Pathfinder 2E Confession: I Want to Run PF2 But I Don't Want to Learn It

[Thomas Shey]

On the note of "paytool" Foundry is a one time 50 dollar fee, not a subscription. So, its very easy to get into and also a perfect #2 option if you do use a sub.

That's another. I was mostly contrasting it with what I currently use which is, well, free. But yes, a one time fee is better than a sub.

 

[Kichwas]

I actually bought foundry with the express purpose of using it to run PF2 (since it is touted as being the best implementation) and I haven't had time to learn that either.

The secret to Foundry is that it is EASIER to use the MORE mods you add to it. Assuming you add the right ones.

Start with:

PF2E workbench
anything by the mod maker 'Monk'. <--- This guy/lady/team is basically "Mr Magic Hands" for the PF2E Foundry playerbase.
Pathmuncher
both 'PDf import mods.
Dice so Nice
Dice Tray
Core Settings Expanded
Settings Extender
Combat Enhancements
Cautious Gamemaster's Pack
Module Management
Token Magic FX
Tokenizer

PF2E Dorako UI
Pathfinder UI
(yes you want both of these UIs - they work better when you have one of them overwrite half of the other one. By themselves each kinda sucks. When you have both, a window will actually pop up asking you if you want to disable part of one of them - despite that sounding like it means one of them is disabled... it actually just lets some features of one overwrite the other, resulting in things being nicer...)

Especially for help in learning Pathfinder:
PF2E Modifiers Matter
PF2E Flat Check
PF2E Exploration Activities
PF2E Effect Description

After the above it becomes all about personal preference. But you are better off grabbing any mod that claims it handles some aspect of the rules, or makes it easier to track something.

I also like to have the various animation mods - they make it visually clear when someone has done something, and mods to let me resize windows, make popups of info for players, copy things to the chat log, and so on...

Base Foundry by itself is like buying a toolbox without putting tools in it.

Also, once you have players, I highly recommend listening to them when they ask for or advise you to add new modules. Players who have used Foundry a lot will see whatever setup you have and have recommendations that will almost always improve the experience. It's a great way to learn, and it makes the table feel more welcoming to the group as a whole if the players feel like you're customizing the game to them. You can always turn those mods off in other games you run and thus tailor each game to the exact players sitting down for it.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Holy crap, finding players will to give PF2E a try is much more difficult than it should be. I have a potential player pool of about two dozen people and so far ONE has expressed interest.

What worked for our group was we had a DM run a demo session (in Foundry) in lieu of our regular game for a couple weeks. The DM guided us to the Pathbuilder app to help with character creation, and we haven't looked back since.

Some stuff that made us a good candidate group for PF2E were that all of us have an appetite for tactical combat and some tolerance for crunch.

The big selling point takeaway from the demo was the elegance of the three-action economy and the breadth of options for how to use those options which make it such that you're rarely in the "I just move and attack" rut, that you kind of get into with D&D.

As time has gone on, other selling points have shown up, like the benefits of teamwork to approach challenges, the importance of mobility, the general relevance of skills, etc.

There's stuff I occasionally miss about D&D, mostly the relative simplicity of conditions and a smaller equipment list untethered to character level. But these are very minor.

We could probably go back to D&D, but I expect it'd feel a bit like going back to sketching in MS Paint when you've been using Adobe Creative suite for a few years.

 

[cranberry]

I'm guessing that most people who have read this thread have seen this document...but just in case you haven't, it's a nice summary of the upcoming changes in November 2023.

Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Core Preview | Paizo

This preview PDF includes all the rules, spells, and tools referenced in Pathfinder Rage of Elements! You’ll also find an explanation of some of the changes coming in the Pathfinder Second Edition remastered books, and advice on how you can use these in your games.

paizo.com

 

[Lojaan]

Hey @Reynard how is it going?

I gotta say I still have not run a session. Learning Foundry is hard. Not only do you have to learn how the platform works, you need to learn what mods to use, and then you have to learn how to use each individual one. And it is really hard finding guides on how to use it because anything from more than 6 months ago is likely obsolete. Sigh. I'll get there eventually but hot damn it is not easy.