Play explorers in a far-future Earth full of ancient technology that works like magic, driven by discovery over combat.
From 32 firsthand play reports in 5 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 6.5.
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126 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.
Light. Hype 3.9 for its age.
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Tables praise the Ninth World setting and how little prep it takes to run. Opinions on the mechanics are split. Some groups found the effort and asset rules slow or flat at first, while others settled in within a session or two. Firsthand reports are fairly plentiful, though many are brief.
Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.
People who actually played or ran Numenera mostly love the setting, the easy improv and the low prep. Their complaints are about unexplained 'unknowable' items, effort spent before the roll, the cypher limit and thin pre-written adventures. The original poster has two years of play and is fond of it, but several other players found the table experience flat or only 'fine'. 11 firsthand · 78 comments
The original poster's second session went well. Without combat and with GM-prepped investigation, the group roleplayed, helped each other with checks, and used Effort freely. Other players report a similar adjustment to the core mechanic, but several say combat is clunky and unbalanced across character types. 9 firsthand · 25 comments
The thread is about Numenera, and the firsthand reports are split. The original poster's group got bogged down in a first session where players hunted for bonuses to ease difficulty, while several GMs found it fast and easy to run once expectations were set. Some commenters also describe Cypher System play in other settings, which was not counted. 7 firsthand · 122 comments
The thread is mostly about the Cypher-based new edition and Cypher System in general. The few firsthand Numenera reports are positive: the OP says it is one of their favorite games to run and that the system suits its sci-fi archaeology tone, and one commenter says it didn't suit them. 4 firsthand · 48 comments
The thread is mostly recommendations for other sci-fantasy games. The only firsthand Numenera report is the OP, a GM who loves the setting and enjoys running Cypher, but whose players disliked the pool system and GM intrusions enough that he wants to switch systems. 1 firsthand · 65 comments