Pathfinder 2E Rate Pathfinder 2E

Retreater · Dec 27, 2019

I ran my first game last weekend. I ran the group through two Pathfinder Society Quests with pregenerated characters to try to get a feel of the system. It was a little slow going, having to look up rules with every fight and most skill checks - but that is typical for a new, rules-heavy system. It was enjoyable, and I think it has the makings of a good system once I learn it. I think it has the crunch and options I was wanting in 5e.
I can see myself running both games, going back and forth depending on the audience. This might end up being similar to Basic D&D and AD&D. Maybe both lines can co-exist? Maybe we can enjoy both without taking a side?

dave2008 · Dec 27, 2019

kayman said:
That is not my intent... Long time DnD and Pathfinder GM. I am current Gming age of Ashes (just finished cult of cinders) and i can say this. After 13 sessions, the game has been perfect in every sense, combat flows without any problem , magic is well balanced and the option of downtime mode and exploration mode play a huge and important part of the game. All PCs plays very diferent from each other. The level of costomization is awesome. Comparing with other editions pathfinder 2e at this moment, imho,is a huge upgrade for TTRPG.
Sorry for my bad english.

I was just teasing. By saying it is the climax you are implying it can only get worse going forward. I don't think that is what you meant, but I just thought it was funny.

PF2e reminds me a lot of D&D 4e in a lot of ways and that is a good thing IMO. However, it appears a bit rigid to me and I wish they had pushed social encounters more like they did exploration encounters. There is also some issues I have with all D&D based games that haven't been addressed (HP and Armor), but I didn't expect them to and I always house rule them anyway. I find the 3 action economy interesting, but wish they pushed it further (I have championed an all inclusive 6 action economy elsewhere on these forums). I also have some trepidation about the change in crits. Finally, I have some issues with the monster design too. However, all that being said my biggest issue is that I can't find anyone to play so I haven't had a chance to test it yet

Retreater · Dec 27, 2019

kayman said:
That is not my intent... Long time DnD and Pathfinder GM. I am current Gming age of Ashes (just finished cult of cinders) and i can say this. After 13 sessions, the game has been perfect in every sense, combat flows without any problem , magic is well balanced and the option of downtime mode and exploration mode play a huge and important part of the game. All PCs plays very diferent from each other. The level of costomization is awesome. Comparing with other editions pathfinder 2e at this moment, imho,is a huge upgrade for TTRPG.
Sorry for my bad english.

Glad to hear someone is having success with the new AP. I'm getting ready to start "Hellknight Hill" in two weeks. Any pointers?

kayman · Dec 27, 2019

Retreater said:
Glad to hear someone is having success with the new AP. I'm getting ready to start "Hellknight Hill" in two weeks. Any pointers?

Develop the the main story(The big D) in a way that it will have conection with the story of your PCS. Give hints , create situations that aways conect with the main plot. I am saying this because in the end (Broken Promises) ,imho, you will face one of the most epic scenes that i ever had the privilege to read in an AP.
Sorry for my bad English.

kayman · Dec 27, 2019

Retreater said:
I ran my first game last weekend. I ran the group through two Pathfinder Society Quests with pregenerated characters to try to get a feel of the system. It was a little slow going, having to look up rules with every fight and most skill checks - but that is typical for a new, rules-heavy system. It was enjoyable, and I think it has the makings of a good system once I learn it. I think it has the crunch and options I was wanting in 5e.
I can see myself running both games, going back and forth depending on the audience. This might end up being similar to Basic D&D and AD&D. Maybe both lines can co-exist? Maybe we can enjoy both without taking a side?

I agree , but if what you are saying come to be.
"This might end up being similar to Basic D&D and AD&D. Maybe both lines can co-exist?
Pathfinder will capture a lot of player from D&D. I remember back in the old days that the majority played AD&D.

dave2008 · Dec 27, 2019

kayman said:
And the 3 actions economy is the best rule that ever was introduced in the history of DND/Pathfinder. A simple idea that changed the whole game. Just Perfect.

It is interesting, but it is really just an evolution of the previous action economy. Also, it is not a true 3-action economy as you have reactions and free actions not accounted for in the base system (which is one reason I prefer a 6-action economy). It also doesn't allow for simultaneous action (I don't think - been a while sense I reviewed the rules). To me advantage/disadvantage was a bigger game changer; however, it ties into a different philosophy of 5e well, but it is not a good fit for PF2e.

dave2008 · Dec 27, 2019

kayman said:
I agree , but if what you are saying come to be.
"This might end up being similar to Basic D&D and AD&D. Maybe both lines can co-exist?
Pathfinder will capture a lot of player from D&D. I remember back in the old days that the majority played AD&D.

That is not what he is suggesting. The concept is that PF2e is a more complex & crunchier version of D&D (which it is), thus AD&D vs. the simpler 5e (D&D). However, this overlooks the fact that BECMI became just as complex as AD&D. He was not relating to sales or popularity.

kayman · Dec 27, 2019

dave2008 said:
It is interesting, but it is really just an evolution of the previous action economy. Also, it is not a true 3-action economy as you have reactions and free actions not accounted for in the base system (which is one reason I prefer a 6-action economy). It also doesn't allow for simultaneous action (I don't think - been a while sense I reviewed the rules). To me advantage/disadvantage was a bigger game changer; however, it ties into a different philosophy of 5e well, but it is not a good fit for PF2e.

comparing advantage/disadvantage to 3 action economy is lauthfable.

dave2008 · Dec 28, 2019

kayman said:
comparing advantage/disadvantage to 3 action economy is lauthfable.

Not in my experience. Not sure if you have played Hackmaster or not, but the 3-action economy is essentially a watered down version of the system they use and i found it to be less of an impact than dis/advantage in actual play (and the Hackmaster system is even more dynamic than the PF2e system). Perhaps it seems super innovative if you haven't used something like it before, but for me it is not a revelation. That being said, that could be a reason dis/advantage is for me, as I hadn't used something like it before. Also, dis/advantage is not used in a vacuum in 5e, it is important for BA - they go hand-in-hand.

Basically it comes down to this: 3-action economy wasn't new to me, but dis/advantage was, so it is only natural which one had more of an impact on me. Our viewpoints on which is more important is biased by our experience, there is not a "correct" answer. It is subjective.

What I like about both concepts is they give rise to more possibilities to stretch them. I have already mentioned the 6-action economy, but you could expand dis/adv as well.

EDIT: Also, what is really innovative is not the 3-action economy, but that they paired it with the general removal of OA. That was the genius move that makes it interesting.