Every week, Now You Know recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, previews the Know Direction content of the week to come, as the director of operations, Ryan Costello, shares his thoughts on the state of the network.
In my previous Now You Know, when discussing Paizo’s sparse Gen Con Online 2023 seminar schedule, one detail I considered highlighting but decided not to was the lack of Starfinder seminars. I assumed this meant that Paizo wanted to focus on Pathfinder Remaster, leaving Starfinder to get mentioned but nothing more.
There was more!
The biggest news from Erik Mona’s Keynote Address was the announcement of Starfinder 2nd edition. The new edition’s primary design goal is Pathfinder 2e compatibility. The timing makes sense, Starfinder Enhanced notwithstanding. As John and Jason pointed out in a recent Digital Divination, the Starfinder Core Rulebook has a whole chapter on compatibility with Pathfinder 1e, forever tying it to a now out-of-print edition. If every new edition of Starfinder’s destiny is to be compatible with the latest edition of Pathfinder, then that will normally leave an awkward transition period of a few years whenever a new edition of Pathfinder releases. But, with Pathfinder Remaster on the horizon, a new edition of Starfinder benefits from the refresh and repolish of a now tried and tested edition of its sister system.
Of course, the move from the OGL to the ORC forced both edition shifts. Although Pathfinder 2nd edition changed enough from the first edition that it arguably didn’t need to be tied to the OGL, Starfinder still had OGL in its guts. Somehow, this inevitability still seemed like a surprise.
Personally, I hope this is my opportunity to get a little more Starfinder in my life. I missed the Starfinder spaceboat the first time around. It debuted around the same time as my oldest daughter, and the network was at its busiest at the time. I didn’t have time to fully dedicate to a new game. As my daughters become more independent, I have more time now. Granted, I’ve never more than dabbled in more than one RPG system at a time, and I’ve struggled with Pathfinder 2e play’s demands on my ability to remember what all my abilities do. So, realistically, will I play more Starfinder when the second edition comes out? Probably not. But I’m excited for the possibility that I might.
Network Update
Our flagships are once again going on hiatus. As Esther and Navaar mentioned in the last episode of the Know Direction Podcast, they’ll be taking a brief break to deal with some personal issues and revamp their recording schedule. Know Direction: Beyond, on the other hand, is going on a longer break. Producer John needs to reduce his commitments to the network, and KD: B was the easiest ball to put down.
That doesn’t leave you without Paizo RPG news, reviews, and interviews podcasts, however. For Pathfinder, Loren and Jess have been covering timely content on Legend Lore, much of which Jess contributed to and therefore comes with an insider edge. Additionally, as Esther mentioned when announcing the KD hiatus, the new format will include unscheduled mini news episodes when something of note comes up.
On the Starfinder side, Digital Divination regularly dedicates episodes to news related to the Pact Worlds. This includes the latest episode, covering the Starfinder 2e announcement.
I know our flagship releases have been rocky for a while now, but it’s important to give the new show time to find its comfort zone. I’ve given Esther and Navaar the freedom to make the show what they want it to be. I’m happy with what they’ve put out so far, and especially excited about the prospect of news flashes in the future.
Speaking of network content, here are the articles and podcasts that released last week:
Recap of August 7th to August 11th
What happened last week on knowdirectionpodcast.com and twitch.tv/knowdirection?
Monday, August 7th
Podcast
Intrepid Heroes 113 – Grandpa Razz
Oh no! I just realized I haven’t listened to this episode yet.
Tuesday, August 8th
Podcast
Game Design Unboxed 69: Smug Owls
I’m thinking of getting Mike Belsole and Grace Kendall’s Smug Owls, published by Runaway Games, for my GMing. It’s a riddle building party game, where cards randomly generate a riddle, and the players come up with clever solutions. If that’s not the best way to make your players feel clever, I don’t know what is.
Article
Eldritch Excursion – Epidermal Depth
By Nate Wright
Nate dresses Starfinder players up in the finest biological armor.
Wednesday, August 9th
Podcast
Know Direction 293 – Rage of Elements Part 1
Esther and Navaar look at the Pathfinder 2e kineticist class, the new genie ancestry, and how the elemental planes interact.
Thursday, August 10th
Podcast
Digital Divination 089 – Starfinder 2.0
John and Jason cover Paizo’s biggest news from Gen Con, the Starfinder 2e announcement, starting with the Starfinder Field Tests.
Friday, August 10th
Article
Essential Builds – Richard The Warlock
By Ryan Costello
I wanted to show off the Essence20 spellcasting system introduced in the My Little Pony Roleplaying Game. I didn’t need to contemplate spellcaster candidates long, since I’m surrounded by Looking For Group merch, most of which features Richard the undead warlock. And since at the time I only had one Essential Builds scheduled to release before LFG’s indefinite hiatus begins on August 31st, I knew Richard had to be my next pop culture adaptation. He may not be as iconic as Batman, but I daresay he was more fun to build.
Preview of August 14th to August 18th
This is Block 2 of our 2-block schedule.
Monday, August 14th
Article
Now You Know – Starfinder 2e
By Ryan Costello
There’s more than one way to find the stars.
Tuesday, August 15th
Podcast
Tavern Rats 004
The continuing adventures of the Tavern Rats, as they play through the Pathfinder 2e Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path.
Thursday, August 17th
Podcast
Legend Lore 61
Jessica and Loren talk Pathfinder 2e.
Article
Investing In
By Rob Pontious
Rob shares what he loves about the RPGs he’s been playing lately, and why you should check them out.
Friday, August 18th
Podcast
Upshift 022 – Gen Con 2023
Jason and I talk Gen Con 2023, from the show overall, to the Essence20 content and announcements, to my personal experience.
Now you know,
Ryan Costello
