Usually I do these review videos completely off the cuff. (With maybe an outline to go off of) This time I actually wrote a script so you can read the script below the video if you’d rather do than than watch the video. I did go off script here and there to elaborate on things, so it’s not verbatim what I said, but it’s pretty close.

Introduction

Up to this point, if you’ve seen any of my TTRPG videos, you’ve mostly seen me talking about D&D or Tales of the Valiant. However, Cosmere’s 3 action economy combined with a desire to get back to my Science Fiction roots led me to check out Starfinder second edition.

Three years after my first triathlon, I finally got to do the triathlon that was supposed to be my first triathlon. When I was considering the idea of a triathlon, having one nearby where the swimming portion was in the pool seemed like the ideal first one. However, different life events always conspired to keep from from registering. This year I saw at the last minute that I would be able to actually participate this year. So I signed up about 2 weeks before the race. Unlike the one I did in 2023, I haven’t been training specifically for a triathlon, but I have been doing swimming, cycling, and running exercises since last fall.

In addition to watching the video below, scroll beyond the video to see some of the questions/answers I’ve gotten on reddit and YouTube as well as some recommended extra videos to watch.

Topics in the video:

• My background as a GM
• The players we had at the table
• Scheduling
• My thoughts on the story aspects of Stonewalkers
• A small section about how “on rails” I ran the campaign
• My thoughts on the game mechanics of the Cosmere TTRPG
• What my players thought about the lore drops and artwork
• How well Metalworks did with the FoundryVTT port

The story section obviously has spoilers that players might not want to hear. If you pay attention to the video (rather than have it on in the background) there will be some spoilers as I have various combat encounters as run in FoundryVTT while I’m talking over those visuals.

While this book is not structured in the best possible way to teach a newbie how to play Starfinder Second Edition, the fact of the matter is that this is a reference book. One might use it one time to learn how to play or, perhaps more likely, one will learn from YouTube videos, a Beginner’s Box product or being taught by friends around the table.

As a reference book, the Player Core is very well organized. It has the most likely stuff that the player would look up (character creation) up front. Based on how I’ve consulted the Player books for Tales of the Valiant and D&D, this is the most likely use for the book.

I recently got the Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box: Secrets of the Unlit Star. I did an unboxing and first impressions video. I will come back and do a proper review after I play it.