Pathfinder publisher Paizo had a busy Gen Con. Firing on all fronts, there were new releases for every brand, in all sorts of formats. Entirely new systems were launched, and a fresh roster of releases was announced. Amongst all this busyness, one game stood out to me as a shining star – Starfinder, Pathfinder’s space-faring younger sibling.
I’ve never played Starfinder. Fantasy settings are my usual jam, so the urge to cross genres has never been strong. Now, however, I’m considering making the hyperspace jump. And it’s no coincidence that my mind is changing, as Paizo has broadcast a very deliberate new strategy for the scifi system.
This is a two-prong gambit, with the first part being all about accessibility. Really this began at Starfinder 2e’s inception, when it was revealed the new edition would be totally Pathfinder compatible. In 2027, though, that compatibility is more pronounced – and more playable.
I mentioned in my Pathfinder keynote roundup that a Starfinder-Pathfinder crossover adventure will arrive in June. Invaders From the Dark sees outer space nasties invading Golarion, and they’re bringing all their high-tech kit with them. Hoverbike rides have been promised by Paizo, though I’m sure there’ll be plenty of chances to tinker with space ships, too.
That’s an easy in for anyone like me who was already playing Pathfinder (particularly if the Adventure Path turns out to be good). And from there, it’s easier than ever to get into a standalone game. Paizo has a second swing planned, in the form of Starfinder 2e’s first-ever starter set.
Designer Erik Mona tells me the restrictions of the small design team (Starfinder still can’t match Pathfinder’s popularity) mean this has been a long time coming. However, it also means they’ve had time to “get the core rules done right”, ready to distil for newcomers.
Starfinder’s Beginner Box arrives in May 2027. That’s before Invaders From the Dark, but I can see plenty of Pathfinder players hopping products in reverse release order.
The Beginner Box contains four classes – Soldier, Envoy, Mystic, and Solarian – plus dice, handouts, and 100 character and monster pawns. Apparently, the adventure inside sees you boarding a funerary starship run by prophets “of the undead variety”. Spooky.
Onboarding new players requires more than approachable rules, though. Here’s the second prong of Paizo’s strategy: quality.
This year’s Gen Con release for Starfinder focuses on fleshing out the world. Absalom Station: Center of the Galaxy is the first dedicated setting guide for a space station that’s appeared in many Starfinder sourcebooks.
Starfinder’s managing director Jenny Jarzabski tells me Absalom Station is all that remains of Golarion, Pathfinder’s world, in the distant future. After an event known as The Gap, it became a central hub for space-farers.
“Absalom Station is at the center of everything because of a drift beacon that allows you to travel there from anywhere in the galaxy”, they add. “Everyone has been asking them to tell us more about the neighborhoods we’ve name dropped in other books”. “Here you get to meet the people, find adventures, understand its problems and culture, and also find out about all the factions and organizations that vie for power there.”
“There’s player rules that tie into all of this”, she says. “We added a few things, but we just dug so much deeper.” “There’s a lot of new information that builds up the setting we already had.”
The landscape is a varied one. Synth town is full of robots, while Puddles’ extremely fashionable locals are more water-dwelling. Drifter’s end is a lively market where you can buy just about anything, even a Phrenic Fedora. And then there’s the Ghost Levels, “a Backrooms-esque liminal space you can wander into and maybe never find your way out again”.
It’s quirky, and it’s in-depth. It’s also a fitting introduction to Starfinder’s setting, by the sounds of it.
2027’s Gen Con book expands horizons further. Galactic Arsenals, revealed at Paizo’s Gen Con keynote, focuses on the setting’s factions and corporations. There’s also plenty of new equipment, spells, archetypes, hazards, and – quote – “cool starships”.
As an outsider, it sounds pretty exciting. I’m still a fantasy girl at heart, so there’s no guarantee Starfinder will be for me. But in the next year, I’ll have plenty of chance to dip my toe in and find out.
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Source: Wargamer
