dm4hire
Explorer
Monte Cook Games released the Numenera Bestiary today to the general public; Kickstart supporters have had it for a couple of weeks. Here is my initial review of the book just from glancing through it real fast and by that I mean five minutes after downloading and before heading to class.
The book looks gorgeous and is well laid out. The artwork is exactly as expected for the setting and stays in tune with the feel of the game established in the core book and subsequent module and “Glimmers”. It is divided into four sections: the introduction, Designing Numenera Creatures, Ecology of the Ninth World, and Creatures of the Ninth World.
Monte’s introduction is casual and gives a taste of his inspiration when it comes to monsters, calling back memories of watching creature features as a kid. He then talks about design and staying true to the spirit of the game. He finishes with a brief list of inspirational source material that they used in designing the creatures for the book.
Designing Numenera Creatures is just what you might think it is; discussing how to design your own creatures and fit them into your setting. This section impresses me in that it is the first major section of the book and shows Monte’s intention of the players and fans making the game their own. Usually a section of monster design is either toward the back or is a completely separate book in itself, if the game designers even venture into letting players have that option. The artwork that accompanies it is excellent and adds to the tone of the section, including a sample art of a dissection of a Crag Worm with a brief excerpt from the person who supposedly drew it.
The Ecology of the Ninth World covers a variety of things in its brief five pages. It has a discussion on the ecosystem, domestic animals and mounts, life cycle artwork, and the impact of the Numenera on the ecosystem.
Bulk of the book as to be expected is Creatures of the Ninth World. It starts on page 16 with a explaining how to read the creature stat blocks. Next is a list of creatures by level and random encounter tables. The descriptions and amazing artwork for the actual creatures begins on page 20 and goes through page 158. One interesting addition to this section is that the book also serves as an NPC guide by including three sample wandering characters you might encounter in the Character section as well as a People of Renown section.
Overall the book looks great as I mentioned and well worth picking up if you are running Numenera. If not, this is still a perfect addition to any game if you are looking for new and interesting monsters to add to your game and surprise your players. The artwork sets a perfect tone for any game by itself in that aspect. In fact you could even combine it with the Creature Deck that is also available now. The book sells for 39.99 or you can pick the PDF up for 14.99. The Creature Deck is 19.99 on DriveThruRPG for the combo of deck and PDF. I would give it four stars at least. Enjoy!
The book looks gorgeous and is well laid out. The artwork is exactly as expected for the setting and stays in tune with the feel of the game established in the core book and subsequent module and “Glimmers”. It is divided into four sections: the introduction, Designing Numenera Creatures, Ecology of the Ninth World, and Creatures of the Ninth World.
Monte’s introduction is casual and gives a taste of his inspiration when it comes to monsters, calling back memories of watching creature features as a kid. He then talks about design and staying true to the spirit of the game. He finishes with a brief list of inspirational source material that they used in designing the creatures for the book.
Designing Numenera Creatures is just what you might think it is; discussing how to design your own creatures and fit them into your setting. This section impresses me in that it is the first major section of the book and shows Monte’s intention of the players and fans making the game their own. Usually a section of monster design is either toward the back or is a completely separate book in itself, if the game designers even venture into letting players have that option. The artwork that accompanies it is excellent and adds to the tone of the section, including a sample art of a dissection of a Crag Worm with a brief excerpt from the person who supposedly drew it.
The Ecology of the Ninth World covers a variety of things in its brief five pages. It has a discussion on the ecosystem, domestic animals and mounts, life cycle artwork, and the impact of the Numenera on the ecosystem.
Bulk of the book as to be expected is Creatures of the Ninth World. It starts on page 16 with a explaining how to read the creature stat blocks. Next is a list of creatures by level and random encounter tables. The descriptions and amazing artwork for the actual creatures begins on page 20 and goes through page 158. One interesting addition to this section is that the book also serves as an NPC guide by including three sample wandering characters you might encounter in the Character section as well as a People of Renown section.
Overall the book looks great as I mentioned and well worth picking up if you are running Numenera. If not, this is still a perfect addition to any game if you are looking for new and interesting monsters to add to your game and surprise your players. The artwork sets a perfect tone for any game by itself in that aspect. In fact you could even combine it with the Creature Deck that is also available now. The book sells for 39.99 or you can pick the PDF up for 14.99. The Creature Deck is 19.99 on DriveThruRPG for the combo of deck and PDF. I would give it four stars at least. Enjoy!
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