PDA

View Full Version : Monte Cook's Numenera!



Gamgee
2013-07-31, 05:09 PM
So excited! It's going to be out tomorrow for backers/preorder's. Has anyone here gotten a preview? Does anyone know what time Drivethrurpg updates its new pdf's to be downloadable?

Has anyone here even heard of the game? If not all I can say is check this out (http://www.numenera.com/).

Machpants
2013-07-31, 09:01 PM
It is 2PM here in New Zealand, and I await my email with giddy anticipation!

Gamgee
2013-07-31, 09:41 PM
It is 2PM here in New Zealand, and I await my email with giddy anticipation!
I hope it comes out at midnight, and I won't have to wait until tomorrow. Though we do know that once they do get sent out it will take a few hours to get the email to all the backers/preorders. So do keep that in mind.

All I can do is hope now.

Gamgee
2013-08-01, 01:23 AM
I just got my copy, I'm so excited! Hopefully everyone should have their in a few hours. It's downloading now and will be done in about a minute. :smallcool:

Edit
His team has really hit the nail on the head as far as mysterious and wonderful land is concerned.

Substitution
2013-08-01, 10:45 AM
It is here. And it is Good.

General release for the unfortunate who did not preorder will be out on the first day of Gencon. (That day should probably have a holy name in our circles.)

Coplantor
2013-08-01, 11:33 AM
Got my copy and so far I like what I've seen. Looks pretty simple and familiar at the same time, I want to run an adventure with my friends as soon as possible!

P.S:Anybody here knows when was the player's guide supposed to be ready?

Gamgee
2013-08-01, 01:58 PM
We got an update, he put out the map file for the world map. So now we can look at it in high detail. This is so epic. I wish I had money to go to the map kickstarter and get the massive world map and hang it on my wall.

Substitution
2013-08-04, 04:27 PM
The player's guide has also been sent out, it's mostly a rehash of the core-book but it's all a player would need to make a character and know the game.

LimeSkeleton
2013-08-06, 08:03 PM
I've been considering picking it up for a while now, does anybody have any thoughts now that they've seen it first-hand? I definitely like the general ideas of the setting, given what I saw on the site, but I generally prefer to get a player's opinion.

Gamgee
2013-08-07, 04:01 PM
I've been considering picking it up for a while now, does anybody have any thoughts now that they've seen it first-hand? I definitely like the general ideas of the setting, given what I saw on the site, but I generally prefer to get a player's opinion.

I've made a character and can say it has surprising depth. It might only have 3 classes, but a wide variety of abilities can be gained depending on what you choose to describe yourself as.

Combat looks incredibly quick with the players doing dice rolls in almost all situations except a few.

Art is amazing, wish there was more of it. I also love the bestiary which has such unique and fanciful creatures you can almost begin imagining where they all came from in the past and how they've survived until now. Actually that whole book is like one big book of giant ideas.

So if your someone who can look at a little piece of fluff text and run with it for a game your going to love this game. A lot of stuff is plain mysterious and left vaguely defined so that you can put your own touches on the world.

It uses a d20 for most things, characters do not roll anything for character creation. It's a point buy/choose a path kind of thing.

A lot of my players are enjoying hearing about some of the more common fluff of the in game world and are enjoying it a lot. I'm gearing up and now getting ready to run the books introductory adventure, so we'll see how they like it after playing it.

So far though the majority of my players are loving every minute of character creation. There is just so much ways to fit in any sort of character idea. Love it! Unless something else comes along I think this is the highlight system released this year. I'm eagerly anticipating the Bestiary.

Edit
When I get the physical copy in my hands I'll let you know how the production values stack up. So far the PDF is great and has tons of hyperlinks to lots of stuff.

LimeSkeleton
2013-08-07, 05:46 PM
I've made a character and can say it has surprising depth. It might only have 3 classes, but a wide variety of abilities can be gained depending on what you choose to describe yourself as.

Combat looks incredibly quick with the players doing dice rolls in almost all situations except a few.

Art is amazing, wish there was more of it. I also love the bestiary which has such unique and fanciful creatures you can almost begin imagining where they all came from in the past and how they've survived until now. Actually that whole book is like one big book of giant ideas.

So if your someone who can look at a little piece of fluff text and run with it for a game your going to love this game. A lot of stuff is plain mysterious and left vaguely defined so that you can put your own touches on the world.

It uses a d20 for most things, characters do not roll anything for character creation. It's a point buy/choose a path kind of thing.

A lot of my players are enjoying hearing about some of the more common fluff of the in game world and are enjoying it a lot. I'm gearing up and now getting ready to run the books introductory adventure, so we'll see how they like it after playing it.

So far though the majority of my players are loving every minute of character creation. There is just so much ways to fit in any sort of character idea. Love it! Unless something else comes along I think this is the highlight system released this year. I'm eagerly anticipating the Bestiary.

Edit
When I get the physical copy in my hands I'll let you know how the production values stack up. So far the PDF is great and has tons of hyperlinks to lots of stuff.

That sounds really great! I read through the bare-bones of the character creation process on the site and I definitely liked the ideas, but I was unsure if it would be as good as they made it sound. If you're enjoying it that much, I think I'll definitely make a point to buy it once it's on sale to the public. Thank you! :smallsmile:

Plerumque
2013-08-07, 10:54 PM
I think I read somewhere that Monte Cook himself is going to be running a game at my local game shop, but I recieved this news after I had decided not to get a copy.

Gamgee
2013-08-08, 12:26 AM
That sounds really great! I read through the bare-bones of the character creation process on the site and I definitely liked the ideas, but I was unsure if it would be as good as they made it sound. If you're enjoying it that much, I think I'll definitely make a point to buy it once it's on sale to the public. Thank you! :smallsmile:

At least as far as the states is concerned the 14th is what I've heard. Happy rolling! :smallbiggrin:

Person_Man
2013-08-08, 09:27 AM
Haven't read it yet but I intend to. In particular, it's worth mentioning that Cook created Numenera after being fired from WotC over a "difference of opinion" in the direction of D&D Next. So I'm guessing that many elements of Numenera are "things Cook wanted in Next but couldn't get past the other designers."

Substitution
2013-08-10, 08:20 AM
The pdf was left as pretty high quality, though about 15% of the hyperlinks are unnecessary.

Having played about five games so far, and GMed three, I have yet to play one that wasn't full of laughter and cheers.

The combat system is very fast with an experienced group and very middle of the road with clueless players, it requires a lot of demanding role-playing effort from players or a great Storyteller to work through combat.

Outside of combat, seeing the way that people respond to many events that they don't have outside game knowledge of can be quite incredible.

Coplantor
2013-08-13, 11:13 PM
OK, GMd two sessions so far.

Character creation is fast, really fast, like new player joined during the second session and started playing with a fair comprehension of the rules in less than 20 minutes fast.

The wide variety of starting characters possibilities is, in one word, delicious. My players loved both the freedom and choices they had as fresh characters.

We played mostly DnD for the past 7 years and Numenera played quicker than most of our 2nd and 3.5 DnD games wich is a great plus for my group.

I'm yet to finish reading about the setting and I haven't even checked the creatures chapter but I guess is going to be awesome.

Plerumque
2013-08-13, 11:22 PM
Sounds like the Holy Grail of RPGs. Perhaps I should get a copy after all.

Coplantor
2013-08-13, 11:36 PM
Oh, forgot an important aspect. It's ridiculously easy to create enemies on the fly, they mostly use the same number for hp, attack and defence. So you think of a target number depending on how challenging you want it to be and then fluff around it.

I wouldn't call it the Holy Grail of RPGs, it is certainly fresh, entertaining and original. But, you know, I really, really, REALLY love making builds for DnD and a zero-to-hero game (in Monte's own words :smalltongue:) is a delicious experience too, but Numenera cannot replicate it.

It's all about game styles I guess.

Gamgee
2013-08-14, 01:04 AM
Yea I think this is the most stylish and awesome RPG I've seen since SAGA edition. Which I am a super huge fan of, I don't often talk, but when I do it's about SAGA edition.

I feel this system has it beat in a number of ways. Ultimately the mechanics support this mysterious world where not everything will make sense, but you can't help but explore in wonder and awe and just ponder what happened to earth.

The setting is so free you could do just about anything and have it make sense in the context of the setting. Every page I read seems to give me entire new adventure ideas, my brain feels like its overloaded.

I've often been staying up until 4-5 AM reading the PDF and preparing. Excitement levels are off the chart, I want the physical copy of the core rules.

Coplantor
2013-08-14, 09:37 AM
Here is an intresting post about Numenera:

http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2013/08/02/numenera-the-rules-bit/

Gamgee
2013-08-14, 03:36 PM
Here is an intresting post about Numenera:

http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2013/08/02/numenera-the-rules-bit/

Concerning his criticisms:

1. The "Death Spiral" makes a lot of sense given just what is powering characters in the setting. I think it thematically fits nicely. I won't spoil anything else.

2. I get the impression that leveling up is going to be fast, and your quickly going to just use the XP for this mehcanic. So your always going to have plenty to use even if it doesn't work.

3. I didn't notice anything about forcing them to spend hoarded XP. I could see why they suggest it since the spirit of the game is more of a free flow of XP, simply hoarding it until spending it all at once seems a little against the spirit of the rules. Still it didn't go into defining how much is "hoarding".

4. I can't help him with the terminology thing, it's a personal problem.

5. Again it's his personal problem if he notices those. I didn't.

6. What's so wrong with it? Personal problem again.

This guy's isn't showing much insight into this whole thing. His criticism is 50% butthurt. Moving on.

fireinthedust
2013-08-14, 04:34 PM
I dn't know enough from my quick read to answer why someone can't spend their pools so much that they go unconscious, if a pool is the same thing as health. Maybe they fall if the pool is less than zero? Or there's a bonus pool point for specifically unconsciousness? I dunno.


Focuses: can any class take any of them, for the most part? Like, can there be a fire-based Glaive? Or telekinesis Glaive? Or is that mostly by class (ie: the spell-like ones are mostly for Nanos, unless otherwise stated?)


Are there racial packages anywhere in here that I'm not seeing? Or is that more an aspect of class and fluff description?

Gamgee
2013-08-14, 05:43 PM
If your pool runs out you go down the condition track. I know these aren't the specific terms but this is the order.

Healthy > Wounded > Injured > Dead. Restoring one of your pools so it is not zero will bring you up one of these.

Edit
Anyone can take anything. There are some racial packages in the optional rules section.

ShadowFighter15
2013-08-15, 12:55 AM
What Gamgee said. There's no limitation on what Focus you can take. Wields Power With Precision is the only one that specifically says a certain character type never has it - last paragraph of its opening description, right before the Connections bit:

Nanos usually receive this instruction and focus, but some jacks do as well. Glaives never do.

Although it doesn't feel like a hard enough "No" that you couldn't make a Glaive who Wields Power With Precision; it's probably not the smartest idea considering that about half of its effects modify esoteries which Glaives can't learn.

Coplantor
2013-08-15, 12:56 AM
Yes, you can take any descriptor, class, and focus combination. Some foci may have better synergy with a particular class but it doesn't seem like if you don't make an optimum build your character is going g to suck. In the current party we have a master thief (jack), a werewolf fighter and three different mages, one more focused in utility and out of combat spells, other is some kind of warrior mage and the third one is a mind reader and information gatherer.

Totally Guy
2013-08-15, 03:59 AM
He's saying some good stuff on his blog at the moment.

Play-focussed games (http://www.montecookgames.com/putting-the-play-in-roleplaying/)

Coplantor
2013-08-16, 11:15 AM
Well, it seems like Bruce Cordell left DnD Next development to join MonteCook Games (http://www.numenera.com/bruce-cordell-joins-mcg/) and work on Numenera.

ZeltArruin
2013-08-16, 02:50 PM
What reward level got these digital copies?

Coplantor
2013-08-16, 03:23 PM
I got mine from backing th Torment game but it seems that $20 were enough for the digital copies in the original Numenera kickstarter.

Gamgee
2013-08-16, 10:49 PM
I preordered a hard copy, I sadly missed the KS. I even seen it, and didn't bother backing because I was too lazy to read. :( I had enough money at the time for a complete hard copy buy if I had only read in detail. Or a collectors copy.

So I got the PDF from preorder.

Drachasor
2013-08-17, 01:01 AM
First off I am definitely considering buying a copy of the game, if only to check out some of the mechanics. It does look like it has some interesting elements (and since I'm working on my own system, I'm on the lookout for interesting mechanics that might mesh well).


Here is an intresting post about Numenera:

http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2013/08/02/numenera-the-rules-bit/

Very informative. I have to say I really dislike systems that use the same resource both to level and to provide temporary boosts. They ALWAYS end up having problems where you get people that avoid temporary bonuses as much as possible end up much more powerful than those that don't.

Death Spirals are also a concern in play. No matter how much they make sense, they too often lead to unfun.


He's saying some good stuff on his blog at the moment.

Play-focussed games (http://www.montecookgames.com/putting-the-play-in-roleplaying/)

Eh, I feel this post of his is a bit confused. Game Mastery at Character Creation is different from Game Mastery during play. Further, Game Mastery at Character Creation is largely the opposite of balance, but he seems to be equating the two given his 4E comments. And I don't feel any of these are largely connected to have play be open to a lot of on-the-fly creativity.

In other words, I feel like he's jamming a bunch of very different things into "play focused" and "character creation focused" boxes and they just don't all fit into there. In fact, he seems to put some of the ones that would fit into "play focused" into the "character creation focused" box. Balance would be one of these, I think, because it doesn't matter how simple or straight-forward the character creation is, if you have just 10 options and 2 are overpowered and 2 are underpowered, then you don't have balance and things are less play-focused as a result.

Of course, balance isn't the be-all or end-all of being play-focused, but I think having at least a rough balance is an important element of it. The less balance, the more creation-based choices can overwhelm the play-based choices. This is one reason why a lot of people are so big on balance being important.

Like I said though, it is just one element. Providing play-based outlets and guidelines for creativity, tactics, strategy, etc are also important. How important each element might be would depend on what sort of game the system is trying to support.

Alcibiades
2013-08-28, 09:36 AM
I've been eyeing this system for a while now, it looks really fun and not too complicated to pick up.

After some time to playtest, what's everyone's verdict on Numenera?

Coplantor
2013-09-02, 09:42 AM
I've been eyeing this system for a while now, it looks really fun and not too complicated to pick up.

After some time to playtest, what's everyone's verdict on Numenera?

I think you should give it a shot, I'm really liking it, we've played some adventures so I cant tell how good it is on the long run, but so far it has been fun.

JusticeZero
2013-09-02, 03:52 PM
Hopefully the worldbuilding is better than AU. A GM tried to run an AU game only to despair because the entire setting seemed to have been designed to be as stable and dull as possible, with every possible crisis in need of adventurers carefully defused before the setting went to print.

Gamgee
2013-09-08, 10:31 PM
I've gotten to play and and so far most of my players love it, but they love any system or setting that allows them some freedom to joke around and explore their powers a little. As opposed to something more restricting like Deathwatch. So far they are absolutely in love with the oddities they've gotten to start, and actually seem interested in this world.

We didn't get to anything too serious yet, but the one skeptical player likes it. He says it's pretty simple and fast to accomplish stuff. He was trained in breaking inanimate objects. So he wanted to break the moon, but couldn't reach. He settled for the earth and attempted to punch it into nothing. So he instead grabs a huge and massive rock like 5 feet in diameter.

Him: "Very well I will break the earth one rock at a time!"

Me: It's a huge rock, so the difficulty is 8. He was trained in breaking inanimate objects, and he applied a level of effort to it. Reducing it to a 6. Meaning he has to roll 18 to succeed, so this is almost impossible.

What does he do? Rolls an 18 and smashes the rock into dust!

Him: "Muahahahaha! The earth will never be safe, one rock down! I will break you..."

Everyone started to burst out laughing since I said it was so unlikely. So now he is earthbreaker. *sigh*

Then we ran the intro adventure which everyone was digging but got to the camp and they messed around a little, and then we had to stop playing because someone had to go. We'll pick this up next weekend probably.

So far I love the setting, and the rules are so simple and light you can just focus on telling a story and focusing on what they find fun as a group. I think it's one of the best TTRPG systems I've seen in a long time. It's getting a big 10/10 from me for now. Has some great indexes and I love it. Though with more experience in the system that might be subject to change a little.

The books quality itself is fantastic and it has lots of great art spread around the book to really evoke the setting. How is everyone else fairing with their games?

AnthonyPaulO
2014-02-11, 02:41 PM
Oh man... I would love to hear how this campaign plays out. Please keep us posted with your campaign and your impressions (along with your player's impressions)!


I've gotten to play and and so far most of my players love it, but they love any system or setting that allows them some freedom to joke around and explore their powers a little. As opposed to something more restricting like Deathwatch. So far they are absolutely in love with the oddities they've gotten to start, and actually seem interested in this world.

We didn't get to anything too serious yet, but the one skeptical player likes it. He says it's pretty simple and fast to accomplish stuff. He was trained in breaking inanimate objects. So he wanted to break the moon, but couldn't reach. He settled for the earth and attempted to punch it into nothing. So he instead grabs a huge and massive rock like 5 feet in diameter.

Him: "Very well I will break the earth one rock at a time!"

Me: It's a huge rock, so the difficulty is 8. He was trained in breaking inanimate objects, and he applied a level of effort to it. Reducing it to a 6. Meaning he has to roll 18 to succeed, so this is almost impossible.

What does he do? Rolls an 18 and smashes the rock into dust!

Him: "Muahahahaha! The earth will never be safe, one rock down! I will break you..."

Everyone started to burst out laughing since I said it was so unlikely. So now he is earthbreaker. *sigh*

Then we ran the intro adventure which everyone was digging but got to the camp and they messed around a little, and then we had to stop playing because someone had to go. We'll pick this up next weekend probably.

So far I love the setting, and the rules are so simple and light you can just focus on telling a story and focusing on what they find fun as a group. I think it's one of the best TTRPG systems I've seen in a long time. It's getting a big 10/10 from me for now. Has some great indexes and I love it. Though with more experience in the system that might be subject to change a little.

The books quality itself is fantastic and it has lots of great art spread around the book to really evoke the setting. How is everyone else fairing with their games?