What Is Starfinder and How Can You Start Playing It?

Starfinder is Paizo's science fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, set in a futuristic universe and built as a companion to Pathfinder. You can start playing it by picking up the core rules, then joining a local game or an organized play event — in the UK, that means conventions and local clubs, including PaizoCon UK and the UK Games Expo. The easiest entry point is the Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, a worldwide science fantasy campaign where you can sit down at a table without needing your own group.

What makes Starfinder different from Pathfinder

Pathfinder is fantasy; Starfinder takes the same d20-based tradition and moves it into a science fantasy setting. That means starships, alien species, and futuristic gear alongside magic and classic fantasy elements. If you already know Pathfinder, the vocabulary and structure will feel familiar — the shift is in setting and tone rather than a completely foreign rules culture.

The Alien Archive is the key supplement for player-facing options here. It supplies alien races, and it's the source of the convention boons described below.

What you need to actually play

At minimum:

• The Starfinder core rulebook — races, classes, and gear. According to PaizoCon UK's news page, Starfinder rules sold out in most games shops after launch, so availability can be tight; check with your local shop or order ahead.
• The Alien Archive if you want the wider range of playable alien species.
• Dice, a character sheet, and a group — or an organized play table, which supplies the structure for you.

You don't need to own everything before your first session. Organized play exists precisely so new players can turn up and learn.

Starfinder Society: the organized play route

The Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild is a worldwide science fantasy campaign — the Starfinder equivalent of Pathfinder Society. It's the most practical way to start if you don't have an existing group, because sessions are run to a shared campaign structure and you can play at conventions, clubs, and games days rather than recruiting friends first.

The PaizoCon UK site describes Starfinder as having "hit the games conventions and the local clubs in a big way" in the autumn following launch, and notes it is played and demonstrated at most games conventions and local games groups in the UK. So the realistic starting move in the UK is: find a nearby convention or club running Starfinder Society, and book or turn up as a new player.

Convention boons and playing an alien

One Starfinder-specific feature worth knowing before you attend an event: Alien Archive boons.

• At game conventions, Starfinder GM boons offer alternative alien races you can play.
• Player Alien Archive boons exist alongside them.
• Boons are spread according to where the game takes place in the real world — so what's available at a UK event depends on the event's location.

In practice this means the character options open to you at a convention can differ from a home game, and can differ between conventions. If playing a specific alien species matters to you, ask the event organizers which boons are in play before you build a character.

Where to play in the UK

PaizoCon UK describes itself as a games convention for Pathfinder and Starfinder players and a source of information on Pathfinder and Starfinder activity in the UK — useful as a hub for finding where games are running, not just as an event.

A practical first-session plan

1. Decide your route: one-off convention demo, or a recurring club/Society game. Convention first is lower commitment.
2. Check what's running at your chosen event or club, and whether it's Starfinder Society organized play or a home campaign — the expectations differ.
3. Ask about boons if you want to play an alien species, since convention boons vary by location.
4. Build a character from the core rulebook, or use a pre-generated character if the table offers one.
5. Turn up early and tell the GM you're new. Organized play tables are built to absorb new players.

Common sticking points

• Rulebook availability. Rules sold out in many shops after launch, so don't assume your local store has a copy on the shelf.
• Assuming Pathfinder knowledge transfers completely. The setting and available species are different; check the Alien Archive options rather than importing assumptions.
• Expecting the same boons everywhere. Boon distribution is tied to real-world location, so a character option from one convention may not be legal at another.
• Waiting until you have a full group. The Society campaign exists so you don't have to — that's the whole point of organized play.