What gets me playing Draw Steel and not Pathfinder 2e?

[Elvish Lore]

If I'm a 5e player who's interested in much more tactical play, why would I go to Draw Steel and not simply Pathfinder 2e which has way more content at this point?

This isn't a challenge to DS and I'm not trying to boost Pathfinder here. P2e is currently the biggest option for 5e players looking for a more tactical play experience. I'm honestly curious (and my personal stance is DS looks kind of cool and I want it to succeed and P2e combat bores me).

If we're marketing Draw Steel here...

• does it offer a more streamlined experience (vs P2e)?
• More dynamic combat?
• Does lack of content make the game easier to get into?
• Easier to GM for?
• lots of other potential reasons I'm not thinking of

 

[Velderan]

• Does lack of content make the game easier to get into?

That is definitely a selling point for some people. I’ve seen a lot of people come to the PF2e subreddit overwhelmed by all the material out there and not understanding where to begin or what to exclude from their games. Getting in while a game is new takes the “what content should I allow in my game?” question out.

 

[Enrahim]

Some observations based on my first impression skimming the pdfs.

Draw steel seem to have significantly more focus on battlefield positioning. Also the heroic resource management seem important for all classes - there isn't a similar theme for all classes in PF2.

At first glance it seem less deadly - easier healing, and a "dying" system that seem to give decent margins. I am curious if the system actually will get players to run away when aproperiate. But I have not compared the margins with expected monster damage output.

The setup seem to call for more frequent less individually dangerous battles than PF2 - at least early in the adventure. I am curious to see how robust their victory system is. I am a bit worried it might require DM content carefully tuned to it for it to work as intended. But if it works it provide a dimension not really found in PF2.

One thing I found a bit lacking was the class load-out. If you have an idea and want to build that I think PF2 is going to serve you better. That said, if you are more happy to adapt to what is available I think there are likely enough options for you to find something you'll like.

When it come to setting, Golarion is of course a lot more fleshed out than the sneak peak we get on the draw steel world. Some of the races are not going to jam well with simple converting to other setting. So homebrewing, limiting, or some setting work is likely needed to run it.

Not been play testing, so obviously I cannot speak much to how it feels in actual play.