spacetimc's page

Thank you so much!

Getting ready to run “Into The Unknown” for some new Starfinder players. Reading through the modules, the players retrieve an aeon stone from a spacecraft wreck. I’ve been looking through the CRB, but I don’t find anything about aeon stones. Could someone please enlighten me?

I'm gearing up to run a Starfinder campaign for six friends who are all very experienced PRG players. I'll probably start them at 5th level. Can anyone recommend an Adventure Path for such a group? Thanks!

Cool, thanks for the info - greatly appreciated.

At the end of the "Salvage" chapter of ITU, the PCs download the Unbound Wayfarer's log, and get a bit of information about worlds the wrecked ship had previously visited. Additionally, the PCs find an object called an iridescent spindle aeon stone.

Is there any further information about these potential future adventure hooks? I haven't been able to find anything here on the Paizo site.

I'll second the Into The Unknown quest. As BretI mentions, it consists of short chunks, and each one is designed to introduce rules concepts as you go; the first one introduces combat rules, the second introduces starship rules, etc.

I have some experience as a GM, but one of my players is brand new to RPGs, and we're all new to Starfinder. We're having a great time playing the quest.

6) Eating at the Golarion Arches. The food is lousy but cheap, and you'll find a restaurant next to every docking port on every civilized world. People will make disparaging comments about the franchise, but will invariably start jonesing for a bag of fries.

In the CRB, it states that a starship must be stationary for one minute before entering the Drift. So, from a visual effects standpoint, that precludes stretching star fields or stretching starships. Do Starfinder starships simply vanish from view in normal space? Just - blink and they're gone?

Also, how well-known is the Plane-ripping effect of Drift travel? Is it general knowledge anyone can find on three dozen infosphere sites? Or is it a relative secret, known to only a handful of experienced explorers?

I backed this, and am really looking forward to getting my claws on it.

I concur - great work on this writeup!

You're describing the Shirren...

Yes, my mistake. Thanks for the gentle correction everyone!

Ok - the quest to acquire the Sugar Rush album is genius!

From what little I've read so far, nothing. The second set of arms are described as used for mating, and use of them for other tasks is considered offensive. Sort of like unzipping your pants and using yer wiener to wield a rapier.

On the other hand, from a role-playing perspective, the idea of performing such an obscene act could yield some interesting interactions...

I just downloaded "Into the Unknown". It is EXACTLY what I've been looking for: a group of quick, single-session scenarios. My game group doesn't have the time for long, expansive campaigns, but they really want to play Starfinder. "Into the Unknown" will satisfy us just fine.

Please make more!

I must be in a different situation than most. My game group meets once every six weeks or so, and we play tabletop games as much as RPGs. Reading through Incident at Absalom, I feel like I could get the group through the whole module in one go. It ends at a good point, and I think playing the next one three months later wouldn't be a problem. In my case, lean is better.

For those of you who have run the module: Is it possible to run this as a one-day session?

I just want to say THANKS to the team at Paizo for providing these. I'm looking to run a handful of single-session type games, and having pre-gen characters will make prep time so much quicker for me and my players.

Thanks so much for explaining it to me!

I haven't read the CRB cover to cover, but so far I haven't seen anything that explains the logic behind that choice. Anybody have insight?

To take your question on a tangent - could starships be Player Characters?

Alfray Stryke wrote:

Hmm... might that time include pre-flight checks, communications with local air/space traffic co-coordinators (if applicable) and such?

I suppose it could, though I don't see any notations to adjust it if you're taking off from a non-technological world, where there would be no air traffic. And there should be some mechanism for skipping a pre-flight, otherwise many of the chase scenes we're familiar with from movies would basically not happen. I know the system doesn't have to be able to mimic every movie ever, but I think "blasting your way out of Mos Eisley" is a pretty iconic trope.

I see the 1d2 roll as a way to handle preflight checks, traffic clearances, etc. without having to actually role-play all that. It allows for a passage of time to make sure everything is shipshape and Bristol fashion before lifting or landing.

The mechanism to skip is basically the PCs saying "we want to skip it", and the GM deciding the consequences. As a GM, I would absolutely allow PCs to blast out of Mos Eisley, but consequences may range from mid-air collision with a pleasure yacht to the traffic cops showing up. Blasting the hell off the Planet of The Prehistoric Creatures could entail collision with kaid's flying lizards to harried Crewman Jones forgetting to close an outer airlock.

Not sure if others have addressed this request, but -

I'd like one-shot single-session modules. My group and I don't have the time to invest in frequent sessions to explore long-running campaigns. I don't have the time to sit and develop my own standalones. I'd like something that runs in a long afternoon. Doesn't necessarily have to be tied directly in to the Starfinder Universe either.

I have never played Pathfinder, so I am totally unfamiliar with that setting; however, what I've read of the Starfinder setting I find very interesting. For me, I think I'll likely be diverging in tone rather than other elements - I want something gonzo and a bit over-the-top.

To address bugleyman's point of suspension of disbelief:

In his Revelation Space books, Alastair Reynolds writes of "lighthuggers", massive starships approaching high percentages of C, and crewed by less than a dozen individuals. Reynolds makes it work with a strong degree of automation and crews of cyborgs, plus he uses the speed of light as an absolute. IMHO, his world building works because he blends his fantastic and familiar in a particular way.

An example IMHO where the familiar begins to not work is in Star Trek. Enterprise-D is crewed by a thousand people, which would make sense for a big ship. But what do they all do all day? It's always the same twelve people actually doing stuff. Chief O'Brien hangs out in the transporter room waiting for someone to beam out? That guy in the brig just stands behind a panel and likes it?

The bottom line is this: if the story (or adventure path or campaign) is engaging and entertaining, the storyteller will find a way to make these details work to strengthen her story, or decide these details really don't matter and find a way to work without.

I could easily see Starfinder being adapted for running games set in the universe of Futurama. Your mechanic's drone could be piloted by the head of your favorite president!

HaHa! I'm probably going to run in the Starfinder universe, I'm planning to use a tone best described as Archer crossed with Futurama.

Odraude wrote:

...A fail safe, created by super advanced aliens, hunts down any civilization that has ftl capabilities, tracking ships by their signature when they jump. In this way, the advanced aliens remain top dog of the galaxy. Now humans have to contend with this weapon while exploring the stars and expanding their empire.

So... basically ME: Andromeda? ;)

I read this as an adaptation of some of Alastair Reynolds' ideas in Revelation Space, or Jack McDevitt's Academy series of books.

My two quatloos: for crew quarters, think less like starship Enterprise and more like naval aircraft carrier Enterprise. Think cramped. For the dorm room comparison, two people in a 10x20 room, with bunks and clothing storage. It isn't a lot of space.

Is anyone else going nuts waiting for Starfinder to hit the streets? I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning!

I am, too. I preordered and cannot wait to get my grubby mitts on it.

Happened to dial this classic Star Trek episode, and realized it would make a good springboard for a Starfinder adventure - a kilometers-long spacegoing amoeba!

I'm totally fine with no Piers Anthony books being on the list, but I am a bit surprised by the total lack of Philip K. Dick.

I'm a big Dick Head, but I never think of PKD as the kind of writer for ripping yarns stories, which is what I perceive Starfinder to aspire to. I guess you could make a world like the Alphane Moon, but would you really want to play in that?

spacetimc wrote:

Great list - happy to see "The Black Hole" get a nod

Agreed. The Black Hole is still my go-to movie for moody gothic sci-fi. And Maximillian, one of the scariest robots to ever come out of film.

I picked up the DVD recently. The cheesy stuff is still cheesy, but the good stuff is still really good. Part of why it appeals to me, is it gets the world-building portion of my brain in motion. Plus, the production design is amazing.

Great list - happy to see "The Black Hole" get a nod, as well as my all-time favorite, Doc Smith. I recommend checking out Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space novels, as I think those capture a certain flavor that Starfinder looks to capture.