Starfinder thoughts

[Fred Brackin]

I got two favorable responses to posting briefly on this subject in my gaming group. So these might not be my final thoughts on Starfinder.

I finally placed where some of the weird parts of the equipment section are coming from and the answer appears to be computer/console gaming. There are illustrations (possibly chosen at semi-random) for some f the suits of armor (2 pages of them in fact) but they're all "hollow" as if they were waiting to be dropped on to somebody's avatar.

It enlightens other things in the section and it might all resemble the constant "upgrade" dynamic you see in some first-person shooters (although I will admit my knowledge of this phenomenon is largely second-hand).

I'm not terribly happy with my 1st level ship but am more appreciative of the pace at which it could be upgraded. Hope springing at a steady pace is helpful to games.

This game is supposedly descended from Pathfinder but I see a lot of D&D 5e elements. Things like how the spell list contains virtually no buffs any more.

It's a little weird IMHO to mix magic and tech but nerf both sides. you've heard me talk about those laser pistols but the two spellcasting classes in the game would both be following the "second tier" paradigm from Pathfindr i.e. spells only go up to 6th level and knowledge off spells is restricted in a way similar to that of Inquisitors or perhaps Bards.

Eh, I'm dubious but I'm wiling to run through the first Adventure Path before I shoot this sucker like a lame bantha.

[jacobmuller]

Just been reading the Starfinder rules (it's all T-bone's fault).
The Leveled Gear thing? PC levels include a form of reputation; they won't sell fancy gear to no-name upstarts?

Re weapon damage - do you add your level to it? So, if you a 1d4 laser pistol does more damage if you're higher level? Skill I suppose.

As someone on twitter commented: it does have pretty pictures.
The Paizo "system" intrigues me; the community thing, campaign records etc.

[LokRobster]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

...
I finally placed where some of the weird parts of the equipment section are coming from and the answer appears to be computer/console gaming. There are illustrations (possibly chosen at semi-random) for some f the suits of armor (2 pages of them in fact) but they're all "hollow" as if they were waiting to be dropped on to somebody's avatar.
...

As soon as I read your first post, I was pretty sure that is where the 'Be LvL X to have 2d4 damage pistol' came from.

As video game players, I think we eat the arbitrary mechanics because... well, it's a computer. I can't think of a framework to put it for a table-top RPG except "yeah, it's like an MMO, you gotta be level 8 to buy that".

I am curious to see how that element of the game is received by folks inclined to love the game from the get-go...

And did I understand correctly that this is only 'bought' gear? A level 1 dude can break into the Space National Guard station and steal a mega-rocket-destructo-launcher, point it at something, and have it go 'boom'?

how many PCs are *really* ever restricted to what they can buy from a merchant? :)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by LokRobster

A

I am curious to see how that element of the game is received by folks inclined to love the game from the get-go...

And did I understand correctly that this is only 'bought' gear? A level 1 dude can break into the Space National Guard station and steal a mega-rocket-destructo-launcher, point it at something, and have it go 'boom'?

how many PCs are *really* ever restricted to what they can buy from a merchant? :)

Alas, i can not answer any of these questions since the two years since I posted this have gone by without any actual play or even new book purchases.

The guy in my group who would have been the GM had started buying the adventure path but fizzled out on his interest. I even made my Will save to not buy the Starfinder equipment book when it came out and this was a rare thing as I love equipment books to a ridiculous degree.

I think one of the other players was in my group played some Starfinder but I heard litle about it and there may have been some other games at the Not-At-All-Local FGS but I have not heard anything about them lately.

There were some suplements published in the first year after but right now I believe Paizo's energy has gone into the Pathfinder 2e that's being released right about now at Gencon. Right now I'm not sure anyone in my group is goign for that either. I'm not. Certainbly not for what the other players were describing as a $60 hardback.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

There were some suplements published in the first year after but right now I believe Paizo's energy has gone into the Pathfinder 2e that's being released right about now at Gencon. Right now I'm not sure anyone in my group is goign for that either. I'm not. Certainbly not for what the other players were describing as a $60 hardback.

PF2E is a 640pp monstrous tome.... for $60... in faux leather.
The standard edition is only $50... at least based upon assuming Miniature Market runs 10% under MSRP. And two more $40+ books before Valentine's day....

I would expect that Starfinder is going to be in a bit of a circling pattern... But it's also doing better than PF in spring, even with the PF2 playtest having been low-margin...

So... I know I'm not in for it... but it will be interesting to see if PF2 returns SF to #3.

Rumor also has it that WOTC is doing something with Star Frontiers soonish...

Edit: Spring 2019, ICV2 lists Starfinder as the #2 RPG sales-wise...
Pathfinder dropped to #5... despite selling a massive load of betas...
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/vi...es-spring-2019

[jacobmuller]

Starfinder vs GURPS
In GURPS, your ST, DX, IQ & HT are vital statistics that determine skills, HPs, etc. With the non-linear 3d system each point DX or IQ is worth approx.10% to your chance of success with a skill. Most skills use just those 2 stars.
In Starfinder, all your stats affect skills but each point in a stat is only worth 2.5%.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by LokRobster

And did I understand correctly that this is only 'bought' gear? A level 1 dude can break into the Space National Guard station and steal a mega-rocket-destructo-launcher, point it at something, and have it go 'boom'?

I think the answer is "yes, but the GM probably shouldn't let them":

Originally Posted by rules p. 167

In Starfinder, all armor, equipment, and weapons (whether magic, technological, or hybrid) are assigned an item level. While characters can utilize items of any level, Game Masters should keep in mind that allowing characters access to items far above their current level may imbalance the game.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

I think the answer is "yes, but the GM probably shouldn't let them":

Also note that some GMs and maybe even players may have more draconian interpretations.

I did recon work on the official Starfinder fora right after I got the game. I soon abandoned the place as a hive of wretched scum and villainy without ever posting.

One of the most contentious early threads involved making of sample characters. One fellow made a 1st level character and outfitted him with 2nd level armor. This was absolutely legal. The rules explciitly said that the limit for purchasing gear was your level +1.

Some posters could not be convinced of this. It did not matter how often you posted a quote of the actual rules with page citation they were sure that this was contradicted by something implied in the rules somewhere else. They apparently could not believe that 2nd level gear wasn't only for 2nd level characters.

I have seen similar examples of "implied rules" inflexibility but naming names might be contentious. I have mostly given up arguing with those people. People who only read the rules in the first sentence of the textbox and never bother to read the second are bad but people whose beliefs about the rules are based on things they think the rules only imply are even worse.

If there's a lesson for game creators here it is to be very careful with your game jargon and keep your rules flowing logically from simple concepts. Soem people aren't goign to follow you to the end of your paragraphs and soem are going to even worse about things they only think you meant to say.

[Fred Brackin]

An update and a corection of earlier statements.

Right now the Pathfinder 2nd ed (P2) is 35.99 on Amazon.

Also, Starfinder material on Amazon is _deeply_ discounted. That equipment book that tempted me was $20 off which was actually less than half the original price. I still made my saving throw.