Hi there...
I have never played a RPG, no one I know has ever played an RPG. We are all pretty experienced boardgamers and have been talking for decades about trying a RPG.. though we are more into Scifi than fantasy.. Ever after Starfinder was announced we have talked about giving it a go...
but...
Where do you start?
I went into the store and there is like nearly an entire shelf of Starfinder books, and even miniatures. I mean.. what exactly is all that stuff.
What would a new player and new GM need to get started? Not the bare minimum, we are all adults with jobs.. but what is needed to have a good experience for new players.
If you can please use product names so I can search for them on the store.
Thanks!
I would recommend everyone have a copy of the Starfinder Core Rulebook. If not everyone then at least two or three that can be passed around the table. One for the GM and two for players to peruse when they need. I would recommend printing off a copy of the Starfinder FAQ page as there are important rules clarifications and changes that aren't in the current printing of the book yet.
It is recommended to use miniatures and a 1-inch square grid map. This helps with a visual representation of the battlefields, however you can get by in the theater of the mind. It puts more effort on the GM to describe the field of play, and you can use pen and paper to draw things out for visuals as well. Chessex sells a good double-sided playmat, square grid on one side and hex grid the other which is needed for starship combat. Paizo also sells flipmats you can use if you want to keep to all first party materials, I personally prefer the Chessex mat however, as you can draw up all your maps on the fly on one surface rather than keeping a dozen maps around.
For miniatures, I personally like custom ordering from Heroforge, though I also like to paint them myself. Paizo sells the Starfinder RPG: Pawn Collections which can be useful, as they're cardboard cutouts of iconic characters and common monsters (however I believe the base stands for them are sold separately). You can use anything as long as everyone understands.
Outside of that, you can print character sheets free, have a pen and paper (or pencil and eraser and paper if you prefer), and you'll want a set of polyhedral dice per player. At least one of each dice is pretty necessary, however many people like to keep multiples of dice they need to roll en-masse.
That's all that's needed for play. It's suggested to probably buy an adventure module or path, Incident at Absalom Station is book 1 of 6 of the Dead Suns Adventure and is a good place to start. Only the person GMing the game will need a copy. However the GM can write their own adventures with enough understanding of the rules.
It's suggested to probably buy an adventure module or path, Incident at Absalom Station is book 1 of 6 of the Dead Suns Adventure and is a good place to start. Only the person GMing the game will need a copy. However the GM can write their own adventures with enough...
You can also get started by downloading the free Quest
Quest Into The Unknown
So this game Chessex game mat is just a hex and square grid... Iam not sure I get what the minis and standees and grid is for. Like dose the GM literally draw the map as you play in whiteboard markers?
So this game Chessex game mat is just a hex and square grid... Iam not sure I get what the minis and standees and grid is for. Like dose the GM literally draw the map as you play in whiteboard markers?
You can do that if you dont' want your players to know what the map looks like in areas where they haven't been.
But I usually draw out the whole map beforehand, and then cover the unexplored parts with paper taped over them until the group reaches that area.
But, yes, the miniatures and pawns represent the players and the monsters or non-player characters (NPCs) that are controlled by the GM. Each square grid is assumed to be 5 ft. Some rules about whether your attacks hit the enemy depend on how far away the enemy is.
Whiteboard markers: Be careful with choosing markers. Look at your mat's specs to see which kind will erase from the surface. Different mats have different finishes.
So this game Chessex game mat is just a hex and square grid... Iam not sure I get what the minis and standees and grid is for. Like dose the GM literally draw the map as you play in whiteboard markers?
If you purchase any of the Paizo flipmats, they will be grid mapped. The chessex option yes, you would draw it yourself as you needed, it's a preference thing. Any Adventure Path will have maps in the books for the GM to use for the players (and I think you can purchase them printed full size? Not sure) however I've found it easier to draw out the map's major details.
A lot of the features of the game use distance, and you'll find in the Core Rulebook an entire section for how combat and the grids work.
To try and use an example, most player characters have a base land speed of 30ft, so whenever they take the move action, they move up to 30ft. The game considers each square 5ft, so by having the map available people can see and plot things out strategically. Weapons have ranges as well, and there are other factors better described by the core rulebook than by me.
TLDR; Yes, the GM will generally be drawing out the map on the grid, and the players can use miniatures to represent their character. The GM will also need some sort of marker for the enemies in combat. You could if people prefer just draw and erase on the map where those things are.
|
You probably want some kind of marker for where things are. They don't have to be fancy minis if you don't want them to be. More abstract tokens work fine.
Your GM, at least, will probably want the Alien Archive--eventually. Since you've never played an RPG before, a published adventure is a great place to start, and if you go that route you won't necessarily need the book right away because the adventure should have all the monster/enemy stats you need. If they want to start out building their own adventure, though, they'll definitely want it.
You can get complete matching dice sets from most game or hobby stores, as well as some bookstores. Nice dice sets can be neat, but you can also get bags of mixed dice, which probably have all you need.
There used to be an official DnD dice set, although I don't know if you can get it anymore. I know people didn't necessarily like those, since each die is the set is a different plain, bright color (they look a little.. childish, I guess?), but I think they're useful for beginners because they're effectively color-coded. Of course, I always give them to a beginner so I can help them ("You want the blue one."); if everybody's a beginner it might not make a difference.
One of the most important sessions is going to be a "Session 0". A YouTube channel I watch went over this in pretty good detail. Basically goes over everything from where and when you'll be playing to what kind of campaign you'll be running. I've tried their method and my games have been going a lot smoother since.
Session 0 video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7lt-qPS1ZQ
I thought I was the only one who watched 20 Sided Knight. They're small but I friggin' love those guys!
|
You honestly don’t need much to start. Certainly don’t need to custom order $30 miniatures from heroforge or matching dice sets.
The core rulebook is the main thing. It’ll tell you 99% of the rules and most of the setting info
You will need some sort of map. PAIZO sells a 3-pack of laminated dry-erase maps that will do the job, but there are other options like roll-up dry erase maps and so on. Sounds like you have a roll-up chessex map, in which case you are fine. Just use the square side and use (wet erase, I think?) markers to draw the maps in, then erase as needed.
As for miniatures, you can use almost anything. I’ve used dice, lego minifigs, lots of stuff. Reapermini has a ‘bones’ (plastic minis) line that works well if you want actual minis. Most are fantasy-oriented, but there are three packs of space marines for, like, $5. Alternatively, PAIZO sells a box with a ton of cardboard cutout minis, suitable for both monsters and player minis for like, $20
Each player should have a set of a 20 sided die (d20), a d12, d10, d8, d6, and d4. Getting a few extra d6 and d4 couldn’t hurt. A standard set will run $5-7, though some stores have a big ol dice bin where you can pick out a set for, like, 50 cents a die.
Lastly, if you gamemaster (GM) is new, and isn’t used to making his own game, consider investing in a premade game. These are games where the stories and monster stats for an adventure are already made for you by professional writers. So you make your own characters and run them through this other story. There is only one out right now (Dead Suns), but there are more coming.
Hope that helps!
Hey guys... I hope people are subscribed to this thread still...
I picked up a few products... CORE BOOK (I got 2 one for me and one for the players to share.. I assume they might bring at least one more themselves). I also got the 1st Dead Suns book and the Alien Archive. (all in mail still)
I still have some questions though... I am not sure what these FLIP MATS are and how they work. If I say buy the "canteenia" flip mat.. won't that mean every time I go into a bar it is basically the same layout and reduce the replay-ability of "bars". Also is it to sale of the Pawns?
Also for ship battles, I can not see a place to get ship "pawns"?
I guess I am just confused about these map things now. Is there any kind of application I can use to build maps from custom tiles and just print them out.. or is there a way to print out copies of the maps I need for a given adventure?
Finally, if not... what flipmats would I need to have the rooms required for the Dead Suns?
Oh and the chessex mats are kind of blank.. so how do you use them,, as a GM I need to drawn the map onto it as we play?
|
|
If your Chessex mat is similar to the one I have, it works with wet erase markers. I think it works with dry erase, too, but those are easy to wipe off accidentally so I've only ever used wet erase ones.
You can draw maps as you play, or if you know what you need and aren't afraid of the players seeing it you can draw them out in advance.
You probably don't need to draw anything too detailed. The battle mat is really just for helping to visualize positioning.
My group typically uses a blank chessex map and toys and wooden blocks to build scenery on the fly for most games.
I have several of the flip mats and I use them when I run. They're two sided, so the Cantina map, for example, actually has two separate and completely different versions of a "Cantina". As long as you're not constantly going to bars in every game, it's not a problem that they're all similar (and you can still draw on them or use wooden blocks or something to change them up, when needed). I think they're worth the money, but I'd hesitate to call them necessary.
I have all the pawn sets and so far they've all included ship pawns. I don't think they're necessary, either, any token will do. But I still like them and am happy I bought them. I always prefer it when the token looks like what the characters are seeing. But my other GM literally just uses wooden blocks with "M" on one side and those work.
There are Pathfinder map tiles available for purchase that will work for Starfinder, generally, though again, none of them match the AP explicitly (some of them do match maps in some Starfinder Society Modules, though). The one that immediately comes to mind is the Space Station tile set, which is currently on my wishlist.
All of the maps and tiles and pawns and stuff, though, are kind of a luxury. None of them are *needed* for gameplay. They just make some things easier, like describing a scene or managing a combat. If this is your first time doing Table Top, I'd hold off on them for a bit, personally. Unless I just had money burning a hole in my pocket. They're well worth the money (to me), but may not be needed for your group. But that's just my 2 cr.
You'll be glad to have these resources, but the barriers to entry into a 'finder game are literally $0. As the rules are OGL and on the SRD (starjammersrd or Starchives of Nethys) the players can look up most of what they need online. Random.org or other die rollers can do your rolls, and any graph paper can be snagged to run maps. I'd hate to block people out of the hobby because of price.
I'm also a huge fan of buying the books on PDF for referencing. Only $10, searchable, and I like to extract the maps for printing. I love all the stuff (and own a lot of it), and supporting Paizo with your dollar if you love it is wise (so you get more). Just don't ask all your players to buy before they try.
Call me cheap, but I like to make my own stuff (for cheap).
For combats, I put the map in a tablet, zoom in to the area the PCs can see, and place a bunch of blank maps in front of it.
For starship combats, you usually don't even need a map display, but sometimes there will be an asteroid or something floating around. Anyway, just make some hex maps with hex bases for the minis - they are much smaller, since these combats tend to move a lot.
But all this takes place in a much bigger table with a lot more blank paper spread out.
I also have a secondary tablet to show the mini art and pictures from the books or just art I googled and found relevant to the situation - this tablet usually is passed around the players, while the map can't be touched except by the GM.
For a while, I was using a Roll20 subscription and doing all my maps online with tiles. Though I was also paying 10$ a month for dynamic lighting options and other things. There are a variety of map makers you can get, and ones where you can upload your own tilesets to use, but I find that's generally a lot of printing when I could jusy use the Roll20 digital table. Not all my players like that however, and not all my game spots have constant net access (game store basement bwing the big one).