Bound and Determined

Monday, September 18, 2017

Starfinder is doing phenomenally well. Player feedback has been great, sales have been great... but one thing has not been great.

Shortly after we began shipping Starfinder Core Rulebooks out, our customers started reporting issues with the binding, in both the regular and limited editions. Unfortunately, no manufacturing process is perfect, so there are always going to be a handful of issues, but by the time we came back from Gen Con, we had received more complaints than we would expect for a print run this size. We talked to our printer about it, and sent them some samples demonstrating the issue. They agreed that there was a problem, and they are doing everything they can to help us make it right for anyone who was affected.

What's the Problem?

Our hardcovers use a method called case binding. First, each group of 16 pages (a signature) is sewn together. Next, all of the book's signatures are stacked into a book block, and the book block is stitched together. Then, a fabric reinforcement strip called a spine lining is adhered to the book block to give it additional stability, and the book block is attached to the cover by adhering the book's endpapers to it. (Note that the spine lining itself is not glued to the spine of the book. This is intentional: it helps the book lie flatter when open.)

The problem some customers are seeing with their Starfinder Core Rulebooks is that the fabric lining strip isn't properly attached to the book block, separating after minimal use. This issue is occurring only with a small fraction of Starfinder Core Rulebooks, so if you have been using your book and it doesn't currently show any sign of the lining strip separating, it probably won't occur with normal use.

In this photo of a book with a defective binding, the pages of the book are not attached to the yellow-and-white fabric lining strip at the bottom.

How Do I Get My Book Replaced?

If you have a Starfinder Core Rulebook with a defective binding, don't hesitate to have it replaced.

• If you bought it from Paizo at Gen Con or through paizo.com, please send a picture or two demonstrating the problem with your book to customer.service@paizo.com. (Please be aware that our customer service team is currently working through a significant backlog, so it may take several days for us to respond.)
• If you bought it from a store, return it to that store by Friday, October 27. You should be able to get an exchange from them or reserve a replacement if the retailer is out of stock. They will in turn receive an exchange or credit from the distributor they bought it from, and the distributor will do the same with us. (We have already contacted our distributors regarding this issue, so your store should be able to work with them to address this issue.) If your store remains unable or unwilling to help you let us know at customer.service@paizo.com; include the store's name and location so we can work with our distributors to ensure everyone is on the same page.

When Will My Book Be Replaced?

• If you bought the regular edition from paizo.com, we will send out your replacement as quickly as possible, likely within 1 to 6 business days of responding to your email.
• If you bought the regular edition from a store, they may be able to replace it for you immediately. However, the Starfinder Core Rulebook is sold out in many places, and we don't expect the reprint to reach stores until the second half of November; if your store is sold out, you may need to wait until then. Check with them to be sure.
• If you bought the limited edition from paizo.com or at Gen Con, we currently don't have replacement stock. Our printer is going to ship us replacement copies of the limited edition along with the regular edition reprint, which we currently estimate will reach our warehouse in the first half of November.

Should I Wait for the Reprint to Arrive?

There's no need to wait for the reprint before requesting to have your book replaced. We are checking the books we're sending out, and you should be able to check any replacement your retailer has. And in the case of the limited edition, though we won't be able to ship your replacement right away, we can put the order into the system at any time so it will be ready to go when stock arrives. (The reprint will not have any changes apart from than the words "Second Printing" on the masthead page—it should otherwise be identical to a properly bound first-printing copy in every way.)

Paizo and our printer have high standards for quality, and we are very sorry for this inconvenience. We will do what we can to make getting replacements a quick and easy process.

—The Paizo Team