Numenera Core Rulebook
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5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
Excellent game world and strong mechanics in the cypher system, which pushes players be more evolved with the story than just dice rolls. The world is what hooks me, great detail and interesting concept in mixing fantasy and sci-fi, it works.
Excellent game world and strong mechanics in the cypher system, which pushes players be more evolved with the story than just dice rolls. The world is what hooks me, great detail and interesting concept in mixing fantasy and sci-fi, it works.
Anselmo Formolo
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
I was immediately drawn to Numenera by the artwork (which is just stellar), but was blown away by the fantastically malleable setting (set more than 1 billion years in the Earth's future, where humans are forced to understand and survive in a Weird post x8 apocalyptic Ninth World). Then I read about the Cypher System, which turned out to be my favourite system ever! It's like chess; easy to learn, but hard to master. For the Game Master, the system is extremely flexible and is built to be able to be played completely off the cuff. You are doing yourself a diservice by not owning and playing this amazing game!
I was immediately drawn to Numenera by the artwork (which is just stellar), but was blown away by the fantastically malleable setting (set more than 1 billion years in the Earth's future, where humans are forced to understand and survive in a Weird post x8 apocalyptic Ninth World). Then I read about the Cypher System, which turned out to be my favourite system ever! It's like chess; easy to learn, but hard to master. For the Game Master, the system is extremely flexible and is built to be able to be played completely off the cuff. You are doing yourself a diservice by not owning and playing this amazing game!
MiltonMurphy
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
Before I started reading the Numenera Core Rulebook, I had a preconceived notion based on the advanced-technology-as-magic premise that I was going to be seeing more of the same as other RPGs over the years but with slightly different clothes. I was wrong. Numenera is, to me, something new. The setting is vibrant and inventive, giving a world of incredible potential to gaming fans everywhere. The Cypher system is simple and accomplishes a goal of giving a better foundation to the story by getting the mechanics out of the way. I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of this gem from Monte Cook Games and look forward to seeing it evolve.
Before I started reading the Numenera Core Rulebook, I had a preconceived notion based on the advanced-technology-as-magic premise that I was going to be seeing more of the same as other RPGs over the years but with slightly different clothes. I was wrong. Numenera is, to me, something new. The setting is vibrant and inventive, giving a world of incredible potential to gaming fans everywhere. The Cypher system is simple and accomplishes a goal of giving a better foundation to the story by getting the mechanics out of the way. I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of this gem from Monte Cook Games and look forward to seeing it evolve.
ginsusamurai
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
The setting for Numenera offers options for everything from cyber-punk laser battles to good old sword swinging dungeon crawls. This is the first game I've ever run and it makes the difficult task of being a GM much easier when the players decide to find a local fight club on their time off or want to pull of tasks that you have no real numbers for. Your gut allows you to make calls on the rules quickly without squabbling about a +1 or +2 on a roll. You can figure out just how capable a lvl 1 character is in a few minutes and after a few sessions you'll get a grasp of how powerful a max level character can be. And then build tasks to challenge either in moments without having to argue over tiny details. Improvised settings/monsters/challenges take seconds to figure out and explain and the players have the tools and knowledge to know quickly when something is beyond them or can take steps to put things in to the realm of possibility.The random swings of the d20 can be minimized by player choices, possibly even removing the d20 from the situation entirely but at a cost that the player knows and can anticipate. Randomness is only as random as the player wants it to be but ensuring success is trying and will burn out the character much faster. This gives players agency, the ability to decide outcomes or trust in fate. When the chips are down they can focus and make sure they survive, if but barely, preventing a TPK due to an ornery die that refuses to get above 10.The setting is a blast, the system is malleable, choices are everywhere and it keeps players engaged while letting a DM be as creative as they want.I love running this game and my players love being able to throw all manor of choices at me and I can roll with them in moments without even consulting tables. Great for beginners and a great change of pace for veterans.
The setting for Numenera offers options for everything from cyber-punk laser battles to good old sword swinging dungeon crawls. This is the first game I've ever run and it makes the difficult task of being a GM much easier when the players decide to find a local fight club on their time off or want to pull of tasks that you have no real numbers for. Your gut allows you to make calls on the rules quickly without squabbling about a +1 or +2 on a roll. You can figure out just how capable a lvl 1 character is in a few minutes and after a few sessions you'll get a grasp of how powerful a max level character can be. And then build tasks to challenge either in moments without having to argue over tiny details. Improvised settings/monsters/challenges take seconds to figure out and explain and the players have the tools and knowledge to know quickly when something is beyond them or can take steps to put things in to the realm of possibility.The random swings of the d20 can be minimized by player choices, possibly even removing the d20 from the situation entirely but at a cost that the player knows and can anticipate. Randomness is only as random as the player wants it to be but ensuring success is trying and will burn out the character much faster. This gives players agency, the ability to decide outcomes or trust in fate. When the chips are down they can focus and make sure they survive, if but barely, preventing a TPK due to an ornery die that refuses to get above 10.The setting is a blast, the system is malleable, choices are everywhere and it keeps players engaged while letting a DM be as creative as they want.I love running this game and my players love being able to throw all manor of choices at me and I can roll with them in moments without even consulting tables. Great for beginners and a great change of pace for veterans.
LexStarwalker
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
The Numenera corebook is beyond excellent in every measurable way. Because of the excellent binding and thick, high quality paper, my book looks good as new after over a year of hard use. It's laid out very similarly to a good travel guide, which makes it easy to find what you need. Each chapter is color coded, with the color along the top edge margin, so you can find any chapter in a moment once you learn the colors. Sidebars include definition of terms and page references for more information. The art is phenomenal. The book is beautiful and well written. The system and game itself is a lot of fun. The system is easy to learn, easy to teach, and easy to run. You will seldom need to look up rules during play once you've had a few sessions under your belt. NPCs and creatures are super easy to create on-the-fly during play. It is very easy to improvise as GM, and your prep can be spent on story and character instead of mechanics and statting out encounters. The corebook has EVERYthing you need to play and GM the game, including character creation with a healthy selection of options, the rules system including optional rules, creatures and NPCs to populate your world with, equipment, plenty of setting material, and a large number of interesting and unique numenera (the "magic items" of the setting). Finally the book includes lots of great advice for the GM on how to run a game, create adventures, and get across the weird of the setting.You could run and play Numenera for a long time with just this book. I have never had an RPG book that was as well done and complete. If my house was burning down, I would probably grab my Numenera corebook in one hand and my cat in the other.
The Numenera corebook is beyond excellent in every measurable way. Because of the excellent binding and thick, high quality paper, my book looks good as new after over a year of hard use. It's laid out very similarly to a good travel guide, which makes it easy to find what you need. Each chapter is color coded, with the color along the top edge margin, so you can find any chapter in a moment once you learn the colors. Sidebars include definition of terms and page references for more information. The art is phenomenal. The book is beautiful and well written. The system and game itself is a lot of fun. The system is easy to learn, easy to teach, and easy to run. You will seldom need to look up rules during play once you've had a few sessions under your belt. NPCs and creatures are super easy to create on-the-fly during play. It is very easy to improvise as GM, and your prep can be spent on story and character instead of mechanics and statting out encounters. The corebook has EVERYthing you need to play and GM the game, including character creation with a healthy selection of options, the rules system including optional rules, creatures and NPCs to populate your world with, equipment, plenty of setting material, and a large number of interesting and unique numenera (the "magic items" of the setting). Finally the book includes lots of great advice for the GM on how to run a game, create adventures, and get across the weird of the setting.You could run and play Numenera for a long time with just this book. I have never had an RPG book that was as well done and complete. If my house was burning down, I would probably grab my Numenera corebook in one hand and my cat in the other.
Last edited:
Alphastream
Adventurer
3 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
This game suffers from unrealistic expectations and an incredible amount of attention. In truth, this is a fairly simple Indie-style game. The core rules needed to play the game would fill just a small booklet... so small that you wouldn't need to create a "Quick-Play" version. The majority of the book is gorgeous artwork and then setting and other additional material (most of it due to the Kickstarter campaign's incredible success). While that extra material is very good, it does still leave us with a very simple game. Our group ran a short campaign based upon the WondLa novels written by Tony DiTerlizzi. (I highly recommend the novels and they work great as an intro campaign for new players). We found that a number of rules suffered from what felt like insufficient playtesting. The concept of DM intrusions is great but awkward in practice. The way experience works is often contrary to what players and DM desire. Player abilities and monster challenge don't always match up well. But, beyond that, this is a fun game. We had a great time playing this as a departure from our main roleplaying game. It is a great way to have a taste of sci-fi. It does a good job of using Indie game concepts and creating a light and enjoyable experience. But, for us, it wasn't a game robust and playtested enough to stand as our go-to game... and not even as a secondary game we would consistently play when not playing our primary game. We still would recommend gamers try the game.
This game suffers from unrealistic expectations and an incredible amount of attention. In truth, this is a fairly simple Indie-style game. The core rules needed to play the game would fill just a small booklet... so small that you wouldn't need to create a "Quick-Play" version. The majority of the book is gorgeous artwork and then setting and other additional material (most of it due to the Kickstarter campaign's incredible success). While that extra material is very good, it does still leave us with a very simple game. Our group ran a short campaign based upon the WondLa novels written by Tony DiTerlizzi. (I highly recommend the novels and they work great as an intro campaign for new players). We found that a number of rules suffered from what felt like insufficient playtesting. The concept of DM intrusions is great but awkward in practice. The way experience works is often contrary to what players and DM desire. Player abilities and monster challenge don't always match up well. But, beyond that, this is a fun game. We had a great time playing this as a departure from our main roleplaying game. It is a great way to have a taste of sci-fi. It does a good job of using Indie game concepts and creating a light and enjoyable experience. But, for us, it wasn't a game robust and playtested enough to stand as our go-to game... and not even as a secondary game we would consistently play when not playing our primary game. We still would recommend gamers try the game.
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
I must admit I have always been a sucker for a good Sci-Fantasy book or game. I jumped on the Numenera band wagon with the pre-orders of the core book after the kick starter closed, I sort of missed the kick starter (D'oh) but since then I have scooped everything they put out. The system is simple and intuitive for fast paced game play, basically everything follows the same set of rules (attacks, climbing,hiding...). But There are few things in the rules that I find very interesting, gaining experience and the idea of throwing out challenge rating. The first interesting twist in the game is a break from tying experience to creatures, you gain experience for making discoveries and finding artifacts. While it sounds simple enough it changes the mindset, combat is not required ever. Plus combat can be pretty deadly so avoiding it is not a bad thing.The second is the idea that the world's challenge rating scales with your character, that does not happen in Numenera. So challenge rating to perform a task is not harder if you are high level, it is static. Seems so simple. The world and the creature around you do not level up with you, you are not forced to encounter creatures within your challenge rating This makes for a more consistent play no matter what level (or tier in Numenera terms). This does a few things, first the players can really see there growth, something that seemed difficult early on gets easier as they progress. Second it breaks the idea that every encounter should be conquerable through combat, some harder then others but still with in your means. Not true in Numenera....you see Dread Destroy..you better run, even high tiered characters will die horribly.Enough about the rules, in my eyes it is the setting that makes this book worth every penny. If Monte Cooke games would have just released the setting for another game system I would still be happy. You can see that there was a lot of time, effort and thought put into the setting. It is built as a framework, just enough detail to allow a GM to take hold and make it is own. You can see the years of experience Monte has a GM right here. It is an amazing world that is easy to play in and easy to customize. I read or heard some where, not sure if it was the blog or maybe a web cast, that Monte planned it out that way, he also stated that their intention is to never flush it out but to leave it the GM's.All in all it has been the best book I purchased in a long time. As you can tell I am sort of fan-boy of the setting and the system and I play it/demo it or run it as often as I can.
I must admit I have always been a sucker for a good Sci-Fantasy book or game. I jumped on the Numenera band wagon with the pre-orders of the core book after the kick starter closed, I sort of missed the kick starter (D'oh) but since then I have scooped everything they put out. The system is simple and intuitive for fast paced game play, basically everything follows the same set of rules (attacks, climbing,hiding...). But There are few things in the rules that I find very interesting, gaining experience and the idea of throwing out challenge rating. The first interesting twist in the game is a break from tying experience to creatures, you gain experience for making discoveries and finding artifacts. While it sounds simple enough it changes the mindset, combat is not required ever. Plus combat can be pretty deadly so avoiding it is not a bad thing.The second is the idea that the world's challenge rating scales with your character, that does not happen in Numenera. So challenge rating to perform a task is not harder if you are high level, it is static. Seems so simple. The world and the creature around you do not level up with you, you are not forced to encounter creatures within your challenge rating This makes for a more consistent play no matter what level (or tier in Numenera terms). This does a few things, first the players can really see there growth, something that seemed difficult early on gets easier as they progress. Second it breaks the idea that every encounter should be conquerable through combat, some harder then others but still with in your means. Not true in Numenera....you see Dread Destroy..you better run, even high tiered characters will die horribly.Enough about the rules, in my eyes it is the setting that makes this book worth every penny. If Monte Cooke games would have just released the setting for another game system I would still be happy. You can see that there was a lot of time, effort and thought put into the setting. It is built as a framework, just enough detail to allow a GM to take hold and make it is own. You can see the years of experience Monte has a GM right here. It is an amazing world that is easy to play in and easy to customize. I read or heard some where, not sure if it was the blog or maybe a web cast, that Monte planned it out that way, he also stated that their intention is to never flush it out but to leave it the GM's.All in all it has been the best book I purchased in a long time. As you can tell I am sort of fan-boy of the setting and the system and I play it/demo it or run it as often as I can.
grafikchaos
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook
What I love about Numenera, aside from the gorgeous artwork, attention to world detail, and downright simplicity in mechanics and play, is the fact that this is a story-driven rpg with some cool modern mechanics to back up those stories. Sure, I love chucking dice, looking for modifiers and becoming a tactical threat, but this isn't that type of game. This game is about cool characters facing incredible odds with cool gadgets and never enough information about what they need to accomplish. There are dice, and you can get tactical with it, but all of that is in the background. The characters and their adventures are what make this game shine. All around, this is a fantastic game and belongs in any rpg gamer's library.
What I love about Numenera, aside from the gorgeous artwork, attention to world detail, and downright simplicity in mechanics and play, is the fact that this is a story-driven rpg with some cool modern mechanics to back up those stories. Sure, I love chucking dice, looking for modifiers and becoming a tactical threat, but this isn't that type of game. This game is about cool characters facing incredible odds with cool gadgets and never enough information about what they need to accomplish. There are dice, and you can get tactical with it, but all of that is in the background. The characters and their adventures are what make this game shine. All around, this is a fantastic game and belongs in any rpg gamer's library.
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