[Numenera] Is the Steadfast a Matriarchy?

[vilani]

I ask because I just finished the core rulebook and I noticed that nearly every named character (and many unnamed) are females. I don't mind that but nowhere in the setting information is that communicated so it seems just a PC thing. All the pronouns are also she throughout the book further reinforcing the idea its not a setting thing but a PC thing.

To give context to my question I really don't mind if that is the case. Monte (or any designer) can create any world they like. As someone who has been running D&D since 79 I have a strong science-fantasy theme running through my campaigns and my homebrew setting (I am currently running the Iron Gods Adventure Path and have run Expedition to the Barrier Peak as a mini-campaign for every edition of D&D since it was published). So I am always on the lookout for things to "pilfer". I am also a big fan of the Dying Earth. Someone recommended Numenera to me not only because of those two points but because it has a similar feel to my beloved Planescape setting. All that is by way of saying.. I am not a hater. I really love this setting. I spent the last three days devouring the core book and now I am working my way through all the other released books. But the all female cast strikes me as very odd design choice without any contextualisation within the game.

 

[neobolts]

Didn't get the sense that the Steadfast was a matriarchy at all. Certainly the leadership of the Steadfast is a mix of men and women (and one ruling council), with kings ruling a number of the Nine. The current Amber Pope is female. The Order of Truth doesn't offer guidance on gender roles or sexual conduct. I got the impression that the elder child (male or female) was favored in large parts of the Steadfast. As civilization fades, it gets weird fast. You could easily encounter matriarchies, patriarchies, and societies where the heads of household are selected by talking worms that emerge once a year from metallic trees that grow overnight.

 

[Aldarc]

I don't think that the Steadfast is necessarily matriarchal. It will vary from village to village. If you read through their supplement Love & Sex in the Ninth World, you get the sense for how the numenera itself has made matters of gender, sexuality, romance, and even procreation incredibly more fluid than it would be otherwise in most settings. MCG explicitly sought to make Numenera a diverse setting, and you can see this in the art direction as well. MCG directed their artists to draw more ethnically ambiguous characters.

In regards to the use of pronouns, I suspect that Monte Cook Games likely just wanted to remove the assumption of the masculine neutral by diversifying their use of pronouns. It's also just more inclusive for potential female players.