I've read through the part of the Game Mastering chapter dealing with setting CR and giving XP, and I'm honestly confused. I'm a new GM, and I'm coming to Starfinder via 4th edition and 5th edition D&D, so that might explain my confusion with CR. My biggest question is this: is CR summed and divided like APL?
For example, if I have 4 1st-level PC's, to determine their APL, I add together their levels to get 4, then divide by 4. Bam, their APL is 1. Let's say I want them to fight a CR 1 encounter. Would I just throw one CR 1 enemy against them? Or would I take 4 CR 1 enemies and similarly divide their CR by 4 to get a CR of 1?
I'm also a bit confused about the "CR Equivalencies" table and how it relates to creatures with CR in fractions. For example, let's say I wanted the party to face two mercenaries, each with CR 1/2. Would their CR together be CR 1? Or would be CR 2-1/2, since the table says two of the same creatures' CR equals their CR + 2?
I apologize for these noobish questions, but I would definitely appreciate any help!
