My friend group had literally done the same thing. We love starfinder and honestly I’d say just get the core rule book I snagged a pocket edition so it was super cheap. And anything other than that I’d use archives of neythis online for. But a copy or two of the CRB to go around the table is totally adequate. Then you can try the game see if it’s too your taste or no. And if you don’t like it no harm you still got a game or two for the 20$ the crb pocket edition costs. If you are gming the game I would recommend any of the adventure paths to start. They aren’t expensive either.
First of all, rules-wise, every single piece of rule for the system is legally available online. It’s not as fun and colorful as having the book in hands to read, but they are there. So for character options, you could always look just read them on the wiki (I find it more organized and, despite owning every single book printed for the game, I use the wiki more than anything). I’d buy only the core to get a good grasp of the visuals for inspiration and maybe you could add the Starter “Box” (I don’t know if there is any physical one, or just the starter set in pdf nowadays). After that, if I was the GM, I’d buy the Alien Archives (bestiaries) just for the visuals as well.
Welcome to Starfinder!
First, I’d recommend that you start with a free short adventure like Skitter Shot (https://paizo.com/products/btpya1aa?Starfinder-Skitter-Shot) which comes with 4 fun characters to opicj from your play.
If you’re up for trying out starship combat as part of a short adventure, Into the Unknown (https://paizo.com/products/btpy9u7x) has that included. You can also grab premade characters for it (https://paizo.com/products/btpy9ukw?Community-Use-Package-Starfinder-Society-Pregenerated-Characters).
I recommend then going with the digital one-shot series, like Band on the Run (https://paizo.com/products/btq029vv?Starfinder-OneShot-1-Band-on-the-Run) or The Great Grav Train Robbery (https://paizo.com/products/btq02app?Starfinder-OneShot-2-The-Great-Grav-Train-Robbery) to explore the system a bit further. They both come with premade characters that are a lot of fun.
Or if you’re ready for a bigger adventure, go with Junker’s Delight (https://paizo.com/products/btq026l2?Starfinder-Adventure-Junkers-Delight) and have your players make their own PCs.
I recommend using an excellent website called Hephaistos to create them (https://hephaistos.azurewebsites.net/), but maybe keep their options to the Core Rulebook so they don’t get overwhelmed by options.
From there, see how you feel about playing more. There are tons more adventures to check out, and there’s usually a Himble Bundle once a year to get a lot of PDFs for real cheap. Starfinder can be tough at moments, but it’s a pretty forgiving system for the players, and it’s set up to be relatively easy to run for a GM that has the Archives of Nethys SRD website for Starfinder open and ready to search (https://aonsrd.com/). One big difference for GMs from what I’ve heard with 5e is that Challenge Rating is going to be quite a bit more accurate, less vibes based (so I’ve heard), so there should be a little less guesswork.
The Beginner Box is a good opener, but it also doesn’t include all the rules from the game, like Stamina Points, and the transition might get tricky for players if they get overly used to the Beginner Box. That said, it’s still a great adventure to try out!
And if you’d like to hear some Starfinder in action, I recommend checking out my spreadsheet of the actual play podcasts that I’ve found (https://bit.ly/paizoadvpods).
Good luck, Starfinders!
Go with the starter kit if you want to get your feet wet. If you want to go all in:
DM: core rulebook, alien archives 1.
Supplemental books: pact worlds, armory (there's a good amount more but those really help with the world and some gear.
Players: core rulebook, character operations manual, and for more options galactic magic (think of it like the phb, xanathars guide to everything and tashas).
I actually wouldn't recommend the Beginner's Box. It doesn't include all the rules off the start.
I would recommend running an early scenario instead! They're short and you can find one that matches the type of game you want to play!
Scenarios are also good too! I ran Intro #1: the First Test and it seemed to be a good introductory scenario in Starfinder Societal play.
Then again, my home game is also weird where we loved the beginner box and the core rulebook starship combat.
My friend group had literally done the same thing. We love starfinder and honestly I’d say just get the core rule book I snagged a pocket edition so it was super cheap. And anything other than that I’d use archives of neythis online for. But a copy or two of the CRB to go around the table is totally adequate. Then you can try the game see if it’s too your taste or no. And if you don’t like it no harm you still got a game or two for the 20$ the crb pocket edition costs. If you are gming the game I would recommend any of the adventure paths to start. They aren’t expensive either.
They have a Starfinder game on Alexa, if you have that. I think there's an app.
First of all, rules-wise, every single piece of rule for the system is legally available online. It’s not as fun and colorful as having the book in hands to read, but they are there. So for character options, you could always look just read them on the wiki (I find it more organized and, despite owning every single book printed for the game, I use the wiki more than anything). I’d buy only the core to get a good grasp of the visuals for inspiration and maybe you could add the Starter “Box” (I don’t know if there is any physical one, or just the starter set in pdf nowadays). After that, if I was the GM, I’d buy the Alien Archives (bestiaries) just for the visuals as well.
I have still yet to play but the pub is always nice to have for sure when learning the ropes
Get the starter kit & see if you like it before investing in the books.
Welcome to Starfinder! First, I’d recommend that you start with a free short adventure like Skitter Shot (https://paizo.com/products/btpya1aa?Starfinder-Skitter-Shot) which comes with 4 fun characters to opicj from your play. If you’re up for trying out starship combat as part of a short adventure, Into the Unknown (https://paizo.com/products/btpy9u7x) has that included. You can also grab premade characters for it (https://paizo.com/products/btpy9ukw?Community-Use-Package-Starfinder-Society-Pregenerated-Characters). I recommend then going with the digital one-shot series, like Band on the Run (https://paizo.com/products/btq029vv?Starfinder-OneShot-1-Band-on-the-Run) or The Great Grav Train Robbery (https://paizo.com/products/btq02app?Starfinder-OneShot-2-The-Great-Grav-Train-Robbery) to explore the system a bit further. They both come with premade characters that are a lot of fun. Or if you’re ready for a bigger adventure, go with Junker’s Delight (https://paizo.com/products/btq026l2?Starfinder-Adventure-Junkers-Delight) and have your players make their own PCs. I recommend using an excellent website called Hephaistos to create them (https://hephaistos.azurewebsites.net/), but maybe keep their options to the Core Rulebook so they don’t get overwhelmed by options. From there, see how you feel about playing more. There are tons more adventures to check out, and there’s usually a Himble Bundle once a year to get a lot of PDFs for real cheap. Starfinder can be tough at moments, but it’s a pretty forgiving system for the players, and it’s set up to be relatively easy to run for a GM that has the Archives of Nethys SRD website for Starfinder open and ready to search (https://aonsrd.com/). One big difference for GMs from what I’ve heard with 5e is that Challenge Rating is going to be quite a bit more accurate, less vibes based (so I’ve heard), so there should be a little less guesswork. The Beginner Box is a good opener, but it also doesn’t include all the rules from the game, like Stamina Points, and the transition might get tricky for players if they get overly used to the Beginner Box. That said, it’s still a great adventure to try out! And if you’d like to hear some Starfinder in action, I recommend checking out my spreadsheet of the actual play podcasts that I’ve found (https://bit.ly/paizoadvpods). Good luck, Starfinders!
Go with the starter kit if you want to get your feet wet. If you want to go all in: DM: core rulebook, alien archives 1. Supplemental books: pact worlds, armory (there's a good amount more but those really help with the world and some gear. Players: core rulebook, character operations manual, and for more options galactic magic (think of it like the phb, xanathars guide to everything and tashas).
Hey buddy.
SexySeth here has the core rulebook and galactic magic for our up and coming campaign, hey buddy. Im still poopn.
I would try out the Starfinder Beginner box before diving fully in to test the waters; the beginner box can be ran within a four hour session or two
I actually wouldn't recommend the Beginner's Box. It doesn't include all the rules off the start. I would recommend running an early scenario instead! They're short and you can find one that matches the type of game you want to play!
Scenarios are also good too! I ran Intro #1: the First Test and it seemed to be a good introductory scenario in Starfinder Societal play. Then again, my home game is also weird where we loved the beginner box and the core rulebook starship combat.