What Is PaizoCon UK and How Can Pathfinder and Starfinder Fans Take Part?

Updated

PaizoCon UK is a games convention in the United Kingdom for Pathfinder and Starfinder players, and it also acts as a source of information on Pathfinder and Starfinder activity in the UK. If you already play either game, or want to start, it is the kind of event where organised play, local clubs and campaign news come together. The site's news items point to three main ways to take part: attend the convention, join organised play through the Pathfinder Society or Starfinder Society, and follow campaign developments that players can influence.

What PaizoCon UK is for

The convention is built around Pathfinder and Starfinder, the two roleplaying games published by Paizo. According to the site, it is both a convention and an information hub for Pathfinder and Starfinder activity in the UK, with Birmingham appearing among its associated keywords.

That dual role matters. A convention gives you a date and a place to play. The news side tells you what is happening in the wider organised-play campaigns, which is useful if you cannot attend every event but still want to follow the story.

What happens at the convention and in UK organised play

The news items on the site describe several strands of activity:

  • Pathfinder Society organised play. This is the worldwide campaign for Pathfinder. The site notes that Starfinder rules sold out in most games shops and that Starfinder then hit games conventions and local clubs "in a big way" in the autumn, with the Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild described as a worldwide science fantasy campaign.
  • Campaign storylines that players affect. One news item covers the Scarab Sages, a faction that replaced the old Osirion faction. Its premise was to recover gemstone artifacts storing the memories of long-dead sages, recruit strong minds to host those memories, and revive the ancient order of Jeweled Sages. The site states that the mission now moves towards a decisive outcome and that "how it ends entirely depends on you."
  • New factions and allies. Another item describes how, in Season 8, Pathfinders travelled the Planes of Air, Water, Fire and Earth and encountered the Concordance of Elements. That group is now an ally and is recruiting.
  • Rewards for playing and running games. Starfinder GM boons and Player Alien Archive boons are described as coming, offering alternative alien races to play. At game conventions, Starfinder GM boons will be spread according to where the game takes place in the real world.

For a UK player, the practical takeaway is that organised play is not limited to one annual event. The site points to games conventions and local games groups across the UK as places where Starfinder and Pathfinder are played and demonstrated.

How to take part

  1. Start with organised play. Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society are the campaign structures behind most convention and club games. Playing in a Society game gives you a character tied to an ongoing worldwide story rather than a one-off session.
  2. Look for a local club or convention. The site says you will find Starfinder played and demonstrated at most games conventions and local games groups in the UK. That makes a local club the lowest-effort entry point if you are new.
  3. Attend PaizoCon UK. The convention itself is the concentrated version of all of this: multiple games, organised play, and news about where the campaigns are heading.
  4. Consider running games. The GM boons described for Starfinder are aimed at people who referee at conventions, with rewards tied to the real-world location of the game.
  5. Follow the campaign news. Storylines such as the Scarab Sages finale and the Concordance recruitment are shaped by player results, so reading the news tells you what is currently at stake.

What to check before you commit

The site's news items do not state ticket prices, registration deadlines or membership requirements, so treat those as things to confirm directly rather than assume. What the site does support is the shape of the event: a UK convention for Pathfinder and Starfinder, backed by organised play campaigns and local club activity. If you want a single starting point, pick whichever is closer to you — a local games group for regular play, or PaizoCon UK for the full convention experience.