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.[4]
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.[5]
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"[6] 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",[7] the setting treats technology with much the same approach as magic in a fantasy setting. The native tech level is roughly medieval.[8]
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,[better source needed] surpassing the previous record set by the Kickstarter for Traveller 5th edition.[better source needed] Originally intended just to fund the initial core rulebook, the campaign more than doubled its funding goal within the first 24 hours.[better source needed] "Stretch goals" that were announced as the level of funding grew increased the output of products, ending up producing an entire game line.[9]
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.[10] 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.[10]
Legacy material from the original Numenera book, not included in the new edition, were made available for free as a PDF.[11]
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,[12] German,[13] Spanish, French and Portuguese.[14]
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
PDF
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
PDF
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
PDF
Contains 30 new artifacts and 100 new oddities. Included in the later supplement 'Technology Compendium: Sir Arthour’s Guide to the Numenera'.
A collection of 130 creatures and characters for Numenera.
Love and Sex in the Ninth World
Shanna Germain
February 2014
13
PDF
A guide to integrating elements of love and sex into any Numenera story or adventure.
Injecting the Weird
Monte Cook
March 2014
22
PDF
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.
A collection of Numenera cyphers, oddities and artifacts
When Worlds Collide: Converting Numenera and The Strange
Monte Cook & Bruce Cordell
August 2014
18
PDF
Guide to converting material from The Strange campaign setting for Numenera.
Strange Creatures of the Ninth World
Monte Cook
November 2014
15
PDF
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
PDF
Collection of high-resolution maps from the Numenera corebook with labelled and unlabelled versions of each.
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
PDF
Adventure run at GenCon 2017. 17-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pre-generated characters.
Shadewalker
Sean K. Reynolds
December 2017
22
PDF
Short 10-page adventure, plus 6 pre-generated characters.
Ashes of the Sea
Sean K. Reynolds
July 2018
47
PDF
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.
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
PDF
Adventure run at Gen Con and Gamehole Con 2022. 16-page adventure, plus 6 double-sided pregenerated characters.
Reaper Miniatures released a boxed set of 28-mm scale miniature figures for Numenera.[17]
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."[18]
Awards
Numenera received the 2014 Origins Award for "Best New Roleplaying Game".[19]
