Starfinder Playtest Product Announcements!

Oh, we eating good this month, we already get a preview of the next adventure after!?

Thank you for putting to rest the nervousness around Technomancer and Mechanic finally. And yeah, SFS is gonna be fun come Paizocon ;)

Awwww yeah! Sounds great!

Are each of the adventures designed to be one level of play, or to encompass multiple levels (like 1-3 and 10-12 or something)?

That is really smart to use the core books. No need to reinvent the wheel. I am glad you are making the PDF free. I am really excited. I have wanted to play Starfinder, but I am too big of a 2e fan. I am really excited to see where this goes. Thanks for being aweome Paizo.

I continue to be extremely excited to see the first hints of what y'all have done with this!

Wait... Aucturn... hatches? What about the people living there?

Wait... Aucturn... hatches? What about the people living there?

Well, presumably, if they can survive in a vacuum they'll be fine... Otherwise... magic 8-ball is still out on that one.

Question: Will the GenCon playtest scenarios be running off the same flipmat pack? If so, Bret and I will need to order two, since we are both running playtest at GenCon.

So... that will bring us up to 4 planets lost from this solar system (Aucturn, the twins who became the Diaspora, and Golarion) I'm starting to It might be a bad neighborhood

Someone make sure the doors on the Idari are locked and the windows rolled up.

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten the Technomancer and Mechanic and will share our plans as soon as we can!

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!! eventually.

What can we expect from the playtest regarding creatures and unique space/tech hazards? Will all the dangers you can face be contained within the adventures, or will there be some GM treats in the playtest rulebook itself? Can't put these shiny new classes and all their fancy gear through their paces without a proper arsenal, after all.

Empires Devoured has me extremely excited. Kehtaria and the city of Atuity specifically have held my interest deeply since they were introduced in Ports of Call! If the playtest adventures will be viable to run in the final 2025 version of SF2e, I might reimagine my Starfinder Infinite product of player options themed after Atuity to SF2 at that time!

Buy a playtest book? No thanks.

So uhhhh, what all ancestry are we looking at for this glorious event?

What beautiful parity that the Pathfinder 2e playtest and the Starfinder 2e playtest concern the same cosmos shattering event! That is an awesome choice.

Buy a playtest book? No thanks.

It's an option for people that prefer to have a physical product, rather than just using the free pdf that's also being provided. It may not appeal to you, but it suits some people a lot better.

Playtest time is Aucturn time?

Huh.

Well... okay.

If Great Old One egg Aucturn hatches, isn't the new deity just Great Young One Aucturn?

Will the playtest also have Starship combat? Or for that matter, will SF2 have starship combat?

Ohhh ok a lvl 1 adventure and a lvl 10 one. I'm down to test out both ends of the lvl range spectrum; I'll be prowling around my FLGS waiting for all of this to drop around Gencon

Will the playtest also have Starship combat? Or for that matter, will SF2 have starship combat?

I believe the Devs have said that starship combat will be in a latter book, as they aren't happy with it yet

Ohhh ok a lvl 1 adventure and a lvl 10 one. I'm down to test out both ends of the lvl range spectrum; I'll be prowling around my FLGS waiting for all of this to drop around Gencon

(it does kinda make me wish there was also short level 20 one xD Just for kicks of it)

So uhhhh, what all ancestry are we looking at for this glorious event?

For the playtest? It'll be the 9 ancestries featured in Field Test #3's survey (Android, Barathu, Human, Kasatha, Lashunta, Pahtra, Shirren, Vesk and Ysoki) as well as Skittermanders. This was stated in the Field Test #3's opening page.

There'll also be 2 versatile heritages, the Borai and the Prismeni (them being the Geniekin/Nephilim equivalent for the Drift).

Maybe plans have changed, but in a the Paizo livestream a few days ago, wasn't it said near the end of the stream that the plan was to have 4 2e playtest adventures, at levels 1/5/10/15?

Maybe plans have changed, but in a the Paizo livestream a few days ago, wasn't it said near the end of the stream that the plan was to have 4 2e playtest adventures, at levels 1/5/10/15?

Those four adventures Jessica talked about on Paizo Live will be shorter playtest adventures released as part of the Starfinder Society Organized Play program. Of course, anyone can play them, or just sign up and join in an org play game near you or online. They're designed to run in about 2-3 hours of play.

I highly recommend getting into Starfinder Society, because we consider it our main adventure line, and it gets more frequent releases than anything else in Starfinder. There's a high chance that some of our big setting conflicts and mysteries will be explored in those adventures.

A Cosmic Birthday and Empires Devoured are very similar to modules we've released in the past in terms of length and scope, and will take characters through multiple levels of play. It will probably take most groups multiple gaming sessions to play through them.

Question: Will the GenCon playtest scenarios be running off the same flipmat pack? If so, Bret and I will need to order two, since we are both running playtest at GenCon.

The playtest scenarios releasing at Gen Con will use existing flipmats. While they are currently in development and plans could change, I know which map is being used for one of them and it's not the playtest map pack.

Zoken44 wrote:

Wait... Aucturn... hatches? What about the people living there?

Well, presumably, if they can survive in a vacuum they'll be fine... Otherwise... magic 8-ball is still out on that one.

I mean, a new baby God has to eat something. Though Im a bit curious how Nyarlathothep is gonna react. Aucturn was kinda their seat of power and now it's gonna be doing it's own thing.

Will there be monsters in the playtest rulebook, in case we want to homebrew our own adventure?

Imho, the evolutionist, nanocyte and vanguard are some of the best designed (especially the nanocyte) classes, with lots of player choice and agency. Pools of points (surges, etc.) make for more fun classes to play. I hope 2E class design philosophy follows this model. Looking forward to the PDF.

Imho, the evolutionist, nanocyte and vanguard are some of the best designed (especially the nanocyte) classes, with lots of player choice and agency. Pools of points (surges, etc.) make for more fun classes to play. I hope 2E class design philosophy follows this model. Looking forward to the PDF.

The vanguard and evolutionist just collect points to...not do anything really. I see a lot of appearance of choice that doesn't amount to doing anything.

Will there be monsters in the playtest rulebook, in case we want to homebrew our own adventure?

If there are, it probably won't be that many. Your best bet will probably be "borrowing" from the playtest adventures and society scenarios.

If you are feeling more adventurous, there are over 2500 monsters over on the PF2 Archives of Nethys. Some of them you can use as is. The rest you can make more space-y and appropriate for SF2, by slapping equipment from the playtest book on them or just making up alien "bio-weaponry" (spine spitters, acid throwers... etc) with the guidelines. Or completely make up new monsters, the NPC creation rules are really solid.

spacecat11 wrote:

Maybe plans have changed, but in a the Paizo livestream a few days ago, wasn't it said near the end of the stream that the plan was to have 4 2e playtest adventures, at levels 1/5/10/15?

Those four adventures Jessica talked about on Paizo Live will be shorter playtest adventures released as part of the Starfinder Society Organized Play program. Of course, anyone can play them, or just sign up and join in an org play game near you or online. They're designed to run in about 2-3 hours of play.

I highly recommend getting into Starfinder Society, because we consider it our main adventure line, and it gets more frequent releases than anything else in Starfinder. There's a high chance that some of our big setting conflicts and mysteries will be explored in those adventures.

A Cosmic Birthday and Empires Devoured are very similar to modules we've released in the past in terms of length and scope, and will take characters through multiple levels of play. It will probably take most groups multiple gaming sessions to play through them.

Its kinda weird in that I do agree Starfinder Society is much more interesting than Pathfinder society is overall because it has more freedom to be setting important, and explore important topics rather than reserving those for APs, but I still prefer APs and Standalone modules gameplay wise if that makes sense?

Like, Society organized play will never really get rid of its kinda MMO ish nature and the mechanical silly stuff PFS has as well like "You'll never know whether party will have any cohesion, if party will bring combat team to diplomacy skill mission without any skills, if party is mixed levels or not" and etc x'D

So at same time I really recommend trying out Starfinder Society, but I also really understand its not everyone's thing.

I'll admit some degree of relief that it's Aucturn's hatching removing a Pact World and not say, Akiton or Castrovel or Apostae getting Alderaan'd. Aucturn finally hatching gives me more of a "so it goes" kinda feeling. I'm mostly sad about the poor kobolds who got stuck there through no fault of their own, but I think they were excited about the impending hatching so they're at least getting some fulfillment before they go...

On a more positive note, I must say our new pahtra Solarian iconic seems quite groovy! *peace sign*

a dead planet Hatching ... That Reminds me of an episode of Dr Who with the moon Hatching, I love it and eager to run it

There is no way we could start right now ? ;-)

I hope the newborn god is very cute. If it's not cute, please fix that asap.

Just a planet-sized Cthulhu plush

Just a planet-sized Cthulhu plush

I will allow it.

Thurston Hillman wrote:

Zoken44 wrote:

Wait... Aucturn... hatches? What about the people living there?

Well, presumably, if they can survive in a vacuum they'll be fine... Otherwise... magic 8-ball is still out on that one.

I mean, a new baby God has to eat something. Though Im a bit curious how Nyarlathothep is gonna react. Aucturn was kinda their seat of power and now it's gonna be doing it's own thing.

Parents are usually proud. Maybe even celebrating with the family and the neighbourhood.

Ah, a quick check with the archives releaves some of my concern. I had Aucturn mixed up with Akiton

That'd be QUITE the bait-and-switch!

"YOU EXPECTED AUCTURN TO BE THE EGG OF AN ELDRITCH GODLING, BUT IT WAS ME, AKITON!"

Imho, the evolutionist, nanocyte and vanguard are some of the best designed (especially the nanocyte) classes, with lots of player choice and agency. Pools of points (surges, etc.) make for more fun classes to play. I hope 2E class design philosophy follows this model. Looking forward to the PDF.

I'm with you 100%. I love the design of the classes that skirt the line between martial and caster, that have in combat resource generation. Super fun and I hope it carries over as well. Evolutionist was my favorite class but people get weird about it (sometimes feels like they hate it so much that others shouldn't like it) so I don't think it will be coming very soon to sf2e.

Those definitely sound like classes that would benefit from letting other classes come out first.

I get the feeling Vanguard might be getting rolled into Solarian and I kind of hope Nanocyte and Evolutionist come out as archetypes.

I am glad the playtest adventures will have full narratives.

I like the meta plot of Doomsday Dawn from the PF2E playtest but the time and kevel gaps between the parts and the infamous endless undead waves battle ruined the fun. I think it is possible to stress test a system without scenarios like this especially when there is already such a huge difference in GM styles in the community that some of the stress will appear intuitively.

Is vesk in empires devoured art someone we already know of? She looks really cool (and something about that symbol on the shoulder pad looks familiar but I can't recall which symbol that was besides its similar to Damaritosh's symbol)

I get the feeling Vanguard might be getting rolled into Solarian and I kind of hope Nanocyte and Evolutionist come out as archetypes.

They would make sense as PF2 style archetypes. I can see the weak, disappointing feats providing some trivial reaction defenses and minor boosts available through other means already.

Thanks to help realized that's likely Captain Vasoya, so the azlanti on left is probably Eiran. Cool art ya, hope they both survive empires being devoured or whatever happens in empires devoured xD

I wonder what'll happen to Carsai the King.

Wow what a joke. So what if I have no desire to want to play the pathfinder system, because of the disaster it has been. I just want to play starfinder. So now I have to shell out more money for books that I don’t want to playtest a game that I have some interest.

2E was not ready to come out and they released it. Starfinder desperately needs to be over hauled because it’s in a worse shape then 2E. When the best feats still reside in the core rulebook after 7 years.

All I have seen in the last 2-3 years is give us money money money for sub par mistake ridden books. I have very little hope for Starfinder 2E.

It’s obvious no one at paizo understands how full auto should work. And I was hoping in 2E it would have been corrected.

Wow what a joke. So what if I have no desire to want to play the pathfinder system, because of the disaster it has been. I just want to play starfinder. So now I have to shell out more money for books that I don’t want to playtest a game that I have some interest.

2E was not ready to come out and they released it. Starfinder desperately needs to be over hauled because it’s in a worse shape then 2E. When the best feats still reside in the core rulebook after 7 years.

All I have seen in the last 2-3 years is give us money money money for sub par mistake ridden books. I have very little hope for Starfinder 2E.

It’s obvious no one at paizo understands how full auto should work. And I was hoping in 2E it would have been corrected.

Don't miss the amazing Starfinder First Edition system improvements brought by Starfinder Enhanced. You can go back and play any older adventure you missed with fresh options. Also on sale now is the 256 page of adventure Scoured Stars. Soon, Starfinder Mechageddon! Adventure Path will offer 184 more pages of mech combat written by folks who love the sub-genre. But wait, there is more! There is still another year of Starfinder Society play. There are lightyears of play left for Starfinder First Edition lovers!

So, a question. We'll probably be finishing up book 5 of Fly Free or Die around when this playtest goes live. Will there be any 'suggestions' for how to play 1e content within 2e playtest?

Wow what a joke. So what if I have no desire to want to play the pathfinder system, because of the disaster it has been. I just want to play starfinder. So now I have to shell out more money for books that I don’t want to playtest a game that I have some interest.

2E was not ready to come out and they released it. Starfinder desperately needs to be over hauled because it’s in a worse shape then 2E. When the best feats still reside in the core rulebook after 7 years.

All I have seen in the last 2-3 years is give us money money money for sub par mistake ridden books. I have very little hope for Starfinder 2E.

It’s obvious no one at paizo understands how full auto should work. And I was hoping in 2E it would have been corrected.

I get not having interest in a system. But calling PF2 a disaster and the "latest" books subpar when both are received very well by the community and new players alike and boast by far the highest sales Paizo has ever had... yeah that's nonsense by any metric.

Btw, how do you think automatic fire currently works?