Starfinder 2E’s Galaxy Guide is here. And with it, new aliens, gods, magic, machines, and a whole lot more.
Starfinder wears its “science fantasy” label proudly. One need only look at the core mechanics of the game to see magic and technology align in particularly Pathfinder ways. That’s one of the things we love about it. But if you thought it was Sci-Fantasy before, the newly available Galaxy Guide invites you to consider just how deep that specific rabbit hole goes. Spoiler alert, it’s pretty deep.
Starfinder’s Galaxy Guide Is More Than Just A Galaxy Map
I think the closest way I’d have of categorizing the Starfinder Galaxy Guide is somewhere between campaign setting and GM guide. Because within its pages, you’ll find an array of new toys to play with. There’s a walkthrough of the region of space the game takes place in, with a deeper dive into the various big factions that play roles in galaxy-wide events—pretty standard campaign setting book stuff.
There’s even the obligatory “campaign setting book for players” section, which adds six alien ancestries and six archetypes (each one related to one of the factions) so you can ground your characters more specifically in the universe. All the usual suspects are here. And done well.
The book also offers a look at different ways to construct your own Starfinder campaign and different genres of campaigns. We got to see a sample of high-tech adventures, which focus on the “sci” with nanomachine swarms and characters that are androids or cyborgs or the like.
And that’s only the surface:
“Blast off into Starfinder Second Edition with a star chart of the galaxy and a thrilling tour of adventuring locations across the vastness of interstellar space! The Starfinder Galaxy Guide is a 176-page primer designed for new and experienced players that explores popular types of science fantasy campaigns—galactic exploration, horror, war-torn space opera, and more—giving GMs and players tools for playing out those types of stories in their Starfinder game.
The Galaxy Guide also introduces several powerful galactic factions as potential friends or foes, including AbadarCorp’s holy corporate empire, the infernal orders of the Hellknights, and the world-preserving Xenowardens. Each major faction includes a new archetype players can use to create a character with ties to that faction. The galactic tour ends with a database of playable alien ancestries including a telepathic mega-brain with an atrophied body (contemplative), a friendly shapeshifter with a secretly bizarre true form (astrazoan), and more!”
This book is full of interesting secrets, both magical and mechanical. There are new gods to play with. Necromantic space anomalies. Even a holy corporate empire. This is all the big picture sci-fi/fantasy stuff you love. You’ll find echoes of Dune and Star Wars alongside Murderbot, depending on where you look.
All that to say, if you’re going to play Starfinder, you may well want to check this book out.
Necromantic space anomaly sounds like a Nordic doom/future metal band.
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