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Cypher System Rulebook
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<blockquote data-quote="Desh-Rae-Halra" data-source="post: 6670746" data-attributes="member: 81852"><p><strong>4 out of 5 rating for Cypher System Rulebook</strong></p><p></p><p>I pre-ordered the Cypher System Rulebook and have browsed over it. Overall,I really like it but I think there is an important caveat. This review also assumes that the reader knows something about the Cypher System games currently out (such as Numenera or The Strange)</p><p>Lets get to what is in it first.In terms of “classes”: </p><p>If you played Numenera you had Glaives, Jack, and Nano</p><p>In The Strange you had Vectors, Paradox, and Spinners</p><p>Cypher System has Warriors, Adepts, Explorers, and Speakers</p><p></p><p>They give you ideas about what these types might be called in specific settings ( such as Fantasy, Modern/Horror, Sci-Fi, or Superhero) One new aspect is called "Flavors". These are ways to further customize your character to fit a specific archetype</p><p>Categories of Flavors: Stealth, Technology, Magic, Combat, Skills and Knowledge</p><p>These are traded out for your regular Tier appropriate abilities. So instead of taking 2 Tier 1 abilities as a Warrior, you might Take 1 from the Warriors list and 1 from the Technology for a Cyborg style character.</p><p>I might houserule this where characters get 1 Flavor per Tier (free),or can buy another flavor with XP as part of the character advancement.</p><p></p><p> Descriptors: Probably most of this material is covered in Numenera Character Options or The Strange’s In Translation (character options), there doesn’t seem to be much new here,however if you dont own those books, this will expand your repertoire</p><p></p><p>Foci: Kind of a mixed bag here, most of them are found in either Numenera or The Strange, but there are some new ones. </p><p>On the good side you have Foci like: Slays Monsters, Sees Beyond, Pilots Starcraft, Calculates the Incalculable, Masters The Swarm</p><p>Some are re-flavored like Hunts Outcasts/Nonhumans (which in Numenera might have been Hunts Abhumans)…Others I wondered about like: Doesn’t Do Much, or Would Rather Be Reading</p><p>So Yes, you can be a Weird Speaker who Doesn't Do Much.</p><p></p><p>The Rules Section has some new additions such as a Vehicular combat chart, rules on Gaining Insight, and rules on Crafting. </p><p>There is a Chapter that covers each type of Genre, with suggestions on the types typical for that setting:</p><p> So for Fantasy: A Barbarian would be a Explorer flavored with Combat, a Cleric might be a Speaker flavored with Magic</p><p>In the Modern Setting: a Detective could be an Explorer with Stealth flavor, or a Doctor might be an Explorer or Speaker with Skills and Knowledge Flavor</p><p>In the Superhero setting:</p><p>Tony Stark might be an Adept or Explorer with technology flavor</p><p>Scott Summers might be an Adept or Speaker with Combat Flavor</p><p>Ben Grimm might be a Tough Warrior who Abides in Stone</p><p></p><p>How are they superheroic/different from ordinary characters? The answer= "Power Shifts": Each hero can have up to 5, and they function exactly like Permanently active Levels of Effort.You can have these in categories such as: Accuracy, Intelligence, Power, Resistance, etc. It’s recommended that no one have more than 3 Power Shifts in one area, but this certainly adds a Superheroic (A- Lister) feel to the character. </p><p></p><p>So if you were going for a Martial Arts hero (Iron Fist?) He might have 3 Power Shifts in Accuracy, so Level 3 opponents and lower he automatically hits, a level 4 opponent he hits on a d20 roll of 3 or less, etc. I think this section really adds to the game. </p><p>I was sadly disappointed that they did not add the Mutation option/Tables from Numenera, as many Supers are "mutants". They probably could have re-flavored some of them from Numenera to fit the Supers Genre. IfI run a Supers, I will adapt those from Numenera as other character options. </p><p></p><p>There is also a section on how to build Tiers. For people trying to emulate certain Supers, this might be hard at Tier 1, but there are suggestions of what kinds of abilities you can customize at each Tier. </p><p></p><p>The GameMaster section has a good sampling of creatures: a good mix of the genres ( dinosaurs, vampires, fantasy monsters, zombies etc.) as well as plenty of sample human NPCs. It also has a good chunk of Cyphers, including a new type called a Subtle Cypher</p><p>Also it has a big chunk of Gamemastering advice for those new to the Cypher System. At the back is a campaign design worksheet as well as a new Cypher System character sheet, which I think is maybe the best one yet in the Cypher system range of products. It is very easy to read and can still be folded into the “brochure” style.</p><p></p><p>My caveat with this is that if you have been a Monte Cook Games fan and already own Numenera and The Strange, then you are really re-paying for a lot of content you already have. I unfortunately fit into this category. </p><p></p><p>I still really like the book for the tweaks they made, but this would be hard to recommend to someone like myself. For someone new to the Cypher System, you are getting it all right here and this book is a STEAL! I think this book fires up the imagination and you get a system that is not cluttered with rules about every aspect of existence. I really like this book, I just wish they would have added much more in terms of original content (Descriptors and Foci mainly) rather than rehashing what was in 4 other books (Numenera Corebook, The Strange Corebook, and each game specific Character Options book. ).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Desh-Rae-Halra, post: 6670746, member: 81852"] [b]4 out of 5 rating for Cypher System Rulebook[/b] I pre-ordered the Cypher System Rulebook and have browsed over it. Overall,I really like it but I think there is an important caveat. This review also assumes that the reader knows something about the Cypher System games currently out (such as Numenera or The Strange) Lets get to what is in it first.In terms of “classes”: If you played Numenera you had Glaives, Jack, and Nano In The Strange you had Vectors, Paradox, and Spinners Cypher System has Warriors, Adepts, Explorers, and Speakers They give you ideas about what these types might be called in specific settings ( such as Fantasy, Modern/Horror, Sci-Fi, or Superhero) One new aspect is called "Flavors". These are ways to further customize your character to fit a specific archetype Categories of Flavors: Stealth, Technology, Magic, Combat, Skills and Knowledge These are traded out for your regular Tier appropriate abilities. So instead of taking 2 Tier 1 abilities as a Warrior, you might Take 1 from the Warriors list and 1 from the Technology for a Cyborg style character. I might houserule this where characters get 1 Flavor per Tier (free),or can buy another flavor with XP as part of the character advancement. Descriptors: Probably most of this material is covered in Numenera Character Options or The Strange’s In Translation (character options), there doesn’t seem to be much new here,however if you dont own those books, this will expand your repertoire Foci: Kind of a mixed bag here, most of them are found in either Numenera or The Strange, but there are some new ones. On the good side you have Foci like: Slays Monsters, Sees Beyond, Pilots Starcraft, Calculates the Incalculable, Masters The Swarm Some are re-flavored like Hunts Outcasts/Nonhumans (which in Numenera might have been Hunts Abhumans)…Others I wondered about like: Doesn’t Do Much, or Would Rather Be Reading So Yes, you can be a Weird Speaker who Doesn't Do Much. The Rules Section has some new additions such as a Vehicular combat chart, rules on Gaining Insight, and rules on Crafting. There is a Chapter that covers each type of Genre, with suggestions on the types typical for that setting: So for Fantasy: A Barbarian would be a Explorer flavored with Combat, a Cleric might be a Speaker flavored with Magic In the Modern Setting: a Detective could be an Explorer with Stealth flavor, or a Doctor might be an Explorer or Speaker with Skills and Knowledge Flavor In the Superhero setting: Tony Stark might be an Adept or Explorer with technology flavor Scott Summers might be an Adept or Speaker with Combat Flavor Ben Grimm might be a Tough Warrior who Abides in Stone How are they superheroic/different from ordinary characters? The answer= "Power Shifts": Each hero can have up to 5, and they function exactly like Permanently active Levels of Effort.You can have these in categories such as: Accuracy, Intelligence, Power, Resistance, etc. It’s recommended that no one have more than 3 Power Shifts in one area, but this certainly adds a Superheroic (A- Lister) feel to the character. So if you were going for a Martial Arts hero (Iron Fist?) He might have 3 Power Shifts in Accuracy, so Level 3 opponents and lower he automatically hits, a level 4 opponent he hits on a d20 roll of 3 or less, etc. I think this section really adds to the game. I was sadly disappointed that they did not add the Mutation option/Tables from Numenera, as many Supers are "mutants". They probably could have re-flavored some of them from Numenera to fit the Supers Genre. IfI run a Supers, I will adapt those from Numenera as other character options. There is also a section on how to build Tiers. For people trying to emulate certain Supers, this might be hard at Tier 1, but there are suggestions of what kinds of abilities you can customize at each Tier. The GameMaster section has a good sampling of creatures: a good mix of the genres ( dinosaurs, vampires, fantasy monsters, zombies etc.) as well as plenty of sample human NPCs. It also has a good chunk of Cyphers, including a new type called a Subtle Cypher Also it has a big chunk of Gamemastering advice for those new to the Cypher System. At the back is a campaign design worksheet as well as a new Cypher System character sheet, which I think is maybe the best one yet in the Cypher system range of products. It is very easy to read and can still be folded into the “brochure” style. My caveat with this is that if you have been a Monte Cook Games fan and already own Numenera and The Strange, then you are really re-paying for a lot of content you already have. I unfortunately fit into this category. I still really like the book for the tweaks they made, but this would be hard to recommend to someone like myself. For someone new to the Cypher System, you are getting it all right here and this book is a STEAL! I think this book fires up the imagination and you get a system that is not cluttered with rules about every aspect of existence. I really like this book, I just wish they would have added much more in terms of original content (Descriptors and Foci mainly) rather than rehashing what was in 4 other books (Numenera Corebook, The Strange Corebook, and each game specific Character Options book. ). [/QUOTE]
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