Starfinder A STARFINDER Bonanza - Preorder Core Rules, First AP, Compatibility License, & More!

Lots of updates for Paizo's upcoming science-fantasy RPG, Starfinder, today! Not only did Paizo make the game available for pre-order, they also announced the first adventure path for it and released the Starfinder Compatibility License for third-party publishers. Add to this a Starfinder booklet for Free RPG Day in June, and accessories like a GM screen, pawns, maps, and more, and it's quite the treasure trove of information. Here goes!

Lots of updates for Paizo's upcoming science-fantasy RPG, Starfinder, today! Not only did Paizo make the game available for pre-order, they also announced the first adventure path for it and released the Starfinder Compatibility License for third-party publishers. Add to this a Starfinder booklet for Free RPG Day in June, and accessories like a GM screen, pawns, maps, and more, and it's quite the treasure trove of information. Here goes!

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First and foremost, for those who don't know, Starfinder is science-fantasy game based on the Pathfinder ruleset (with some changes) due for release at Gen Con later this year. There's lots more information here, where I collated what we know a while back.

Core Rulebook. This beast is 560-page in size (pictured above), and you can now pre-order it for $59.99. August 2017 release. "Strap in and blast off! The Starfinder Roleplaying Game puts you in the role of a bold science-fantasy explorer, investigating the mysteries of a weird and magical universe as part of a starship crew. Will you delve for lost artifacts in the ruins of alien temples? Strap on rune-enhanced armor and a laser rifle to battle undead empires in fleets of bone ships, or defend colonists from a swarm of ravenous monsters? Maybe you'll hack into the mainframe of a god-run corporation, or search the stars for clues to the secret history of the universe or brand new planets to explore. Whether you're making first contact with new cultures on uncharted worlds or fighting to survive in the neon-lit back alleys of Absalom Station, you and your team will need all your wits, combat skill, and magic to make it through. But most of all, you'll need each other."

First Contact: Free RPG Day. This appropriately named 16-page booklet contains a dozen alien critters and some previews of the new Starfinder rules. it will be available form participating game stores on Free RPG Day, June 17th. "The Starfinder Roleplaying Game arrives in August 2017, but the first aliens are landing right now! Within this top-secret dossier, you'll find a dozen otherworldly foes both bizarre and familiar, from the asteroid-dwelling sarcesians who ride solar winds on wings of light to technomagical undead horrors capable of ruling forever as the sinister Bone Sages of Eox. While all the creatures in this book are designed for use with Starfinder, all can be easily converted for use with Pathfinder, so there's no need to wait until August to start battling invaders from space!"


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Adventure Path: Dead Suns. Paizo will be using the same type of adventure path structure as they do for Pathfinder. The first is called Dead Suns, and the first adventure in that 6-part AP is called Incident at Absalom Station. "The Dead Suns Adventure Path kicks off with "Incident at Absalom Station," the inaugural adventure for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game. A deserted mining ship emerges from hyperspace at Absalom Station, towing a mysterious asteroid behind it. After battling warring factions on the station, the heroes are recruited to explore the ship and asteroid and discover the fate of the ship's missing crew, only to learn that the asteroid is a fragment of a larger, ancient structure—an alien weapon that could threaten the safety and security of all of the Pact Worlds, should it fall into the wrong hands."


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Starfinder GM Screen. This will come out in August, same time as the core rulebook. "Protect your important notes and die rolls from prying player eyes with the Starfinder GM Screen! This beautiful 4-panel screen features stunning artwork of a battle scene on the player's side, and a huge number of charts and tables on the GM side to speed up play and make sure you’ve always got key rules at your fingertips. From helpful rules and reminders for both conventional and starship combat to skill DCs and common conditions, the Starfinder GM Screen gives you the tools you need to keep the game fast and fun. Constructed of ultra-high-grade hardcover book stock, this durable screen is perfect for convention play or regular home game use. (Screen measures 8.5" x 11" when folded and 34" x 11" in when unfolded)."


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Starfinder Player Character Folio. Also in August, this is a deluxe character sheet, 16-pages in length. "Fully detail your heroes and chronicle their exploits with the Starfinder Player Character Folio! This deluxe character record covers absolutely everything you need to know about your Starfinder hero, with an innovative layout that means your character's most important details are always at your fingertips!"


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Starfinder Core Pawn Collection. Tons of cardboard character or alien pawns, along with a dozen spaceships; slot into plastic bases. If you have the Pathfinder ones, you know the score. "The friends and foes of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game have landed in the Starfinder Core Pawn Collection, featuring a horde of pawns for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, or any tabletop RPG! Printed on sturdy cardstock, each double-sided pawn presents a beautiful full-color image of a character or alien creature, drawn from the Starfinder Core Rulebook and the Starfinder: First Contact preview bestiary, perfect for representing both player characters and their fearsome opponents. What's more, the set also contains more than a dozen different starship pawn designs for use with Starfinder's starship combat system! Each cardstock pawn slots into a size-appropriate plastic base from the Starfinder Pawns Base Assortment or any Pathfinder Pawns Bestiary Box, making the pawns easy to mix with traditional metal or plastic miniatures, and come numbered and labeled for easy sorting. With tons of distinct images, the Starfinder Core Pawn Collection brings the art of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game to life on your tabletop!"




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Starfinder Flip Map.
Poster map showing two textures - dusty ground and metallic grating, which you can draw battle maps on with dry-erase markers. Useful for any sci-fi game!

Starfinder Compatibility License
. Similar to the existing Pathfinder Compatibility License, this allows you to publish material and use a specific compatibility logo.



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trystero

Explorer
...A core rultbook that hopefully will be comprehensive enough to not need a bunch of splat books? SIGN ME UP!

Given that this is Paizo, I'm certain that there will be a ton of splatbooks. Whether they'll be needed will of course be up to you, your wallet, and Paizo's marketing team. :)
 

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TRDG

Explorer
Depends on how well it sells one would think, and even their AP line for this each Module in the AP comes out every OTHER month. Instead of the usual PF every month.

So hedging their bets me thinks and see what actualy happens with sell through for the base core book and then the AP

For me it is still 50% the rules and 50% the AP to get me totally onboard.

Curious to see the maps as well I think flipmats?

Tom
 

3catcircus

Adventurer
I dunno. I really want to like this, but D&D in Space is turning me off...

If they ditch magic being so common and use the occult rules and a psionics system, and make it more difficult to "know" things, it'll make it feel more like a scifi setting. A lot less combat and a lot more exploring the unknown and unknowable expanse of outer space.

I'll just say this. Star Frontiers managed to capture the feel with a single boxed set for people and one more for star ship combat.
 
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ddaley

Explorer
I still have my original Star Frontiers material. I have been thinking about breaking it out. Would prefer a system that has a stream of new content though. Maybe WotC will revive Star Frontiers. Not sure how owns the rights to that though.

I dunno. I really want to like this, but D&D in Space is turning me off...

If they ditch magic being so common and use the occult rules and a psionics system, and make it more difficult to "know" things, it'll make it feel more like a scifi setting. A lot less combat and a lot more exploring the unknown and unknowable expanse of outer space.

I'll just say this. Star Frontiers managed to capture the feel with a single boxed set for people and one more for star ship combat.
 

ExiledAuthor

First Post
No doubt this will do well for Paizo. Personally, it's a pass. For those of like mind looking for a sci-fi rpg with less magic, not based on 3.X, etc., I would suggest looking at some of the stuff Modiphius is offering. Infinity. Fragged Empire. Mindjammer.
 

Von Ether

Legend
The Star Wars system uses range bands instead of actual distances. A range band is loosely defined as a distance that a character can move in a combat round (I believe it takes 2 rounds to go from long to extreme ranges). So, a character can move from short to medium range in one round... medium to long in one round. When you have groups of individuals in combat, and they all begin moving, it quickly becomes difficult to determine who is at what range to whom.

The system didn't sound so bad when I first read about it. But, when we began playing, the "problems" became apparent. Some don't have an issue with the casual distancing system. But, for us, it was painful. I highly doubt that Paizo will take the same route as FFG.

I doubt SF will do range bands, but they work for me when doing theater of the mind combat. On the other hand, I just played Zombiecide: Black Plague as a wargame and it worked great. Each movement action was a max move of 3 inches.

But that's why gridded battlemats are popular. They offer the granularity some gamers want, as well as a safety net to avoid the "just missed by the thickness of a thumbnail."
 

If they ditch magic being so common and use the occult rules and a psionics system, and make it more difficult to "know" things, it'll make it feel more like a scifi setting. A lot less combat and a lot more exploring the unknown and unknowable expanse of outer space.
.

. For those of like mind looking for a sci-fi rpg with less magic, not based on 3.X, etc., I would suggest looking at some of the stuff Modiphius is offering. Infinity. Fragged Empire. Mindjammer.

That's actually the biggest draw for me, the fact it is Science Fantasy not Science Fiction. I have a number of Science fiction games, a number of which can be blended with magic (WOIN, HERO) - but a built from the ground up science fantasy - that was something I really am interested in. My favorite 2nd ed D&D was Spelljammer, and I loved Dragonstar. I love Space Opera - so Starfinder, in a lot of ways, is made just for me.
 

3catcircus

Adventurer
That's actually the biggest draw for me, the fact it is Science Fantasy not Science Fiction. I have a number of Science fiction games, a number of which can be blended with magic (WOIN, HERO) - but a built from the ground up science fantasy - that was something I really am interested in. My favorite 2nd ed D&D was Spelljammer, and I loved Dragonstar. I love Space Opera - so Starfinder, in a lot of ways, is made just for me.

I guess I'm skeptical that a level-based rpg with D&D as its heritage is going to be able to pull it off successfully. We saw how d20 Modern did in relation to 3.x, and Star Wars only sold as well as it did because of the licensed IP.

I hope it'll be successful, but it seems like a lot more is being put into it than is necessary for Spelljammer Redux and not enough for Space Opera.

We'll see.
 

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