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Made in gb
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Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3460-Talking-With-James-Sutter-About-Paizo-s-Upcoming-Starfinder#.V06eCzUrKUl


At their PaizoCon over the weekend in Seattle, Paizo announced their next game, a science fantasy role-playing game using the Pathfinder rules and setting called Starfinder. Interest in the game is already high, with fan speculating about the game's content and existing third party publishers showing excitement for the new game. I was able to speak with newly appointed Starfinder creative director James Sutter and ask him a few questions about the upcoming game.

Keep in mind that, while much of the material is locked and ready, the game is still in development and over a year from release. Today's big reveal could be tomorrow's red line, so some things can change between now and the release of the game.

What was the impetus that lead to the development of Starfinder? Why Science Fantasy?

The idea had actually been kicking around for years. We’ve got a ton of science fiction fans at the company, so it was only natural that after years of working on a primarily medieval fantasy setting, we’d get the itch to do something more futuristic. Now that Pathfinder has had seven years to mature and find its audience, we finally felt like we could explore adding another brand. When Erik Mona (our publisher, who originally came up with the idea) told us that he thought the time had finally come to give Starfinder a shot, you could see the whole room light up.

As for why science fantasy, there are a number of reasons. Part of it is that we wanted to do something with ties to Pathfinder, both to give fans some familiar touchstones and because there’s a particular joy in taking material you already know and love and giving it a crazy new spin. I also generally find science fantasy settings like Star Wars or Shadowrun more compelling than straight-up hard science fiction—I always gravitate toward the weird, the unknown, and the inexplicable in a setting. Plus, science fantasy lends itself to some amazing artwork—a major perk of this project is going to be working with Sarah Robinson, the head of Paizo’s art department, as we order space assassins with laser swords, power-armored soldiers covered in mystic runes, technomancers with cybernetic implants... And of course there’s a huge advantage to creating a game similar enough to Pathfinder that there’s very little learning curve for our current players who want to check out this new thing.

What are some of the genre inspirations for the game?

There are a ton of them! Star Wars, Alien, Firefly, Shadowrun, the Saga comics, Dan Simmons’ Hyperion series—everything from the old sword-and-planet pulps by folks like Leigh Brackett to James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series.

In the same way that Pathfinder was designed to accommodate a wide range of fantasy settings and stories, we’re hoping to do the same with Starfinder. One of the reasons faster-than-light travel is so crucial to this game is that, while we’ll be giving you a bunch of different worlds to adventure on in the “home” system, there are an uncounted number of unexplored worlds just a hyperspace jump away. So there’ll always be new worlds to visit and new cultures to encounter—that drive toward exploration is really built into the game’s core concept.

Were there any developmental challenges to "advancing" the timeline of the Pathfinder settings to Starfinder?

The biggest one is dealing with player meta-knowledge. We expect that a lot of folks will be playing both Pathfinder and Starfinder campaigns at the same time, and since it’s the same setting advanced thousands of years into a possible future, there’s a strong temptation as a player to immediately jump online and research how things worked out for your other characters—did our party end up killing that Runelord or closing the Worldwound? To address that, we made two big decisions early on.

The first is that Golarion itself would be missing—vanished completely, unable to be reached or contacted, with the gods refusing to say anything beyond the fact that it’s safe and “elsewhere.” The second is a phenomenon we’re currently calling the Gap: a period of an unknown number of years surrounding Golarion’s disappearance, about which all records—including the memories of creatures who lived through it—have been mysteriously erased. Literally everyone in the multiverse—including powerful outsiders like angels and devils—have no idea what transpired in that time, making it the single biggest mystery in the setting. Yet while the Gap is universal, its edges aren’t consistent—so one world might have records stretching a few years farther back than the next system over. (Trying to locate those bits of information to fill in the historical gap is actually the primary goal of a group called the Starfinders, a spiritual successor to Pathfinder’s eponymous Pathfinder Society.)

These decisions were crucial because Starfinder isn’t replacing Pathfinder—the Pathfinder RPG will continue to be our bread and butter for the foreseeable future—and thus we don’t want to remove all the mystery from your Pathfinder game by having a player read the Starfinder setting material and say, “Welp, looks like the Whispering Tyrant broke out and conquered Avistan in 4721—guess it doesn’t matter whether we finish that Kingmaker campaign or not.” The Pathfinder campaign setting is a living, evolving thing, and we don’t want to tie our hands (or GMs’). At the same time, we want Starfinder to be focused outward, on new planets and creatures and cultures, rather than just putting a futuristic skin on everything we’ve already done and having Space Cheliax fighting Laser Andoran. So by removing Golarion, we’re pointing both authors and players outward, toward new worlds.

What sorts of new directions will this take the Pathfinder game?

Honestly, I don’t think this will have much effect on Pathfinder itself. We’ve got a ton of really cool stuff planned in upcoming adventure paths and other products, and the existence of Starfinder doesn’t affect that. They may share some DNA, but they’re two completely independent games.

Will Starfinder feature any major changes to the Pathfinder rules?

We’re definitely changing some rules to make things better fit a science fantasy game. In Pathfinder, magic is everything. In Starfinder, a lot of things people used to use magic for are now handled primarily by technology, resulting in an overall reduction in the focus on spellcasting, though it’s still very much a part of the game. You’ll see changes to the combat system to make it more suited to futuristic weapons and gear, changes to the economy, changes to things like skills, and certainly changes to the way some things are presented to try and make them easier to learn. You’ll also see new rules systems to handle things like starship battles. But the intention is to make the game backward compatible enough that you can still take a monster from a Pathfinder RPG Bestiary and use it in your Starfinder game with minimal conversion.

Will there be Starfinder organized play?

We would all love for there to be Starfinder organized play at some point. At the same time, an org play program is a huge amount of work, and our current org play superheroes are already maxed out keeping Pathfinder Society happy and thriving. So it’s certainly something we’re looking into, but it’s not currently clear what the final plan will be. Fortunately, we’ve still got more than a year until the game comes out.

What sort of Adventure Paths will you launch the new game with?

The plot of the first adventure path is still up in the air at the moment—it’s early days yet—but we’ve got some ideas and design goals. If we play our cards right, the first AP will give people a taste of the many different flavors of Starfinder—planetary exploration, starship battles, alien dungeons, conflict between various factions, etc. There’s also a desire to showcase our core setting—a place called Absalom Station and the surrounding solar system. But like I said, Rob McCreary (the lead developer on the Starfinder AP) is still nailing down exactly what he wants to do.

Does it look like the third party publishing community is excited for Starfinder?

Definitely! I’ve already been approached by a bunch of the bigger third-party folks saying how excited they are and wanting to know how they can get involved in the playtest or otherwise be onboard to release compatible products as soon as possible. We’re planning to do everything we can to support them in that, especially since we’re going to be releasing a lot fewer books for Starfinder than for Pathfinder—there’s a lot of space for them to work in. Pun intended.

Which Pathfinder monster would be most dangerous to have to fight in space?

Hmm... I’m going to have to say the tzitzimitl from Bestiary 3 (and Aztec mythology)—there may be others with a higher CR, but these are giant undead space skeletons that attack suns and destroy worlds, so one would expect they’re used to space battles. The outer dragons are pretty good choices, too.

What about Starfinder has you the most excited?

Several years ago, I got to design the majority of Pathfinder’s solar system in a gazetteer article, and then blow that out into a full 64-page setting book called Distant Worlds, and it remains one of my favorite game projects I’ve ever worked on. To now have those planets be at the core of the Starfinder setting is extremely gratifying, and I can’t wait to see how our authors and players change and expand them. Building and exploring new worlds has always been the best part of writing and gaming for me, so the prospect of so many more worlds out there waiting to be discovered is huge.

Thanks to James Sutter for taking the time to answer some questions. I am sure that we will be hearing a lot more about Starfinder in the months to come before the August 2017 release of the game. Stick to EN World for more information on Starfinder as we get it.



This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2017/04/08 10:37:05


The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
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TN/AL/MS state line.

Sounds pretty interesting, but is it a new system or just a new setting? I think that would be the most important distinction.

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Myrtle Creek, OR

Hadn't heard about this so thanks for posting.

Also, will it include a beginner box like Pathfinder did? Because if it does and it's as good as the PF beginner box, I'll probably pick it up. That is one solid starter product.

Thread Slayer 
   
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RVA

TBH I do not like Pathfinder. It's not just that I am over that era of D&D but also there is something about the style and tone of Pathfinder that rubs me the wrong way. At the same time, there is something about that very style that might just work in a more tech-driven setting. I will be interested to see this one develop.

Surprised the name "Spelljammer" never once came up ...

   
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Greece

Nice read, will be quite interesting to see how they will evolve it.
   
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Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

https://paizo.com/starfinder/


Take your favorite fantasy RPG to the stars! Set thousands of years in Pathfinder's future, Starfinder is a stand-alone roleplaying game evolved from the Pathfinder rules and designed to bring you a whole new universe of science fantasy adventures. Play alien races both new and familiar as you explore the mysteries of a weird galaxy. Will you be an android assassin fulfilling corporate contracts, or a plucky ratfolk mechanic? A spellhacking lashunta technomancer, or a rakish human pilot? Uncountable worlds are waiting for you and your intrepid crew!

The Starfinder line will include both a hardcover core rulebook and key hardcover rules supplements, as well as a monthly Starfinder Adventure Path that provides you with epic campaigns, expanded rules elements, and new monsters to battle. Best of all, Starfinder is designed to integrate easily with the Pathfinder roleplaying game, meaning your power-armored marine can still go toe to toe with orcs and dragons. So what are you waiting for? The galaxy needs you!


sounds like it'll use, more or less, the same system.


The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Ever since Pathfinder Adventure Path #3, when James Jacobs and Wes Schneider had to hold me back from putting a space elevator in Varisia, I've wanted to take Pathfinder to the stars. A year later, I had the honor of writing up Golarion's solar system in Pathfinder Adventure Path #14, and then expanding it further in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Distant Worlds. But I'm not the only one around here in love with outer space and science fiction—I think all of us have at various times said, "Wouldn't it be fun to do a futuristic version of Pathfinder?" Yet aside from the occasional jaunt to other worlds in adventures like Pathfinder Adventure Path #70: The Frozen Stars, it's always been a dream just out of reach.

Until now.

Next August, Paizo will be releasing the Starfinder Roleplaying Game—a new science fantasy RPG based on the Pathfinder universe and rules, but complete and standalone. It'll be backward compatible, so you can still use all those Pathfinder RPG bestiaries, but will feature all sorts of new classes, races, equipment, and other elements uniquely suited to our far-future setting. You want to play a lashunta technomancer using magic to hack the defense grid, or an android assassin with a laser rifle, or a ysoki ratfolk mechanic clambering around the guts of a spaceship as you blast your way through the enemy blockade? This is the place for it. There will also be new races you've never seen before, new worlds beyond Golarion's system that we've never visited, new twists on magic and the rules system itself—and, of course, ton and tons of cool science fantasy gear, from starships and computers to infinitely sharp zero-edge swords and rune-augmented plasma cannons.

The Starfinder RPG Core Rulebook will be releasing at Gen Con 2017, but that's not all—we're also going to be starting a monthly Starfinder Adventure Path in addition to our ongoing Pathfinder Adventure Paths. The Starfinder AP volumes will include both adventures and cool new rules and setting information to help expand your Starfinder game. Plus monsters. Lots of monsters.

So how does all this science fantasy goodness fit into the Pathfinder setting? Simple: Starfinder is set in Golarion's solar system, but far in a possible future—one in which the gods have mysteriously spirited Golarion away to an unknown location, and refuse to answer questions about it. In its place, the cultures of that world have evolved and spread throughout the solar system, especially to a vast space platform called Absalom Station. Gifted access to a hyperspace dimension by an ascended AI deity, the residents of the system suddenly find themselves with the ability to travel faster than light, and the race is on to explore and colonize potentially millions of worlds. But there are horrors out there in the darkness...

As the Creative Director of Starfinder, I can't wait to show you everything we've been building. Joining me as key players on Team Starfinder are longtime Paizo developers Rob McCreary and Owen KC Stephens, as well as Creative Design Director Sarah Robinson on the art side, but all the designers, developers, art staff, and editors are working on different parts of the project—it's an all-hands-on-deck affair. And it's not just us, either—as Starfinder will be released under the OGL, we're looking forward to robust third-party support of the game.

While the size and scope of the new game make a full public playtest infeasible, we'll be starting to bring in key community members to check it out in the next few months, so keep an eye on the blog for your chance to participate! In the meantime, we wanted to give you a sneak preview of some preliminary concept sketches for Absalom Station, androids, and ysoki from artist Taylor Fischer (who you might know from games like XCOM and Civilization)—while these are only our initial explorations, and far from final, it's fun to see the process as things change and evolve. And it's never too early to chime in and chat with us in the new Starfinder forum!

We hope you're as excited about Starfinder as we are, and that you'll join us as we boldly go where Paizo's never gone before!
More here ...









While it is early days yet, this art is not doing it any favors.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/06 16:24:07


   
Made in gb
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Canterbury

Yeah, it's not to my tastes either.


Still early days I guess.

One hopes/assumes that this new game/setting won't "rely" upon people being familiar with the official p'finder setting.

Or at the very least is easy enough to use as one's own setting.

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://geekandsundry.com/interview-with-the-creator-of-starfinder-pathfinders-sci-fi-sister-game/


Last Saturday, Paizo Publishing unveiled their new science-fantasy RPG—an alternate future version of Pathfinder called Starfinder. Scheduled for an August 2017 release, Starfinder promises to bring spaceships and lasers to Pathfinder’s world of knights and dragons. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding this shiny new RPG, but I sat down at PaizoCon last weekend to speak with James L. Sutter, executive editor at Paizo Publishing and lead designer on Starfinder. Here are excerpts from that interview—with some quotes paraphrased a bit for readability.

G&S: We’re all excited to hear all the juicy details about Starfinder, let’s start with the lore. Tell us a little about the setting for this game.

James Sutter: Starfinder is set in the Pathfinder setting, specifically the solar system around Golarion, which we developed in a book called Distant Worlds, which I wrote a couple years ago. In that book, we talked about what was beyond Golarion, the planet that Pathfinder takes place on. What else was in that [star] system? I’ve continued to be in love with those other planets, so when we decided to do a far-future, science-fantasy version of Pathfinder, it seemed natural to just use that system. Let’s take that, but advance that thousands of years in the future.

We get to see how all of the societies from Golarion advanced when pushed into the far-distant future. What if Hellknights’ citadels, instead of being castles, were these big warships floating through space? Does the Church of Iomedae have giant cathedral ships throughout the system? And yet, at the same time, we wanted to remove Golarion from that picture for a couple of reasons. One of which is, we don’t want to invalidate peoples’ current Pathfinder games. Did our party defeat Karzoug? Well, let’s check space-Wikipedia.

One of the things we did to avoid that is that the planet Golarion has disappeared and the gods say it’s safe but won’t say where it is, and no one can contact it. Golarion is gone, but the rest of the star system is still there. The races of Golarion now exist on a space platform called Absalom Station [a reference to the city of Absalom in Pathfinder, home of the titular Pathfinder Society]. It’s sort of like the UN meets Babylon 5. The other thing is called the Gap.

· · ·

The Gap is one of the most important parts of the Starfinder setting. The past several millennia have been completely wiped from all memories and all records in the known universe. Everyone is rightfully anxious about this gap, but long-lived races like the elves, many of whom remember life on Golarion before the Gap, are particularly perturbed. Thus, the Starfinder Society has emerged to track down the Gap’s cause.

James Sutter: The most interesting thing about the Gap is that it’s true across the Multiverse…the Planes, the Material Plane, everything. But the edges aren’t always in the same place. So you go to one system, maybe the edge is three hundred years before present day in Starfinder, but you go to another system somewhere else and maybe it’s three hundred and five years before present day. Where the cutoff is wavers, and all the Starfinders really want to find out as much information as they can from planets where the Gap is in a different place so they can rebuild that history that’s been lost.

One other interesting thing about the Starfinder setting is that, very recently, an artificial intelligence has ascended to godhood. One of the things that it’s done is given access to faster-than-light (FTL) travel to all the races in the Golarion system. So suddenly, via this hyperspace dimension…[the people of Golarion] can reach planets among thousands or millions of other stars. It’s a land rush kind of colonization phase. Everything’s kind of the Wild West. If you want your own planet, go get one and hope that you don’t poke some sort of giant star empire that’s going to try and crush you.

· · ·

A lot of what you’ll see in the Starfinder setting isn’t definitive, encyclopedic histories of millions of star systems. Instead, it seems like you’ll find hooks and scraps of lore to inspire you as a Game Master or as a player to create your own universe.

G&S: We’ve been talking about the setting… people are going and exploring new worlds. What sort of new worlds, creatures, and player races will we see among the stars?

James Sutter: There are going to be a lot more playable alien races. Not just in the core rules, but when we introduce new monsters—new “monsters”—or allies, there will be a much heavier emphasis in Starfinder than in Pathfinder in having those be playable races.

G&S: And [having playable monster races] is something Pathfinder shied away from compared to 3rd edition [Dungeons & Dragons].

James Sutter: Yes, somewhat. I think that especially in a science fiction game, interacting with other cultures, other races, is sort of part of the charm. So I think there’ll be a push to make them playable more often then we normally would. So that said, the races that’ll be in the core game…First off, all of the Pathfinder races you’re familiar with. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, those will all be in the core rulebook. But the focus is more on races that you couldn’t play in Pathfinder, stuff that’s more alien and science fictional, both familiar and new. One of the ones we showed at the [announcement] last night are the ysoki ratfolk from Akaton. We’ve had ratfolk in the game for a long time, but this is a society of ratfolk that is very civilized, very high-tech, they’ve got a little bit of the Jawas in them.

They’re one of the familiar ones. We’re also going to have races like the lashunta. They’re the main race for Castrovel, They’re humanoid, psychic… got a bit of a Vulcan thing going for them in terms of their mindset. We’re going to have androids as a core race. But there are also going to be brand-new races; we’ve got…I probably shouldn’t spoil everything, but we’ve got two races that people have never seen before that are from other star systems to give the core races a more alien feel.

· · ·

When discussing plans for branching out, Sutter said that he “wanted to make Starfinder feel like more than just Pathfinder in space.”

James Sutter: Rules-wise, it’s fairly close to Pathfinder. There will be changes to the core engine, but it’ll be close enough that if you have a Pathfinder Bestiary, you can take an ogre out of that, give him a laser gun and use him in Starfinder with minimal conversation. And we’ll tell you in the book how to do that conversation. But at the same time, the appeal of this is to do something new and different. We’ve been doing Pathfinder for a long time and we love Pathfinder, but we want to make sure we give people something that’s a uniquely different flavor.

G&S: That’s an ambitious goal, keeping backwards compatibility while still going for bold new horizons!

James Sutter: Haha, you’re telling me! It’s like “Let’s make everything brand new, but totally familiar… and it should be new and interesting but totally compatible.” It’s the classic Catch-22, but I’m really pleased with how we’re walking that line. If you know how to play Pathfinder or even 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons, it’s a very short leap to playing Starfinder. And that’s the whole goal; to get as quickly as possible to the fun stuff. There are places where we want to simplify the Pathfinder rules and streamline them. We can’t go full Beginner Box, but are there ways we can present information differently now than we did when we did the [Pathfinder] Core Rulebook however many years ago that was? What have we learned since then?

· · ·

We discussed the different flavors of science fiction, from John Carter and Barsoom on one end, Star Wars in the middle, and Star Trek on the other end. Starfinder falls right in the middle, maybe a little more towards John Carter. Magic items are still very much a thing, but one of the biggest changes in the familiar Pathfinder engine was changing the ubiquitous role of magic items in order to make room for technology. This new space allows the new Technomancer class, which James lovingly compared to Warhammer 40,000 librarians, to blend the science in science fiction and the magic of fantasy.

At the same time, it won’t be Spelljammer. It’s going to be more science fiction than [wooden ships in space with crystal spheres]. You’ll have your power armor-wearing soldier with a plasma cannon but there might be magic runes carved on the side of that magazine. There’ll be spellcasting classes that act like Babylon 5 psi cops, or xenodruids. We’ve got ten thousand character tropes we want to do in just seven classes!

G&S: I hadn’t even thought of what druids would do when faced with extraterrestrial creatures!

James Sutter: Exactly! Well, so one thing…and this is all very early, so stuff will undoubtedly change…but something I’ve been advocating for is, like, what does it mean to be a druid in a world where suddenly there are all these new planets with unique biomes opening up? So a faction that I’ve been spitballing with some of the core developers, Rob McCreary and Owen K.C. Stephens is this druid organization that is devoted to making sure these new environments get preserved and treated properly. I mean, you’re coming to this planet that’s never been contacted by outsiders before. What are the interactions between the colonists and that local environment?

G&S: So with magic making way for technology, making magic feel more special, will your character be keeping a +1 longsword and also a +1 blaster pistol?

James Sutter: One thing that will not be in there is the conventional Pathfinder magic item creation system. We’re tweaking the rules around gear and economics and magic. We want to make it a little less bookkeeping and a little more “sense of wonder.”

G&S: Regarding that sense of wonder… Pathfinder has been around for almost a decade now. The family tree of books is enormous, and this is a huge new branch!

James Sutter: It’s a chance for people to get in on the ground floor. I still think that with Pathfinder, even if you’re coming to it a decade in, you can still just pick up the Core Rulebook and go play. You don’t need to worry about all the books we’ve published since then if you don’t want to. But I still think there’s a certain joy to getting in on the ground floor with a new roleplaying game. Another thing I think may be a blessing for some players is that our release schedule is going to be a lot slower with Starfinder.

With Pathfinder, we’ve got the monthly Adventure Path and the monthly Player Companions and Campaign Settings and all these different lines. Starfinder is going to be much smaller. We’re gonna have the Core Rulebook coming out at GenCon 2017 and we’ll probably do a hardcover or slightly more each year. The main thing we’re going to be doing is the Starfinder Adventure Path, a monthly AP product which will have not just the adventures, but new setting information, new rules information, new monsters. That’s going to be one of the primary vectors through which we give people new information about the world and the rules.

With Starfinder we’re looking to do away with the distinction of “This is a rules book, this is a campaign setting book versus an adventure. If you like Starfinder, subscribe to the Starfinder line, get the adventure path, and that’ll also give you your rules for things related to it. The hope is that every month people will be getting another cool bite of that universe, whether it’s lore or crunch. You know, Paizo came from Dungeon and Dragon [magazines] and I used to be the editor/developer on Dungeon Magazine and that had the same vibe. Even early Pathfinder was just a monthly Adventure Path, and that was how we told you about the world.

G&S: It’s cool, it’s a very lean model.

James Sutter: And that’s good! We’re still doing all our Pathfinder stuff. This isn’t replacing Pathfinder. And so it’s a lot more work! We’re trying to figure out how to shuffle people around to pull it off at the level of quality we demand. There are a lot of senior Paizo people on this. With all these familiar faces, both writers and artists whose styles we recognize… it’ll still have that Paizo feel.

· · ·

Starfinder has just entered development and we can’t wait to hear more. Keep an ear open throughout the development process for more information on Starfinder and the future of Golarion.



The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

The idea of getting into a space ship and travelling around in a solar system is really exciting to me ... and (if you will pardon a bit of snark) not only because it means getting away from the generic fantasy amusement park that is planet Golarion. I really hope that the Starfinder solar system is not the same kind of amusement park but with planets and moons in place of nations. Does anyone have Distant Worlds? What is that like? The "Absolom Station" device is not promising, so far as this goes.

I don't much care for the transparent meta-explanation - or should I call it a non-explanation? - of the disconnect between the Pathfinder and Starfinder product lines. The gods (read: editors) will say that Golarion is safe (read: in print) but inaccessible (read: separately branded) and they will not explain why (read: for business reasons). I also don't really understand the reasoning - if the product lines share a continuous timeline then all the Golarion storylines are spoiled? What's wrong with saying, that stuff happened a billion years ago so information about it is either (a) lost forever or (b) so exceedingly rare that finding out is its own campaign? This of course will in fact be left up to the discretion of GMs anyhow so it seems weird to make a big deal out of it, making it an in-universe thing ("the Gap"), as if it is some kind of feature for Starfinder.

The sci fantasy mash up is a tough sell, that's for sure.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/07 22:30:04


   
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I am hopeful for this... one thing I like about the pathfinder game is the support of the game miniatures and maps. I would like to see this continue in the starfinder game.
One thing I hope for is they steal from everything sci fi out there.. Star wars, Buck Rogers, Aliens... you name it .. just mash it all in there and let the players pick what they want.
The other thing I would love to see is mech armor.. the over sized anime type armor.. this might be hard to fit into a rpg.. but don't hand one out to every player but have
it as a heavy weapon.. and that would allow game masters to throw out BIG monsters to fight..

 
   
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Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

wee snippet :


Perram at the Starfinder Panel, here is what's been talked about so far: Classes Announced!

1) Starfinder will launch at Gen Con 2017 with the first AP

2) shortly after a Starfinder monster book will be released.

3) The Starfinder Core rulebook will not be limited to the design of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. They've learned lessons on better ways to present and teach RPGs since the CRB's release.

4) Starfinder Core Rulebook will also include the setting information. Not separated from the RPG line like Pathfinder.

5) Faster Than Light Travel has only been recently released. Other solar systems are available now, meant to be a land rush.

6) The assumption is that the players are part of a crew of a Starship, space combat an important part. Every player has an important part. Very Star Trek inspired with sprinkles of Firefly.

7) Classes! Announced!
Soldier - Fighter++, Heavy weapons, ranged or melee, focus on a weapon specialist.

Operative - Specialize on a subterfuge role, spy, snipper, infiltration, etc, heavy skill focus, master of skills.

Envoy - Helps everyone else out. Han Solo & Princess Leya. Space Bard, or Spaceship Captain, etc...

Mechanic - Fixes things! Has a robot companion or AI Companion.

Mystic - Similar to the Oracle. Channels the magical energy of the universe. Not only from gods. Psycho, head exploder, the force etc...

Technomancer - combines magic and technology. Magic is thought if like programming code. Figure out the laws of the universe, bend and break them.

Solarian - Balance of the universe between Energy and Entropy. Embraces two sets of powers for each, using them effects the power of the other. Light and Heat, vs Gravity. Could make a Jedi with this class, mystical melee. Has a mote of stellar energy that can be used to form energy weapons or armor.



The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





TN/AL/MS state line.

Sounds like This was tailor-made for an Outlaw Star game. Hopefully they'll have spell-bullets and spaceships with axes!
Spoiler:


Black Bases and Grey Plastic Forever:My quaint little hobby blog.

40k- The Kumunga Swarm (more)
Count Mortimer’s Private Security Force/Excavation Team (building)
Kabal of the Grieving Widow (less)

Plus other games- miniature and cardboard both. 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

"The Starfinder Core rulebook will not be limited to the design of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook."

Any guesses as to what this means?

   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





TN/AL/MS state line.

I'm assuming it will be laid out differently, with the intent to make it easier to read/interpret.

Black Bases and Grey Plastic Forever:My quaint little hobby blog.

40k- The Kumunga Swarm (more)
Count Mortimer’s Private Security Force/Excavation Team (building)
Kabal of the Grieving Widow (less)

Plus other games- miniature and cardboard both. 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury




Starfinders are going to need a way to explore the Void, after all—artists, send your spaceship concept and illustrations to artsubmissions@paizo.com!

Sarah Robinson
9 hrs ·
Open/Call out for space ship concepts and illustrations. Send your portfolio link to artsubmissions@paizo.com

Looking for unique silhouettes and realistic final renders.



The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://www.polygon.com/features/2016/11/17/13625140/starfinder-rpg-pathfinder


has some info...


http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/09/top-of-the-table-the-starfinder-interview.aspx

has more info.


... I'll be interested to see the rulebooks for sure.


The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3811-A-STARFINDER-Bonanza-Preorder-Core-Rules-First-AP-Compatibility-License-More!#.WItmmlOLSUk



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!

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3811-A-STARFINDER-Bonanza-Preorder-Core-Rules-First-AP-Compatibility-License-More!#.WItmmlOLSUk#ixzz4WyaYgDEJ



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!"




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."





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)."




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!"




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!"


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.







Phew !


certainly interested in this a lot !

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/37002/ninja-division-producing-starfinder-minis


Ninja Division Publishing has announced a deal with Paizo, Inc. to produce officially licensed miniatures for the upcoming science fantasy adventure roleplaying game Starfinder (see “Paizo Aims for the Stars at Gen Con”).

Ninja Division will produce a range of pre-painted miniatures to expand the adventures found in the Starfinder RPG. The range will include both adventurers and ships used to travel through space, both scaled appropriately to use as gameplay pieces. The first miniatures are set to release with the launch of the game at Gen Con in August 2017.

“The sculpts that Ninja Division have been creating for both characters and starships have been blowing our minds with their artistry and obvious love of the genre,” Starfinder Creative Director James L. Sutter said. “I'm especially excited about the ships-I can't wait to see the looks on my players' faces the first time I pull out a bunch of the starship miniatures for a space battle!”

Starfinder is an RPG set thousands of years in the future of the Pathfinder universe. Players take the role of a ragtag starship crew exploring the galaxy. Paizo has already announced organized play for the game (see “Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Unveiled”).



The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljo0?Unveiling-a-New-Starfinder-Race-The-Vesk


For months now, we've been teasing the fact that Starfinder has seven core races, of which only five have been announced—humans, androids, lashunta, kasatha, and ysoki. What's more, we've hinted that the remaining two would be brand new races you've never seen before. So now, for the first time ever, we present... the vesk!

Resembling 7-foot-tall humanoid lizards with beards of spiky bone, vesk come from the nearest inhabited solar system to the Golarion system. Fiercely militant and highly organized, vesk have strict honor codes and social mores based on conquest and prowess in battle—a cultural focus that quickly led them to conquer all the other races in their solar system, establishing a massive empire called the Veskarium. For generations, their conquest ended there, stifled by the vast distances between stars. With the introduction of Drift travel, however, they quickly turned first contact with the races of the Golarion system into an all-out war of invasion (and inadvertently created the Pact Worlds as the governments of that system banded together in mutual defense). The brutal conflict lasted for centuries, until the sudden arrival of the Swarm threatened to annihilate all life in both systems. Forced to put aside their differences, the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds were able to join forces and drive off the Swarm, and the tenuous truce forged in that fight continues to this day—if only barely.





Illustrations by Remko Troost
While merchants and others with peaceful professions can advance economically in vesk society, political power is the exclusive domain of those who've proven themselves in armed conflict. Surprisingly, this proof doesn't need to come through military service, or even benefit the Veskarium. Many vesk attain similar elevation in social status through performing mercenary work, engaging in dueling, or providing security on exploration missions. Though obsessed with conquest, dominance, and social rank, vesk find an equally strong sense of honor and pride in fulfilling their agreements and treating subordinates of all races fairly. They are stoic and taciturn with strangers but capable of great bursts of emotion in private or in the heat of battle. Vesk society tends to be efficient, respectful, and law-abiding—especially since nearly any insult or violation of custom could trigger a brutally violent blood debt.

Vesk adventuring with races from other systems fall into two categories. The first are mercenaries or glory-seekers looking for a chance to engage in honorable combat and build up their prestige. The second are nonwarrior vesk who have rejected their home society for its obsession with combat and have chosen instead to seek opportunities among more open-minded races. Warrior vesk most often fit the soldier class, though a growing number have become intrigued by the path of the solarian. Noncombatant vesk often lean toward becoming mystics, though some overcome the traditional vesk culture's dismissal of education to become mechanics or even technomancers.

Stay tuned for more Starfinder blog posts in the coming weeks as we ramp up to the game's release at Gen Con 50!

James L. Sutter
Creative Director




The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Paizo partnering with Ninja Div - now that's interesting!

   
Made in us
Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator






Manchu wrote:
Paizo partnering with Ninja Div - now that's interesting!

I was gonna call it depressing because it seems to mean a de facto partnership with Prodos.

~Eric

   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljpv?Introducing-Starfinder-s-Final-Core-Race-The



Two weeks ago we revealed a brand new Starfinder core race, the reptilian vesk, leaving us with just one mystery race left. Now, at long last, we're revealing that final core race: the insectile shirrens!

Shirrens were once part of the Swarm, a monstrous, locust-like race that traveled from world to world, consuming all it encountered before moving on. Generations ago, however, a mysterious mutation caused an entire subcolony to break from the Swarm's hive mind, with each of its members gaining a sense of self. Addicted to the new drug of individualism, these renegades rejected the Swarm's mindless consumption, forming a new race called shirrens that eventually came to settle within the Pact World system.


Shirrens are arthropods with chitinous exoskeletons, large compound eyes, and sensitive antennae that aid in their telepathy. Unlike many arthropodan races, they walk upright, manipulating items with three-clawed hands. In addition to their two sets of main limbs, they also have two sets of smaller limbs growing from their thoraxes. While often displayed, these “mating arms” are extremely weak and used only for ceremonial and reproductive purposes—to use them for mundane activities would be seen as grotesque and shameful.

Shirrens have three sexes: male, female, and host. During reproduction, female and male shirrens provide the initial eggs and sperm, and hosts incubate the fertilized eggs while also adding their own genetic material and immunities. Shirren young spend their first 2 years in a tiny, wormlike larval form, and are often carried around in protective containers to let them safely observe the world.

Shirrens define themselves by their individualism. When they left the Swarm, they assumed partial control over the neurological pleasure and pain systems by which they were formerly directed, and even generations later, making choices for themselves can literally flood them with pleasurable neurotransmitters. While this ability is not always beneficial—some shirrens deliberately drug themselves this way, becoming “option junkies” blissed out on sequences of trivial decisions—freedom of choice is crucial to shirren identity. At the same time, shirrens remain highly communal, and are valued as collaborators by other races due to their ability to foster teamwork and put the goals of the group first.

All 7 of the core Starfinder player races—humans, androids, kasathas, lashuntas, vesk, shirrens, and ysoki—are joined in the core rulebook by updated versions of Pathfinder's core races, and even more playable races will be following shortly behind in the Alien Archive. Now that the core rulebook is off to the printer, you're going to be seeing a steady stream of Starfinder-related preview blogs right up through the game's launch at Gen Con, so keep your transponders on and open to future transmissions!




Nice.


quite looking forwards to this

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
Veteran Knight Baron in a Crusader




Oakland, CA

I was a little wary at first, but the material I've seen recently had got me very interested!
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljqa?Starfinder-Iconic-Characters-Revealed

]
Last Friday, our friends at Game Informer released a sneak preview of all seven iconic characters for Starfinder. We wanted to share that image with you as well, but first—what do we mean by "iconic character," anyway?

As many of you probably already know, in the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, as in Pathfinder, every class is represented by an iconic character: a single individual who illustrates and embodies the concept behind that class. Originally, way back when Paizo was still publishing the magazines Dungeon and Dragon, this was just a convenient shorthand for us—rather than explaining to each new artist what made a ranger a ranger, we could just show them a single piece of art and say, "Draw this ranger." But to our surprise, as these reference characters appeared in more and more illustrations, fans began to grow attached to them and wonder about their stories. So when we launched Pathfinder, we went ahead and gave these characters names and backstories, and they quickly became some of our most popular characters, going on to star in comics, audio dramas, and more. (I know that I personally have a heck of a lot of fun writing Valeros, Merisiel, and all the rest in the Pathfinder comics!)



ow, with Starfinder, we're excited to unveil a whole new lineup of iconic characters to showcase their respective classes and races! In the coming months, we'll be giving you each character's backstory in blog posts here at paizo.com, but for now here's a sneak preview of their art, plus their names, races, and classes. Going clockwise and starting with the leftmost character, we've got:

Raia (lashunta technomancer): Lashuntas are a race of telepaths, and technomancers are the magical version of computer programmers, hacking the laws of physics.

Iseph (android operative): Androids are artificial people, and operatives use stealth and skill to get in and out of dangerous situations.

Obozaya (vesk soldier): Vesk are powerful reptilian aliens, and soldiers specialize in heavy weapons and armor.

Keskodai (shirren mystic): Shirrens are insectile people who recently broke free from a predatory hive mind, and mystics channel the universe's mysterious energies, often through faith in a god.

Altronus (kasatha solarian): Kasathas are four-armed aliens from a desert world, and solarians shape the energy of stars and black holes into armor and weapons for themselves.

Navasi (human envoy): Humans are... well, humans, and envoys use wit and charm to bolster their allies and demoralize or befuddle enemies.

Quig (ysoki mechanic): Often called "ratfolk," ysoki are a plucky and hotheaded race, and mechanics build their own custom drones or rely on an implanted AI to aid them in combat.

Which of course leads to the question—which of these is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for more Starfinder previews and design blogs!



This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/14 11:42:34


The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




Coffeyville, KS

This just keeps looking better and better.

we were somewhere near cadia on the edge of the eye of terror, when the spook began to take hold... 
   
Made in us
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!





Fake Englandland

Honestly, I quit playing Pathfinder a while ago, but this might be enough to get me to play again.

Shadowrun is the best game ever. It's the only thing I have ever played in which I have jumped out of a shot out van with a chainsaw to cut a flying drone in half before leveling a building with ANFO assisted by a troll, a dwarf, an elf, and a wizard. 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljqr?Starship-CombatI-Am-a-Leaf-on-the-Wind



From androids manipulating reality with technomagic to goblins in spacesuits wielding barely functioning laser pistols, the Starfinder RPG covers the majority of weird and exciting science-fantasy tropes. But it would be a poor game that takes place among the stars if it didn't have starships! Luckily, Starfinder gives you all you need to play the crew of an intrepid vessel exploring the galaxy—and getting into trouble along the way.

The universe is not always a friendly place and there are forces out there, from freebooting space pirates to a whole fleet of undead soldiers, who either want to incapacitate your starship and take your stuff or just blow you out of the void. And of course, you're not going to roll over and let that happen! That's where Starfinder's robust starship combat system comes into play.

While it has some similarities to character-versus-monster combat, starship combat boasts a number of unique and interesting features. It would be impossible to explore every detail in one blog (you'll just have to buy the book to find out more!), but we'd like to give you a taste of what you can expect come August.

When your characters first board their starship, each player chooses one of five roles for his or her character: captain, engineer, gunner, pilot, or science officer. Only one character each can be the captain and the pilot, but depending on the configuration of your vessel, you may want multiple engineers or gunners. Each role gives the character assuming it a number of actions she can perform during the battle. The captain can give encouraging speeches or make demands of the rest of the crew, granting valuable bonuses. A science officer can scan enemy ships and target specific systems on those vessels. An engineer can boost power to the engines or repair a malfunctioning weapon. A gunner fires the ship's weapons at the enemy, taking precise shots or unleashing a volley of lasers.

All that is exciting and vital to the success of the fight, but as Iseph would be quick to remind you, you'd still be a sitting duck without the impressive things the pilot can do!

The pilot has the important job of moving the PCs' starship across the hex-grid map that starship combat uses, ensuring that gunners can shoot the ship's biggest weapons at the most dangerous enemies while hopefully making sure that those foes don't have the opportunity to shoot back. Getting the positioning and facing of the ship right is crucial, as is knowing what the ship is capable of doing and then pushing it beyond its limits.

To that end, pilots have access to a whole suite of stunts—daring maneuvers that only the skilled can hope to pull off. Of course, if the situation doesn't call for any of these fancy tactics, the pilot can always fly normally or step on the gas for an extra burst of speed. The basic pilot stunts are:

Back Off: The pilot throws the ship into reverse, moving backward a few hexes.

Barrel Roll: By spinning the ship on its axis, the pilot allows the ships's port guns and shields to function on the starboard side and vice versa for 1 round. Hope your artificial gravity is turned on!

Evade: This stunt encompasses the standard dodging maneuvers, making the ship harder to hit for 1 round. But it doesn't shake those pesky target lock-ons!

Flip and Burn: The pilot moves the vessel forward a bit and turns it 180 degrees, surprising enemies who might have been in its wake.

Flyby: A dangerous stunt, this takes your ship very close to an enemy vessel (through its hex), which lets a gunner fire any of his ship's weapons at any shield arc of the foe, regardless of where the two ships end their movement. Executing this stunt poorly allows the enemy vessel to get a free shot on you!

Slide: The pilot moves the ship at an angle without changing the way it is facing, like a racecar drifting. This stunt is very useful for ships that aren't very maneuverable.

Turn in Place: Firing up maneuvering thrusters, the pilot alters the direction the ship is facing without moving it from its hex, possibly allowing a specific weapon to make an all-important shot.

Especially talented pilots can also attempt an "audacious gambit," flying the ship in ways never intended by those who built it. But you'd have to be crazy to try something like that!

Since a pilot is nothing without a ship to helm, the Starfinder Core Rulebook also presents both rules for customizing your own starship and a handful of prebuilt starships ready for PCs to use or fight. Shown here are just two examples.

The Drone Mk III is a smaller ship fabricated by shirren manufacturer Starhive. As befits their name, Drones are extremely common and used as freighters, personnel transports, light colonial defense vessels, and more. Despite the ships' mass production, Starhive takes a natural shirren pride in making sure each ship's iridescent paint job is unique.

Built by the vesk munitions company Vindicas, the Tyrant is a dreadnought feared across multiple star systems. Huge weapon batteries tear through even the most formidable capital ships, while its hangars unleash squadrons of fighters to mop up foes too insignificant to be worth the Tyrant's direct attention.
Finally, if you want to see the starship combat system in action, check out the video of when I ran a brief demo for the folks at Game Trade Media. Benjamin Loomes of Syrinscape also sat in to provide excellent sound effects and atmospheric music! Content warning: This video features amateur rapping.

Thanks for reading and keep watching this space for more Starfinder previews in the months to come!

Jason Keeley
Starfinder Design Team





The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

There's been one or two minor updates -- some info about the iconic characters/class info and so forth -- on the pazio blog.


also :

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/227829/exclusive-sci-fi-rpg-starfinder-announces-undead-planet-images/


“Have you ever heard the old apocryphal story about how the scientists of the Manhattan Project who tested the first atomic bomb feared it might cause a chain reaction and set the entire atmosphere on fire? Well that’s exactly what happened on Eox.
Once upon a time, Eox was a lush world, until its arrogant rulers created a superweapon capable of destroying neighboring planets. Their device worked, blowing up the enemy worlds and creating the asteroid belt called the Diaspora—but the magical backlash blew a hole in Eox as well and set its atmosphere ablaze. In the wake of the disaster, the few survivors in the irradiated wasteland turned to necromancy to rebuild their society.
Today, Eox is a world of the dead—and pretty smug about it, actually. After all, being undead comes with a lot of advantages in the modern era: Spaceships that don’t need air! A zombie workforce that doesn’t need breaks! While many of the other Pact Worlds fear and resent Eox, no one can deny that it’s better to have the undead working with you than against you.“


there's some quite artwork if you click through to the link.

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in us
Hangin' with Gork & Mork






I have a friend going to GenCon explicitly for this. The other parts of GenCon are nice, but this is the reason he got a ticket.

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
 
   
 
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