REVIEW: a look at Numenera's shortcomings


Other RPGs


So after being deeply intrigued by Numenera as a game system and a world concept, I've had the opportunity to GM three sessions so far.

A lot went right. The games were fun, intriguing, and the new mechanics re-energized me and my players. I think the game is really, really interesting.

But because Numenera is so ambitious, and represents a significant work by one of the RPG world's great designers, Monte Cook, I think it warrants serious critical response as well.

I took a stab at this once before, but now I know the game a lot better and have really tested it.

Cook is clearly being really ambitious here. In the best spirit of that effort, I want to hold him to those standards.

I think the game's shortcomings fall into three broad categories: serious DM challenges, the lack of weirdness in the 9th World, and really quite dull published adventures.

DM CHALLENGES: INTRUSIONS

Numenera envisions a situation where DMs will use dice-prompts and a system of traded experience points to insert provocative and creative events into the narrative.

It's a really cool idea. Particularly when players roll a natural 1 or a natural 20, the DM is encouraged to add an "intrusion" that expands the drama and boosts the narrative.

The problem is that this kind of improvisation is really hard to do in real-time. I've tried it and I've watched others try it on the growing number of Numenera Youtube and podcast play sessions available.

Sometimes the outcome is really dynamic. But when you add a jazz-improvisation element like this, you are raising the bar dramatically for DMs. I think Cook should develop some better systems to help us make that work -- quickly.

He's already offering a random "Cypher" deck and an "XP" deck. I think the game actually NEEDS the equivalent of an "Intrusion" deck. This is something the DM would draw from, consult, and then adapt to the circumstances of the game.

Sometimes a DM will be able to wing it without this kind of support. But as a relatively experienced DM, I often found myself struggling to make magic happen on the fly...and I don't think I'm alone.

LACK OF WEIRDNESS

This is a tough thing because true weirdness is incredibly difficult to achieve in narrative without also killing the forward motion of the story.

But far, far too much of Numenera is, well, profoundly scrutable. It reflects current sensibilities, and even a sort of vaguely retro vibe about "cool, strange technology."

A lot of that is fine. We want robots and nano-particles and so on in Numenera. But this world is supposed to be set a BILLION years in the future.

There should be at least a few elements in the game that really make you blink and say "What the hell?" Maybe even some "Call of Cthulhu" like elements where PCs are just hopelessly outmatched or baffled.

Far too many of Numenera's monsters are basically, in the final equation, a ghost or a vampire or a zombie or a dinosaur explained in a different way. As structured, there's a risk that the weirdest elements that are outlined in Numenera will essentially be background to a conventional plot.

I found myself struggling against this a bit and would urge DMs to really find ways to keep pulling as much weirdness as possible into the heart of each play session.

UNDERWHELMING ADVENTURES

This is my biggest concern. I think Monte Cook is amazing as a game designer and a setting creator. Even the shortcomings of the 9th World setting, as I see them, are shortcomings related to a very high bar or standard.

But I also think Cook has a fairly spotty record as an adventure designer.

Years ago, I bought Cook's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and remember thinking, "This is kind of a mess." (I don't own Ptolus, so I can't comment on whether the adventures contained there are as great as the setting...)

I think the same can be said for the first several published adventures in Numenera. They're not terrible. But the Beale of Boregal, Seedship, and the Vortex are fairly predictable and static.

I don't think they come anywhere close to capturing the spirit of what Numenera could be.

The Devil's Spine was better, but still not a story arc that made me think, "Yes -- this is what this game was meant to do."

And that's a problem. For a game as ambitious as Numenera, and as focused on narrative, Cook needs to drive interest and capture loyalty with some absolutely kick-ass, "we'll remember this ten years from now" adventures.

Those early markers could really define whether the game lives up to its potential and builds a community.

I think Paizo did this effectively with Rise of the Runelords, in particular. They proved tangibly, with a big collection of linked stories, that the Pathfinder engine and the Golarion setting could take us to some amazing places.

I guess I want to see that soon from Monte Cook. I know that he's already moved on to working on a related game -- The Strange.

But as a huge fan of Numenera, I hope his team will have enough backward focus to craft at least one really big adventure that takes this game out for a drive -- a story we'll all be adding to our list of top gaming memories.


we played numenera straight for a while because we thought the setting was neat but found the mechanics kind of flat and not so hot at bringing out the weirdness of the setting as you said. in the end we just played apocalypse world rules in the numenera setting and had a blast

Community / Forums / Gamer Life / Gaming / Other RPGs / REVIEW: a look at Numenera's shortcomings All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Other RPGs