Appalachian Region Weekly Update
Week of August 9 – August 15, 2026
📋 This Week at a Glance
Welcome back, Pathfinders and Starfinders! We’ve got 29 scheduled sessions on the calendar this week across the six-state region — details below.
Thank you to everyone who came out to Southern-Fried Gaming Expo last weekend — it was a great showing for the region. It’s been a quiet week on the Paizo front, so we’re carrying forward last week’s Gen Con keynote recap and Organized Play rule updates for anyone who missed them. The big story is DragonCon: our schedule is in the final stages of being uploaded for ticket sales, so keep an eye out.
🐉 DRAGONCON 2026 — TICKETS COMING SOON
September 3–7, 2026 — AmericasMart Building 3, Atlanta, GA
Our schedule hasn’t been published to gaming.dragoncon.org for ticket sales just yet, but it’s actively being worked on — we’ve been going back and forth with the head of Campaign RPGs to get everything finalized. As soon as tickets are available for pre-sale, we’ll send an announcement everywhere: Discord, both websites, and directly to our volunteers. Mark your calendars — this is the region’s biggest event of the year, and it’s just around the corner.
🎰 Thank You, Southern-Fried Gaming Expo!
Southern-Fried wrapped up last weekend at The Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, hosted by AtlantaPFS. Thank you to everyone across the region who came out to play, run a game, or just stop by and say hi — you made it a great weekend for the hobby.
🚨 We Need Officers Across the Region — Badly
We’re going to be blunt: the Appalachian Region is short on Venture-Officers right now, and it’s starting to show. Chattanooga cannot get active again without at least one officer stepping up. Charleston, WV is a possible new-lodge expansion we’re exploring, so Morgantown and Vienna’s officers aren’t stretched too thin covering that far a drive. Atlanta just lost dedicated coverage at Johns Creek — without enough officers, scheduling gets erratic and sporadic as the officers we do have get overtaxed trying to cover more ground than they reasonably can, and in the worst case we end up having to scale back our footprint. It’s not just weekly venues, either — the same shortage limits how many conventions and acquisition events we’re able to staff. Titan Games & Comics and Battle & Brew also have no VA at all. None of these roles require deep expertise — they need someone willing to show up, keep a searchable public presence (a Warhorn page is one option, but not the only one), and be a friendly face. If that’s you, please reach out. Full details are below — but don’t wait, email rvcapparegionop@gmail.com today.
🎲 Gen Con 2026 Recap
🎤 What Paizo Announced Last Week
Gen Con wrapped up last weekend in Indianapolis, and Paizo used its keynote to unveil a genuinely huge slate of upcoming products. No Organized Play changes were part of the keynote itself — this is all about what’s coming to your shelf (and table). If you missed it last week, here’s the recap:
Debuting at Gen Con
- 13 Omens — an all-new, rules-light horror storytelling game from Paizo, played with six-sided dice. Full launch is October 13. More at 13omens.com.
- Impossible Magic — a new Pathfinder sourcebook debuting at the Paizo booth, featuring four classes (Summoner, Magus, Necromancer, Runesmith), 240+ spells including new “impossible spells,” archetypes, arcane schools, and items.
- Bastion of Blasphemies — a horror-themed Pathfinder Adventure Path for levels 5–13, set in a haunted castle that’s been part of Golarion lore since the beginning, with ties to the Beginner Box.
- Absalom Station: Center of the Galaxy — a Starfinder deep dive into Absalom Station, with new districts, NPCs, rules, archetypes, ancestries, and a poster map.
- Assault at Absalom Station — a new Starfinder novel and sequel to last year’s story.
- Pathfinder Dice Gods — a dice-drafting game getting its pre-release at Gen Con ahead of an official September launch.
Coming This Fall (Sept–Nov 2026)
- The Dead God’s Hand — a Pathfinder adventure (levels 1–7) with deep Aroden lore.
- Cheliax: Infernal Inheritance — a new Lost Omens book in October, following up on the Hellfire Crisis.
- Feybound — a Pathfinder rulebook in November centered on the Yestereve Revels, with new fey ancestries, a First World gazetteer, and fey/fairytale-inspired creatures and items.
- The Vaultlines — a Darklands-themed Adventure Path (levels 11–20) also arriving in November.
- Secrets of the Swarm — a Starfinder Adventure Path (levels 6–10) in September, callback to a 1st-edition interactive special, with six new ancestries.
- Starfinder Tech Core — finally arriving in October, with all-new tactical starship combat, two refined classes (Technomancer and Mechanic), and more ancestries.
- Paizo Printables Season 2 — the next wave of 3D-printable miniature STLs, including Lovecraftian horror designs.
Looking Ahead to 2027
The keynote also previewed a packed 2027, including Lost Omens: Sagalands (May, a return to Varisia, Irrisen, and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings), Invaders from the Dark (June, a Golarion alien-invasion Adventure Path built to showcase Pathfinder/Starfinder compatibility — yes, there’s a hoverbike), a Starfinder Beginner Box (May), and Pathfinder Tome of Dungeons at Gen Con 2027, introducing two new classes (Daredevil and Slayer) and two new ancestries (Awakened Ooze and Gargoyle).
Check out Paizo’s Gen Con blog for booth details and deals, or catch the full keynote video here.
— Joel H, Regional Venture-Coordinator, Appalachian Region
📋 Organized Play Rule Updates (Published July 16)
Separate from the keynote, Paizo published a rule-update blog laying out “Program Alignment” changes that took effect with the July 30 launch of Pathfinder Society Year 8 and Starfinder Society Season 2 — these directly affect how we run tables:
- Pathfinder Society: scenarios (and eventually other sanctioned adventures) become repeatable for different characters. New characters can start at 1st, 3rd, 5th, or 7th level, with more flexibility for how pregen credit gets applied. Pathfinder Provisions is going away, replaced by a bespoke kit of consumables handed out at mission briefing and returned afterward. Monster stat blocks from other sourcebooks are coming back in a combined appendix.
- Starfinder Society: Slow Track advancement is being added, letting players opt into half credit on a scenario-by-scenario basis. GM ranks are also arriving, called Nebulas, mirroring Glyphs and Stars.
Read the full rundown on Paizo’s blog.
🎮 An Update on Playthrough 2026
Passed along by the Raleigh lodge: Playthrough, the developer-focused gaming showcase, won’t be running in 2026. The organizers describe themselves as a small team working around day jobs and family life, and say one of their own families just welcomed a new baby — so rather than rush out another show before they’re ready, they’re taking the year to make the next one better. They’re inviting the community to keep hanging out and discovering games together on their Discord in the meantime, and they’re asking for feedback on what makes the show worth attending. They’re aiming to return in 2027.
📈 Regional Growth Snapshot: Q2 vs. Q1 2026
We can’t publicly share raw table or player counts — those fall under our officer NDA with Paizo — but percentage trends are fair game, and they tell a good story about where the region is headed. These figures cover retail, virtual, and acquisition events only — larger conventions are reported directly to Paizo and aren’t included here. Comparing Q2 to Q1 (Q3 just started in July, so those numbers are still too incomplete to include):
Region-Wide
| Category | Q1 → Q2 Change |
|---|---|
| Retail PFS2 Sessions | ▲ +8% |
| Retail SFS2 Sessions | ▼ -39% |
| Retail SFS1 Sessions | New this quarter |
| Unique GMs | ▼ -8% |
| Unique Players | ▲ +2% |
| New Players | ▲ +71% |
By State
| State | Retail PFS2 | Retail SFS2 | Unique GMs | Unique Players | New Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | ▲ +60% | ▼ -69% | ▲ +19% | ▲ +2% | ▼ -22% |
| North Carolina | ▼ -72% | ▼ -72% | ▼ -62% | ▼ -57% | ▲ +157% |
| South Carolina | ▲ +107% | ▲ +21% | ▲ +100% | ▲ +39% | ▲ +89% |
| Tennessee | ▲ +31% | ▲ +9% | ▲ +12% | ▲ +8% | ▲ +11% |
| Virginia | ▲ +27% | ▲ +50% | ▲ +18% | ▲ +41% | New this quarter |
| West Virginia | — | — | — | — | New this quarter |
A few highlights: South Carolina had a strong quarter across the board, North Carolina’s new-player growth stands out even as overall table counts dipped, and Georgia’s PFS2 tables and GM ranks both climbed nicely. West Virginia doesn’t have retail table data yet, but new players showed up for the first time — a good sign as Morgantown and the Charleston effort build momentum.
📢🚨 Regional Announcements & Opportunities — We’re Dying for Officers
🔴 Atlanta: Venue Coverage Gap at Johns Creek
Level-Up Games (Johns Creek) just lost its dedicated Venture-Agent. Steve H is covering it on an interim basis on top of his usual Dawsonville duties, but that’s not a long-term fix. Without enough officers, scheduling at a venue tends to get erratic and sporadic as the officers we do have get overtaxed trying to cover more ground than they reasonably can — and in the worst case, we end up having to scale back our footprint. It’s not just weekly venues, either: the same shortage limits how many conventions and acquisition events we’re able to staff. Titan Games & Comics (Smyrna) and Battle & Brew (Sandy Springs) also have no VA assigned. If you’re in the Atlanta area, reach out to joel@atlantapfs.org.
🚨 Venture-Officer Opening: Chattanooga, TN — Restarting the Search
We’re restarting our search for a Venture-Officer in the Chattanooga area — our previous lead there didn’t end up working out. To be direct about it: this lodge cannot become active again without at least one officer stepping up. Chattanooga relaunched in 2025 and just needs someone consistent to build on that momentum. If you’re willing to help rebuild organized play in Chattanooga, or know someone who would be great at it, reach out.
Contact us at rvcapparegionop@gmail.com or through the Appalachian Region Hub.
🎲 Columbus, GA Lodge Still Gearing Up
The Columbus lodge, led by Dennis B, continues preparing to get games back on the calendar at Moxie Games. Keep an eye on their Warhorn page over the coming weeks, and reach out to Dennis B if you’d like to help build momentum as they get back up and running.
🎉 Morgantown Gearing Up for WVPopCon
Fresh off CharCon, the Morgantown, WV lodge is preparing for its next convention appearance at WVPopCon, August 22–23 at Mylan Park in Morgantown. It continues its regular schedule of Pathfinder Society sessions at Wyvern’s Wargames and could still use more regular GMs and players — if you’re in the area, reach out to Joel H or email rvcapparegionop@gmail.com.
🚨 Venture-Officer Opening: Charleston, WV — A Possible New Lodge
We’re exploring the possibility of a new lodge in Charleston, WV. The idea grew out of things like CharCon showing there’s real interest in the Charleston area, plus wanting to avoid stretching Morgantown and Vienna’s officers too thin if Charleston turns out to be too far a drive for them to cover reliably. If you’re willing to be the person who builds organized play in West Virginia’s capital city, reach out now.
What being a Venture-Officer actually involves: scheduling games at a local venue, welcoming new players, maintaining a searchable public presence for the lodge (a Warhorn page is one option, but not the only one), and being a point of contact for the region. You don’t need to be an expert — you need to show up and care. The VO Handbook covers everything else.
Contact us at rvcapparegionop@gmail.com or through the Appalachian Region Hub.
🎯 Lodges That Need You at the Table
The single most important thing you can do for organized play in this region is show up regularly and occasionally run a game. These lodges need that from you right now:
- Mebane, NC — Tables are running but attendance is inconsistent and GM support is thin. If you are in the Triangle or Triad area, this lodge needs warm bodies in chairs.
- Charlotte, NC — Real momentum recently — keep it going by showing up regularly, not just for the big weeks.
- Memphis, TN — Keep the growth going with more players and GMs.
- Nashville, TN — Strong existing interest, real potential. The schedule could be bigger with more GMs willing to step behind the screen.
- Morgantown, WV — Riding high after CharCon with a WVPopCon appearance ahead, this lodge could use more regular GMs and players at Wyvern’s Wargames.
If you are near any of these cities, reach out through the Lodge Directory or email rvcapparegionop@gmail.com to get connected.
🎪 Upcoming Conventions – Next 90 Days
The Regional & National Calendar tracks conventions and game days across the six-state region. If you are interested in volunteering at any of these events, contact the hosting lodge or email rvcapparegionop@gmail.com.
🐉 DragonCon – Atlanta, GA
Dates: September 3–7, 2026
Venue: AmericasMart Building 3 — Atlanta, GA
Website: dragoncon.org
The Premier Paizo Organized Play event in the Appalachian Region. Our schedule is being finalized for gaming.dragoncon.org — watch for the ticket-sales announcement soon.
🎉 WVPopCon – Morgantown, WV
Dates: August 22–23, 2026
Venue: Mylan Park — Morgantown, WV
Website: wvpop.com
The Morgantown lodge is bringing Pathfinder and Starfinder Society to WVPopCon — its second convention appearance in as many months, right on the heels of CharCon. Details on volunteer needs to come as planning firms up.
🎨 LUGCon – Duluth, GA
Dates: October 1–4, 2026
Venue: Gas South Convention Center — Duluth, GA
Lodge: AtlantaPFS (coordinated by Steve H)
Website: lugcon.com
AtlantaPFS is gearing up to support LUGCon again this fall and needs volunteers. Reach out to Steve H if you’d like to help.
🎨 Multiverse – Peachtree City, GA
Dates: October 16–18, 2026
Venue: Hilton Peachtree City — Peachtree City, GA
Lodge: AtlantaPFS
Website: multiversecon.org
AtlantaPFS is planning to be at Multiverse again this year and needs volunteers to staff it. Reach out to joel@atlantapfs.org if you’d like to help.
🌎 Also on the National Radar
A couple of national events worth knowing about later this year, both outside our region but on Paizo’s calendar:
- Toys of Boundless Wonder — November 27 – December 6, 2026. A distributed community event run through participating game stores nationwide; check leagueofaroden.com for locations or to sign up your venue.
- PAX Unplugged — December 4–6, 2026, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. One of the largest tabletop-focused conventions in the country. unplugged.paxsite.com
🎲 This Week’s Scheduled Games – August 9 – August 15, 2026
29 scheduled sessions across Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia — physical and virtual. Check your lodge’s Warhorn page directly for the most current information and sign up early — some sessions are filling quickly.
Sunday, August 9 – Saturday, August 15
| Date | Time (EDT) | Scenario | System | Lodge / Venue | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Aug 9 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Iolite Squad Alpha (PFS2 1-19) | PFS2 | Upstate South Carolina PFS – Game Kastle (Greenville, SC) | Warhorn |
| Sun, Aug 9 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM | A Foot in the Door (PFS2 7-03) | PFS2 | Georgia PFS/SFS – Athens Lodge – Dragon Star Hobbies (Athens, GA) | Warhorn |
| Sun, Aug 9 | 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Magic in the Mist (SFS2 1-06) | SFS2 | Piedmont Roleplaying Society – The Mighty Meeple (Charlotte, NC) | Warhorn |
| Sun, Aug 9 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | The Handmaiden’s Gaze (PFS2 7-22) | PFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – Paragon Gaming (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Sun, Aug 9 | 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM | The First Cut (SFS2 2-01) | SFS2 | Cookeville PFS/SFS – Knighthood Games (Cookeville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Sun, Aug 9 | 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Within the Glacier (PFS2 Quest S2-27) | PFS2 | Morgantown PFS – Wyvern’s Wargames (Morgantown, WV) | Warhorn |
| Mon, Aug 10 | 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM | The Hollowed Shell (SFS2 1-25) | SFS2 | Raleigh PFS – Game Theory – Duraleigh (Raleigh, NC) | Warhorn |
| Mon, Aug 10 | 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM | The Hollowed Shell (SFS2 1-25) — 2nd Table | SFS2 | Raleigh PFS – Game Theory – Duraleigh (Raleigh, NC) | Warhorn |
| Mon, Aug 10 | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Intro: Year of Clockwork Mystery (PFS2 8-01) | PFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – Old Black Mountain Games and Toys (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Mon, Aug 10 | 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM | Psychic Echoes (SFS2 1-23) | SFS2 | Hampton Roads – Tap N Roll – Newport News (Newport News, VA) | Warhorn |
| Mon, Aug 10 | 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Friends of the Forest (SFS2 1-11) | SFS2 | AtlantaPFS – Virtual (Fantasy Grounds Unity) | Warhorn |
| Tue, Aug 11 | 6:00 PM | Final Gambit: Part Two (SFS1 1-26) | SFS1 | Garden River Lodge (Augusta, GA) | Garden River site |
| Tue, Aug 11 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Final Gambit: Part One (SFS2 1-24) | SFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – The Game Piece (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Tue, Aug 11 | 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Rites of Rekindling (SFS2 1-10) — rescheduled from Thu, Aug 6 | SFS2 | AtlantaPFS – Virtual (Fantasy Grounds Unity) | Warhorn |
| Wed, Aug 12 | 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM | The Strings of Hell (PFS2 7-20) | PFS2 | Richmond & Central VA PFS – Virtual (Richmond Discord) | Warhorn |
| Wed, Aug 12 | 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM | The First Cut (SFS2 2-01) | SFS2 | Palmetto Lodge (Columbia) – Firefly (Columbia, SC) | Warhorn |
| Wed, Aug 12 | 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM | Demonic Afterparty (PFS2 5-19) | PFS2 | Palmetto Lodge (Columbia) – Firefly (Columbia, SC) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Invasion’s Edge (SFS2 1-01) | SFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – Paragon Gaming (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Dinner at Lionlodge (PFS2) | PFS2 | Hampton Roads – Atomic Comics Emporium (Newport News, VA) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Intro: Year of Clockwork Mystery (PFS2 8-01) | PFS2 | NC Triad PFS – House of Cards (Winston-Salem, NC) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM | Intro: Year of Clockwork Mystery (PFS2 8-01) | PFS2 | Durham PFS – Atomic Empire (Durham, NC) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM | The Burning of Greensteeples (PFS2 6-12) | PFS2 | Durham PFS – Atomic Empire (Durham, NC) | Warhorn |
| Thu, Aug 13 | 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Take the Bait (SFS2 1-12) | SFS2 | AtlantaPFS – Virtual (Fantasy Grounds Unity) | Warhorn |
| Fri, Aug 14 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Brastlewark at War, Part 1: The Gnome Defection (PFS2 7-06) | PFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – Old Black Mountain Games and Toys (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM | In Burning Dawn (PFS2 2-10) | PFS2 | Richmond & Central VA PFS – Battlegrounds RVA (Richmond, VA) | Warhorn |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Secrets of the Unlit Star | — | Hampton Roads – Tap N Roll – Newport News (Newport News, VA) | Warhorn |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Battle for Star’s Fate (PFS2 4-08) | PFS2 | Mid-South PFS (Memphis) – The Cellar (Memphis, TN) | Warhorn |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Intro: Year of Clockwork Mystery (PFS2 8-01) | PFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – The Game Piece (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Magic Unleashed (SFS2 1-20) | SFS2 | East TN PFS (Knoxville) – Old Black Mountain Games and Toys (Knoxville, TN) | Warhorn |
All times Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Virtual games hosted on each lodge’s platform — check the Warhorn listing for access details. Garden River Lodge (Augusta) uses its own scheduling site rather than Warhorn — visit gardenriverlodge.com for details. Game listings reflect the regional calendar as of publication; always verify with your lodge’s page for the latest. The schedule is subject to change and new sessions can be added at any time — check the Regional Calendar regularly.
💬 Connect With the Region
- Regional Hub Website: appaopregion.org
- Regional & National Calendar: Regional and National Calendar
- Lodge Directory: Find Your Lodge
- Facebook: Appalachian Region Organized Play
- X (Twitter): @AppaRegionOP
- BlueSky: @apparegionop.bsky.social
- Mastodon: @apparvc@dice.camp
- Regional Venture-Coordinator: rvcapparegionop@gmail.com
For individual lodge social media, Discord servers, and Warhorn event pages, visit the Lodge Directory.
🆕 New to Pathfinder or Starfinder Society?
Welcome to organized play! Whether you’re brand new to tabletop RPGs or a veteran player exploring Society play for the first time, here’s how to get started anywhere in the Appalachian Region.
🤗 Safe, Welcoming Tables for All
Everyone is welcome at our tables. Pathfinder and Starfinder Society organized play is committed to providing a safe, fun, and inclusive gaming environment for all participants worldwide, regardless of background, identity, or experience level.
All games operate under the Paizo Organized Play Code of Conduct and Community Standards. We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, or behavior that makes anyone feel excluded or threatened. If you experience or witness problematic behavior, please bring it to the GM, Event Organizer, any Venture-Officer, or contact Paizo directly at organizedplay@paizo.com.
Getting Started Resources:
- Create a free Organized Play account at paizo.com
- Find the lodge nearest you in the Lodge Directory and check their Warhorn page for upcoming games
- Most lodges have a Discord server — a great place to ask questions before your first session
- Check the Regional & National Calendar for conventions and game days across the six-state region
Don’t have a character yet? No problem! Pregenerated iconic characters are available at every table. If you’d like to build your own, GMs and volunteers at any lodge are happy to help — just arrive a little early and let them know you’re new.
❓ Did You Know?
🎁 Achievement Points (AcP): New to Organized Play? You get 80 AcP free on your Paizo Organized Play account to spend on cool boons and character options!
🎯 Looking Ahead
Thank you again to everyone who made Southern-Fried Gaming Expo a great weekend. It’s been a quiet week on the Paizo front, so take another look at last week’s Gen Con recap and Organized Play updates if you missed them. The big thing to watch is DragonCon — our schedule is close to going live for ticket sales, and we’ll announce it everywhere the moment it does. In the meantime, LUGCon, Multiverse, and Anime Weekend Atlanta are all lining up volunteers — reach out if you can help with any of them.
Chattanooga and Charleston, WV both remain open Venture-Officer opportunities — if you’re looking for a way to make a real, visible difference in this region, either one is a great place to start.
Lodge leadership and VOs: If your lodge has news, milestones, or events to share in a future regional update, email rvcapparegionop@gmail.com. The more you share, the better we can spotlight what is happening across the region.
Roll well, Pathfinders and Starfinders. See you at the tables. ⚔️🎲
