SF2e publication timeline question

[pdennett]

I'm really looking forward to the SF2e release (and my current group is as well). One sore of idle question I had was the reason behind the staggered release of the "core" books (this also may be an issue with my reading of the pre-order dates). With the player core coming out in August (pre-order in July), and the Alien Core not coming out until October. Will there be stat blocks available from the Player and GM cores before October, or will we kind of just have to wing it until the Alien Core comes out for NPCs/Aliens/"Monsters"?

Or with it being PF2e compatible will it be pretty easy to just skin some PF2E monsters and use that?

[Torradin341]

Staggered core releases are pretty standard these days. I imagine it has, in some part, to do with the subscriptions (3 hardcovers in one month is a lot). As for monsters, last year's Free RPG Day supplement, Second Contact, has some stat blocks.

Player Core near certainly not going to have any monster stats, and GM core might have some NPC stats you can use, but won't have a lot. Mostly though, yeah, you should be able to just rip them from PF2. Mathwise, the systems are supposed to be completely compatible.

[NoxiousMiasma]

I suspect GM Core is gonna have the creature building rules, and probably some suggestions for converting PF2e (and SF1e) creatures - there do seem to be a few differences in damage resistance between PF2e and SF2e. In a ranged-heavy game, even quite low resistances can entirely prevent attack damage, and that's worth being careful of.

[Perpdepog]

Seconding the notion you can use PF2E monsters. They should work out just fine.

I'd also recommend checking out NPC Core, which is also up on AoN now. NPCs are pretty easy to reskin to a different setting; just alter their attacks to be ranged guns with appropriate ranged damage and you're basically there.

[Driftbourne]

There's also last year's free RPG day release, Second Contact, which is a mini alien book with 12 SF2e aliens.

Second Contact.

Although all 6 of the Playtest adventures have aliens in them, Playtest Scenario #3: Wheel of Monsters might have the most, with around 14 Aliens.

Wheel of Monsters.

As others have said, all the PF2e monsters work in Sf2e too. Any of the adventures released at the same time as the Player Core should be self-contained, not needing the Alien Core to run.