Starfinder Galaxy Guide is a Great Bridge from First to Second Edition
The first Starfinder 2nd Edition release isn't a rulebook, but is filled with lore and amazing player options that complement the free playtest rules perfectly.
Paizo sent me an early copy of the Starfinder Second Edition: Galaxy Guide, and I spent hours poring over it this weekend so I can tell you about a lot of the cool stuff inside.
Now, there’s too much cool stuff to talk about to get it all into a single post, so let the TL;DR of this post be: buy the Galaxy Guide ASAP if you’re at all interested in Starfinder.
What’s the most interesting about the book is that it’s the first officially released title for SF2e. The rules are still in playtest! They're set to come out later in the year, sure, but right now, the Galaxy Guide sets up how the story, setting, and lore change from the first edition, while at the same time offering player options for the new edition.
I should also say that I will do my best not to spoil anything for those of you who haven't played the game yet. There are some late 1e and playtest adventures that tie directly into the setting and lore (A Cosmic Birthday and Auctun Asunder, specifically), and I don't want to ruin those.
Time Keeps On Slippin' Slippin' Slippin'...
My first Starfinder experience was the "Drift Crisis" storyline. It was awesome, and it had some hella good storytelling and fun gameplay. That whole event took place over 2 years of in-game time. Starfinder Second Edition takes place another 3 years after that.
So even if you're familiar with the Starfinder universe, the Pact Worlds, and the Vast...a lot has changed since the last big events of the galaxy occurred. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Mechageddon (the final hardcover for 1e) or the other Starfinder Society releases to know where those storylines fall in the timeline.
I like that there's a bit of time between the editions, though. That's where some good player-told stories can exist.
Adventure Types and Backgrounds
The Galaxy Guide has a section on the different kinds of adventures you can tell in SF2e: Dystopian, High-Tech, Fantasy, War-torn, Into the Unknown, Horror, and Weird.
Within each of the sections, Paizo breaks down the planets where each kind of story would be best told and fits into that genre. One of the things that drew me to Starfinder in the first place was that all sorts of different stories could be told. The "Drift Crisis" event felt so cyberpunk that I had to give it a shot.
I was not disappointed.
My personal favorite is the Fantasy (love me some science-fantasy) section with the planet Triaxus.
Triaxus is home to dragonkin (which is a new player ancestry later in the book), and I know that whenever I can get someone to GM SF2e other than me, I'll 100% be playing a dragonkin technomancer.
On top of the different genre overviews, the Galaxy Guide gives adventure hooks and campaign ideas for the DM. For long-term campaigns, one-shots, and different types of encounters like exploration, social, downtime, and combat.
Then there are backgrounds for player characters such as Hacktivist or Fixer for dystopian stories; space truckers for explorer campaigns; tech trolls for high-tech games; and busker, gambler, gun for hire, or even escort for more urban adventures in various ports of call.
Factions and Archetypes
One particular inclusion that surprised me was the factional archetypes. Archetypes are how characters multiclass or specialize in the Pathfinder Second Edition engine. In the Galaxy Guide, the archetypes aren't so much multiclass (such as a mechanic dedicating themselves to the way of the solarian) as they are special backgrounds that set your character's place in the scheme of things.
For instance, there's a "corpo" archetype that you can take if you want to work for AbadarCorp. It gives perks and benefits that would come from working for that kind of entity. There's a space pirate archetype, a hellknight, xenodruid, and even a xenoarchaeologist from the Starfinder Society itself.
There are abilities for each of them, as well as lore that helps players decide if they want to join up and the gamemaster to decide if they'll allow it.
Player Ancestries
Formerly called Species by SF1e, the various Ancestries in the Galaxy Guide are where I figure most people are going to focus. Depending on the game, they're called different things--races, species, ancestries, lineages, heritages, and so on.
In some RPGs, ancestries can be little more than cosmetic flavor. In Starfinder, though, there's a lot more to them. Every few levels, players get an ancestry feat that ties back to the species' history.
There are various heritages that they choose from to indicate the character's background. Which again, comes with perks and unique abilities.
Everyone will notice the Contemplatives, giant brains with itty-bitty bodies. There are Astrazoans, which are space starfish that get shapeshifting, metamorph abilities. The Kalo are an aquatic race who love art and culture, while the Sarcesians are giant space fairies who float in vacuum on energy wings.
And the Vlaka are humanoid dog/wolfkin whose entire culture was based around a dying sun. Only now, it's not dying anymore in Second Edition, and it's a big mystery as to why. Maybe it's some First Ones tech?
I really hope that's going to be one of the main story beats for the metanarrative of the edition for a while.
My personal favorite, if you weren't aware from me saying so above, is the Dragonkin. Of course they are.
They're large-sized, can fly, see in the dark, and even form a bond with another character (NPC or PC) that gives bonuses for both. I am very excited to see how that particular mechanic plays out in various games and if it's as cool in practice as it is on paper.
Can't Recommend the Galaxy Guide, Already!
The Galaxy Guide is, unsurprisingly, a fantastic bridge between the first edition of Starfinder and the second. It takes the years of already-established lore and story, expands it, makes it accessible to new players, and then integrates it all smoothly with the dozens and dozens player options for the new edition.
With the core rulebooks not released yet (but the playtest document being free to download), there couldn't be a better official first book for Starfinder Second Edition.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Want to read more about Starfinder? We have a write-up of the first SF2e adventure, A Cosmic Birthday, as well as the previous Drift Crisis adventure path.
Nice article on the Starfinder 2e Galaxy Guide. I can sense your excitement.