NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2008674" data-attributes="member: 18387">The Starfarer's Handbook is Fantasy Flight Game's new space based Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting.  It's important to remember that this is not a complete new game, but a new campaign world.  Also, it adds a number of hard sci-fi elements as well to the D20 spectrum as well.From a production standpoint, FFG's layout for the SFH is well thought out.  As another hardcover offering to the D20 line of products, there are certain standards that FFG continues to maintain.  The feel is very similar to that of their Legends & Lairs series of hardcovers, but with enough variations to differentiate it from that line as well.After a glossy and visually impressive background story preface, you get into the meat and potatoes of the book.  The chapters follow the same basic layout and development as the Player's Handbook Core Rulebook - races, classes, skills, feats, et cetera - in that order.  Additionally, they deal with modifications to existing races first in each chapter and add the new material following.  It makes it rather simple to get the feel of the changes as you read along.The new races, classes and pretige classes are all well balanced and thought out.  Only two new standard classes (Mechanist & Pilot) are added, so the attempted feel of D&D in space is easier to maintain.  Also, only 10 new skills are added as well.  Again, these are logical additions and do not overwhelm the background over which they are meant to be placed.  Also, some of these new skills are added to the class skills for existing D&D classes.  There are also a number of new feats, and these too follow logically from existing feats as well as though necessary to a sci-fi oriented canpaign.The most difficult part of transposing a fantasy setting into a sci-fi setting comes in the equipment.  The most notable area for difficulty is firearms.  Compared to long sword damage, the damage of firearms is easily twice as much or more on average.  Needless to say, the firearms in Dragonstar are deadly.  From slug-throwers (i.e. bullets) to energy weapons, the numbers are well-reasoned and sensible.  Also, energy weapons are all detailed with what form of damage they inflict (electricity, fire, sonic, etc.), so any resistances will still be able to be applied.  It's also important to remember (and FFG does!), that in a sci-fi setting, firearms and ranged attacks become more prevalent than melee.  It is encouraging to see that an important part of the setting is so well done.There are many aspects covered in this book: religion, scrollware, digital spellbooks, robots, starship piloting and others.  There is plenty of detail to get you started on a new campaign.  As a result, this book feels like a "Dragonstar Player's Handbook".  It seems that it will also be important to get the Dragonstar Galaxy Guide as the Dungeon Master's Guide equivalent.  It promises to have more campaign background information and more detailed game mechanics as well.  However, the SFH is still affordable and a great value for the price.  I look forward to seeing more for this setting and playing it in the months ahead.</blockquote>

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