GM Additional Guidance
Certain circumstances you might encounter as a GM benefit from extended discussion.
Running Secret Checks
In Starfinder Second Edition, some checks, such as checks to Recall Knowledge, have the secret trait. Secret checks fall into two broad categories. The first category includes checks that characters do not know exist, such as a check against a hidden threat that the PCs did not notice. The second category includes checks for which players would gain significant extra information that their characters would not have if they knew how well they rolled. Recall Knowledge checks are the broadest type of checks that fall into this category. Characters that critically fail a Recall Knowledge check gain false information, so if players know that they rolled very low, they might have trouble avoiding metagaming. Similarly, if the players all rolled low on a check to Seek, they might find themselves tempted to metagame and have everyone roll again because they know that there is likely something that they didn’t find.
The secret trait is a tool to help separate character knowledge and player knowledge, but, as listed in the secret check rules,PC pg. 397Player Core page 397
(click to close) GMs can at any time allow their players to roll their own results on secret checks. Some Scenarios will make recommendations, such as directing GMs to keep a particularly pivotal check’s results hidden or to let players roll a string of checks in the open to keep gameplay moving. Unless a Scenario says otherwise, GMs are free to choose how to handle secret checks on a check-by-check basis. GMs can keep all secret checks secret, have players roll all secret checks, or adapt on the fly based on the mood and pacing of the table. If players rolling their own secret checks do metagame—that is, use information that their characters would not have to determine their actions—then remind them that their characters would not have that information and try to steer them away from using it. In general, it can be useful to have players roll their own checks if there are many secret rolls in one section, and useful to roll for the players if you suspect that there will be a strong temptation to metagame or that the extra information of the result could negatively impact the experience for players at the table.
Reviewing Chronicles
If time permits, GMs and Event Organizers can spend a few minutes reviewing players’ Organized Play records at the start of an event slot. These reviews can happen for a variety of reasons. For example, you might need to learn what a character did in previous adventures, or you might want to verify the records' accuracy.
When you are looking over the players' records, if you notice anything that seems amiss, you can ask the player to explain any potential errors. Remember that errors are far more likely to be honest mistakes than intentional cheating—and that it is possible that they are not errors at all. When you ask the player about a potential error, speak with the player calmly, nicely, and with an open mind. The player might have simply made a mistake—or you might have made a mistake in your understanding of their records.
Remember that the game is supposed to be fun, so waste as little time as possible on drama and spend as much time as possible providing an exciting, action-packed adventure for your players.
Resolve any issues as fairly as possible. For example, if the character selected an option that they did not have Access to, let them pick another option to replace it; if they paid a discounted price for an item in error, let them pay the additional costs to meet the full purchase price; and so on. If you believe a player is cheating, ask your Event Organizer for assistance. If you are both the Event Organizer and the GM, use your discretion on how to proceed.
GM Rewards
Paizo Organized Play rewards GMs for volunteering their time to run events. See the GM Chronicles section for additional rules and benefits of GM Chronicles. GMs also receive rewards based on the number of adventures they have run and reported.
GM Achievement Points
GMs receive Achievement Points (AcP) every time they run an adventure, whether it is repeatable or not. In addition, they receive double the AcP they would have received for playing that adventure.
GM Table Credits
GMs receive “table credits” for every table they run and report. Each Scenario earns 1 table credit. Other products grant varying amounts of table credits.
Additional Adventures
In addition to the adventures written for Starfinder Society, some other Paizo adventures have been sanctioned (approved) for Organized Play credit. Since these adventures are published for a wider audience than the Starfinder Society campaign, there is typically a downloadable sanctioning document with Chronicles and any special considerations for Organized Play.
Modes of Play
The Starfinder Society rules of play are customized to work with Starfinder Scenarios and are not necessarily applicable to other sanctioned adventures. Adventures run using these customized rules are referred to as "Society Mode" in the rest of this document.
"Adventure Mode" is used for adventures not specifically designed for Organized Play. This mode allows the GM more freedom to adapt those adventures, including running the adventure in Starfinder using GM house rules and the ability to alter encounters and statistics found in the adventure.
If Paizo has released an official conversion of a sanctioned adventure to another game system, GMs and players can play these adventures using those rules and earn credit as if they had played it using Starfinder rules. Adventures that have not been converted by Paizo in this way must be played using standard Adventure Mode rules.
Character Types
Most Adventure Mode sanctioned products can be played with any character; some products include pregens, and players are encouraged to play those characters for an optimal experience.
Any adventure that can be played with an SFS character can also be played with an Iconic Pregen. When playing an adventure using an SFS character, the Chronicle must be assigned to that character. In that case, the One Adventure per Character rule applies.
A player can assign a Chronicle for a sanctioned adventure to a character that is "busy" taking part in a Scenario.
Sanctioning Documents
Each sanctioned adventure comes with a freely downloadable sanctioning document located on the product’s description page on paizo.com. This document contains the rules for running that adventure, as well as Chronicles awarded for completion.
Read the sanctioning document carefully, as it might modify the adventure's rewards. Specific information in a particular sanctioning document always takes precedence over the general information presented in this Guide.
Unlike Scenarios, Chronicles for other sanctioned adventures are assigned at the completion of the adventure. If a Chronicle for a sanctioned adventure is assigned to a character that is "busy" taking part in a Scenario, Chronicles are applied in order of start date. That is, apply the Chronicle from the adventure they are "busy" with first, followed by the Chronicle from the other sanctioned adventure.
A group can complete an adventure when it is not sanctioned. If it later becomes sanctioned, the GM is allowed and encouraged to issue Chronicles to all interested players. These Chronicles are applied as if the group had completed the adventure on the date the Chronicle is issued. Such Chronicles must have an accurate issue date (that is, they cannot be backdated) and cannot be applied such that they retroactively affect other Chronicles.
Current Version: 1.00
28 July 2025