# Numenera Core Rulebook



## Morrus (Nov 13, 2014)

Product information... View for more details


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## Hand of Evil (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Excellent game world and strong mechanics in the cypher system, which pushes players be more evolved with the story than just dice rolls.  The world is what hooks me, great detail and interesting concept in mixing fantasy and sci-fi, it works.


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## Anselmo Formolo (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

I was immediately drawn to Numenera by the artwork (which is just stellar), but was blown away by the fantastically malleable setting (set more than 1 billion years in the Earth's future, where humans are forced to understand and survive in a Weird post x8 apocalyptic Ninth World). Then I read about the Cypher System, which turned out to be my favourite system ever! It's like chess; easy to learn, but hard to master. For the Game Master, the system is extremely flexible and is built to be able to be played completely off the cuff. You are doing yourself a diservice by not owning and playing this amazing game!


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## MiltonMurphy (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Before I started reading the Numenera Core Rulebook, I had a preconceived notion based on the advanced-technology-as-magic premise that I was going to be seeing more of the same as other RPGs over the years but with slightly different clothes. I was wrong. Numenera is, to me, something new. The setting is vibrant and inventive, giving a world of incredible potential to gaming fans everywhere. The Cypher system is simple and accomplishes a goal of giving a better foundation to the story by getting the mechanics out of the way. I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of this gem from Monte Cook Games and look forward to seeing it evolve.


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## Nojo509 (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

My favorite setting coupled with fast, easy mechanics. A joy to GM, I especially love giving out GM Intrusions.


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## ginsusamurai (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

The setting for Numenera offers options for everything from cyber-punk laser battles to good old sword swinging dungeon crawls. This is the first game I've ever run and it makes the difficult task of being a GM much easier when the players decide to find a local fight club on their time off or want to pull of tasks that you have no real numbers for. Your gut allows you to make calls on the rules quickly without squabbling about a +1 or +2 on a roll. You can figure out just how capable a lvl 1 character is in a few minutes and after a few sessions you'll get a grasp of how powerful a max level character can be. And then build tasks to challenge either in moments without having to argue over tiny details. Improvised settings/monsters/challenges take seconds to figure out and explain and the players have the tools and knowledge to know quickly when something is beyond them or can take steps to put things in to the realm of possibility.The random swings of the d20 can be minimized by player choices, possibly even removing the d20 from the situation entirely but at a cost that the player knows and can anticipate. Randomness is only as random as the player wants it to be but ensuring success is trying and will burn out the character much faster. This gives players agency, the ability to decide outcomes or trust in fate. When the chips are down they can focus and make sure they survive, if but barely, preventing a TPK due to an ornery die that refuses to get above 10.The setting is a blast, the system is malleable, choices are everywhere and it keeps players engaged while letting a DM be as creative as they want.I love running this game and my players love being able to throw all manor of choices at me and I can roll with them in moments without even consulting tables. Great for beginners and a great change of pace for veterans.


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## LexStarwalker (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

The Numenera corebook is beyond excellent in every measurable way. Because of the excellent binding and thick, high quality paper, my book looks good as new after over a year of hard use. It's laid out very similarly to a good travel guide, which makes it easy to find what you need. Each chapter is color coded, with the color along the top edge margin, so you can find any chapter in a moment once you learn the colors. Sidebars include definition of terms and page references for more information. The art is phenomenal. The book is beautiful and well written. The system and game itself is a lot of fun. The system is easy to learn, easy to teach, and easy to run. You will seldom need to look up rules during play once you've had a few sessions under your belt. NPCs and creatures are super easy to create on-the-fly during play. It is very easy to improvise as GM, and your prep can be spent on story and character instead of mechanics and statting out encounters. The corebook has EVERYthing you need to play and GM the game, including character creation with a healthy selection of options, the rules system including optional rules, creatures and NPCs to populate your world with, equipment, plenty of setting material, and a large number of interesting and unique numenera (the "magic items" of the setting). Finally the book includes lots of great advice for the GM on how to run a game, create adventures, and get across the weird of the setting.You could run and play Numenera for a long time with just this book. I have never had an RPG book that was as well done and complete. If my house was burning down, I would probably grab my Numenera corebook in one hand and my cat in the other.


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## Alphastream (Nov 14, 2014)

*3 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

This game suffers from unrealistic expectations and an incredible amount of attention. In truth, this is a fairly simple Indie-style game. The core rules needed to play the game would fill just a small booklet... so small that you wouldn't need to create a "Quick-Play" version. The majority of the book is gorgeous artwork and then setting and other additional material (most of it due to the Kickstarter campaign's incredible success). While that extra material is very good, it does still leave us with a very simple game. Our group ran a short campaign based upon the WondLa novels written by Tony DiTerlizzi. (I highly recommend the novels and they work great as an intro campaign for new players). We found that a number of rules suffered from what felt like insufficient playtesting. The concept of DM intrusions is great but awkward in practice. The way experience works is often contrary to what players and DM desire. Player abilities and monster challenge don't always match up well. But, beyond that, this is a fun game. We had a great time playing this as a departure from our main roleplaying game. It is a great way to have a taste of sci-fi. It does a good job of using Indie game concepts and creating a light and enjoyable experience. But, for us, it wasn't a game robust and playtested enough to stand as our go-to game... and not even as a secondary game we would consistently play when not playing our primary game. We still would recommend gamers try the game.


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## marroon69 (Nov 14, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

I must admit I have always been a sucker for a good Sci-Fantasy book or game. I jumped on the Numenera band wagon with the pre-orders of the core  book after the kick starter closed, I sort of missed the kick starter (D'oh) but since then I have scooped everything they put out. The system is simple and intuitive for fast paced game play, basically everything follows the same set of rules (attacks, climbing,hiding...). But There are few things in the rules that I find very interesting, gaining experience and the idea of throwing out challenge rating.  The first interesting twist in the game is a break from tying experience to creatures, you gain experience for making discoveries and finding artifacts. While it sounds simple enough it changes the mindset, combat is not required ever. Plus combat can be pretty deadly so avoiding it is not a bad thing.The second is the idea that the world's challenge rating scales with your character, that does not happen in Numenera. So challenge rating to perform a task is not harder if you are high level, it is static. Seems so simple. The world and the creature around you do not level up with you, you are not forced to encounter creatures within your challenge rating This makes for a more consistent play no matter what level (or tier in Numenera terms). This does a few things, first the players can really see there growth, something that seemed difficult early on gets easier as they progress. Second it breaks the idea that every encounter should be conquerable through combat, some harder then others but still with in your means. Not true in Numenera....you see Dread Destroy..you better run, even high tiered characters will die horribly.Enough about the rules, in my eyes it is the setting that makes this book worth every penny. If Monte Cooke games would have just released the setting for another game system I would still be happy. You can see that there was a lot of time, effort and thought put into the setting. It is built as a framework, just enough detail to allow a GM to take hold and make it is own. You can see the years of experience Monte has a GM right here. It is an amazing world that is easy to play in and easy to customize. I read or heard some where, not sure if it was the blog or maybe a web cast, that Monte planned it out that way, he also stated that their intention is to never flush it out but to leave it the GM's.All in all it has been the best book I purchased in a long time. As you can tell I am sort of fan-boy of the setting and the system and I play it/demo it or run it as often as I can.


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## grafikchaos (Nov 15, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

What I love about Numenera, aside from the gorgeous artwork, attention to world detail, and downright simplicity in mechanics and play, is the fact that this is a story-driven rpg with some cool modern mechanics to back up those stories. Sure, I love chucking dice, looking for modifiers and becoming a tactical threat, but this isn't that type of game. This game is about cool characters facing incredible odds with cool gadgets and never enough information about what they need to accomplish. There are dice, and you can get tactical with it, but all of that is in the background. The characters and their adventures are what make this game shine. All around, this is a fantastic game and belongs in any rpg gamer's library.


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## Mathew_Freeman (Nov 16, 2014)

*3 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Despite having heard all the exciting things about Numenera from lots of people I simply couldn't get my head around what the game was supposed to be. I found the rules and the setting extremely vague. I don't think it's a bad game by any means, and I hope other people enjoy it, but it's not for me.


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## synthapse (Nov 16, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Further enhancing Monte Cook's reputation, Numenera is an outstanding system and game world. Beautiful artwork, and well-designed; a perfect addition to any RPG collection.


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## FallenAkriel (Nov 17, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

One of the best game in the last few years, Numenera comes with an incredible Cypher System and a beautiful world with a lots of plot hooks. A must have for any Science Fantasy fans!


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## GrahamWills (Nov 17, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Very refreshing to have a non-traditional world system, and the highly streamlined mechanics make this very easy to prep for and run. Because it is very different from f20 systems, it can take people s little while to work out how to spend their pools and make things work, but once you get into it, it's consistently fun and exciting.


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## msDarkSage (Nov 17, 2014)

*4 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

What Numenera promised, was an oustanding world where everything can happen. What we got was a not-so-good described world, where you can do anything, as long you have proper cyphers. Oh, and you can't hold too much of them, or you'll be send to Void. Mechanics too much relay on them, but they are really poorly described in world, without even suggested value, and eventually your character is shadowed by them.World description show many potential places to play, but not nessesery how to play with them. Book looks nice and with some homerules it can become a really great fun, but it lacks guidelines for people wanting to play-by-the-book. You are thrown into vast world without knowing what to do. Also, bestiary shows that  "everything has a level" system do not support "real" world challanges, as every monster in it posses much more power than one would think of.Over all I enjoyed my campaing in the Beyond, but when I'll make another one, I'll change a lot for it to work better.


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## TrickyUK (Nov 17, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Having played D&D (including Pathfinder more recently) for many years and always struggled with the freedom of narrative vs. rules, Numenera and the Cypher System was a welcomed change. It can take a bit of getting used to the new found freedom but once the old shackles are gone, much fun will be had.


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## DWChancellor (Nov 17, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Monte Cook knew what he was doing when he puts this book together.  Well written, well organized, and with high quality art throughout, the Numenera Core Rulebook lights a fire in you to play.  Having skipped the Kickstarter, my first view of the game was through the Rulebook and I was not disappointed.  While other Core books have left too much on the reader, this book holds your hand just enough all throughout, without patronizing you or spewing massive text.


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## Midknightsun (Nov 17, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

'Nuff said.


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## TrippyHippy (Nov 23, 2014)

*4 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

It’s not really the game for me, but I do respect it for the degree of creative focus on setting design. It has it’s own narrative driven system too, which feels similar to that used in HeroQuest in some ways. However, it doesn’t dwell on the niftiness of it’s mechanics in the way some other new RPGs have done in recent years, and provides a really meaty science fantasy setting to explore. As such, I feel it has shifted a trend in game design. Impressive Kickstarter campaign too, which owes a lot to the reputations of the creative team as much as anything, but it does mean the full colour production standards are equally impressive too.


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## RisTigger (Nov 24, 2014)

*4 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

This is going to be a quick a dirty review, acting as more of a discussion rather than a full on coverage of the game. Let us be honest, Numenera doesn't need anyone to tell them to buy the game because probably a million gamers have done that already.If someone is thinking of buying Numenera, the first thing I would tell them is that you are buying the core book for the world. Monte Cook has stuffed the core with so much little details and locations that a GM is spoiled for choice. There are so many varied adventure hooks and plot elements that you can read one section of the book and come away with 10 campaign ideas. I ran my Numenera game based on a small blurb in a section and it turned into a sprawling adventure with mechanical dragons and a war to save the spider people. If you have got the imagination, Numenera offers you a fully realized world that feels unlimited in its possibilities.One of the best things about Numenera is that the game can run the full gamut of genres. I remember watching a review of Numenera a while back and the reviewer was disappointed that his players didn't get into the dark world that is Numenera. The thing is, the world of Numenera is kind of ridiculous. The core book is 100% serious with its "dark" and "depressing" themes. The problem is, you are playing around with crazy gadgets that may or may not work. You can befriend a mutant dog and dress it up in armor. There are a lot of cool and dark things in Numenera but unless you have the right players or atmosphere you should embrace the absurdity of Numenera. The game that I ran was both bizarre, epic, funny and dark at the same time (there were cyborg spiders). The core book may try to bash the idea that this is a dark and oppressive world into your skull but, like every RPG the game, theme and tone are completely in the hand of the players and as the GM you shouldn't try to bring the mood back to serious just because the core book says you should.That being said, the rules of Numenera are very simple. It is billed as a rules lite game and that's an apt description. This is a great newbie game (I ran my game with two friends new to tabletop games) with simple mechanics. If you are looking for something more then these mechanics will leave you high and dry. At first, I was very angry with how simple and backwards a lot of the mechanics seemed to me. It felt like the book was hampering the GM's ability to tell a story for a more player driven experience. Some games can get away with that, but I feel that Numenera is weaker for it. I immediately threw out those particular rules and I felt the game was better for it. My opinion is that a game should never hamper the GM and that's my biggest problem with Numenera. The game feels the players are the most important aspect of the game. That's just not true. The GM and the players work together to tell a story. Open world games are the big thing right now with a more player driven experience. If that's your thing then Numenera will deliver but if you are like me and feel that each person at the table is important, then you might want to play fast and loose with the rules. Another thing, if you are an experienced tabletop gamer then you might want to just take the world of Numenera and nothing else. Understand, the rules in Numenera are simplistic almost to a fault. You can have a great game with the world but the rules will leave you wishing for either a more in-depth experience or a more tactical one depending on the kind of player you are. I have been playing games for a while now and I felt the rules were a little too simple but they do get the job done. Best bet would be try the rules once and see if they fit with your style. If not, don't feel bad about fitting another system into Numenera because it's not that hard.Do I like Numenera? Yes and no. I think the world is great, but the mechanics are lacking and sometimes just plain bad. The hype for this game was insane though so there are many opinions that may be colored by that hype. Though I bought the core at a discount and felt it was a good purchase, you might think differently. As with every piece of media, take reviewers' opinions with a grain of salt (including mine). It's nice to be excited for something but don't get swept up by that initial excitement because it could end up biting you in the butt. When I initially read Numenera I was kind of pissed by the mechanics and wanted to go on a crusade against the hype. But I didn't and my opinion has cooled. Numenera is a great world but not a good game. Should you buy it? Yeah probably. It is a beautiful book with great pieces of fiction (though the PDF copy is missing art assets). If you have gamer friends, odds are that one of them owns Numenera. Ask to read it and you can get a good feel for what Numenera is like.Thanks for reading.


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## Umbrathys (Nov 26, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

The Numenera core-book is an amazing work of art and creative genius.  The Cypher system itself is rather simplistic (a tad too simplistic for my tastes, but still fun).  This book really shines, though, in the imagined realization of the world / setting / design, etc.  This is one of the first RPGs that I read cover-to-cover in one sitting.  It is that well written and creative.  Additionally, the book is put together with a flow and ease of use that other publishers should pay close attention to.  Very well laid out.


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## Kelanen (Nov 26, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Superb world with great mechanics and beautiful artwork make for a great system. Fast paced and fun; even for the GM!


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## Yaztromo (Nov 30, 2014)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Ho avuto l'onore di far parte dei playtesters e ho amato questa ambientazione fin dal primo momento.L'unico aspetto che si adatta un po' meno al mio stile di gioco e' che i giocatori sono fin dal principio dei privilegiati con capacita' nettamente al di sopra della media (mentre io preferisco far partire i personaggi come delle persone assolutamente normali o anche al di sotto, e poi farli imparare e crescere a partire da situazioni di assoluta mediocrita' se non di disperazione, ma queste sono mie preferenze personali...)Quello che mi ha fatto saltare sulla sedia, guardando il "prodotto finito" e' l'assoluta bellezza delle immagini!


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## Eminence_Grise (Jan 3, 2015)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

There's a lot of great things in Numenera: character creation, the setting itself, the no-dice-throwing for the GM (which was a lot better in practice than would have thought), etc. I felt that character options were somewhat lacking in the book. Not as diverse as I would have liked. Fortunately, the Character Options supplement fills this void perfectly.


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## doswelk (Jan 20, 2015)

*4 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

I kickstarted this product and love the finished result.


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## Scrivener of Doom (May 22, 2015)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

I don't know why I had avoided this for so long as I was always a fan of Monte's d20 work but I finally got around to getting it and reading it and I am blown away. (In fact, it was the Kickstarter for No Thank You, Evil that caused me to a take a look at it.)  This is a really elegant system married to a very imaginative world supported by some fantastic (in the true sense) art. I think I have a new "go to" rules-lite game.


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## awindgate (Aug 25, 2015)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Over all the thing that keeps me entertained with Numenera is the setting. Its system is great as well but Ive got the most mileage out of the setting that lets you do most anything you want.


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## Wystan (Oct 20, 2015)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

I have to say, having Gm'd Numenera (and The Strange) a few times now... The Cypher system is a Very Strong contender if the people looking at it can give it a chance... I say on a scale of 1-10 it is a 7-8 and could very well be a 10 in the right circumstances and with the right GM and Players.


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## Rabbitbait (Oct 24, 2016)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

A caveat - I've only run D&D games before but have been doing so for the last 36 years (eep).

While the setting is a little bare bones (but very nicely done and a very good mix of sci-fi and fantasy), and there are not a lot of modules out there, the game itself plays so easily and quickly that it is just a joy. The GM intrusion mechanic is inspired and the incremental character growth for the players is fantastic.

I really like how easy it is for the GM to set the difficulty of any task and then for the player to decide how much effort they want to spend to bring the difficulty down. It really does work well, and the narrative focus of the game has meant that players end up being able to try a lot of things that just would not occur in D&D. And a good dice roll can be the difference between achieving a task adequately and being frigging awesome. For example, in our last game one of the characters jumped through a plate glass window to try and catch up with enemies who were escaping from the ground floor. A bad roll could have seen him bouncing off the glass or getting sliced up badly, but he rolled extremely well so leapt through the glass, rolled with the fall and landed facing the enemies with guns blazing. Just awesome.

Excepting that example, I love how the game is centered around discovery rather than combat, and this has made the whole thing a lot more interesting.

The game also plays very fast and can easily go in unexpected directions - you have to be prepared to just go with the flow.

I am playing this game over Roll20, but it is purely voice and videos of the players and I provide a heap of handouts of pictures and good mood music. The combat has worked perfectly in theatre of the mind, which is something I haven't managed with D&D since 1st edition.

In short - this is a breath of fresh air. It is the easiest and best game I have ever DMed. I am now intrigued by the whole Cypher System that holds it together and will be looking at 'The Strange' in the future.


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## imredave (Mar 25, 2017)

*3 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

[FONT=&quot]First impressions include gorgeous artwork, well written prose, a sidebar annotation layout which really very helpful. Owners of Monte Cook's previous masterwork Ptolus will recognize these features. The combat and skill system core mechanic is straight forward, roll a d20 try to beat a target number. I thought the idea of being able to spend effort to lower the target number was intriguing. The character creation system at first glance seems very free form and open. One starts one character by filling in the statement "I am an _adjective noun _who _verbs_". So far very good, similar to my favorite character generation system from Over the Edge (Pick three things your good at, one weakness, and one secret).[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]However, pursual of the subsequent chapters on characters begin the to reveal the dark secret lurking beneath the surface. It turns out there are only three permissible _nouns_: Glaive, Nano, or Jack (by the way, Monte, use of glaive in this fashion is almost as heinous as the movie's Krulls use of glaive to describe a six pointed psychic shuirekan. True polearmists know that a glaive is a long knife on a stick). There are only twelve permissible _adjectives_:  Charming, Clever, Graceful, Intelligent, Learned, Mystical/Mechanical (yea, I though that would be two different things but it is only one), Rugged, Stealthy, Strong, Strong willed, Swift, Tough.There are twenty verbs (which I won't bother to list) however no two members of the party are allowed to have the same verb. In balance the character creation is closer to 4e character class, theme than Over the edges free form.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Also surfacing in the character creation chapters is another concern for me, the system is a tri-stat system having only might, speed, and intellect. While tri-stat systems are not completely fatal (I have been playing Ultima Online for years, Skyrim is a more recent example), I find most of them have trouble dividing mechanics between only three stats so that one does not become significantly more important than others. Another source of trouble begins to appear in the equipment section, fixed weapon damage versus fixed armor class. Again a system which requires careful balance, it does look like it is reasonably under control, since both medium, and heavy weapons can get through heavy armor, but armor bonuses will quickly make a character vulnerable only to critical hits (this reliance on requiring critical hits to penetrate armor is what soured me on first edition Runequest).[/FONT]


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## Crusadius (May 4, 2017)

*5 out of 5 rating for Numenera Core Rulebook*

Great system for character creation, along with an inspirational setting.


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