 Original cover by Kieran Yanner 2013 | |
| Designers | Monte Cook |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Monte Cook Games |
| Publication | 2013; 11 years ago (2013) |
| Genres | Science Fantasy |
| Systems | Cypher System |
| Website | numenera |
Numenera is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in the far distant future, written by Monte Cook, published in 2013.
Game
Setting
Numenera is set on Earth approximately one billion years in the future. The setting is called "The Ninth World" due to the fact that eight civilizations have risen and fallen prior to the current era.
Character creation
Character creation has been simplified by having players fill in the blanks to the statement:
- "I am a __________ __________ who _________s."
- The first blank, the adjective in the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Descriptor", a way to describe the character's strongest characteristic.
- The second blank, the noun of the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Type", which is a "Glaive" (a warrior type), a "Nano" (a technology adept type), or a "Jack" (as in jack-of-all-trades).
- The third blank, the verb of the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Focus", or what the character is most known for or their special talent.
Technology
The name "Numenera" is a reference to the bits of technology left over from past civilizations. The word "numen" is a Latin root word meaning a "pervading divine presence" and "era" refers to the period (1 billion years in the future) in which this universe takes place. The world is utterly filled with "nanites" (the divine presence) that some beings in this universe can tap into and control. With a nod towards Clarke's Third Law, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic", the setting treats technology with much the same approach as magic in a fantasy setting. The native tech level is roughly medieval.
Launch
Numenera was launched via a Kickstarter campaign and set a record for "most money raised for a tabletop role-playing game" at $517,255 by 4,658 backers, surpassing the previous record set by the Kickstarter for Traveller 5th edition. Originally intended just to fund the initial core rulebook, the campaign more than doubled its funding goal within the first 24 hours. "Stretch goals" that were announced as the level of funding grew increased the output of products, ending up producing an entire game line.
Numenera Destiny and Discovery
This two volume replacement for the original rulebook was crowdfunded in 2017. It increased emphasis on exploration, discovery, and building. It also incorporated a few revisions from the Cypher rule system that had been released subsequent to the original Numenera release. Calling itself Numenera 2, it also used a Kickstarter campaign for initial funding, obtaining $845,258 from 4,185 backers.
Numenera: Discovery is a revision of the original core rulebook. The Jack character type was substantially revised to be more distinctive compared to Nanos and Glaives. Also added are player intrusions, a mechanism allowing players to alter the environment by spending an experience point.
Legacy material from the original Numenera book, not included in the new edition, were made available for free as a PDF.
Numenera: Destiny is mostly new material offering three new character types: Arkus, Delve, and Wright, new descriptors and new foci. The book also emphasizes crafting along with community protection and development with these character types taking lead positions in such an endeavor. A major section on crafting mechanisms and a major section on communities are provided. The manner of running a community game can be described as treating the community as an NPC in the game with stats that the player characters enhance. New monsters, NPCs, and settings are also offered in the Destiny core rulebook.
Products
The core rulebook of Numenera has been translated into Italian, German, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Numenera Core Rulebooks
| Title | Authors | Date | Pages | Formats | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numenera | Monte Cook | August 14, 2013 | 416 | Print, Deluxe, PDF | 978-1-939979-00-1 |
| The original core rulebook for the game. Replaced by Numenera: Discovery and Destiny. | |||||
| Numenera Player's Guide | Monte Cook | August 14, 2013 | 64 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-01-8 |
| Book focused on the player characters; subset of content from the Corebook. Replaced by the 2018 Numenera Player's Guide. | |||||
| Numenera: Discovery | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell, & Sean K. Reynolds | October 17, 2018 | 416 | PDF, Print | 978-1-939979-78-0 |
| The core rulebook for the game, revised | |||||
| Numenera: Destiny | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell, & Sean K. Reynolds | October 17, 2018 | 416 | PDF, Print | 978-1-939979-77-3 |
| An auxiliary rulebook for the game | |||||
| Numenera Player's Guide | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell, & Sean K. Reynolds | October 31, 2018 | 96 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-76-6 |
| Book focused on the player characters; subset of content from the Numenera: Discovery & Destiny core rulebooks. | |||||
Supplements
| Title | Authors | Date | Pages | Formats | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Strange Aeons: Lovecraftian Numenera | Monte Cook | October 2013 | 12 | ||
| Contains advice on incorporating Lovecraftian horror elements into Numenera campaigns and adventures. It provides two new descriptors, new creatures, and rules for sanity in the Cypher System. | |||||
| Cypher Collection 1 | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | December 2013 | 10 | ||
| Contains 50 unique cyphers. Included in the later supplement 'Technology Compendium: Sir Arthour’s Guide to the Numenera'. | |||||
| Artifacts & Oddities Collection 1 | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | December 2013 | 10 | ||
| Contains 30 new artifacts and 100 new oddities. Included in the later supplement 'Technology Compendium: Sir Arthour’s Guide to the Numenera'. | |||||
| The Ninth World Bestiary | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | February 2014 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-09-4 |
| A collection of 130 creatures and characters for Numenera. | |||||
| Love and Sex in the Ninth World | Shanna Germain | February 2014 | 13 | ||
| A guide to integrating elements of love and sex into any Numenera story or adventure. | |||||
| Injecting the Weird | Monte Cook | March 2014 | 22 | ||
| A discussion of the weird, as well as hundreds of ideas for the weird aspects of ancient places, communities, NPCs, creatures, wilderness locations, and items. Also contains a new descriptor and two new foci. | |||||
| Numenera Character Options | Monte Cook | May 2014 | 96 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-14-8 |
| A collection of more descriptors and foci. | |||||
| Technology Compendium: Sir Arthour's Guide to the Numenera | Monte Cook | August 2014 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-20-9 |
| A collection of Numenera cyphers, oddities and artifacts | |||||
| When Worlds Collide: Converting Numenera and The Strange | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | August 2014 | 18 | ||
| Guide to converting material from The Strange campaign setting for Numenera. | |||||
| Strange Creatures of the Ninth World | Monte Cook | November 2014 | 15 | ||
| Guide to converting creatures from The Strange campaign setting for Numenera. Includes alternative, Ninth-World-specific backgrounds for about 80 creatures from The Strange Bestiary. | |||||
| Maps of the Ninth World | Monte Cook | December 2014 | 65 | ||
| Collection of high-resolution maps from the Numenera corebook with labelled and unlabelled versions of each. | |||||
| The Ninth World Guidebook | Monte Cook & Shanna Germain | January 2015 | 256 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-24-7 |
| A setting book about the Ninth World, its locations and denizens | |||||
| Maps of the Ninth World 2 | Monte Cook | June 2015 | 37 | ||
| Collection of high-resolution maps from The Ninth World Guidebook with labelled and unlabelled versions of each. | |||||
| Into the Night | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | September 2015 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-40-7 |
| Supplement for adventures in outer space. Contains new creatures, NPCs, cyphers, and artifacts. | |||||
| The Nightcraft | Monte Cook | September 2015 | 10 | ||
| Detailed description of a space ship from the 'Into the Night' supplement. | |||||
| Into the Deep | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell & Shanna Germain | May 2016 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-45-2 |
| Supplement for underwater adventures. Contains new playable races, creatures, NPCs, cyphers, and artifacts. | |||||
| The Octopi of the Ninth World | Monte Cook | June 2016 | 12 | ||
| Detailed description of the octopi civilisation from the 'Into the Deep' supplement. | |||||
| Torment: Tides of Numenera—The Explorer's Guide | Shanna Germain | August 2016 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-51-3 |
| Adaptation of content from the 'Torment: Tides of Numenera' computer game. | |||||
| Numenera Character Options 2 | Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell | September 2016 | 96 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-55-1 |
| A collection introducing two new character types as well as more descriptors and foci | |||||
| Into the Outside | Bruce Cordell | February 2017 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-47-6 |
| Supplement for adventures in alternate dimensions. Contains new locations and creatures. | |||||
| In Alternate Dimensions | Bruce Cordell | February 2017 | 14 | ||
| Collection of GM intrusions and ideas for alternative dimensions. | |||||
| Exploring Numenera: Strand | Bruce Cordell | February 2017 | 4 | ||
| Adaptation of content from the short film 'Numenera: Strand'. | |||||
| The Ninth World Bestiary 2 | Bruce Cordell | May 2017 | 192 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-64-3 |
| A collection of 160 creatures for Numenera. | |||||
| The Way of the Dinosaur: Converting Predation for Numenera and The Strange | Bruce Cordell | June 2017 | 7 | ||
| Guide to converting content from the Predation campaign setting for Numenera. | |||||
| Jade Colossus: Ruins of the Prior Worlds | Bruce Cordell | August 2017 | 144 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-68-1 |
| Campaign guide for the Jade Colossus, a gigantic ruin. Includes the Numenera Ruin Mapping Engine and new character options and creatures. | |||||
| Building Tomorrow | Bruce Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds | October 2017 | 192 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-84-1 |
| Expansion of rules and material from Numenera Destiny including salvaging and crafting, example communities, and followers. | |||||
| Numenera Priests of the Aeons | Sean K. Reynolds | 2019 | 191 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-89-6 |
| Details on the Aeon Priesthood with new character options. | |||||
| The Ninth World Bestiary 3 | Bruce Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds | May 2019 | 192 | Print, PDF | 978-1-939979-92-6 |
| A collection of 150 creatures and characters for Numenera. | |||||
| Voices of the Datasphere | Bruce Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds | June 2020 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-950568-08-6 |
| Supplement for adventures in the virtual metaspace known as the datasphere. Contains 2 adventures. | |||||
| Liminal Shore | Bruce Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds | September 2020 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-950568-12-3 |
| A new setting for Numenera with new player races, cyphers, artifacts, and creatures. Contains 2 adventures. | |||||
| Edge of the Sun | Bruce Cordell | February 2021 | 160 | Print, PDF | 978-1-950568-15-4 |
| Supplement for adventures on the surface of the sun with new cyphers, artifacts, and creatures. Contains 2 adventures. | |||||
| Break the Horizon | Bruce Cordell | March 2022 | 144 | Print, PDF | 978-1-950568-22-2 |
| Supplement focused on travel. Contains 2 adventures. | |||||
| The Glimmering Valley | Monte Cook | November 2023 | 128 | Print, PDF | 978-1-950568-46-8 |
| Campaign setting and adventure for the Glittering Valley, a smaller area designed introducing players to the Ninth World. | |||||
Adventures and Glimmers
Glimmers are short, PDF-only publications. There are also some adventure collections that have appeared in print:
| Title | Authors | Date | Pages | Formats | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Devil's Spine | Monte Cook | October 2013 | 96 | PDF, print | 9781939979025 |
| Three 32 page adventures, "The Devil's Spine", "The Mechanized Tomb", "The Other Side of the Maelstrom" | |||||
| The Nightmare Switch | Monte Cook | August 14, 2013 | 32 | ||
| A Kickstarter exclusive adventure | |||||
| Vortex | Monte Cook | September 4, 2013 | 18 | ||
| The Numenera launch adventure at Gen Con 2013. 18-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters. | |||||
| Beyond All Worlds | Robert J. Schwalb | May 2014 | 22 | ||
| Short 22-page adventure | |||||
| Into the Violet Vale | Monte Cook | September 2014 | 25 | ||
| Numenera adventure at Gen Con 2014. 12-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters. | |||||
| Weird Discoveries: Ten Instant Adventures for Numenera | Monte Cook | April 2015 | 96 | PDF, print | |
| Ten fully developed adventures that can be run with little preparation time. | |||||
| The Hideous Game | Monte Cook | September 2015 | 22 | ||
| Instant adventure run at Gen Con 2015. 10-page adventure, plus 6 pre-generated characters. | |||||
| Skein of the Blackbone Bride | Shanna Germain | November 2016 | 27 | ||
| Adventure run at Gen Con 2016. 14-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters. | |||||
| The Thief, the Clave, and the Ultimatum | Bruce R. Cordell | December 2016 | 11 | ||
| Instant adventure | |||||
| The Spire of Hunting Sound | Dennis Detwiller | September 2017 | 47 | ||
| Adventure run at 2017 Free RPG Day. 19-page adventure and 13-page quickstart rules, plus 5 double-sided pre-generated characters and a 5-page mini-bestiary. This was available in print on the Free RPG day at limited stores. | |||||
| Escape from the Jade Colossus | Bruce R. Cordell | September 2017 | 30 | ||
| Adventure run at GenCon 2017. 17-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters. | |||||
| Shadewalker | Sean K. Reynolds | December 2017 | 22 | ||
| Short 10-page adventure, plus 6 pre-generated characters. | |||||
| Ashes of the Sea | Sean K. Reynolds | July 2018 | 47 | ||
| Numenera 2018 Free RPG Day adventure. 15-page adventure and 13-page quickstart rules, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters and a 4-page mini-bestiary. This was available in print on the Free RPG day at limited stores. | |||||
| Slaves of the Machine God | Bruce Cordell | January 2019 | 144 | PDF, print | 978-1-939979-86-5 |
| Campaign book. Two story arcs, each containing eight separate adventures. | |||||
| Forgetting Doomsday | Shanna Germain | May 2019 | 26 | ||
| Adventure run at GenCon 2018. 14-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pregenerated characters. | |||||
| Explorer's Keys: Ten Instant Adventures for Numenera | Bruce R. Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds | August 2019 | 96 | PDF, Print | 978-1-939979-94-0 |
| Ten fully developed adventures that can be run with little preparation time. | |||||
| Where the Machines Wait | Bruce R. Cordell | May 2021 | 96 | PDF, print | |
| Adventure using OGL 5E-compatible rules. Includes new creatures, items, and a playable species. Also contains conversion notes for Numenera and the Cypher System. | |||||
| Vertices | Sean K. Reynolds | July 2021 | 96 | PDF, print | |
| Eight adventures in prior-world ruins. Includes a random settlement generator. | |||||
| Shards of the Looking Glass | Charles M. Ryan | February 2023 | 28 | ||
| Adventure run at Gen Con and Gamehole Con 2022. 16-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pregenerated characters. | |||||
Game aids
| Title | Date | Pages | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numenera Cypher Card Deck | July 2013 | 120 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing cyphers available in game | |||
| Numenera GM Screen | August 2013 | N/A | Print, PDF |
| Four-panel, landscape format vinyl GM's screen | |||
| Numenera Creature Card Deck | January 2014 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing Numenera creatures | |||
| Numenera Cypher Card Deck 2 | September 2014 | 120 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing cyphers available in game | |||
| Numenera Weird Deck | August 2015 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards containing ideas of weird elements to add to the game. | |||
| Numenera Intrusion Deck | August 2015 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards containing GM Intrusions. | |||
| Numenera Artifact Deck | May 2016 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing artifacts available in game | |||
| Numenera Creature Deck 2 | May 2017 | 99 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing Numenera creatures from The Ninth World Bestiary 2, Into the Night, Into the Deep, and Into the Outside. | |||
| Numenera Cypher and Creature Deck Expansion | May 2017 | 60 cards | Print, PDF |
| 30 additional creature cards, and 30 additional cypher effect cards | |||
| Ruin Deck | January 2019 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Each card contains prompts to create a room, obstacle, location, or encounter. | |||
| Shin Set | January 2019 | 50 metal tokens | |
| Metal coins to represent Numenera currency (shins). | |||
| Numenera Creature Deck 3 | August 2019 | 99 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing Numenera creatures from The Ninth World Bestiary 3. | |||
| Salvage Deck | September 2019 | 100 cards | Print, PDF |
| Each card contains random salvage results and suggested GM intrusions. | |||
| Numenera XP Card Deck | March 2020 | 60 cards | Print, PDF |
| Cards representing a character's XP points | |||
| Numenera Playmat | March 2020 | Fabric playmat (24″ x 32″) | |
| Illustrated playmat containing rules reference. | |||
| Numenera Character Portfolios and Character Sheets | June 2020 | 104 (print) | Print, PDF |
| Blank character sheets and a character generation walkthrough. | |||
| Numenera Character and Creature Standups | September 2020 | 22 | Print, PDF |
| Paper miniatures of characters and creatures. | |||
Fiction
| Title | Authors | Date | Pages | Formats | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Amber Monolith | Monte Cook | August 2012 | 18 | ||
| Introductory short story to the Numenera setting; included within the Corebook. | |||||
| Tales from the Ninth World | Monte Cook | June 2013 | 79 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI | |
| Collection of short stories set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| More Tales from the Ninth World | Monte Cook & Shanna Germain | August 2015 | 57 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI | |
| Collection of short stories set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| Tales Beyond the Ninth World | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell & Shanna Germain | August 2015 | 59 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI | |
| Collection of short stories set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| The Poison Eater | Shanna Germain | January 2017 | 320 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI, Print | 978-0-857666-35-2 |
| The first full-length novel set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| The Night Clave | Monte Cook & Shanna Germain | November 2017 | 368 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI, Print | 978-0-857667-20-5 |
| The second full-length novel set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| Discover Your Destiny | Monte Cook & Shanna Germain | July 2018 | 24 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI | |
| Meta-narrative about creating characters and playing in the world of Numenera. | |||||
| Tomorrow's Bones | Shanna Germain | December 2019 | 240 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI, Print | |
| The third full-length novel set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
| The Truth of Names | Monte Cook | February 2022 | 51 | PDF, ePUB, MOBI | |
| Novella set in the Numenera setting. | |||||
Related products
There have been several announced tie-ins to the brand:
- Thunderstone Advance: Numenera by AEG, an expansion to the Thunderstone deck-building card game, set in the world of Numenera.
- Torment: Tides of Numenera by inXile, a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment by Interplay. This computer game was also launched by Kickstarter and was itself a record setter for Kickstarter, being the fastest to $1 million up to that time.
- Reaper Miniatures released a boxed set of 28-mm scale miniature figures for Numenera.
Reception
In a review of Numenera in Black Gate, John ONeill said "The book is splendidly designed and a pleasure to read. It's also packed with gorgeous artwork. This is exactly the kind of gamebook that makes you ache to pick up your dice and start playing."
Awards
Numenera received the 2014 Origins Award for "Best New Roleplaying Game".
References
- Webb, Travis. (4 May 2013). "Tylerpaper.com: Kickstarted; "Crowdfunding" continues to change face of gaming". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Nerdluster: Numenera RPG Kickstarter". 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Tech2: Monte Cook GenCon Panel". 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Transmissions from the Ninth World:A Billion Years in the Future!". 5 November 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Transmissions from the Ninth World:Creative Characters!". 27 November 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Numen Definition & Meaning".
- "The Sorcerer of Rhiannon", Astounding February 1942, p. 39.
- "Transmissions from the Ninth World:Eponymous". 25 February 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- Howard, Rich. "Numenera: A Kickstarter from Monte Cook".
- ^ "Record-breaking RPG Numenera is getting a sequel next year". Tabletop Gaming. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- Ryan, Charles M. "Original Corebook Legacy Content in PDF". Monte Cook Games Store. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- "Announcing the Numenera box set". 21 November 2014.
- Verlag, Orkenspalter TV/Uhrwerk. "Numenera - Das Erfolgsrollenspiel auf Deutsch". startnext.com.
- "Numenera". Catarse.
- "A marked improvement over the original | Numenera Discovery". RPGGeek. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- "Thunderstone Numenera: Two Games Enter, One Game Leaves". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- "Reaper Miniatures: Numenera". Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- "Catching up with Numenera – Black Gate". 12 May 2015.
- "Official award list". 20 August 2014.