Is there a fairly simple guide anywhere on how the PFS / Organized Play system works? It is royally complicated to try to get involved. I have a paizo.com account and a -0001 character thought up, and it is just insanely difficult to figure out just how the system works so that i can play with him!
There’s dozens of hits on google because of each region having its own organization with their own write-up, but frankly they seem to be written for people who are already involved or familiar with some form of organized play.
No offense taken; I was lucky enough to come into a really good lodge that is great with new players but I know that definitely doesn’t exist and it’s a difficult barrier to entry.
Instead, I see it as an interesting challenge. Perhaps we, as a community here, can work on creating a guide with different people contributing their own regional knowledge. Due to how decoupled all of the regional lodges are, I doubt it will ever be finished, but it might at least give new players a fighting chance.
I can say, as a half-hearted attempt at explaining why this problem exists, is that there was some friction between the Organized Play people and Paizo as a company that had to do with wages/volunteer hours. It was before my time, so I only know bits and pieces, but Paizo had to completely separate the Organized Play part off from the company, so that’s why Pathfinder Society is so fragmented and different; it’s completely run by volunteers with very little input from Paizo as to how individual lodges should work.