Pathfinder 2E Tell me about The Abomination Vaults

[dave2008]

Yeah. There were more than enough people interested once I put it on Roll20. I had to turn away enough players to make an entire second table - after the listing had been up just a few hours.
There were a few factors that made me want to try GMing again.
1) Realizing my first group with their playstyle and attitude could've made any campaign or system not fun for me.
2) Seeing what automation was available in Roll20 that makes it a decent player experience (even if it could use more content for GMs).
3) The Abomination Vaults has pretty good reviews and feels more in my wheelhouse than other APs.
4) I was putting it into Roll20 to test my skills, and figured I might as well run it since I was already doing the work.
5) Paizo and PF2 are important in the industry. As someone who tries to be involved in the profession (even in a limited way), I should be familiar with the design from these creators.
6) I want to challenge myself. I believe trying other systems hones the craft of being a good GM.

So it didn't have anything to do with your recent play experience. I thought maybe the fun you had playing may have lead to think your time GMing had been an aberration.

 

[Retreater]

So it didn't have anything to do with your recent play experience. I thought maybe the fun you had playing may have lead to think your time GMing had been an aberration.

Yeah. I do think playing a few games recently reinforced the first two points (that my previous group was not a good fit for the system, and that Roll20 could handle more than I thought).

 

[willrali]

I’m a few sessions into Abomination Vaults now. It has a nice, classic feel to it while still managing to be fresh. Small town not far from Absalom so we can even have incursions from ‘big city folk’. My players are all new to the system and four of the six are new to ttrpgs. They’re all having a great time with it.

The three action system, and clearly defined actions, activities, and conditions, has helped a surprising amount with getting newbies to understand the game. Our alchemist struggles a bit — that’s a complicated class!

 

[Reynard]

Quick question: is there any reason NOT to allow APG options in a first PF2 campaign? As in, does the APG introduce anything that might be trouble for new players or a new GM (me)?

 

[Justice and Rule]

Quick question: is there any reason NOT to allow APG options in a first PF2 campaign? As in, does the APG introduce anything that might be trouble for new players or a new GM (me)?

The classes are a bit more complex, with the Investigator having a bit more meta-ness in their powers, the Witch sort of a familiar-focused caster, the Oracle having a kind of weird curse management system, and Swashbucklers having to accrue panache. I'd say the Swashbuckler is the easiest to grok and the Investigator is one where you might want to plan for powers because they typically have a decent amount of out-of-combat abilities that rely on more narrative solutions. But overall nothing that I can think of.