By Jen Carman on May 30, 2016 at 3:52pm
Last year, con-go-ers watched day by day as an enormous kraken was created, its balloon-lattice arms slowly filling the corridor outside of the Exhibit Hall in the Indiana Convention Center. For those eagerly awaiting it, this year’s giant balloon creation has finally been announced! Balloon Sculptor Tim Thurmond will build “a forbidding ice castle guarded by an ancient beast.” The castle will be stormed on Sunday August 7 at noon! As the castle is built, attendees can bid to be part of the opening attack before the no-holds-barred destruction begins! All proceeds will go to the Gen Con 2016 charity, The PourHouse.
On a more delicious note, Gen Con announced the name of Sun King Brewery’s specialty brew: 20-Sided Rye! Be sure to be on Georgia Street from 5-10pm on August 3rd for the con kick off tapping of this limited edition beer with live music at 6pm by The Way Down Wanderers!
Finally, one of the most intriguing release announcements to come out of the Gen Con 2016 prep hype is a new tabletop RPG from Paizo. Building off of their incredibly lucrative and wildly popular Pathfinder universe and the deep-seeded desire by players and (they say) most of the designers to set a campaign in the far, super-techno-advanced future, Paizo presents…
…A new science fiction fantasy RPG based on the aforementioned Pathfinder universe and rules. I know what you’re thinking. “Paizo just wants me to repurchase all my class books and bestiaries for this new setting,” but no, friends! Starfinder is complete and stand-alone, yes, but also backwards compatible. Continue using all those tried and true foes but this time IN SPACE! It will also feature its own new classes, races, equipment, and features to round out the new far-future setting.
From Paizo’s announcement page:
So how does all this science fantasy goodness fit into the Pathfinder setting? Simple: Starfinder is set in Golarion's solar system, but far in a possible future—one in which the gods have mysteriously spirited Golarion away to an unknown location, and refuse to answer questions about it. In its place, the cultures of that world have evolved and spread throughout the solar system, especially to a vast space platform called Absalom Station. Gifted access to a hyperspace dimension by an ascended AI deity, the residents of the system suddenly find themselves with the ability to travel faster than light, and the race is on to explore and colonize potentially millions of worlds. But there are horrors out there in the darkness...
The Starfinder RPG Core Rulebook will release at Gen Con 2017 along with a monthly Starfinder Adventure Path right alongside their currently running Pathfinder Adventure Paths. Be prepared for monsters. “Lots of Monsters.”
The PourHouse Sun King Brewery The Starfinder Role Playing Game
