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Starfinder Roleplaying Game

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(Redirected from Starfinder First Edition)
The Starfinder logo.

The Starfinder Roleplaying Game by Paizo is a tabletop science-fantasy roleplaying game system. Its first edition was designed to be compatible with Pathfinder First Edition Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. under the Open Gaming License.1 At Gen Con 2023, Paizo announced a second edition of the game that was publicly playtested before a release scheduled for Gen Con 2025. Starfinder Second Edition will be compatible with Pathfinder Second Edition Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. and use the Open RPG Creative License, which Paizo helped to develop and which Pathfinder Second Edition also uses.

Second Edition

Starfinder Second Edition will be published under the Open RPG Creative License (ORC) and share its mechanical framework with the rules system of Pathfinder Second Edition Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki., making the games compatible for cross-system porting of classes, creatures, and more—provided your GM allows it.

Announcement

Paizo announced Starfinder Second Edition at Gen Con 2023 on August 3, 2023.

Playtest

The Starfinder Second Edition Playtest was a public playtest of the second edition of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game that began at Gen Con 2024. The playtest was announced on August 3, 2023, and received a number of previews throughout the following months, most notably the five Starfinder Field Test documents that were released via the Paizo blog from August 3, 2023, to May 8, 2024. The Starfinder Playtest launched at Gen Gon on August 1, 2024, with the release of the Second Edition Playtest Rulebook, available as a free PDF and sold as a physical softcover. At launch, three playtest adventures were available for purchase, with three additional adventures set to release over the months of September and October. Players were asked to provide gameplay reports and respond to surveys and polls throughout the playtest. The Field Test previews and the Starfinder Playtest itself were both published under the ORC License.

First Edition

Starfinder First Edition, whose main product line was referred to as Starfinder Roleplaying Game, was designed to be compatible with Pathfinder First Edition Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. (which was in turn a revised version of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 ruleset). Both games were published under the Open Gaming License (OGL).

Announcement

Paizo announced the game on May 28, 2016, during the PaizoCon 2016 Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. Preview Banquet, with the first products to be released at Gen Con 50 on August 17, 2017.2

Design

In blog posts and interviews before its release, Paizo staff announced several planned features for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game:

  • "Conceptual compatibility" with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, allowing for gamers to convert Pathfinder assets with "a minimum of fuss at the table."3
  • A slower release schedule compared to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line, and a greater reliance on the Starfinder Adventure Path line to introduce new rules and concepts.3
  • Seven core classes:3
  • A feel similar to Star Wars, but with "more magic and moral ambiguity".3
  • Starships, including:
    • A greater focus on exploration than in Pathfinder, with a galactic scale, many alien worlds and races, and the assumption that player characters comprise the crew of a starship.3
    • Starship battles with a distinct miniatures-based combat system3 on a hexagonal grid4 with facing and distinct roles for party members similar to Star Trek bridge officers.5
    • A system to design, build, and upgrade custom starships.6
  • Plans for a compatibility license, reference document, and organized play program all similar to Pathfinder's.3

While the system is designed to be largely compatible with Pathfinder, there are also some significant differences:

  • Magic items work differently, and Pathfinder's magic item creation system will be omitted or radically changed.7
  • Some skills are consolidated, while other skills are added.8
  • Cybertechnology, such as body modifications and implants, are integrated into the core system.9

Unlike the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, which had a massive open playtest Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. before its release, the Starfinder Roleplaying Game would have a closed playtest, a decision made due to the limited timeframe to release the core rules. The closed playtest "will feature other RPG designers and third-party publishers, Pathfinder Society Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki. members, and various key members of the industry and community".3

Release

The Starfinder Core Rulebook was released at Gen Con 50 on August 17, 2017.1

Releases

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Paizo Staff. (Retrieved November 23, 2016). Starfinder, Paizo.
  2. James L. Sutter. (May 28, 2016). Announcing the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Paizo Blog.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 James L. Sutter. (September 30, 2016). Starfinder—What We've Revealed So Far, Paizo Blog.
  4. James L. Sutter. (October 14, 2016). That's No Moon..., Paizo Blog.
  5. Charlie Hall. (November 17, 2016). Starfinder hopes to do for space opera what D&D has done for fantasy, Polygon.
  6. James L. Sutter. (November 11, 2016). Captain's Log, Stardate Something-Something..., Paizo Blog.
  7. James Haeck. (June 4, 2016). Interview with the creator of Starfinder, Pathfinder's sci-fi sister game, Nerdist, powered by Geek & Sundry.
  8. Gamer Goggles and James L. Sutter. (August 12, 2016). Gen Con 2016 Coverage 21: Starfinder with James L. Sutter (2:58), Gamer Goggles Canton Ohio YouTube channel.
  9. Gamer Goggles and James L. Sutter. (August 12, 2016). Gen Con 2016 Coverage 21: Starfinder with James L. Sutter (3:09), Gamer Goggles Canton Ohio YouTube channel.
Cover Title Release Date Author
First Contact.jpg First Contact 170617 June 17, 2017 John Compton, Jason Keeley, Robert G. McCreary, and James L. Sutter
Core Rulebook.jpg Core Rulebook 170817 August 17, 2017 Paizo Staff
GM Screen.jpg GM Screen 170817 August 17, 2017 Paizo Staff
Player Character Folio.jpg Player Character Folio 170817 August 17, 2017 Paizo Staff
Alien Archive.jpg Alien Archive 171025 October 25, 2017 Paizo Staff
Pact Worlds.jpg Pact Worlds 180328 March 28, 2018 Paizo Staff
Starfinder Armory.jpg Armory 180727 July 27, 2018 Paizo Staff
Alien Archive 2.jpg Alien Archive 2 181017 October 17, 2018 Paizo Staff
Beginner Box.jpg Beginner Box 190424 April 24, 2019 Paizo Staff
Alien Archive 3.jpg Alien Archive 3 190828 August 28, 2019 Paizo Staff
Character Operations Manual.jpg Character Operations Manual 190828 November 13, 2019 Paizo Staff
Near Space.jpg Near Space 200325 March 25, 2020 Paizo Staff
Starship Operations Manual.jpg Starship Operations Manual 200730 July 30, 2020 Paizo Staff
Alien Archive 4.jpg Alien Archive 4 201209 December 9, 2020 Paizo Staff
Galaxy Exploration Manual.png Galaxy Exploration Manual 210602 June 2, 2021 Paizo Staff
Tech Revolution.png Tech Revolution 210922 September 22, 2021 Paizo Staff
Galactic Magic.png Galactic Magic 220126 January 26, 2022 Paizo Staff
Drift Crisis.png Drift Crisis 220525 May 25, 2022 Paizo Staff
Interstellar Species.png Interstellar Species 221116 November 16, 2022 Paizo Staff
Ports of Call.jpg Ports of Call 230524 May 24, 2023 Paizo Staff