I originally made this post in a Facebook group and decided to copy/paste it here for discussion purposes.
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We currently know very little about the setting of Starfinder, but I've already begun to brainstorm what my first campaign will be like. I will either create my own setting or expand the official setting of the game (the galaxy is a big place after all).
Basically, the main antagonists of my campaign will be a militarized, imperialistic dictatorship called the Federation of Central Systems. Their inspirations include the Galactic Empire from Star Wars, the United Citizens Federation from Starship Troopers, and the Alliance from Firefly. The FCS is willing to use any method, be it magical or technological, to expand their empire and subjugate free planets. Their color scheme is grey and red.
The players are either rebels opposed to the FCS or are unaffiliated adventurers drawn into conflict against them. The players discover an alien superweapon hidden in another plane of existence and a star-chart containing the coordinates of several "keys" scattered across the cosmos required to access this plane. Of course, the Federation wants this artifact for themselves in order to achieve total galactic domination.
The BBEG is a Federation officer, Admiral Joseph Cain, who helms a massive battleship called the Accordance. The Accordance is too powerful to confront directly, so the players must avoid confrontation or use guerrilla tactics to destroy and disable other ships in Cain's fleet. Admiral Cain has legions of Federation soldiers at his command, along with hackers, spellcasters, robots and hired bounty hunters. He is a ruthless military leader who will stop at nothing to thwart the players, and at several occasions he either hails their ship or contacts them directly to deliver threats or demand their surrender. He might even attack or capture the PC's allies or friends to provoke them into confronting his troops or fleet. If the PCs play their cards right, they may be able to eliminate Cain once and for all; destroying the Accordance, boarding the ship to target him directly, or empowering his rivals within the Federation to supplant him are all possible methods. But he must be stopped before he is able to reach the hidden plane and seize the artifact, or the PCs may not be facing an admiral...but a god!
I recall reading this post on the Starfinder FB page! Glad you posted it here also, here are some questions for you:
1- Are you going to be using any digital tools for your future campaign? (Obsidian Portal, Realms Work, any VTTs...)
2- What does Starfinder potentially offer as a rules system for your future campaign, that the current SF game systems doesn't offer?
(Alternity, GURPS Space, d20 Future, d6 Space, Stars Without Numbers...)
3- Using current Pathfinder rules as a baseline, is there any class, race, or archetype that you don't want in your future campaign form the start (after accounting for any rules changes needed for a "future tech" setting)?
4- What are the neutral factions that can work for/against both the FCS and the PCs?
5- What are the tech levels/progress levels you have in mind for the campaign?
HTH! :)
1-I haven't used any such tools in my campaign before, maybe I will open myself to that possibility.
2-Just that I'm more familiar with the Pathfinder rules and Paizo's content. It could probably be done just as well in those games, but I prefer Pathfinder/Starfinder
3-Not from the Starfinder classes. As for PF races, I'd have to know more about the setting. Maybe some of the more exotic races can be described as aliens from other planets. Sort of like 40k: Elves, Orks, and Dwarves (Squats?) are alien species.
4-Good question! There might be other rebel groups, independent systems, mercenaries, scavengers/smugglers, remote tribes, bizarre space cults, and planetary warlords. Mercs and criminal syndicates would likely work for Cain in exchange for money and power, even though Cain despises them. I think convincing system/planetary nations to combine into a single force capable of opposing the Federation would be a major goal of the game.
5-I think the Federation would be at the cutting edge of technology PROVIDED that it's not godlike/transhumanistic. That would be more the domain of the species that made the superweapon that everyone is after. I think that space drifters and remote colonies would have lower tech levels.
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A reference that I have found useful for EVERY Science Fiction campaign I have ever created and run has been GURPS Space; if you don't have it, I recommend you get a copy. Click on the "Preview of the PDF" in the top left corner for an idea of the subject matter it covers; I highly recommend it. :)