Pathfinder 2

One of the hardest things I did recently was box up my Pathfinder 2 books. I was sold on the promise. I loved the detailed character builds. I loved the options and rules. I loved the variations within the classes and the different ways you could customize. I was even subscribed to the books. The art and presentation are excellent. The community is great.

But the game wasn't for me.

Playing alone, solo, trying to run four characters by myself?

I just could not do it. The complexity of characters and interlocking rules was too much for me. The book read and played like a C++ Programming book for advanced programmers. Every time I wanted to do an action I was opening the book and searching for the detailed, specific rule that covers the action. The character sheets are pages long and I know some tax forms that are easier to work through.

I like the game a lot, but given my time and life learning and playing this alone would be a lot of work for the same level of enjoyment I could get a lot easier playing simpler games.

Better With Groups

My brain melted and I quit. I do feel bad because this one was a game I really wanted to immerse myself in. This game feels like one that would be better in a group, with people there to teach you, manage their own character builds, and specialize in different areas of the game and all help each other learn and play.

Some games are complex because it takes a hive-mind to decipher them, and part of playing is everyone sharing and learning together. Mastery is likely very enjoyable for all involved, and they can teach others as they enter the hobby. The language of this game is deep and complex, and with such a powerful tool you can probably make a lot of cool characters with the rules and have them work in interesting ways.

And to be honest, part of the fun in these types of complex games is socializing through that shared learning process. You help others, learn together, and get to know each other as a result. That is a fun thing to get involved with. Right now, I don't have the time for a game like that or being in a community like that.

Maybe with time something will come up, or my life will ease up and allow me to make room.

Complexity

It almost feels like the rules complexity of Pathfinder 1e was simplified and moved entirely into the character builds, which have increased in complexity exponentially. Where in Pathfinder 1e I could create a character and being playing the game with an almost OSR level of simplicity, the Pathfinder 2 characters became massively complex and detailed.

I can't just roll up a few characters, write down the first-level abilities, and go.

Admittedly, once you get your Pathfinder 2 character running (almost like a complex software install to get each one going) the complexity curve is likely flatter than Pathfinder 1e, where the characters ramp up in complexity as they level (but they still feel like OSR classes conceptually).

Still Hoping

I still hope to learn this some day, so all is not lost. Just now, my time is very limited and I am sticking with the style of games I grew up with and know. I won't get into them in this article because I don't want to get into system wars and "X is better than Y" silly click-bait content. All games are great. People love and play Pathfinder 2. Some would probably say it is not as hard as it looks, and my hesitancy is just part of a learning curve.

All great points.

I will dive in some day. I will likely regret waiting, but I don't have the time now so I shouldn't regret putting something aside to avoid getting frustrated with it and letting that affect my opinion. I need to be fair, but I have to have the time to do so. I did shelve Dungeon Crawl Classics for a while and I regret that. That is a fun game and it was not as complex as I first assumed.

But each game is different.

And each person's situation is also different.