Attendees at this year's GAMA Trade Show and PAX East conventions got a sneak peak at some Pathfinder Adventure Card Game goodness that Paizo's got planned for later this year. Though the final details are still being worked out, I want to share the basic concepts with our loyal blog readers.

Class Decks

In August, we're debuting a new type of PACG accessory: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Class Decks. The initial offerings will include seven 109-card decks that each contain all the cards one character needs to play an entire PACG Adventure Path from start to finish. Each deck contains four playable characters of the same character class, and each character will have two unique roles to choose from. Meet Olenjack, a new character from the Rogue Class Deck:



Illustration by Maichol Quinto Illustration by Maichol Quinto

Olenjack is the master of a guild of... merchants. He rarely feels the need to use the pair of long-handled daggers in his belt, but when he does, the wounds they leave behind are invariably fatal. Olenjack's ties to a variety of less savory communities hint at complex schemes and delicate manipulations. (Pathfinder RPG fans may recognize Olenjack—and many of his Class Deck compatriots—from the NPC Codex.)

The seven Class Decks premiering in August will showcase the bard, the cleric, the fighter, the ranger, the rogue, the sorcerer, and the wizard. Each deck will feature a mix of familiar and new cards, and can be used in your home games or in our new organized play program!

Organizing Your Play

With an amazing segue like that, who wouldn't want to find out more about the organized play program we'll be debuting at Gen Con ? Details are still being worked out, but here are the basics.

Season 0, as we're calling it internally, will consist of around 30 weekly scenarios that will be made available in PDF form. Scenarios will initially be offered exclusively to major conventions and retailers participating in the organized play program. Each month, the previous month's scenarios will then be bundled together and offered for sale to all paizo.com customers.

Season 0 will feature themes and stories inspired by the Skull & Shackles Base Set. To play, each participant will need to have a Class Deck and a Pathfinder Society number, and each table will need a copy of the Skull & Shackles Base Set plus all of the Skull & Shackles adventure decks released to that point. Play will be similar to the game you've already come to love, but when the time comes to improve your character deck, you'll do it with cards from your Class Deck. After the game, participants can report the results online to keep track of what you've played and how you've done.

If you're interested in helping coordinate or run the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game at a store or convention near you, please contact your local Pathfinder Society Venture Officer. We'd love to have you aboard. We're not quite ready for retailers to sign up for the program yet, but we'll have an announcement about that very soon.

There will be a variety of other fun things to share with you as we firm up details and dream up new concepts, but I can't get into specifics now. I can say that players who already participate in the Pathfinder Society organized play program might find the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game OP program worth checking out.

We'll be back with more information on both the Class Decks and the organized play program as a whole as August draws nearer.

Until then, go play some games!

Tanis O'Connor

Adventure Card Game Designer