Sorry if this has already been brought up, but I couldn't find it. Is there any info on how much homebrewing (if any) one will have to do in order to file off the default campaign setting of Starfinder?
A lot of the time, my group really likes creating our own campaign worlds, campaigns and adventures. We just want the rules and don't like using prefab fluff. Does this game seem like it's gonna work for a group like ours?
Cheers,
- Gear
Starfinder will probably be just as tied into the setting as Pathfinder is to Golarion.
Oh, well, that's very hopeful if it's true. I was getting afraid that since the setting and core rules will be published in a single book, they might be more intricately intertwined.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
They'll be more intertwined than in Pathfinder, simply because there's almost no setting information in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, and the races will be uniquely Starfinder rather than classic fantasy tropes. That said, I think you could totally ignore all the setting material easily. (And in fact, GMs will be strongly encouraged to go out and explore brand new worlds anyway, so there's a lot more room to worldbuild even within the canon than in Pathfinder...)
Thanks for the clarification. That makes a lot of sense, actually, and definitely seems like the sort of system we could work with. Cheers!
The more "tool box" and "file of the serial numbers" they can make it, the better I say. :)
The more "tool box" and "file of the serial numbers" they can make it, the better I say. :)
For you maybe. The only reason I ever bothered with Dragonstar was for the setting. If the setting for Starfinder doesn't engage me, I'll probably give the whole thing a pass. It's not like there aren't other science fiction games begging for my attention or dollars.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
|
One of the issues I've noticed with sci-fi roleplaying in general is that there is less of a "generic" setting. Many of us have internalized the Tolkein-esque assumptions of D&D style fantasy, so dwarves and elves and dragons seem generic to us. A setting might toy with some of the standard stuff, but we still have this baseline that we start from.
Sci-fi doesn't have that. As early as the races chapter of a sci-fi game we've got implied setting. Races, tech level, how FTL works, presence/absence of magic or psi, all of these are actually setting decisions that the game system ends up making for you. So it ends up being a lot more work to rip out the setting elements. We have less of a baseline for sci-fi so we feel more free to make changes.
|
|
If you play WoW you play in the lore and on Azeroth; If you play Star Wars RPG you game within the franchise of the movies and books that are part of that universe. If you play any of the WH40K RPGs you're even more tightly bound to the canon of that body of lore. Imagine if 1st thru 3rd ed DMG was all about Forgotten Realms? No thanks. I ran a campaign for over a decade in the Realms, still no thanks. A Core Rulebook and a Campaign setting should be separate. The game should provide a vehicle in which one can recreate adventures from any Space Science Fiction... I don't want any Absolom Station in a Core Rulebook; I don't need Glorarian to be part of my Universe. I don't need pages upon pages of setting specific Factions; I don't need every planet to be codified...(random planet generators, yes please) what I'd rather have is a framework to recreate my own adventures without the need for reskinning or heavy filtration of intertwined setting. You should be able to play a Flash Gordon type game, Star Wars, 40K, Aliens, Space Balls, Star Trek...whatever type of setting you can imagine from any source of Science Fiction inspiration...not just a game that's Bound to Paizo's published Lore.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If you play WoW you play in the lore and on Azeroth; If you play Star Wars RPG you game within the franchise of the movies and books that are part of that universe. If you play any of the WH40K RPGs you're even more tightly bound to the canon of that body of lore. Imagine if 1st thru 3rd ed DMG was all about Forgotten Realms? No thanks. I ran a campaign for over a decade in the Realms, still no thanks. A Core Rulebook and a Campaign setting should be separate. The game should provide a vehicle in which one can recreate adventures from any Space Science Fiction... I don't want any Absolom Station in a Core Rulebook; I don't need Glorarian to be part of my Universe. I don't need pages upon pages of setting specific Factions; I don't need every planet to be codified...(random planet generators, yes please) what I'd rather have is a framework to recreate my own adventures without the need for reskinning or heavy filtration of intertwined setting. You should be able to play a Flash Gordon type game, Star Wars, 40K, Aliens, Space Balls, Star Trek...whatever type of setting you can imagine from any source of Science Fiction inspiration...not just a game that's Bound to Paizo's published Lore.
That is basically the opposite of what I want
I think it is rather important IF you want to create a setting to give the players a baselineEspecially if you want to build a memorable setting
Also there are systems that have only one book, so where to put the setting if not there?
In some books there was not nearly enough setting for me
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I don't mind rules with a heavy setting. In general, I can always file it off with relative ease or tweak things. I can never understand the concept of one's imagination being shackled by a game's setting. If there's something I don't like, I toss it or tweak it. If I get Starfinder, I'll probably prune it and change it to fit what I like. I can always find use for pages of factions or countries that I can alter, edit, and tweak as I please while also making my own organizations from scratch.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It's important to note here that a CRB containing setting info and a CRB where the setting is knit into the mechanics are not the same thing. From what we've heard, there's a good amount of setting info in the Starfinder CRB, but much of the developer commentary I've seen indicates to me that the setting is a very optional part of Starfinder.
Many of the class abilities, feats, items, etc. are agnostic in their source, e.g., that "cloaking field" your operative picked up at nth level could come from innate magical ability, nanites you injected into your skin, a biological mutation, or the divine will of the gods. From what I've seen, as many of the mechanics as possible are written such that the lore behind them is open-ended, even if you're working within the official setting.
If it was a 250 page core rulebook then I might not want setting to be a huge part of that. Starfinder core rulebook is big enough that I do want setting information as I am buying the book for the setting since I hope to people to play with on something like Roll20 or Fantasy grounds for both the Starfinder Society and/or the adventure paths. There are plenty of generic rulesets out there if I just want rules.
That is me though. Each person has their own thoughts and ideas on such things. I am glad that the setting and rules are not tied harshly together as the exploration of the unknown is part of what the game is for.