Introduction to Starfinder

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What is Starfinder…?

Starfinder is a Tabletop Role Playing Game in the same style of Dungeons and Dragons by Wizards of the Coast. What makes Starfinder different is:

  • Starfinder works on the Pathfinder game system which is more complex than Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.
  • It is set in a science fiction/fantasy universe.
  • Starship combat! (like Star Wars)

So you may be thinking at this point, “Hey I like games, I like sci-fi too, what do I need to start this game?”

All you really need is:

  • A couple of people to play with one of which will have to be a willing dungeon master.
  • A set of dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d100 (percentile die), d12, & d20) which can be bought online or from local retailers like Gear Gaming in Hoover or Card Addicts in Pelham.
  • A dry erase marker grid map OR pencil and paper to draw maps OR your imagination.
  • The Starfinder Core Rulebook. Which luckily we have a copy of in our collection!

Starfinder: Core Rulebook

Shoot for the Stars

Blast off into a galaxy of adventure with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! Step into your powered armor and grab your magic-infused laser rifle as you investigate the mysteries of a weird universe with your bold 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.

This massive 528-page hardcover rulebook is the essential centerpiece of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, with rules for character creation, magic, gear, and more—everything you need to play Starfinder as either a player or Game Master! The next great adventure in science-fantasy roleplaying takes off here, and the Starfinder Core Rulebook is your ticket to a lifetime of adventure amid the stars!

Inside this book, you’ll find:

– All of the rules you need to play or run a game of Starfinder.
– Seven character classes, from the elite soldier and stealthy operative to the physics-hacking technomancer and mind-bending mystic.
– Character races both new and classic, from androids, insectile shirrens, ratlike ysoki, and reptilian vesk to the dwarves and elves of the distant future.
– An in-depth exploration of the Starfinder setting, including its planets, gods, factions, and threats.
– Hundreds of weapons, spells, technological gadgets, magic items, and other options to outfit any character.
– Complete rules for starships, including customization and starship combat.
– Rules and tips on using Pathfinder RPG content with Starfinder.

There are additional books you can use when playing the game such as:

Starfinder: Armory

It’s a dangerous universe out there, and often the difference between survival and being the next meal for an angry ksarik is having the right equipment. From guns to augmentations to high-tech and magical devices for every imaginable situation, Starfinder Armory is your guide to everything you need, whether you are a frontline fighter, stealthy spy, or scholarly spellcaster. Inside this book you’ll find the following:

– Scores of new weapons, filling out the options for weapons of every category, level, and type and rules to customize your weapons through weapon accessories, weapon fusions, and different weapon manufacturers.
– New suits of armor, including light, heavy, and powered armor for nearly every level and numerous armor upgrades.
– A wide range of new equipment-themed player options, including class features for every class!
– Dozens of new pieces of technological, magic, and hybrid items, as well as numerous personal items, new augmentations from cybernetics to magitech and necrografts, and more!

Starfinder: Alien Archive 1

Close Encounters

Strange aliens both friendly and fearsome fill this tome of creatures designed for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! From the gravity-manipulating frujais and planet-killing novaspawn to space goblins and security robots, the creatures in this codex will challenge adventurers no matter what strange worlds they’re exploring. What’s more, player rules for a host of creatures let players not just fight aliens, but be them!

Inside Starfinder Alien Archive, you’ll find the following:

– Over 80 bizarre life-forms both classic and new, from the reptilian ikeshtis and energy-bodied hallajins to robotic anacites and supernatural entities from beyond the realms of mortals.
– Over 20 races with full player rules, letting you play everything from a winged dragonkin to a hyperevolved floating brain.
– New alien technology to help give your character an edge, including weapons, armor, magic items, and more.
– A robust NPC-creation system to let Game Masters build any aliens or creatures they can imagine.
– New rules for magical monster summoning, quick templates to modify creatures on the fly, and more!

Don’t forget we’ll be having Starfinder events in the Fall and Winter, spots are going fast so sign up as soon as you can.

Click here to register for October!

There are plenty of fantastic resources on Youtube to help you along with figuring out the game. Considering how complex the game can be these are a great way to learn, but the best way to learn is the learn through playing. It’s important to remember that while tabletop gaming is portrayed in shows other mediums as this quick paced complicated activity, real tabletop groups stop to joke, ask questions, check rules (constantly) no matter if you’ve been playing for 30 years, and above all the point of the game is to have fun with your friends (remember, you don’t win at tabletop games, it’s all about the experience).

If you’re looking for inspiration for your world or for character building here are some graphic novels and other series to help you along your way.

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