Ten 80's Fantasy Movies Every Game Master Should Watch

Ten 80's Fantasy Movies Every Game Master Should Know

If you only watch modern fantasy movies, you're missing out on decades of ideas that shaped tabletop roleplaying games.

Long before streaming services and billion-dollar franchises, these movies were introducing audiences to cursed kings, impossible quests, ancient magic, terrifying monsters, and heroes who weren't always heroic. Whether they realized it or not, many of today's game designers grew up on these films. You can still see their fingerprints all over Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, and countless other RPGs.

As Game Masters, we're always looking for inspiration. Sometimes it comes from a rulebook. Sometimes it comes from history. And sometimes it comes from sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and watching a movie that's older than half the people at your table.

These aren't necessarily the "best" fantasy films ever made. They're the ones that taught us what fantasy felt like before CGI took over. They have atmosphere. They have style. They have memorable villains and heroes who actually struggle to win.

If you've never seen them, add them to your watch list.

The benefits of GMing for Paizo Organized Play

Have you ever wondered why some Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society players spend so much time behind the GM screen?

Sure, Game Masters volunteer because they enjoy telling stories and helping others have fun. But that's only part of the story.

Paizo actually rewards Organized Play GMs in a surprising number of ways. Some rewards are official, like extra Achievement Points, exclusive boons, GM glyphs, and convention perks. Others are unexpected, like earning the respect of your local game store, making friends from around the world, and becoming a key part of your local gaming community.

If you've ever thought about running a game, or you've wondered whether becoming a GM is worth the effort, you might be surprised by just how much you can earn beyond the satisfaction of helping others.

Let's take a look at every benefit of becoming a Pathfinder Society or Starfinder Society Game Master. 👇

Is That Pathfinder Society Legal?

Anything that has the Uncommon or Rare tag in it's stat block, either requires a boon, or it's just not allowed in PFS play. Anything that has neither tag is considered Common. These 3 colored terms are the RARITY. This is true for ancestries, backgrounds, heritages, dedications, feats, items, etc. 

So if you've found something you want, but it has the Uncommon or Rare tag, how do you discover which boon you need? That my friend, is complicated, but I will show you step-by-step how to do it here today. As an example, lets see if the Automaton ancestry is Pathfinder Society legal.

Before we get started, make sure to bookmark these 6 links. You'll need them. You can also find them on my Pathfinder Society page. 👇

Wayfinder Orienteering in Pathfinder Society

Orienteering

The act of finding your way with a compass and a map is called “orienteering”.

This blog article is an attempt to collect many of the details about wayfinders and aeon stones for you, into a cohesive document that you can bookmark for reference, since they are scattered across rule books and Lorespire. See, I'm orient(eer)ing you to wayfinders. Aren't I clever?

Wayfinders

Wayfinders are a magical compass, badge of office, and symbol of honor for Pathfinders in both homebrew and Pathfinder Society games.

You earn a FREE WAYFINDER after earning 2 Chronicle Sheets. It’s a free boon under “Chronicle Boons” in your Paizo.com Organized Play account. This is for every character you have.  

Otherwise, a standard Wayfinder is level 2 and costs 28gp.

Sense Direction comes with a -2 item penalty if you don’t have a compass. A wayfinder is a kick ass magical compass and gives you +2 to Sense Direction checks, thus negating the penalty. A compass only gives you +1, but you should also have a compass, and maybe an astrolabe too. Trust me, you'll thank me later. 👇

Paizo Organized Play - Midwest Region Google Map

If you travel for work or otherwise, and you play Pathfinder or Starfinder in Paizo's Organized Play system, the following map might be of use for you. It's a Google map with pin drops of most of the locations that you can play Pathfinder and Starfinder Society in the midwest region of Paizo Organized Play. 

The midwest region for Paizo is Manitoba BC, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri. Each state is color and icon coded. 

Some of the locations have pictures or videos embedded, but all of them have at least the Google profile associated with the FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) where games are played. 

All of the pin drops have the lodge's game sign-up page linked in the description! 

Downtime Crafting in Pathfinder Society Remastered

Downtime Crafting in Pathfinder Society

The new lodge that I'm leading is really into this crafting thing, so I created this crafting guide for them. Maybe it can help you too? Fair warning, this will give you a headache.

The crafting rules are spread across multiple books, and then the Remaster changed how crafting works. On top of that, Pathfinder Society adds its own twists. It's no wonder most people just use Earned Income.

If you like the challenge of being your lodge's on site crafting expert, then strap in, because this is going to take multiple reads. I'll explain how downtime crafting actually works in Pathfinder Society, when you need a formula (and when you don't), how downtime days are spent, how much crafting really costs, and a few tricks that can save you both time and gold along the way. Have you ever wondered whether crafting is actually worth it in Pathfinder Society? This guide will give you the answer.

Sources: Player Core, GM Core, Treasure Vault, Lorespire, and Archives of Nethys. 👇