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Is there a way to create a Starfinder Challenge point system for SFS? It is just that when you have a 1-4 and there are three level 2s, two level 1s, and a 4, the level 4 takes over the game due to the very uneven challenge a low tier creates. As a GM for PFS2, I have found that CP has truly added to the challenge of a scenario. And even though the disparity of a level 4 with striking in a low tier 1-4 seems great, there is still more challenge than in similar scenarios in Starfinder.
Just some thoughts and wishes.
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I don't think it is unreasonable to think that a challenge point system is coming for Starfinder.
That being said, how abilities and weapons act in Starfinder is fundamentally different than how they act in 2e. It may be much more difficult to scale the adventures in Starfinder using a 2e model.
2e adventures are based upon 4 players in the tier, and adjust upward from there. Starfinder adventures are made to have 6 players and adjusts downward.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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I don't know if this will happen.
On the one hand, you can have quite weird tables in Starfinder; a party of
1,1,1,1,1 or 2,2,2,2,2,4 MUST play the same six-player low tier. So if the subtier's challenges are balanced for the weak group it's gonna be a cakewalk for the strong group. And if it's built for the strong group it's gonna be murder for the weak group.
On the other hand, I don't think Starfinder encounter difficulty is quite as fine-tuned as PF2 difficulty and you can be a little less granular and still come out alright. Also, I think the difference in difficulty smoothes out a lot past level 3 or so, when people are past the shock of doubling their HP and Stamina at level 2 and gaining their weapon specialization at level 3.
So the benefits could be there but they're not quite so necessary as in PF2. On the other hand, what's the cost of a challenge point system?
* Going back through old scenarios to add more fine-grained scaling (not gonna happen - you can count the number of older scenarios Paizo's revised on one hand, over more than a decade).
* A period of trying to learn how to use the new balancing system, usually with a few brutal bad guesses (compare to PFS2 1-11, before the 16-18 5+ player window was introduced).
* Increased unpredictability in which tier you'll actually be running when you get to the table, because PFS2 switches tiers on a hair trigger.
I personally don't think the smaller benefits weigh up to the costs.
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Venture-Agent, Texas—Dallas & Ft. Worth
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I hope they don't bring the Challenge Point System over. While it works for PF2, it's also another part of the system that has kept me from moving over to the new edition.
IMO, I like where Starfinder is at. And introducing a change that would fundamentally change how scenarios are balanced would be introducing an unnecessary change.
Yes, it you will have occasions where over-tiered characters run things. I've been that over-tiered character and thus held back to let them run things. (I was "there to watch over them in case of major troubles.")
But, you could say the same of someone Min-maxing and stealing the show.
It might be your thoughts and dreams, but would be more my concerns and nightmares. (But is really just a matter of opinions differing.)
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Not a fan.
While I understand the purpose of the Challenge Point system, and agree that it succeeds in the goal of smoothing the challenges the party faces, I don’t like the added complexity.
Having played PFS since 2010, I’ve seen many additions to the campaign rules. While they have definitely improved the “quality of life” for active players, they have also added substantially to the cognitive burden required to play PFS. And even more to GM. The Challenge Point and level bump systems are some of the most arcane (no pun intended), math-dependent, if-then-else alterations that have been made to any Paizo edition. It’s relatively easy once you’ve done it a few times but looks opaque the first time you read the instructions. The more we deviate from the Core rules, the more people are inclined to pass on getting involved in the first place.
