It comes with familiarity. The first few Pathfinder sessions I played were rough. There were a few things working in our favour:
listening to an actual-play podcast made me a lot more comfortable with knowing what PF2E sounds like when it’s being played well (Shoutout to Tabletop Gold!)
most of the players I started my PF2e group with were eager to play a TTRPG, but didn’t have much previous experience. So they had the drive to pick up the game as well. I definitely think it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly if the whole group was 5e veterans.
forcing ourselves to stick with it got us over the hump. I was determined to get through the PF2E beginner box no matter how much of a grind it felt like at times, and that made it so the game eventually started clicking for us.
All that being said, it’s definitely not for everyone. I personally think it’s a far better game than D&D 5e, but neither is the perfect TTRPG for everyone. Lots of people aren’t looking for that sort of heroic fantasy action game at all.
We have one member of our group, who we all love dearly, that refuses to play pf2e or go back to pf1e, he will only play 5e. For the rest of us it is exactly as you described. We miss pathfinder so much. Same friend wants to play Starfinder and I’m honestly half decided to run two campaigns at once in the hope it brings him back to the crunchy joy that is Paizo, and we can stop playing the shell of a game that is 5e.
Just wanted to come back and say we have been playing PF2E for almost 2 years, so I’m not sure it’s an issue with familiarity. I think anyone would agree PF2E just inherently has more rules than a game like 5e that are relevant to the game every session.
While that’s true, as someone who’s GM’d both, I’d say PF2E is a lot less mental work to run. In 5e, if something weird comes up, I have to actually use my brain and game design something on the fly. It’s entirely possible I come up with something that breaks the game balance, and basically the only tool in my toolbox is giving things advantage and disadvantage, which makes it hard to model what players are actually trying to do. In PF2e, if a player mentions they might want to try something, I can do a quick AON search while the players are debating what to do next, and have an answer at the ready.
It comes with familiarity. The first few Pathfinder sessions I played were rough. There were a few things working in our favour:
All that being said, it’s definitely not for everyone. I personally think it’s a far better game than D&D 5e, but neither is the perfect TTRPG for everyone. Lots of people aren’t looking for that sort of heroic fantasy action game at all.
We have one member of our group, who we all love dearly, that refuses to play pf2e or go back to pf1e, he will only play 5e. For the rest of us it is exactly as you described. We miss pathfinder so much. Same friend wants to play Starfinder and I’m honestly half decided to run two campaigns at once in the hope it brings him back to the crunchy joy that is Paizo, and we can stop playing the shell of a game that is 5e.
I’m not yucking your yum but as someone who went from PF to PbtA the idea that crunchy is fun is completely foreign to me now.
I do like my RPG crunch in video games tho
Well it’s a year away, but you have Starfinder 2e to look forward to. It is going to be the same exact mechanics as PF2e
Necroposting
Just wanted to come back and say we have been playing PF2E for almost 2 years, so I’m not sure it’s an issue with familiarity. I think anyone would agree PF2E just inherently has more rules than a game like 5e that are relevant to the game every session.
While that’s true, as someone who’s GM’d both, I’d say PF2E is a lot less mental work to run. In 5e, if something weird comes up, I have to actually use my brain and game design something on the fly. It’s entirely possible I come up with something that breaks the game balance, and basically the only tool in my toolbox is giving things advantage and disadvantage, which makes it hard to model what players are actually trying to do. In PF2e, if a player mentions they might want to try something, I can do a quick AON search while the players are debating what to do next, and have an answer at the ready.