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22:51, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF.

Posted by mofo99
mofo99
member, 398 posts
May the hair on your
feet never fall off
Tue 17 Sep 2019
at 15:10
  • msg #1

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

Is there any interest for a colony/empire building game using the 3rd Party source Star Empires by Legendary Games (Starfinder compatible)?

The main idea would be that PCs are (somehow) leaders of a fledgling settlement (details to be determined) and are endeavoring to survive and thrive in the world/galaxy. The PCs would  make the ruling decisions to steer the course of progress for their empire. This would not be a typical 'party of adventurers delving dungeons' sort of game. Time would skip by at clips of days/weeks/months at a time. Conflicts and issues would be primarily dealt with in broad strokes for expediency. Long term characters and settlements age and so there would be opportunities for new characters (and new players) to shuffle in and out. Opportunities for role-playing could exist (depending on the players), but would likely not be the focus.

Though the Star Empires book is made for the Starfinder setting, the empire-building rules are generic enough that they could work for just about any setting. The specifics of the setting, especially the beginning settlement could be worked out among the players in a 'session zero' forum. Knowledge of the Star Empires rules wouldn't really be necessary as I could keep track of the numbers side as GM. I'd be happy to give simple summaries of the rules in the game itself. The Character would likely follow Starfinder rules (available through the online SRD) but I'm fairly certain that some crossover with Pathfinder might be possible.

Mind you, I've never tried a colony-building game before, and I'm not even an expert on Starfinder itself, so this would be a learning experience for us all. Much of the success of this game would hinge on the Players' patience and willingness to work out snags together.

How might the players like to further customize such an experience? What would players want to see from a game like this?

If there's enough interest, I'd consider starting up a game to try it out.
Hendell
member, 215 posts
Tue 17 Sep 2019
at 16:41
  • msg #2

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

Star Empires looks like an interesting fix to the otherwise bland Starfinder setting, and being leaders of a settlement is probably as good an excuse to skip over the first 5 or 8 levels of Starfinder's unfortunately limited starting levels into something that lets the characters start being different than their core attributes.
mole75
member, 56 posts
Tue 17 Sep 2019
at 20:45
  • msg #3

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

Though my experience with Starfinder is sparse I would love to try this out. I think it would be an interesting way to take on Starfinder from a different view and not having everything centered around the spaceship (though I suspect that the spaceship will still be central).

The rules do look like the Kingmaker rules from PF and I've been a player in a KM campaign once. That was very rewarding to see the a community that you helped establish flourish.

So I'd say I'm game for a Starfinder game with the Star Empires rules.
DreamingGod
member, 168 posts
Thu 19 Sep 2019
at 06:40
  • msg #4

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

I was wanting to run/play in one of these, but using the Aeon Trinity system. o: So I am very interested in the idea! I just don't own Starfinder :(
mole75
member, 57 posts
Thu 19 Sep 2019
at 07:11
  • msg #5

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

Starfinder is an open game that is freely and legally available on the net: https://www.starjammersrd.com/
even the Empire building rules are available there.
Estherdewitt
member, 2 posts
Tue 1 Oct 2019
at 12:21
  • msg #6

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

In reply to mole75 (msg # 5):

Starfinder is not an open and freely available game, in fact most of it is highly copyrighted. The owner of Starjammersrd is the same person who owns D20pfsrd, and he's already had most of that site removed, so the info on Starjammer is pretty barebones, and quite often not up to date.
Redfoxmagi
member, 149 posts
Tue 1 Oct 2019
at 14:42
  • msg #7

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

I love the concept, though my experience with similar things is a couple Kingmaker games.  I'd be more than willing to learn though!
Mortixx
supporter, 310 posts
Wed 9 Oct 2019
at 08:07
  • msg #8

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

kingmaker in PF? Color me interested as i been trying to get a Starfinder game to play in for a few weeks now but no dice.
GreenTongue
member, 881 posts
Game Archaeologist
Thu 17 Oct 2019
at 19:54
  • msg #9

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

I can tell you from multiple experiences that the work on the GM side becomes massive very quickly.
A "board game" level of complexity may work if you can hold the player's attention but once players need spreadsheets to manage their turns, most will vanish.
mole75
member, 60 posts
Fri 18 Oct 2019
at 13:19
  • msg #10

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

I have to agree with this assessment. You might want a secondary DM to help keep things flowing.
DreamingGod
member, 170 posts
Sun 22 Dec 2019
at 08:01
  • msg #11

IC: Star Empires (Colony/Empire Building) in Starfinder/PF

Well, either way a game like this would REALLY pique my interest.
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