PF2E Players - Are Battlemaps Required?

[cailano]

I have a quick question for the experienced Pathfinder 2E players on the Weave. In your experience, are battle maps required to take advantage of the system's mechanical complexity? I'm especially interested in how that has worked out in PbP.

Back when I ran Pathfinder 1E, I used battle maps for around 90% of encounters. Not doing so seemed like it would unfairly disadvantage certain classes, such as the Rogue. Looking at PF2E, which has a lot of tactical combat rules, it seems like nothing has changed in that regard.

But I haven't played it beyond a quick one-shot with my kids. What are your thoughts?

[Eagleheart]

I think it's possible to play theatre-of-the-mind PF2e, but using maps makes it a lot easier.

[Actana]

To get most out of the system, yes, absolutely. There's a lot of positioning stuff and so on (for example 25 speed vs 30 speed on certain ancestries) that will get entirely sidelined if there aren't maps.

[cailano]

Okay, it sounds like it is as I expected. It seemed kind of obvious. I just wanted to ask more experienced players in case I was missing something.

[cailano]

Okay, another question. I will try adding it here instead of making a new thread.

Does PF2E even work in PbP? There seem to be too many reactions to let the system work in this format, and the back-and-forth might grind the game to a halt.

In fact, it seems like a game created with VTT in mind. There are so many statuses to track and super complex character building... that all screams "computer-assisted" to me.

[Phntm888]

14 minutes ago, cailano said:

Okay, another question. I will try adding it here instead of making a new thread.

Does PF2E even work in PbP? There seem to be too many reactions to let the system work in this format, and the back-and-forth might grind the game to a halt.

In fact, it seems like a game created with VTT in mind. There are so many statuses to track and super complex character building... that all screams "computer-assisted" to me.

Yes, PF2 works in PbP. I've played multiple PF2 games in PbP, and am running 2 PF2 games, and have had no issues whatsoever with the game. You do have to adapt how you handle certain actions/activities to the medium of PbP versus at the table, but that was the case with PF1, as well. For instance, rather than make all Recall Knowledge checks Secret, as you're supposed to, I put up a spoiler with the relevant skill(s) that can be rolled and the DC needed to pass the check. If there is a result that can be achieved through Critical Success, I add another spoiler with that information and the higher DC.

For reactions, those are handled largely by having players post what reactions, if any, they intend to use in their post and making any relevant rolls, as well. If an enemy would have a reaction that would affect the player's turn (such as reactive strike), I will roll that in my GM post and apply it as needed at the correct spot. I had the same policy regarding PF1 Swashbucklers and Opportune Parry and Riposte - Roll all your potential Parries/Ripostes, and then I'll resolve them in order as needed.

Character creation is actually a lot more straightforward than it looks, although there are a lot of tools to help with it, too, such as Pathbuilder. It's a fantastic character builder for PF2, and the $5 for the full version is absolutely worth it. It has Google Drive integration for saving characters, too, or you can download the PDF character sheet or JSON file to save elsewhere and upload next time you need it.

Status tracking isn't too hard - I make sure to emphasize when a PC is inflicted with a status condition, and if an enemy is inflicted with a status condition, I track it in my gameplay post, as well as the duration if needed.

[Eagleheart]

Most of what Phntm said is correct. PbP PF2e simply suffers from the same woes every PbP game does. C'est la vie and all that.

While I agree that Pathbuilder is absolutely worth the $5 it costs, I think it's no less "necessary" for building a character than D&D Beyond is for building a 5e character - i.e., it's very helpful, but you can live without it.

Edited April 29 by Eagleheart (see edit history)

[Phntm888]

I would like to agree with Eagleheart on Pathbuilder not being necessary for building a character. I should have clarified that a bit better.

[cailano]

Pathbuilder seems like a great tool. I didn't mean "computer-assisted" as a knock on PF2E. I get that it's mechanically complicated. If anything, finding tools that can help manage some of the work and reduce the cognitive load of the system are pluses in my book.

@Phntm888, I checked your profile and found the Ironfang Invasion game you're playing in. I'm going to do some lurking there and hopefully get some ideas of how @Kistler is handling the combats.

[Phntm888]

As long as Kistler is okay with it, I don't see why not. Eagleheart is in that game, as well.

[Eagleheart]

@cailano you can also check out my Age of Ashes and Crown of the Kobold King games

[cailano]

27 minutes ago, Eagleheart said:

@cailano you can also check out my Age of Ashes and Crown of the Kobold King games

Thanks! I'll do that.