Announced: Starfinder

Check this out:

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5litw?Announcing-the-Starfinder-Roleplaying-Game

Pathfinder, in space? And a release date in 2017 at GenCon. From the article:

Next August, Paizo will be releasing the Starfinder Roleplaying Game—a new science fantasy RPG based on the Pathfinder universe and rules, but complete and standalone. It'll be backward compatible, so you can still use all those Pathfinder RPG bestiaries, but will feature all sorts of new classes, races, equipment, and other elements uniquely suited to our far-future setting.

Color me slightly interested. In a setting book. I would have loved for this to be done as a part of a Pathfinder 2.0 with a rules simplification, more modern social play aspects, and a multi-genre setting - but  it is being added on to what already exists. Which for us and our collection, is a whole lot, and while we know you don't have to play with anything else but Starfinder, I really, really don't think I would want to use the existing Pathfinder material with a game like this (even though that is a huge part of the appeal).

My problem is, there are a lot of other games out that we feel do sci-fi better than d20. Fantasy Flight's Star Wars RPG is excellent, we just picked up Savage Worlds' Space Compendium, there's Traveller, FATE, Star Frontiers, and a lot of other systems which feel like a better alternative to "d20 in Space."

Escalating hit points? The abstract AC system where powerful weapons need a huge plus to-hit (to get through tough/high-AC armor)? A skill system which rewards combat-focused builds over social and technical ones? These d20 mechanics have always had a tough  time converting over to sci-fi, at least for our group, and I am a little wary about this being anything more than a worldbook thing than something we actually play.

As an expansion for Golarion and Pathfinder adventures? I can see that. The strength of their existing world is what is going to be the draw here. Space monsters in bestiaries would be cool, as long as they are not borrowed too heavily from sci-fi movies and fiction out there (xenomorphs) and we get a bunch of cool new space baddies. More space societies, planets, dangerous places, and aliens done in the Paizo style? I am all for that.

The rules? Not so convinced, but then again, we shall see.