I liked Starfinder but liked the rules less. The characters were a lot of work, and this is the legacy of D&D 3.5. Rules that are overly intricate and detailed for minor mechanical benefits. Things start like B/X with a few hit points, one attack, and a d4 or d6 weapon. This is great!
As you gain levels, your character sheet needs computer programs and paragraphs of text printed for special rules, spells, and abilities. Your character sheet is 4 to 6 printed pages of data at mid-levels. At level 10, I have seen characters over a dozen printed pages of rules, one as long as twenty pages.
When your character sheet is longer than a rules-light game, you may need help.
The legacy of D & D and its modern incantations with Paizo and Wizards is this same sales model - dozens of books, more rules, and computer programs needed to figure things out. Every few years, reset the game with a new edition, fool more people into thinking the game is simple, and then start making the next version bloated and complex.
Starfinder is still fantastic.
But the rules, especially for a game that is supposed to simulate the "hop in a spaceship and go!" source material, do not need a rules-heavy 3.5-era simulation running the engine behind the scenes. If someone says, "this looks cool, I want to be like Guardians of the Galaxy!" please do not force a GM or group to walk them through 3.5-style character creation and have them read hundreds of pages of powers, spells, rules, and special abilities just to get playing.
Yes, the Starfinder Starter Set does a great job, but the framework behind the game needs to be lighter for lighthearted space gaming - especially for long-term play.
I would have a problem using a d00 game to play Starfinder because everything interesting would get thrown out. It would be fun, but it would be FrontierSpace in Starfinder clothes. What makes Starfinder mechanically interesting is tied up in the rules, classes, powers, and interactions between the powers and monsters. You play the game specifically to design characters to take advantage of the rules to give yourself a mechanical benefit on the table.
This is the 3.5-era legacy and what it has done to gaming. Yes, there is a story, but why you play is deeply rooted in seeking mechanical benefits in the rules.
Still, Starfinder would feel a bit saner under a different rules system; even a basic B/X shell would do the game wonders. I would love a simplified B/X Starfinder, and a few games do this already, such as the excellent White Star Galaxy Edition. This keeps the sci-fi experience in a d20 framework while drastically simplifying the rules.
If I want magic in the system, it is easy enough. Drop it right in any White Box or Swords & Wizardry-style class. Star elves, space dwarves, and anything else with that fantasy and sci-fi mix Starfinder does can be added in as-is to the game with no problem. Spells work as-is.
Also, with a d20 framework, converting from a 3.5-era ruleset is far more manageable. AC and hit-dice would convert in mostly intact; attack damage would need to be adjusted since Starfinder uses 3.5 damage scaling, and monsters could be approximated fast and without too much effort. Effects would be saved against, and since this is WB/S&W, there is one save number! WB/S&W monsters drop right in, so if you want space goblins and space dragons, they are balanced and play-ready.
This article had little to do with d00 games, but there are times when a better game fits the genre and conversion and does the job with much less work.
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