The SF2 release for Gencon is "Starfinder: Absalom Station"

[Squark]

Store link

While I'm anxious for my SFS Technomancer to get support, I'm pleased Tactical Space Combat in Tech Core is getting the time to cook it needs. And maybe that rumored playtest can actually happen. (was it confirmed? I remember it, but I can't find evidence anymore)

[Justnobodyfqwl]

I kind of guessed that we'd end up with Tech Core delayed to 2027 when they started promising Tactical Ship Combat would be in it... before ever officially announcing it!

I'm also glad it's getting delayed. More time spent working on the Mechanic & Technomancer, an achievable window for Tactical Ship Combat to get playtested, and plenty of time to actually announce the book and hype it up.

I think it's a good idea to make your "in-between" release for GenCon 2026 be something like an Absalom Station book. It's a big, friendly hub world for new players that has gotten a lot of emphasis in Playtest Adventures, Society Adventures, and Novels. It's a great place to flesh out and encourage players to spend time in early in the system's lifespan.

(Also, I know exactly what you mean - I ALSO remember them saying that they wanted to playtest tactical ship combat, but I don't remember when or where it was!)

[Xenocrat]

Squark wrote:

Store link

While I'm anxious for my SFS Technomancer to get support, I'm pleased Tactical Space Combat in Tech Core is getting the time to cook it needs. And maybe that rumored playtest can actually happen. (was it confirmed? I remember it, but I can't find evidence anymore)

Jenny said weeks ago on the discord she frequents there won’t be a ship public playtest.

I expect Tech Core will be the November (“Christmas”) release. That puts it a similar number of months after the class playtest as the Impossible Magic book (16-18).

[Driftbourne]

I'm somewhat disappointed but not surprised that there won't be a public starship playtest. But having said that, I'm really impressed with the Cinematic Starship Scenes (CSS). I think they are way more powerful than many think. The only thing missing from them is the shipbuilding rules, an expanded list of crew actions, and tactical rules for the pilot to move the ship on a map. One thing that makes CSS so powerful and flexible is that you can write new starship or crew actions on a per-encounter basis.

So at this point, although I think it would have been fun for me to have had a public playtest, I'm not sure it's really needed anymore. Also, no play test means the book might come out soon, since we're no longer waiting for the public playtest to happen.

[Xenocrat]

If the holiday 2026 release (usually early November) is "soon."

[Driftbourne]

It's sooner than waiting for a playtest that's never going to happen...

I used to try to follow Paizo on 10 different Discord servers. I hate the layout and UI of Discord. The only server I still use is the one for scheduling local games. Thanks for relaying the news.

[oimandibloons]

I am disappointed that Tech Core seems pushed back, because the game just does not have enough tech items to make the system sing. Sure, the augments and armour upgrades in Player Core are adding a lot of fun options, there simply aren't enough. I do appreciate that tactical starship combat rules are being ironed out, but I wish that was on a separate book instead of Tech Core.

[Squiggit]

Xenocrat wrote:

Jenny said weeks ago on the discord she frequents there won’t be a ship public playtest.

It's cool Paizo decided to let everyone know they've changed their mind about having a ship playtest in such an easily accessible way.

Oh well, at least Paizo has a really good track record with quality on major mechanical systems they skip playtesting on.

[Justnobodyfqwl]

I simply choose to believe Xenocrat is a malicious agent of some kind of foul God Of Lies, and that these heretical untruths will never come to pass if I stick my fingers in my ears and loudly proclaim that I can't hear them.

[moosher12]

Spoken like a true Hellknight of the Eclipse.

[Driftbourne]

Squiggit wrote:

Xenocrat wrote:

Jenny said weeks ago on the discord she frequents there won’t be a ship public playtest.

It's cool Paizo decided to let everyone know they've changed their mind about having a ship playtest in such an easily accessible way.

Oh well, at least Paizo has a really good track record with quality on major mechanical systems they skip playtesting on.

Starship combat in SF1e was an almost completely separate subsystem; the only thing connecting it to the rest of the game was the use of skill checks for some actions. For SF2e, the Devs have said they wanted starship combat to be more in line with the core game. From what we have seen from Cinimatic Starship Scenes, that largly use complex hazards and creature creation rules for balance, the math and mechanics shouldn't need a lot of testing.

Do the same for mechs, and that would allow mechs and staships in the same encounter, or mechs that transform into starships. If the math is also balanced with vehicles, then you can add vehicles into the mix as well. At one time, the devs sounded like they were considering if mechs would also be in the same book; if they did decide to do that, that could explain the delay. Even if mechs are not in the same book, they may have taken time to figure out mech mechanics at the same time to make surethey work together. That's all pure speculation, hopefully we hear more on what's planned for the year.

[Driftbourne]

oimandibloons wrote:

I am disappointed that Tech Core seems pushed back, because the game just does not have enough tech items to make the system sing. Sure, the augments and armour upgrades in Player Core are adding a lot of fun options, there simply aren't enough. I do appreciate that tactical starship combat rules are being ironed out, but I wish that was on a separate book instead of Tech Core.

oimandibloons wrote:

I am disappointed that Tech Core seems pushed back, because the game just does not have enough tech items to make the system sing. Sure, the augments and armour upgrades in Player Core are adding a lot of fun options, there simply aren't enough. I do appreciate that tactical starship combat rules are being ironed out, but I wish that was on a separate book instead of Tech Core.

In a game built around crazy amounts of player options, more is always good, but I kind of like the amount of tech we have right now. The shortage could be explained by supply issues caused by the Drift Crash. As we get more tech over time, it kind of simulates the development of new tech in the game.

I also agree with Paizo's push to do more ancestries up front over more tech. You can always add new gear to an existing character as it comes out.

Meanwhile, here are some great items in the scenario chronicles. It helps that all the scenarios are repeatable in SF2e.