Sorry for asking so many noob questions. I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by the setting.
My basic problem is that I'm not "into" reading big thick rulebooks, so I skim things and then end up feeling a little lost by the background of the setting.
My question is: where is the best place to find information about the basics of the standard StarFinder setting? (I own the core rulebook and the alien archive. The "Pact Worlds" book is in my local game store, but I'm afraid that if I buy it I just won't read it.)
Anyone have some advice on this?
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I agree that reading a whole bunch of setting detail at once quickly becomes overwhelming.
Chapter 12 of the Core Rulebook, "Setting", is where you want to look. I recommend reading the first two pages of that chapter to get a general sense of background in this universe. Then you can skim through the rest of the chapter; look at the headings and take a closer look if anything interests you. (Like, "Oh, I wonder how they handle magic and technology in this setting" or "I heard someone mention the planet Eox, let's see what it's like.")
Then if you want to look something up later (like, "How does communication work between planets again?" or "I met a character who worships Weydan, I'd like to know who that is") you know where to look. You don't have to have absorbed it all up front.
You might want to read the two-page spread in that chapter about Absalom Station, because it functions like a default "home base" in the Pact Worlds.
Lastly- if you feel comfortable, you can try just asking things of the people you game with. People know the lore to varying levels, and might be able to help you pick it up naturally over time as you play. Keep in mind your character might not know everything either; playing someone who just left home for the first time and is new to the exploring or adventuring life - that's a classic way to put yourself into the setting without having to know too much about it yet.
There's also the handy Starfinder Wiki.
Sorry for asking so many noob questions. I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by the setting.
My basic problem is that I'm not "into" reading big thick rulebooks, so I skim things and then end up feeling a little lost by the background of the setting.
My question is: where is the best place to find information about the basics of the standard StarFinder setting? (I own the core rulebook and the alien archive. The "Pact Worlds" book is in my local game store, but I'm afraid that if I buy it I just won't read it.)
Anyone have some advice on this?
I think the Pact Worlds is what you're looking for.
FWIW, we have someone very similar in our group. He's finding it not too bad by just reading about one planet at a time (each has a ten page spread - including a one page map and a one page theme, so eight pages of text).
I never read RPG books cover to cover, but Pact Worlds lends itself well to skimreading, in my opinion. I tend to flick through until a picture catches my eye and then read a couple of pages. If you're looking for something specific, it's pretty easy to find it.
Thanks for the leads. This gives me a good starting point. It does help to have an exact chapter or page reference (Elinnea) and I think after that I'll scurry over to my game store and buy the Pact Worlds book (Steve Geddes).
The wiki looks interesting as well (The Goat Lord) but I'm not quite sure what to look for yet.
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My advice, if you're not afraid of module spoilers, is to find a campaign journal or podcast of another Starfinder group. You can learn a LOT about the game and the setting just by watching/listening to another group play through it. On a long drive recently my bf and I fired up a Dead Suns podcast by a group called the Sidequest Inn and they have all kinds of humorous yet informative asides where they talk about Absalom Station, Castrovel, races in SF and various other setting fluff stuff.
Basically, if reading all of it proves daunting, try a different medium! Then you might approach the written material with a fresh eye having digested it more easily in another form.
^
That's great advice.