The reviews seem to indicate that there is a lack of content, and that much of the work is left to the DM. Is this accurate? Should I temper my expectations when comparing to the (thrilling success that was the) original PF Bestiary?
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GMs basically need one to run the game.
Also has summon spells. Which as a player is worth the purchasing price.
Yes.
Yeah kind of need those npc building rules.
Is it a bit short - yes.
Does it pack quite a bit of content into that smaller package - yes.
Was it worth it to me - yes.
I think its NPC building rules should remain pretty useful as is the tendency that in Sci-fi games for their to be lots of similar types of NPCs who return often.
You have more types of situations with stock type NPCs. So you need to make once but will likely reuse many times.
Examples: (Soldier, mercenaries, Storm troopers, Clones, Spys, etc.)
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PDF is ten bucks, and a great deal.
It is a bit short but highly packed with useful stuff so I would recommend it. Tons of player usable options and a lot of equipment intermixed with most of the entries helps flesh a lot of stuff out from the core book. If money is tight the PDF is a great option.
I really liked most of their new creatures like the assembly ooze. Kinda hilarious to picture the devastation of crappy pistols and smoke grenades left in wake of one of these things.
I really enjoy monster books and I really liked the longer monster descriptions. (Opposed to the one-page descriptions in some Pathfinder bestiaries.)
I'd say it's worth it, especially for GMs. The monsters are oozing with flavour and plot hooks. I also like the new monster creation. I never got my head around it in Pathfinder Unchained and was very vary before I read the book. But then I built a cool new monster in 30 minutes, so, awesome.
The addition of items and a lot of PC races is neat too.
I really enjoy monster books and I really liked the longer monster descriptions. (Opposed to the one-page descriptions in some Pathfinder bestiaries.)...
I don't have the book yet but I think this is a must. Some of the Pathfinder bestiary entries have only a couple sentences of space thanks to the size of the illustration and stat block.
For a sci-fi game though there's going to be a lot more stuff just made up and you need to know what they are.
I would say yes. Is it shorter than a Bestiary? Yup, but most bestiaries only give you 1 page for each creature. This gives you 2, additionally there are 22 playable races, several new pieces of equipment, a few new ships, and essential rules in order to play.
Man, I'm trying to come to grips with the same problem. It seems pricey for how much you get, but it seems like it's pretty much an essential item for a GM. Since I'm going to be a GM fairly soon here, would you justify the price tag?
Yes, absolutely.
I believe it is worth the price. The Pathfinder hardback book "Adventure's Guide" is $40.00 and has around the same amount of pages, as an example.
I think that the material is good. However I do not feel it is adequate as a core monster book. Too small. Take the section on demons for example. I don’t think that we need a dozen to start with, but the alien archive only gives us one. I think that A few more would have been better. Ditto for angels, devils, dragons. Maybe it’s the grognard in me, but why are there space goblins and no space orcs? Were they exterminated on golarion?
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Funny that you should mention dragons. A lack of templates for any beyond Chromatics seems like a poor choice.
Overall, I like the book but a) it feels like the appendix rules for NPCs and creatures should have been in the main book, and b) there should have been more critters overall. It's kind of thin for its price.
"everyone" is complaining about the cost because the hardcover is substantially more expensive than 9.99 and has about 80-100 less pages then usual for that cost.
Personally, I think it's well worth it, but I understand the hesitation. :-)
"everyone" is complaining about the cost because the hardcover is substantially more expensive than 9.99 and has about 80-100 less pages then usual for that cost.
Personally, I think it's well worth it, but I understand the hesitation. :-)
I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I got the digital version for about 10 dollars.
As a subscriber (and wielder of pathfinder advantage with my AP sub) i only paid 33 for the hardcover and pdf. :-)
I've been making extensive use of the monster creation rules. I find these streamlined rules to be very intuitive and user friendly. Not only does the book come with a wide array of pre-generated creatures, but with each creature I create on my own the value of the book and my satisfaction in the purchase increases. I'm currently taking all the demons from the DOOM video games and building them in Starfinder, just for fun. It only takes 10-15 minutes per demon.
The reviews seem to indicate that there is a lack of content, and that much of the work is left to the DM. Is this accurate? Should I temper my expectations when comparing to the (thrilling success that was the) original PF Bestiary?
I think it's terrific, but I don't think it's a true analog of the Bestiary. The two games are similar-but-different in more ways than just mechanics.
Whereas I buy a PF bestiary expecting to get lots and lots of monsters, plus some other stuff. To me, the Alien Archive is some monster building rules plus eighty worked examples. I think it's essential for a Starfinder DM, although it's really the appendices that I would consider mandatory.
The fact you get a whole bunch of extra playable races is another qualitative difference between this and a bestiary, in my view. I suspect that will continue in future SF products.
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I've been making extensive use of the monster creation rules. I find these streamlined rules to be very intuitive and user friendly. Not only does the book come with a wide array of pre-generated creatures, but with each creature I create on my own the value of the book and my satisfaction in the purchase increases. I'm currently taking all the demons from the DOOM video games and building them in Starfinder, just for fun. It only takes 10-15 minutes per demon.
fun
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The reviews seem to indicate that there is a lack of content, and that much of the work is left to the DM. Is this accurate? Should I temper my expectations when comparing to the (thrilling success that was the) original PF Bestiary?
Honestly its ptetty thin and underwhelming, especially the monster selection given. Nothing like bestiarys at all.
The appendix in the back, creating monsters and templates, seems pretty useful.
But not sure its worth the $40 price tag. If this is going to be the offerings for products for starfinder, i might have to rethink the game.
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The reviews seem to indicate that there is a lack of content, and that much of the work is left to the DM. Is this accurate? Should I temper my expectations when comparing to the (thrilling success that was the) original PF Bestiary?Honestly its ptetty thin and underwhelming, especially the monster selection given. Nothing like bestiarys at all.
The appendix in the back, creating monsters and templates, seems pretty useful.
But not sure its worth the $40 price tag. If this is going to be the offerings for products for starfinder, i might have to rethink the game.
or you can buy it for 10 bucks
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That doesn't mean you "can't", it means you choose not to. Different things.Wont because i dislike pdfs. Cant because i have neither computer, tablet or kindle.
But irregardless, 10 pdf is worthless to me
that's of course your choice
me i think its worth 40 bucksand a vast bargin at 10 but we all have are own criteria for value
In the case of Alien Archive I would say yes, it is worth it overall, mostly because of the monster creation and summoning rules, but it's also an obligated buy for sure. Also, keep in mind that with those rules and the guidelines from the core rule book, you can pick up your old Pathfinder Bestiary and convert the heck out of everything you want into Starfinder with little effort.
In the review I posted I said something on the lines of "you'll buy the AA because you need it, then you'll buy the AA2 because you WANT it!"
Besides, every core book is worth 10 measly dollars for the pdf! The digital copy is a no-brainer.
At this point in time, thanks to OGL, you are basically just optionally paying for the artwork, as you could easily just print out the black and white stat tables from the official reference website (Archives of Netys) and voila'.
I honestly don't even know how they manage to pay ppl at Paizo with what little they charge us for their excellent work.
Dont do PDFs. I need paper products. So no, not really.
or you can buy it for 10 bucks
You know you can print PDFs, right?
You can even do it without a computer. Go to a friend or any internet cafe and borrow a USB drive or get one for really really cheap, load up the pdf (you can buy it there!), then go to a print shop (maybe even the same place) and voila'!You will spend less than 40 dollars, and you can even choose to print only the parts you need.
I think that the material is good. However I do not feel it is adequate as a core monster book. Too small. Take the section on demons for example. I don’t think that we need a dozen to start with, but the alien archive only gives us one. I think that A few more would have been better. Ditto for angels, devils, dragons. Maybe it’s the grognard in me, but why are there space goblins and no space orcs? Were they exterminated on golarion?
Angels, devils, dragons, goblins and orcs are fantasy. This is a sci-fantasy game, sure, but priority should be given to new original stuff, alien stuff. So I don't particularly mind the lack of those things.
I agree though that monster numbers-wise is a bit on the thin side, compared to the Bestiary.