Starfinder Beginner Box

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Starfinder Beginner Box
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Explore the Galaxy!

Launch into an exciting universe of science fantasy adventure with the Starfinder Beginner Box! Create and customize your own futuristic hero to play through challenging adventures and action-packed battles against dangerous foes! With streamlined rules, this deluxe boxed set is the ideal introduction to the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, an imaginative tabletop roleplaying game for 2-7 players. Welcome to the best launchpad for a lifetime of pulse-pounding adventure among the stars—the only limit is your imagination!

The Starfinder Beginner Box has everything you need to get started:

  • A 96-page Heroes' Handbook, detailing character creation and general rules for playing the game, plus a short solo adventure
  • A 96-page Game Master's Guide containing an adventure, alien adversaries, and advice on how to create your own science fantasy tales
  • A complete set of seven polyhedral dice
  • More than 80 full-color pawns depicting diverse heroes and aliens
  • 24 plastic pawn bases
  • Six pregenerated character sheets to throw you right into the action
  • Six blank character sheets to record the abilities of your custom-made hero
  • Six player aid cards for quick rules references
  • A durable, reusable, double-sided Flip-Mat play surface that works with any kind of marker

ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-123-8



Downloads
Character Sheets (203 KB zip/PDF)

The adventure contained within the Starfinder Beginner Box, "Steel Talon's Lair," is sanctioned for use in Starfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure and Chronicle Sheets are available as a free download (5.8 MB PDF).

Note: Due to the special nature of this product, it is NOT part of any subscription.

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop
SoundSet on Syrinscape

Product Availability

Print Edition:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 11 to 20 business days.

PDF:

Fulfilled immediately.

Non-Mint:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 11 to 20 business days.

This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZO7110


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3.90/5 (based on 7 ratings)

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Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Beginner Box


Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Starfinder Beginner Box
System- Starfinder
Producer- Paizo
Price- $29.99
TL; DR- Good with a few issues 90%

Basics- To the stars! The Starfinder Beginner Box is the intro box for the Starfinder RPG, walking players through some basic character generation, how to play, and an intro adventure. It also provides dice, maps, and cardboard standees.

Mechanics or Crunch- What’s here is good, but is is missing a few key things. The walkthrough of how to play is a solid introduction to the game. But, and it’s a big but, it does leave out several things like starship combat. I LOVE Starfinder so that’s something that I think needs to be shown off. Also, as the GM, some of the skills are mislabeled. The skills that are used are simplified versions of the main skills to make life a bit easier for new players and GMs, but I feel that kind of handicaps the learning experience. That all said, it does work well and is a decent introduction to the system. 4.25/5

Theme or Fluff- The box set gives a solid introduction to the world and system, if a bit stifled. You get enough, but the adventure is a dungeon crawl. Not bad, but a bit simplified for an adventure. There are some social interactions, but I’d like more. The Pathfinder 2nd ed. Beginner box has two whole levels of dungeon, and I feel this was just a bit short. It works well, but I wanted more. 4.25/5

Execution- What’s here is fantastic. I love the maps, standees, and books. Everything that is included is done well. Solid work! 5/5

Summary-This is a good, if short, introduction to Starfinder. I like what’s here, but just need more. I want a short space shootout. I want more social. I want full skills,not simplified ones. But those are small wants compared to my friends who learned the system quickly from the box, and myself who was able to GM a game on the fly with minimal prep using this starter set. It’s good, but you will learn more when you buy the full book. 90%


Misleading Product

2/5

Yeah it really should have been stressed harder that this is not actual Starfinder and no, you can't use the products (besides the minis and the map) in Starfinder: The rules are wrong and the character sheets lack SP along with half the skills and only go to level 2 spells..


Nothing but praise!

5/5

I have nothing but praise for the beginner box. It has a great feel as a space dungeon. Everything is thematic and works and the encounters are scaled so they are challening but not frustrating or impossible. I just wish they would update this as an official adventure path or society module. And I want to know more about the person that runs Absolom station. As a taste of starfinder this will get you hooked! LOVE IT!


All you need is a pencil and your imagination!

5/5

After the (first edition) Pathfinder Beginner Box went over so well, I bought my son the Starfinder Beginner Box. Although it hasn't seen quite as much use, it's an excellent product and he gives it "5 out of 5". It's very similar in concept and contents to the Pathfinder Beginner Box, and is intended to give a group that is brand new to role-playing everything they need to get started and have months of adventure before (eventually) transitioning to the full game that has some added complexity. The product comes in a board game-style cardboard box with really cool artwork, and includes two 96-page books (one for players, one for GMs), a flip-mat to draw maps on, a set of dice, cardboard pawns and bases, character sheets, and more. I'll go through everything in more detail below.

PAWNS & BASES

Instead of plastic or metal miniatures, which are expensive and break easy, a lot of gamers rely on Paizo's double-sided cardboard pawns to represent the heroes and villains in a battle. Each colourful pawn slots into a little plastic base, and they come in different sizes to represent bigger and smaller characters. The Starfinder Beginner Box includes an excellent assortment of pawns that includes all of the pre-generated "Iconics" (hero characters), allies, and villains/monsters that are detailed in the GM's book. The box includes around 80 different pawns, and I especially like that some are only available in this set (on more than one occasion, I've swiped some to use in my regular Starfinder games--but I'm a good dad and always put them back after!). The box includes more than enough bases for any encounter.

FLIP-MAT

The box includes a double-sided "flip-mat". This is a specially-laminated map that unfolds and has gridlines to indicate where the pawns can stand and how far away they are from each other during combat encounters. One side of the flip-mat is blank (apart from the gridlines) so the GM can draw any sort of layout or terrain they want using a dry or wet erase marker. The other side has a cool, detailed futuristic complex on it that is also used for the included sample adventure I'll talk about later. The complex could make a fun headquarters for the group after they complete that adventure.

CHARACTER SHEETS

The box comes with two different types of character sheets. The first type is for the pre-made hero characters that can be used right out of the box. These are gorgeous four-page character sheets with full colour artwork of the character, some background and personality for role-playing purposes, and lots of extra reminders/explanations about what the different elements of the character sheet mean. The box includes six (all of the classes in the Starfinder Core Rulebook except for the solarian). If I were a new player, this would make getting familiar with the game ten times easier. The second type of character sheet are for original creations. The box comes with a handful of these double-sided sheets, though I'd recommend the owner photocopy extras (or print them off from the Paizo website).

DICE

The box comes with a standard set of RPG dice; these have white numbers on black backgrounds and are quite readable.

PLAYER AID CARDS

This is a nice new feature: a laminated, double-sided card for each player. On one side is "What can I do on my turn?" while on the other is a summary of the conditions (effects) that a character might be under. It's a great way for a new player to be able to remind themselves of the options they have in combat.

HEROES HANDBOOK

This is the book for players, and my kid's copy is falling apart because he's taken it in his school backpack so often. It walks a player through character creation. The beginner version of the game has six available races, six classes, and six themes--enough for plenty of unique character concepts. It includes a "choose your own adventure" type of solo adventure, which is a fun way to learn a little bit about the Starfinder setting and learn some rules while you go. The adventure, "Scoundrels in the Spike", is a pretty basic maze with space goblins and gang toughs, so it's not exactly high art, but it gets the job done and gives someone who just bought the box something to do while they assemble a group. The book's layout is attractive, and there's a lot of new interior art, a good glossary and index, and some cute pictures of goblins to illustrate the effects of different conditions.

The book has a reduced selection of skills, feats, and equipment from the full game, but still plenty for players to work with. I especially like how the book suggests "packages" of options based on class/concept, which is really good for players who are easily overwhelmed by too many choices. The book has options and levelling information for characters up to level 4. It's worth mentioning that although the book has a couple of pages on general space travel, there are no rules for space combat in the beginner version of the game--I'm guessing it just added too much complexity. Still, I do worry that players who expect a sci-fi game to have starship battles like in Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy will be disappointed.

Users familiar with the Starfinder Core Rulebook will notice a lot of differences from the main game. Characters in the Beginner Box rules don't have stamina points (only hit points), there's only one type of armor class (instead of the EAC/KAC distinction), skills have been consolidated in several cases, themes provide somewhat different effects, there's no need to keep track of ammo, and more. Some of these changes are pretty big. Perhaps the thing that stands out to me as the biggest difference between the way this box and the Pathfinder Beginner Box simplified the rules is that the Pathfinder box left some of the complex rules out so they could be learned later and layered in, whereas this Starfinder box actually changes the rules from the full game in several ways, forcing a player to un-learn some things when/if they move on to the "real" thing. I like the Pathfinder model better in that respect, though I of course sympathise with any game designers who need to make a complex ruleset accessible to a general audience.

GAME MASTER'S GUIDE

This is also 96 pages, and includes everything the GM needs in order to run a session. There are very clear instructions for a first-time GM on how to do everything from setting up the table to drawing maps to rolling initiative checks. The font is large and there are lots of pictures and illustrations--this is far from the dense walls of text that scare a lot of people away from RPGs. The book has rules and guidance for a GM who wants to make up their own adventures, use published adventures, make up their own alien creatures, and so forth. There's also information on traps, terrain, atmospheres, creatures (stats for 40+ different ones are included), and some basic setting info (a nice review even for me, though my son says the book needs more).

The most important thing in the guide is "Steel Talon's Lair", an introductory adventure that the GM can run right out of the book. Everything is very clearly explained, and because the adventure uses the included flip-mat and pawns, the GM doesn't have any extra work to do. Although the adventure itself is something of a "space dungeon crawl", there are a couple of different opportunities for role-playing with NPCs and a mix of different types of encounters (hazards, traps, and combat). The big battle at the end is pretty cinematic and exciting, and (win or lose) I'm sure first-time players will find it memorable. An excellent addition in the book are tips and ideas for how a GM can use the adventure as a springboard to make their own in order to continue the campaign in future sessions.

OVERALL

Although I might quibble with how some of the rules were simplified, overall this is a fantastic product. Twenty-five years ago, when I first got into gaming, it was with a D&d beginner box set like this one. But this Starfinder version is better in every way, and I can't imagine someone opening it and not being excited by what they find inside. There's hours of adventure waiting, and the only thing players need to bring is a pencil and their imagination.


It pains me to say it but no, I don't recommend this

2/5

This is my first negative review for a Starfinder product and it pains me to do it, but I have to say I strongly disagree with the design choice of making the rule set fundamentally different than that of the full game. I find that unacceptable, as I fear it might even have had a detrimental impact in the promotion of the full Starfinder game, which is what I care about.

I don't recommend picking up the beginner box if you are looking to learn how to play Starfinder, because you won't, and that's a complete non starter for me.

However, if you are looking at the box as a standalone tabletop game, then I am sure in that regard it would be a prefectly fun Starfinder-flavored experience aimed at players who are either fine with having to forget everything and learn the game all over again once out of the beginner box, or players who are not looking to continue on to the full game.
As a further note, I am extremely happy to see that Paizo did not commit the same mistake with the Pathfinder 2e beginner box!


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Scarab Sages Webstore Coordinator

Preorders open!

Silver Crusade Contributor

You have my attention. ^_^


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Will this be part of any Starfinder subscriptions?


I’m not seeing a release date for this here. When is this expected to release?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Finally!


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Not part of any Subscription, so preorder seperately

Scarab Sages Webstore Coordinator

Alledisil wrote:
Will this be part of any Starfinder subscriptions?

The Starfinder Beginner Box will not be included in any Starfinder subscriptions.

Barbaric Gug Swarm wrote:
I’m not seeing a release date for this here. When is this expected to release?

It will be released in April. The page now reflects that.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

ULTRA cool!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Are there PDFs to go along with this?

And what is the size of the box? The preview makes it look like it's the size of a Pathfinder Adventure Card Game basic set box, but that might just be a mockup.

Grand Lodge

The Pathfinder Beginner Box was such a success I would expect this one to follow it in form and function (box size, general contents, layout, etc)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I’m looking forward to this, although I really wish these came out earlier.

I’m hoping the PF2 Beginner Box will be closer to PF2’s release date.

Grand Lodge

Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Rick Kunz wrote:
Alledisil wrote:
Will this be part of any Starfinder subscriptions?

The Starfinder Beginner Box will not be included in any Starfinder subscriptions.

Barbaric Gug Swarm wrote:
I’m not seeing a release date for this here. When is this expected to release?
It will be released in April. The page now reflects that.

Will there be a digital version and if so, will it be included with physical preorders?


Can the holiday discount be used when preordering this?


It doesn’t usually apply to preorders.

Dark Archive

The Pathfinder Beginner Box had four pregens, this has six (out of seven possible different classes).
At first, i thought the mechanic wasn't to be included, because of it's drone feature.
Now i think the Solarian is the one class not included, as it is too complicated.

Can anyone shed some (star)light on which iconic hero isn't included?


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'm intrigued by the "advice on how to create your own science fantasy tales" bit. I feel like a lot of people go into Starfinder expecting D&D in space (a la Spelljammer), or else something much more akin to true science fiction, and are surprised to see the amount of influence magic and gods and the supernatural have over the game. Science fantasy isn't the best defined genre out there, so a lot of people don't really know what to do with it. Starfinder's greatest strength - it's truly sandbox setting that allows scientific ambition, humanistic ideals, zealous religions and divine power, and Lovecraftian nihilism to exist concurrently and all be equally valid - is also its greatest weakness. There's too much extra thinking ahead involved.

Pathfinder can get away with being a sandbox setting because it can be concisely understood: "sword and sorcery, Lord of the Rings flavor fantasy except God is dead and the reliability of prophecy and fate with him." It's easy to pick up the game and play Pathfinder or even make your own setting from there. With Starfinder, a host of questions require the game master to put in a lot of extra thought ahead of time. What to do with a world where Heaven, the Devil, Cthulhu and space Elon Musk all exist concurrently? How are gods supposed to work in a world where a local drought or plague can be cured with commercial imports and advanced medicine? What effects does magic and the gods have on technological and social progress? How prevalent is magic, and is it more powerful than science? While fantasy has an abundance of pre-made templates giving GMs an idea of what a fantasy world is supposed to look like, science fantasy is a much more amorphous genre. As much as I love Starfinder's setting, I also know a lot of people who prefer to make their own, and often feel at a loss as to how to make a science fantasy world feel cohesive and make best use of the genre's flavor. I think it would be really helpful to have a creative world-building section, a campaign builder, and some talk about how various genres can make best use of science fantasy's unique setting. I really liked the "Corrupted by Shadows" and "Horrow Campaigns" articles in SoS AP1. Did a great job running over the fundamentals of horror with good advice about how science fantasy can interact with it.

That, or a Starfinder Game Master's Guide. I adore Pathfinder's, and I would buy this book in a heartbeat.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Opsylum wrote:

I'm intrigued by the "advice on how to create your own science fantasy tales" bit. I feel like a lot of people go into Starfinder expecting D&D in space (a la Spelljammer), or else something much more akin to true science fiction, and are surprised to see the amount of influence magic and gods and the supernatural have over the game. Science fantasy isn't the best defined genre out there, so a lot of people don't really know what to do with it. Starfinder's greatest strength - it's truly sandbox setting that allows scientific ambition, humanistic ideals, zealous religions and divine power, and Lovecraftian nihilism to exist concurrently and all be equally valid - is also its greatest weakness. There's too much extra thinking ahead involved.

Pathfinder can get away with being a sandbox setting because it can be concisely understood: "sword and sorcery, Lord of the Rings flavor fantasy except God is dead and the reliability of prophecy and fate with him." It's easy to pick up the game and play Pathfinder or even make your own setting from there. With Starfinder, a host of questions require the game master to put in a lot of extra thought ahead of time. What to do with a world where Heaven, the Devil, Cthulhu and space Elon Musk all exist concurrently? How are gods supposed to work in a world where a local drought or plague can be cured with commercial imports and advanced medicine? What effects does magic and the gods have on technological and social progress? How prevalent is magic, and is it more powerful than science? While fantasy has an abundance of pre-made templates giving GMs an idea of what a fantasy world is supposed to look like, science fantasy is a much more amorphous genre. As much as I love Starfinder's setting, I also know a lot of people who prefer to make their own, and often feel at a loss as to how to make a science fantasy world feel cohesive and make best use of the genre's flavor. I think it would be really helpful to have a creative world-building section, a campaign builder, and some talk about how various genres can make best use of science fantasy's unique setting. I really liked the "Corrupted by Shadows" and "Horrow Campaigns" articles in SoS AP1. Did a great job running over the fundamentals of horror with good advice about how science fantasy can interact with it.

That, or a Starfinder Game Master's Guide. I adore Pathfinder's, and I would buy this book in a heartbeat.

Any of those options sounds amazing. I really hope a Starfinder Game Master's Guide is released, as I'm finding that science fantasy is vastly different beast compared to typical RPG fantasy.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Zaister wrote:
Are there PDFs to go along with this?

I would also like to know that. Will there be a PDF version? If so, will it be included with a preorder?


Super excited for the Starfinder Beginner Box!

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I see that now a PDF version has been added. Since nothing is stated on the page, I must assume that it will have to be purchased separately and won't be included with pre-orders.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

It's possible that this will work like some of the Pathfinder stuff has, where if you are a subscriber to one of the Starfinder lines (probably the hardcover rulebooks) and preorder this, you will get the PDF for free. We'll need to wait for official word to know for sure.

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Redelia wrote:
It's possible that this will work like some of the Pathfinder stuff has, where if you are a subscriber to one of the Starfinder lines (probably the hardcover rulebooks) and preorder this, you will get the PDF for free. We'll need to wait for official word to know for sure.

That's what I originally thought (and hoped for), but this is usually stated on the page for the product. Hopefully someone from Paizo will eventually chime in.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Will there be a way for Starfinder RPG subscribers to get the PDFs for this product, as there was with the Pathfinder Beginner Box?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Opsylum wrote:

I'm intrigued by the "advice on how to create your own science fantasy tales" bit. I feel like a lot of people go into Starfinder expecting D&D in space (a la Spelljammer), or else something much more akin to true science fiction, and are surprised to see the amount of influence magic and gods and the supernatural have over the game. Science fantasy isn't the best defined genre out there, so a lot of people don't really know what to do with it. Starfinder's greatest strength - it's truly sandbox setting that allows scientific ambition, humanistic ideals, zealous religions and divine power, and Lovecraftian nihilism to exist concurrently and all be equally valid - is also its greatest weakness. There's too much extra thinking ahead involved.

Pathfinder can get away with being a sandbox setting because it can be concisely understood: "sword and sorcery, Lord of the Rings flavor fantasy except God is dead and the reliability of prophecy and fate with him." It's easy to pick up the game and play Pathfinder or even make your own setting from there. With Starfinder, a host of questions require the game master to put in a lot of extra thought ahead of time. What to do with a world where Heaven, the Devil, Cthulhu and space Elon Musk all exist concurrently? How are gods supposed to work in a world where a local drought or plague can be cured with commercial imports and advanced medicine? What effects does magic and the gods have on technological and social progress? How prevalent is magic, and is it more powerful than science? While fantasy has an abundance of pre-made templates giving GMs an idea of what a fantasy world is supposed to look like, science fantasy is a much more amorphous genre. As much as I love Starfinder's setting, I also know a lot of people who prefer to make their own, and often feel at a loss as to how to make a science fantasy world feel cohesive and make best use of the genre's flavor. I think it would be really helpful to have a creative world-building section, a campaign builder, and some...

I agree and disagree at the same time, much like you say being science fantasy is a strength and weakness. While it is a vague genre, it's because it's just all forms of play mushed together. You can liken it to steampunk being "fantasy science fiction" seeing we've got technology creeping into a fantasy world. It's a matter of degrees. I couldn't see any guns appearing in LOTR, but in Pathfinderverse gunslingers are definitely present.

I like that you mention people make their own versions of the world, picking and taking the Pact Worlds lore for what they need and ignoring the parts that don't apply/sweeping them under the rug. I use this when making my own sessions, but I let the players know what is/isn't available, and that other things will be determined on the fly.

I do think a section that highlights this "slice of game world" idea to newer GMs would be real handy, but more than a "you're the GM, you decide!" paragraph or so.

Plus I love the idea of a product that makes introductions for newer players so easy and engaging.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Will rules for starship combat be included in the box?

Dark Archive

Lord Kakabel wrote:
Will rules for starship combat be included in the box?

A good question, but judging from the description i would lean towards a no.

It would be too complex to include and starship combat is only a minor (yet exciting) part of the game, which doesn't offer as much for the Mystic, Solarian & Technomancer as for the other classes.

There aren't even all seven base classes included.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

They might include some abridged rules for starship combat plus a couple of ships but not the rules for actually building ships. That'd save some page count.

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Zaister wrote:
Will there be a way for Starfinder RPG subscribers to get the PDFs for this product, as there was with the Pathfinder Beginner Box?

I guess that no news is bad news in this case, but it would have been nice to get an official answer...

Wayfinders

Does the pre order come with the PDF if you have all of the Starfinder subscriptions?


I wonder what dice are included and if they are exclusive to the set.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

What map will be included?

Sovereign Court Creative Director, Starfinder

1 person marked this as a favorite.
neetypeety wrote:
I wonder what dice are included and if they are exclusive to the set.

It's the standard mix of seven non-exclusive dice.

Sovereign Court Creative Director, Starfinder

3 people marked this as a favorite.
GM GK wrote:
What map will be included?

One side is a map for the adventure in the Game Master's Guide, the other is a "basic" side for drawing your own maps.

Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo)

I've been a sucker for cool RPG box sets since the classic "red box" back in the 80's, so I'm excited for this!

I do have a question: I am planning to run the adventure from the box at a local game store for a games day shortly after release. I'd like to offer a Starfinder Society chronicle sheet to those who are interested. Will there be a chronicle sheet available at launch?


Marco Massoudi wrote:
Lord Kakabel wrote:
Will rules for starship combat be included in the box?

A good question, but judging from the description i would lean towards a no.

It would be too complex to include and starship combat is only a minor (yet exciting) part of the game, which doesn't offer as much for the Mystic, Solarian & Technomancer as for the other classes.

There aren't even all seven base classes included.

Very excited for the Beginner Box.

Although, I disagree with the idea that starship combat would be a "minor" part of the game. It is one of the most distinguishing features of this rpg, it's what makes it different from being "just Pathfinder in space" and I really wish they included this!

Furthermore, Mystics can make perfectly good captains (Bluff, Diplomacy), as well as Solarians (Intimidate, Diplomacy) and Technomancers are just as good at Piloting and Gunnery as anyone else, plus they are naturally perfect science officers. So saying that starship combat is inconsistent in what it offers to players is absolutely wrong.


Steve Geddes wrote:
They might include some abridged rules for starship combat plus a couple of ships but not the rules for actually building ships. That'd save some page count.

That would be perfectly appropriate, I really hope they included at least this.

Can we have a reply from a dev please?
Thank you


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I'd like to see a definitive ruling on whether or not the PDF (or PDFs? multiple books, map, pawns?) is included with the product for product line subscribers (I do realize this product is not part of a subscription).

If it is, I would definitely preorder here. If not I can preorder from a reseller, with a discount, then buy the PDF here and come in at the MSRP.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure Path # 139 includes an ad for this box where you can see the content.

The Solarian is indeed the class that is excluded.
The dice are colored black.
One sheet of pawns is also depicted - most shown pawns are medium creatures, one is a large creature.

Sadly the flip-mat isn't shown.
Also no news about starships.
Maybe we can get some sample art?


2 people marked this as a favorite.

You're in luck! They did an unboxing video on Twitch, and showed off a lot of the art. The adventure material was mostly kept back, for obvious spoiler-related reasons. The video is up on YouTube now here. I'm a big fan of the reference cards myself.

They did not talk about the pdf however, to my memory.

Dark Archive

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Elinnea wrote:

You're in luck! They did an unboxing video on Twitch, and showed off a lot of the art. The adventure material was mostly kept back, for obvious spoiler-related reasons. The video is up on YouTube now here. I'm a big fan of the reference cards myself.

They did not talk about the pdf however, to my memory.

Thanks for the link.

I have to say i don't watch any of Paizos twitch videos - this one is 30 minutes long - as i don't have the time.

If i want to watch a video, i watch a series (TWD, ST: Discovery, Supernatural etc.).

You really alienate me (and a lot of players i know) with the fact that these informations are only available as videos (which by itself is fine), but not as written text and sample images too.

I know twitch is the latest hot $#i!, but please make the informations revealed there also available in conventional blogs or on the product pages.

Thank you for listening.


Is this part of a subscription, I thought it was but it's not showing up on my subscription page.


captain yesterday wrote:
Is this part of a subscription, I thought it was but it's not showing up on my subscription page.

I can’t find official confirmation, but I don’t think so.

They copped a bit of flak for including the PF Beginner Box in the subscription, so my guess is they took that feedback onboard and made it opt-in.

EDIT: Found it! confirmed that it’s not part of any subscription.


It would probably be useful to hear if Starfinder subscribers (of some flavour) will receive free PDFs if they preorder.

That’s been standard before in “this type of situation” but has always been made explicit. If it’s not true here, there may be people operating on the assumption it is.


Eh, I'll just buy it locally when it comes out, save myself on shipping costs

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Steve Geddes wrote:

It would probably be useful to hear if Starfinder subscribers (of some flavour) will receive free PDFs if they preorder.

That’s been standard before in “this type of situation” but has always been made explicit. If it’s not true here, there may be people operating on the assumption it is.

It has been asked several times already in this thread, but there has been no answer that I'm aware of.

Sovereign Court Creative Director, Starfinder

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Only subscriptions come with free pdfs; since the Starfinder Beginner Box is not part of a subscription, it does not come with a free pdf. The pdf must be purchased separately.

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
Only subscriptions come with free pdfs; since the Starfinder Beginner Box is not part of a subscription, it does not come with a free pdf. The pdf must be purchased separately.

In the past, this wasn't true. Many products, which were not part of a subscription, were offered with a free PDF to those who pre-ordered and were subscribed to a "matching" line.


Nikosandros wrote:
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
Only subscriptions come with free pdfs; since the Starfinder Beginner Box is not part of a subscription, it does not come with a free pdf. The pdf must be purchased separately.
In the past, this wasn't true. Many products, which were not part of a subscription, were offered with a free PDF to those who pre-ordered and were subscribed to a "matching" line.

Those were the exceptions, not the standard.

The only two that come to mind are the collected editions of RotRL and CotCT.


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Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

A more detailed discussion about PDFs for this product is taking place in this thread.

Is Vic Wertz's statement definitely not true then?

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