Paizo, the company behind the tabletop RPG Pathfinder, just announced they're bringing their sci-fi themed tabletop roleplaying game, Starfinder, to the audio/digital world as an Amazon Alexa skill (Alexa skills are interactive programs that can be run through Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo). The game releases on December 16th, 2019.
Starfinder as an RPG setting is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy, merging dragons, starships, computers, and goblins into a mix of futuristic adventure hard to find in current RPGs. Set thousands of years in the future of the Pathfinder world, the game setting offers up alien races and futuristic classes, but all rooted in fantasy history. (For more info, check out our review of the Starfinder Beginner Box.)
This new solo adventure, Starfinder: Scoundrels in the Spike will take a player's Starfinder hero into the depths of Absalom Station to figure out who or what is causing mass chaos and destruction. In the game world, Absalom Station is a sprawling space station that over 2 Million inhabitants call home, and is a focal point in the galaxy thanks to its proximity to the "Drift," a plane of existence that connects every point in the galaxy.
In this adventure, players will be able to take on the role of familiar characters from the Starfinder Beginner Box. As stated in the announcement blog for the project:
Starfinder fans will recognize the player character options as Iseph the iconic operative, Quig the iconic mechanic, and Navasi the iconic envoy. What’s more, Raia the iconic technomancer can serve as a best friend and sidekick in these adventures. Simply put, there’s a lot to recognize and love if you’re already a fan of Starfinder. If you’re new to the game or even to tabletop RPGs in general, this experience is a fantastic gateway to a lifetime of adventure and fun
Adapted for Alexa by James L. Sutter, the former Starfinder Creative Director, this introductory episode was originally written for the Starfinder Beginner Box by Starfinder Managing Developer Amanda Hamon. In a press release, Hamon hints at future paid adventures coming down the line. The game is fully voice-acted and contains immersive sound effects. This also marks the first major tabletop RPG company to officially release Alexa Skill for a mainline game — previously RPG-centric Alexa skills include an adventure using OSRIC (an open-source version of the first edition of D&D), a game based on RuneScape, and a handy dungeon assistant for D&D 5e.
Check out Starfinder: Scoundrels in the Spike when it hits Alexa on December 16th.
What do you think of integrating tabletop roleplaying games into Alexa as skills/games? Will you be checking this out? Let us know in the comments below.
