Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box review: An excellent intro to D&D’s biggest rival

The Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box is the perfect introduction to the fantasy tabletop RPG, as it lays out its more complex rules in an easily digestible way. 

The Pathfinder 2e Core Rulebook is notoriously dense with content. The massive tome is packed full of rules & options for players to use, to a degree that can be off-putting to people who are completely new to the game or to tabletop RPGs in general.

Those coming from more rules-lite RPGs like D&D 5e or Vampire: the Masquerade 5e might also be scared off by the sheer amount of numbers, rules, and effects that need to be kept track of while playing Pathfinder 2e. 

This is where a starter set is ideal, as it helps introduce the game to everyone, including GM and players. The Beginner Box does this amazingly well, even if I had a few issues with the adventure that comes with the set. 

Pathfinder 2 Beginner Box: What’s in the box?

Those who purchase the Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box will receive the following: 

• Hero’s Handbook
• Game Master’s Guide, containing the “Menace Under Otori “ adventure
• Set of 6 color-coded polyhedral dice
• 124 cardboard character & monster pawns
• 13 plastic bases for the pawns
• 6 blank character sheets
• 4 pre-generated character sheets
• 6 player reference cards
• Double-sized map for the “Menace under Otori” adventure

The Hero’s Handbook contains rules for the Dwarf, Elf, and Human Ancestries; the Acolyte, Criminal, Deckhand, Farmhand, Gambler, Scholar, and Warrior Backgrounds; and the Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard classes, with abilities and spells that go up to level 3. 

The Game Master’s Guide features a brief adventure called “Menace under Otori,” as well as details for monsters, dungeon hazards, magic items, and a more in-depth explanation of the rules. 

The Menace under Otori is a great intro to Pathfinder 2e

Menace under Otori is a brief adventure that can be finished in a 5-6 hour setting, making it an ideal choice to run as a one-shot or at conventions. As a taster for Pathfinder 2e, it does an excellent job of breaking down the rules and gradually introducing the concepts to the game. 

See, Pathfinder 2e involves a lot more resource management than its contemporaries. During combat in Pathfinder 2e, characters need to balance 3 Actions and a Reaction, which can be used for multiple things, such as moving, attacking, and casting spells, giving players tons of options during their turn, even at low levels. 

Not only that, but Pathfinder 2e is big on recurring status effects that can last over several turns, as well as temporary effects that can raise/lower dice roll results. These additions/subtractions seemingly crop up every turn, so you’re always juggling numbers. 

Those coming from D&D 5e’s “just give Advantage/Disadvantage to the roll” mindset might be shocked by how much more math is involved with Pathfinder 2e’s combat. A character’s position in combat is also much more important, making all of your movements & actions important.

Paizo

This is where Menace under Otori comes in, as it operates similarly to a video game tutorial, gradually showing how the game is played through carefully planned encounters so that the players can acclimate to its various systems. As a mechanical tutorial, it does a masterful job of showing both players and GMs the ropes of play. 

While Menace under Otori is great at introducing the mechanical aspects of Pathfinder 2e’s rules, it’s not quite as good at the overall fun of RPGs. This is because it lacks any roleplaying-specific encounters where players would be encouraged to talk their way out of a problem, and while this can be shoe-horned into the existing parts of the adventure, the game mostly encourages violence as a solution.

Part of what makes tabletop RPGs so popular is the ability to get into character and interact with strange and wonderful NPCs. If you’re a more experienced GM, you might want to add a more dialogue-friendly encounter, but it’s a shame there isn’t one already present. 

The other disappointing aspect of Menace under Otori is that it doesn’t go to level 3, despite the rules reaching that point in the Hero’s Handbook. Indeed, the adventure ends shortly after the players reach level 2, preventing them from using their new abilities for long. 

GMs of a brand new group might want to ignore the experience point mechanic and just have the characters hit level 2 when they reach the second level of the dungeon and get to level 3 just before the final boss, even if that will make things easier, as they’ll get to see more of what their characters can do. 

Paizo

What else is useful in the Pathfinder 2e: Beginner Box?

Once the Menace under Otori is finished, what else does the Beginner Box offer? The map is mostly used for the adventure, so it doesn’t have much use outside the Beginner Box, even though individual rooms can be repurposed for other places in different campaigns.

The cardboard pawns are an amazing addition, especially as they contain many common monsters in the game, along with plenty of things that don’t appear in Menace under Otori. These little cardboard figures can substitute 90% of the enemies you’ll meet in the rest of your tabletop RPG life, with only truly giant monsters missing from the set. 

The pawns alone are one of the best reasons to buy the box due to how much use you’ll be getting out of them, especially as using a map & figures is so much more important in Pathfinder 2e than its contemporaries.

Outside of the Menace under Otori, the Game Master’s Guide also has some amazing advice and not just for running the game. There are great tips for planning adventures, how to deal with players, and offering guidance for creating adventures. This greatly expands the scope of the content of the Beginner’s Box for those who want to put the effort into creating a level 1-3 mini campaign.

The character reference cards and the specially made pre-gens are also amazing for helping new players, as they keep all of the info they need in one place. The character reference cards are so useful that I’d consider keeping them for a full campaign, as they have so much helpful info in one place.

Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box review score – 4.5/5

While Menace under Otori could have been expanded a little, it still works as a great introduction to the world of Pathfinder 2e. The rest of the Beginner Box also provides a ton of material that will remain useful to those who want to move onto the Core Rulebook and continue their adventures in Golarion, making this a must-buy for anyone looking to try Pathfinder 2e. 

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