not sure if this is the right place to ask, but would it be possible to make the pregen character sheets and the hero's handbook (basically only the rules) publicly available?
the reason I'm asking is twofold, if someone wants to look at the pregens to run the BB on foundry it goes like this: "make an account on paizo.com. find the right item in the store. add it to your account. go to your downloads. then open the zip-file", when it should be "here, let me send it over/give you a link". the pregen sheets don't have a visible watermark, but being tied to an account still makes the legality of distributing them uncertain.
the beginner box on foundry is great, but sadly uses the default character screen (with EVERY option), without any of the great explanations the BB sheets offer. imho the easiest way to prepare players who never played pf2 before is by giving them the sheets and the handbook to look over before they start (and then have something to look up in while playing), which isn't possible with the foundry module unless you want to send out watermarked PDFs (bad idea).
which brings me to the hero's handbook. the character sheets only go so far, for one it doesn't offer the preselected alternatives and explanations in the handbook (which I could replicate as a GM, but would be twice the work for something that already exists and works), the second is once players level up and open foundry or archive of nethys, they are hit with _every_ option in the whole ruleset - while the point of the beginner box is to limit and preselect those to make it accessible to new players.
part of what makes the beginner box so great is the handbook for players to learn the game easier on their own before the first session, but that is sadly lost with the foundry version. worse, usually people only learn a system once, after they've run menace under otari they don't really have a need for the hero's handbook anymore. they could watch a video or check AoN or whatever, but that isn't very intuitive and easy to get into (even with the player's guide AoN provides), something that was commented on especially recently with the influx of new players. it would be much more convenient and accessible for everyone to be able to point them to the official PDFs they can download right away.
if it would be possible to treat the sheets and the handbook kind of like the player's guides for the adventure paths (which I assume have a reason to be freely available without the need of any accounts), it would be a great help for new players and a great tool for GMs to teach the game. the material is already there, and it's fantastic, so why not use it to make it easier for people to get into the game while they need it (they would still need the rest of the beginner box and a GM running it to get most of it, and it's not like the rules are on the internet anyway, just in a different form). even WOTC gives people a simple and direct way to get their quickstart rules.
of course it worked without any of it in the past, but that doesn't mean there isn't potential room for improvement.
it could even be marketed to appear on newssites and social media: "paizo announces the release of the beginner box rules for free, there has never been a better time and better way to learn what pathfinder second edition is about!" and other spins.
TLDR: please consider giving people easy access to the beginner rules and material.
that is all. :)
