A Starfinder Second Edition Playtest adventure designed for 1st-level characters.
For millennia, Birnam’s Bubble has been a planet untouched by outsiders, fully encapsulated in an impenetrable shield of unknown energy and protected by powerful automated defenses. Through this barrier, explorers and surveyors have glimpsed pristine settlements, verdant flora, and inexplicable magical emanations—yet no fauna or citizens populate the world’s surface.
As in many other parts of the galaxy, the Drift Crisis changed everything. Now, the energy barrier surrounding Birnam’s Bubble cracks like shattering glass, and shards of this solidified energy have begun to fall through the atmosphere to the planet’s surface, causing significant destruction. Enter the breach and uncover the secrets of the lost civilizations of Birnam’s Bubble before they're lost forever!
Welcome to the Starfinder Playtest! You can directly shape the future of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game by participating in a fun and rigorous playtest period using the Starfinder Playtest Rulebook and one of several playtest adventures—including Starfinder Playtest Scenarios! Each Starfinder Playtest Scenario is a short, single-session adventure designed to be played in 2–3 hours and written by a member of the Starfinder Team.
Written by: Mike Kimmel
[Scenario Maps spoiler - click to reveal]
The following maps used in this scenario are also available for purchase here on paizo.com:
I experienced this adventure twice: once as a player, and then again as a GM. Star rating is based on how it plays out of the box, but a little flexibility and elbow grease easily bring it up to a 4-star affair or better.
The lore and environment presented in this module are fantastic. Others have said it feels like old-school Star Trek in the way it condenses a fascinating premise into a single, bite-sized episode, and I agree. However, the adventure is really let down by its format: a very lengthy and somewhat confusing investigation scene at the front, followed by three back-to-back action sequences at the end. This can leave groups bored during the first half, and rushing to finish in time during the climax.
However, if you take this adventure apart and remix its many scenes into something more naturally paced--where tension and mystery can ebb and flow in response to the party as they poke around the investigation site--it positively blossoms. You can also straight-up not use the second map and just have the climax happen around the central feature in the first, which actually makes more sense as it lets you more easily improvise a true resolution scene that takes place concurrently with the final battle. All you need is a little creativity and some improvised check DCs. Of course, this is still extra work, and that can be a turn-off for GMs looking for the adventure itself to do the heavy lifting.
All in all, a lovely little scenario that just needs room to breathe. Treat the adventure text as a toolbox rather than a script, and you should be fine.
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Playtest Scenario #1: Shards of the G
Basics- Go to new places, meet new people, and… make friends?! The drift crisis has opened up a world held in a glass bubble. This adventure gives a bit of world lore, a bit of mechanics, and a good chance to see how Starfinder 2nd Ed will work.
Mechanics or Crunch- This adventure works well mechanically. It has the basic breakdown of being a few skill checks to learn about the world that has been opened up, then some stuff happens, combat, trap, and final combat. It’s short, but all the DCs are within line of what to expect, and the combat is resonbably what I expected. You can not do anything too crazy in a level 1, so while short, it is expected and fun. 5/5
Theme or Fluff- This is a fun adventure, but not the most involved. As I said before, it's skill checks, combat, trap, and final combat. Short, but not that complex. Then again, it's level 1, so you can’t throw the PCs into too crazy an adventure. My players and I had fun, but be prepared to ham up roleplay. 4/5
Execution- I liked this adventure, but it’s missing a few pieces. The standard layout of the PFS adventures with pictures at the end are not here. It has a good layout and is easy to read, but the pictures help me show players the monsters and other creatures involved. Also, I like the stat blocks to be separate. These are small things, but it hurts the presentation a bit. 4.5/5Summary- This is a fun adventure, but maybe not the best Paizo has put out. It’s also a bit hard since it’s a level 1 adventure that is the same as a quest. Don’t expect multiple hours of crazy adventure, but do expect a short, fun intro to Starfinder 2nd Ed. It has a few faults, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. 90%
Will there be a Foundry VTT module for this or any other playtest scenario?
Sure will! The current plan is to release day-and-date premium Foundry VTT conversions of both Starfinder 2e playtest adventures and both 2e Starfinder Society scenarios. More details forthcoming, but you can expect a super blasty-shooty August.
Will there be a Foundry VTT module for this or any other playtest scenario?
Sure will! The current plan is to release day-and-date premium Foundry VTT conversions of both Starfinder 2e playtest adventures and both 2e Starfinder Society scenarios. More details forthcoming, but you can expect a super blasty-shooty August.
This is great info, these modules are so great, thanks!
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Z3DT wrote:
Are there usually Player's Guides for playtest adventures?
There have been not enough playtest adventures to be able to say that there's an "usual". BUT, there was not for the PF2 playtest adventure, and there have been no mention of it happening. So I wouldn't expect any IMHO.
This was well done, thank you, Mike and crew. Our GM did this scenario off the cuff to see how well it flowed. There were a few places we got the rules a little "sideways" but it was all in good fun. We look forward to playing the next one soon.
Digital Products Lead
