It’s time for an early access review of Starfinder 2nd Edition Player Core! Let’s dive into the science fantasy future of Pathfinder!
NOTICE: Paizo provided me with an electronic copy of the book for review purposes.
Background
Starfinder dropped in 2017, a science fantasy future for that expanded the Pathfinder solar system into a whole universe. It was also the last use of the original special blend 3.75e style mechanics for Paizo. Immediately lauded as a science fiction game, in reality it’s a science fantasy one, with all the benefits and challenges that brings. Owing to its later launch, Starfinder lost some compatibility and sync with Pathfinder as it moved into its second edition and then the remaster after the OGL 1.1 scandal. But that gap has been closed! The Starfinder 2nd Edition Player Core comes out swinging hard with the new mechanics and polish we saw in the Pathfinder Remaster series, and has been released under Paizo’s ORC license.
Starfinder 2nd Edition Player Core is a monster 466 page operation, loaded with all the things that players need in a player facing book.
The Good
Mechanically, this book shows that Paizo did the leg work to transition their new mechanics from their fantasy/dungeonpunk home into a science fantasy/magitech one. The feats, the class design, the equipment, it all shows that there was deliberate and concerted effort to make sure things work. This is big because fantasy is not a 1:1 to science fantasy, so making sure things fit right is key to making it feel right at the table.
The art is phenomenal. Diverse in both the representation of ethnic diversity and species. It’s also very in sync with the game’s vibe and theme. That consistency is good for establishing the setting for the players.
There are a lot of ancestries and backgrounds. Like, more than enough to keep most players happy and creating for the next year. I like it, it’s the kind of thing that makes everyone from creatives to optimizers happy.
The Envoy class is AMAZING. Don’t get me wrong, all the classes are well thought out, but the Envoy stands out. Why? It’s a legit leader class. More than it used to be. I’m a sucker for classes like this, and even taking that into account, I can see this class being fun to play and becoming a common subject in Starfinder comics and memes.
The alien ancestries are ALIEN. I mentioned this in the last Starfinder review I did. Paizo is not playing the palette swap or “fantasy but in space” game. They’re making alien looking aliens that are things I’d expect to see 30m below surface on a night dive in the tropics. I love it.
There’s a cool inclusion piece to point at too. That’s sign language. The book explicitly states that most languages have a form of sign language, and that it’s available to everyone as a feat to know them for the languages they speak. But here’s the inclusion: it also explicitly states that the GM can grant the feat for free to characters where it matches their concept even if they don’t meet the normal requirements.
GEAR! Not only is the art complementary, there’s a lot. And not only is it a lot, it’s modifiable. And there’s pages of mods! This is the level of customization that makes a game in this genre. It’s not just a pistol, it’s a pistol with A, B, C, and an extended mag. It’s not just body armour, it has stealth and some other mods too! I can see players spending hours in their off time crafting perfect gear for their characters, and I’m here for it.
The last two need to be bundled so they’re a paragraph. The first is the basic outline of the Starfinder Universe. It’s solid, and feeds directly into the Galaxy Guide. The other is the character sheet. Is it crunchy? Yes. Is it open and approachable? YES!
The Bad
There’s only six classes in the book. I get that it’s already a chunky book, but the 1st edition was longer with seven classes, and the new Pathfinder Player Core managed to muster eight. It would have been nice to match or exceed the original edition.
Linking the PDF. The main table of contents is linked, and that’s good. The rest of the book needs the same treatment. Even if it’s just the side boxes that show what section of the book you’re in. It’s a usability thing that makes a difference with electronic documents, especially when they’re so big.
This is more of a personal quibble, but the integration of magic in the setting feels off to me. It’s like they were aiming for “magic is technology”, but then backed off at the last minute, resulting in overlaps. Overlaps that, to me, kind of throw off the vibe. And I think it’s exacerbated by the fact that there’s no real “technomancer” type classes, at least in this core book.
The Ugly
Where the Pathfinder 2nd Edition Remaster’s Player Core made classes feel more open and variable, the classes in this book feel more restrictive and proscribed. Even though the variations are there, the narratives built by art and the baseline descriptions act to push the player in specific directions.
Final Thoughts
The moment the Pathfinder Remaster dropped, Starfinder needed to be caught up. And Starfinder, as a futuristic science fantasy setting, needs more attention to make it work. And Paizo made it work. This is a good book. If you’re already in the Paizo ecosystem, you’re gold. If you’re new, you’re good too. Given the format and what we saw in Pathfinder, I suspect we will be seeing a Player Core 2 book in the near future. It’s a solid science-fantasy game, and I am extremely comfortable giving it a Rank A rating. The release day is July 31st, and the Galaxy Guide is already available.
