What Is Starfinder?
What is Starfinder?
Starfinder is easily explained as D&D in space. For those who are fans of the system and tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons though this is an oversimplification. If you do not know what a Role-Playing Game (R.P.G.) is, which I would argue puts you in an older age bracket, is a combination of improvisational and collaborative story telling.
Why has Dungeons and Dragons been so popular?
R.P.G.’s have come into the mainstream over the last decade and with people being stuck at home during the pandemic, this has only boosted the sales for table top games across the board. (See what I did there) they have also been given a boost from popular streaming shows like Critical Role on YouTube and Twitch, and Stranger Things from Netflix. While the term D&D gets used as a catch all for the R.P.G. experience, usually by those who have never played one, it does not represent the breadth of games and settings that exist outside of Dungeons and Dragons.
Icewind Dale DnD
What are some other popular games?
One game that was released in 2018 and has been growing a very dedicated fan base is that of Starfinder. Created by Paizo who also makes Pathfinder (more similar in style to D&D.) Starfinder is a sci fi setting, with magic, monsters, technology, and gods. All the ingredients needed to tell a good story. Like every tabletop R.P.G. it has a set of rules in how the world operates, part of playing games requires that all players of the game use the same set of rules.
Starfinder blends all the right elements for my on personal preference into a game, I’m a big fan of magic, I love science fiction, aliens and high-powered tech, specifically around making strong guns, spaceships, and just enough information to get the creative juices flowing around the world Paizo created while leaving a perfect amount of lose ends to fill in the gaps and build your own worlds.
I have played other games that combine the same elements, Shadow Run for example but in my opinion is just too complicated to play. These pieces all come together to make a product loved by many, and like with any cooking recipe, just because the ingredients blended doesn’t mean they taste good. Taste is also extremely individual.
Why not just play D&D in space?
This is a valid question and I’m sure many tables have already created their own worlds (called homebrew) around this or borrowed ideas from other settings or games to make things work. Homebrew is very common in any TTRPG no matter the game, that’s part of the fun of playing pretend, isn’t it? Getting to create worlds to adventure in, get lost in, and tell stories with our closest friends and family.
Vesk general giving a speech to new recruits
Why play Starfinder?
The game will feel familiar to those who are familiar with D&D, you have a stat array of six essential abilities. Those abilities give bonuses or penalties to skills, class abilities and feats help beef up your character as they level up. Starfinder has deep lore around the main setting in the Pact Worlds and a secondary space empire being fleshed out as the game continues, The Veskarium.
Paizo as a company has gone out of their way to make players of all kinds feel included, pad special attention to make everyone feel welcome with their games which is far more than I can say about some of the recent social media posts from TSR. They have also created support products for their games that I just have not seen other companies doing. Rules reference cards, pocket editions for their main rule books. While I do not think at the time of writing they exist yet, I would not be surprised if the topic of brail rules cards has not been tossed around in the creative spaces of Paizo offices.
Paizo has also been extremely supportive of not only my own YouTube videos about the game they created, but they have also been very supportive of other creators who have a passion for the games that they play. It is incredibly refreshing to see a company who is just as excited about the games they created, as the others in their community who create around them.
Dealing with devils doesn’t have to be unpleasant
Its amazing to play a well written and designed game but its even better when you know the company behind it is also full of good people. Its one of the reasons I choose to support them. My group of friends have really enjoyed their time with Starfinder and I know I will continue to enjoy my time with the game as more and more supplements are made.
