infinite products are sold on DriveThruRPG, who receives a percentage of the proceeds along with Paizo. Content can be rated by purchasers, with high selling products being more visible on the marketplace.
How can you submit content to Pathfinder/Starfinder Society?
If you’re looking to get get involved, you can check out Paizo’s official guidelines for submitting adventure scenarios. Key criteria include:
- Venue suitable: Given that scenarios may be played at conventions, they can’t contain sexual content, torture, racism and overly gross or horrifying themes.
- Level restrictions: Each scenario must cover two level ranges (e.g, Level 1-2 or Level 9-10)
- Time limit: Adventure scenarios must be strictly designed to be played either within 2–3 hours or within 4–5 hours. The typical wordcount of a 2–3 hour scenario is 4,000–5,000 words and the typical wordcount of a 4–5 hour scenario is 9,000–10,000 words (excluding non-adventure content, such as the table of contents and credits).
- Encounter types: Scenarios should feature major encounters which are roughly 15-60 minutes in length (such as a combat) and minor encounters which are a maximum of 15 minutes (such as solving a puzzle in a dungeon).
- Encounter limits: 2–3 hour scenarios should include either one major encounter and up to five minor encounters OR two major encounters and up to four minor encounters. 4–5 hour scenarios should include either three major encounters and up to five minor encounters OR four major encounters and up to four minor encounters.
Submitting an adventure scenario doesn’t guarantee that it will be picked up by Paizo for use with organized play, and they have said they will be keeping a close watch on the community response in the days ahead and will be working with organizers to add new scenarios.
Final thoughts
Opening the Society programs to fan-created content feels like a win-win for both Paizo and players. For Paizo it’s the chance to fill a growing content gap in the organized play program, while for fans it’s a chance to try their hand at creating official adventures that will be experienced by a large number of players.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on how this initiative develops in the days ahead. In the meantime, you can learn more on the official Paizo blog.