Community Debates Pathfinder 1E Versus 2E for New Campaigns
A January 4 community thread on r/Pathfinder_RPG sparked a wide-ranging conversation after a returning GM asked whether to run Pathfinder 1st Edition or Pathfinder 2nd Edition for a sandbox campaign. The discussion highlighted the tradeoffs between 1E's deep back-catalog and sandbox-ready modules and PF2e's clearer, modern rules, tooling, and ongoing official support—information that matters for anyone planning a 2026 campaign.
On January 4 a returning game master posted in r/Pathfinder_RPG seeking advice on whether to run Pathfinder 1st Edition or Pathfinder 2nd Edition. The poster said they were coming back after a long break and planned a sandbox-style campaign, mentioning Kingmaker as a model, and asked the community to weigh legacy content against the newer edition's rule clarity.
Responses split along experience and priorities. Many experienced posters recommended Pathfinder 2nd Edition for new groups, citing clearer core rules, modern design, and the benefits of current tooling and official support. Several contributors noted that ongoing remaster changes make PF2e easier to learn and maintain for tables that value consistent rules interactions and digital character support. Those advantages translate to faster session prep and smoother onboarding for new players or groups returning to the hobby after a hiatus.
Other voices defended Pathfinder 1st Edition, pointing to its extensive catalogue of published modules and adventures that align well with sandbox play. The depth of legacy content makes it straightforward to populate a sandbox table with established encounters, factions, and adventure seeds without extensive homebrewing. For GMs who prefer leveraging prewritten material or want to tap a mature library of third-party content, 1E remains compelling.
Practical advice from the thread was consistently tactical: weigh player expectations and desired mechanical complexity, decide whether you want the convenience of extensive prewritten material, and match your ruleset to the time you have for prep. Several commenters suggested running short test sessions in each system or staging one-shots to gauge the table's play-feel before committing to a full campaign.
For GMs planning 2026 campaigns, these tradeoffs have immediate implications. Choosing PF2e can reduce friction with newer players and digital tools, while choosing 1E can cut prep time if you plan to use published sandbox modules. Either way, a quick playtest will reveal whether your table prefers streamlined mechanics or a larger library of legacy content.
The conversation is representative of broader community decisions happening now as groups remount or start fresh campaigns. Consider your players, your prep bandwidth, and whether you want the assurance of modern rule support or the breadth of established adventures, and try a short session to confirm the right fit.
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