So, since there has been an article going around about Starfinder I will add my 2 cents on my opinion of the new game.

Short Version: Overall, I like it. It’s a solid game. Good mechanics. Lore is fun. A few grips with some of the mechanics but is otherwise fun.

Pros:

+ It’s a scifi game with magic positions as a scifi version of Pathfinder and delivers exactly what it says on the box (in a good way).

+ If you’ve played Pathfinder, you’ll be able to pick up Starfinder really quick. Biggest thing you’ll have to get over is the lack of multiple attacks per round (aka iterative BAB).

+ Buying equipment is a lot of fun. It feels a lot like Shadowrun or something- your gear really has a big impact on you and the same class with a different load out feels TOTALLY different.

+ Some things are simplified. Some thing are made more complex. In general the right things were simplified and the right things were made more complex.

+ Race and class design is really straightfoward. Very “Pathfinder, but turned up to 11”. Races are very simple. Classes have a simple chassis with a million options.

+ People say “oh, themes are like backgrounds from 5th edition”. Yes. Yes they are and I like them a lot.

+ I like how archetypes work. They are kind of “universal class flavor enhancers”.

+ I love some of the “weirder” science fantasy aspects of it.

Cons:

- There is a lot more to keep in working memory. 2 kinds of HP, 2 kinds of AC, etc. This makes it a little less accessible to new players.

-There are a few examples of “the right hand not talking to the left”. Examples include size having no bearing in human scale stuff but having massive impact on ship combat.

- I dislike a lot about ship combat. It felt unnecessary to make it essentially a different game in the mechanical sense.

- Some of the builds don’t work so well.

- Despite the complexity bump, it does little to fix the issue of combat getting a little stale after a while.

Neither Here Nor There:

= They simplify a lot of conditions but don’t really remove them. For example, they get rid of things like flat-footed AC but end up keeping it in as a static penalty. So it’s still “there”, just in a different fashion. Still needs to be kept in working memory.

= I would have really liked them to have released their alien archives (their bestiary) at the same time as their core rulebook. As it stands, you can’t really “play” much. (There is the free “1st Contact” PDF that has some enemies). From what I’ve seen though, I really like their approach to monster design.

= I was never a big fan of Golarion, Pathfinder’s setting (It always felt like a patchwork quilt rather than a cohesive setting). The lore does service to the mechanics and vice versa. It’s science fantasy with an emphasis on “fantasy”. I like that and am looking forward to seeing how they expand that.

= Item levels are a cool concept and help with the “+1, +2, +3, +4, etc” bloat a lot of games have but also I found myself saying “Man- I wish this was at a level I could use”. Maybe a system for variable item levels is in order.

= It’s kind of nice to have a “clean slate” system without content bloat. However, that also means we’ve lost a lot. Trust me- that’ll change quick.

Overall Grade: B+ or A-. A worthy success but not better than the original.