Yeah, I'm getting the vibe that if you wanted to do space opera with actual magic, then choose a different game. 

Or just play Star Wars.  Or a Star Wars knockoff game <cough> Star Adventurer written by some guy named RPG Pundit <cough>.

Hell, I think I would rather play Rifts - Phase World.  That too is a sci-if setting with tons of mystical character types that includes the actual wizards from the core rulebook.  Phase World even has a "Jedi Knight" analog called Cosmo-Knights, although their powers are way different.  They are tough as army tanks, shoot powerful lasers, create melee weapons and armor from thin air, they fly, and can go to FTL speeds to reach other star systems without needing a ship (ships tend to be faster, though).

What is your opinion on Star Finder?

Loved the idea! Very fun and imaginative!

The execution of that idea was horrible and bad. WAY TO MANY RULES FOR EVERYTHING. Like a great many ttrpg's these days. It was not just that however, a lot of those rules were also just very bad and did not work at the table at all. Walking into a store in that game to see what was available had a lot to do with your level. Too low? This arms dealer has no powerful arms to sell you or if he does....you are not high enough level to use them! Geez..

So what I would do is use every ounce of fluff from that game and just BX mechanics.

Quote from: Bogmagog on September 04, 2024, 01:20:15 PMWhat is your opinion on Star Finder?

Loved the idea! Very fun and imaginative!

The execution of that idea was horrible and bad. WAY TO MANY RULES FOR EVERYTHING. Like a great many ttrpg's these days. It was not just that however, a lot of those rules were also just very bad and did not work at the table at all. Walking into a store in that game to see what was available had a lot to do with your level. Too low? This arms dealer has no powerful arms to sell you or if he does....you are not high enough level to use them! Geez..

So what I would do is use every ounce of fluff from that game and just BX mechanics.

My opinion is that they took fantasy Pathfinder, put the thinnest veneer of sci-fi over it, and called it a day.   It's NOT a true sci-fi game.

I played Star Finder for several sessions and ultimately didn't enjoy it for reasons the nay-sayers here have already elaborated on.

I also remember the game being controversial when it came out due to the woke rewrite of the Lashunta species which had originally been a rather pulpy race based on a fusion of several Venusian species from old pulps. They were a sort of Amazons with neanderthal like men and beautiful Dejah Thoris type women in earlier Pathfinder products.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on September 04, 2024, 05:22:40 PMMy opinion is that they took fantasy Pathfinder, put the thinnest veneer of sci-fi over it, and called it a day.   It's NOT a true sci-fi game.

You are correct but they don't actually claim that it is (though I too had hoped that they were wrong and that it was actually sci-fi).   They've consistently described it science fantasy.

Quote from: ForgottenF on September 03, 2024, 07:14:21 PMIt's the same audience as the one for plenty of OSR sci fi games. Lots of people genuinely believe their preferred version of the D&D rules can do any kind of game. Even more people just think any system works about as well for any genre and just want to play the rules they already know.

News flash. D&D started out with sci-fi elements. Blackmore had alien invaders. OD&D was very kitchen sink and you had some monsters from John Carter in there among other things.

I bought the 1e Starfinder core book several years ago (when it first released). I read it over for a week or so then shelved it. It's sat there ever since as a warning to me to not buy anymore Starfinder. It also stepped up to warn me off of PF2, so I guess that was a bonus too.

I like the idea of the mix of magic and tech, like how Shadowrun has, but higher leveled.  not 100% sold on the d20 / pathfinder system on it.