Reddit reviews Cypher System Rulebook

I like the post and I agree with most of it. Some comments:

Healing is described in "Numenera", p. 103:

> You can administer aid through bandaging and other succor, attempting to heal each patient once per day. This healing restores points to a stat Pool of your choice.

From a realism angle, I favor one heal per patient, not one heal per patient per user.

> If the GM has fully read the rule book, and fully understands how cyphers work, then you will probably have a healing cypher on someone in the party, at any given time [...] You probably should blow through these pretty quickly, too. Why? Again, you want to save your own first rest period for mid-combat, if needed

Disagree a bit here. From a GM perspective I think the allotment of cyphers to players can be personal taste. If, at all, it should be based on the current story arc.

I also think the most efficient timing of the cypher use depends on its properties, the player's tier and the situation (a D6 heal cypher screams 'use me now', a heal +10 is best saved for combat).

> In fact, there is a rule on page ___ of the main book, which states that players can declare they are scrounging up new cyphers at almost any time

Numenera, p. 280.


> One of the best ways to feel comfortable about allowing your ability scores to drop down and fill back up is to make sure that one of your first 2 physical stats is huge.

I think it very much depends on how the game is played. I just finished reading Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering (ISBN 1-55634-629-8, recommended reading).

While you can certainly disagree a bit on his (or rather Glen Blacow's) player phenotypes, he makes a good point throughout the book that different rule systems appeal to different types.

Numenera is very much on the "Storyteller" side of his spectrum, while D&D, Pathfinder are on the "Tactician" / "Powergamer" side.

I think this sort of stat maxing is only needed if you come from a "Tactician" background and want that style to carry over to Numenera. However, if you (and the group) embrace Numenera for what it is, virtually any combination / stat pool can make sense.

In that respect, I would also vote for pinning [this great write-up]
(https://www.reddit.com/r/numenera/comments/58elpb/ive_played_this_system_for_quite_a_while_now_and/d902v4w/) from /u/OrangePhoenix which summarizes some of it in more detail.

> ...is that Numenera isn't about combat, and you shouldn't treat it that way.

Yes.


> you are doing it wrong at least in terms of what Monte Cook intended when he invented the game

To continue on the above, each rule system facilitates a certain play style. Numenera was, from the ground up, invented for story telling.

It is, in my mind, the "Agile Manifesto" of role playing:


> Interactions over processes.
>
> Story over 'documentation'.
>
> Collaboration over rules.
>
> Adaptation over plan.

It is a bit unfortunate that many RPGs couple rules and lore rather tightly (which, on a side note, makes the Cypher System Rulebook pretty refreshing).

However, regardless if they like the lore, I could only truly recommend Numenera to players who identify with the above.

If you are looking for comprehensive rules, maximizing stats, or 'predicting the outcome' rather than trusting your GM there are systems doing a much better job providing these.

I usually recommend the Cypher System by Monte Cook for new players (it comes in multiple flavors: generic, future-fantasy, dimension-hopping secret agents, and American Gods-ish). Like D&D 5e, it's a middle-of-the-road game which is open to a lot of different playstyles. It has straightforward rules (simpler than D&D 5e) that can be adapted to whatever setting your players are most interested in (space opera, fantasy, superheroes). Character creation is very easy to follow, and much quicker than D&D.

Fate is another option, although it might be a little confusing if it's your first RPG. Its rules are simple, but the complete lack of constraints on players and the DM might be a little overwhelming. Its rules are also fairly unorthodox, so it won't be so helpful if you're interested in eventually trying more mainstream games.