Pathfinder 2E Getting started with PF2

[payn]

This one?

paizo.com - Pathfinder Combat Pad

Yeap, and wow the price has gone up. Its dry erase and magnet so works on the fly.

 

[Retreater]

I got one of those pads back before Paizo started making them - along with the dry erase flip mats. There was another company at GenCon selling them, and they sold like hotcakes in the 3.5 era. I am guessing that Paizo purchased the rights from that company. In any case, I used it for years - through the rest of 3.5, into PF1, and even into 4e and 5e for a while.
What I don't like about them is that it's either behind the GM screen and players can't see it, or it's given to a player to track Initiative - and in that instance, it's not kept accurately, other players don't see it, etc.

 

[thullgrim]

I got one of those pads back before Paizo started making them - along with the dry erase flip mats. There was another company at GenCon selling them, and they sold like hotcakes in the 3.5 era. I am guessing that Paizo purchased the rights from that company. In any case, I used it for years - through the rest of 3.5, into PF1, and even into 4e and 5e for a while.
What I don't like about them is that it's either behind the GM screen and players can't see it, or it's given to a player to track Initiative - and in that instance, it's not kept accurately, other players don't see it, etc.

I use a magnetic fry erase board from Walmart. It’s poster board sized. We have magnets with character names for party members and then blank with dry erase surface on the we can write the mobs name on.

 

[Kichwas]

Now you make me wonder if it does apply the modifier if a target is flanked. It didn't seem to, but I'll have to do some testing.

So I wanted to make sure I was speaking correctly.

Here we can see it automatically applied flat footed when the wizard and cleric attacked. But not for the fighter's attack. You can see I've not applied any status effects to any of them.

Shockingly I managed to roll misses on all of these...

 

[Kichwas]

I did find that I misspoke earlier somewhere in the thread. The module that shows encounter CR is not 'Monk's Little Details' but 'Monk's Combat Details' :

 

[Velderan]

I did find that I misspoke earlier somewhere in the thread. The module that shows encounter CR is not 'Monk's Little Details' but 'Monk's Combat Details' :
View attachment 288364

Yeah, I meant to mention that. Monk's modules got split into a few modules. Little details is a nice module though.

 

[Kichwas]

Yeah, I meant to mention that. Monk's modules got split into a few modules. Little details is a nice module though.

I tell people to get them all, then remove any that aren't doing good things for you. They have the kind of stuff that I feel should have been baseline to Foundry or Pathfinder Foundry. At least as options that could be turned on/off as not everyone wants all of their stuff.

I keep finding people complaining that that stuff is lacking because they didn't know it was hidden in some randomly named module out there somewhere... A former GM clued me on to those mods.

As an aside: the biggest feature of Foundry is also it's biggest flaw: Everything is in the mods. Get the right mods and it's great. Those mods might not have names that clue you in to them solving the problem you were having so might never find them. And mod authors can choose to vanish. There is a private discord or community somewhere where published mod authors track mod status and if a mod gets abandoned they get a volunteer to take it over if it's popular enough. But it can still take time.

 

[Velderan]

I tell people to get them all, then remove any that aren't doing good things for you. They have the kind of stuff that I feel should have been baseline to Foundry or Pathfinder Foundry. At least as options that could be turned on/off as not everyone wants all of their stuff.

I keep finding people complaining that that stuff is lacking because they didn't know it was hidden in some randomly named module out there somewhere... A former GM clued me on to those mods.

As an aside: the biggest feature of Foundry is also it's biggest flaw: Everything is in the mods. Get the right mods and it's great. Those mods might not have names that clue you in to them solving the problem you were having so might never find them. And mod authors can choose to vanish. There is a private discord or community somewhere where published mod authors track mod status and if a mod gets abandoned they get a volunteer to take it over if it's popular enough. But it can still take time.

Yeah, it can be a bit overwhelming to start with. But the community support for Foundry is pretty insane.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

It's an ordeal, honestly. I don't think the design minds at Paizo actually considered how people would play this without automation.
Let's consider just Initiative. Initiative without a VTT is honestly stupid. Each creature has its own Initiative score, which fluctuates based on delayed actions, getting knocked out during a combat, etc. Let's say I have 5 players and 6 goblins - that's ELEVEN initiative scores to track. Then I have to remember which Goblin is Goblin #1 in the order, has that goblin taken its reaction, does it have any conditions to track, etc.?

What am I doing to try to get around this? Well, I have dry erase condition cards to remind people if they're Clumsy, Enfeebled, etc., and by how much. I have dry erase clothespins that I can write "GOBLIN x#" upon, and slide it around a track at the top of my GM screen like a shuffleboard in a meat raffle.

So I'm left wondering, do I need all this stuff just to run a blasted game? Is there any way that Paizo could have made the game without all this minutiae? Why isn't there a better option out there for a fantasy RPG that is streamlined and balanced?

Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to teach a group of 6 teenagers relatively new to TTPRGS how to play this 650 page rulebook. But I'll be damned if I try to DM 5e again - I'd rather quit gaming.

Have you looked at Shadowdark?

 

[Retreater]

Have you looked at Shadowdark?

My players have no interest in OSR games. They feel like there's not enough options, characters are too weak, etc.
In fact, if I can get them away from 5e long enough to try Pathfinder, I feel like it will be a major accomplishment. They're caught up in the "lifestyle brand" mentality.