News – Know Direction

Prep In Your Sleep With New Pathfinder R.E.M.Master

Ryan Costello — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 09:00:26 +0000

Have you ever dreamed of having more time to prepare for your Pathfinder sessions? The New Pathfinder R.E.M.Master makes that dream a reality! Literally.

Thanks to sophisticated subliminal radio wave technology*, listening to Pathfinder R.E.M.Master while you sleep fills your head with all the information you need to run the perfect Pathfinder session.

Tracks include:

System Mastery
Setting Tutorial
Descriptive Descriptions
Yes, And Like A Pro
101 NPC Voices
101 More NPC Voices, But Silly This Time
How Magic Works In Pathfinder
How Magic Works In Real Life
Glossary of “No, that was 1e/pre-Remaster/never in Pathfinder” Terms
Oh, What The Heck, 101 More NPC Voices

Listen to the track you need the most help with on repeat or play Pathfinder R.E.M.Master from beginning to end to learn GMing Pathfinder like Keanu Reeves learned kung fu.

*Paizo promises to never use this technology for evil, or, through inaction, allow evil to be done with it. Pathfinder R.E.M.Master is purely a tool to make you a better GM through good vibes. Afterall, you can’t spell Game Master without ASMR.

Now You Know – March 18th to 29th

Ryan Costello — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 08:58:42 +0000

Here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of March 18th to 22nd

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

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 18th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 128 – It’s a Miracle

What kind of budget miracle are our Intrepid Heroes dealing with?

Tuesday, March 19th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 85: Mission to Planet Hexx

Danielle talks with Jim Fitzpatrick about his tile-laying space exploration game, Mission to Planet Hexx.

Podcast

Upshift 031 – Decepticon Directive

Ryan and Jason look through one of the last Essence20 RPG sourcebooks Jason developed on, Transformers Roleplaying Game Decepticon Directive.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – March 4th to March 15th

Ryan Costello — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:00:31 +0000

Here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of March 4th to March 8th

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

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 4th

Preview of March 11th to March 15th

Monday, March 11th

Article

Now You Know – – March 4th to March 15th
By Ryan Costello

We March on!

Thursday, March 14th

Article

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 82: Scoured Stars

Alex and James share their thoughts on the Scoured Stars Starfinder adventure path with a live Twitch audience.

Friday, March 15th

Podcast

Upshift 030 – Renegade Con 10 News

John and I discuss the Essence20 announcements at the latest Renegade Con.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

[Press Release] Catalyst Game Labs Partners with Paizo to Publish New Pathfinder Narrative Deckbuilding Game

Ryan Costello — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 14:00:03 +0000

February 27th, 2024. Woodinville, WA: Catalyst Game Labs—publisher of the massively popular BattleTech and Shadowrun games—is profoundly excited to announce Runefire, a cooperative deckbuilding game based on the popular Pathfinder roleplaying game. A crowdfunding campaign will be run this year, with behind-the-scenes details shared through 2024.

Runefire combines the vast lore of the Pathfinder universe with the fast play of this narrative deckbuilding game. Players choose from several ancestries, from dwarf to elf, halfing to human, and assume one of the quintessential classes of cleric, rogue, fighter, or wizard. Equipped with weapons, spells, and magic items, players begin their adventure in the Inner Sea region, journeying through lands such as Cheliax, Numeria, Taldor, and more! Along the way, they can level up their characters, find additional equipment, learn new feats, and much more. All while experiencing a unique story where players’ actions and decisions through each Adventure impact the next!

“We are excited to see the rich world we’ve created in Golarion reach new fans through the incredible engine the team at Catalyst have built,” said Mike Webb, VP of Sales and Marketing for Paizo. “Whether you are a fan of Pathfinder looking for a new way to experience the world, or a fan of other games in Catalyst’s system looking for a new setting, we think this is an outstanding combination.”

Runefire is built on the award-winning, critically acclaimed and bestselling game engine previously published as Crossfire for Shadowrun and as Dragonfire for Dungeons & Dragons. Building upon that legacy, Catalyst Game Labs is carefully crafting this new experience for those who love Golarion and Pathfinder. The game delves deep in the lore as well as the new Remastered Player Core, GM Core, and Monster Core to ensure the best experience. When players open a copy of Runefire at the table, regardless of what they enjoy playing—RPGs, deckbuilder games, or both—they’ll find a complete box of fun.

“BattleTech will always remain my one true love. Yet the time I spent developing Dragonfire was an absolute high-watermark of my career,” said Randall N. Bills, Creative Director of Catalyst Game Labs. “I could spend weeks of fifteen-hour days in hard playtesting, and yet still sit down immediately and play the game for fun. I’ve literally been giggling as I’ve slid back into the joy of development within this game system. And along the way, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the lore of Golarion (huge shout out to the MythKeeper for his amazing videos that have helped my insane deep dive). Working with Loren, Jay, Talon, Mike, Kristian, and Bryn—alongside Paizo—to weave in an authentic Pathfinder experience to create the best yet iteration of this game is just glorious. I can’t wait for everyone to throw this great game on their tables.”

Look to www.catalystamelabs.com in the future for more details on Runefire!

About Catalyst Game Labs

Catalyst Game Labs is dedicated to producing high-quality games and fiction that mesh sophisticated game mechanics with dynamic universes—all presented in a form that allows beginning players and long-time veterans to easily jump into our games and fiction readers to enjoy our stories even if they don’t know the games.

Catalyst Game Labs is an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC, which specializes in electronic publishing of professional fiction. This allows Catalyst to participate in a synergy that melds printed gaming material and fiction with all the benefits of electronic interfaces and online communities, creating a whole-package experience for any type of player or reader. Find Catalyst Game Labs online at www.catalystgamelabs.com.

About Paizo

Paizo Inc. is publisher of the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Tales novels, Starfinder science-fantasy roleplaying game, as well as numerous board games and accessories. In the 15+ years since its founding, Paizo has received more than 100 major awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

Now You Know – February 19th to March 1st

Ryan Costello — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:53:36 +0000

We’ve officially reached “March 1st, already?” 2024.

I confess, the titles of the last few Digital Divinations have blended together to me, but every one has featured a riveting conversation that expands beyond Starfinder to cover a lot of the RPG industry.

Friday, February 23rd

Article

Essential Builds – Indiana Jones
By Ryan Costello

I’ve been thinking about this build for a few months. I missed the chance to time it to the Disney+ release of Dial of Destiny, and then felt like I missed the chance to time an airbender build to the live action Avatar series on Netflix this week. But with reviews being mixed in both cases, my mistiming probably didn’t hurt readership.

Preview of February 26th to March 1st

Monday, February 26th

Article

Now You Know – February 19th to March 1st
By Ryan Costello

Life’s been keeping me busy.

Wednesday, February 28th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 82 Live: Scoured Stars

Alex and James share their thoughts on the Scoured Stars Starfinder adventure path with a live Twitch audience.

Thursday, February 29th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, March 1st

Podcast

Upshift 030 – Renegade Con 10 News

Since Renegade Con 10 is also March 1st, expect this podcast reviewing it to be a day or two late.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – February 12th to 23rd

Ryan Costello — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:45:24 +0000

Here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of February 12th to February 16th

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

Thursday, February 15th

Article

Investing In: Warrenguard
By Rob Pontious

Friday, February 9th

Article

Essential Builds – Indiana Jones
By Ryan Costello

Grab your whip and don your fedora, I’m bringing the archeologist adventurer to Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – February 5th to 9th

Ryan Costello — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 16:26:59 +0000

Here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of January 29th to February 2nd

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

Monday, January 29th

Article

Now You Know: Upshift On Hold
By Ryan Costello

Life’s been keeping me busy.

Tueday, January 30th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 81: Ports of Call

Ports of Call came out at a bad time for James and Alex to cover it, but with a break in the Starfinder Enhanced/2e news cycle, they went back to this world building hardcover.

Thursday, February 1st

Article

Investing In: Masks
By Rob Pontious

Friday, February 9th

Article

Essential Builds – SuperPro
By Ryan Costello

Coinciding with this Sunday’s superbowl, I bring the NFL’s Marvel super hero to Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: Upshift On Hold

Ryan Costello — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:00:02 +0000

Every week, Now You Know recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, previews the Know Direction content of the week to come, as the director of operations, Ryan Costello, shares his thoughts on the state of the network.

Quick note to say that while Jason deals with a personal issue, I work on a new writing assignment, and my wife deals with something work related (which impacts my free time and energy), new episodes of Upshift will be inconsistent. I’ll leave it in the preview in its time slot, though, because I won’t know until the day before if I have time for it in my schedule.

Speaking of schedules, here is the Know Direction Network content we released last week:

Recap of January 22nd to January 26th

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

Monday, January 22nd

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 124 – Diplomacy

I assume the title is tongue-in-cheek, because our intrepid heroes use violence to solve a lot of their problems this episode.

Article

Now You Know – Happy With Where We Are
By Ryan Costello

We’re not pulling a MatPat.

Tuesday, January 23rd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 81: Pirate Tails

Whitney Loraine’s game about squirrel pirates pushing their luck with their looting is definitely one I want to demo, if not buy outright.

Wednesday, January 24th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 81 Live

Alex and James visit the Ports Of Call with a live Twitch audience.

Thursday, January 25th

Podcast

Digital Divination 101 – Game Tools

John, Ron, and Jason discuss the updated gaming technology they are looking forward to in preparation for the arrival of Starfinder 2e.

Friday, January 26th

Article

Essential Builds – Maverick
By Ryan Costello

I needed a quick and easy last minute replacement for Essential Builds, so I went with popular culture’s most famous fighter pilot. Then I chose not to go the obvious route of taking the Pilot Origin from G.I. JOE. I do this to myself, really.

Preview of January 29th to February 2nd

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, January 29th

Article

Now You Know: Upshift On Hold
By Ryan Costello

Yes, I’m once again using the Discord banner.

Tuesday, January 30th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 81: Ports of Call

In case anyone thought Alex and James skipped this Starfinder hardcover for lack of interest, the wall to wall enthusiasm during this episode should put your heart at ease.

Thursday, February 1st

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob looks at Masks: A New Generation from Magpie Games.

Friday, January 19th

Podcast

Upshift 30

I talk about Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Happy With Where We Are

Ryan Costello — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 10:00:16 +0000

Ever since MatPat, the Internet personality behind the ______ Theorists empire of YouTube channels announced his retirement, I’ve noticed two things:

A lot more people than I realized enjoy MatPat’s work (which, given his 18+ million subscribers, I should have assumed);
Maybe channels that serve a similar audience posted “Why is everyone leaving YouTube videos?”

In a lot of those videos, the influencers remark on the futility of serving the algorithm. They employ a logical fallacy that a channel should grow linearly, so if a video of X length released on Y schedule makes Z money, working full time to increase the X or Y should increase the Z. As many full-time content creators discover, there’s a whole other alphabet of variables that need to be manipulated in order to serve the algorithm.

“The algorithm” is often characterized as this unknowable equation that simultaneously demands and suppresses content. While I sympathize with the content creators broadly, a lot of time I find myself agreeing as an audience member with what they complain the algorithm puts them through. If I am used to a channel’s videos being 10-15 minutes long, I’m not happy when I see an anomalous 30-minute video, or the average length creep up to 20 minutes. I base my YouTube viewing around the activities I can do while watching, and changing the pattern affects when I can watch it. Likewise, an increase in content leads to me falling behind, or being selective in what I watch. My behaviour teaches the algorithm, and enough other subscribers with the same viewing habits then affects the content creators.

Although a lot of these videos feel like the content creators asking existential questions, they usually end with a little “I’m not going anywhere” assurance. I guess I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I’m not going anywhere. However, unlike those channels, many of whom I suspect are on the grow and aspire to MatPathood, it’s safe to say Know Direction has settled into a post-decline stable state.

There was a time when I watched our analytics and I celebrated the channel’s numeric growth. However, that all ended when Perram adjusted our analytics settings. What looked like 60 000 subscribers, he said, was mostly bots, and our subscribers were closer to 2000. I like to think he overtuned the settings and our real numbers were closer to the tens of thousands, but regardless, that day taught me that I don’t understand how these numbers were determined enough to care about them as much as I did. It’s not like we were trying to attract advertisers. That’s a side of running the network I never cared for. Good thing, too. I don’t know what kind of legal trouble we might face if I had to tell an advertiser that we actually had 3% of the audience we originally informed them.

Going back to what I said about the network being in a post-decline state. I did like when we added content to the site. Daily podcasts, many of which were actual plays. Daily blogs as well. I loved having so much content for our fans. However, as Know Direction’s #1 fan, even I struggled to keep up with everything we released. So while we might not be as prestigious as we once were, releasing less content and with spottier consistency, the network feels like it’s back to the days where it was just fun to run. We make the content we like, we put it out there hoping you like it, and try to improve our skills while simultaneously using it as a platform for future opportunities. Sure, I’d like it if I didn’t keep forgetting to update my banner, and if some of my favourite network shows were still putting out content, but overall, the network is a side extension of my hobby that gives a lot of people I admire an opportunity to express themselves, and our audience content to enjoy.

Speaking of network content, here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of January 15th to January 19th

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

Monday, January 15th

Article

Now You Know – Year of the Draconequus
By Ryan Costello

I really hope I don’t forget to replace my banner after a year.

Thursday, January 18th

Article

Investing In: Games in 2024
By Rob Pontious

There’s a lot of RPG content out there, with more releasing each year. Fortunately, Rob’s here to tell us what he’s most excited to see.

Preview of January 22nd to January 26th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, January 22nd

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 124 – Diplomacy

Kinda sus that an episode that’s 90% a boss fight is called “Diplomacy”.

Article

Now You Know – Happy With Where We Are
By Ryan Costello

In a world where content creators push themselves beyond their limits trying to make a career, we’re just happy to make a hobby of it.

Tuesday, January 23rd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 81: Pirate Tails

Whitney Loraine, designer of Skybound’s Pirate Tails, has some amazing advice about unexpected ways game designers can improve their skills.

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate’s Pathfinder and Starfinder designs and musings.

Wednesday, January 24th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 81 Live – Ports of Call

Alex and James attempt to slay their white whale by reviewing the Ports of Call Starfinder hardcover, live on Twitch!

Thursday, January 25th

Podcast

Digital Divination 101

Oooh, I hope episode 101 is a basics of course.

Friday, January 26th

Article

Essential Builds – My Lillium Falcon
By Ryan Costello

What does My Lillium Falcon even mean? Check out Friday’s Essential Builds to find out!

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Year of the Draconequus

Ryan Costello — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:39:15 +0000

I sat down to write the latest Now You Know and realized I once again forgot to update the banner. I panicked, grabbed the nearest die and nerdy thing and made this Discord banner. I did not intend for the 2024 NYK banner to be another Essence20 reference, and, unlike last year’s Optimus Prime banner which had a dragon on his shoulder that no one noticed, this one’s just Discord with a d24.

I’ll try to remember to update it with Pathfinder-centric imagery for next week. Having Discord as the banner for just one week is hilariously appropriate, honestly, but not network appropriate.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here is the content we released last week:

Recap of January 8th to January 12th

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

Monday, January 8th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 123 – Frujai Attack

Something’s rotten in the Devastation Ark, as puns and fungi fly.

Article

Now You Know – Easing Up On Editorials

I’m writing fewer editorials to make sure I post more Now You Knows.

Tuesday, January 9th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 80: Misconceptions

How Misconceptions came to be is bizarre. Bud Light approached George Li to design a board game that explains that there’s no alcohol in their seltzer. It’s a fascinating story, and I recommend people give it a listen.

Wednesday, January 10th

Article

Eldritch Excursion – The Friendliest Fire
By Nate Wright

Nate wanted a way to allow in-combat abilities out of combat.

Thursday, January 11th

Podcast

Digital Divination 100 – We Made It

99 episodes in the making! Sadly, Jason was not available for this much touted landmark episode, but original co-host Ron made it to look back and to the future with John.

Friday, January 12th

Article

Essential Builds – Odo
By Ryan Costello

With no prior plan to adapt Deep Space Nine’s security officer into Essence20, this somehow turned out to be the most accurate Essential Build to date.

Preview of January 15th to January 19nd

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, January 15th

Article

Now You Know – Year of the Draconequus
By Ryan Costello

Sadly, it’s not Lunar New Year until early February, so this joke doesn’t really work.

Thursday, January 18th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes deeper into his thoughts on Pathfinder Remaster.

Friday, January 19th

Podcast

Upshift 30

I talk about Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Easing Up On Editorials

Ryan Costello — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:23:49 +0000

It’s the traditional time of year to look optimistically at the future. However, this year I’m going to be more realistic. I’ve missed a lot of Now You Knows this year, more due to the time it takes to come up with and then write my editorial portion of the blog. Since this blog is primarily about informing our audience of upcoming content and promoting the hard work of our dedicated staff, my failure hurts others. So in the future, I will only write an editorial when I have something on my mind of an announcement to make. Otherwise, Now You Know will be used to promote Know Direction content.

Speaking of network content, here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of December 31st to January 5th

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

Sunday, December 31st

Podcast

Know Direction Holiday Special 2023

My favourite episode of the year once again uses the holiday season as an excuse for a bunch of Know Direction staff to catch up and hang out.

Wednesday, January 3rd

Podcast

Presenting – Michael Bramnik

Presenting is back! Michael Bramnik is also back! He returns to talk about Evil Genius Games’ organized play program. Even if you aren’t interested in Evil Genius’ Everyday Heroes line, this episode might be a vision into the future of Paizo’s Organized Play programs.

Friday, January 5th

Podcast

Upshift 029: Toy Talk 2024

Friday, January 12th

Article

Essential Builds – Odo
By Ryan Costello

With this week’s release of Changeling rules for My Little Pony, I bring Star Trek’s favourite shapeshifter to Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – A Holiday Tradition

Ryan Costello — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 21:06:04 +0000

Most of the history of the Know Direction Network saw gradual growth while remaining fairly consistent. The last few years reversed all that, instead featuring rapid changes. One tradition that is carrying on is the annual Know Direction Holiday Special.

This marks the fifth edition of this holiday tradition. Despite working on the network together year round, other than a few games some of us play together, the Holiday Special is the only day each year a lot of the Know Direction staff hang out together. Heck, this’ll be the first time some of the staff even meets! I’d love to make the time for more hangouts like this throughout the year, but the Holiday Special ensures I do it at least once a year, and it’s something I look forward to as a result.

We’re still working out the details, but right now the plan is to meet in the Patron’s Private Sanctum on the Know Direction Discord server, where Patrons can listen in and provide questions via text chat for the network staff gathering in the virtual family room, by the virtual fire, stockings hung virtually with care. Depending on staff availability, we’ll probably swap people in and out throughout the night. Maybe we’ll randomize it!

Speaking of our Patrons, thank you all so much for your continued support. I know the main reward is keeping the network’s lights on and bills paid, but we used to at least offer regular live chats after our Twitch shows. I admit that part of the reason we’re moving to Discord is that it’s easier to produce while also participating than a Twitch broadcast, but it’s also to give our Patrons at least one live show to enjoy this year.

The live recording will be exclusive to Patrons, but the episode will release to the site’s main feed, as usual.

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, December 18th

Article

Now You Know – A Holiday Tradition
By Ryan Costello

Soon, we shall have our figgy pudding.

Tuesday, December 19th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 80: SF2@PAXU

Alex played Starfinder 2e at PAX Unplugged a couple of weeks ago and he’s sharing his thoughts with James and a live Twitch audience. That, and a closer look at the Field Test Mystic.

Thursday, December 21st

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes deeper into his thoughts on Pathfinder Remaster.

Friday, December 22nd

Podcast

Upshift 028

Jason and I banter about the media we’ve consumed this year. Maybe we’ll apply it to Essence20, maybe we’ll just share our thoughts.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: What Even Is Time?

Ryan Costello — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:29:15 +0000

What day is it?
WHAT YEAR?!

Sorry, it feels like December 1st snuck up on me. But now that it’s here, I- eh?
IT’S DECEMBER 11th?!

So yeah, sorry I missed the last two weeks of network content. I wasn’t even especially busy, beyond being a busy guy in general. But I finally got my late episode of Upshift out (rough though the final edit may be) and I am all set to get my network content out in the next…
THERE ARE ONLY 3 WEEKS LEFT IN THE YEAR?!

Speaking of network content, here is what the Know Direction Network had to offer last week:

Recap of December 4th to December 8th

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

Wednesday, December 6th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 79: Enhanced Thoughts

After focusing in on the Enhanced options that mattered the most to them last episode, Alex and James covered the rest of Starfinder Enhanced, giving it a glowing review.

Thursday, December 7th

Article

Investing In: PAX Unplugged 2023
By Rob Pontious

Rob wants again gives me… wait, I was going to say FOMO, but, it’s less fear of missing out and more confirmation that I missed out on a good time at PAX Unplugged.

Friday, December 8th

Podcast

Upshift 027: Ferocious Fighters Breakdown

Thursday, December 14th

Podcast

Digital Divination 98

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, December 15th

Article

Essential Builds – The Grinch
By Ryan Costello

I hope this Essence20 PC steals your heart, not your Christmas.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: End of a Twittera

Ryan Costello — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:00:44 +0000

In my time managing the network, there are a few decisions I’ve made based more on how they impacted me than how they might benefit the network. iTunes optimization was one of them, because the needy program kept trying to take over my devices. Another example is how long it took Know Direction to establish a Twitter presence.

For the longest time, I did not get Twitter. I found my feed uninteresting and inconvenient to navigate. I had an account that I basically abandoned, and never set one up for the Network. However, when Luis offered to manage a Know Direction Twitter account, I saw no harm. We set one up, he took whatever I shared to Facebook and brought it to Twitter, nice and simple. When Luis eased up on his Know Direction commitments, control of the KD Twitter account changed a few times and eventually ended up in my lap.

In an effort to increase the Network’s presence, I started looking into the best way to engage on the platform. Finally, I got it. I interacted with fellow Pathfinder enthusiasts, staying positive and playful. I had so much fun, I dusted off my own account.

Then, Elon Musk happened.

Honestly, my Twitter using experience hasn’t really changed much. And yet, every time the platform’s new owner institutes an inane idea, or is in the news touting his own genius over a simple or backwards idea, I resent the platform a little more. His latest endorsement of racist ideals pushed me off the platform, both personally and in a network capacity.

John, Jason, and Ron have a broad and casual chat about Starfinder and Thanksgiving, the highlight of which is the casual creation of a playable space turkey species.

Friday, November 17th

Article

Essential Builds – Super Dinosaur
By Ryan Costello

Super Dinosaur is as obscure as I’m willing to go with an Essential Build.

Preview of November 20th to November 24th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, November 20th

Article

Now You Know – End of a Twittera
By Ryan Costello

I feel better already.

Wednesday, November 22nd

Podcast

Know Direction 298: Pathfinder Remaster Review

The Know Direction Network’s own Rob Pontious joins the show to discuss Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core.

Article

Know Direction 297 In Writing

Also available in text!

Thursday, November 23rd

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes deeper into his thoughts on Pathfinder Remaster.

Friday, November 24th

Podcast

Upshift 027

Due to Thanksgiving commitments, Jason isn’t available to record with me this week. That means I’ll either record something solo, or we’ll take the episode off.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: What We Know About PaizoCon Online 2024

Ryan Costello — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:12:06 +0000

Last week, Paizo announced not only the dates, but also some changes to the presentation of PaizoCon Online.

Usually it’s safe to assume the Know Direction audience knows about things like PaizoCon, but in the name of this year’s theme, Educate, Entertain, Inspire, here’s a brief history.

In 2008, Tim Nightengale and Liz Courts threw a convention for fellow Pathfinder enthusiasts. Being local to the Paizo headquarters, they invited the staff and creators of their favourite game to join them. Though only attended by a few dozen people, legend of the event spread and within a few years, hundreds of fans attended the now multi-day event. Eventually, Paizo took over planning the event, inviting partners to present their new licensed materials, and hosting a banquet at which they revealed new products to look forward to in the coming year.

Then the 2020s hit. The planned in-person PaizoCon 2020 was scheduled for the weekend of May 22nd of that year. For a few months, PaizoCon, like the rest of the world, was in turmoil as it wasn’t clear how serious the pandemic was. Maybe of us naively thought maybe it would all be over in time for us to travel (some of us internationally) to a crowded convention attended by hundreds. When it became clear that absolutely could not happen, PaizoCon 2020 was briefly cancelled, then moved online. Other than briefly dabbling in a hybrid convention in 2022, PaizoCon has existed fully online ever since.

I’m curious how the Educate, Entertain, Inspire theme will work at an online convention. Granted, I’ve learned plenty about the Pathfinder setting and rules, and game design and GMing from Paizo’s convention seminars. However, the blog specifically calls out “[l]earn the basics of Pathfinder and Starfinder” as a selling point of the convention. Now, between Pathfinder Remaster, Starfinder Enhanced, and the upcoming Starfinder 2e, it’s an important time for Paizo to be teaching its games to gamers old and new. However, when I hear “PaizoCon”, I think “Pathfinder and Starfinder enthusiast”, and online convention doubly so. I’m curious how Paizo plans to attract players unfamiliar with their products to their online convention to give their games a try.

Part of their plan might be the “PaizoCon @” initiative. Paizo is partnering with California’s KublaCon Game Convention that runs the same weekend for a hybrid-lite PaizoCon experience. Before PaizoCon moved to Memorial Day weekend, a dedicated contingent of California gamers came up to Seattle every year. However, those same gamers traditionally attended KublaCon on Memorial Day weekends, a gaming convention with roots that date back to the mid-90s. I know a lot of regulars at both cons who were bummed when they had to choose between KublaCon and PaizoCon. Now they don’t have to!

As usual, we will request to host the convention seminars at this year’s PaizoCon. It’s a tradition that dates back to 2009 and has helped Paizo, Know Direction, and fans connect for 15 years.

Speaking of The Know Direction Network, here is the great gaming content we released last week:

Recap of November 6th to November 10th

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

Monday, November 6th

Article

Now You Know – Remaster Buzz

With the first Pathfinder Remaster releases in reviewers’ hands, I discussed the network’s plan for Player Core and GM Core coverage.

Wednesday, November 8th

Podcast

Know Direction 297: Avi Kool on Editing Pathfinder

Paizo’s editors are the best, Avi is the coolest (or the Koolest, if you will), and this interview is the perfect example of why.

Article

Know Direction 297 In Writing

A transcript of Know Direction 297 is available in case the audio version isn’t for you.

Thursday, November 9th

Article

Investing In: Player Core Witch
By Rob Pontious

Rob begins his look at Pathfinder Remaster content with the 2e base class that made the leap from supplemental material to core.

Friday, November 10th

Podcast

Upshift 026: Puzzles

Thursday, November 16th

Podcast

Digital Divination 96

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, November 17th

Article

Essential Builds – Super Dinosaur
By Nate Wright

In honour of the new G.I. JOE comic publisher, I build Robert Kirkman’s Super Dinosaur as an Essence20 PC.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Remaster Buzz

Ryan Costello — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 10:57:56 +0000

As I mentioned in last week’s editorial, advance copies of Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core got in the hands of select influencers in the space, Know Direction included.

The initial reviews were quite positive. This was followed by a more critical second wave that got deeper into the weeds. That’s fairly consistent with an edition change like this. Although the Remaster rulebooks remain compatible with all Pathfinder 2e content released previously, the fact remains that the Remaster rulebooks change the game. Some rules changes reflect a change in philosophy. Some address rules issues. They’re all meant to improve the quality of life of the game.

That said, if you’re wondering if you should pick up Player Core and GM Core, I recommend you don’t wait for a consensus. You will hear supporters, you will hear doomsday forecaster declare that the end is nigh. Again, all consistent with how influencers and fandoms react to change.

If you’re on the fence, I suggest one of two tracks:

Find the reviewer whose taste most closely mirrors yours. It’s not perfect, but you’re better off listening to opinions that reflect yours than taking reviews holistically and parsing out which of the opinions matter to you.
Go with the flow. No game will be perfect for anyone player, let alone any one group. If the choice is between playing a version of Pathfinder you like less, or not playing Pathfinder at all, you’re better off with a game group. And if there are some deal breakers in one of the versions of the rules, see if your group will meet you in the middle. Pathfinder 2e Remaster is not Pathfinder 2.5. It’s more like if Pathfinder Unchained’s options were presented as a new Core Rulebook.

We’re serving up our previews this week. Mostly Rob Pontious, honestly. First, he joins Esther and Navaar on this week’s edition of the Know Direction podcast. Then, he shares his thoughts on Investing In. I have some inkling of how the staff feels about Remaster, but for the most part I’ll be hearing their thoughts at the same time as everyone else when the content releases.

Speaking of network content, here is what The Know Direction Network released last week:

Recap of October 30th to November 3rd

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

Monday, October 30th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 119 – Your Joy Is Presumed

I’ve played in this kind of social puzzle in Pathfinder Adventure Paths and Society adventures before, and they’re usually fun, but adding in the potential to interact with an alien species with such pronounced customs shows how Starfinder’s seting reflavours familiar scenes.

Article

Now You Know: Pumpkin Core
By Ryan Costello

A little bit Halloween, a little bit teasing our upcoming Remaster content.

Tuesday, October 31st

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 75: Wingspan

Wingspan is such a successful and influential game, I was surprised to hear how much designer Elizabeth Hargrave’s journey from inspiration to publication mirrored the journey of so many GDU guests. She didn’t do much that was different from other designers, the end results just resonated more. Not to take anything away from her success. I just want to reinforce that anyone could be designing the next Wingspan.

Thursday, November 2nd

Podcast

Digital Divination 095 – PF2 Remaster: Implications for SF2

John and Jason discuss what Starfinder fans can decipher about the new edition based on Pathfinder Remaster. And yes, it amuses me that we kicked off our Pathfinder Remaster coverage on one of our Starfinder shows.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Ride In Style
By Nate Wright

Flipping the script on his previous article, about turning the party’s ship in Starfinder into a PC, Nate revisits his Collective Archetypes concept to turn an archetype into a customizable mount for the entire party. Very customizable. It’s the kind of mount Dr. Frankenstein would build his party.

Friday, November 3rd

Article

Essential Builds – The Rocketeer
By Ryan Costello

I use the Rocketeer Focus to build an Essence20 The Rocketeer.

Preview of November 6th to November 10th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, November 6th

Article

Now You Know – Remaster Buzz
By Ryan Costello

And no, I’m not talking about Lightyear.

Wednesday, November 8th

Podcast

Know Direction 297: Pathfinder Remaster Review

The Know Direction Network’s own Rob Pontious joins the show to discuss Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core.

Article

Know Direction 297 In Writing

Also available in text!

Thursday, November 9th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes deeper into his thoughts on Pathfinder Remaster.

Friday, November 10th

Podcast

Upshift 026 – Puzzles

A lover of puzzles, Jason goes into how to use them in your adventures.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: Pumpkin Core

Ryan Costello — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:01:37 +0000

Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core release in two weeks, but the Know Direction Network received advanced copies, and the embargo to share our thoughts ends today. We’re thrilled to dig into what ORK-compatible Pathfinder looks like, and how we feel the changes will impact our campaigns. However, we’ll only be sharing our thoughts on these new hardcovers next week, in the next episode of the Know Direction podcast and the next Installment of Investing In. So, in lieu of a full Core hype session, I’ll use this October 30th blog space to share some final Halloween feelings.

I don’t usually speak as a parent (unless you see me as the father of the Network. In which case, please don’t), but something occurred to me the other day that made me realize why I like Halloween more than most holidays.

There’s no lying.

I don’t need to put aside my usual science-encouraging parenting style to indulge in tales of spirits and fairies and giant delivery bunnies. I don’t need to keep up with the holiday specials they’re watching and try to justify how the updates to the holiday lore on one show fits in with the holiday lore on another. I don’t have to listen to my kids ask questions that show a proper analytical mindset, stare them in the eyes, and say “because magic”.

No, when it comes to Halloween, we’re all in on the joke. They know all of the monsters and characters walking their streets are just people having fun. They can appreciate the craft that goes into the costumes and decorations they see. There’s no weird power dynamic dividing believers and enablers. We’re all in this together.

In a lot of ways, that’s similar to the GM/player dynamic. It’s at its best when everyone works toward the same goal. “Can I do this?” is just the player’s way of saying Trick Or Treat. The GM embellishing a creature’s attack is the same as the neighbour cackling like a witch as they give out candy. It’s not necessary, but it adds to the experience.

So good gaming, and Happy Halloween, everyone!

Oh, wait, also, it’s the Know Direction Network’s 16th anniversary. Curse me and Jay Dubsky for recording and releasing our podcast so close to Halloween. Sure, that makes it easy to remember, but also easy to forget! Thanks to everyone, from our staff to our listeners, who helped make this the network it is today.

Speaking of The Know Direction Network, here is the great gaming content we released last week:

Recap of October 23rd to October 27th

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

Monday, October 23rd

Article

Now You Know – Spooky Lore

Legend Lore is back! But for how long? We’ll see. I just know Loren and jess didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk undead before Halloween.

Tuesday, October 24th

Podcast

Digital Divination 95

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, November 3rd

Article

Essential Builds – The Rocketeer
By Nate Wright

In the latest Upshift, I talked myself into building The Rocketeer as an Essence20 PC.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Spooky Lore

Ryan Costello — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 09:00:34 +0000

Legend Lore went on hiatus a few weeks ago, Legend Lore went on hiatus. However, in the announcement, Loren promised something spooky in store for the end of October. Well it’s near the end of October, and like any good prophecy (or curse), Legend Lore stays true to the letter of their promise.

This week, Loren and jess tear into the Book of the Dead to gaze into Pathfinder 2e’s undead archetypes. I’m excited. It’s not that PF2’s playable undead options are any more complicated than other archetypes, mechanically. The challenge is fitting them into traditional campaigns. Although 2e keeps expanding on the lore of traditionally villainous ancestries, expanding the roles they fill within the setting, exonerating undead takes more explaining.

While Legend Lore sees a temporary return, the other Loren and jess collaboration is going in the opposite direction. Tavern Rats, the actual play of the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path, is going on indefinite hiatus after this week’s episode.

Check back into this space for updates on the future the above network content.

Speaking of network content, here is what The Know Direction Network released last week:

Recap of October 16th to October 20th

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

Monday, October 16th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 118 – The Sivv Dominion

Our intrepid heroes fight a *snicker* hoarboar.

Tuesday, October 17th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 74: Curmudgeon

I definitely thought “wow this sounds fun” multiple times during this interview with the party game’s comedian co-designer Grant Lyon , and I don’t just mean because Curmudgeon is fun to say.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew
By Nate Wright

My first response to a lot of Nate’s articles is “I’m sorry, what?” For example, playing the starship in a Starfinder campaign. But through logical examples, clever explanations, and fun with words, he always wins me over.

Thursday, October 19th

Podcast

Digital Divination 094 – Writing Starfinder Enhanced

Starfinder Enhanced just released, and John and Jason just happen to both be authors on the book.

Friday, October 20th

Article

Essential Builds – Inspector Gadget
By Ryan Costello

Having been thinking about Inspector Gadget and how he fits into other genres a lot lately, I finally imported everyone’s favourite cyborg uncle into Essence20.

Preview of October 23rd to October 27th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, October 23rd

Article

Now You Know – Spooky Lore
By Ryan Costello

Spooky!!!

Tuesday, October 24th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 9 – Cartography and Confrontation

The conclusion of the adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Thursday, October 26th

Podcast

Legend Lore 64 – Undead Archetypes

Loren and jess open up The Book of the Dead.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, October 27th

Podcast

Upshift 025 – Cobra Codex Breakdown

Jason and I go uncover Cobra’s evil schemes and intricate hierarchy as we go cover to cover on the latest G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game hardcover, Cobra Codex.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Hallow 13th

Ryan Costello — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 13:53:27 +0000

Depending on if you find yourself on one side of the Can-Am border, Monday was either Thanksgiving or Indigenous Peoples Day. But the 9th isn’t the only date of note this week. Friday is the 13th of October. If you’re planning a seasonal horror session, but don’t want to interfere with Halloween party plans, have I got the perfect date for you!

Just don’t make the mistake I made years ago when I told my players to build 13th level PCs for a horror session. As thematic as that number may be, it was hard to scare PCs of that power level, and the players needing to remember that many class features for a one shot slowed everything down. I will say, I managed a jump scare when what they thought was a sleeping gold dragon turned out to be a dead dragon full of zombies eating its organs (their movement giving the impression it was breathing). But when the party wizard then cast raise dead on the gold dragon (ends up, there’s no HD or weight limit on that spell), I got over the idea that anything I had planned was going to challenge them.

John and Jason look at Starfinder’s safe-or-suck conditions, going over their experiences with them, and suggesting alternatives to improve the game play experience.

Friday, October 6th

Article

Essential Builds – Luis
By Ryan Costello

I bring the MCU’s spirit of honesty to Essence20.

Preview of October 9th to October 13th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, October 9th

Article

Now You Know – Hallow 13th
By Ryan Costello

Spooky Friday!

Tuesday, October 10th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 8

The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Wednesday, October 11th

Podcast

Know Direction 295: Shay Snow on Organized Play and Disability in Gaming

Paizo Organized Play Line Developer Shay Snow joins Esther and Navaar to talk Organized Play, and disability in gaming, and about getting into Pathfinder. Also available in writing.

Thursday, October 12th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 78: Enhanced Excitement

Alex and James sneak a peak at the Starfinder Enhanced envoy and solarian.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, October 13th

Podcast

Upshift 024

Jason and I talk Essence20 news from the latest Renegade Con virtual edition.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – One In, One Out

Ryan Costello — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 15:37:14 +0000

When we announced the return of the Know Direction podcasts, with new hosts and a new format, I tried to make it clear that, like the other podcasts on the network, the new team dictated the direction of the flagship. After a few months of finding their footing, Esther and Navaar asked for a break to apply what they learned and readjust.

One of the most nebulous decisions we make as podcasters is the show’s format. A podcast can be anything. It can be talking heads, interviews, performative, or a variety show. How long each episode goes, how often they come out, all hang in the air when deciding what a podcast should look like. And, of course, no plan survives contact with reality. Some decisions require more energy than expected, some constraints are too restrictive, and sometimes everything is fine until, unexpectedly, it’s not.

The latest episode of Know Direction is one example of that. Another is Loren’s participation in the network. As she posted on the Know Direction Discord server last week:

Unfortunately, I have to take a short break from recording Legend Lore and Tavern Rats to focus on my school work. You guys, and my other friends from the Pathfinder community, have always been one of my highest priorities, so I don’t take a hiatus lightly. But graduate school is as intense and demanding as they claim. I need to focus exclusively on that work for a few more weeks to finish my Masters and move into my doctoral research. I promise this is only a temporary break for Legend Lore, and I can’t wait to get back to talking Pathfinder with jess soon. (In fact, jess and I might have something spooky in store for Legend Lore near the end of October.) For Tavern Rats, we have enough already recorded that there shouldn’t be a break in that release schedule, and I’ll be back to cutting awful puns in no time. So wish me luck (cause I’m gonna need it), and I’ll see you on the other side!

Loren

So Know Direction returns just as Loren needs to take a break. Our content continues to evolve, all of which we make in our spare time based on our passion for the games we cover. Thank you all for your patience, and for sharing that passion with the network.

Speaking of the Know Direction network, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of September 25th to September 29th

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

Tuesday, September 26th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 7 – In the Shadow of Death

The Tavern Rats continue to explore their lives in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and maintaining Broken Tusk traditions.

Wednesday, September 27th

Podcast

Know Direction 294: Rage of Elements part 2 with Jessica Redekop

Esther sits down with the Network’s own Jessica Redekop, one of the cover authors of Rage of Elements, about the narrative choices that make this rulebook stand out.

Article

Know Direction 294 In Writing

A transcript of Know Direction 294 is available in case the audio version isn’t for you, or you, like me, need to confirm the spelling of Chimothy Chunger.

Thursday, September 28th

Article

Investing In: Hags & Witches
By Rob Pontious

Rob looks at the pop culture and real world origins of hags, and the depth the concept contains beyond just “ugly old witches”.

Preview of October 2nd to October 6th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, October 2nd

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 117 – Here Be Dragons

Our Intrepid Heroes fight a void dragon in space. It’s as scary as it sounds.

Article

Now You Know: One In, One Out
By Ryan Costello

The KD podcast and Loren exchange hiatus statuses.

Tuesday, October 3rd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 72: Disney Sorcerer’s Arena: Epic Alliances

Danielle speaks with M & Corinne Yeager on their 18-card game Exploring Galapagos published by Button Shy

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate’s Pathfinder and Starfinder designs and musings.

Wednesday, October 4th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 78 Live – Enhanced Excitement

Alex and James share a special preview of two Starfinder Enhanced classes: Envoy and Solarion.

Thursday, September 21st

Podcast

Digital Divination 93

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, September 22nd

Article

Essential Builds – Luis
By Nate Wright

No, I’m not returning the favour and building Luis Loza. I am building MCU Luis as an Essence20 PC.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know: A Case of the Mondays

Ryan Costello — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:12:56 +0000

You may have noticed that Now You Know is dated the Monday of the week it releases. You may have also noticed that when you log onto the site on Monday, there isn’t always a new Now You Know. How can this be?

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, dear readers. I am. I’ve been consistently late with my network editorials, and I back date them when I post so they appear in the mix of content when they should have posted.

I’m mostly bringing this up as an indicator that I’ve mellowed out about some of the site’s policies. It used to be that my top priority for network content was timeliness. I believed you build an audience by reliably releasing content when your audience expects it. That way, if it’s part of a reader’s routine to read a certain blog every week at breakfast, or listen to a certain podcast on their morning drive, we deliver on that expectation. It’s also good for search engine optimization.

I’ve come to realize that there is an alternative way to meet expectations: Event releases. Rise of the Rulelords does this very well. Instead of regularly scheduling content exclusively, mixing in regular releases with occasional but purposeful releases serves two audiences.

Those who want the comfort of routine can expect new Intrepid Heroes, Game Design Unboxed, Legend Lore, Tavern Rats, Digital Divination, and Upshift in their podcatcher on the same day of the same block, week after week. Likewise, Eldritch Excursion, Investing In, Essential Builds, and mostly Now You Know show up on the site when you expect them to.

Those who only want content when it feels important get new Know Direction: Beyond, Know Direction when Esther and Navaar bring it back, and Behind The Screens. Behind The Screens is a great example of this. When I’m inspired by a GMing topic and have the time to fully explore it, it can be a fun and useful blog. When I’m just writing whatever, or rushing through a half-baked idea because I have a deadline, it suffers. Before the launch of Essential Builds, I thought I just didn’t have a passion for blogging. It ends up, I just didn’t have a passion for writing Behind The Screens every two weeks like clockwork. In the past, I might have officially cancelled it. Instead, I’ll leave it with an open-ended release schedule, using it as a forum for my GMing thoughts when I need one.

Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of September 11th to September 15th

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

Monday, September 11th

Article

Now You Know – Starswan Songfinder
By Ryan Costello

Starfinder 1e may be in its final act, but the network will continue to love and support it on its way out.

Tuesday, September 12th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 6 – The Green Moon Festival

The Tavern Rats continue to explore their lives in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and maintaining Broken Tusk traditions.

Thursday, September 14th

Podcast

Legend Lore 63 – LL Builds The Muppets

Loren and jess look at the history of The Muppets before building two Pathfinder 2e Muppet PCs each in an absolutely delightful episode that warmed this Muppet fan’s heart.

Article

Investing In: Are We The Baddies?
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, September 21st

Podcast

Digital Divination 92

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, September 22nd

Article

Essential Builds – Mega Man
By Nate Wright

I build pop culture characters using Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Starswan Songfinder

Ryan Costello — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:34:45 +0000

Last week was a big week for Know Direction Network Starfinder content. Intrepid Heroes gave us three hours of The Tip of the Spear. Nate shot Medusa into space, Know Direction: Beyond returned with a look at the Starfinder 2e Field Test. And Digital Divination made the argument that those interested in Starfinder don’t need to wait for the new edition.

One theme connected these four releases: a love of Starfinder 1e.

This was most blatant in the latter two releases, of course. Alex and James looked at the announcement and mission statement of the Starfinder 2e through 1e fan eyes, with interesting results. Alex’s first reaction to the Field Test was that it was written as an invitation to Pathfinder 2e players to give Starfinder 2e a try. If you listen to the episode, you can feel this sentiment through James’ reactions. James, who has virtually no Pathfinder 2e experience, was confused by a lot of the Field Test. He needed Alex, who has more Pathfinder 2e experience although he’s not a big fan of the system, to translate the document.

Along similar lines, John and Jason laid out the Starfinder 2e timeline—a year until the playtest officially starts meaning Starfinder 2e is at least two years away. They pointed out that at this point in Pathfinder 1e’s lifespan, a lot of interesting lore developments took place in the adventure paths to setup the Pathfinder 2e campaign setting status quo.

Then we have Intrepid Heroes and Eldritch Excursion. While neither mentioned Starfinder 2e, both featured 1e players having fun with the system they love and sharing it with our audience.

I’ve appreciated the coverage. While I stay on top of Pathfinder news via press releases, podcasts, and social media, I get the majority of my Starfinder news from my own network. I rarely play more than one RPG system at a time, and Starfinder came out at a bad time for me to make an exception to that rule. However, since the beginning, it’s been clear that Starfinder has a passionate fanbase. The game feels like more than just Pathfinder In Space, being both its own setting and system, and an extension of Pathfinder.

That said, I suspect the Know Direction Network might be one of the reddest areas on a mostly yellow to green heat map of Starfinder activity. We host one of Starfinder’s longest running actual plays, some of Starfinder’s most prolific writers are on our staff, and we’ve been around since before the game was announced. Looking at the ICv2’s lists Top Five RPGs (compiled by ENWorld), Starfinder was consistently on the list, often in the #2 spot, in the first few years after its release. It’s basically dropped off since the release of Pathfinder 2e.

Basically, I think it makes a lot of sense for Paizo to release a Starfinder second edition that fills the same niche in relation to Pathfinder as the first editions. But, for Starfinder 1e fans who want to bask in the system for as long as it’s still supported, and the Starfinder 2e curious who want to get in on the system early, the Know Direction Network has you covered.

Speaking of network coverage, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of September 4th to September 8th

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

Monday, September 4th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 115 – The Tip of the Spear

Fair warning, this is one long starship combat. It advances the plot, but it has all of the trappings common to Starfinder’s starship combat system.

Tuesday, September 5th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 71: Not So Neighborly

Sister designers Alice and Jessica Hong take being a passive aggressive neighbour to new heights, designing a card game about destroying your neighbourhood to get back at the people you have to live beside.

Wednesday, September 6th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 76: Starfinder 2e Field Test Review

Alex and James go into the Starfinder 2e Field Test as huge fans of 1e. Although James suggests some of their takes are “old man yells at cloud”-ish, most of what they say is informed opinions from an experienced perspective.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Snakes on a Starship
By Nate Wright

I’ve included unexpected medusas in a couple of my Pathfinder writing credits, but it was Nate who surprised me with the realization that this classic creature never made it into an official Starfinder product.

Thursday, September 7th

Podcast

Digital Divination 091 – Why Play Starfinder?

As I discussed in my editorial, John and Jason make a strong argument for players interested in Starfinder 2e to get into Starfinder now. Its setting has evolved since launch, and will continue to do so. Trying a little Starfinder 1e means that Starfinder 2e’s lore will be your personal history, not something you only read about in books.

Friday, September 8th

Article

Essential Builds – Monster Force Dracula
By Ryan Costello

I sat down to build Mega Man, but some part of my brain was hyperfocused on Operation: Monster Force. So I started writing down my Operation: Monster Force thoughts for a future Essential Builds. Ends up, the future was last Friday!

Preview of September 11th to September 15th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, September 11th

Article

Now You Know – Starswan Songfinder
By Ryan Costello

Have I mentioned that I love my weirder Now You Know titles and I don’t care who doesn’t?

Tuesday, September 12th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 6

The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Thursday, September 14th

Podcast

Legend Lore 63 – Loren and jess Build The Muppets

Well that episode title caught me off guard. I wonder if they set out to build The Muppets, or they got sidetracked along the way to somewhere else and just went with it.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, September 15th

Podcast

Upshift 024

Jason and I talk Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Feed Fixues

Ryan Costello — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Last week, I discussed the feed issues plaguing the network for months. I’m happy to say they seem to be resolved. I say “seem” because 1. the problem persisted despite attempt after attempt to solve it, and 2. I only understand what went wrong to the best of my abilities, which are limited in this area. However, I’m confident enough to make this announcement based on who fixed it.

There are three heroes that we owe thanks to for finally fixing our RSS feed issues:

Vanessa Hoskins. Vee took time out of her schedule and applied her I.T. experience to kick our issues to the curb.

Perram. It’s been my policy not to bother Perram with Network matters since he left, both because we need to learn to operate without him and because he’s the type who will keep adding stuff to him plate. But once Vee had admin access to the site, she reached out to him about our problem and he helped her find a solution.

Russell A. Sinclair. A longtime listener and Patron, Russell kept us up to date when the feed went out and used his understanding of XML to help us diagnose the issue.

Several other network staffers deserve praise as well, like Randal, who threw every idea at this problem that he could come up with, jess, who stayed on top of any new development, and Esther, who put me in touch with their partner Alex to work on the site issues.

This has been a huge pain, and I felt helpless to do anything about it. I’m so glad the network has such talented and dedicated staff, friends, and listeners, that we solved this problem together.

Shoot, there’s a balanced party metaphor in there. Oh, I’d have to rewrite the whole thing…

Digital Divination 090 – Developing Starfinder 2.0

John doesn’t have a developer of Paizo’s Starfinder 2.0 on, but instead talks with Ron Lundeen about Ron’s experiencing adapting Pathfinder 2e into a Starfinder system, and talking about what challenges he faced and what he expects from the official version of the game, due out in a couple of years.

Friday, August 25th

Article

Essential Builds – Sailor Mercury
By Ryan Costello

The Essential Build that nearly broke me! I may be a fan of Sailor Moon, but I’m no expert. And even though I consider myself an Essence20 expert, there’s the caveat that I barely know the Power Rangers options. As a result, I hit a few walls on this build, and I was worried I couldn’t pull it off. But, other than giving Sailor Mercury a mech, I think it turned out well.

Preview of August 28th to September 1st

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, August 28th

Article

Now You Know – Feed Fixues
By Ryan Costello

We fixed the issues! And by we, I mean people other than me.

Tuesday, August 29th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 5 – For the People We Love

The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Wednesday, August 30th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 76 Live – Starfinder 2e Field Test Review

Alex and James reflect on the recent Starfinder Second Edition announcement, and share their thoughts on the Field Test, live on Twitch.

Thursday, August 31st

Podcast

Legend Lore 62

Jessica and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, September 1st

Podcast

Upshift 023

Jason and I talk Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Feed Issues

Ryan Costello — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 19:54:28 +0000

For a long time now, podcatchers and the Know Direction RSS feeds haven’t been getting along. We’ve tried different tricks, and sometimes they work. We’ve also left it along and sometimes it works. I know personally, our feed doesn’t refresh when I’m on my Wi-Fi at home, but it does when I’m on the Wi-Fi at work. I don’t get it. Obviously, it’s been frustrating on our end. I’ve been working with Esther’s partner, who works in the field, and we’ve been making progress. It would help if I, y’know, knew how this stuff works.

Part of the problem is that the old feed is built on an ancient foundation. I set up an RSS feed in 2007, following the instructions I found in Podcasting for Dummies. What an RSS feed needed to be in the nascent days of podcasting pales in comparison to how the medium grew. Even a few years later, when Perram started handling the technical side of the network, he commented on how outdated the feed was. It doesn’t help that I have zero memory of what I did to set the feed up in the first place.

Unfortunately, as I understand it, we can’t just transfer to a new feed. That would mean giving up all of our subscribers, and all of the Internet gods goodwill we’ve built up over the years. We need to fix it. So, we move forward, me trying to answer technical questions to the best of my ability while much more savvy people try to dumb down how they phrase their questions.

Sorry for the inconvenience, folks, and thank you for your patience. If it helps, you can always download our content directly off the website. If you don’t have our release schedule memorized, you can check out the latest Now You Know for that week’s schedule.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s what we released last week.

Recap of August 14th to August 18th

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

Monday, August 14th

Article

Now You Know – Starfinder 2e
By Ryan Costello

I react to the news that Starfinder is getting a new edition.

Tuesday, August 15th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 4 – The Schism

Michelle’s packed the campaign with a lot of opportunities for the Rats to reflect on the value of NPC lives. It’s lead to some compelling in-character conversations.

Thursday, August 17th

Podcast

Legend Lore 61 – Inventor

Loren and jess look at Pathfinder 2e’s first original class, my personal favourite, the inventor.

Article

Investing In: Gen Con 2023 News
By Rob Pontious

Rob, who missed Gen Con this year, shares what he missed the most.

Friday, August 18th

Podcast

Upshift 023 – Gen Con 2023

Friday, August 25th

Article

Essential Builds – Sailor Mercury
By Nate Wright

I build pop culture characters using Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Starfinder 2e

Ryan Costello — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 09:00:57 +0000

In my previous Now You Know, when discussing Paizo’s sparse Gen Con Online 2023 seminar schedule, one detail I considered highlighting but decided not to was the lack of Starfinder seminars. I assumed this meant that Paizo wanted to focus on Pathfinder Remaster, leaving Starfinder to get mentioned but nothing more.

There was more!

The biggest news from Erik Mona’s Keynote Address was the announcement of Starfinder 2^nd edition. The new edition’s primary design goal is Pathfinder 2e compatibility. The timing makes sense, Starfinder Enhanced notwithstanding. As John and Jason pointed out in a recent Digital Divination, the Starfinder Core Rulebook has a whole chapter on compatibility with Pathfinder 1e, forever tying it to a now out-of-print edition. If every new edition of Starfinder’s destiny is to be compatible with the latest edition of Pathfinder, then that will normally leave an awkward transition period of a few years whenever a new edition of Pathfinder releases. But, with Pathfinder Remaster on the horizon, a new edition of Starfinder benefits from the refresh and repolish of a now tried and tested edition of its sister system.

Of course, the move from the OGL to the ORC forced both edition shifts. Although Pathfinder 2^nd edition changed enough from the first edition that it arguably didn’t need to be tied to the OGL, Starfinder still had OGL in its guts. Somehow, this inevitability still seemed like a surprise.

Personally, I hope this is my opportunity to get a little more Starfinder in my life. I missed the Starfinder spaceboat the first time around. It debuted around the same time as my oldest daughter, and the network was at its busiest at the time. I didn’t have time to fully dedicate to a new game. As my daughters become more independent, I have more time now. Granted, I’ve never more than dabbled in more than one RPG system at a time, and I’ve struggled with Pathfinder 2e play’s demands on my ability to remember what all my abilities do. So, realistically, will I play more Starfinder when the second edition comes out? Probably not. But I’m excited for the possibility that I might.

Network Update

Our flagships are once again going on hiatus. As Esther and Navaar mentioned in the last episode of the Know Direction Podcast, they’ll be taking a brief break to deal with some personal issues and revamp their recording schedule. Know Direction: Beyond, on the other hand, is going on a longer break. Producer John needs to reduce his commitments to the network, and KD: B was the easiest ball to put down.

That doesn’t leave you without Paizo RPG news, reviews, and interviews podcasts, however. For Pathfinder, Loren and Jess have been covering timely content on Legend Lore, much of which Jess contributed to and therefore comes with an insider edge. Additionally, as Esther mentioned when announcing the KD hiatus, the new format will include unscheduled mini news episodes when something of note comes up.

On the Starfinder side, Digital Divination regularly dedicates episodes to news related to the Pact Worlds. This includes the latest episode, covering the Starfinder 2e announcement.

I know our flagship releases have been rocky for a while now, but it’s important to give the new show time to find its comfort zone. I’ve given Esther and Navaar the freedom to make the show what they want it to be. I’m happy with what they’ve put out so far, and especially excited about the prospect of news flashes in the future.

Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of August 7th to August 11th

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

Monday, August 7th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 113 – Grandpa Razz

Oh no! I just realized I haven’t listened to this episode yet.

Tuesday, August 8th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 69: Smug Owls

I’m thinking of getting Mike Belsole and Grace Kendall’s Smug Owls, published by Runaway Games, for my GMing. It’s a riddle building party game, where cards randomly generate a riddle, and the players come up with clever solutions. If that’s not the best way to make your players feel clever, I don’t know what is.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Epidermal Depth
By Nate Wright

Nate dresses Starfinder players up in the finest biological armor.

Wednesday, August 9th

Podcast

Know Direction 293 – Rage of Elements Part 1

Esther and Navaar look at the Pathfinder 2e kineticist class, the new genie ancestry, and how the elemental planes interact.

Thursday, August 10th

Podcast

Digital Divination 089 – Starfinder 2.0

John and Jason cover Paizo’s biggest news from Gen Con, the Starfinder 2e announcement, starting with the Starfinder Field Tests.

Friday, August 10th

Article

Essential Builds – Richard The Warlock
By Ryan Costello

I wanted to show off the Essence20 spellcasting system introduced in the My Little Pony Roleplaying Game. I didn’t need to contemplate spellcaster candidates long, since I’m surrounded by Looking For Group merch, most of which features Richard the undead warlock. And since at the time I only had one Essential Builds scheduled to release before LFG’s indefinite hiatus begins on August 31st, I knew Richard had to be my next pop culture adaptation. He may not be as iconic as Batman, but I daresay he was more fun to build.

Preview of August 14th to August 18th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, August 14th

Article

Now You Know – Starfinder 2e
By Ryan Costello

There’s more than one way to find the stars.

Tuesday, August 15th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 004

The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Thursday, August 17th

Podcast

Legend Lore 61

Jessica and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, August 18th

Podcast

Upshift 022 – Gen Con 2023

Jason and I talk Gen Con 2023, from the show overall, to the Essence20 content and announcements, to my personal experience.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Press Release -Paizo Announces Starfinder Second Edition – Fully Compatible With Pathfinder Second Edition— Playtest Coming 2024

Ryan Costello — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 15:26:11 +0000

Starfinder Second Edition brings the three-action economy and ORC License changes to Paizo’s science fantasy roleplaying game.

Thursday, August 3, 2023 (Redmond, WA): As part of the company keynote presentation for Gen Con 2023, Paizo Inc. announced Starfinder Second Edition. The new edition will be published under the ORC License and implements the three-action economy, making it fully compatible with Pathfinder Second Edition and the Remaster Project.

“With the finalization of the ORC License, and considering that Starfinder has been evolving since its release in 2017, we felt now was a perfect time to bring the system into the future,” says Starfinder’s Managing Creative Director, Thurston Hillman, “We want to take a moment to take all the things we’ve learned since Starfinder began, as well as lessons from the success of Pathfinder’s latest edition, and synthesize those together into a new and better version of Starfinder”.

The announcement featured a short panel with the Starfinder team – Thurston Hillman, Jenny Jarzabski, Dustin Knight, and Jessica Catalan. The roundtable discussion highlighted some key elements of the upcoming Starfinder Playtest and the new edition:

This is the most open playtest Paizo has ever launched, with deeper looks into the development process.
Pathfinder Second Edition and Starfinder Second Edition rulesets will be completely cross-compatible, allowing for cross-system porting of classes, creatures, and more — provided your GM allows it.
The first four classes announced for the Starfinder Playtest are:
o   Mystic, represented by the iconic shirren mystic Chk Chk – son of the previous iconic mystic, Keskodai.

o   Soldier, represented by the returning iconic vesk soldier Obozaya.

o   Envoy, represented by the returning iconic human envoy Navasi.

o   Solarion, represented by a new iconic pahtra solarian — also opening up the feline pahtra as a core ancestry for Starfinder Second Edition.
As part of the ‘open playtest’ model, the Starfinder team will be keeping players updated and involved with “Field Tests” — the first of which released today alongside the announcement at starfinderplaytest.com
o Content for this first Field Test includes the Soldier Class (Levels 1-5), new equipment, and new creatures (the Computer Glitch Gremlin and Laser Wolf).

The Starfinder Playtest Rulebook will be available in summer 2024 as a softcover rulebook. As Starfinder Second Edition will be using the Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset, base system rules will not be a part of the playtest. Rather, the playtest will focus on the core elements of gameplay, including new classes, a scaling equipment system, new skills, and more.

Further information about Starfinder Second Edition, including an FAQ, field tests, playtest documents, and more can be found at starfinderplaytest.com.

Now You Know – Gen Con Remaster

Ryan Costello — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:40:45 +0000

Paizo recently shared their Gen Con Online 2023 seminar schedule and… it’s sparse. With just four panels, one for each of the best four days in gaming™, it’s the lightest Gen Con I can remember for Paizo content. I suspect the OGL debacle of early 2023 (I know, it feels like it happened years ago) forced many changes to Paizo’s release schedule, and we’re at the pivot point between the products too far into production to change and the products put back into development to account for the ORC.

If that’s the case, hopefully Erik Mona’s keynote gives us an idea of when we can expect previously announced products, as well as a peak at a new title or two that we can look forward to once the Pathfinder Remaster dust settles.

And, hey, fewer Paizo Gen Con seminars means more time to catch up on the PaizoCon Online 2023 seminars you might have missed.

Network Update

Expect a slow down in Network content this and next week as many of us prepare for, attend, and then recover from Gen Con. I know I originally planned on recording an Upshift early with Jason to have something for Friday, but it’s unfortunately not in the cards after all.

Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of July 24th to July 28th

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

Monday, July 24th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 112- Let’s Do the Time Warp

Our Intrepid Heroes encounter a Skittermander who was affected by an age reducing effect, but whose pants were not.

Tuesday, July 25th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 68: Mission Control: Critical Orbit

I love the origin story of Mission Control: Critical Orbit. When they entered a contest to design a game that could be played remotely by multiple players when only one owns the game, Corey Andalora and Donnie Coleman realized that sounds a lot like what happened on the Apolo 13 mission and used that as the theme for their game.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Family Guise
By Nate Wright

I may be known as a fan of wordplay, but I am in awe of how Nate can turn a phrase. He named an article about an Ancestor Eidolon “Family Guise” and opened with a parody of the Family Guy theme. Like, that’s next level.

Thursday, July 27th

Podcast

Digital Divination 088 – Paizo Crossovers

I guess all of the Essence20 crossover talk on Upshift lately wasn’t enough for Jason, he brought the topic over to Digital Divination. And it’s an interesting topic, especially since, as John and Jason point out, the Starfinder CRB even includes a chapter on bringing Pathfinder content to Starfinder. Unfortunately, it’s outdated now that 2e is out. Fortunately, there’s this episode!

Friday, July 28th

Article

Essential Builds – I’m (Building) Batman
By Ryan Costello

It finally happened! An Essence20 blog hit the network. I used existing Essence20 content to create Batman. This both took longer than I expected to write and was more fun than I imagined. Sifting through all of the system’s options to find the perfect fit not only made building Batman a better experience, I think it made me slightly better at Essence20. I look forward to further incremental improvements as the blog continues.

Preview of July 31st to August 4th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, July 31st

Article

Now You Know – Gen Con Remaster
By Ryan Costello

Like whenever I type Pathfinder Remaster, I had to consciously remember not to type Remastered.

Tuesday, August 1st

Podcast

Tavern Rats 003

The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.

Wednesday, August 2nd

Podcast

Presenting – Dusty Hill

John chats with Goblets and Gays’ Dusty Hill, a queer latine tabletop RPG producer, performer, and designer striving to tell stories that uplift BIPOC and queer voices.

Thursday, August 3rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 60

Jessica and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Gen Con’s Coming

Admin Istrator — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 19:48:22 +0000

*sips coffee*

*checks calendar*

*spits coffee*

Gen Con is in three weeks?

As I discussed recently on Upshift, I’ll be attending my first Gen Con in four years. I’ve been to Gen Con in a professional capacity for so long, I’m rusty on how to Gen Con as an attendee. Not that I’m going 100% as a hobbyist this time. I’ll be MCing World’s Collide, the first Essence20 Multitable Mega Event. And my main motivator for attending the con instead of my cousin’s wedding that weekend (Devin understands) is that I have five Essence20 books debuting that weekend. But, I’m not promoting them in an official capacity. No seminars, no signings, not even working the Renegade booth. I’m attending Gen Con to be there when those products release.

So, what should I do this year? What have you loved doing at Gen Con in the past? What do you regret missing? Let me know on the Know Direction Discord server.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s what we released last week.

Recap of July 10th to July 14th

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

Monday, July 10th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 111 – Contract Cancelled

When the PCs gleefully fight contract devils, it makes me wonder how personally GM and former lawyer Ron takes it.

Article

Now You Know – Welcome Rat
By Ryan Costello

We welcome Tavern Rat cast member and TR and Legend Lore editor Drew Carbee to the network.

Tuesday, July 11th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 67 – BarBEARian Battlegrounds

I really enjoyed Danielle’s interview with Julie Hern, who took worked so hard developing BarBEARian Battlegrounds into a proper game that she got a design credit out of it. She did the work she knew needed to be done and wasn’t afraid to ask for the credit she deserved.

Eldritch Excursion – Fear Itself
By Nate Wright

Nate created the Fear Phantom Eidolon, for Pathfinder 2e summoners looking to harness spookiness.

Wednesday, July 12th

Podcast

Know Direction 292 – Luis Loza on Highhelm

I’m so happy Esther and Navaar got to experience the fun and wonder (funder, if you will) that is talking with Pathfinder Creative Director and former KD co-host Luis Loza about the Lost Omens line.

Article

Know Direction 292 In Writing

Thursday, July 13th

Podcast

Digital Divination 087 – Golarion World

Jason tells John and guest co-host Ron about Golarion World, one of Jason’s finest contributions to Starfinder.

Preview of July 17th to July 21st

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, July 17th

Article

Now You Know – Spoke Too Soon
By Ryan Costello

An era not as ended as it appeared.

Tuesday, July 18th

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

PRESS RELEASE – Paizo, Mirrorscape Announce Collab to Bring Starfinder, Pathfinder to Augmented Reality

Admin Istrator — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 14:47:03 +0000

The collaboration enhances play of Paizo’s legendary game titles on Mirrorscape’s AR Virtual Tabletop platform

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – (July 11, 2023): Extended reality (XR) game development company Mirrorscape today announced its collaboration with Paizo, leading publisher of tabletop roleplaying games, to make acclaimed titles like Pathfinder and Starfinder available on Mirrorscape’s augmented reality tabletop gaming platform.

The Mirrorscape platform, which is slated for release in summer 2023, has generated excitement among tabletop roleplay gamers as an immersive and authentic AR virtual tabletop that allows players to interact with game pieces, terrains and minis exactly as they would in real life. The partnership with Paizo will bring its best-selling titles to Mirrorscape, allowing players and fans to bring legendary quests and gaming adventures they’ve enjoyed around the table to the AR world.

“Our platform is designed to combine the tabletop gaming experience beloved by players across the world with emerging technologies that make gaming as immersive, enjoyable and accessible as possible,” Mirrorscape COO Don Bland said. “Open gaming is our vision, and the addition of Paizo’s legendary set of titles will further enhance the experience available on Mirrorscape, while also giving Paizo’s widespread and immensely loyal fanbase more ways to play.”

Mirrorscape has built its platform over the course of four years, and throughout this time has dedicated itself to open, community-based experiences that support gamer creativity and homebrew campaigns. This is in direct alignment with Paizo’s offerings, specifically its Open RPG Creative (ORC) License which is in the final stages of drafting.

“Bringing Paizo’s titles to Mirrorscape allows us to replicate the true-to-life, around-the-table experience that our fans have enjoyed for decades in an astonishing virtual experience,” Paizo Publisher Erik Mona said. “The team at Mirrorscape has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort into keeping the Paizo experience as realistic and original as possible on the platform, and we are thrilled to contribute to the growth of such a unique and exciting development in virtual tabletop gaming.”

Mirrorscape will soon launch as an open beta on iOS and Android devices, with Paizo titles available shortly thereafter for players to explore in augmented reality. Mirrorscape is also being developed for compatibility on AR glasses and headsets, which will enable enhanced hand- and eye-tracking tracking for gamers.

For more information, please visit www.mirrorscape.com, and pre-download the app on iOS or Android.

About Mirrorscape

Based in Los Angeles, California, Mirrorscape is a cutting-edge extended reality game development company founded by entertainment and technology veterans from Apple, SONY, Disney and Marvel Studios. A leader in immersive gaming and virtual TTRPG, Mirrorscape pairs the best of emerging technology with next-generation entertainment

About Paizo

Now You Know – Welcome Rat

Ryan Costello — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:10:03 +0000

Sorry about the recent radio silence. For those who don’t know, Canada Day and Jean Baptists (aka Quebec Day) are one week apart. And Quebec being Quebec, they forbid any working with few exceptions on their provincial holiday, although they’re more lenient on the next week’s national holiday. All that to say, we get a couple of long weekends in a row, ideal for family trips and get togethers that really impact time for network responsibilities.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the network, too. As mentioned in my previous editorial, unlike what I’d previously announced, Paizo did give us permission to release audio of the PaizoCon Online 2023 seminars. Shout out to Vanessa Hoskins for confirming that we could once again share PaizoCon audio with our loyal listeners, and for putting the audio together. She saved me a kilogram of time and effort, and got the content out more quickly than I could have on my own.

Speaking of getting the content out, Saturday’s Ask the Paizo GMs Part 2 was the last of this year’s seminars. They’re collected on the PaizoCon Online 2023 Seminar Coverage superpage for your convenience.

In other network news, normally I announce when we get a new member to welcome them and introduce them to the audience. In the case of Drew Carbee, he is both brand new to the network and been working on KD content for months, so it wasn’t clear when to make the introduction. Now that he’s made not one but two on-mic appearances in the past week, the time is clearly now!

Drew’s a vital new addition to the technical side of the Know Director Network, editing both Legend Lore since the Jessico-host era began, and the new Tavern Rats actual play. Not only that, but he plays everyone’s tied for favourite Quest for the Frozen Flame PC Xoroku, the winter orc barbarian.

Drew’s been taking a lot of initiative, offering to take more logistics of posting the episodes off of my plate. Don’t be surprised if you see his name and hear his voice attached to increasing amounts of Know Direction Network content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s what we released last week.

Recap of July 3rd to July 7th

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

Monday, July 3rd

PaizoCon Online 2023 Coverage

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Primal Previews

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Ask the Paizo GMs Part 1

Tuesday, July 4th

Podcast

Tavern Rats 1 – Shattered Blade, Broken Tusk

The Rats walk out of their tavern and come face to face with a moose.

PaizoCon Online 2023 Coverage

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Secrets of Golarion

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Pathfinder Adventures

Wednesday, July 5th

Podcast

Presenting – Dana Ebert

If you love hearing someone with entrepreneurial spirit but also a passion for the hobby, check out this interview with Pathfinder freelancer Dana Ebert.

PaizoCon Online 2023 Coverage

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Infinite Possibilities

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Self-Editing for Games Writers

Thursday, July 6th

Podcast

Legend Lore 58 – A New Perspective

Jessica introduces the world to the mysterious “Drew” that gets mentioned whenever Loren goes off on a tangent.

PaizoCon Online 2023 Coverage

PaizoCon Online 2023 – WizKids Interview

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Build an Adventure Workshop

Article

Investing In: Highhelm
By Rob Pontious

Rob breaks down the Highhelm character options, saving the new dwarven lore for the next installment.

Friday, July 7th

Podcast

Upshift 020 – Designing and Developing The Field Guide to Action and Adventure

Jason and my in depth look at the Field Guide to Action and Adventure starts with a history of the creation of Essence20.

PaizoCon Online 2023 Coverage

PaizoCon Online 2023 – Into the Darklands

Thursday, July 13th

Podcast

Digital Divination 87

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Spoke Too Soon

Ryan Costello — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:21:52 +0000

Two weeks ago, I announced that the Know Direction Network would not be hosting recordings of the PaioCon Online 2023 seminars. I’d requested permission to share them, did not hear back, and chose to take that silence as a no instead of being a pest.

Ends up, this time, pestering would have been the better choice. I’ve now received permission to share podcast versions of the online seminars. We’re a few weeks behind on editing the audio, so the exact release date isn’t known yet. When they are ready, we’ll released them in batches to the Know Direction Network Patreon and one a day to the podcast feed. Nothing will be exclusive to the Patreon, mind you. We only do this because too many uploads to our feed on the same day hurts our search engine optimization.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s what we released last week.

Recap of June 12th to June 15th

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

Monday, June 12th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 109 – Angels and Devils

I’m not sure if I was supposed to side with the angel trying to deal with panicked civilians by force, but I did not!

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – The Pathfinder Brand

Ryan Costello — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 21:24:19 +0000

Pathfinder’s greatest value to Paizo has long been as an intellectual property. Sure, the game’s system started as an extension of a no longer supported version of another fantasy RPG. But it’s the world, the stories, and the ideas still untapped that elevate to beyond how to stab a monster. Just look at how many ways Paizo and other companies adapted Rise of the Runelords.

Conversely, I’d say one of the weaknesses of Pathfinder as a brand is the name. With Nissan manufacturing their Pathfinder line of SUVs for the entire life of the game and counting, it’s destined to be the second most popular result without add RPG or -Nissan to searches. Not only that, but when the 1st edition came out, a long delayed Viking movie with the same name finally saw release. It’s a footnote in the game’s history, but also the reason I own that movie on DVD. Haven’t watched it yet. Apparently it stars Karl Urban!

And yet, a recent crop of Pathfinder licensed products run the gamut of how they use the brand.

There’s BKOM’s upcoming Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors roguelite, which takes its name from one of the setting’s most notorious megadungeons and features a villain worthy of multiple Adventure Paths. It’s a precursor to their upcoming Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults – Hack & Slash ARPG.

Similarly, the latest batch of Pathfinder and Starfinder comics from Dynamite make full use of not just the world of Pathfinder, but the characters, giving the iconics the most development they’ve received anywhere.

Moving away from the setting, the Pathfinder rules are a major selling point of The Ultimate Game Master’s The Ultimate Game Master Screen Kickstarter. I’ve wanted a customizable GM Screen for a long time, and getting to swap in the ruleset based on the game I’m GMing really appeals to me.

Finally (unless I’m missing something feels like there’s been a lot of Pathfinder partnerships lately), there’s FanRoll Dice’s Pathfinder RPG dice and accessories. Despite what I said about the value of the Pathfinder name, it’s basically what makes these dice and dice trays Pathfinder dice and dice trays. And the goblin head in the Mega d20. I definitely need to get that goblin headed Mega d20.

Network Update

You may have heard rumours of more Know Direction Network content coming. You may wonder what Jessica means when she gives Tavern Rats as one of her credits during the introduction of Legend Lore. We can now announce that next week sees the debut of a new original Pathfinder 2e actual play podcast: Tavern Rats.

Loren spearheaded this venture. She cast network members Jessica Redekop as a fellow player and Michelle Jones as the GM. She also brought in Chris Lopez and Drew Carbee as players. Drew is also producing the episodes, as well as Legend Lore. Is a passionate team of Pathfinder enthusiasts bringing their knowledge and love of the game and its setting to the network.

Tavern Rats debuts next Tuesday.

On the flipside, some network content will be on temporary hiatus starting this week. John Godek, host and producer of Intrepid Heroes, Presenting – Gamers Making Games, and Know Direction: Beyond will be having surgery tomorrow. His network participation will have to wait until he’s back in podcasting shape. Here’s hoping that for a quick and painless surgery and recovery, for his sake as well as the network’s.

Speaking of the network, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of June 5th to June 9th

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

Monday, June 5th

Article

Now You Know – About PaizoCon Coverage
By Ryan Costello

Sadly, the days of PaizoCon coverage appear to be behind us.

Wednesday, June 7th

Podcast

Presenting – James L. Sutter

One of John’s favourite topics is breaking into the industry. As someone who broke into game design, novel writing, and comic writing, you can guess how excited James Sutter made him.

Thursday, June 8th

Podcast

Legend Lore 56 – Cayden Cailean

Oh, Loren and Jess had a lot of fun with The Drunken God.

Article

Investing In: PRIDE 2023
By Rob Pontious

Rob highlights some of the biggest Pride gaming events this year, and shares why the annual celebration of LGBTQ acceptance is important.

Friday, June 9th

Podcast

Upshift 018 – Designing and Developing Sgt. Slaughter

Jason and I crack open the G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game Sgt Slaughter Limited Edition Accessory Pack and discuss how the rules and adventure within came to be.

Preview of June 12th to June 16th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, June 12th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 109 – Angels and Devils

Our Intrepid Heroes need to make a deal with an angel to leave Absalom Station.

Article

Now You Know – The Pathfinder Brand
By Ryan Costello

I look at all of the licensed Pathfinder merch announcements of the last few weeks.

Tuesday, June 13th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 65: It’s Kind of a Fun Story

Danielle speaks withJosh Kemper and Robert Smith about taking a salacious party game night and fitting it into It’s Kind of a Fun Story’s brightly colored box.

Wednesday, June 14th

Podcast

Know Direction 290 – Treasure Vault with Mike Sayre

Esther and Navaar talk about the Pathfinder 2e Treasure Vault hardcover with Design Manager Michael Sayre.

Thursday, June 15th

Podcast

Digital Divination 85

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – About PaizoCon Coverage

Admin Istrator — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:53:44 +0000

Last weekend was PaizoCon Online 2023. As usual, it featured hundreds of organized play games, online AMAs with a wide swath of staff, and dozen of panels. I’ve been asked if Know Direction will be hosting podcast versions of the panels, like we’ve done in the past. Unfortunately, I have some bad news. We haven’t received explicit permission from Paizo to host their audio this year. Without it, I’m afraid we won’t be able to offer our usual PaizoCon coverage.

PaizoCon Online 2023 videos are available on demand on Paizo’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. They cover the latest news about the Pathfinder and Starfinder RPGs and their license partners. Many feature Know Direction staff like Luis Loza, Vanessa Hoskins, Dustin Knight, and Jason Keeley.

Speaking of Know Direction staff, here’s what the team put out last week.

Recap of May 29th to June 2nd

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

Monday, May 29th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 108 – Trolling

Starfinder has trolls! And those trolls are out to get our intrepid heroes.

Tuesday, May 30th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 64: Stonewall Uprising

There was a point in this episode where Stonewall Uprising designer Taylor Shuss lost me: When he explained that it’s not a co-op but a two player competitive game in which a Pride player plays against a The Man player. “Why would I ever want to play as The Man?” I wondered. “Or play with someone who wants to play as The Man?”

Turns out, that was Danielle’s next question, and Taylor answered it deftly. Playing as The Man is supposed to make you uncomfortable, and open your eyes. My main motivation for wanting to try Stonewall Uprising was to learn, so his answer was perfect. If learning history doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you’re probably not really learning history.

Thursday, June 1st

Podcast

Digital Divination 084 – Starfinder News from PaizoCon

PaizoCon was good to Starfinder fans, and John and Jason cover everything that was announced, and even some of what wasn’t.

Friday, June 2nd

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 75 – Evolution Solutions

The biggest Starfinder option released during the Beyond hiatus was the Evolutionist. Alex, James, and John look at how the new class changes the game.

Preview of June 5th to June 9th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, June 5th

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

* Press Release * PaizoCon Online 2023 Keynote Highlights

Ryan Costello — Fri, 26 May 2023 19:01:13 +0000

Friday, May 26, 2023 (Redmond, WA): From the Pathfinder Remaster Project to Starfinder Enhanced, the team at Paizo has a plethora of new content coming down the pipeline. This year’s PaizoCon Online Keynote featured speakers across Paizo’s creative team, teasing at new products and projects.

Pathfinder Remaster

Logan Bonner, Lead Designer, revealed the final, painted covers for the Player Core and GM Core books during the presentation. These fully painted covers by Wayne Reynolds feature the Pathfinder iconic heroes alongside and doing battle against new dragons, debuting in the Monster Core. The full color covers will be available online and at retailers, while the Hobby Retailer Exclusive Sketch Covers, previously revealed on the Paizo Blog, will only be available through your FLGS.

Hardcover Rulebooks

Pathfinder has a variety of new rulebooks- some freshly released and some on their way. James Case, Senior Designer on Pathfinder, showcased some of the upcoming content.

Rage of Elements, Pathfinder’s latest rulebook, will be available in early August at Gen Con 2023, as well as online and at local retailers. This book adds wood and metal elemental planes to Golarian, taking players on a tour of the planes and introducing their elemental lords. Also included in Rage of Elements is a much-anticipated new class—the kineticist, an elemental adept martial class. Rage of Elements is the first Remaster compatible rulebook, giving a preview of the rule changes to come.

Coming in 2024 is the recently announced Howl of the Wild, a creature-filled book featuring the Naturalist and crew of the Zoetrope navigating the wilds. This book introduces 6 new wild-side ancestries, new creatures, regional variants of existing creatures, spells, archetypes, and more.

Lost Omens

Luis Loza, Creative Director of Pathfinder, gave a look inside upcoming Lost Omens: Highhelm, a book that’s part gazetteer and part exploration of dwarven culture. This Lost Omens book, releasing in June, will include new skills, feats, ancestries, backgrounds, and mechanics to immerse yourself in dwarf culture and the city of Highhelm. Players can also expect to learn more about the dwarven pantheon, particularly 8 gods not yet expanded on in Golarian.

Pathfinder Adventures

Syncing wonderfully with the release of Lost Omens: Highhelm, Pathfinder’s next Adventure Path, Sky King’s Tomb, takes player characters on a quest for a major piece of dwarven history. The Adventure Path starts in August, and the three volumes will take players from levels 1-10.

Following that, our Adventure Paths take us to Tian Xia for Season of Ghosts. This ghostly, horror-flavored four-part Adventure Path for levels 1-12 takes place over a full calendar year in game- with each installment covering the length of one season in a cursed Tian Xia town.

Standalone adventures return with Rusthenge, a hardcover book that places low level characters in the world of Runelords and their conflicts. Rusthenge will release late this year, bringing the western reaches to your table.

Partner Projects

Many of Paizo’s licensed partners are currently running crowdfunding drives or releasing new projects, such as the Dynamite Comics Kickstarter, BKOM Studios Abomination Vaults ARPG, Demiplane’s Pathfinder NEXUS, and more.

Breaking news, Steve Jackson Games has announced that Pathfinder: Revolution—the Pathfinder expansion for hit board game Revolution—will release late this year. Pathfinder: Revolution puts players in the rebellion of Korvosa—facing against Queen Ileosa to save the city from her bloody path to immortality.

Starfinder

Looming big and bright on Starfinder’s horizon is Starfinder Enhanced, a book full of player options, items, spells, and rules for scaling up equipment. This book rolls out enhanced versions of four classes: the envoy, solarian, technomancer, and witchwarper—bringing new rules and changes that reflect feedback from experiences of developers and community members alike.

Newly announced at PaizoCon 2023, Starfinder and mech fans alike can look forward to Mechageddon, a high-level hardcover Adventure Path coming in 2024. This adventure starts on Dimalcho—the planet of Kaiju—and takes players through levels 3-18, letting their mechs level up with them through tier 17.

Organized Play

Pathfinder Society & Starfinder Society have plenty in store for this summer’s convention season. Debuting at PaizoCon Online 2023 for Pathfinder Society, play in PFS: 4-13 & PFS: 4-14 to continue this season’s path towards conflict with the night hag. Starfinder Society starts its new season, Year of Fortune’s Fall, with SFS: 6-01 & 6-02, both live and playable at PaizoCon Online. Starfinder Society players can also participate in the group interactive special- SFS: 5-99 Battle for Bulwark.

Look forward to election day in Starfinder Society! The First Seeker has stepped down, and four new candidates have been chosen from player-submitted characters to run for their place. In SFS: 6-06, going live at GenCon 2023, society players will get to meet the candidates, and vote on who will step up as the next First Seeker.

Pathfinder #200

Closing the Keynote, Erik Mona saved a big announcement for last. Pathfinder Adventure Path #200 is coming next year, and it’s a special double-sized standalone adventure available in hardcover and softcover. Seven Dooms for Sandpoint brings Pathfinder Adventure Path #1 author James Jacobs back to that adventure’s setting—Sandpoint—for a 4-9^th level adventure that adapts Pathfinder’s designer playtest campaign for the first time.

All of these announcements will be followed by a series of panels from Paizo, Friday through Sunday, expanding on their new releases and upcoming projects. Those panels can be viewed for free on twitch.tv/officialpaizo, with videos to be posted on YouTube after the con.

About Paizo

Paizo Inc. is one of the world’s leading hobby game publishers. Since 2002, millions of players have joined the goblin army by playing the Pathfinder® and Starfinder® Roleplaying Games in homes, at conventions, at their favorite local game stores, and digitally on virtual tabletops. Paizo.com is an online retail hobby destination for gamers that carries the latest products from top hobby game publishers. Players can also find the newest releases, as well as accessories like dice and maps, miniatures, T-shirts, goblin plush toys, to quickly replenish their adventuring supplies for the next dungeon run.

Now You Know – Queen’s Holiday

Ryan Costello — Mon, 22 May 2023 17:15:04 +0000

No editorial today as it’s Victoria Day, one of those holidays where the monarchy tries to bride the citizenry of the commonwealth into celebrating them by giving them a day off. However, I do still want to give the hardworking staff of the Know Direction network their due for all of the great content put out last week and coming up this week.

Recap of May 15th to May 19th

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

Monday, May 15th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 107 – Battle for Jatembe Park

As someone who doesn’t play Starfinder , I love how Intrepid Heroes teaches me details about the setting. For example, I’d never heard of Jatembe Park. I know Old Mage Jatembe from Pathfinder, of course, but I didn’t know lush greenery surrounds Absalom Station. Bonus, our own Alex Augunas worked on Jatembe Park lore.

Article

Now You Know – Are RPG Campaigns Lost Media?
By Ryan Costello

This editorial was shorter than it could have been because all of my other thoughts on the matter were existentially dreadful.

Tuesday, May 16th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 63: Star Realms

What happens when two Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famers get together and a deckbuilding game? In the case of Robert Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, the designers of Star Realms, massive success.

Wednesday, May 17th

Podcast

Know Direction 289: Firebrands Review

I believe I went on record saying that Firebrands is the PF2 release I’m most excited about this year. That still holds true, even with the Pathfinder 2e Remaster news. I’m intrigued by Remaster. I’m excited for Firebrands.

Article

Know Direction 289 In Writing

A transcript of KD 289, for those who prefer a written format.

Thursday, May 18th

Podcast

Digital Divination 083 – Talking Mechs

What I liked about this episode is that John clearly picked this topic because he’s prepping to GM To Defy the Dragon and turned asking Jason for advice on running mechs into network content. I couldn’t be happier.

Preview of May 22nd to May 26th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 22nd

Article

Now You Know – Queen’s Holiday
By Ryan Costello

Yay national holidays. Boo the monarchy.

Wednesday, May 24th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 75 Live – Evolutionist Class Feature

Join Alex, James, and John live on Twitch as they look at the Evolutionist.

Podcast

Presenting – Christopher Rondeau

John chats with new professional GM and owner of Skald’s Tale Entertainment, Christopher Rondeau.

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, May 25th

Podcast

Legend Lore 55

Jessica and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, May 26th

Podcast

Upshift 17

Jason and I talk Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Are RPG Campaigns Lost Media?

Ryan Costello — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:15:55 +0000

I was thinking a lot about lost media since Warner Brothers locked a completed Batgirl movie in movie purgatory for tax purposes. More recently, Chris Piers tackled lost comic media in the latest episode of Comic Tropes, with the fun twist of covering art created for the unused versions of stories that had fan votes.

For those who don’t know, lost media is any piece of fiction that can no longer be experienced. There’s a Less Than Jake line about “the oldest joke that survived another year” and it always struck me that there are jokes out there that were told, forgotten, and will never be told again.

With that in mind, are RPG campaigns lost media?

Even with published adventures or the fanciest journals filled with the most elaborate campaign notes, the real time, improvised moments experienced at a game table can never be revisited, only remembered. It may not be media in the traditional sense, of course. More like a riff session with continuity. But I’ve been as committed to my favourite campaigns as I was to my favourite TV shows. And while I can stream or track down a DVD of TNG or Downton Abbey, I can only think back on the fun times in Five Seasons or Ludacrous Stilz’ Library of Destiny.

Maybe that’s part of why actual plays caught on in such a big way. Not only do they make listeners feel like they’re sitting at a game table, sharing a favourite hobby with amusing friends, but we can revisit our favourite moments and even entire campaigns.

Network Update

Know Direction: Beyond made its triumphant return last week, but it still needs to find its scheduling footing. Originally planned to record this week, the next live episode of Know Direction: Beyond is now scheduled to record next Wednesday, May 24th.

Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of May 8th to May 12th

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

Monday, May 8th

Preview of May 15th to May 19th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 15th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 107 – Battle for Jatembe Park

With their friends close, their enemies closer, and their co-conspirators in the party, our Intrepid Heroes prepare for the incoming devastation.

Article

Now You Know – Remove Disease
By Ryan Costello

Two colds and an ice storm. It was a rough April.

Tuesday, May 16th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 63: Star Realms

Danielle speaks with two Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famers, Robert Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, the designers of Star Realms.

Wednesday, May 17th

Podcast

Know Direction 289

Esther and Navaar host the Know Direction Network’s flagship podcast, dedicated to Pathfinder news, reviews, and interviews.

Thursday, May 18th

Podcast

Digital Divination 83

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Blast From The Future

Ryan Costello — Mon, 08 May 2023 19:49:48 +0000

As someone who haven’t played more than a few hours of Starfinder, I didn’t realize how much I missed Know Direction Beyond. I loved episode 74, recorded live two weeks ago and released last week. Alex’s enthusiasm, James’ dry wit, and their chemistry elevate my interest in the episodes above my understanding of Starfinder.

Nothing against Paizo’s science fantasy RPG, of course. In a world where it didn’t release shortly after the birth of my second child, where most of my free time was already commited to Paizo’s ever-expanding flagship brand, I could have gotten into Starfinder as much as I got into Pathfinder. That’s why I’m so thankful that we have staff that loves it. That absolutely includes John Godek. Between Intrepid Heroes and Digital Divination, he’s already driving most of the network’s Starfinder content. John joining the Beyond team as the new producer solidifies the show’s foundation.

Another aspect I didn’t realize I missed was the live component. The cast interacting with their Twitch audience brought back fond memories of recording live episodes of Know Direction. We could float questions out into the universe confident we’d get our answers shortly thereafter, and we could highlight the best listener comments in real time. I don’t see myself hosting a regular live show again any time soon, though, so I’ll have to live vicariously through KDB content.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of May 1st to May 5th

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

Monday, May 1st

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 106 – Plan of Action

I love a good influence NPC scene. And by good, I mean the GM brings the rules to life. These scenes are the perfect demonstration of how well a GM understands the story potential of mechanics, and Ron Lundeen understands that very well.

Article

Now You Know – Remove Disease
By Ryan Costello

For the record, there’s still a tickle in my throat. Or mucus in my lungs. Or one causing the other.

Tuesday, May 2nd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 62: Deadly Dowagers

Funny story: I thought Downton Abby was a murder mystery before I started watching it. I was on high alert for clues, suspicious behaviour, and Chekhov’s guns. When the first episode ended, I had this funny feeling like I’d watched it wrong. And Deadly Dowagers reminded me of that. I’m planning on picking it up.

Wednesday, May 3rd

Podcast

Know Direction 288: Treasure Vault Breakdown

I’ll admit, I haven’t cracked the spine on my Treasure Vault yet. I figured it’s handy to have if I get a regular Pathfinder 2e game going again, but otherwise it went straight to the shelf. It’s just a book of equipment options, y’know? Or is it? The way this review (and Rob’s earlier Investing In: Treasure Vault Lore article about it) highlighted the quality of the narrative intrigues me. I need to grab this off the shelf and see for myself.

Article

Know Direction 288 In Writing

KD 288 available in writing for those who prefer that format.

Thursday, May 4th

Podcast

Digital Divination 082 – Jason is back at Paizo

I’m surprised this didn’t get a People On The Move ICv2 article. After roughly 8 months at Renegade Game Studios developing on the Essence20 line, Jason returned to Paizo to develop Pathfinder.

Friday, May 5th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond: 74 – Back in Beyond

Alex and James return, now with John by their side, to talk Starfinder again, starting with a review of Interstellar Species.

Preview of May 8th to May 12th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 8th

Article

Now You Know – Blast From The Future
By Ryan Costello

Because the sci-fi show is back.

Wednesday, May 10th

Podcast

Presenting – Navaar Jackson

John chats with new Know Direction cohost Naaar Jackson.

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, May 11th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, May 12th

Podcast

Upshift 16

Jason and I talk Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Remove Disease

Ryan Costello — Mon, 01 May 2023 16:19:30 +0000

Blargh.

As you might have noticed, I missed last monday’s Now You Know and last Friday’s Upshift. I’ve been dealing with a rogue illness. I spent Sunday on the couch, but mostly fine. Then Monday I woke up and regretted that decision instantly. Tuesday I was on the mend and felt good enough to go to work. Wednesday was revenge of the illness, and probably the worst I felt the whole time. I cancelled the Upshift recording Jason because it hurt to talk, and I genuinely worried my voice might permanently change. And that’s my trademark! People didn’t even know I had a face for the first five years I was podcasting.

Thursday started the “I am on the mend, I’ll probably feel all better by tomorrow” trend that continues to today. But tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll be all better.

Network Update

Know Direction: Beyond has me working muscles that haven’t moved in eight months. I made an event promoting a live recording.

It’s good to have Beyond back. Not only does it revive our stagnant Twitch and YouTube channels, but it’s an exciting time to be a Starfinder player. Starfinder Enhanced looks to revise the game’s rules while commiting to this edition of the game for the time being. And while John and Jason do a good job touching on the biggest Starfinder news when they banter on Digital Divination, having a dedicated Starfinder news, reviews, and interviews podcast back on the network feels good.

Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of April 24th to April 28th

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

Wednesday, April 25th

Podcast

Presenting – Andrew Geels

When Andrew Geels talked about PFS Core in this episode, I realized Pathfinder’s been around so long, I can be nostalgic for it.

Article

Behind The Screens – Closed Door Protocol
By Ryan Costello

Hey, I wrote a Behind The Screens last week! It could have been called Behind Closed Doors.

Thursday, April 26th

Podcast

Legend Lore 53 – Making Monsters

Loren and Jess examine the leathery underbelly of the Pathfinder 2e monster creation rules.

Article

Investing In: Order of the Amber Die’s Abomination Arsenal
By Rob Pontious

The Order of the Amber Die remains my RPG gaming squad goal, and any insight into how they do what they do is appreciated.

Preview of May 1st to May 5th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 1st

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 106 – Plan of Action

With their friends close, their enemies closer, and their co-conspirators in the party, our Intrepid Heroes prepare for the incoming devastation.

Article

Now You Know – Remove Disease
By Ryan Costello

Two colds and an ice storm. It was a rough April.

Tuesday, May 2nd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 62: Deadly Dowagers

Sarah Shipp talks about her card-drafting game about how improving your station in Victorian England can be murder.

Wednesday, May 3rd

Podcast

Know Direction 288

Esther and Navaar host the Know Direction Network’s flagship podcast, dedicated to Pathfinder news, reviews, and interviews.

Thursday, May 4th

Podcast

Digital Divination 82

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, May 5th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 74 – Interstellar Species

Alex, James, and new co-host/producer John Godek review one of the Starfinder hardcovers released during KD:B’s hiatus: Interstellar Species.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Press Release: Alchemy RPG announces Version One release, industry partnerships, and upcoming Kickstarter Campaign

Rob Pontious — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 22:05:25 +0000

Press Release

Alchemy RPG announces Version One release, industry partnerships, and upcoming Kickstarter Campaign

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Cinematic Virtual Tabletop (VTT) Alchemy RPG is collaborating with gaming industry giants Free League Publishing, Paizo, Chaosium, and more to announce Alchemy Version One and Alchemy Enhanced—the most immersive way to experience tabletop role-playing games online—live on Kickstarter on Tuesday, April 25th, 2023.

Alchemy’s Version One Kickstarter campaign breathes new life into digital adaptations of Free League titles by creating exclusive “Enhanced” versions of Mörk Borg, Tales From the Loop, Coriolis, Forbidden Lands, Dragonbane, and more. Each Alchemy Enhanced title—represented as the face card in five physical thematic Content Decks—includes a custom themed Alchemy interface, original score, ten looping ambient soundscapes, ten motion overlays, and an animated title screen. Content Decks will include campaign settings, adventures, supplements, and storytelling assets from some of the industry’s most loved creators.

“Alchemy brings our titles to players and Gamemasters in a new way. This digital tool creates an atmosphere that adds to the cinematic quality of our IPs. Free League is excited to be a part of the Alchemy Kickstarter campaign, and we’re looking forward to bringing even more titles to the platform later this year.”

—Tomas Härenstam (CEO, Free League Publishing)

Four thematic Content Decks (Fantasy, Futures, Horror, and Modern), each containing ten cards, are being offered as reward tiers on the campaign, with a fifth deck exclusively offered in a box set collection including all 50 content cards. Each deck will have campaign settings, adventures, and supplements from creators like Paizo (Pathfinder), World of Darkness (Vampire: The Masquerade), Modiphius (Fallout RPG), Magpie Games (MASKS, Cartel), Kobold Press (Scarlet Citadel), Hunters Entertainment (Kids on Bikes), and Chaosium (Call of Cthulhu). With an MSRP of $120, backers will have the opportunity to get decks at more than half off the retail price.

Kickstarter Backers will also receive exclusive Kickstarter benefits, like “Backer Account” status, enabling access to special offers, advanced access to new features, and Alchemy Version One before the general public. Each physical tier will also receive access to Alchemy Unlimited, with an option to purchase a lifetime license to Alchemy’s premium subscription at the campaign’s highest tier.

Alchemy Version One promises more than Enhanced content experiences, title availability, and a wide array of game system support. The team is also opening up its feature set to include tactical improvements like fog of war, grid customization, video chat, and Streamer Mode, making Alchemy RPG the only tool you’ll need to tell an incredible story.

###

Now You Know – Beyond Returns

Ryan Costello — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:40:57 +0000

There are more Adventure Paths out there than I’ll ever come close to having the time to play in, and I’ve learned from experience that I’m just not built to run them. That’s why I’m thankful for all of the Pathfinder and Starfinder actual plays out there that let me parasocially sit in on them, and to Paizo for supporting such endeavors.

Paizo’s had a forward-thinking attitude towards influencers since first publishing Pathfinder (back when we were called New Media creators). They recognize that content like podcasts and actual plays aren’t copyright infringements or competition, they’re the sincerest form of free advertisement. They allow fans to experience more Pathfinder content than they otherwise could, and in more ways.

Believe it or not, this started as a shout out to Dice of Thunder and their playthrough of Outlaws of Alkenstar. I started listening to the show about a month ago after some casual interactions with the show’s Twitter account. I’m not currently playing in any Pathfinder games, and even if I tried to bring my old Pathfinder group back together, they’ve scoffed at the technological side of the campaign setting before. So, the odds of me ever playing in an AP set in Alkenstar are lower than any Adventure Path short of Iron Gods.

But OoA only brought me to the pod. The group’s energy, creativity, and love of the setting kept me coming back for more. Granted, I’m only a couple of episodes in (a week in Cuba followed by the ice storm set me back on my regular podcast listening), but I’m happy with what I’ve heard so far. If you, like me, would love to play in an Alkenstar AP if only you had a group, maybe give Dice of Thunder a listen.

Network Update

If you follow the Know Direction Twitch channel, you may have received this e-mail notification last week:

That’s right, Know Direction: Beyond is coming out of stasis.

The last of the KD podcasts to return from hiatus after The Great KD Staff Culling (called that with love!). When Paizo hired Dustin Knight to a full time position as a Starfinder Developer, KD Beyond lost a cohost and, critically, its producer. Although I spent a lot of time thinking about the new direction for Know Direction, I have to admit I left KDB on the backburner. Its return is 100% the product of the shows legacy cohosts, Alex and James, and new cohost and producer John Godek.

John has a lot of network content on his plate. He’s been an asset since joining the Network, and I’m sure his fellow Starfinder fans will thank him for bringing the technical knowledge that enabled Know Direction Beyond’s return.

Alex, James, and John are working out details of the first episode’s release date, but since there’s now evidence of Know Direction’s official return out there, I figured it was a good time to make the announcement.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of April 10th to April 14th

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

Monday, April 10th

Article

Now You Know – What’d I Miss
By Ryan Costello

A lightning round of the previous week’s top stories.

Wednesday, April 12th

Podcast

Presenting – Jeremy Blum

I was not familiar with Jeremy Blum’s work, but I found this a fascinating listen. His experience into both sides of the impact of cultural consulting editors was insightful.

Thursday, April 13th

Podcast

Legend Lore 52 – Iomedae

I love a lore episode that starts with “we’re covering this topic because it’s on our list, but it ended being way more interesting than I gave it credit for.”

Article

Investing In: Low Level Additions
By Rob Pontious

Kind of a grab bag of resources and shout outs for Kingmaker 2e content, including an original creature, the Shadow Spirit.

Friday, April 14th

Podcast

Upshift 015 – Just Chillin

I had a long week and wasn’t in the headspace for a crunchy or in depth topic, but I was in the mood to chat with Jason.

Preview of April 17th to April 21st

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, April 17th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 105 – Saving Absalom Station

Haven’t had a chance to listen to today’s episode yet, but oh no! Absalom Station’s in danger? Where are our Intrepid Heroes when we need them?

Article

Now You Know – Beyond Returns
By Ryan Costello

Making titles nonsensical without context by nouning verbs and adjectives is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Tuesday, April 18th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 61: Lanterns

Danielle talks with Chris Chung, the designer of Lanterns: The Harvest Festival.

Wednesday, April 19th

Podcast

Know Direction 287

Esther and Navaar host the Know Direction Network’s flagship podcast, dedicated to Pathfinder news, reviews, and interviews.

Thursday, April 20th

Podcast

Digital Divination 81

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – What’d I Miss

Ryan Costello — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 09:13:36 +0000

In case anyone didn’t hear, Montreal was hit with its worst ice storm since 1998. And like in 1998, we suffered widespread power outages. My house was out of power for 70+ hours. Fortunately, my in-laws share their power grid with Montreal’s biggest hospital, so they never lose power. Still, even though I had access to hot water and a place to charge my electronics, my online agility took a hit. And wouldn’t you know it, it was a big week for Paizo news. So, here’s a summary of what I failed to share over the last week:

Get Your Tickets for PaizoCon Online 2023
I’ve seen a few people online equate “PaizoCon is only online this year” to “There’s no PaizoCon this year.” Well there is a PaizoCon this year! It’s online, May 26th to 29th, and tickets for Warhorn games are currently available.
Paizo Partners with BKOM on Two Pathfinder Games
Two new Pathfinder games are hitting the market this year, from BKOM Studios, including one launching on Steam later this year. Despite being based in Quebec (but Quebec City, which is a while away from Montreal), I don’t know much about this studio or its games. However, if their game play matches the quality of their graphics, this could be a huge deal. I will be actively following news of this new game as it develops.
First Draft of the ORC License Ready for Public Comment
The fervor over the OGL may have died down when WotC fully reversed their position, but it still opened the RPG industry’s eyes to how vulnerable publishers are to the whims of Wizards of the Coast. The ORC announcement was a huge deal, and the update is appreciated.

Network Update

There’s more podcast content abrewing, but it’s still too early to go into details. So, no network update this week.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of April 3rd to 7th

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

Monday, April 3rd

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 104 – And We’re Back

Intrepid Heroes is back! And they’re entering the Devastation Ark end game. You can tell, because they came across the backstory of the ark that’s doing all that devastating.

Article

Now You Know – For The LOLs
By Ryan Costello

April Fools!

Tuesday, April 4th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 60: Word Wipeout

Joe Barron had me at Wordle, but with cards.

Wednesday, April 5th

Podcast

Know Direction 286 – Impossible Lands

Esther and Navaar share their thoughts on the recent Lost Omens hardcover, Impossible Lands.

Article

Know Direction 286 In Writing

Did you notice that this In Writing’s banner was similar to but different from last episode’s banner?

Thursday, April 6th

Podcast

Digital Divination 080 – Starfinder Comics

Several episodes in the making, John and Jason talk about Dynamite’s Pathfinder and Starfinder comics.

Preview of April 10th to 14th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, April 10th

Article

Now You Know – What’d I Miss
By Ryan Costello

I mean besides my release date.

Wednesday, April 11th

Podcast

Presenting – Jeremy Blum

John chats with freelance writer and game designer Jeremy Blum about his work on the recently announced Pathfinder Tian Xia hardcovers and Season of Ghosts adventure path

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, April 12th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, April 13th

Podcast

Upshift 15

Jason and I haven’t recorded this week’s Upshift yet, so I can’t guarantee this episode releases this week, sadly.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – For The LOLs

Ryan Costello — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 19:59:10 +0000

For all I do on the network, every year, my one favourite contribution is the April’s Fools gag. Whether it’s something I put together only days before or an idea I cook up for months, my ability to amuse myself knows no bounds. Even for the accompanying graphic, I rise to the occasion. I’m a lousy graphic designer whose Photoshop skills are generously described as ironic. And yet, the KD April Fool’s Day banners aren’t just acceptable, something they’re actually good.

Unlike most years, I asked the staff to vet this year’s April 1st post. Not only do April Fool’s jokes now risk living on as misinformation if the joke fails to reveal itself, but edition wars tensions reared its head again in the last few years. The January 2023 OGL debacle managed to galvanize D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e players for the first time in years, and I wanted to celebrate that with a joke both sides could appreciate. And yet, I worried the humour of my post would come off as gatekeeping or divisive, the opposite of what I was going for.

The original version was riskier in that regard, but staff feedback help me find a less spicy version that was as if not more funny.

Network Update

Oh, did you think we were done bringing content back?

Today sees the return of Intrepid Heroes, the Know Direction Network’s Starfinder actual play of the Devastation Ark adventure path. As one of our most reliable releases since John brought it over to the Know Direction Network three years ago (in fact, we just passed the anniversary), it’s been weird not having a new Intrepid Heroes to listen to every few weeks.

Now it’s back, and the podcast schedule feels stronger than ever.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of March 27th to March 31st

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

Monday, March 27th

Article

Now You Know – Our Blogs
By Ryan Costello

I looked back on the network’s history of blogging, and posted our modest blog schedule.

Wednesday, March 29th

Podcast

Presenting – Nicolas Logue

Nic Logue is a treasure trove of knowledge about the early days of Pathfinder, a consummate performer, and someone who’s passionate about both.

Thursday, March 30th

Podcast

Legend Lore 051 – 5e Character Conversion

If you had any doubt about the depths of Loren and Jessica’s knowledge of Pathfinder 2e options, give this episode a listen and be amazed.

Article

Investing In: Firebrands for Your Game
By Rob Pontious

More love for the Firebrands!

Friday, March 31st

Podcast

Upshift 014 – Essence20 On Foundry

Upshift’s first interview, in which Jason and I get a primer on the fan effort to bring Essence20 to the Foundry Virtual Table Top.

Saturday, April 1st

Article

Paizo Publishes New Pathfinder 2e “You’re Welcome” Edition

No, YOU’RE welcome.

Preview of April 3rd to April 7th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, April 3rd

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 104 – And We’re Back

See, they’re back!

Article

Now You Know – For The LOLs
By Ryan Costello

Heh, good one.

Tuesday, April 4th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 60: Word Wipeout

Danielle talks with Joe Barron about Word Wipeout, a fun spelling game with a Scattergories twist.

Wednesday, April 5th

Podcast

Know Direction 286: The Impossible Lands

Venture into the Impossible Lands with the Know Direction podcast.

In this review of the recent Lost Omens Hardcover, Esther and Navaar look at the many Ancestries and regions this book has to offer, and compare how Paizo handled regions outside of the Inner Sea Region in the past to how they’ve done so since the launch of second edition.

Early access currently available to Know Direction Familiars

Thursday, April 6th

Podcast

Digital Divination 80

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Paizo Publishes New Pathfinder 2e “You’re Welcome” Edition

Ryan Costello — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 09:00:27 +0000

For Immediate Release

After selling through eight months worth of Core Rulebooks in the first month of the year for… reasons, Paizo needed to place an order with their printer. They chose not to simply order a new run of the Pathfinder 2e CRB.

“We knew this would be the first time a lot of players who said they’d never try Pathfinder tried Pathfinder,” said Paizo Publisher Erik Mona. “We didn’t have any edits or rules updates to incorporate, but we wanted to mark the occasion.”

Literally. Paizo Graphic Designer Sonja Morris added YOU’RE WELCOME in gold, glittery letters to the cover of this print run of one of the best selling RPG Core Rulebooks on the market.

“We had a long meeting about what to put on the cover,” said Paizo Director of Brand Strategy Mark Moreland. “The ‘Told You So’ Edition. The ‘See?’ Edition. The ‘picture of Will Smith going Tada!’ Edition. We had a lot of spicy options.”

In the end, they went with a less confrontational title. “Games bring people together,” explained Mona. “You’re welcome to try Pathfinder. And there’s no need to thank us. You’re welcome.”

Oh, it’s wordplay!

Know Direction reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment. Kyle Brink, Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons, said “That’s funny—and so are we.”

Now You Know – Our Blogs

Ryan Costello — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:24:34 +0000

I broke poor Rob‘s heart last week when I didn’t mention the blogs in my Network Update about our new content schedule. My intent was to follow-up last week’s post about our podcasts with a post about our blogs. That said, I have to admit that I’ve been so focused on getting our podcast ship back in order, I’ve neglected our blogs. When we get to the network update, you’ll see how few regular blogs we’re publishing at the moment. Which is a shame, because they played as big a role in the early days of the site as the podcast.

At the dawn of the site, it featured one podcast, a variety of written reviews of 3.5 D&D hardcovers, and the occasional new D&D 3.5 design. This wasn’t formally a blog, but the site did have written content since launch.

At the time, I wrote all of the articles on the site. If anyone else had asked, I’m sure I would have brought them on board, of course. But I didn’t mind. I enjoyed it. Really, the site gave me an opportunity to work on my writing and design, and the message board served as a supportive but honest sounding board.

Over time, as we added more podcast content, I ran out of books to cover, and the focus of the site shifted to Pathfinder, the blog went away. They came back in a big way with Alex‘s Iconic Design. Originally hosted on its own site, after I shouted out to it multiple times on the podcast, we discussed bringing it over to the Know Direction site. It opened my eyes to a fact that drove Know Direction’s growth going forward: There was value in associating with us. This wasn’t the dreaded work-for-exposure exchange. This was exposure-for-exposure. The site got more content, the writer’s got a bigger platform, and we grew as a team.

When the podcast hiatuses started, we still had a healthy amount of blog content, almost daily. But Dustin getting hired by Paizo, Luis scaling back his contributions to the site, and life forcing Alex, Loren, and Nate to do the same, it left only myself and Rob regularly blogging.

Now that the flagship is back in the waters, and our podcast offerings are healthy again, maybe it’s time to reinforce our blog offerings. If you’re interested in contributing a blog to Know Direction, reach out to knowdirection@hotmail.com, we’ll start a conversation.

Network Update

As noted above, the blog schedule isn’t as full as our podcast schedule.

Block 1

Monday – Now You Know: My weekly editorial, network update, and KD content preview and review.

Tuesday – Eldritch Excursion: Nate Wright’s Pathfinder and Starfinder designs and musings. Currently on hiatus, but still on the schedule.

Wednesday – Know Direction In Writing: Transcripts of the latest episode of Know Direction, posted the same day as the podcast releases.

Thursday – Vacant

Friday – Vacant

Block 2

Monday – – Now You Know: See above.

Tuesday – TBA: The second of the two new actual plays in development. This one is closer to launch.

Wednesday – Behind The Screens: I blend GMing advice with popular culture references.

Thursday –Investing In: Rob Pontious shares his love for Pathfinder and RPGs on the whole.

Friday – Vacant

Speaking of the Know Direction Network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:

Recap of March 20th to March 24th

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

Monday, March 20th

Article

Now You Know – New Schedule
By Ryan Costello

With all the podcasts back on the network, I let people know when to expect what show.

Tuesday, March 21st

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 59: Paint the Roses

Ben Goldman takes us on the journey that brought an Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland theme to his abstract quilting game.

Wednesday, March 22nd

Podcast

Know Direction 285 – Introducing Esther and Navaar

Meet Esther Wallace and Navaar Jackson, the new hosts of the Know Direction podcast.

Article

Know Direction 285 In Writing

Can’t listen to the latest episode of Know Direction, or want to reference something Esther and Navaar said but don’t know where in the episode they said it? Good news! Episodes of the Know Direction podcast are now accompanied by a transcript of what was said.

Thursday, March 23rd

Podcast

Digital Divination 079 – Enhancing Starfinder

What was scheduled to be a discussion about the Starfinder comics turned into a continuation of John and Jason’s discussion about what they’d like from Starfinder after the release of Starfinder Enhanced.

Preview of March 27th to March 31st

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 27th

Article

Now You Know – Our Blogs
By Ryan Costello

I talk about our blogs.

Wednesday, March 28th

Podcast

Presenting – Nicolas Logue

You may know Nic Logue as an instrumental freelancer from the early days of published Pathfinder adventures. You may also know he’s a professor of the performing arts. Maybe you heard whispers of The Red Raven, a fundraising stream he’s GMing. Even if you know all about all of the above, Nic’s enthusiasm and eloquence make this interview a must-listen.

Thursday, March 29th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, March 17th

Podcast

Upshift 14 – Essence20 On Foundry

Jason and I speak with one of the fans bringing Essence20 to Foundry.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – New Schedule

Ryan Costello — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 15:05:01 +0000

Every week, director of operations Ryan Costello shares his thoughts on the state of the network, recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, and previews the Know Direction content of the week to come.

Sometimes I editorialize before the Network Update, sometimes the Network Update takes up all my editorial space.

Network Update

As announced last week, Know Direction and Legend Lore are back! The new episode of Legend Lore is already available. Meanwhile, the new episode of Know Direction released early for our Patrons, and releases in its regularly scheduled time slot this Wednesday.

Speaking of schedules, this influx of returning content brought me back to the spreadsheet to get our dates and times back in line. For those who might not know, Know Direction releases content in a two-block rotation. Every pod has its day, as they say. We’re shuffling some items around to try to get an equal amount of podcast content out each week.

Block 1

Monday – Intrepid Heroes: A Starfinder actual play podcast with regular appearances from Paizo staff and Adventure Path module authors as guest GMs. Currently playing through the Devastation Ark Adventure Path. Returning soon!

Tuesday – Game Design Unboxed: Danielle Reynolds interviews tabletop game designers about the games they’ve made, tracking how the game went from inspiration to publication.

Wednesday – Know Direction: Esther Wallace and Navaar Jackson host the Know Direction network’s flagship podcast, the premier source of Pathfinder 2e news, reviews, and interviews.

Thursday – Digital Divination: John Godek and Jason Keeley’s Starfinder talk show, deep diving into difference topics related to a game they know and love, which John has been writing on for years and Jason was a developer for at Paizo.

Friday – TBA: One of two new actual plays in development.

Block 2

Monday – Valiant: Luis Loza’s original Pathfinder 2e campaign, currently sunsetting. Luis recorded the last episode and intends to release it. Until that episode releases, or Luis says otherwise, Valiant has a slot in the schedule.

Tuesday – TBA: The second of the two new actual plays in development. This one is closer to launch.

Wednesday – Presenting: John Godek interviews creators of tabletop RPGs, usually Pathfinder and Starfinder, but sometimes others.

Thursday – Legend Lore: Loren Sieg and Jessica Redekop’s Pathfinder 2e talk show, deep diving into difference topics related to a game they know and love, which Jessica has over a dozen credits writing on.

Friday – Upshift: My and Jason Keeley’s Essence20 talk show, deep diving into difference topics related to a game we know and love, which I helped design and Jason develops for at Renegade.

With the schedule out of the way, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles that released last week:

Recap of March 13th to March 17th

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

Monday, March 13th

Article

Now You Know – Back In More Ways Than One

We now return to your regularly scheduled Know Direction Network content.

Tuesday, March 14th

Podcast

Legend Lore 050 – Going From 5e To 2e

Loren and Jess get right into the content, introducing themselves to new listeners by way of putting their Pathfinder 2e knowledge on display.

I was so excited that Legend Lore was back, I accidentally released it two days early.

Wednesday, March 15th

Podcast

Presenting – John Godek

For the 100th episode of Presenting, Ron Lundeen interviews his good friend and regular Presenting host, John Godek.

Thursday, March 16th

Article

Investing In: Firebrands
By Rob Pontious

I may be on record saying Firebrands is the 2023 Pathfinder 2e sourcebook I’m most excited about. That said, I don’t hold a candle to Rob’s level of excitement.

Preview of March 20th to March 24th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 20th

Article

Now You Know – New Schedule
By Ryan Costello

I’ve been teasing this new content for too long. It’s exciting to see plans coming to fruition.

Tuesday, March 21st

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 59: Paint the Roses

Danielle talks with Ben Goldman, designer of Northstar Games’ co-op Alice in Wonderland game, Paint the Roses.

Wednesday, March 22nd

Podcast

Know Direction 285 Introducing Esther and Navaar

Esther Wallace and Navaar Jackson share the Pathfinder 2e enthusiasm and podcasting experience that earned them the co-hosting chairs on the longest running Pathfinder podcast.

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, March 23rd

Podcast

Digital Divination 79

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Back In More Ways Than One

Ryan Costello — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 09:00:56 +0000

Sorry about the unscheduled absence. As I mentioned in the last Now You Know, my dad was in the hospital. At the time, I said it was “projected to be a manageable blockage in his lung”. Ends up, he needed a quintuple bypass. They didn’t even know he’d need five bypasses until they started a scheduled triple bypass, and made the call mid-surgery. Fortunately, he’s now recovering comfortably at home, and the whole procedure didn’t cost our family a fortune because of Canadian socialized medicine. I don’t care that I’m getting political, the higher the number of family members I still have rises thanks to MediCare, the more I appreciate it for the gift that Canadians give ourselves.

Network Update

My dad and Now You Know are not all that’s back. After Luis left an 8-month hole in our lives, Legend Lore returns with a new episode and a new cohost. Jessica Redekop, cast member of Valiant and our play through Troubles In Otari, and a contributor on the majority of Pathfinder 2e sourcebooks. She brings rules and product knowledge comparable to the departed (from the show, he’s fine) Luis, and a love of Pathfinder to match regular cohost Loren Sieg.

That’s not all. Next week, a new era of the Know Direction podcast begins.

Esther Wallace and Navaar Jackson join the Know Direction Network as the new hosts of the Know Direction podcast. Esther GMs the Pathfinder 2E actual play Chromythica, advocates for disability inclusivity, and designed Front Porch, a worldbuilding game about gossip. She recently appeared on an episode of Presenting.

Navaar hosts the Secret Nerd Podcast, and is a cast member on the upcoming An Unwavering Force, a Star Wars actual play run on Pathfinder 2e with an all BIPOC cast. He appeared on last year’s Know Direction Special Episode: February 2022 Black Excellence Showcase.

The new episode of Know Direction debuts next Wednesday, but our Patrons received early access to Esther and Navaar’s first episode.

Recap of March 6th to March 10th

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

Tuesday, March 7th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 58: Hues and Cues

Scott Brady the designer of Hues and Cues published by the Op Games talks about making a colour-matching party game that’s colour-blind friendly.

Thursday, March 9th

Podcast

Digital Divination 078 – Starfinder Enhanced

John and Jason are both excited to talk about the newsworthy upcoming hardcover that they both worked on, the recently announced Starfinder Enhanced.

Preview of March 13th to March 17th

This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 13th

Patreon

Early Access: Know Direction 285 Introducing Esther and Navaar

Esther and Navaar introduce themselves, go over their paths to Pathfinder, and their plans for Know Direction’s future.

Article

Now You Know – Back In More Ways Than One

We promised we were back in more ways than one, but we’re even back in more ways than two.

Tuesday, March 14th

Podcast

Legend Lore 050 – Going From 5e To 2e

Recorded during the 2023 OGL debacle, Loren and new host Jessica welcome any former D&D 5e players to Pathfinder 2e with a run down of the rules, and a comparison of the classes from the two games.

Also, oops, this was supposed to be out on Thursday. Oh well, enjoy the new episode a few days early!

Wednesday, March 15th

Podcast

Presenting: John Godek

For the 100th episode of Presenting, a special guest host interviews John! Congratulations, John, on the major milestone.

Thursday, March 16th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, March 17th

Podcast

Upshift 13 – Just Wait Recap And Other News

We missed two episodes due to my personal issues, but Upshift is back and in its new Block 2 time slot. Jason and I discuss the even more Essence20 announcements from RenegadeCon Virtual: Just Wait Special Edition.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Take Care Of Yourselves

Ryan Costello — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 15:03:23 +0000

Going to keep this one brief. My dad’s in the hospital with what is projected to be a manageable blockage in his lung. Owen K.C. Stephens just got out of the hospital after almost a week spent dealing with pulmonary embolism, anemia, and pneumonia. And, in general, it feels like a larger number of people thn usual in my life are dealing with unexpected illness and tragedies. It’s weighing on me.

I’m not the first to say to reach out to your loved ones while you can, but I know I don’t listen to that advice as often as I should. It’s good advice.

Network Update

Originally I projected that the new content would roll out over February and March, but it’s starting to look like March and April is more realistic. Sorry about the delays, we want to make sure we launch strong, and that means more than just recording good first episodes but making actionable plans for the content going forward.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles that released last week:

Recap of February 13th to February 17th

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

Wednesday, February 15th

Podcast

Presenting – Landon Winkler

Paizo Pathfinder Developer and freelance author Landon Winkler talks about their contribution to Pathfinder, and how their relationship with WotC employee and former Pathfinder designer Lyz Liddell weathered the recent OGL issues.

Thursday, February 16th

Article

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Reviews of the Past

Ryan Costello — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 19:54:41 +0000

The latest Renegade Con Virtual was this past weekend, so I’ve been juggling seminar appearances with my network responsibilities, writing deadlines, and one of my daughter’s birthday. Jason and I will go into detail on the reveals and news from the event (Renegade Con, mostly, but we might banter about the birthday party), but if you’re an Essence20 fan, here’s the official Renegade Con 2023 playlist. Or, if you’re just a fan of mine, here are the G.I. Joe Reveals and My Little Pony Reveals seminars I appeared on, already on demand.

Network Update

Continuing last week’s theme, I’m planning a new initiative for gamers trying Pathfinder 2e for the first time. We have a bank of reviews and breakdowns of every Pathfinder2e hardcover. I’ll be sharing links with snippets and summaries on social media.

The idea ties all the way back to why we started reviews in the first place: We want to help those new to a game with an overwhelming number of options. And now just character creation options. Three and a half years into 2e’s life, Paizo’s releasing their 12th RPG line hardcover this month, and their 14th Lost Omens line hardcover next month, that’s hundreds of dollars a new Pathfinder customer has to consider spending their gaming budget on.

Granted, the So You Wanna Try Out Pathfinder Bundle helps cut costs. It still takes time to decide to read through all of that material. If a few posts, Tweets, and Toots save our fellow gamers time, money, or stress, Know Direction is happy to help.

Speaking of Know Direction, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles that released last week:

Recap of January 30th to February 3rd

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

Monday, January 30th

Article

Now You Know – Get To Know Know Direction
By Ryan Costello

If you’re new to Pathfinder, you’re probably new to Know Direction as well.

Wednesday, February 1st

Podcast

Presenting – Sen H.H.S.

This was a more emotional and introspective episode of Presenting than usual, providing fascinating insight into an atypical journey into RPG work.

Thursday, February 2nd

Article

Investing In: Waterdeep with Pathfinder2E
By Rob Pontious

After talking about trying Dungeons & Dragons 5e last time, Rob reminds readers that you can experience D&D’s settings without needing to run them as D&D games.

Preview of February 6th to February 10th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, February 6th

Article

Now You Know – Reviews of the Past
By Ryan Costello

Look for classic Know Direction Network reviews on your favourite social media platforms.

Tuesday, February 7th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 56: Meeple Party

Heather O’Neill talks about her logic puzzle turned cooperative light strategy game with a party theme.

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.

Wednesday, February 8th

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, February 9th

Podcast

Digital Divination 76 – Getting Started with Starfinder

Continuing a theme across the network lately, John and Jason welcome new players to Starfinder.

Friday, February 10th

Podcast

Upshift 012 – Renegade Con 2013 Recap

Jason and I share the Essence20 news from Renegade’s latest virtual convention.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Get To Know Know Direction

Ryan Costello — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 16:45:29 +0000

The OGL debacle brought a lot of new eyes to our content, in particular our YouTube video on the history of the OGL, and a couple of Tweets with more reach that we’re used to. It also made a lot of TTRPG gamers try Pathfinder (and I mean a lot) for the first time.

Other sites covered introducing new gamers to Pathfinder 2e already, but if you’re new to the Know Direction Network, welcome! We’ve been producing original TTRPG news, reviews, and interviews network since Oct 30, 2007, when we launched a podcast dedicated to 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons, along with written reviews of D&D 3.5 sourcebooks. We launched shortly after WotC announced that they were working on a 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. We thought we would provide commentary of interest to gamers who preferred D&D 3.5, with the reviews meant to help gamers decide what out of print books were worth tracking down.

Within a few months, we found out that Paizo had the same idea on a much larger scale. Even though 3.5 Private Sanctuary went on for years, it eventually evolved into The Private Sanctuary Podcast, a talk show dedicated to Pathfinder topics. But first, we launched what was meant to be a sister podcast to cover Pathfinder news: Know Direction.

As Pathfinder grew, it overtook 3.5 as the focus of our content. Eventually, we added more podcasts, started sharing recordings of Paizo’s convention seminars, and our first blogger: Alex Augunas. With all this growth, we became a network proper. And for years, it seemed we were the only podcasters dedicated to Pathfinder.

That’s changed over the years. Pathfinder Actual Plays like The Glass Cannon and Dice Will Roll grew to prominence. Other Pathfinder talk shows launched, like Rise of the Rulelords. And the launch of Pathfinder 2e kicked off an influx of YouTube channels and content, like Deadly D8, How It’s Played, and Nonat1s.

Although we still release regular content, staffing changes forced our Pathfinder onto hiatus in the middle of last year. For now, you can still listen to our Starfinder content, our Actual Play Intrepid Heroes and talk show Digital Divination. We also cover content that might be of interest to Pathfinder players, namely our board game design podcast Game Design Unboxed and our Essence20 RPG talk show Upshift. And if you’re eager for a return to Pathfinder podcast content, we have news in the Network Update, below. In the meantime, our blogs cover Pathfinder, Starfinder, Essence20, and other RPG content.

Know Direction staff includes Paizo staff Luis Loza, Vanessa Hoskins, and Dustin Knight, frequent Paizo contributors Alex Augunas, Jason Keeley, Owen KC Stephens, John Godek, Jessica Redekop, Scott D. Young, Nate Wright, Michelle Jones, and myself, as well as Cathy Dolan, James Ballod, Loren Sieg, Randal Meyer, Rob Pontious, and Danielle Reynolds. We’re a collection of gaming professionals and passionate players, sharing our love of the hobby with our audience.

And you’re always welcome at the Know Direction Network.

Network Update

Not mentioned on the staff list, our new co-hosts of the Know Direction Podcast. We want to keep their identities a surprise.

“Wait,” you might be saying if you listened to the introduction of the hosts on the Know Direction Network Patreon. “Wasn’t one of the hosts listed?”

Unfortunately, we’ve had to change our plans. One of the announced hosts has to deal with personal issues and so won’t be able to contribute after all. We have another new host lined up, but we won’t be announcing who until they record their first episode.

On the subject of announcing content after it’s recorded, expect the return of Legend Lore soon! Our Pathfinder 2e talk show, formerly hosted by Luis Loza and Loren Sieg, returns in February. Loren’s back, and is joined by Jessica Redekop. Since 2019, Jessica’s contributed to over a dozen product for Paizo. She’ll be filling the designer perspective, while Loren continues to fill the fan perspective. I look forward to listening to their dynamic, and see what topics the duo covers together.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Office (Adventuring) Parties

Ryan Costello — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 18:39:39 +0000

I see myself as young beyond my years. My energy, how I spend my free time, and the topics I’m interested in discussing all skew younger than the other 42-year-olds in my life.

Or so I like to believe.

Life likes to remind me that I might be wrong. When I’m out of breath going up stairs. Or I’m asleep by 9pm and kind of excited about it. And when I can’t wait to tell friends about the really cool reusable grocery bag I got at Adonis.

Working with a bunch of 20-year-olds compounds this. Some of my generation gets caught up in the fact that these young coworkers were born in the 21st century, or that they’re closer in age to my daughters than to me. I can live with that. But when I made a Mr Burns reference and got a blank stare? Devastated. I reevaluated everything I assumed was common knowledge.

However, nothing bridges a generational gap like finding common ground. Seeing a bunch of coworkers gather together at a lunch table to roll up D&D characters for a one-shot, I immediately felt connected with them. It didn’t matter that they were playing 5e (yes, despite *gestures broadly*). They were about to enter a world of shared imagination, an experience that’s shaped me more than anything else in my life.

Later that lunch hour, I noticed a three-pack of dice sets at the Dollarama across the parking lot from my work. I grabbed a box.

Like back in high school, when I carried a set of dice on me at all times, I needed to be prepared in case an RPG session broke out. If my coworkers need me, I’m there for them. It’s nice that a hobby I’ve loved for 20 years helps me connect with 20-year-olds.

Now, let me tell you about the Cadillac of reusable grocery bags.

Network Update

I’ve talked about upcoming content a lot lately, usually in vague terms. I don’t mean to be a tease, and I also don’t want to come off like I’m stalling. Instead of using my editorial space to tell you that you should be excited but only imply vaguely why and with what, I’ve broken up Now You Know into another section. Going forward, I’ll use this space between the editorial and the recap of the last week’s content to signal boost any larger network news.

Today, I’m echoing a couple of content announcements.

First, yesterday, I shared Know Direction 248-B – New Host Round Robin to the Know Direction Patreon. I recorded a practice episode with the two new hosts of Know Direction. We won’t announce who they are until they record their first proper episode, but Patrons got a special sneak preview that reveals their identities.

Second, John announced today that his commitment plate runneth over. He’ll be taking a few weeks off from editing Intrepid Heroes to focus on some looming deadlines. Intrepid Heroes will return in a month or so.

We have other content in development, but nothing as concrete as the above two so I will refrain from talking about it. For now.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles that released last week:

Recap of January 16th to January 27th

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

Monday, January 16th

Article

Now You Know – 2008 All Over Again
By Ryan Costello

I never thought I’d get nostalgic for the 4e Edition Wars, but here we are.

Wednesday, January 18th

Podcast

Presenting – Isabelle Thorne

Isabelle Thorne’s done a little of everything as a freelancer for Paizo. No, wait, that’s not true. She’s done a lot of everything as a freelancer for Paizo.

Thursday, January 5th

Article

Investing In: Trying 5E!
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, January 26th

Podcast

Digital Divination 75

John and Jason look at how the new OGL could affect Starfinder. They’re not lawyers.

Friday, January 27th

Podcast

Upshift 011 – Essence20 Options For New Players

Jason and I take listener Paul Siddoway’s suggestion to cover the best Essence20 builds for new players.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – 2008 All Over Again

Ryan Costello — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 19:33:23 +0000

We live in interesting times as Pathfinder enthusiasts. Interesting, familiar times.

Pathfinder was born in times like these. Before Pathfinder, Paizo paid the bills as a second party publisher (official licensee rather than publisher of open content) of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. With a 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons on the horizon at the time, Paizo couldn’t get a straight answer from D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast as to how they could support the new game. By the time WotC revealed the proposed Game System License, which included a clause preventing GSL users from continuing to use the Open Gaming License, Jason Bulmahn delivered Mon Mothma (the project outline that would become Pathfinder) to Paizo management.

Of course, fans like me only heard Paizo’s perspective years later. At the time, me and my gaming group just knew 4e was on the horizon, and we weren’t interested. We weren’t against the idea of changing systems, we just didn’t feel what we heard about 4e meshed with our playstyle. Then Paizo came out of nowhere with Pathfinder, which was exactly the system we wanted a new edition of D&D to be. Before long, we realized how welcoming and engaging the Pathfinder community was. At the time, Paizo already had a loyal fanbase from their days of magazine publication. Those fans stuck around and championed the new game. They helped me replace any negative feelings I had about not being a D&D player for the first time with the wonderful feelings of being a Pathfinder enthusiast.

I’ve been thinking about those days a lot over the last couple of weeks. I also thought about them a lot over the last few years. Before the One D&D announcement, many D&D players seemed tired of 5e. Fans and influencers brought up their issues with the system more frequently, and offered hacks to improve the game. When a lot of those suggestions lined up with Pathfinder 2e’s solutions, we followed the lead of those early enthusiasts during the transition to 4e: offered an alternative.

At the time, it didn’t go over well. Pathfinder 2e players were treated like we were sewing disharmony within the D&D community. So, most of us backed off. Then One D&D was announced, and a lot of the ideas for how the game would change paralleled Pathfinder 2e. I saw many Pathfinder 2e fans and influencers venting that they just wanted it acknowledged that the aspects of One D&D being highlighted as innovations had a lot in common with then three year old PF2. But again, it felt like we were treated like a nuisance to D&D players.

Two weeks ago, things changed.

On the one hand, I feel bad. I know what it’s like to have events outside of something I enjoy impact how much I enjoy it. Even when I felt unfairly represented by a lot of the D&D fanbase, I never wanted them to feel bad about something they love. I also know how hard this is on the creative staff whose livelihoods are impacted by a sudden shift in the perception of the company and brand they work on.

But in that mix of emotion is some gratification. It’s nice to see Pathfinder trending in the larger gaming space in such a positive light. Every “I’m going to give Pathfinder a try” post to social media I see comes with nostalgia for when I realized everything being a Pathfinder fan meant. But probably most of all, I’m thankful this isn’t a new edition war. In 2008, the communities were against one another. Now, we’ve never felt so united.

Everyone knows I’m not the champion of Pathfinder I used to be. I enjoy 2e, but not as much as I enjoy 1e. I still freelance on Pathfinder here and there, but I’m practically working full time on Essence20 at this point. That said, I haven’t felt so invigorated as a Pathfinder fan in a while. Also, it’s great to have a passionate and intelligent staff of Pathfinder enthusiasts carrying the Know Direction Network’s torch.

I’ve been playing Marvel Snap, so I wrote a Behind The Screens applying it to GMing. As I do.

Thursday, January 12th

Podcast

Digital Divination 074 – Favorite Starfinder Armor Upgrades

John and Jason are getting deeper into the Starfinder mechanical weeds with their Top 5 episodes. I’m not complaining. By jumping to radically different options for their lists, they’re keeping the conversation fresh and I feel like I’m learning more and more about Starfinder.

Friday, January 13th

Podcast

Upshift 010 – Tell Me About Essence20

How do you explain Essence20 to a gamer who might be looking for a new RPG? Like this!

Preview of January 16th to January 20th

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

Note: Because of the holidays, some of the below content might not see release this week.

Monday, January 16th

Article

Now You Know – 2008 All Over Again
By Ryan Costello

Never thought I’d be so happy to be reminded of the edition wars.

Wednesday, January 17th

Podcast

Presenting: Isabelle Thorne

John speaks with longtime Pathfinder freelancer and adventure writer Isabelle Thorne.

Thursday, January 18th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – One Point One

Ryan Costello — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 15:19:29 +0000

Every week, Now You Know recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, previews the Know Direction content of the week to come, and shares the thoughts on the state of the network from the director of operations, Ryan Costello.

Last week, I ended my column with the following:

Hmm… Block 2 is looking pretty sparse, especially this week (Rob’s already excused himself from this week’s Investing In). Gonna need some new content soon.

And then fate said:

I warned you not to tempt me.

It ends up, we had more content than advertised last week. On Wednesday, Roll For Combat shared a leak of OGL 1.1 they received. Over the next 24 hours, the community parsed the legitimacy of the leak. Then Gizmodo published Linda Codega’s Dungeons & Dragons’ New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition article, and a number of gamers with legal training weighed in.

So did Know Direction.

We don’t have legal training, but Owen, Alex, and myself know the history of the OGL. I’ve learned about it through interviews with publishers and the mastermind behind the OGL, Ryan Dancey. Alex has been researching it for an article. And Owen has worked with the OGL on more projects than I can list, and worked for the two biggest companies to benefit from the OGL’s existence: Wizards of the Coast and Paizo.

As of this writing, neither WotC or Paizo released official statements regarding the leak (although Erik Mona’s been in maximum cheekiness mode on his personal Facebook page). Many influencers, publishers, and talents shared their thoughts. Dale McCoy, Jr published an open letter to WotC through his company, Jon Brazer Enterprises, signed by several other publishers. Stephen Radney-MacFarlane’s commentary on Facebook outsnarks Erik Mona. And #OpenDnD is trending on Twitter with 10k tweets.

It’s still hard to tell the signal from the noise, but I get the feeling this goes beyond an echo chamber affect. It’s only another anecdote on the pile, but a friend that I didn’t even know was into RPGs reached out to me to let me know he was watching every video he could find on the subject and was amused to stumble across mine. This after another friend who I do know to be a 5e gamer reached out to me to express concern a few weeks ago. Apparently this other friend saw the writing on the wall after Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams made her now infamous “Under Monetized” comment. When friends from outside my gaming circle start commenting on what I think of as a deep cut topic, I start to see this issue as mainstream.

If you’re already tired of the OGL talk, I’m sorry. We probably won’t release another special episode on it, but Alex is still working on his article. Moreover, it’s too impactful on everything we do to ignore. I suspect it will trickle into our content even when we don’t intend it

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles from the last week:

Recap of January 2nd to 6th

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

Monday, January 2nd

Article

Now You Know – Sticking The 2022 Landing
By Ryan Costello

I pat myself on the back for releasing all of the end of year KD content I had on my to do list.

Tuesday, January 3rd

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Talk to These Hands
By Nate Wright

Nate argues that actions speak louder than words at the game table.

Wednesday, January 4th

Podcast

Presenting – Mikhail S. Rekun

It’s rare you hear someone estimate they’ve written a million words related to gaming, but when it comes to Mikhail S. Rekun, I believe it.

Thursday, January 5th

Podcast

Know Direction Special Edition – OGL 1.1 Overview

Thursday, January 12th

Podcast

Digital Divination 74

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, January 13th

Podcast

Upshift 010 – Wait, What’s Essence20?

Jason and I talk about selling your friends on Essence20. Y’know, in case they’re in the market for a new RPG.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Sticking The 2022 Landing

Ryan Costello — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 17:43:39 +0000

Two weeks ago, I laid out three Network goals I wanted to accomplish before the end of the year, all podcast releases. I managed to achieve all three:

For now, the last episode of Adventurous: Scheduling Adventurous recordings hit the “victim of our own success” issues the network faced as a whole last year. More than ever, we’re busy pursuing the awesome opportunities the network (among other factors) helped us earn. So we’re looking at recording Adventurous Specials going forward. They won’t be on a regular schedule, just whenever the cast can find a weekend to get a game in. If that doesn’t work out, I hope we can at least record a finale. I love this cast and these characters too much to let them fade away unceremoniously.
The 2022 Holiday Special: Again with the scheduling issues, I worried we wouldn’t get a Holiday Special out this year. Luckily, after a week with only the Luis segment recorded, other members of the staff made themselves available, and we ended up with a solid episode. What it lacked in quantity of staff, we made up with quality of conversation. We didn’t need to cram 20 conversations into 10 minute segments to get two hours of content. On Discord, longtime listener Majuba said “It felt a lot more natural” compared to past years. I have to agree.
The Dwarfed Special Edition: One of these things is not like the other. Dwarfed is an oddity when it comes to Network content, an original audio play I wrote before Know Direction or 3.5 Private Sanctuary were ever on my radar. After I got into podcasting, I found myself with quality recording equipment, a finished script gathering dust, and talented friends. So over a few weekends, I had my friends record the dialogue. Then, over the next few years, I recorded the narration and edited the episodes together. Revisiting this artifact of the network’s past made me happier than I expected.

As for the future, we decided to lift the veil quite high during the Holiday Special when it came to upcoming content. Expect to hear more about 2023 plans in the coming weeks.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles that released last week:

Recap of December 26th to January 1st

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

Monday, December 26th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 102 – Looking Forward

Preview of January 2nd to January 6th

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

Note: Because of the holidays, some of the below content might not see release this week.

Monday, January 2nd

Article

Now You Know – Sticking The 2022 Landing
By Ryan Costello

I set out three podcast editing goals for the end of the year, and I basically made them! January 1st 2023 still counts as the end of last year, right?

Wednesday, January 4th

Podcast

Presenting: Mikhail Rekun

Mikhail Rekun’s worked on the majority of Pathfinder 2e sourcebooks, both for the RPG and Lost Omens lines, including the upcoming Highhelm.

Hmm… Block 2 is looking pretty sparse, especially this week (Rob’s already excused himself from this week’s Investing In). Gonna need some new content soon.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Impossible Landing

Ryan Costello — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 19:40:52 +0000

Yesterday, after my kids opened their presents and before going to my parents for Christmas dinner, I found myself with the rarest gift of all: Nothing to do. So, for the first time in I don’t know how long, I read a Pathfinder sourcebook for pleasure. I sat down with Impossible Lands for a few hours.

I haven’t read much Pathfinder in 2022. We’re coming up on the first anniversary of my last episode as a full time host of Know Direction. When I was hosting KD, even if I thoroughly enjoyed the book and intended to read it anyway, the combination of obligation and deadline made reading the rulebooks feel a bit like work. Work I enjoyed, don’t get me wrong, but different from just reading a book. It was particularly tough when 2e transitioned the softcover setting books -which we traditionally cherrypicked- to hardcover books -which we reviewed all of, one exception that won’t be named aside. Even though we loved the majority of the Lost Omens books, the constant churn of content that we felt the need to cover made it easy to forget how much we loved these books.

Old habits die hard, and I was taking mental notes for an Impossible Lands review that I have no intention to record. And it wasn’t long before reading such brilliant writing got my creative juices flowing and I put the book down to go writing. Still, for that brief period, I enjoy indulging in a hobby purely for the love of it.

I’m definitely not far enough into Impossible Lands to give the book a valid review, but as usual when it comes to the Lost Omens line. The reinforced content warning in the introduction served as a good reminder of the unpleasant (in-setting) history of this part of Golarion. And while I knew these areas individually, and vaguely understood that they shared borders, I didn’t realize the relationships these countries shared.

Will I finish the book? I hope so. Despite the negative brush I painted the read-for-review era, it did force me to actually read the books. Here’s hoping I have the time and don’t need a looming deadline to read a book I’ve enjoyed so far.

Speaking of what we do for the network, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from the last week:

Recap of December 19th to 23rd

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

Monday, December 19th

Article

Now You Know – Out With The 2022, In With The 2023
By Ryan Costello

Not knowing if I would get today’s editorial written (I did!) I wrote a year end editorial a week early.

Tuesday, December 20th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 014

This concludes the second Young and Adventurous adventure. Unfortunately, the future of Adventurous, in any incarnation, is up in the air. The availability of the cast for recordings and my ability to stay on top of the edits continues to fluctuate. In case this marks the end of Adventurous, I want to thank both GMs, Crystal and Scott, my fellow cast members, Perram, Loren, Vanessa, Jason, Cathy, and Ari, and our amazing artist, Sheppi Rodriguez. Adventurous is easily my favourite campaign I’ve gotten to play in, with Xavier one of my favourite characters to play. We’ll see what the future holds for these characters, but for now, I am thankful for Adventurous and everyone that made it happen.

Wednesday, December 21st

Podcast

Presenting – Shan Wolf

I wasn’t familiar with Shan’s work, but he’s been on the Paizo forums for forever, and his enthusiasm for the game shone through this interview.

Thursday, December 22nd

Article

Investing In: Dread
By Rob Pontious

Hey, I know Dread! I played my first session this Halloween.

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, December 29th

Podcast

Digital Divination 73

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, December 2nd

Podcast

Upshift 009

Jason and I talk Essence20.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Out With The 2022, In With The 2023

Ryan Costello — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 17:39:40 +0000

Next Monday is December 26th, and I’m fairly confident I won’t have time to write a Now You Know over Christmas weekend. Just in case that makes this my last post of the year, I thought I’d share some of my hopes for the next 12 days of 2022, and what I’m looking forward to in 2023.

2022

There are a few more podcasts I’d like to release before the end of the year, although how I’ll manage them all if uncertain:

Holiday Special: Every year since 2019, we’ve released a Know Direction Holiday Special. Not only is this an opportunity for fans to catch up with the network staff, in some cases it’s the only time the staff chats live. I enjoy hearing about all of the awesome opportunities the staff earned themselves over the last year, and knowing what to look forward to in the future.
Dwarfed: In Patron’s Private Sanctum 0052, I promised Alex that I would release a collected edition of the Know Direction original audio drama Dwarfed before the end of the year. I believe that’s an easy enough edit, hopefully I’m able to keep that promise.
Adventurous: After a hot streak of releasing the episodes on time, I hit a snag in November and never recovered. They’re all recorded, and I’d like to get one more episode edited and released before the end of the year to get back on track to wrap up this arc.

2023

We have some new network content coming out in the new year, but I don’t want to talk about it yet. Instead, I’ll talk about the RPG releases I’m looking forward to:

Pathfinder: So far we know about the Treasure Vault and Rage of Elements for the Pathfinder 2e RPG line, and Highhelm and Firebrands for the Lost Omens line. I wouldn’t have guessed this a few years ago, but I’m most excited about Highhelm. As much as I loved Mwangi Expanse on the whole, far and away my favourite part of the book is the section on the dwarves on the Quest For Sky who didn’t recognize sky when they saw it and so dug their way into the Plane of Air. That skyrocketed my interest in Golarion’s dwarves, and I cant’ wait for the first major sourcebook dedicated to them. I’d say my interest in the other three books is more functional, although I expect Rage of Elements to be my favourite. If it makes the elements as fleshed out and fascinating as Secrets of Magic did for magic, it might end up my favourite book of the year.
Essence20: I’ve worked on so many unreleased and even unannounced Essence20 sourcebooks at this point, I sometimes forget that each setting only has a book or two on the shelves. Most of the other books I worked on will be released or announced in 2023, two of which I’m especially excited to see the reaction to. I might need to get back to Gen Con next year to talk about these books in person.

Also, this is the first episode where they’re at odds about the format of their Top 5s. Jason counts down, but John counts up. Whose side are you on?

Friday, December 16th

Podcast

Upshift 008 – Memories

I like mixing up the target audience of Upshift topics, so this one was heavily focused on nostalgia for the Essence20 brands.

Preview of December 19th to December 23rd

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

Monday, December 19th

Article

Now You Know – Out With The 2022, In With The 2023
By Ryan Costello

Will I get my 2022 podcasting done in time?

Tuesday, December 20th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 014

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Note: This week’s episode isn’t edited yet, again, and I’m still not sure I’ll have the time to tonight.

Wednesday, December 21st

Podcast

Presenting: Shan Wolf

John chats with Shan Wolf, a Pathfinder 2e freelancer, and member of the Paizo forums since 2009.

Thursday, December 22nd

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – No, You Don’t

Ryan Costello — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:22:49 +0000

Shhhhhhh.

I’m in a position that’s become very familiar for me lately: I have plans in motion, but nothing is ready to announce.

There’s three plans related to the network in particular that I’m excited about. One is pretty far along in the planning stages, which is impressive since it’s the newest of the three projects.

Sadly, there isn’t much more to say. I’m the worst tease, I know, because I can’t even make it fun. But when I tried to think up a topic for today’s editorial, I kept coming back to content I’m not ready to talk about.

Speaking of the content, here’s a recap of what went up on the Know Direction Network last week:

Recap of December 5th to 9th

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

Monday, December 5th

Article

Now You Know – December 2022
By Ryan Costello

Like a brightly coloured rogue, I knew December was coming and yet it still snuck up on me.

Wednesday, December 7th

Podcast

Presenting – Esther Wallace

Esther Wallace and the Chromythica Pathfinder 2e actual play came to my attention when I set up a Know Direction account on Mastodon. I’m glad John sat down with her and found out more about her podcast, as well as her design work, and how she advocates for disability accommodation in gaming.

Thursday, November 23rd

Article

Investing In: PAX Unplugged 2022
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, December 1st

Podcast

Digital Divination 72

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, December 2nd

Podcast

Upshift 008 – Making Memories

Jason and I talk about lasting and vivid memories we associate with the Essence20 settings.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – December 2022

Ryan Costello — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:52:20 +0000

I’m somewhere between “It’s December already?” and “It’s only December 5th?” Because I’ve been freelancing pretty much nonstop assignments since I started work on the G.I. Joe RPG CRB in 2020. Two years of deadlines have warped my perception of time. But with one project turned over today, and only a promise of the next one in writing, I have a little more flexibility with my free time for the first time in a long time. Weird to think of the holiday season as a less busy time of year, but here we are.

Last time, I defended John and Jason’s decision to move to top 5 lists, even if the format has a bad reputation. Well, I’m doubling down! Not only do these Top 5 lists highlight how well John, a 5-Nova GM, and Jason, a former longtime developer on Starfinder, know the system and setting, but the anecdotes take the conversations in fun and fascinating directions.

Friday, December 2nd

Podcast

Upshift 007 – Plotting Story Arcs

A peak behind the scenes, I remember thinking this episode was a trainwreck after we finished recording. When I sat down to edit, I thought I might need to rerecord whole chunks to salvage the conversation, something I’ve only done a couple of times in the last 15 of editing podcasts. But as I listened back, it was fine? Pretty good even? I get a little tongue tied toward the end of the episode, and I guess I let a bad last impression convince me I’d screwed up the whole episode.

Preview of December 5th to December 9th

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

Monday, December 5th

Article

Now You Know – December 2022
By Ryan Costello

Wait, it’s December already? But it’s only December 5th?

Tuesday, December 6th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 014

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Note: This week’s episode isn’t edited yet, again, and I’m still not sure I’ll have the time to tonight.

Wednesday, December 7th

Podcast

Presenting: Esther Wallace

John chats with Esther Wallace, game designer, and GM of the Chromythica actual play podcast.

Thursday, December 8th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Centrepid Heroes

Ryan Costello — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:26:39 +0000

Congratulations to Intrepid Heroes on their 100th episode, out today. It’s been almost three years since John Godek, Ron Lundeen, Stephanie Lundeen, Scott Keim, Mark Woolcott, and Rob Helm joined Know Direction and the network’s been stronger because of it.

John in particular brings so much to the network. His business acumen, personablility, and professionalism not only make his shows great, but give the rest of us assets to call on to improve our content. He’s also brought on amazing guest talent, like Jason “Jake” Tondro and Eleanor Ferron. Actually, I guess Eleanor is full time cast. She’s just such a get for Intrepid Heroes, I guess I still think of her as a friend of the network and not the Cast role she actually fills.

Intrepid Heroes is some of our most consistent content, and easily the most consistent actual play the network ever released. As someone who produces an actual play, I know how much work it takes, and yet John makes it look effortless. Especially when you consider the changes in how they record and play -going in person to online to I believe hybrid- in just the time they’ve been on the network, without missing dates or dropping in quality.

John may have said he doubts there’ll be another 100 episodes of Intrepid Heroes, but I wouldn’t be surprised. They’ve already recorded up to episode 130+, what’s about 70 after that? An accomplishment, that’s what?

Speaking of the content, here’s a recap of what went up on the Know Direction Network last week:

Recap of November 21st to 25th

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

Monday, November 21st

Article

Now You Know – PF2.KD Status
By Ryan Costello

I address the sudden influx of two questions about PF2.KD.

Wednesday, November 22nd

Podcast

Presenting – Karee Vogrin

Karee Vogrin’s Critical Hit Cookies is a fun addition to my social media, combines two things I love. Like, it just makes me happy that there’s an RPG-based bakery out there. And that it’s owned by a Pathfinder enthusiast, an Order of the Amber Die player, and a great person? Even better!

Thursday, November 23rd

Article

Investing In: The Lore of Impossible Lands
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, December 1st

Podcast

Digital Divination 71

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, December 2nd

Podcast

Upshift 007 – Plotting Story Arcs

Jason and I talk about plotting story arcs for your campaigns.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – PF2.KD Status

Ryan Costello — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 20:30:35 +0000

Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.

PF2.KD just reached Coincidence Level.

At the beginning of the month, during the live recording of Patron’s Private Sanctum 0052, listener Foeclan asked the following:

“Is pathfinder-2kd still a thing?”

I said something to the effect of “I don’t think there’s an audience for it anymore,” detailed why I felt that way, and concluded with “it’s safe to say it’s not a thing.”

Or is it safe to say that? Yesterday, on the YouTube video for the episode that introduced PF2.KD, listener James B asked,

“been a while but was this document ever released on your website?”

Two questions about the future of PF2.KD in one month after nothing for years? That’s odd. Honestly, I thought there was so little interest in it at this point that I didn’t even list it as a topic we covered in the Patron’s Private Sanctuary write-up. But now, however minorly it might be in the zeitgeist at the moment, I thought I’d go over what I said in that episode. Maybe I’ve underestimated how much people want PF2.KD.

For those who don’t know, PF2.KD came out of Know Direction 233. That episode, about Pathfinder 2e Hacks and House Rules, came about after Know Direction 232, in which the Pathfinder Secrets of Magic Playtest kind of broke Perram. He felt Pathfinder 2e too often shied away from delivering on the promise of its cool concepts. Combined with the issues I brought up with Pathfinder 2e in our initial review, we both liked the game but had issues with certain areas.

After the episode, I put in a lot of work cataloguing the house rules we proposed with the intent to collect them and release them. However, a few months later, the Advanced Player’s Guide came out. The APG addressed some of our issues, and made others moot. Ultimately, it made us happier with Pathfinder 2e. PF2.KD came from a place of frustration, the kind of frustration you can only get when something that matters a lot to you annoys you. Without that frustration, PF2.KD became harder to writer, and seemed less desired.

I love learning, especially when what I learn can apply to my hobbies. In this case, learning about Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic Sound made me rethink an issue I’ve always had with players making in-character jokes that would get their PCs in trouble.

Thursday, November 17th

Podcast

Digital Divination 070 – Top 5 Starfinder Adventures

It’s common to criticize Top X Lists, but it’s a tried and true formula that’s easy to follow and fun to listen to. Case in point: Digital Divination’s first Top 5 list, where John and Jason use their vast and varied experiences with Starfinder adventures to discuss their favourites.

Friday, November 18th

Podcast

Upshift 006 – TTRPG Art and Art Orders

I wouldn’t call it imposter syndrome, but I wasn’t sure I was qualified to do this topic justice. Still, based on a few art-related anecdotes I wanted an excuse to tell, I booked this episode on the benefits and challenges of writing art orders. I think the episode turned out a lot of fun.

Preview of November 21st to 25th

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

Monday, November 21st

Article

Now You Know – PF2.KD Status
By Ryan Costello

I let everyone know what’s up with PF2.KD.

Tuesday, November 22nd

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 014

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Note: This week’s episode isn’t edited yet, and I’m not sure I’ll have the time to tonight.

Wednesday, November 23rd

Podcast

Presenting: Karee Vogrin

Meet the gamer behind Critical Hit Cookies.

Thursday, November 24th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, November 25th

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – So… Mastodon

Ryan Costello — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 17:03:45 +0000

One of the topics I mentioned considering for last week’s editorial was how I finally started using Twitter after years of dismissing it, only for it to implode shortly after. At the time, I wasn’t sure I had anything original to say. However, there’s been a development! A mammoth development, you could say.

Mastodon.

It’s not great.

Some people are touting it (or tooting it, a joke that’s hilarious if you too are on Mastodon) as Twitter’s successor. And honestly, it works more than Twitter than any other social media platform I’ve been on. That is, once I actually got onto the platform. Mastodon’s biggest hurdle is the barrier to entry. It’s like Twitter meets Discord, divided into servers to keep the scope of conversations narrow. But with Discord, you typically start with an invitation to a server, not the platform as a whole. With Mastodon, you’re either invited to the platform and then left to find your niche, or invited to follow a content creator you enjoy with extra steps.

For example, if you want to follow Know Direction on Mastodon, you can’t just go to Mastodon.social and follow @KnowDirection. You have to go to dice.camp (camps being the Mastodon equivalent of servers or communities, weirdly creating URLs without any mention of Mastodon) and follow @KnowDirection.dice.camp.

On the subject of Mastodon equivalents, it seems like the platform wanted to avoid any terminology used by any other social media platform. That includes terms shared by multiple platforms, like Like. Instead, you Favourite posts, which doesn’t mean the same as Favourite on other platforms. Also, they’re not posts, they’re Toots. Yep.

I’m giving Mastodon a try, and think the end result of joining has potential. But having joined and abandoned platforms like Google+ and Gleemax, I’m skeptical. But hey, if you’re on Mastodon, prove me wrong! I’ll be Tooting the same Network promotional content to my camp as I post to Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking of the content, here’s a recap of what went up on the Know Direction Network last week:

Recap of November 7th to 11th

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

Monday, November 7th

Article

Now You Know – Oops
By Ryan Costello

Nearly forgot to post this one.

Tuesday, November 8th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 013 – Lily’s Pad

Our Adventurous heroes confront their old enemy and enter the final stages of their last adventure.

Wednesday, November 9th

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 0052

Alex, Dustin, and I had a nice chat with Patrons Foeclan, GM Numbat, and Chanin. I’m hoping we can make Patron’s Private Sanctum live recordings monthly events.

Podcast

Presenting – Jacob Blackmon

What an amazing episode for anyone interested in working full time freelancing in the TTRPG industry. I love Jacob’s philosophy of work/life balance.

Thursday, November 10th

Article

Investing In: Impossible Lands
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, November 17th

Podcast

Digital Divination 70

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, November 18th

Podcast

Upshift 006 – Art and Art Orders

Jason and I talk about the craft and fun of writing art orders.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Oops

Ryan Costello — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:07:47 +0000

Even though we were on the good end of daylight savings time, yesterday I felt the extra hour of doing stuff and being awake weighing on me after putting my girls to bed. I still had to edit the Adventurous episode scheduled this week, and write this blog post. I debated talking about how missing Assembly Required (a G.I. Joe focused convention) made me again nostalgic for cons. But I talked about that in July. So I considered talking about how I finally invested in sharing on Twitter after shrugging the platform off for a decade and a half, only for it to be the target of scorn and ridicule after Elon Musk bought it. But did I really have enough to say to fill an editorial, let alone any original thoughts on the matter? Finally, I thought about talking about the Patron’s Private Sanctum we recorded last Wednesday. But this wouldn’t amount to anything more than shameless self=promotion for our Patreon. So I put this post aside and edited Adventurous.

Then I forgot to come back to it.

So, oops, sorry folks. But I don’t like missing Now You Knows, for the sake of the network’s diligent content creators who deserve any spotlight I can shine on them. So, better late than never.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of October 31st to November 4th

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

Monday, October 31st

Thursday, November 3rd

Podcast

Digital Divination 069 – Developing Starfinder Adventures

Jason tells John about his development process when it comes to adventures, using Luis Loza’s Band on the Run Starfinder one-shot as an example.

Friday, November 4th

Podcast

Upshift 005 – Operation: Cold Iron Breakdown

Oh this went long.

An hour and a half episode of a ~40-minute podcast snowballs (appropriately enough) into a week long problem as I try to squeeze triple the editing time into a regular week. One week shy of the one week a year that’s an hour longer!

Along similar lines as the latest Digital Divination, Jason and I breakdown the first Adventure Series hardcover for the G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game, Operation: Cold Iron. He looks at it as a developer, and I as a designer.

Preview of November 7th to 11th

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

Monday, November 7th

Article

Now You Know – Oops
By Ryan Costello

Apologies for the 14 hours lateness of this post. On the plus side, Adventurous is already edited and ready to post!

Oh shoot, I forgot to find a banner for it.

Tuesday, November 8th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 013

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, November 9th

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 52

Alex, Dustin, and I chat Marvel Snap, how shockingly far the train we hear is from Dustin’s window, plans for the network including the flagship, and, of all things, Dwarfed, with Patrons Foeclan, GM Numbat, and Chanin.

Podcast

Presenting: Jacob Blackmon

As I typically mention when John interviews artists, I regret that my limited art vocabulary and visual thinking means I rarely interview artists on my podcasts. Jacob Blackmon’s been network adjacent for forever, and lately he’s been killing it as a popular artist of Transformers player characters. Can’t wait to hear this interview.

Thursday, November 10th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, November 11th

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – 15 Years Of Know Direction

Ryan Costello — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 13:35:57 +0000

This usually gets overshadowed by Halloween themed content, but the first episode of the Know Direction network’s first podcast, 3.5 Private Sanctuary, released on October 30th, 2007. That makes today the 15th anniversary of Know Direction content. Sadly, we took the 3.5 Private Sanctuary episodes off the network due to space constraints, but you can find them preserved on archive.org’s Private Sanctuary page.

To give an idea of how much the TTRPG industry changed since then, our third episode, Digital Vs Print, was mostly on the ethics of getting digital copies of the game since we couldn’t yet imagine a world where digital RPG rulebooks could be legally acquired. And even though we’re best know as a Pathfinder fan site, The Know Direction Network went live about 6 months before Paizo’s March 18, 2008 announcement that they’d were designing their own RPG.

I’ve been working on this network longer than any job I’ve had. Heck, I’ve had a longer and more consistent relationship with the network than I have with anyone or anything other than my wife and family. It’s something I think about and interact with on a daily basis for the last 5480 days. Next year, it can learn to drive, and in a few years it can vote and drink (both of which are allowed at 18 in Quebec, which surely has never caused problems).

I do feel like I’ve been waxing nostalgic a lot in my editorials this year. Maybe I felt the shadow of the milestone casting over me. In any case, I don’t want to dwell too much on the past yet again. I just want to thank our audience, old and new, for investing in us for however long you’ve been a fan, and to the staff, who continues to evolve and add to the Know Direction Network.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here’s a recap of the content from last week:

Recap of October 24th to 28th

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

Monday, October 24th

Article

Now You Know – Now We Can Talk About This

With Paizo hiring both Vanessa and Dustin, and allowing them to announce it, we now know how much work we need to do during the network restructuring.

Tuesday, October 25th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 012 – Everyone’s a Critic

You see, we were at an art auction, with art critics, and Xavier used an art critique (courtesy The Instant Art Critique Phrase Generator) to inspire courage, but also Scott kept critting Oggdren. The titles of our episodes have layers.

Wednesday, October 26th

Podcast

Presenting – Andrew Mullen

I can definitely relate to Andrew’s experience balancing home life and fatherhood with a TTRPG writing career, but the bulk of what I took away from this interview was his excitement for and investment in the upcoming Luminant Age campaign setting for Pathfinder 2e.

Preview of October 31st to November 4th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, October 31st

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 098 – That’s No Moon

GM Ron Lundeen runs a band of misfits through the Starfinder Devastation Ark adventure path from Paizo.

Article

Now You Know – 15 Years Of Know Direction
By Ryan Costello

Happy birthday, Know Direction Network!

Tuesday, November 1st

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 49: Creature Comforts

Shortly after Roberta Taylor won a game design award as a hobbyiest, she had to decide whether to turn down all of her new board game industry opportunities, or fully commit to it as a new job.

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.

Wednesday, November 2nd

Discord

Patron’s Private Sanctum 52

Aftershow no more! Patrons of the Familiars tier or higher are invited to join us for the first standalone recording of a Patron’s Private Sanctum.

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, November 3rd

Podcast

Digital Divination 69

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, November 4th

Podcast

Upshift 005 – Operation: Cold Iron Breakdown

Jason and I breakdown the first G.I. Joe Adventure Series hardcover, Operation: Cold Iron.

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Now We Can Talk About This

Ryan Costello — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:20:11 +0000

In case you missed it, Paizo hired Vanessa and Dustin for full time developer positions. For anyone who noticed the lack of committal updates about the state of the Know Direction podcast since the mid-September announcement that Luis would be leaving the network, this is why. The producers of our two live shows -including the last host standing on our flagship- had huge career opportunities that would include major life changes looming. Now that we know the best case scenario came to pass, we can start looking at what Vanessa and Dustin joining Paizo means for their podcasts and the network.

We’ll go into this in greater detail over the coming weeks, but here’s the major talking points:

The Network hiatus is over: This was the least hiatus-y hiatus I’ve ever seen. Given the option to continue to publish content only if they wanted, the staff put out the majority of regular blog and podcast content as usual. The big exceptions being the network’s two live shows: Know Direction and KD: Beyond.
Live content hiatus continues: Vanessa and Dustin won’t be carrying on as producers of the live shows because of the time crunch and the last vestige of our claims to be unbiased journalists. I know we already say we’re totally biased, but there’s “we’re huge fans spreading our love of these games” biased, and then there’s “we’re hosted by the staff that makes the content we’re covering” biased. And because live content producer is the hardest role on the network to fill, we can’t easily replace them.
Vanessa and Dustin don’t plan to leave the network: Although they’re leaving their podcasts, they don’t plan on leaving the network. Plans can change, of course, as they become more aware of how their workload affects their free time. They both hope to stay on to participate in Know Direction content and help run the network.
Reinventing Know Direction: We expect Know Direction will return, but with a format evolution. It needs new hosts, and this gives us an opportunity to update the presentation to best fill its purpose. The Know Direction audience and the Pathfinder community don’t look the same as they did when we launched, or five years ago, or even a couple of years ago. This is our chance to evaluate the podcast’s strengths and lean into them for a relaunch.
Aftershows that aren’t after any shows: One of the big draws of the Know Direction Patreon is the exclusive access to staff in a more casual setting. Up to now, that was through the Patron’s Private Sanctum and Beyonderer aftershows. However, with no live shows to record after, we will now start scheduling these as regular hangouts with the Patrons. I’d like to record the next Patron’s Private Sanctum in the next few weeks. Check the Patreon later this week and this space next week for more information on this new network content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of October 17th to 21st

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

Monday, October 17th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 097 – The Signal

I know I don’t play Starfinder, but episodes like this make me love Starfinder. Where else can you hear about quantum slime calling chunks of the cosmos down on the PCs?

Article

Now You Know – Taking It Slow

I’m glad I don’t need to announce that there’s nothing to announce anymore. Expect juicier editorials in the next stretch of Now You Knows.

Tuesday, October 18th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 48: Million Dollar Doodle

When I finish listening to a new episode of GDU, I’m often fascinated by the journey the game took to publication, and the cleverness of the creatives involved. Sometimes, however, I just want to play the game the episode’s about. Million Dollar Doodle sounds so much like my kind f game.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Big Fang Theory
By Nate Wright

Nate – Writes an article about space vampires.

Ryan – Thumbs up.

Nate – Titles the article Big Fang Theory.

Ryan – Standing ovation.

Wednesday, October 19th

Article

Behind The Screens – Bluey Rules

Want to know how much I love Bluey? This installment of BTS was either going to be about how Bluey handles rules, or revisit G.I. Joe filecards as a tool for PC backgrounds in response to a recent AMA with G.I. JOE writer Larry Hama. Bluey won.

Thursday, October 20th

Podcast

Digital Divination 068 – Writing Starfinder Adventures

Jason goes over the creation of Junker’s Delight with John to illustrate how to write Starfinder adventures.

Friday, October 21st

Podcast

Upshift 004 – RAW, RAI, and The Rules

Take two! Jason and I talk about the different causes of RAW vs RAI conflicts, with some Essence20 examples, and what players and designers can do about them.

Preview of October 24th to 28th

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

Monday, October 24th

Article

Now You Know – Now We Can Talk About This
By Ryan Costello

Let the planning for the future of Know Direction begin again!

Tuesday, October 26th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 011

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, October 27th

Presenting: Andrew Mullen

Selfishly, I like seeing Andrew Mullen’s career progress because he credit’s Know Direction and our seminar coverage for helping him launch his career.

Thursday, October 28th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, October 29th

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Paizo Hires KD’s Vanessa Hoskins, Dustin Knight

Ryan Costello — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 20:37:14 +0000

It’s a big day for Know Direction staff making RPG career moves.

Congratulations to two longtime Know Direction staff members Vanessa Hoskins and Dustin Knight, both hosts and members of the Know Direction board of directors, who each announced today that they accepted developer positions at Paizo.

Vanessa Hoskins

Before joining Know Direction as a blogger in March 2018, Vanessa Hoskins already established herself as a talented and dependable freelancer. She wrote several popular Pathfinder Society scenarios, earning her the right to produce 2017’s multi-table convention special, The Solstice Scar. Since then, she’s worked on multiple Pathfinder 1^st and 2^nd edition and Starfinder sourcebooks for Paizo, and most recently wrote Hands of the Devil, book 2 of the beloved Abomination Vaults adventure path, as well as Punks in a Powderkeg, the module that kicked off the Outlaws of Alkenstar adventure path. She also famously wrote Legendary Kineticist: Second Edition for Legendary Games, bringing her favourite 1e Pathfinder class to 2e even before Paizo did. Finally, she cocreates Pathfinder Infinite serialized fiction series Vellum & Lace with Helen Savore.

As a member of the Know Direction staff, she just about did it all. She wrote Craft (Adventure), an advice blog for prospective adventure writers. She GMed and produced Stellar, an Actual Play of Starfinder’s Against the Aeon Throne adventure path. She plays everyone’s favourite Milanite rebel rouser, Idonia, on Adventurous, as well as its sequel series Young and Adventurous. Finally, she joined Know Direction: Beyond as a host and producer before moving onto the flagship, hosting and eventually producing the Know Direction podcast.

Oh, and she played a PFS character who bought an airship.

Dustin Knight

Dustin’s list of freelance credits for Paizo keep growing, like his PFS scenario The Crashing Wave, and his contributions to popular hardcovers like The Grand Bazaar, and Guns & Gears. But recently he’s become known for his work as a Pathfinder influencer, Booster Bestiary streams, adapting Magic: The Gathering cards into Pathfinder 2e monsters, and Infiknight Reviews, promoting the best Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinity have to offer. His commitment to the Pathfinder content creators and the innovative ways he supports the community make him stand out.

Although Dustin’s primarily know as the author of Fox’s Cunning -one of our more mechanically focused blogs, which might feature anything from a comprehensive index of summoning spell options to a bed frame hazard– Dustin’s constantly finding new ways to contribute to the network. Like his Battle of the Pantheons initiative, in which he coordinated with Paizo to run a contest that officially added a new and Pathfinder Society legal Pantheon to Pathfinder lore. Or the playtest actual plays he GMed. Or playing as Kuro Kishimono, kitsune witch in our Troubles In Otari playthrough. He even designed a Know Direction Dice Rolling App for April Fools so convincing, our readers wished it was real. More recently, he took over production and co-hosting duties on Know Direction: Beyond.

On A Personal Note

Vanessa’s one of the most dedicated Pathfinder enthusiasts and freelancers I’ve known, constantly breaking new ground, earning new opportunities, and excelling when given the chance. Not only am I happy for her, I’m excited to see what she brings to Pathfinder’s adventures in the future.

Meanwhile, Dustin’s an under the radar network MVP. One of his greatest contributions to the quality of our content is his participation in live episodes of Know Direction. I’m not sure if listeners picked up on how often we credit “Kitsune Warlock, Know Direction’s own Dustin Knight” during live episodes for questions and for finding info the hosts couldn’t remember, but it happens a lot.

Congratulations to you both!

Now You Know – Taking It Slow

Ryan Costello — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:04:07 +0000

Just a quick update on the future of the flagship, there are a few more variables in play since we announced the Know Direction podcast’s hiatus. We don’t want to set a new plan into motion only to have to change directions yet again. The extended delay is unfortunate, but we definitely want to find the right solution, not the quickest.

When we sort that out, you can also expect a shuffling of our other content. As you’ll see in this week’s recap and preview, Block 1 of our two block schedule features more content at this point, and I’d like to even the two blocks out again.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction podcasts, blogs, and streams from last week:

Recap of October 10th to 14th

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

Tuesday, October 11th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 011 – The Reason To Suspect Vampires

I swear, when someone brought up our twice planned but never used vigilante identities from the original Adventurous run, I nearly screamed and cried. The only reason I didn’t is because I couldn’t decide which to do first.

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Destroyer of Shins

Last week, Dustin messaged me to say “Can’t do an article this week. Absolutely overburdened with work, sorry!” Only to message me minutes later with “Actually, here’s a short and silly one.”

That short and silly one ended up being one of his most popular, based on social media reactions.

Wednesday, October 12th

Podcast

Presenting – David N. Ross

I’ve known David causally for years now, and I feel like I’ve been fairly aware of the content he puts out, but a concentrated thirty minute conversation about all of his work really cements how much he’s contributed to the games we play.

Thursday, October 13th

Article

Investing In: Kingmaker Planning
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, October 20th

Podcast

Digital Divination 68

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, October 7th

Podcast

Upshift 004 – RAW, RAI, and The Rules

Due to a technical issue, Jason and I have to rerecord this episode, in which we discuss where Rules As Written end and Rules As Intended take over.

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Shout Out To Our Content Creators

Ryan Costello — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 15:58:01 +0000

A few weeks ago, we announced that the Know Direction Podcast was going on hiatus, and that the rest of the staff had the option to take time off as well. We usually take a few weeks off this time of year and run a guest blogger takeover anyway to give staff a chance to recover after the Gen Con rush.

If you haven’t been checking the site regularly because you assume everyone took me up on that offer, I have news for you: No one did.

Throughout the hiatus, the majority of our blogs and podcasts other than our flagship has continued to release content. So I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their continued dedication to The Know Direction Network.

Alex Augunas: Currently our senior-most staffer, and the site’s original blogger, Alex is still finding the time to plan and host our monthly episodes of Know Direction: Beyond. He’s also the smith behind Know Direction’s Hero Forge content. Alex’s dedication shines through, and Know Direction wouldn’t be the network it is -and may never have become a multi-media network at all- without him.

James Ballod: James may say he “used to write Code/Switch” when he introduces himself, but he’s been contributing to the Network for over six years now, regularly joining Alex for new episodes of Know Direction: Beyond. His wit and outlook have shaped the network behind the scenes and in front of our fans. He’s more than just the guy who used to write Code/Switch.

Loren Sieg: Eagerly looking for a new co-host to take over for Luis on Legend Lore, Loren continues to play Lily on Know Direction’s Pathfinder actual play podcast, Adventurous. Loren loves networking, one of the main motivators for writing interactive columns Dear Dovah Queen and Bend The Knee.

Randal Meyer: Know Direction’s resident technomancer, Randal’s handling the site and Discord server since Perram’s departure. Although not a Know Direction project, Randal’s work on his Discord bot designed for immersive Play-by-Post roleplaying, RPG Sage, blows my mind. I’m especially thankful that he added Essence20 functionality to it, making it the premier Essence20 virtual tabletop option.

Vanessa Hoskins: I’ve talked before about how it feels like Vanessa’s been on the network for far longer than the four years, but that just shows how much content she’s contributed to in that time. She’s getting a break from her most prominent network duties while we rework The Know Direction Podcast, but continues to appear as Idonia on Adventurous.

Jason Keeley: As I shouted out to a month or so ago (Jason’s getting so many shout outs), Jason’s doing everything these days. Co-hosting Digital Divination and Upshift, and playing Oggdren on Adventurous, he’s one of our most prolific cast members.

Rob Pontious: Not only does Rob share his feelings about the latest Pathfinder content and open my eyes to other RPGs out there in Investing In, he also helps me justify bringing Essence20 content to the network. “We’re not just a Paizo products network,” I say. “We cover broad RPG content as well, like in Investing In.” Oh, Rob also plays Ev’etaewayr on Valiant, which will conclude soon.

Dustin Knight: Another staff member who feels like he should have far more seniority than my spreadsheet indicates, Dustin’s been writing Fox’s Cunning for almost four years (why, Halloween is his fourth anniversary), and took over production duties on Know Direction: Beyond from Vanessa. He’s technically only produced five Beyonds to date, which blows my mind. He fit right in as soon as he sat in the Beyond production chair.

John Godek: What a boon for the network John’s been. Although Intrepid Heroes dates back to 2019, the show joined the Know Direction Network in 2020. It’s one of three shows that John appears on, with him also hosting Presenting and Digital Divination. He’s one of our most prolific and consistent staff members, and the network’s lucky to have him.

Danielle Reynolds: Speaking of prolific, fans of Danielle’s board game podcast Game Design Unboxed have heard her journey from wanting to be a game designer to working full time in the industry with several credits to her name. GDU is a relic of a time when KD was broadening its content, but even if the show feels like a strange fit for the network, I’m so happy to have it an Danielle on board.

Nate Wright: Eldritch Excursion regularly surprises me with its unexpected topics and Nate’s hilarious ability to turn a phrase. I never know what to expect when a new Eldritch Excursion drops, and I love him for that.

Our Casts and Advisors: The rest of our staff is made up of cast members of our actual plays, and advisors whose opinions help shape the network. They include, in order of seniority, Cathy Dolan, Owen KC Stephens, Ron Lundeen, Stephanie Lundeen, Scott Keim, Mark Woolcott, Rob Helm, Jessica Redekop, Avi Kool, Scott Young, and Michelle Jones.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction podcasts, blogs, and streams from last week:

Recap of September 26th to 30th

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

Monday, September 26th

Article

Now You Know – The Ability Score Challenge

I reminisced about an old idea for a viral video challenge, before any of that was a thing.

Tuesday, September 27th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 010 – To the Dungeon

I experimented with a shorter episode this week, about 30 minutes instead of about an hour. It felt like we packed a lot into that time, and there was an unplanned but organic exit point when I cut the episode off. Curious how people felt about that.

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Eat, Play, Love: Three Meta-Session Activities

Using the latest Lost Omens hardcover, the Travel Guide, and other sources from outside Pathfinder, Dustin brings more of life’s little pleasures to the Downtime phase.

Wednesday, September 28th

Podcast

Presenting – Isis Wozniakowska

Speaking of packing a lot into half an hour, this was one of the shorter episodes of Presenting, but it covers a lot of ground. Isis really impressed me, being a scholar and world traveler who brings her experiences to her writing.

Thursday, September 29th

Article

Investing In: Pathfinder Infinite
By Rob Pontious

Thursday, October 6th

Podcast

Digital Divination 67

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, October 7th

Podcast

Upshift 004 – RAW, RAI, and The Rules

Ryan and Jason discuss where Rules As Written ends and Rules As Intended takes over.

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – The Ability Score Challenge

Ryan Costello — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 15:03:33 +0000

This weekend, while watching Playing Think Words With WRESTLING QUESTIONS (their emphasis, not mine), on the Cultaholic Wrestling YouTube channel, I figured it would be fun and easy for the network staff to do a similar video. It got me thinking about what similar games or online challenges we could participate in, and how.

All of a sudden, a flood of memories swept over me. I recalled a fully developed but abandoned idea for video content. It would be inaccurate to call this Know Direction Network content, as we’re talking going back to the days before the network and even before Know Direction. This was a 3.5 Private Sanctuary video content concept:

The Ability Score Challenge

Jay (that’s Dubsky, not Jefferson Thacker) and I came across a website that codified the three physical ability scores, based on D&D 3.5’s definitions. I wanted to test myself physically and mentally in a series of six videos to see if we could translate real world me onto a D&D 3.5 character sheet.

As often happens, the idea was fun, but we left it by the wayside before seriously looking at the logistics. At the time, it might have been a few minutes of entertainment (YouTube at the time had 10 minute caps on videos), but because social media was in its infancy, I doubt it would have gone viral. Probably the ideal window of opportunity was around when ICv2 reported that Pathfinder first outsold D&D 4e. Technological possibilities and social media agency overlapped with Pathfinder brand recognition.

I have trouble running published adventures, and I don’t write my own adventures because I’m much more comfortable improvising at the table. But now that I’m writing adventures for publication, I’m finally developing the skills necessary to read and understand how to run published adventure content.

Thursday, September 22nd

Podcast

Digital Divination 066 – Building High Level Characters

The title may say “Building High Level Characters” but I found the most insightful portion of this episode was about designing adventures that account for high level characters.

Friday, September 23rd

Podcast

Upshift 003 – Settling Your Setting

Just because Essence20 core rulebooks are written for a default version of the setting doesn’t mean you need to walk the same line. You could run a wild west Power Rangers game. Or age of steam Transformers. Your G.I. JOE campaign could be about fighting from below in a world where Cobra already won.

Preview of September 26th to 30th

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

Monday, September 26th

Article

Now You Know – Return of the September Slump
By Ryan Costello

Short and sweet editorial today to raise awareness of the upcoming hiatus of some Know Direction content.

Tuesday, September 27th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 010

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, September 28th

Presenting: Isis Wozniakowska

Pathfinder freelancer Isis Wozniakowska talks about her work on Secrets of Magic and Dark Archive.

Thursday, September 29th

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, September 30th

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Wishing Luis Well

Ryan Costello — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 14:46:58 +0000

Call this part two of last week’s editorial. As announced on the latest episode of Know Direction, Luis Loza will be leaving the podcast and the Know Direction Network. Luis joined us in July of 2016, first as a blogger, then as co-host of Legend Lore. He constantly showed initiative, conceiving, casting, GMed, and producing Valiant by himself. He was one of the top choices to replace me as co-host of Know Direction, with the only concerns being that he’d be too busy, and he might feel uncomfortable as a Paizo developer.

I’ll miss having Luis on the network. He’s universally acknowledged as the best human. He and Loren’s dynamic entertained me while informing me about the ins and outs of 2e and the Pathfinder campaign setting. He taught me GMing tips and techniques in his Luis’ corner segments on Valiant. And he made me proud behind the wheel of the flagship.

It’s been a period of transitional for Know Direction. This time last year I announced that I was stepping down from the podcast. In that time, Perram also left not just the podcast but the network. At the time, the network had seen also constant growth, with very few staff members leaving after joining. So for Perram, the oldest and highest ranking staff member to leave was a huge deal. Luis leaving is up there with that, and it’s only five months.

Hence, the hiatus. On top of fortifying the future of the flagship, there’s some foundational items on the network To Do list. It’ll be nice to have time committed to filling the pot holes instead of only paving the next 0.621371 miles ahead. Some content will continue to release, maybe even most of the content, but any staff that needs a break is encouraged to take in.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction podcasts, blogs, and streams from last week:

Recap of September 12th to 16th

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

Monday, September 12th

Twitch

Know Direction 284 Live – Long Live the Kingmaker

The crowdsourced collected and updated Kingmaker Adventure Path hardcover started arriving in backers’ hands, including Luis and Vanessa. They dug into the latest incarnation of the celebrated adventure together.

Article

Now You Know – Return of the September Slump

It seems like just a month ago I talked about content making a comeback. Which is why the hiatus is optional, really. Adventurous and Upshift just came back, and I don’t want to lose momentum already.

Tuesday, September 13th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 009 – That Bloody Painting

Xavier is at his least effective when he’s soloing undead, which is also when he’s at his most fun to roleplay. Also, a bunch of undead poured out of the painting and set fire to the library!

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Broken Reflections

This was fun. Dustin created a 1st level 2e encounter tied to Dark Archive and drawing from Pathfinder Infinite’s NPC Index: Warriors/NPC Index: Spellcasters.

Wednesday, September 14th

Twitch

Know Direction: Beyond 73 Live – Director Discourse

Alex, James, and Dustin bring on big old ball of creative energy Thurston Hillman, new Starfinder creative director.

Podcasts

Know Direction 284 – Long Live the Kingmaker

The episode that will go down in history as when Luis announced his departure.

Presenting – Andrew White

From Front-End Engineering Lead At A Gaming Company To Freelancing For Said Company’s Games: The Andrew White Story.

Thursday, September 15th

Article

Investing In: Kingmaker’s Kineticists
By Rob Pontious

On Monday, Vanessa and Luis bring up that the canonical kineticists in Kingmaker were presented as elemantalist sorcerers in Kingmaker. Rob heard this, took up the gauntlet, and stated them out using the playtest kineticist rules.

Friday, September 16th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 73 – Director Discourse

Thursty tells Alex, James, and Dustin all his thoughts on Warhammer. Oh, and the future of Starfinder, including some upcoming products he’s especially excited about.

Preview of September 19th to 23rd

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, September 19th

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 51

Recorded after Know Direction 284 – Long Live the Kingmaker, Vanessa and Luis riff on other RPGs on their plates, other 1e APs they’d still like to play, and their past AP experiences.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 095 – Bantrids on the Ceiling

GM Ron Lundeen answers the question “How does a tower eat?”

Article

Now You Know – Wishing Luis Well
By Ryan Costello

I thought of calling this “Wishing Luis Loza Well” for the alliteration sammich effect.

Tuesday, September 20th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 46: Supershow

Danielle speaks with designer and publisher Steve Resk about his game pro wrestling tabletop game Supershow

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.

Wednesday, September 21st

Article

Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello

Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.

Thursday, September 22nd

Podcast

Digital Divination 66

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, September 23rd

Podcast

Upshift 003 – Settling Your Setting

Ryan and Jason discuss how to take the settings of the Essence20 games and make them your own.

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Return of the September Slump

Ryan Costello — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 14:43:19 +0000

I mentioned this in a post to Patreon, but we had a couple of live event cancelations last week. Although they were for specific reasons, this is consistent with a September slump we usually see this time of year. Normally we replace the early September content with a Guest Blogger Takeover to give the staff a break. This year, we’ll be going on hiatus to update the website, schedule, and address staff needs. We’ll go into greater detail next week, and on tonight’s live episode of Know Direction, how this affects the network content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of September 5th to 9th

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

Monday, September 5th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 094 – The Signal

Things get grounded -electrically speaking- thanks to a cool new belt.

Tuesday, September 6th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 45: Hellboy: The Board Game

As I will expand on later, this episode inspired a Behind The Screens topic. It’s one of my favourite episodes of GDU, and a great episode to check out if you only listen periodically. Immediately after listening to the episode, I reached out to my friend with a copy of Hellboy: The Board Game and scheduled a game.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – It Came From Castrovel
By Nate Wright

Nate puts the E-L-F in Alien Life Form, reimaging Pathfinder elves with an emphasis on their alien origin.

Wednesday, September 7th

Article

Behind The Screens – Board Game Storytelling

The way Hellboy: The Board Game co-designers James Hewitt and Sophie Williams talked about working story structure into their board game reminded me that the games have dramatic arcs build into them. As GMs, we shouldn’t aim to create story divorced from the system but a marriage of system and story.

Thursday, September 8th

Podcast

Digital Divination 065 – Creating and Naming New Characters

There’s a game’s character creation rules, and then there’s an individual’s character creation process. John and Jason went over their own processes, including the order they decide on details and the tools they use, followed by an extended discussion about where they get their character names.

Friday, September 9th

Podcast

Upshift 002 – Adapting Settings to RPGs

How do you adapt a property you know nothing about? What about what you know too much about? And what’s this about Transformers not transforming? Jason and I look at the advantages and oddities of adapting a property.

Preview of September 12th to 16th

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

Monday, September 12th

Twitch

Know Direction 284 Live – Kingmaker Breakdown

With the Pathfinder 2e update of one of first edition’s most popular adventure paths, Kingmaker, in their hands, Luis and Vanessa breakdown all of the content from the crowdfunded hardcover before a live Twitch audience.

Article

Now You Know – Return of the September Slump
By Ryan Costello

Short and sweet editorial today to raise awareness of the upcoming hiatus of some Know Direction content.

Tuesday, September 13th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 009

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, September 14th

Twitch

Know Direction: Beyond 73 Live – Thurston Hillman, Creative Director

New Starfinder Creative Director Thurston Hillman joins Alex, James, and Dustin to talk about his new position, responsibilities, and the direction he wants to take the game.

Podcast

Know Direction 284 – Kingmaker Breakdown

With the Pathfinder 2e update of one of first edition’s most popular adventure paths, Kingmaker, in their hands, Luis and Vanessa breakdown all of the content from the crowdfunded hardcover.

Presenting: Andrew White

John speaks with Paizo’s software engineering lead and Pathfinder freelancer Andrew White.

Thursday, September 15th

Podcast

Legend Lore 50

Luis and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e, one topic at a time.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, September 16th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 73 – Thurston Hillman, Creative Director

Always love Thursty’s take, and I’m excited to hear what he has in store for the future.

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – What Do You Do With A Starship Combat?

Ryan Costello — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 16:37:14 +0000

Ah, Intrepid Heroes 093 – Starship Battles. As the name suggests, it features one big starship battle. And, as is pretty common when starship combat comes up, the discourse surrounding the episode focused on whether that subsystem can be fun. In fact, a week later, there are still posts adding to that topic on the Know Direction Discord server’s Starfinder channel. Even though I don’t play Starfinder and, other than one SFS scenario, the vast majority of my Starfinder exposure is through our podcasts, I find the starship combat issues fascinating. Especially since the game and those rules are 5 years old.

I personally enjoyed that episode of Intrepid Heroes, because I love hearing how well John knows the starship combat rules. But the fact that most of the other players needed the refresher illustrates one issue with the starship combat rules: lack of exposure atrophies understanding. And that leads to a vicious cycle: Adventures minimize the amount of starship combat because players find them confusing and boring, but still include them since they’re a feature of the game; because of how infrequently the rules show up, players need to relearn starship combat every time, confusing and boring them; repeat.

After Starship Operations Manual, I heard that the new starship roles breathed new life into starship combat. I guess they solved a starship combat problem, but not the all starship combat problems. The fact that the Starship Operations Manual exists shows that the Starfinder design team at Paizo is not trying to sweep the subsystem under the rug, at least. The ideal solution would be for Paizo to release a simple patch that retains every word they’ve published (and therefore they and Starfinder players paid for), and meets the expectations of the audience. But given some of the complaints (that starship combat plays contrary to the cadence and expectations of the rest of Starfinder play), I’m not sure the ideal solution is doable.

I don’t have a suggestion, sadly. Just pontificating a thought inspired by last week’s content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of August 22nd to August 26th

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

Monday, August 22nd

Twitch

Know Direction 283 Live – Travel Guide Breakdown

Thursday, August 25th

Podcast

Digital Divination 064 – Tips and Tricks for Starting Starfinder

Possibly naively, I used the Starfinder Beginner Box as the image for the social media share for this episode. Twitter user Leon Aquilla countered with “My first piece of advice is dont use the beginner box”. It made me realize that what Keeley said in the episode, that you’ll need to relearn aspects of the game when you transition from the Beginner Box to the Core Rulebook, may have been the kind of veiled warning that flies way over my head.

Friday, August 26th

Podcast

Upshift 001 – Reintroduction

I’m super excited to be podcasting again, to be podcasting about Essence20, and to be podcasting with Jason Keeley. Too super excited. I cut about 20 minutes of tangents and rambling from the episode and it still feels like I drifted from the topic. I guess 6 months out of the first chair of a podcast built up a lot of unused anecdotes that I released at the first opportunity.

Preview of August 29th to September 2nd

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

Monday, August 29th

Article

Now You Know – What Do You Do With A Starship Combat?
By Ryan Costello

Hand wave complicated rules,
Hand wave complicated rules,
Hand wave complicated rules,
Early in the morning!

Tuesday, August 30th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 008

Scott D Young runs the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, August 31st

Podcast

Presenting: Dave Scott

John Godek’s Everyday Heroes coverage continues with Dave Scott, the owner of Evil Genius Productions.

Thursday, September 1st

Podcast

Legend Lore 50

Luis and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e, one topic at a time.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, September 2nd

Article

Iconic Design – Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Augunas

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Good Ol’ Jason Keeley

Ryan Costello — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 14:29:50 +0000

Sometimes a person enters your life and you have no idea how significant of a role they will play. For me, one example is Jason Keeley.

I first noticed Jason at PaizoCon one year when he arrived to the banquet with a cape. I don’t remember why he had a cape, and I only vaguely remember him doing something with the cape, but I definitely remember the cape. So before I even met him, he’d passed The Batman Test.

Because Jason worked primarily on Starfinder, I got to know him like many of our listeners: through his various seminar appearances and Know Direction: Beyond interviews. Jason did appear on an episode of Know Direction, but he guested along with Owen K.C. Stephens on an episode not about either of them but about Paizo’s then upcoming science fiction RPG.

It wasn’t until Jason joined the cast of Adventurous did I get to know him well. I don’t even remember how his name came up as a candidate to replace Ari, but I know we told him we needed a tank. He complied, and he and Oggdren fit right in. We’ve been gaming together since then for three years. We’ve been players together, he’s GMed me, I’ve GMed him. And it’s all been a lot of fun.

Recently, he transitioned from a Network cast member to Network staff when he started cohosting Digital Divination. When he joined Renegade as a developer, I reached out to him about cohosting and reviving Upshift, which he obliged.

After a week of freelancer to developer chats for work and then a host to host chat on the podcast, I realize I’m talking to Jason more regularly than most of my friends, and we’ve blended our work, Network, and friendship into this ragu relationship. And I’m lucky to have it! Jason’s an amazing guy that I kind of walked backwards into getting to know well. And if the first episode of the Upshift is any indicator, we can look forward to much more great Jason Keeley content in the future on the Know Direction network.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction podcasts, blogs, and streams from last week:

Recap of August 15th to August 19th

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

Monday, August 15th

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 49

Friday, August 19th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 72 – GenCon 2022 Recap

GenCon spoiled Starfinder fans, ending the drought of new release news in a big way. Alex, James, and Dustin cover it all, giddily.

Preview of August 22nd to August 26th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, August 22nd

Twitch

Know Direction 283 Live – Pathfinder Lost Omens: Travel Guide

Thursday, August 25th

Podcast

Digital Divination 64

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, August 26th

Podcast

Upshift 001 – The New Upshift

With new cohost Jason Keeley, and following the Digital Divination/Legend Lore topical format, it’s an all new version of the Essence20 podcast.

Article

Iconic Designs
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Content Comeback

Ryan Costello — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 09:21:41 +0000

As you probably saw, there’s a new episode of Valiant in your feed!

I’m a big fan of Luis Loza’s original Pathfinder 2e campaign. He put a lot of thought into the format. The way he breaks up the narrative with his GM segments not only gives great advice from an experienced GM, but also gives us a window into his thoughts and experience with this campaign. When he told us about how the players talk themselves into thinking they could only ask one question of the oracular skeleton they met (shout out to Qarnoz!), not only was it hilarious, but it added a layer of situational irony to the episode. I appreciate how much space he gives his players to explore, and I love how well this talented group of players and actual play cast members fills the space they’re give.

It’s not the only podcast content returning to the Know Direction Network.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but I’ve been busy with an Essence20 assignment from Renegade. In fact, this weekend while my wife and kids visited my family’s trailer in exotic Plattsburgh, New York, I stayed home so I could beat a fast approaching deadline. Then, Renegade extended my deadline. I didn’t even ask them to, I just got two more weeks added to finish an assignment that is now nearly done. So 1. Woo! And 2. That frees me up for more network work.

We have another arc of Young and Adventurous recorded that’s just waiting for me to edit it. It’s scheduled for tomorrow, but I’ll probably only get it out in two weeks. I’ve gotten good at editing Adventurous quickly, but the first episode of a recording takes the longest.

But that’s not all! As discussed in Digital Divination 062 – More Changes at Paizo, Jason Keeley recently left the Starchamber and joined the, uh… Essence Station? He’s joined Renegade Game Studios as an Essence20 developer! And he’s joining me for an Upshift revival.

Upshift debuted as the Know Direction Network’s Essence20 news, previews, and interviews podcast in January, and had a rocky road from the start. With production and shipping delays causing the books to release late, Perram and I struggled for topics to fill the void. Then Perram left the network. I soloed a couple of episodes, one of which went so badly that I didn’t finish it and the show went on hiatus.

The Essence20 landscape changed. The first volley of core rulebooks released (with Transformers only available as a PDF at the moment, but available nontheless!). Production’s moving forward on My Little Pony and the follow-up releases of the first three settings. And Jason’s on board!

We’ll be changing the format of Upshift. Instead of being the Essence20 version of Know Direction, it’ll be the Essence20 version of Digital Divination. Every two weeks, we’ll release a 30-minute, single topic episode of use to Essence20 players and GMs, as well as those interested in writing game content and getting into the game industry. The first new episode could be available as early as next Friday.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of August 8th to August 12th

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

Monday, August 8th

Twitch

Know Direction 282 Live – GenCon 2022 and Rage of Elements

24 hours after the end of Gen Con 2022, Vanessa and guest co-host Alex Augunas cover all the news from the event, including the biggest news item, the already underway kineticist playtest!

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 092 – Quantum Conundrum

If you like when Starfinder gets smart but weird, this episode of time displaced clones is sci-fi shenanigans at its finest!

Article

Now You Know – Gen Con Recovery
By Ryan Costello

I let everyone know to expect reduced content releases as the staff recovers from Gen Con, only for the majority of the staff to get their stuff out on schedule.

Tuesday, August 9th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 43: FRIEND or FAUX

Chrissy Fagerholt tells Danielle the classic tale of friends coming up with a game together, and her journey learning the industry and getting that game -FRIEND or FAUX from her company EAP Toy & Games- to market.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Housecreeping
By Nate Wright

Clever mechanics excite me, especially when they work without an existing framework. Nate’s headquarters-as-a-shared-archetype articles blew me away with the creativity of the concept and how soundly he made the mechanics work. If you’re interested in designing for Pathfinder 2e, read these articles. They expanded the limits of 2e design in my mind.

Wednesday, August 10th

Podcast

Know Direction 282 – GenCon 2022 and Rage of Elements

Vee and Alex give the kineticist a solid breakdown. It’s an anticipated update to a robust 1e class, and Paizo took the 2e playtest version in unexpected directions. Having a kineticist expert like Vanessa* and a huge fan of the playtest version of the class like Alex** not only made the class clear, it made for an exciting listen.

*If “Vanessa Hoskins” is synonymous with one thing, it’s “Pathfinder kineticist”. If she’s synonymous with two things, it’s “Pathfinder kineticist and PFS airship”.

**In the KD staff chat, Alex dropped so many excited swears when discussing the playtest kineticist, I was worried he’d hurt our all ages rating if we had him on the pod.

Thursday, August 11th

Podcast

Digital Divination 063 – News From Gen Con

John and Jason go over the biggest Starfinder news from Gen Con 2022, including Jason’s joke turned baby, Golarian World, the Redshift Rally Starfinder Module, and Scoured Stars and the future of Starfinder Adventure Paths.

Friday, August 12th

Article

HeroForge Fridays 004 – Kitsune Sword Saint 2
By Alex Auguna

Thursday, August 18th

Podcast

Legend Lore 49 – Summoner

Luis and Loren tackle the class that brings its own party to the party in the latest class feature.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, August 19th

Article

Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Gen Con Recovery

Ryan Costello — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 12:00:33 +0000

Another Gen Con in the books. And from what I gather looking at the reactions online, it seemed to be a good one. A couple of years ago, Perram and I talked about feeling like we took Gen Con for granted, and how turning it into a work trip took away from our ability to make the most of the best four days in gaming. Well Perram finally got to experience Gen Con as an attendee for the first time in years. KD owes so much of our past Gen Con coverage to the work he and the KD Con Team put in over the years, so it’s worth acknowledging again.

This year, Vanessa Hoskins wore the press badge. Our slogan for Gen Con and PaizoCon has been “we con when you can’t” for a long time now, since before virtual con experiences existed. And since this year I couldn’t, I get to con vicariously through Vee.

The staff has the option to take it easy this week to recover, so there may be a few gaps in our usual release schedule.

Speaking of Know Direction Network releases, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of August 1st to August 5th

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

Tuesday, August 2nd

Article

Fox’s Cunning — These Feats Were Made For…Something?
By Dustin Knight

Dustin shares his tips for picking the right feats for your character. I know I’m guilty of ignoring Lesson 1: Higher Level≠(Much) Higher Power. If I don’t take one of the highest level feats available to me, I feel like I’m doing something wrong.

Wednesday, August 3rd

Podcast

Presenting – Shay Snow

Editor alert! We love editors here at the Know Direction Network, so I love when John puts the spotlight on one. In Shay’s case, they got into editing in the same way a lot of designers got into game design: Love of and talent for language.

Thursday, August 4th

Article

Investing In: Gen Con 2022 Hype
By Rob Pontious

Posted the first day of Gen Con 2022, Rob shares everything he loves about the best four days in gaming.

Preview of August 8th to August 12th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, August 8th

Twitch

Know Direction 282 Live – Gen Con 2022 and Rage of Elements

Thursday, August 11th

Podcast

Digital Divination 63

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, August 12th

Article

Iconic Designs
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Press Release: Syrinscape announces Syrinscape Web Player

Rob Pontious — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 14:00:33 +0000

Press Release

Syrinscape Changes the Way You’ll Hear Online TTRPGs

The new Syrinscape Web Player makes it easier than ever to add immersive sound and music to online tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs).

SYDNEY, AUG. 4, 2022 — Syrinscape Pty Ltd, creators of the revolutionary app adding immersive sound and original music to your tabletop roleplaying games, announces the release of the new Syrinscape Web Player. This amazing new tech promises to change the way people play TTRPGs online.

As more and more players take their RPGs online, Syrinscape is providing a way for Game Masters (GMs) to add custom audio, helping to set the scene, mood, and atmosphere of their games. The process is simple: the GM goes to app.syrinscape.com, copies the link Syrinscape generates for them and sends it to their players. Players simply open the link in any browser (works best in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge on PC or MAC), click to activate, and the immersive experience begins. Players won’t even need to create an account to access the sounds. The GM simply runs the game and uses the Web Player to control and deliver audio immersion to the whole party.

Syrinscape’s ambiances and battle sounds go a long way in helping the players feel more immersed in the story their GM is telling. But it doesn’t stop there. Syrinscape also creates original music that adds a movie-like soundtrack to games as well. This combination of sound and music in TTRPGs delivers a unique experience, intense, visceral, and unlike any other.

If streamers or podcasters want to use Syrinscape’s amazing sound and music in their content, no worries there, they need simply to credit Syrinscape in show notes or comments of videos and they are good to go. For details streamers should reach out to the Syrinscape team.

With the Syrinscape Web Player:

Sound plays back directly in-browser without users needing to download or install anything
Players join a game with no account or payment necessary
Each player controls their personal volume, balancing the level of sounds and music with chat
Every sample is enhanced with dynamic panning, spatialization and reverb – no lie, it sounds great!
Sound is remotely controllable by Virtual Tabletops (VTTs) or anything else that can trigger weblinks (e.g., Stream Deck)

Syrinscape CEO, Benjamin Loomes, says, “I want more people to play the Social Games I enjoy. I want people to enjoy these games more, be immersed more, moved more, thrilled more. I want to make Social Gaming a better experience for all those who are brave enough to play. That’s why I created Syrinscape. And now as more and more TTRPGs are moving online with VTTs, and streaming is becoming super popular, Syrinscape has worked hard to meet the needs of people wanting to make their online games more entertaining, immersive, surprising, and fun. Did you need an easier way to connect your player to Syrinscape’s sound? I’m so excited to be able to say, we’ve DONE IT!”

To try out the brand new shiny Syrinscape Web Player, simply go to app.syrinscape.com. You don’t even need an account to get the music and sound effects started. It’s easy!

About Syrinscape

Syrinscape is the award-winning sound design app that brings immersive background sound and a movie-like soundtrack to your tabletop gaming experience. More than just a loop of sounds or a playlist of music, Syrinscape puts a whole library at your fingertips. With just a click of a button, you’ll conjure every aural landscape imaginable! From ethereal forests and stony shorelines and dank vermin-filled dungeons, to the mysterious reaches of space and the depths of elder-god induced madness, Syrinscape is the go-to tool for an RPG experience unlike any other.

Site: https://syrinscape.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Syrinscape
Twitter: https://twitter.com/syrinscape
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Syrinscape

###

Now You Know – Looking For Me?

Ryan Costello — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 15:04:54 +0000

By now it’s been announced that I’ll be writing an issue of long-running fantasy satire online comic Looking For Group. Add it to the list of huge leaps for my writing career and dream project gains for me as a fan. I’ve worked on Looking For Group products before, starting with the LFG RPG Boxed Set as a freelancer, and then other merch as an employee, most notably the Richard the Warlock Action Figure. I’ve even written a couple of animated shorts for the Tiny Dick’s Briefs series. But this is the first time I -or anyone other than series creator Ryan Sohmer- writes the main comic series.

Since the last time I gained a significant new writing assignment it completely changed my role and ability to participate in the network, I thought I’d address what this new assignment means to Know Direction.

One important distinction with writing on Looking For Group and my freelance work for Renegade on G.I. JOE and the other Essence20 RPGs is that LFG is part of my day job. I’ve been working at Looking For Group’s publisher (first Blind Ferret Media, then Laughing Dragon Studios when the entertainment division split off into its own company) since 2014. So unlike my Renegade freelance (which sounds… not more exciting than it is but differently exciting), it won’t take away from my spare time. Since that’s when I do my network work, it won’t affect my availability to participate.

However, even if I think of myself as a creative person, I have my limits. I know I haven’t been consistent with my Behind The Screens releases and took the odd Now You Know off when I had a tight deadline. Unfortunately, that won’t end any time soon and might increase. That said, the network is still a major part of my life, something I’ve worked hard on for a long time, and the reason I’m now getting these opportunities. Until the day comes where the staff feels someone is better suited to handling the logistics, I hope to keep working on Know Direction Network content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network content, here’s a recap of the network content from last week:

Recap of July 18th to 22nd

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

Monday, July 18th

Article

Now You Know – Cons A-Comin’
By Ryan Costello

I looked at all of the then upcoming conventions and wondered when I’d feel comfortable attending one again.

Tuesday, July 19th

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Psizing-up Psychics
By Dustin Knight

With Dark Archive in his hands, Dustin shares four archetypes with a psychic theme.

Wednesday, July 20th

Podcast

Presenting – Leo Glass

I’ve spoken to Leo at cons in the past and he’s been an absolute delight. He channels not only that pleasantness here but also tells the unique story of getting into the tabletop game industry, and gives out amazing advice on work/life balance.

Thursday, July 21st

Podcast

Legend Lore 048 — Humans

I joked last week about how humans in fantasy can be a dry subject for a podcast. That said, I figured Luis and Loren would turn it into an entertaining conversation. I didn’t how scientific they (well, Loren) would get, and how much that would add to the conversation. You don’t understand humans until you’ve listened to this episode!

Article

Investing In: Dark Archive
By Rob Pontious

Confession: Between when I got early access to review copies, and now not needing to stay on top of Pathfinder news for the podcast, I have a terrible concept of when new Pathfinder books actually come out. So Rob not only points out the areas of the books he loves and I should give a closer look, but he also reminds me of release dates.

Thursday, July 22nd

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 71 – We Can Rebuild It!

This is the crunchiest Beyond episode I can remember. Alex, James, and Dustin go deep with their knowledge of Starfinder adventures and mechanics, drawing on a lot of personal experience to show where and why older APs can be updated with new rules.

Article

Iconic Design — Kitsune Berserker
By Alex Augunas

Another kitsune Hero Forge build and Pathfinder 2e stat block from Alex, but this is a fox of a different tail from last week. Kiru of Twin Thunders is a berserker, who channels his rage into a vulpine screams and can blast enemies with foxfire from 20ft away.

Preview of July 25th to July 29th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, July 25th

Twitch

Know Direction 281 Live – Welcome to 2e

Thursday, July 28th

Podcast

Digital Divination 62

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Friday, July 29th

Article

Iconic Designs
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Cons A-Comin’

Ryan Costello — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 13:50:56 +0000

I have mixed feelings about the return of Con season. This past weekend was Breakout Con. This upcoming weekend is San Diego Comic-Con. And in a few weeks, Gen Con is back. None of which I’ll be attending.

Breakout Con launched in 2016 and in just a few years seems to have finally seems to have established the a tabletop gaming convention in Canada. Hosted in Toronto, which listeners of Game Design Unboxed have probably caught on is a hotbed of board game design talent, many of which I’d love to see in person again. Breakout is also the only con of the three I’ve listed that I could attend without crossing a border, which would save me a logistical headache.

For the first time ever, I regret not attending San Diego Comic-Con. Renegade Game Studios is hosting a G.I. JOE RPG live event on Saturday in the Omni Hotel ballroom 4, featuring my Order From D.I.S.O.R.D.E.R costars Jason Charles Miller, Michelle Nguyen Bradley, Amanda McKnight, and Alicia Marie. Participating in that How To Play series and getting to game with these fun and creative players was a highlight of my year, and not getting to meet them in person and game with them again is a bummer.

Finally, we have Gen Con. Somehow, it’s three weeks away. I’ve been to about 10 Gen Cons, the last five or six of which were tied to my game design day job. Going back to taking time off work and booking my own trip is going to take some adjustment, but I’m sure I haven’t gone to my last Gen Con yet. This one just isn’t my latest Gen Con.

I’m happy for people who get to go back to conventions, but I’m not there yet. Immediately after PaizoCon and Star Wars Celebration earlier this year, I heard about friends who attended the conventions testing positive. Covid’s still a concern for me, especially if I risk having to quarantine in the States for an extra week. I’ll be paying attention to the positive case numbers among my social circles coming out of these cons.

On top of that, I am not springing out of my shell like a lot of people I know. I get wanting to get back to conventions ASAP now that they’re an option again. I see people calling it a return to normal. For me, this feels like another new normal, the third definition of normal in the last five years. I’m still getting used to it.

Hopefully this time next year I’ll feel comfortable enough to return to cons. None of which has to do with Know Direction Network Content.

Speaking of Know Direction Network Content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of July 11th to July 15th

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

Monday, July 11th

Twitch

Know Direction 280 Live – Rise of the Eldamon

Thursday, July 14th

Podcast

Digital Divination 061 – Playing Favorites

John and Jason look at a few of their favourite Starfinder things, from grenade drops on envoys to whiskers on skittens. Baby skittermanders are called skittens, right?

Friday, July 1st

Article

Hero Forge Fridays — Kitsune Bombardier
By Alex Auguna

After years of being exclusive to social media content, Alex brings Hero Forge Fridays to the network site, and adds a stat block to go with his original Hero Forge builds

Preview of July 18th to July 22nd

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

Monday, July 18th

Article

Now You Know – Cons A-Comin’
By Ryan Costello

Just some thoughts on the return of con season.

Tuesday, July 19th

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, July 20th

Podcast

Presenting: Leo Glass

John Godek chats with Paizo Managing Editor Leo Glass.

Thursday, July 21st

Podcast

Legend Lore 48 – Humans

Luis and Loren tackle the ancestry that’s so ubiquitous and familiar that they might not know what to say about them.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, July 22nd

Article

Hero Forge Fridays
By Alex Auguna

Iconic Designs meets Hero Forge Fridays as Alex Augunas creates a mini and stat block every week.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Edition Wars, My Old Nemesis

Ryan Costello — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:54:51 +0000

The Know Direction Network traces its roots to the 3.5/4e edition wars. Early on, we partook in said wars on the 3.5 Private Sanctuary podcast, taking Wizards of the Coast’s business personally, characterizing them poorly, mocking them freely. A forum member at the time was an active 4e player, and he eloquently and nonconfrontationally explained how what we were doing made him feel and why he disagreed with it. As a result, we instituted a rule that whenever we critiques D&D 4e, we had to say something nice about it as well.

Some of our compliments were tongue-in-cheek and it was clear that what we critiqued came from the heart but what we complimented came from research. Still, the tone shift toward fun and positivity, two qualities I wanted the site to have. It reinforced that we were a safe haven for 3.5 gamers, not a hotspot for anti-4e gamers. It also forced us to think more critically about a game we weren’t playing, which gave us better perspective on why we liked the game we were playing. From then on, as the edition wars heated up, we did our part to keep our cool.

Despite how the 3.5/4e edition wars split the community, I do regard them as interesting times. The Internet, OGL, and media messaging all impacted this edition change unlike any previous one. When 5e rolled out in 2014 (8 years ago, somehow), I thought we avoided a new edition war. Pathfinder was established. The last 4e rulebook released over a year ago. The world was ready for a new edition of D&D. And when Pathfinder 2e came out in 2019 (almost 3 years ago now), it seems to find its audience without rattling the D&D cage. Maybe because D&D 5e had gotten so big, the size of the audience Pathfinder took wasn’t as noticeable. What is noticeable is a sudden increase in saltiness online between both fanbases toward one another.

In the same way the emerging mainstream adoption of the Internet in 2008 impacted the 3.5/4e edition wars, the role of influencers in the RPG space seems to be impacting the D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e communities. D&D 5e being 8 years old, it’s one of the older editions of the game (especially when factoring in half-editions and major running change editions), so it’s not surprising a chunk of the audience is looking to refresh the game they’re playing. Where the most tension I’ve seen comes from is when an influencer suggests a change to D&D, having earned wisdom from years of experience playing the same game, and a Pathfinder enthusiast points out that their solution is built into Pathfinder 2e.

I understand the motivation to share what you love about a game that means so much to you. I also understand that changing games is more than just learning new rules but a combination of giving up momentum in one direction, moving away from the community tied to that game, and, in the case of influencers, giving up an audience. I think that’s why this edition war feels more aggressive. When the 3.5/4e edition war became the Pathfinder/4e edition war, it became about the two different tables with seats for gamers leaving 3.5. The 5e/2e war is asking gamers to walk way from one table to join another.

We rarely reference D&D 5e on the network, so anyone wishing to avoid the edition wars can remain confident that this editorial is a rare example of Know Direction content that references it.

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of July 4th to 8th

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

Monday, July 4th

Article

Now You Know – A Sage To Follow
By Ryan Costello

I shouted out to RPG Sage, Randal’s innovative Discord robot that makes play-by-posts better. You might not believe me when I say it’s a coincidence that I plugged it the same week he launched Essence20 support, but it’s true. I reached out to him to see if it was at a good place to be plugged, and it lead to a conversation about adding Essence20 to the list of Sage games.

Tuesday, July 5th

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Monster Mash(up)!
By Dustin Knight

Dustin shows how easily you can take separate 2e monsters and turn them into a single new monster. Not great for professional turnovers, mind you, but for GMs out there looking for monsters that feel original and leave an impression without having to make one from scratch, this article is an asset.

Wednesday, July 6th

Podcast

Presenting – Stephanie Lundeen

Stephanie Lundeen has been a member of the Intrepid Heroes cast for years now, but I feel like I’ve only just gotten to know her thanks to this interview. She’s a fascinating and accomplished person, both in and out of the RPG space.

Thursday, July 7th

Podcast

Legend Lore 047 — Sarenrae

I’m loving these God episodes of Legend Lore. Because the gods play a role in both the setting’s history (which I’m often hazy on) and every player character, some more than most, across both editions, I find I’m both familiar with the material and have so much to learn. Like Sarenrae. If there was a protagonist god of the setting, it’d be her. But there was so much about Sarenrae that I didn’t know!

Article

Investing In: Adventure Paths Not Traveled
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes in an interesting new direction this week, detailing the Golarion locations that different Adventure Paths visit. This helps GMs learn about the areas they’ll be running in, and players can tie their characters to areas beyond the adventure’s main region.

Preview of July 11th to July 15th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, July 11th

Twitch

Know Direction 280 Live – Rise of the Eldamon

Thursday, July 14th

Podcast

Digital Divination 61

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – A Sage To Follow

Ryan Costello — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 13:34:59 +0000

A few years ago, Randal ran a Pathfinder Society play-by-post series on the Know Direction Discord server for Know Direction staff and listeners. At the time, I marveled at the innovative RPG robot he built for the game, allowing us to switch between speaking in character and out of character, look up rules, roll checks with results automatically calculated, and other bells and whistles I would expect from a virtual tabletop.

Randal never stopped working on this robot, known as RPG Sage. He’s shared it to its own website, setup an RPG Sage Twitter account, as well as an RPG Sage Patreon. He and I recently discussed the future of Sage, which at least includes Essence20 implementation. It’s exciting to periodically get updates on this robot’s evolution. If RPG Sage develops sentience and takes over humanity, we can all look forward to immersive only RPG experience!

I guess that’s it. Just a quick shout out to one of our content creator’s side projects.

Speaking of content creators, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of June 27th to July 1st

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

Monday, June 27th

Twitch

Know Direction 279 – Dark Archive Psychic Preview Live!

Thursday, June 30th

Podcast

Digital Divination 060 – The Star Chamber

Fans have heard about The Star Chamber, Paizo’s legendary Starfinder think tank. Well Jason takes us on a virtual tour of what to him is his office at work, but to us is where the science fantasy happens!

Friday, July 1st

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 46

Alex and Dustin join the conversation, so it starts with their questions about the psychic before drifting towards Starfinder stuff.

Preview of July 4th to July 8th

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

Monday, July 4th

Article

Now You Know – Missing The Host Chair
By Ryan Costello

Nothing like guest hosting a fun episode of Know Direction to remind me how much I love podcast hosting.

Tuesday, July 5th

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, July 6th

Podcast

Presenting: Stephanie Lundeen

John Godek chats with Intrepid Hero and Starfinder adventure writer Stephanie Lundeen.

Thursday, July 7th

Podcast

Legend Lore 47

Luis and Loren’s Gods of Golarion series heats up something good with a close look at Sarenrae.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Friday Content

Ryan Costello — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 13:15:48 +0000

For about a year, Know Direction released a podcast and an article on a daily basis. The world’s changed, the network’s changed with it, and we’re not as rigid about churning out as much content as we used to be. I’m happy as long as we have a podcast or article every day.
Which brings us to Fridays. Our regular Friday content has dwindled to the point that we have only one release scheduled: the monthly release of Know Direction: Beyond.
This is largely my fault. My original plan was to release an Essence20 article on Fridays, and new episodes of Upshift. While we haven’t seen the last of Upshift, my freelancing on Essence20 games doesn’t leave much room in my writing for another weekly blog. I have trouble keeping up with Behind The Screens.
Now that we’re past PaizoCon coverage, I think it’s time to meet with the KD directors and see what we can do to improve the network and fill this gap in our schedule. If there’s any Know Direction Network content you’d like to see, let us know.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of June 20th to 24th

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

Monday, June 20th

Article

Now You Know – Missing The Host Chair
By Ryan Costello

I ponder what it’s like to not currently be hosting a podcast.

Tuesday, June 21st

Article

Fox’s Cunning — Surveying Spies
By Dustin Knight

You don’t have to know SPY x FAMILY, the anime that inspired Dustin’s latest articles, to appreciate the new spy themed content he’s designed.

Wednesday, June 22nd

Podcast

Presenting – Brent Bowser

Find out how this Organized Play Regional Venture Captain handled the impact the pandemic had on his local scene, and how he got into freelance writing.

Thursday, June 23rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 046 — Magus

Luis and Loren work out the origins of the magus and why such a common trope of fantasy games is rarely seen in fantasy fiction.

Article

Investing In: Cool People, Hot Products
By Rob Pontious

Rob crams in as many people and products that have inspired him lately.

Preview of June 27th to July 1st

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, June 27th

Twitch

Know Direction 279 Live – Psychic Preview

Thursday, June 30th

Podcast

Digital Divination 60

John and Jason talk Starfinder.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Missing The Host Chair

Ryan Costello — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 13:32:14 +0000

Guest co-hosting the latest episode of Know Direction, it sank in how little I’m podcasting at the moment. At the height of my podcasting, when 3.5 Private Sanctuary released weekly and Know Direction monthly, I hosted on average 1.25 podcasts a week. Geek Together was weekly too, and Know Direction every two weeks, so that’s 1.5 podcasts a week.

Currently, I’m effectively hosting 0 podcasts. Which is so weird to me.

Upshift is on hiatus. I had one good episode without Perram, and one episode that was going so poorly that I didn’t even finish it. I apologized to the live audience and went back to the drawing board. I want to get back to it, but Perram heavily influenced the format, and so it’s a podcast without a solid identity. I’m looking for a new format and co-host.

Until then, I’m technically not hosting a podcast. Which is as weird as it is unintentional. It’s nice that I have more time to work on my freelancing, sure. But 15 years of podcasting morphed my brain. When I have a thought, I typically massage it into podcast content and then file it under “to be discussed on a podcast”. If I don’t get myself a new venue for those files, that folder’s going to overflow.

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of June 13th to 17th

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

Monday, June 13th

Twitch

Know Direction 278 Live – Knights of Lastwall Breakdown

Dustin sat in for Vanessa as producer and cohost, and I was somewhere between guest and guest co-host to discuss Lost Omens – Knights of Lastwall, both the parts I wrote and the parts I just read.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 088 – Welcome to the Spungeon

Last week I said I didn’t have time to listen to the latest Intrepid Heroes before writing the preview, but I couldn’t wait to find out more about the Spungeon. It did not disappoint!

Article

Now You Know – Shout Out To RPG Freelancers
By Ryan Costello

After word spread of TTRPG celebrities mistreating freelancers, I thought it was another good opportunity to remind fans how much of the content we enjoy we owe to freelancers.

Tuesday, June 14th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 39: Cheer Up

Maybe it’s because of Crystal Frasier’s original graphic novel of the same name, but I thought Chris Rio’s Cheer Up would be a game about cheerleaders. Instead, it’s a creative wordplay party game with a positive vibe.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Unraveling Mysteries
By Nate Wright

If your players are jealous that the GM gets all of the icky content, Nate Wright’s here with the Flesh mystery for 2e oracles, and the Curse of Unraveling for oracles who push their magical connection too far and fall apart.

Wednesday, June 15th

Podcast

Know Direction 278 – Knights of Lastwall Breakdown

I was a bit worried this might overlap with last month’s Knights of Lastwall preview, but between the different hosts and my insight into the areas I worked on, this felt like a very different episode. And I had a lot of fun with it.

Thursday, June 16th

Podcast

Digital Divination 059 – Introducing Jason Keeley

I love a good breaking into the industry story, and I love Jason Keeley’s more than most. That, and I love Jason Keeley! So this was a fun Digital Divination with a Presenting-feeling that shows the chemistry we can look forward to between John and Jason.

Preview of June 20th to June 24th

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

Monday, June 20th

Article

Now You Know – Missing The Host Chair
By Ryan Costello

Nothing like guest hosting a fun episode of Know Direction to remind me how much I love podcast hosting.

Tuesday, June 21st

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 009

Scott D Young ran the Adventurous crew through an original adventure, following up on the modified version of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria that he previously ran us through. Although we have three episodes recorded, I warn you that I probably won’t have time to edit this episode to release tomorrow.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

Wednesday, June 22nd

Presenting: Brent Bowser

John Godek chats with Paizo freelancer Brent Bowser.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, June 23rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 46

Luis and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e mechanics and lore.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Shout Out To RPG Freelancers

Ryan Costello — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 15:22:37 +0000

I’m sure I’m showing my age and where my finger lands relative to the pulse of what’s popular in TTRPGs by admitting this, but I’m not totally sure who Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix are. I know they’re D&D influencers who used their clout to get into publishing gaming material, and I’ve seen the condescending, self-important, and cruel ways they’ve treated employees, including freelancers on their gaming books. They’re opportunists taking advantage of people. It’s gross, and I feel for the authors and artists they’re ripping off and abusing.

If there’s one good outcome to this situation, beyond bad actors eating their receipts, it’s the dialog that’s opened up on social media about the importance of freelancers.

The TTRPG industry runs on freelancers. It’s why the freelancer work freeze quickly lead to the groundbreaking United Paizo Workers union, and why most Pathfinder hardcovers credit about a dozen authors. The collective word output, creativity, rules and lore knowledge, and life experiences of a sourcebook’s authors shapes the games we know and love. It’s why the campaign setting continues to evolve to be more conscientious, sociological, and clever. Obviously Paizo staff also deserves that credit, but most of the staff working on Pathfinder and Starfinder now started working on it as freelancers for Paizo an third party publishers.

And this goes beyond the media-savvy freelancers that most people know. Obviously Owen KC Stephens and Vanessa Hoskins deserve all the credit they get, but I probably own more books written on by Isabelle Thorne, or Sasha Laranoa Harving, or Andrew Mullen than most authors on my shelves.

If you have the time, take a minute to look at the credits page on your favourite Pathfinder hardcovers. Give the authors and artists a shout out on social media, see if they have a Patreon or other crowdfunding platform. They might even have a blog on which they release the kind of content you love.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of June 6th to 10th

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

Monday, June 6th

PaizoCon 2022 Seminars

PaizoCon 2022 – 016 – ADVENTURE PATHS IN THE IMPOSSIBLE LANDS

PaizoCon 2022 – 017 – PATHFINDER QnA

And that’s a wrap on PaizoCon 2022 seminars!

Preview of June 13th to June 17th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, June 13th

Twitch

Know Direction 278 Live – Lastwall Breakdown

Thursday, June 16th

Podcast

Digital Divination 59

John and new cohost Jason Keeley talk Starfinder.

Friday, June 17th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – An Adventurous Ending

Ryan Costello — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 14:45:03 +0000

Take a deep breath.

I know there’ve been a lot of changes around the network lately, some coming and going. The schedule and casts look very different than they did a year ago.

On that note, the last episode of Adventurous’ Lost Maid of Anactoria playthrough goes live tomorrow.

But don’t fret! We’re hard at work scheduling the next recording of Young and Adventurous. If you have any feedback based on how the last seven episodes went, let us know. We’re happy to see what we can incorporate into future Adventurous content.

Speaking of content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of May 30th to June 3rd

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

Monday, May 30th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 087 – Winter Combat Land!

After an entire AP focused on fire, our Intrepid Heroes mix things up by fighting ice monsters!

Article

Now You Know – Post PaizoCon 2022 Program Note
By Ryan Costello

A totally logistical editorial about the then upcoming PaizoCon 2022 seminars.

Tuesday, May 31st

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 38: Slingshot Maneuver

YouTube reviewer and Slingshot Maneuver designer Josh Kaplan tells Danielle about how he didn’t let his publisher saying the game couldn’t be published afterall get in Slingshot Maneuver’s way!

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Alignment Confinement
By Nate Wright

Nate offers advice on and new options to make alignment a more important part of your game.

Wednesday, June 1st

Podcast

Know Direction 277 – PaizoCon 2022 News and Announcements

Know Direction’s roving reports Luis and Vanessa check in from the floor of PaizoCon to talk about their experience this year.

Article

Behind The Screens – It’s O.K. To Relax
By Ryan Costello

Hey, I finally posted my article on making sure you have some time alone with your thoughts. It’s been more than a month in the making. I may have taken the title’s advice too seriously…

Thursday, June 2nd

Podcast

Digital Divination 058 – The End of an Era!

As I said, the changes keep coming.

With Ron’s recent announcement that he’s leaving Paizo, he and John reminisce about the 2+ years they’ve been digitally divining together.

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

001 – KEYNOTE ADDRESS WITH PUBLISHER ERIK MONA

Friday, June 3rd

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

002 – PATHFINDER ON FOUNDRY VTT

003 – THE GALAXY IN CRISIS

Saturday, June 4th

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

004 – ADVENTURING DURING THE DRIFT CRISIS

005 – DECLASSIFYING THE DARK ARCHIVE

Sunday, June 5th

006 – PUBLISHING ON PATHFINDER INFINITE

007 – BUILDING WORLDS IN STARFINDER

Preview of June 6th to June 10th

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

Monday, June 6th

Article

Now You Know – An Adventurous Ending
By Ryan Costello

And you thought Adventurous was going away!

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

008 – CONCEPTING ALIENS FOR YOUR GAME

009 – SECRETS OF GOLARION

Tuesday, June 7th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 007 – Case Closed

And with that, Scott D Young concludes the modified version of an adventure he wrote for Paizo, Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

010 – GOLARION ADVENTURES OLD AND NEW
011 – PAIZO ORGANIZED PLAY: WHAT IS NEW IN 22

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game.

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

Wednesday, June 8th

Presenting: Nate Wright

John Godek chats with Paizo freelancer and Know Direction blogger Nate Wright.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

012 – GETTING STARTED WITH VIRTUAL TABLETOPS
013 – GAME MASTER 101

Thursday, May 26th

Podcast

Legend Lore 45 – Halflings

Luis and Loren look at the Core Rulebook’s smallest ancestry, Halflings.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

014 – INSIDE PAIZO PLAYTESTING
015 – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY STARFINDER

Friday, May 27th

PaizoCon 2022 Seminar

016 – ADVENTURE PATHS IN THE IMPOSSIBLE LANDS
017 – PATHFINDER QnA

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Post PaizoCon 2022 Program Note

Ryan Costello — Mon, 30 May 2022 14:43:22 +0000

What’s in store for Know Direction now that PaizoCon 2022’s behind us?

Seminar coverage: As is tradition, we’ll be hosting audio recordings of the PaizoCon Online seminars. Note that this year, PaizoCon featured online and in-person seminars. However, the in-person seminars were designed to be more intimate and conversational, and it was suggested we not record them. So we’ll be releasing the 17 news- and product-related seminars that streamed over Paizo’s Twitch channel, in order, starting probably Thursday.

Pre-Recorded Know Direction: Instead of a live episode of Know Direction airing tonight, Paizo Lost Omens developer Luis Loza and PaizoCon 2022 guest of honour Vanessa Hoskins (a.k.a. Know Direction’s hosts) recorded an episode on Sunday, reflecting on their PaizoCon experiences. This releases Wednesday.

A Third Thing: I really thought I had three things to say related to PaizoCon 2022 network content.

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content from last week:

Recap of May 23rd to 27th

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

Monday, May 23rd

Twitch

Farewell Perram – Know Direction 276 Live!

I’ll admit, it was a weird episode, but a pleasant one. A lot of looking back, a little looking forward, and not much dwelling on the present.

Article

Now You Know – Delaying The Inevitable
By Ryan Costello

I explained why we had to delay the episode by a week.

Tuesday, May 24th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 006 – An Unusual Amount Of Blood

The beginning of the end of our play through Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

Article

Fox’s Cunning — In Defense of Silly
By Dustin Knight

Dustin counters the argument that RPGs don’t have room for silliness.

Wednesday, May 25th

Podcast

Know Direction 276 – Farewell Perram

Thus ends an era.

Presenting – Jocelyn Hamilton

Excellent timing on this interview, as 5 Glyph and 5 Nova GM Jocelyn talks about Org Play at then upcoming PaizoCon. She also offers from amazing advice on setting up a Roll20 table, with John repeatedly saying that he uses her methods as his template.

Thursday, May 26th

Podcast

Legend Lore 044 — Gorum

Luis and Loren kick off a new series, looking at the gods of Golarion, with the fightingest god of them all, Gorum. I like the format they went with, and I’m looking forward to future installments in this series.

Article

Investing In: Knights of Lastwall
By Rob Pontious

When Rob’s not calling out my contributions to the latest Lost Omens hardcover or calling me lovely, he’s talking about all the things he lives about Knights of Lastwall, a book I also really enjoy but am far more biased about.

Preview of May 30th to June 3rd

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 30th

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 087 – Winter Combat Land

You know our Intrepid Heroes are in trouble when Kaholo’s the only one with Survival, but her score is -1.

Article

Now You Know – Post PaizoCon 2022 Program Note
By Ryan Costello

If you figure out what my third point was, can you let me know?

Tuesday, May 31st

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.

Wednesday, June 1st

Podcast

Know Direction 277 – PaizoCon 2022 Recap

Luis and Vanessa recap PaizoCon 2022, recorded at PaizoCon 2022!

Game Design Unboxed 38: Slingshot Maneuver

Danielle speaks with abstract game designer and YouTube reviewer Josh Kaplan about having a game sell out in a month, and what happens to your game when your publisher hits hard times.

Thursday, June 2nd

Podcast

Digital Divination 58

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, June 3rd

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Delaying The Inevitable

Ryan Costello — Mon, 23 May 2022 16:31:19 +0000

Last week, we scheduled an entire episode around Perram’s farewell appearance on the Know Direction podcast, staff who wouldn’t be appearing on the episode shared their thoughts, and a lot of us steeled our emotions for the official good-bye.

Then a storm flew through my area. It only lasted a few minutes, but managed to flood my daughter’s school yard, knock down a branch in our front yard that we hung out swing on every summer, and knock out electricity in my area for an indeterminate amount of time.

Hydro-Quebec posted an estimate for when we could expect our power back. Annoyingly -almost mockingly- it was the minute we were supposed to log on for tech and preshow prep.

But with no indication that we could trust this estimate, I was in contact with Vee about the status of my power. After 8:30pm Eastern, Hydro-Quebec still said the situation was under analysis, and the estimate hadn’t updated. I was torn about asking them to postpone the show for me, because of the time and emotional investment the cast, our listeners, and Perram put into the episode. Ends up, I didn’t have to ask. Vee, Luis, and Perram decided amongst themselves it wouldn’t be the show it needed to be without me. They went live for a brief explanation, and officially announced that everyone would have to wait until the 23rd for the episode.

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of May 16th to May 27th

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

Monday, May 16th

Twitch

Know Direction 276 – Farewell Perram Preview

Not intended to be a preview, but it does answer a few questions our listeners might have.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 086 – A New Beginning!

It’s not all endings here on the Know Direction Network. Ron Lundeen takes on GMing duty for the new Intrepid Heroes campaign, based on Paizo’s Starfinder Horizons of the Vast adventure path next. We meet new characters, and find out what’s going one with the returning characters and their ship.

Article

Now You Know – Know Direction Without Perram
By Ryan Costello

I said the first part of my good-bye to Perram, but I saved the good stuff for the podcast.

Tuesday, May 17th

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Out to Lunch
By Nate Wright

According to Pathfinder 1e, Ghoran are delicious. That’s not just lore, that’s the rule. This was toned down in Starfinder and 2e, so Nate tuned it back up!

I especially appreciate this because my first exposure to gnomes -The Taking Of Mount Nevermind in Dragon Magazine 229- explained that gnomes are unpalatable. The rules didn’t support it, but from then on, I had monsters avoid biting and swallowing gnomes because of how foul they taste. Poor Ghoran have the situations reversed.

Wednesday, May 18th

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 37: The Night Cage

My favourite part of Danielle’s conversation with Christopher Ryan Chan is when he explains that it took a few months to make Night Cage good, but years to make it something special. I also liked his stories of taking some advice but sticking to his vision when he didn’t think the feedback applied.

Thursday, May 19th

Podcast

Digital Divination 057 – Spelljammer and Starfinder

I’m going to disagree with John and Ron about the topic of this episode. Although it talks about Spelljammer, it’s larger topic is the shift in popular science fiction that’s influencing the tone and direction of sci-fi TTRPGs.

Preview of May 23rd to May 27th

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

Monday, May 23rd

Twitch

Know Direction 276 Live – Farewell Perram

We can’t put this off any longer. Perram and I join Luis and Vanessa to celebrate the end of one era and the official beginning of a new one.

Article

Now You Know – Delaying The Inevitable
By Ryan Costello

Know Direction must have upset mother nature.

Tuesday, May 24th

Podcast

Young And Adventurous – Lost Maid of Anactoria 006

Scott D Young GMs the old Adventurous crew through a modified version of an adventure he wrote for Paizo, Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game..

Wednesday, May 25th

Discord

Upshift Live – GMing Essence20

I’ll be in the Geek Together voice channel talking about how I GM Essence20.

Podcast

Know Direction 276 – Farewell Perram

We hope you enjoy this special episode.

Presenting: Jocelyn Hamilton

John Godek chats with 5 Glyph Starfinder Society GM Jocelyn Hamilton.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, May 26th

Podcast

Legend Lore 44 – The Gods

Luis and Loren talk Pathfinder pantheon in the latest Lore Dive.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, May 27th

Podcast

Upshift – GMing Essence20

By popular demand, I discuss tips and tricks for GMing Essence20.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Tips of the Hat

Ryan Costello — Mon, 16 May 2022 12:37:04 +0000

Members of the Know Direction staff wish Perram luck as he leaves the Network to pursue his passions.

Alex Augunas

I’m not really sure what to say to you that hasn’t already been said. You and Ryan were one of my big breaks into the TTRPG industry, and ever since I started Guidance you’ve been an incredible friend and an amazing mentor to me. We’ve laughed together on many, many occasions. We’ve grumbled and grumped together. We’ve taught each other about game design, hosting, podcasting, and dozens more topics. We’ve had each other’s backs when the world was dark, and we’ve celebrated life together when it became brighter. I feel truly blessed to call you my friend and my contemporary, and even now that the latter is coming to an end, I feel confident that we’ll continue in the former for many, many years to come. To many your departure will seem sudden, but we both know that it was inevitable. You are by your own admission a man of many hats, and it was only a matter of time before a new one took your fancy. I delight in seeing just what you’ll accomplish in your new passions and ventures, and am confident that the Legend of Perram will grow longer as the torch of your triumphs burns brighter.

It’s customary to wish someone the best when they part ways, but while this is the end of our partnership at Know Direction for now, this isn’t the end of our friendship. I look forward to congratulating you on your successes in the future as they happen.

James Ballod

Thank you for all your guidance and mentorship Perram!

Dustin Knight

What can you say to an inspiration, other than: Thank you. I started listening to you on my long drive to and from Pathfinder Society. Your enthusiasm and insights helped inspire me to want to further my passion and make it a bigger part of my life. You’re professionalism and skill on and behind the scenes continue to drive me to hone my presentations. Sometimes I find myself vacillating between jealousy and awe when I hear about all the amazing hobbies you’ve absolutely mastered, and at the same time I’m forever blessed to be able to call such a Renaissance man my friend. Thank you for inspiring me and know that any time I listen to a broadcaster sign off I will always hear in the back of my mind: “also known as Perram”.

Rob Pontious

A special thank you, Perram, for your friendship and your partnership through Know Direction. It was a sincere pleasure and privilege to meet you at that first Gen Con back after being away for years. And you even let me play Ezren the wizard at that pick up game. It was so encouraging to hear someone wanted to read what I had to say about going back to Gen Con after years. Then you and Ryan invited me to join this amazing community of creators, authors, designers, and passionate gamers. Influencer may get thrown around a lot now, but in the best way of it meaning people who influence us with excitement, inspiration, and the most positive of vibes you have truly been a great influence on me and my life. You’re stepping away but no one is going away! We’re still here and we’ll all always be happy to hear from and see you!! Best wishes in this next adventure!

Andrew Sturtevant

Perram, it was you and Ryan that introduced me to the wider Paizo community. For years I played in a vacuum, but then I found Know Direction in 2015. You were the one that verbalized why the Wizard was *the* best option for flexibility and power in 3.X games. It was you who got me into organized play and helped me find friends in Sacramento and beyond! Thank you! Since joining the network, I got to watch you support and encourage new members to explore and expand their craft. You are a mentor and a friend to everybody on the network. The years and effort you put into Know Direction will be remembered for as long as the Netwoek exists. Thank you for being you and always stay awesome!

Now You Know – Know Direction Without Perram

Ryan Costello — Mon, 16 May 2022 10:01:28 +0000

Last Thursday, Perram officially announced the end of his tenure with the Know Direction Network. He’s been a member in some capacity since Know Direction 10, released may 15th, 2010. If we call tonight’s episode his last day, he was with the network for 12 years and 1 day.

I’m not exactly sure how tonight’s episode will go, but I expect it to be nostalgic and emotional. Good emotions, even if they’ll be a bit mixed. The Know Direction Network is a tool to elevate its members, giving a platform from which staff contributes to the community, ideally building a reputation and fanbase that can be parlayed into greater opportunities. Perram by far gave more to the community than any other staff member for the least personal gain. I absolutely understand his decision to leave and hold no ill will towards him for doing so. That doesn’t mean I’m not sad to see him go.

I’m especially going to miss him on Adventurous. For all the time we’ve known each other, we rarely gamed together until we launched Adventurous. Getting to share a long term campaign with him, where we got to play out a different dynamic, was one of the many highlights of that experience. We have a few more episodes of the Lost Maid of Anactoria sessions, which means Perram’s voice will still be heard on the Network for another month or so, and then… that’ll be it.

Luis and Loren were more critical about this class than I’m used to from their Class Features, but they raised valid points. They clearly came from a perspective of knowing the witch has greater potential than the mechanics brought to life.

Article

Investing In: Avatar Legends the Roleplaying Game
By Rob Pontious

I’ve talked a bit about how I never got around to watching Avatar, but then my daughter watched it on her own. I absorbed too much to ever be able to watch it fresh like it’s the first time, without watching it closely enough to feel like I know or experienced Avatar. While I regret that, I admire and am jealous of the fanbase, who seem like one of the most positive groups out there. And, based on Rob’s review, I’m glad they’ve got a roleplaying game worthy of their love coming their way.

New Paths, New Passions
By Jefferson Jay Thacker

Perram reflects on the Pathfinder community when he first started podcasting, and how his love for it inspired him to give back to it so much, before announcing that he’s leaving Know Direction to pursue his new passion.

Friday, May 13th

Patreon

KD: Beyonderer 004

Alex and Dustin talk about Paizo’s Alex Speidel visiting the White House, what they expect to be announced at PaizoCon (now 12 days away!), and more.

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 69 – The Making of Starfinder Drift Crisis

Oh! Lost in the mix of the last few weeks of changes is Dustin joining Know Direction: Beyond as co-host and producer. Congratulations, Dustin!

Preview of May 16th to 20th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 16th

Twitch

Know Direction 276 Live – Farewell Perram

Perram and I join Luis and Vanessa to celebrate the end of one era and the official beginning of a new one.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 086

I… I have no idea what to expect from this episode.

Article

Now You Know – Know Direction Without Perram
By Ryan Costello

Miss you already, buddy.

Tips of the Hat
By the Know Direction Staff

Members of the Know Direction staff thank Perram for all he’s done to them.

Tuesday, May 17th

Article

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.

Wednesday, May 18th

Podcast

Know Direction 276 – Farewell Perram

I might need to edit this one, I don’t know if Vee will be up for living through this episode twice.

Game Design Unboxed 37: The Night Cage

Danielle speaks with Christopher Ryan Chan, one of the co-designers and the illustrator of the Night Cage published by Smirk & Dagger Games.

Thursday, May 19th

Podcast

Digital Divination 57

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, May 20th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

New Paths, New Passions

Jefferson Thacker — Thu, 12 May 2022 17:50:11 +0000

There was this amazing excitement in me when Pathfinder was coming out. This game being made by a ragtag team of talented creatives from Paizo and a small fanbase that realized that something special was about to happen. I latched onto every announcement, every post, chatted in private chat rooms with other fans, fans that would soon have cover credits on the books, unknown to us at the time.

I was eager to hit Gen Con with my new Pathfinder Core Rulebook, delivered to my house just days before, and get it signed by the people who made it. A crew I now call friends. And when Ryan Costello’s new Pathfinder spin-off podcast needed a co-host, I got the chance to share my love and enthusiasm of this new game with anyone who would listen.

And gosh a whole lot of you listened!

I miss those early days. They were definitely when I had the most fun. When everything was new and I thought I knew everyone in the community personally. I didn’t even then, but it was easier to think that before everything blew up. And riding the unbelievable high when Pathfinder succeeded above any expectations to briefly become the number one RPG in the world.

And I was so happy to talk about it. To get to dash across convention floors, from seminar room to tucked away seminar room recording panels so that more than a few dozen people in the room could hear them. To spend time with developers, authors, artists I admired and talk about how these games were made. Get little peaks behind the scenes and share them with anyone who would listen.

And a whole lot more of you listened.

The podcast grew. From a monthly show to twice a month to become the flagship of the new ‘Know Direction Network.’ A network. With bloggers and new shows and fantastic creative folks putting out content about these games we love nearly every day. And so many wonderful, amazing friends.

The truth is I often wonder why they hang out with me. These amazing people who make one of the best games I’ve ever had the chance to play, and I get to play games with them. To chat with them. To create with them.

Things just kept growing from there. The community kept being awesome but got a lot bigger. Hundreds became thousands became more. And eventually I’m hosting PaizoCon and Gen Con and on the Gen Con stage playing games with Jason Bulmahn and others… and it was so much fun.

But now I need to find a different path.

I still love Pathfinder. This community is amazing. And there isn’t a member of the Know Direction team I wouldn’t fist fight a dragon for if they needed me to.

But I am a creature of passions. I do my best work when something grabs my interest and I need to share that awesomeness with the world. And I’ve got so many new passions. Projects I’ve dreamed of undertaking for years. You can catch sight of them if you follow my Twitter or Facebook accounts. I hope you do.

And I need the time and energy to chase these new projects, new opportunities. And friends, running the production end of a podcast network as big as the Know Direction Network takes up so much of my time and energy. So I had to make some hard choices. Some massively hard choices.

I know the network is in good hands. There are too many talented, creative people here for me to believe otherwise. And as for the Know Direction Podcast? Luis and Vanessa have already proven they are wonderful hosts a dozen times over.

I won’t be that far away. I have another podcast I spun up last year about how awesome 3d Printing is for gaming called the Print Your Games Podcast. And me and some VERY familiar faces are working on even more projects you all should love when they come out. And again, follow my twitter and Facebook accounts to keep up with all the other random nerd things I get up to.

I can’t begin to tell you all how much I’m going to miss doing this, though. After all, to find the path, you need Know Direction.

Now You Know – When It’s Time To Change Characters

Ryan Costello — Mon, 09 May 2022 19:32:26 +0000

I’ve been talking a lot about how busy I’ve been with a deadline. It didn’t just affect my network participation, but my home life as well and, by extension, my gaming time. I managed to fit in one session of Vanessa’s Abomination Vaults campaign in the last two months, at which I retired my wyrmblooded sorcerer Blister and introduced Savior, my automaton inventor with the time traveler background.

Have you ever had a character that just wasn’t working for you? I’ve talked about how I’ve struggled to make effective, fun 2e characters, such as my Snake Eyes-inspired ranger Seyes in Randal’s Societous play-by-post on the Know Direction Discord, and, to a lesser extent, Spruce Spanner, my leshy alchemist for Luis’ Legend Lore Special Edition adventure. Seyes was serviceable in his mediocracy, and Spruce was so much fun to roleplay it didn’t matter how badly I botched the build. But Blister was the peak of bad characters. His personality didn’t fit the group, his build was completely useless, and I just wasn’t having fun playing him.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, I strongly suggest cutting your loses. Not only was I missing opportunities for a good time by forcing myself to keep giving this losing effort another chance, I was impacting everyone else’s ability to have the most fun they could. No one wants to play with someone who’s always annoyed, and their characters had to pick up my slack.

As soon as I switched to Savior, I felt energized. The personality’s big, the play style’s in line with the characters I enjoy, and he’s filling a gap that makes the team more effective. Everyone’s better off thanks to this switch, and the only loss was accepting that Blister didn’t live up to his potential.

One reason I built a character outside of my normal playstyle was to achieve an old goal I set for myself to play every 2e class. Now that I’m not hosting Know Direction, I’ve lost much of my motivation to do so. So I took this opportunity to play a class I know I enjoyed (at least in the playtest), regardless of the potential for network content.

Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of May 2nd to May 6th

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

Monday, May 2nd

Twitch

Know Direction 275 Live – Knights of Lastwall Sneak Preview

Luis and Vanessa preview Knights of Lastwall Chapter 3 – Knights of Lastwall Options. And let me tell you, it may not seem like it, but the name of the chapter gave me so many issues properly describing what the episode would be about.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 085 – The End!

With the conclusion of Dawn of Flames, Intrepid Heroes becomes the first Know Direction Network actual play to complete a campaign. And they’re still going strong, picking up the Starfinder Horizons of the Vast adventure path next episode, with GM Ron Lundeen!

Article

Now You Know – Intrepid Achievement
By Ryan Costello

I congratulate the cast of Intrepid Heroes for their accomplishment.

Tuesday, May 3rd

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Big Heroic Six
By Nate Wright

I’ve long heard the complaints about the Big Six magic items in Pathfinder 2e, and while it wasn’t as much of an issue for my groups as it’s been described, I thought I understood the issue. After reading Nate’s breakdown, I get it on a whole new level.

Wednesday, May 4th

Podcast

Know Direction 275 – Knights of Lastwall Sneak Preview

I haven’t written much for Pathfinder 2e, but I got to write a few thousand words spread across the book, including the Backgrounds in the chapter Luis and Vanessa preview in this episode. Luis even called out that you can expect clever wordplay in my section. It’s nice to feel seen.

But seriously, this is the release I’m most excited about of the PF2 books coming out this year. Which, somehow, still isn’t that many. But PaizoCon’s around the corner.

Oh! You may have noticed KD came out Wednesday. That’s going to be the new normal going forward, with Game Design Unboxed moving to Tuesdays in a few weeks.

Game Design Unboxed 36: Cascadia

Danielle speaks with Randy Flynn about Flatout Games’ Cascadia. It sounds like a game I’d enjoy, but I have to be honest: My favourite part of the interview was him defending that Cascadia was a strong name for the game even if people don’t know what Cascadia means.

Thursday, May 5th

Podcast

Digital Divination 056 – Tips for Switching over to Starfinder

I don’t know the sales numbers or have any insight into Starfinder’s audience, but I believe that new players continue to discover it. As long as people go back and forth between D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder will be a common stopover for variety’s sake. So if you or someone you know is interested in trying Starfinder, John and Ron have you covered with the rules to watch out for.

Preview of May 9th to May 13th

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

Monday, May 9th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 34: In Which They’re Stymied By a Door

As a GM who’s had to wait out their players as they explore every option of overcoming a dead end, I strongly related to Luis’ latest installment of Hey It’s Me, Luis, Your Valiant GM.

Article

Now You Know – When It’s Time To Change Characters
By Ryan Costello

Sometimes you just have to rip off that blister.

Tuesday, May 10th

Podcast

Young And Adventurous – Lost Maid of Anactoria 005

Scott D Young GMs the old Adventurous crew through a modified version of an adventure he wrote for Paizo, Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game..

Wednesday, May 11th

Twitch

Know Direction: Beyond 69 Live – Drift Crisis the Interview

John Compton joins Alex and James to talk Starfinder.

Podcast

Presenting: James Beck

John Godek chats with James Beck from Deadly D8.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, May 12th

Podcast

Legend Lore 43 – Witches

Luis and Loren talk Witches in the latest Class Feature.

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, May 13th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 69 – Drift Crisis the Interview

Nope, not saying “Nice”.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Intrepid Achievement

Ryan Costello — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:36:18 +0000

Sorry to everyone at the network about missing my editorial last week. I’ve been grinding away at a deadline that needs all of my free time and unfortunately that’s taken away from my availability for my network responsibilities.

That said, I couldn’t let this week pass without acknowledging Intrepid Heroes’ milestone. After nearly three years, they’ve wrapped up their Dawn of Flame playthrough. Now I know they actually finished months ago, which John and Ron talk about on Digital Divination, but that’s no less of an achievement. The popularity of actual plays featuring Paizo Adventure Paths hit big a few years ago, followed almost immediately but these shows podfading mid-campaign (which we’re guilty of as well). Intrepid Heroes is Know Direction’s first actual play to complete a campaign. That’s exciting for them, and I am appreciative that the network gets to unlock that achievement.

Speaking of the network, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of April 26th to April 29th

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

Tuesday, April 26th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 004 – Witch Track Record

This episode featured a surprising and hilarious number of “Well, we’ve hit a dead end,” comments followed immediately by “But what about this lead?”

Wednesday, April 27th

Twitch

Portents of Peril! – Know Direction: Beyond LIVE!

If you want to see what excitement looks like, watch the video of Alex, James, and Vanessa talking about Drift Crisis.

Podcast

Presenting – John Curtin

The mind behind Starfinder Facts talks about the trajectory that got him from fan project to freelancer. It’s one of my favourite freelancer origin story tropes, and his includes robots!

Thursday, April 28th

Article

Investing In: Book of the Dead
By Rob Pontious

I mentioned in the Private Sanctum a few weeks ago that I’ve never been less excited about a Pathfinder hardcover than Book of the Dead. And yet, after reading Rob gush about it, I too would love to see an actual play dedicated to it.

Friday, April 29th

Patreon

KD: Beyonderer 003

Technical difficulties cut James off before the end of this week’s Beyond, so it’s Alex, Vanessa, and Dustin chatting in the Patreon, continuing their love for Drift Crisis and discussing Book of the Dead.

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 68 – Portents of Peril!

I don’t play Starfinder. If I started now, I don’t know if I’d want my first campaign to have Drift Crisis implemented. But as a game designer and gamer, how Alex, James, and Vanessa described the concept and execution makes me want to read this cover to cover. The idea fascinates me, and they more than convinced me of the book’s quality.

Article

More Lore: The Lay of the Land
By Scott D Young

Scott shares his clever ideas and useful tips for showing your players what they should know about your campaign’s setting without exposing them to spoilers.

Preview of May 2nd to May 6th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, May 2nd

Twitch

Know Direction 275 Live – Knights of Lastwall Chapter 3 Sneak Preview

Thursday, May 5th

Podcast

Digital Divination 56

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, May 6th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Vanessa Hoskins: PaizoCon Guest of Honour

Ryan Costello — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 14:47:02 +0000

In last week’s PaizoCon 2022 update, Paizo announced that the guest of honour would be the Know Direction’s own Vanessa Hoskins. For nearly 10 years, Vanessa’s contributed to the Pathfinder community with classic content like The Solstice Scar Pathfinder Society multi-table special, and Adventure Path volumes like Abomination Vaults: Hand of the Devil. She joined the Know Direction Network in April 2018. That doesn’t seem that long ago, not just because time stopped making sense in the early 2000s, but also because in that time she’s been a staff writer, cast member, on the board of directors, and now hosts the flagship podcast. To put that into context, when listing staff, we put names in order of start date with the Network. Whenever Vanessa’s towards the end of the list I go through the same routine looking up her earliest contribution to the site to confirm her starting date. Beyond her writing and Network contributions, Vanessa’s a champion of LGBTQ representation, using her profile in the community to raise awareness, counter misinformation, and support minorities.

I’m proud of Vanessa for all of her accomplishments, value how much time I get to spend with her, and know that Know Direction is lucky to have her.

Speaking of Know Direction, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of April 11th to April 15th

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

Monday, April 11th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 33: In Which Xiadani Uses an Interact Action to Draw a Wand

Have I mentioned how much I love Luis’ naming conventions? Even though they fight a zombiew couatl, a combination I never imagined I’d hear about, Luis names this episode after Jess questions if anyone actually plays that you need to spend an action to draw a wand, followed by awkward silence and eventual admission that this cast of game designers, editors, and influencers absolutely spend an action to draw a wand.

Article

Now You Know – Busy Again, Again
By Ryan Costello

Between an aggressively missed deadline and a return to the office meaning a return to hours of commute eating into my free time, I’ve been feeling a lot more pressure lately.

Tuesday, April 12th

Article

Fox’s Cunning – The Truth Domain
By Dustin Knight

Dustin dedicated an entire article to extolling the virtues of Word of Truth and Glimpse of Truth, and did an excellent job convincing me these spells can create campaign-defining moments.

Wednesday, April 13th

Podcast

Presenting – Mike Bramnik

In addition to getting to know Mike and his history with PFS, his experience as Southern Indiana Venture Captain and PaizoCon Online Committee Chair gave great insight into what convention planning has looked like over the last two years and going forward.

Article

More Lore – Campaign Guide Part Two: Player versus Character Knowledge
By Scott D Young

GM: You know how cool this campaign is gonna be?
PLAYERS: Yeah!
GM: Well your characters don’t! Forget everything you know about everything that’s exciting about this campaign!

Scott offers two methods for dealing with player knowledge versus character knowledge in your campaign guide.

Thursday, April 14th

Article

Investing In: Victory Points
By Rob Pontious

Rob goes in a different direction for this blog post, importing and adapting other game systems to create a victory point subsystem for Pathfinder 2e. This was probably my favourite KD content of the week.

Preview of April 18th to April 22nd

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, April 18th

Twitch

Know Direction 274 Live – Book of the Dead Breakdown

Thursday, April 21st

Podcast

Digital Divination 55

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, April 22nd

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Busy Again, Again

Ryan Costello — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:14:02 +0000

Sorry folks, I’m kicking back against another deadline and don’t have time for much of an editorial this week. A few programing notes:

This would normally be a Know Direction: Beyond week, but Alex, James, and Vanessa are coordinating content for an episode that can’t happen this week, would be too late in one month, but the 27th would be just right.
I won’t be able to edit Adventurous for tomorrow.

Hopefully that’s the only changes to expect from this week’s Know Direction Network content.

Speaking of Network content, here’s a recap of the podcasts and blogs from last week at the Know Direction Network:

Recap of April 4th to April 8th

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

Monday, April 4th

Twitch

Abomination Vaults Everywhere – Know Direction 273 LIVE!

Is it just me, or did Paizo sneak out that the collected edition of Abomination Vaults would be adapted to 5e? No press release or social media post, just a product page. Maybe they underestimated the reaction it would get, or maybe they knew exactly what a portion of that reaction would look like. Either way, they went small, and the reaction went big. So Ron Lundeen joined Luis and Vanessa to talk about it (as well as the 2e version, and, of course, Vanessa’s contribution as the author of volume 2: Hands of the Devil).

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 083 – Gone to the Dogs

That’s three weeks of Digital Divination content in a row, made possible by collaborating with the Legend Lore cast. See how important teamwork is?

Preview of April 11th to April 15th

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

Monday, April 11th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 33: In Which Xiadani Uses an Interact Action to Draw a Wand

They could have avoided this fight if they just told Luis that they already beat the undead coutl when he asked if anyone remembers last sessing.

Article

Now You Know – Busy Again, Again
By Ryan Costello

Hi, hello.

Tuesday, April 12th

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Fact From Fools

Ryan Costello — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:33:11 +0000

As is tradition, Know Direction spread a bunch of lies on April 1^st. Even though a stigma’s developed around the idea of April Fools, especially online where misinformation thrives, I believe we’ve always struck a balance of jokes that are only believable for a second, but the fun is the satire in the rest of the article. That said, I wasn’t involved in any of the pranks this year, as the staff came up with their own April Fools material.

The joke may have been on us this year, though, as a major Paizo announcements just before the 1^st meant some of our audience couldn’t tell where the joke ended and reality began. To clear up any confusion, yes, it’s true that Abomination Vaults is being adapted to 5^th edition Dungeons & Dragons for a special hardcover release. Paizo will continue to support 2^nd edition Pathfinder first and foremost, with some of the material eventually getting a 5e conversion.

If you’re still confused, Luis and Vanessa interview Ron Lundeen, Paizo’s developer on the 5e conversion, in tonight’s live recording of Know Direction.

Speaking of Know Direction, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network content that came from last week:

Recap of March 28th to April 1st

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

Monday, March 28th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 32: In Which They Talk To Some Ants

I’m kind of disappointed the title of this episode didn’t continue to update us on when they do and don’t talk to undead. Not disappointed, the return of Luis’ GM interludes! Although in this case, Luis wore his podcast producer hat to talk about the challenges of planning a session around podcasting the adventure.

Article

Now You Know – Hero Forge Friday
By Ryan Costello

You may wonder if Hero Forge Friday was all a ruse for Alex’s Emperor’s New Clothes Kitsune. In fact, it was 100% the truth. We have more Tuesday content than Friday content (except when April Fool’s falls on a Friday), so Hero Forge Tuesday moved to fill the gap.

Tuesday, March 29th

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 40

Ever wonder about KD staff’s first video game consoles?

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 003 – The Silver Servers

This is one of a few encounters that completely unintentionally tie into our Adventurous heroes’ past experiences.

Wednesday, March 30th

Patreon

KD: Beyonderer 002

When Know Direction: Beyond is not beyond enough for you, go Know Direction Beyonderer!

Discord

Upshift Live – G.I. JOE A.M.A.

The G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game officially released on Tuesday, so I took to Discord to answer listener questions about the experience. Flying solo for a highly interactive episode of Upshift, I decided to switch from Twitch to Discord, a platform I’m much more comfortable recording off of.

Podcast

Presenting – Lysle Kapp

Lysle Kapp is a lawyer and a freelance Pathfinder designer. John was prepared to talk about that kind of crossover talent, since his good friend, Ron Lundeen, is also a lawyer who works in Pathfinder game design.

Article

More Lore – Creating a Campaign Guide
By Scott D Young

A good way to highlight what setting material is important to your campaign, including the setting material you’re creating, is a campaign guide. Scott talks about the basics of writing one.

Thursday, March 31st

Patreon

Patron’s Private Sanctum 41

And with that, I’m caught up on my aftershow backlog!

Podcast

Upshift – G.I. JOE A.M.A.

As with any audience-directed content, I was nervous if I would get enough questions to fill an hour. Fortunately, an informed and interested crop of fans showed up with their questions, and I not only had more than enough content to fill an hour, I had a fun selection of questions to draw from. This hour flew by for me.

Don’t get used to Thursday Upshift releases, by the way. It just happened this episode didn’t need much editing, I had time since I wasn’t hosting a Downshift this week, and I didn’t want to bump into the April 1st content.

Friday, April 1st

Podcast

Legend Lore 042 – Paizo Goes 5e!

The Legend Lore and Digital Divination hosts did not inform me that they’d be swapping hosts as a gag. I did find it strange when I message Luis and Loren about the network’s tradition of tying episode 42s to destiny (for Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy reasons) and was met with non-committal answers.

So, John and Ron took over Legend Lore and covered the legitimate news story of Paizo releasing a 5e product, followed by the not real at all news that Paizo was abandoning Pathfinder 2e and would delete your rules knowledge from your brain.

Digital Divination 053 – Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy RPGs

Like John and Ron, Luis and Loren not only switched shows, they switching formats. The hosts opened the show with the much faster “I’m Luis,” “And I’m Loren, and this is Digital Divination” followed by some catching up and banter before covering the topic of why Fantasy RPGs are so samey and yet more successful than most sci-fi RPGs. It was a fun topic, even if the episode was presented as a prank.

Article

Fox’s Cunning — The Optimiser
By Dustin Knight

Using the new trend of Know Direction receiving exclusive previews of Paizo content, Dustin shared the next Pathfinder 2e class, the optimiser. I dare you to allow this in your campaign. I DARE YOU!

Preview of April 4th to April 8th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, April 4th

Friday, April 8th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,

Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Hero Forge Friday

Ryan Costello — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:16:50 +0000

Other than our livestreams, most Know Direction’s content starts on the site and then gets shared. We’ve dabbled in content exclusive to social media, but most of it lost steam quickly. Most, but not all.

One stalwart example of Know Direction social media content is Hero Forge Tuesdays, which has been going strong since 2020. Every week, Alex Augunas builds and shares a Hero Forge miniature. At first they were simply fun designs he enjoyed. Over time, themes emerged. For a while he based his designs and colour choices on the various pride flags. After that, he turned Know Direction staff into iconic Pathfinder 2e classes. He’s almost wrapped that theme up, in fact, having started working on the cast of Intrepid Heroes.

Well, all good things must come to an end. Hero Forge Tuesday is no more. Instead, starting this week, you can look forward to Hero Forge Friday! That’s right, between regular podcast and article releases and Patreon content, Tuesdays have been busy with social media shares. Fridays, on the other hand, have more space for this kind of content. So Hero Forge Tuesday is reborn.

If you haven’t seen Alex’s miniatures, look up #heroforgetuesday on Facebook and Twitter. He has a Pro account, so as Hero Forge added more features, his builds evolved.

Speaking of Network content, here’s a recap of the podcasts and blogs from last week at the Know Direction Network:

Recap of March 21st to March 25th

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

Monday, March 21st

Twitch

Book of the Dead Sneak Preview! – Know Direction 272 LIVE!

Mark Seifter joined Luis and Vanessa to preview the living player character options chapter 1 of the upcoming Pathfinder RPG Hardcover, Book of the Dead.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 082 – Livin’ It Up When We’re Goin’ Down

Our Intrepid Heroes road an elevator to the butt kicking baddies floor. That’s the floor you kick baddies butts on, by the way, not the floor you go to when you’re looking for baddies who kick butt.

Article

Now You Know – Feedback Flashback
By Ryan Costello

Inspired by listener JoeCold on Discord, I revisited classic network podcast, the Gamer’s Guide To Pathfinder.

Tuesday, March 22nd

Podcast

Know Direction 272 – Book of the Dead Sneak Preview

While my interest in Book of the Dead is pretty low, it was interesting to hear a deep dive into options for non-undead (I don’t want to say “living” because what is life?) PCs, and it’s always fun listing to Mark Seifter let loose.

Article

Eldritch Excursion – The Finer Swings In Life
By Nate Wright

I deeply believe that the more minute the topic of Eldritch Excursion, the better the wordplay Nate comes up with for the title. Take for example The Fine Swings In Life, an article about rules for swinging on ropes and the like in Pathfinder.

Wednesday, March 23rd

Podcast

Game Design Unboxed 33 – Century: Spice Road

Danielle speaks with Emerson Matsuuchi about the Century series of games, and how misunderstanding Plan B Games’ request for stand-alone expansions worked out for him.

Thursday, March 24th

Podcast

Digital Divination 052- The Precog

John and Ron share their impressions of the Precog, the Starfinder class Ron’s playing in John’s Horizons of the Vast campaign.

Preview of March 28th to April 1st

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

Monday, March 28th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 32: In Which They Talk To Some Ants

And why wouldn’t our Valiant heroes talk to ants?

Article

Now You Know – Hero Forge Friday
By Ryan Costello

What could be better than Hero Forge Tuesday? Hero Forge Friday!

Tuesday, March 29th

Podcast

Young And Adventurous – Lost Maid of Anactoria 003

Scott D Young GMs the old Adventurous crew through a modified version of an adventure he wrote for Paizo, Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game..

Wednesday, March 30th

Twitch

Upshift: G.I. JOE Is There!

Celebrate the official release of the G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game.

Podcast

Presenting – Lysle Kapp

John chats with freelance author and lawyer Lysle Kapp.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, March 31st

Podcast

Legend Lore 42

Luis and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e!

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, April 1st

Podcast

Upshift: G.I. JOE Is There

The culmination of almost 15 years of bringing up G.I. JOE on an RPG podcast!

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Feedback Flashback

Ryan Costello — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:07:16 +0000

Listener JoeCold joined the Know Direction Discord recently and asked about the status of Gamer’s Guide To Pathfinder. As I mentioned in my appearance on Presenting last January, the first podcast added to the site not produced by me was The Gamer’s Guide To Pathfinder, a topical show focused on Pathfinder mechanics. Sean and Barry produced 18 episodes 10 years ago before the show, sadly, poodfaded. It’s amazing to me that it left such an impact that a decade later, a new listener could discover them, and then seek out what happened to them.

Equally amazing, I can find the old episodes still intact on their own website, but I can’t find any correspondence between myself and Sean and Barry. We’ve changed servers since then, and went from message boards to Discord, so the messages were probably tied to a platform that I no longer have access to. What’s unfortunate is that I can’t even find their last names. I might even be connected with them on Facebook (which was still an emerging social media platform in 2012), but short of PMing every Sean and Barry on my friends’ list, I don’t even know how to track them down just to say hey.

However, in trying to track them down, I did come across this forgotten feedback in an e-mail from a “fan”.

Nothing like hearing that someone “really liked” your first episode, but thinks you’re an “imbecile” because of how you pronounce certain words.

I know I’ve been on both sides of critiquing other’s creativity, but it still fascinates me that someone can say they’re “not trying to be a jerk” but calls the person “foolish” in the same sentence. At least now I can look back on the gal of this e-mail and chuckle.

One other fun reminder this walk down Gamer’s Guide Memory Lane came across was the old intro to shows on the site. Before we called ourselves a network, we were “The 3.5 Private Sanctuary gaming shelf of podcasts for 3.5 loyalists and Pathfinder enthusiasts.” That being a reference to a recuing joke at the time about how obsessively I organized our shelf of 3.5 D&D books in a way that only made sense to me (but still makes perfect sense to me!)

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here’s a recap of the content that came out in the last week:

Recap of March 14th to March 18

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

Monday, March 14th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 31: In Which They Turn Some Keys

Knowing what we, the listeners, know about Qarnoz, there’s a wonder scene ripe with situational irony of the PCs saying goodbye to the chatty skeleton.

Article

Now You Know – Shout Out To Darran Caldemeyer
By Ryan Costello

I realize that a lot of my last few Now You Knows have been nostalgia-based, but last week I had to shout out to Darran Caldmeyer, who’s given up the Know Direction Network’s Official Countdown Correspondent.

Tuesday, March 15th

Podcast

Young and Adventurous 002 – Easy Mummy

When editing actual plays, I occasionally trim content that feels like it wanders too far from the point. It’s hard to be objective about what’s valuable content and what’s meandering when it comes to a mystery, though, because hindsight’s helping me pick up Scott’s clues in the edit that I missed during play.

Article

Fox’s Cunning – Intercalation Integration
By Dustin Knight

If you’re like me, you read this article’s title and thought “What the heck does Intercalation Integration mean?” Luckily Dustin’s subtitle, “How to use a game inside a game inside your game” totally cleared things up.

Wednesday, March 16th

Twitch

Precog Breakdown – Know Direction: Beyond LIVE!

Alex, James, and Vanessa look at how the Precog turned out in publication, point out some of the big differences, and give the class an overall shakedown.

Podcast

Presenting – Simone D Sallé

I love hearing from RPG editors, but Simone is the first technical editor I’ve listened to. Simone was a lively and informative guest.

Article

More Lore – Time Will Tell
By Scott D Young

For the time being! Which I guess in this case is Scott, writing about what the passage of time looks like from Earth and Golarion’s perspectives.

Thursday, March 17th

Podcast

Legend Lore 041 — Goblins

It’s been a long time since the inclusion of goblins as a core Pathfinder 2e ancestry sparked controversy, but Luis and Loren give the topic a solid look with the benefits of hindsight, while also showing how versatile goblins can be for 2e characters.

Article

Investing In: 7 Years of Critical Role
By Rob Pontious

I feel like I’m missing out on a major cultural touchstone for tabletop gamers, but I have little firsthand experience with Critical Role. Fortunately, Rob does a great job explaining the show’s appeal and impact from a personal perspective.

Friday, March 18th

Podcast

Know Direction: Beyond 67 – Precog Breakdown

Some interesting analysis of what sounds like a fun class that made some big choices that weren’t always intuitive.

Preview of March 21st to March 25th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 21st

Twitch

Know Direction 272 Live – Book of the Dead Preview

Book of the Dead from the Pathfinder RPG line isn’t out until late April, but Luis and Vanessa received early copies of Chapter 1: Prayers for the Living. They preview the contents, and even build characters using the new options available in the chapter.

Digital Divination 52

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, March 25th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Shout Out To Darran Caldemeyer

Ryan Costello — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 09:53:12 +0000

Longtime listeners certainly know Darran Caldemeyer as the Know Direction Network’s official Countdown Correspondent. As far back as 2015, Darran’s put together graphics indicating how many days are left until PaizoCon in the last 30 day stretch. Below is, to my knowledge, the first such graphic he ever sent us:

He’s done this every year since, including several years where he wasn’t able to attend PaizoCon. They’re a fun way in which we get to engage with our fans on social media, and an idea he came up with, presented to us, and never asked for anything in return. On top of that, any time Darran joined us for a live recording of an episode, any time of year, he made sure to update us on how long we had until the next PaizoCon. I even proposed Renegade Game Studios use a similar format for a countdown to the G.I. JOE RPG, or as I thought of it, pulling a Darran Caldemeyer.

Darran recently reached out to let us know that it’s time to step away from the PaizoCon countdown. This made me far more emotional than I would have guessed. I reached out to Darran to personally thank him for all of his contributions, but I also want to publicly share how much I appreciate what Darran did for us.

Before he became the Know Direction Network’s official Countdown Correspondent, Darran helped us record seminars as part of the 2013 KD Con Team*. I know he was also on the 2015 KD Con Team, and I would be very surprised if he wasn’t on more. In 2018, he wrote an article hyping that year’s PaizoCon, and in 2020, he contributed Story Over Mechanics, Every Time! to that year’s Guest Blogger Takeover.

We have a lot of titles for KD Network members -staff, cast, board member- but Darran never officially joined the network. All of his contributions were out of love for Pathfinder and appreciation for the Network. Along with Justin Sluder, who I believe holds the record for most work on KD Con Teams for any non-Network member, Darran bridged the gap between fan and staff, helping us grow from a podcast to a network. I’m really glad to have known Darran for almost ten years at this point, and I’m grateful for all that he’s given to Know Direction.

*In case you tried to listen to the linked convention coverage, I recently had to archive several years of convention coverage to make room for more content. You may have noticed the latest Know Direction cut off during the outro. That’s because all but the last minute of that file was the most that our servers could handle. We didn’t even have room for banners for that day’s blogs. I decided that the best way to make room was to move a few hundred hours of old news coverage off the server and into storage. The last time we did something similar was when we archived the 3.5 Private Sanctuary episodes. We didn’t tell anyone, and we were surprised that we almost immediately heard from listeners who were digging into our old content.

Speaking of Network content, here’s a recap of the podcasts and blogs from last week at the Know Direction Network:

Recap of March 7th to 11th

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

Monday, March 7th

Twitch

Know Direction 271 Live – Host Lore

Thursday, March 10th

Podcast

Digital Divination 051 – The Charter System

Several sessions into their Starfinder Horizons of the Vast play, John and Ron share their impressions of the Charter System.

Preview of March 14th to March 18th

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

Monday, March 14th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 31

Our Valiant heroes continue to explore the Temple of the Whisperer.

Article

Now You Know – Shout Out To Darran Caldemeyer
By Ryan Costello

A lifetime achievement shout.

Tuesday, March 15th

Podcast

Young And Adventurous – Lost Maid of Anactoria 002

Scott D Young GMs the old Adventurous crew through a modified version of an adventure he wrote for Paizo, Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Lost Maid of Anactoria.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game..

Wednesday, March 16th

Twitch

Know Direction Beyond 67 Live – Precog Class Feature

Alex, James, and Vanessa take a close look at the precog.

Podcast

Presenting – Simone D. Sallé

John chats with Paizo Technical Editor and freelance author Simone D. Sallé about how she got her start and began working for Paizo.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, March 17th

Podcast

Legend Lore 41 – Goblins

Luis and Loren be goblin fans, and you be amused!

Article

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.

Friday, March 18th

Podcast

Know Direction Beyond 67 – Precog Class Feature

Go beyond, with Alex, James, and Vanessa.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Happy Birthday Perram

Ryan Costello — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:11:24 +0000

Two weeks ago, in February 21st’s Now You Know – Happy Birthday Dustin, I said:

If I’m being honest, I worry that dedicating a post to Dustin’s birthday may set expectations that I give ever Know Direction staff member a shout out on their birthday. I’m not against it, except that statistically, there’s about a Know Direction staff birthday every other week. Practically, it doesn’t work out that way since three of us are born the same week in July, of course.

I stand by my assertion that I can’t to shout out to every network member on their birthday, but I’m shamelessly willing to play favourites and make an exception for Perram.

Perram celebrated his birthday this past Friday. What could be more appropriate than Perram being born on the day that would become known as International GM’s Day. Not only has he sat behind the GM screen for hundreds of gamers over the years, for probably a similar amount of game time, but he exemplifies the benevolent and creative qualities that make the best GMs.

Perram gives more of himself to the network than any other member. And unlike the majority of us, he’s not establishing game designer credentials when he does it. Perram’s contributions to the network are and have always been purely for his love of Pathfinder and tabletop RPGs, the Know Direction Network, and our fans.

That said, Perram’s been burning a candle for this network for over a decade nonstop. He needs a break. So Perram will be taking the month of March off. He’ll still appear on Adventurous episodes, because they’re already recorded, but Luis and Vanessa will be hosting the next two Know Direction podcasts (including one tonight), and I’ll figure out what I’m doing for this month’s Upshift.

Here’s wishing Perram a well-deserved rest from all of his contributions to the Know Direction Network.

Speaking of the Know Direction Network, here’s a recap of the content that came out in the last week:

Recap of February 28th to March 4th

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

Monday, February 28th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 30: In Which They Deal 8 Damage

Sometimes 8 damage is enough.

Article

Now You Know – Slava Ukraini
By Ryan Costello

I was mystified by Ukraine’s folkloric resistance to the Russian invasion and compared it to a heroic RPG campaign.

Tuesday, March 1st

Patreon

Downshift… 2? 1?

Downshift, the Upshift aftershow, falls victim to my struggles with the new show’s numbering convention. Oh well. Lucas was the only Patron in the live audience for this episode, so we talked about whatever he wanted to hear about, like iTunes’ fall from the top of the podcatcher hill, and what’s up with the bright blue, limited articulation Snake Eyes he saw going for $20?

Podcast

Know Direction Special Episode: February 2022 Black Excellence Showcase

Following up on the previous week’s February 2022 Black Excellence Showcase, Michelle Jones and Perram recorded a special episode of Know Direction, inviting black RPG industry creators Navaar Jackson, Trey Joiner, Kandi Jeanne, and Quinn Murphy on to talk about their accomplishments and positions in the industry.

Young and Adventurous – Lost Maid of Anactoria 001

First previewed in January, the first episode of the Scott D Young era of Adventurous kicked off with a reintroduction to our characters, including a discussion of how we imported them to 2e.

Article

Fox’s Cunning – The Pipefox Archives
By Dustin Knight

Dustin’s put together so many guides for Pathfinder 2e enthusiasts, he put together a guide to his guides.

Wednesday, March 2nd

Podcast

Presenting – Michelle Jones

Big week for Michelle podcast appearances! The Know Direction Network’s newest staffer joins John to talk about her roll on the Network, the unique way she got into the game industry, and how she plans to bring about change.

Thursday, March 3rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 040 — Swashbuckler

Luis and Loren look at the swashbuckler. I didn’t realize it, but it’s one of the most diverse classes in 2e, with one of the most applicable archetypes.

Preview of March 7th to March 11th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, March 7th

Twitch

Know Direction 271 Live – Host Lore

Thursday, March 10

Podcast

Digital Divination 51

John and Ron talk Starfinder.

Friday, March 11th

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Slava Ukraini

Ryan Costello — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:57:09 +0000

I’d originally intended to cover Paizo’s PaizoCon 2022 annoucement here, but with the evolving situation in Ukraine, I need to shift gears for a minute.

In the complex world of global politics, it’s not supposed to be so easy to tell right from wrong. In the case of Russia’s latest nuclear hissy fit over the territory they knowingly gave away but now want back, Putin is the clear villain. That’s sadly pretty standard behaviour from the childish dictator. If I ran a campaign with a Putinesque villain, it would probably come off as cartoonishly over the top.

What’s different this time is the heroes standing up to him. I don’t mean to trivialize real world events by comparing them to escapist gaming, but the stories coming out of Ukraine are nothing short of legendary, and would fit right into a fantasy RPG. The Ukrainian soldiers who turned telling a Russian warship to f-off into a rallying cry. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the comedian turned politician who went from playing the president on TV to actually being the Ukrainian president. Now he’s on the battlefield in armor, publicly standing up to Putin’s tyranny. The brewery that’s halted production to use its facilities bottling Molotov cocktails. The Ghost of Kyiv, an ace fighter pilot tearing apart the Russian air force and raising awareness that Kyiv is the Ukrainian spelling of its capital. The lady who told a Russian soldier to keep sunflower seeds in his pocket so that at least his corpse can do some good by fertilizing some flowers.

Although the veracity of the Ghost of Kyiv is unconfirmed, most of these equally legendary stories are corroborated as fact. In a world wrung dry by an endless string of tragedy, hardship, and regular occurrences of the literally unbelievable, somehow the epicenter of the worst of the latest bad news is a source of hope for many of us.

Regularly Scheduled Content

That said, if anyone’s curious, here’s my original editorial for this week:

Last Thursday, Paizo officially announced PaizoCon 2022, happening simultaneously in person and online. Although a lot can still happen between now and May 27th (not like a lot isn’t happening, of course), I feel confident that Pathfinder and Starfinder enthusiasts will be able to meet up in person at one of my favourite conventions for the first time since 2019. If there are other conventions like PaizoCon, I don’t know about them. The casual atmosphere, panels geared towards an avid and knowledgeable fanbase, the way staff is treated both like celebrities and as one of the gang; It’s not an atmosphere that can be manufactured.

That said, I won’t be attending this year, unfortunately. At least not in person. And I have nothing official to announce about Know Direction’s involvement as a network. Hopefully I haven’t attended my last PaizoCon, but my 2022 gaming and convention time is committed to Essence20 promotion.

On that note, as discussed in the latest Upshift, this weekend is RenegadeCon 2022 and I can say I’ll officially be participating in two of the panels:

Reveals: G.I. JOE Tabletop & RPG Games on Friday, March 4th at 2:30pm Pacific (5:30pm Eastern)
How To Play: The G.I. JOE Roleplaying Game on Saturday, March 5th, at 5:30pm Pacific (8:30pm Eastern)

Preview of February 28th to March 4th

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

Monday, February 28th

Podcast

Valiant Episode 30: In Which They Deal 8 Damage

Our Valiant heroes get buffer and toss throwing pistols at a tonguey skeleton.

Article

Now You Know – Slava Ukraini
By Ryan Costello

The modern heroes in a global campaign are the legends coming out of Ukraine.

Tuesday, March 1st

Patreon

Downshift 002

Perram and I are joined by friend of the Lucas Servideo in this chat about why the latest Upshift isn’t episode 1, Super7’s recent G.I. JOE retro line, and other stuff I’m sure.

Article

Fox’s Cunning
By Dustin Knight

Dustin offers expert insight and helpful tools to enhance your game..

Wednesday, March 2nd

Podcast

Presenting – Michelle Jones

Get to know the newest member of the Know Direction Network when John Godek interviews Michelle Jones.

Article

More Lore
By Scott D Young

Scott D Young’s deep dive into the minutia of Golarion lore and how you can use it to enhance your game.

Thursday, March 3rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 40 – Swashbuckler

Luis and Loren are currently fielding questions in the Shows Discussion Discord channel about the swashbuckler for the latest Class Feature.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Happy Birthday Dustin

Ryan Costello — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 18:42:58 +0000

In the filing room of my mind palace, I have two drawers dedicated to Now You Know editorial topics:

Timely network news to promote;
Topics to cover when there’s nothing timely to promote.

A few weeks ago, the Know Direction Network’s own Dustin Knight revealed the fantastic news that his weekly Pathfinder Infinite review stream – Infiknight Infinite Reviews- would be mirrored on the Official Paizo Twitch Channel. As an incredible boom for Dustin, I wanted to give him a shout out in this space, congratulating him for the achievement and thanking him for his hard work. It should have been filed under Now You Know editorial topics type 1, but instead got filed under Now You Know editorial topics type 2.

Well today’s Dustin’s birthday. My birthday present to Dustin is apologizing for putting this shout out off for so long, righting that wrong, and throwing in a happy birthday while I’m at it.

Everybody, wish Dustin a happy birthday today if you can, and check out Infiknight Infinite Reviews, as well as his weekly Booster Bestiary streams on Facebook (in which he opens a Magic: The Gathering booster packs and adapts one of the cards into a Pathfinder 2e monster), and, of course, all of his content on the Know Direction Network.

Speaking of content on the Know Direction Network, here’s a recap of everything that came out in the last week:

Recap of February 14th to 18th

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

And that’s it for this week’s Know Direction: Beyond content. OR IS IT?

Know Direction: Beyond – Special SFS Report 2022

That’s right, an extra episode of Know Direction: Beyond! Paizo reached out to us and asked if we wanted to preview Starfinder Society Season 5, including announcing one of three new factions, with Paizo’s Development Manger Linda Zayas-Palmer and Starfinder Society Developer Jessica Catalan.

Preview of February 21st to February 25th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, February 21st

Twitch

Know Direction 270 Live – Beadle & Grimm’s Back

Article

Behind The Screens – Great Responsibility
By Ryan Costello

Continuing my series on the basics of GMing, with the privileges of GM power out of the way, it’s time to cover GM responsibilities. For real this time.

Thursday, February 24th

Podcast

Digital Divination 50

John and Ron talk Starfinder for 50 episodes.

Friday, February 25th

Podcast

Upshift 001 – Renegade Con Preview

I’ve spent way too much time wondering if calling the last Upshift “episode 000” was a mistake.

Article

Monstrous Physique
By Luis Loza

Luis makes monsters.

Now you know,
Ryan Costello

Now You Know – A Positive Household

Ryan Costello — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 15:41:32 +0000

Unfortunately, after several close calls over the last few years, our luck ran out and we have a positive case of COVID-19 in my house. Three of the four of us are vaxxed to capacity, but our youngest is ineligible for the vaccine due to her age, and she caught it at daycare. So far, she’s feeling fine. Her pediatrician says that the rate of vaccination in our area is extremely high (something like 90%), meaning that her viral load is probably significantly lower than positive cases in even the recent past, and she might never develop any symptoms. Hopefully that’s the case, and the worst we had to deal with was a week of isolation playing video games and watching streaming as a family. A lot of Castle Crashers and Pokémon.

All that to say, between this and the projects that had me busy last week, I won’t have as much time to participate in Network content for the foreseeable future.

Speaking of Network content, here’s a recap of the podcasts and blogs from last week at the Know Direction Network:

Recap of February 7th to 11th

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

Monday, February 7th

Twitch

Know Direction 269 Live – Queerfinder Breakdown

Find out all about the hottest product on Pathfinder Infinite, Queerfinder, as well as what it means to its many contributors and its creators Grady Wang and Theo Thourson.

Podcast

Intrepid Heroes 079 – Ambush

Another leg of our Intrepid Heroes dungeon crawl. Of course, that dungeon, The Crucible, is located, and I can’t stress this enough, in middle of the sun!

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

Sorry folks, I’m swamped with work and freelance. As you may have noticed with the lack of an Adventurous release last week, I’m going to be hit or miss with my Network responsibilities for the near future. That said, if you had to choose between my next installment of Behind The Screens coming out this week and the first episode of the new Adventurous season coming out next week, do you have a preference? Let me know what network content you’d prefer I prioritize in the KD Discord or in a reply to this post on social media.

Speaking of our content, here’s a recap of everything that came out last week on the Know Direction Network:

Recap of January 31st to February 4th

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

Monday, January 31st

Podcast

Valiant Episode 28: In Which They Do Talk With A Skeleton

I burst out laughing when I read the title of episode 28, a follow-up to Valiant episode 26’s In Which They Don’t Talk With A Skeleton.

Article

Now You Know – Young and Adventurous
By Ryan Costello

I announced the return of Adventurous -which I didn’t manage to follow through with and I’m not happy about that- with an incredible play on words -which I’m very much happy about.

Tuesday, February 1st

Podcast

Fox’s Cunning – Tracking the Talismans: Part 1

Dustin’s been killing it with his series on Pathfinder 2e’s minor magic items, moving on to his first in a series of looks at Talismans.

Wednesday, February 2nd

Podcast

Presenting – Nicole Lindroos

I believe Presenting – Gamers Making Games has two distinct audiences:

Listeners who want to know more about their favourite game industry contributors;
Listeners who want to know more about the game industry.

As much as listeners who fall into the former category should enjoy this interview with Nicole Lindroos of Green Ronin, GAMA, and much more, it’s jam and jelly for listeners in the latter category. Real insightful.

Article

More Lore – Expanding Lore
By Scott Young

Scott talks about using the setting to take a PFS scenario, remove the Pathfinder Society elements, and replace them with relevant, interesting content. He uses the adventure he ran for the Adventurous crew as an example, but avoids spoiling the adventure for listeners.

Thursday, February 3rd

Podcast

Legend Lore 038 — Ultimate Swordfighter Planning

Behind the scenes, Loren’s been planning a tournament to declare the greatest swordfighter build in all of Pathfinder 2e. This episode’s a long time coming, and the start of what I imagine will be a fun series of episodes.

Article

Investing In: i’m sorry did you say street magic? part 1
By Rob Pontious

And i’m sorry, spell check, but the book’s title is all lower case, so the miniscule i isn’t a mistake.

Preview of February 7th to February 11th

Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.

Monday, February 7th

Twitch

Know Direction 269 Live – Queerfinder Breakdown

News – Know Direction

Prep In Your Sleep With New Pathfinder R.E.M.Master

Now You Know – March 18th to 29th

Recap of March 18th to 22nd

Monday, March 18th

Podcast

Tuesday, March 19th

Podcast

Article

Eldritch Excursion – Riding on a Pale Gundam By Nate Wright

Thursday, March 21st

Podcast

Friday, February 23rd

Article

Essential Builds – Leonardo of Grayskull By Ryan Costello

Preview of March 25th to 29th

Monday, March 25th

Article

Now You Know – March 18th to 29th By Ryan Costello

Wednesday, March 27th

Twitch

Thursday, March 28th

Article

Investing In By Rob Pontious

Friday, March 29th

Podcast

Now You Know – March 4th to March 15th

Recap of March 4th to March 8th

Monday, March 4th

Podcast

Tuesday, March 5th

Podcast

Article

Eldritch Excursion – A Lust for Life By Nate Wright

Wednesday, March 6th

Podcast

Article

Thursday, March 7th

Podcast

Preview of March 11th to March 15th

Monday, March 11th

Article

Now You Know – – March 4th to March 15th By Ryan Costello

Thursday, March 14th

Article

Podcast

Friday, March 15th

Podcast

[Press Release] Catalyst Game Labs Partners with Paizo to Publish New Pathfinder Narrative Deckbuilding Game

Now You Know – February 19th to March 1st

Recap of February 19th to February 23rd

Monday, February 19th

Podcast

Article

Now You Know – February 12th to 23rd By Ryan Costello

Tuesday, February 20th

Podcast

Article

Eldritch Excursion – A Half Century Strong By Nate Wright

Thursday, February 22nd

Podcast

Friday, February 23rd

Article

Essential Builds – Indiana Jones By Ryan Costello

Preview of February 26th to March 1st

Monday, February 26th

Article

Now You Know – February 19th to March 1st By Ryan Costello

Wednesday, February 28th

Twitch

Thursday, February 29th

Article

Investing In By Rob Pontious

Friday, March 1st

Podcast

Now You Know – February 12th to 23rd

Recap of February 12th to February 16th

Thursday, February 15th

Article

Investing In: Warrenguard By Rob Pontious

Eldritch Excursion – Riding on a Pale Gundam
By Nate Wright

Essential Builds – Leonardo of Grayskull
By Ryan Costello

Now You Know – March 18th to 29th
By Ryan Costello

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Eldritch Excursion – A Lust for Life
By Nate Wright

Now You Know – – March 4th to March 15th
By Ryan Costello

Now You Know – February 12th to 23rd
By Ryan Costello

Eldritch Excursion – A Half Century Strong
By Nate Wright

Essential Builds – Indiana Jones
By Ryan Costello

Now You Know – February 19th to March 1st
By Ryan Costello

Investing In
By Rob Pontious

Investing In: Warrenguard
By Rob Pontious

Now You Know – February 12th to 23rd
By Ryan Costello

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Essential Builds – Indiana Jones
By Ryan Costello

Now You Know: Upshift On Hold
By Ryan Costello

Investing In: Masks
By Rob Pontious

Now You Know – February 5th to 9th
By Ryan Costello

Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright

Essential Builds – SuperPro
By Ryan Costello

Now You Know – Happy With Where We Are
By Ryan Costello