Monte Cook's Numenera!

[Gamgee]

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.

[Machpants]

It is 2PM here in New Zealand, and I await my email with giddy anticipation!

[Gamgee]

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]

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.

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

[Substitution]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!

[Plerumque]

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]

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!

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

[Person_Man]

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]

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]

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]

Sounds like the Holy Grail of RPGs. Perhaps I should get a copy after all.

[Coplantor]

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 ) is a delicious experience too, but Numenera cannot replicate it.

It's all about game styles I guess.

[Gamgee]

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]

Here is an intresting post about Numenera:

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

[Gamgee]

Here is an intresting post about Numenera:

http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2013/...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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Play-focussed games

[Coplantor]

Well, it seems like Bruce Cordell left DnD Next development to join MonteCook Games and work on Numenera.

[ZeltArruin]

What reward level got these digital copies?

[Coplantor]

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]

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.