THE REAL DEAL
Thanks to all the current stretch goals, you get a huge bang for your buck if you back the Numenera Kickstarter campaign. Did you realize what you get if you contribute for $60? We call it THE REAL DEAL:
400+ page full color Numenera Core Book in print
400+ page full color Numenera Core Book in pdf
96-page Ninth World bestiary in pdf
32-page adventure: The Devil’s Spine, in pdf
32-page adventure: The Mechanized Tomb, in pdf
32-page adventure: The Other Side of the Maelstrom, in pdf
A pdf of Numenera 3D paper terrain from Fat Dragon games
(For just $10 more, at the PATRON level, you also get the Kickstarter exclusive adventure: The Nightmare Switch, in pdf.)
If we reach our further stretch goals, the bestiary will be 128 pages and full-color, and you’ll also get a 96-page technology book in pdf, a GM’s screen in pdf, Numenera wallpapers, Numerera fiction, and Numenera theme music. And more! All for 60 bucks.
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I don’t think the paper terrain has been mentioned on your Kickstarter before. It might be useful to update one of the descriptions to include it?
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So I’re read all the posts on Numenera, and I am sorely tempted to add my 60 dollars to the project (and an extra 10 for living in Europe), for I really like the setting, and Mr. Cook does produce some interesting stuff, and yet and I am not sure there is any reason beyond the setting itself for me to invest in the Numenera. This my sound overly critical, but my library is huge already as it is, and I am therefore a bit cautious before investing in even more, that I may never get to play!
So I have been reading the many posts on Numenera, and I do really like the setting, but the rule system in itself is also an important selling point, and here I looking for more details.Mr. Cook writes:
“the Cypher System, is designed to be very simple to play and in particular to run as a GM, allowing the focus to be on role-playing, action, stories, and ideas.”
- Sounds nice, but this is more or less how most people describes their systems.Mr. Cook writes:
“For the GM, experience points are a narrative tool. The GM can introduce complications into the game that affects a specific player whenever it seems appropriate, but when he does so, he offers that player 1 xp. The player can “refuse” it, but then it costs the player 1 xp.”
- This is wonderfully concrete, and it does sound like an interesting mechanic, though much the same as Trail of Cthulhu, where the GM/Keeper can deduct and reward sanity points, if the players try to avoid entering the dangerous parts of the story.
Yet I am not entirely sold on the idea, as it sounds a bit too much like some carrot/stick-thing to make the players do, what they otherwise don’t want to do.Mr. Cook writes:
“There are three stats in Numenera: Might/Health, Speed/Agility, and Intellect/Personality. But we just call them Might, Speed, and Intellect for simplicity. They represent exactly what you would think they do.Any kind of action taken by a player character in the game can be assigned to a stat.”
- And this is much like all the other games, but at least it keeps the amount of stats low. I prefer games with six or fewer stats.Then Mr. Cook writes:
“[...], if the action in question is one that the player really wants to focus on. To do this, he or she spends points from the relavant stat to put “effort” into the action.”
- so this sounds much like Gumshoe, where you spend points to succeed or increase your chances of succes depending on the type of skill used.Followed by:
“Numenera also introduces a concept that I’m calling an “inability” right now. This is like the opposite of a skill. It’s an area in which your character does not excel. For example, a character might be particularly bad with people. Or clumsy. These are represented by inabilities. ”
- So is this just regular disadvantages as we know them from Ars Magica, GURPS, WoD and various optional rules for D&D (for instance Players Option: Skills and Powers for AD&D 2nd ed), and numerous other games?
It is nice, that you can tailor your specifik disadvantage, but in most games you choose disadvantages in order to gain more skill points and advantages, and then you strive to avoid situations, that may trigger your disadvantage. However in games such as Mouse Guard and The Shadow of Yesterday, your advantages can be used both for and against you, and the players get to decide, when to use the advantage for or against them, since using the advantage as a disadvantage gives them ressources for later situations (a bit like the XP-system Mr. Cook presented elsewhere, but with the difference, that the player is in control rather than the GM).In another post Mr. Cook writes:
“Creating characters in Numenera is meant to be quick and easy (with options and customizable detail for those who like to tinker). It’s built, in fact, like constructing a sentence that describes your character. In prior articles, I have mentioned that each character has a type, a descriptor, and a focus. The sentence looks like this:I am a [descriptor] [type] who [focus].”
- This sure does sound interesting, reminds of me of Fate though, however it also says very little about the concrete mechanics, as Mr. Cooks next comment reveals:
“Even though type is in the middle of our sentence, you start there. Because the noun is the anchor of the sentence, right? As I’ve stated earlier, there are only three types: glaives, nanos, and jacks. Your type gives a basis for what your stats will be, and what you’re initially trained in and good at. Your type also helps determine your background and starting equipment.”
- And here I am interested in more details.So Mr. Cook has revealed several minor details, but a lot of the basic stuff is still hidden, and so far it sounds to me like a version of Gumshoe attached to a very interesting setting, but not enough for me to begin investing. So please give me some more stuff to go by:
- What will the characters be doing in the setting? What kind of scenarios and campaigns will I be running?
- What kind of resolution system is being used and how does it work?
- More details on character creation, please. -
I think a physical copy of the additional contents (be it in one book or seperate) would cause for some serious money.
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Good Work!
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Just wondering. At the Kickstarter page, I see options for purchasing additional physical products (modules, etc.) beyond the pledge level of the Real Deal. I was wondering if there would be an option for someone supporting at the Real Deal level to purchase a physical copy of the bestiary? Thanks.
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There will be soon. Thanks!
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Oh wow, how did I almost miss out on this Kickstarter? The best part? Since Monte posted this he’s reached the new Stretch goal of the Bestiary…in one day. I think it’s fair to say that we can’t wait for this game…now I just have to wait for that paycheck on Tuesday so I can add my own support. Thank you for your wonderful work over the years Monte, and for being so very generous with this project.
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Indeed. I’m already pledged to support the kickstarter, and I’m debating if I want to up my pledge even more. Numenera just keeps sounding more interesting as it goes on. Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
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