Every week, Recall Knowledge recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, a preview of the Know Direction content of the week to come, and the director of operations, Ryan Costello, thoughts on the state of the network.

I don’t like that Intrepid Heroes is the only audio we release that I can’t listen to the new episode as soon as it launches, so I’ve made an effort to listen to at least an episode a week. The show releases every other week usually, which means I would eventually catch up. As of this writing, I have listened to the first 10 episodes. Because of John’s recent surgery, there was no Intrepid Heroes episode released last week.

Between my speed listening of Intrepid Heroes and my regular listening to Adventurous and Stellar, I am exposed to a lot of Paizo staff past and present playing RPGs. I already marvel at getting to experience Crystal Frasier’s GMing first-hand, but I’ve come to realize that there’s a lot to learned listening to developers on the player side of the screen. Between Jason Keeley as Oggdren on Adventurous, Amanda Hamon as Aira on Stellar, and Ron Lundeen as Skootch on Intrepid Heroes, I’m seeing some patterns in how they play. All three commit to roleplaying their character and that makes them a joy to listen to and easy, but I’ve also noticed that they latch onto plot details that keeps their shows on tasks. Any time I’ve lost the thread or felt overwhelmed by options on Adventurous, Jason’s there to remind us about a plot element we wanted to revisit, or to justify why we should focus on a specific task at hand. I’ve picked on on Ron’s similar habit in Intrepid Heroes. Whenever an RP or off topic conversation ends, he is right with a helpful “So we were going to…” Amanda somehow manages to play a self-described rage bug while also keeping the party on task and the story moving forward.

It’s not that I’m surprised that the Paizo staff on our actual play podcasts are great at what they do, it’s that I’m surprised I didn’t realize this particular quality they all share until recently.

For those concerned about how John’s surgery went, he shared this update:

He literally sent me the files he needed edited for last week’s Digital Divination from the waiting room. I admire John’s commitment to content.

Speaking of content, PaizoCon Online 2020 content isn’t over after all! Rick Sandidge of Find the Path Ventures let us know that FtP cast hosted a number of the PaizoCon Online 2020 third party panels on Discord and offered to send them our way to add to our coverage. I’ve mentioned how I regret not knowing about the Discord panels in time to make plans to record them; we only have the Methods For Fast Combat and Play By Post 101 recordings thanks to a proactive Randal Meyer.

You can’t go back to Discord panels like you can the ones that streamed on Twitch, so I’m happy to hear that we can bring you two more: Creating a Dynamic Character and Playing a Dynamic Character. The only reason I am able to hear them is because of FtP’s recordings, so I am personally thankful to Find The Path for reaching out. This will be available starting tomorrow, followed by the PaizoCon closing ceremonies (unless anyone else has a recording of a PaizoCon Online 2020 seminar and they are willing to contact knowdirection@hotmail.com about them).

In addition to extended PaizoCon Online 2020 seminar coverage, here is the Know Direction Network content from last week and this week:

Recap of June 15^th to June 21^st

What happened last week on knowdirectionpodcast.com and twitch.tv/knowdirection?

Monday, June 15^th

PODCAST

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Advanced Players Guide

A lot of good info about Pathfinder 2e’s most anticipated release. No, seriously, as the namesake of the 1e APG being hyped as it’s 2e equivalent, this is the book that Pathfinder enthusiast are looking at to figure out how they really feel about the new edition. It has the power to turn skeptics into believers, but also to power to disappoint and lose those who are already on board.

ARTICLE

Recall Knowledge – June 8th to June 21^st

I talked about how strange it is to balk at politics in Pathfinder when the game regularly casts the heroes in the role of revolutionaries and has them hobnob with everyone from sheriffs to emperors. Amazingly, I left out two other recent examples that had me seeing the undeniable connection:
1. Continuing my attempt to catch up on Intrepid Heroes, I listened to IH 8 and IH 9. Our intrepid heroes had to deal with mercenaries called in to handle civil unrest in a scenario with a lot in common with the situation in Seattle after the abandonment of a police precinct. More on that in a bit.
2. We’re discussing playing upcoming Pathfinder Module: The Slithering as network content. One factor making us hesitate is that the premise includes the spread of a supernatural virus. It isn’t exactly Covid-19, but there are parallels.

Tuesday, June 16^th

PODCAST

Digital Divination 006 – CHAZ and Party Composition

Ron, along with a number of Paizo coworkers and his family, visited the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle. As I mentioned in my Recall Knowledge write-up, above, I had just heard a fictional version of the CHAZ play out in now classic episodes of Intrepid Heroes. Listening to that shortly before listening to two members of the IH cast talk about a real world equivalent was sobering, especially when you consider that Intrepid Heroes episode 8 came out in September of 2019, less than a year ago.

Jon and Ron then switch gears to a light but lively discussion of how party composition in Starfinder bucks the trend of the four party pillars that dates back to original Dungeons & Dragons.

Programming note: Due to Jon’s surgery, he may not be able to record and release the originally scheduled July 1^st episode. We wish Jon all the best with his surgery and a speedy recovery!

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Pathfinder Adventures

Published adventures are an important part of Pathfinder’s identity. They allow Paizo to tell their world’s stories and allow players to actively participate in it. They create common ground on which creators and participants of all types can share and compare experiences. It’s no wonder this was one of the few PaizoCon Online 2020 panels that publisher Erik Mona participated in.

ARTICLE

Burst of Insight—Pandemic Memes: Influential RPGs, Part 2

Andrew fills out his list of ten most influential RPGs, and there are some heavy hitters on this list. Specifically, they hit you right in the nostalgia.

Wednesday, June 17^th

PODCAST

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Intros and Interviews – Friday

These interview segments are where the Know Direction Network’s KD Con Team got to have our fun, and by Friday we really had our rhythm down.

 

ARTICLE

Fox’s Cunning – Summon-Dex Part 1
By Dustin Knight

Dustin debuts a new tool that will help 2e conjurers everywhere: a graded index of summon options from the first two Bestiaries, including links to the respective Archives of Nethys pages. Part 1 covers Summon Animals, from its basic form all the way up to its 10^th level heightened version.

Thursday, June 18^th

PODCAST

Know Direction 227 – Bestiary, Battle Cards, and Bonner!

So, confession time. I skipped two numbers in the episode numbering. Yes, this is the second Know Direction 227 this year. No, I don’t know how I managed that.

I went into this episode a little worried. The outline was a mix of needs and wants. We needed to review Bestiary 2. It’s the new hardcover, and it came out before the previous episode of Know Direction, so we were behind our usual hardcover review schedule. We wanted to review the Bestiary Battle Cards. Both Perram and I are (spoiler alert) huge fans of these cards and we think they’re a game changer for Pathfinder 2e GMs, so we couldn’t wait to gush about them. Two reviews already felt like a lot, but then major news items kept piling up. We basically had to strap in and accept that this would be a dense episode that hopefully didn’t go too long. I think we pulled it off.

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Methods For Fast Combat Part 1

I wish we could have gotten more of the third party panels at PaizoCon Online 2020. Fortunately, Randal was proactive and got permission to record a couple, starting with Methods For Fast Combat, hosted by One Boot and Mr Boot. Part 1 focuses on table management best practices to minimize distractions and encourage focus on the game.

ARTICLE

Something Creates – An Adventure (Quest #1)
By Andrew Sturtevant
When Andrew said he was designing a quest line, he meant it. This article is over 4000 words, and is a fully realized Starfinder Quest that you could run right now, bookended by designer commentary.

I encourage everyone who runs it to provide feedback for Andrew on our Discord.

Friday, June 19^th

PODCAST

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Methods for Fast Combat Part 2

Part 2 of One Boot and Mr Boot’s seminar is Q&A from the Discord audience, which covers a broader range of group management topics than the first part.

ARTICLE

Bend the Knee – CLASSic Inspiration
By Loren Sieg

RPGs like Pathfinder help simulate and recreate tropes and specific examples of the genre, but they aren’t all encompassing. RPG industry veteran Rachel Ventura, Know Direction Network staff member Monica Marlowe, and listener NorthernDreamer talk about characters they would like to play if only the options existed to do so, then they speculate on what those options would need to look like to pull their build off.

Saturday, June 20^th

PODCAST

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Play By Post 101

Derek Larsen goes point-by-point over the hows and wheres of Organized Play play-by-play.

Preview of June 22^nd to June 26th

This is back to Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, June 22^nd

PODCAST

Adventurous 0039 (available now)

Another confession: I was not feeling great when I edited this, and there were technical issues that made editing this episode harder than usual. It’s going to be rougher than recent episodes, but hopefully still as enjoyable.

ARTICLE

Recall Knowledge (also available now)

It’s like looking in a mirror, but instead of seeing your face you see what you’re reading. Which you are somehow doing while looking in a mirror.

Tuesday, June 23^rd

PODCAST

Legend Lore 006: Teamwork Tactics
In Methods For Fast Combat Part 1, Mr Boot explains how he sees a lot of groups play Pathfinder as an overlapping single player game (board games without player interaction call this parallel play). I’m looking forward to hearing Luis and Loren highlight how Pathfinder 2e players can use the game’s action economy and party dynamic to elevate the play experience.

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Creating a Dynamic Character

You know what’s better than a one dimensional character? A dynamic character! The first of two complimentary seminars hosted and recorded by our friends at Find the Path.

ARTICLE

Groundbreaking by Randal Meyer

Wednesday, June 24^th

PODCAST

Presenting Joseph Blomquist 
John chats with freelance author Joseph Blomquist about organized play, super hero games, and an upcoming mafia RPG.

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Playing a Dynamic Character

You’ve created your dynamic character, now it’s time to play them! The second of two complimentary seminars hosted and recorded by our friends at Find the Path.

ARTICLE

Guidance by Alex Augunas

Thursday, June 25^th

PODCAST

PaizoCon Online 2020 – Closing Ceremony

Paizo Publisher Erik Mona, Organized Play Manager Tonya Woldridge, Social Media Producer Payton Smith, and Know Direction Directors Ryan Costello and Perram reflect on the first ever PaizoCon Online.

ARTICLE

Investing In by Rob Pontious

Friday, June 26^th

TWITCH

Adventurous 042

I don’t know what’s happening in this episode, but I hope it answers our greatest questions. 

ARTICLE

Monstrous Physique by Luis Loza

Important Reminders

Like a bulletin board of all the adventures you should be on.

• Battle of the Pantheons
  The deadline to vote in Battle of the Pantheons is today at 11:45 pm Pacific.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello