Help in choosing the right Travel Pass

Since you travel all the way from Appenzell to Geneva, it does look like a Swiss Travel Pass would be worth it. And even if it costs a bit more than the half fare card, it is more convenient since you won't need tickets for trains - just show the pass on trains!
You will only need tickets for mountain railways / cable cars.
The one big cost difference is with Jungfrau: you only have a 25% discount with the Swiss Travel Pass vs. 50% with Half Fare, and that difference alone is close to $50. In any case, most people here tend to prefer Schilthorn to Jungfrau.

By the way, maybe skip that night in Zurich. I would rather spend a second night in Appenzell, to have time to explore the area. One-night stays are tiresome!

Hello balso, appreciate your response! With the Swiss Travel Pass, we would still have to reserve train seats though, right?

No reservations needed on the Swiss trains except for the named panorama routes.

We just returned from the Lauterbrunnen valley last week. We travelled by train from Salzburg to Luzern and then travelled to the Lauterbrunnen valley for 4 nights. We visited to SBB (Swiss rail company) in Luzern to inquire about getting the correct pass. We ended up getting the 4 day Bernaise Overland regional pass which we purchased and was issued on the spot. Included was the rail pass from Luzern to Wengen (where we stayed) and all mountain lifts including gondolas. The exception being the trip to Jungfrau (top of Europe and the Cable car to the top of the Shilthorn (which is operated by a private company. It also includes the boats on lake Brienz.

We had a great time visiting Murren, Gimmelwald, Grindlewald, Gondola to first for the cliff walk. The Swiss travel pass does not include the lauterbrunnen valley lifts and trains after you leave Interlaken. The lifts are expensive so, if you plan to ride them extensively you will want some a pass of some sort.

What an amazing place

The Swiss travel pass does not include the lauterbrunnen valley lifts
and trains after you leave Interlaken.

This is not accurate. The Swiss Travel Pass does include the trains after you leave Interlaken. Once in Lauterbrunnen, the Swiss Travel Pass covers you 100% up to Murren, Gimmelwald and Wengen. Anything higher than Murren and Wengen is a discount.

Thank you for the responses.

We don't plan to visit the Interlaken area on this trip. So is it safe to assume that the Swiss Travel pass would cover all rides including the mountain lifts/gondola rides in the Lauterburen/Grindelwald/Wengen/Murren area? (Of course with the exception of privately run train rides like Jungfrau etc.)

I think Stinkycheese was confusing the Swiss Travel Pass with the Eurail Pass.

So is it safe to assume that the Swiss Travel pass would cover all rides including the mountain lifts/gondola rides in the Bearnaise area? (Of course with the exception of privately run train rides like Jungfrau etc.)

No, the Swiss Travel Pass does not cover mountain lifts and rails above Wengen or Muerren. It does give discounts, but for above Wengen, it is only 25%. Above Muerren, it is 50%.

All the railways from Interlaken Ost up the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald Valleys are privately owned. But the deal with the Swiss Travel Pass is that it is valid to/from inhabited Swiss villages. There are no permanent villages above Wengen or Muerren, so the private owner can charge and give discounts as they see fit.

The map of validity, which you can down load here shows all the lines that are not included and the discount level in the notes.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-travel-pass.html

Appreciate all the insights! It seems a bit overwhelming haha! What's the best way to know if the train we are hopping onto is covered by the pass? Are there written signs/boards or do we have to check if ride/route is covered on the SBB app or another site/app before boarding?

Oh I see you updated the comment with a link! Thanks!!