I normally take December and January off from my regular role playing sessions for a break and to spend a bit more time with family. It is that kind of time where most people want to have a break, recoup and get some energy back. That is not that I turn my back on gaming though. In fact I use this time to do some different stuff and run some one shot games of games I used to play and games I would like to try.
One of the games I hope to run a one shot of this holiday is Numenera. I have had a rather turbulent time with this book and it has taken a long time for me to get through the main book. It is one of those books that I pick up when I go to bed and by the time I have read about half a page I am yawning and struggling to keep my eyes open. One of the great things about this game is the Cypher system and I am excited to see that Monte Cook games is planning a Universal system with it.
Do not get me wrong, the idea that Monte had about an Earth a billion years in the future is great. But the world material really made me feel plaid. There were bits that interested me (like the Beyond of Beyond chapter) but as a whole it just felt, old. Now I am not saying it is old, it just felt that way to me and I read this at one of the worst times in my recent memory but I think that I will take the idea and just run it in my own setting.
I also have to say that there are things in the game that are presented up front and are given a brief description that made me confused and angry about the game as a whole, but as I have reached the section of the book that contains them I am like:
Oh! That is what Monte meant. I so can see where he is coming from now.
I have one section left to read. The running the game chapter. Monte Cook is a big “You must read that chapter of a game” and I so totally agree with him. I have already actually read a few paragraphs and I like the approach that he is taking. I will enjoy it.
It has taken me about a year to get there and it has been a roller-coaster with this game but I am really keen to give it a try. That is why I try to persevere and read all of a game before I make a decision. There are a lot of people out there playing this game (and The Strange – not that I know what that is) so there has to be something to like. From a GM’s perspective the rules look right along the evolutionary path that I have been on for a while.
So, if you are a member of the G+ Tabletop Role-playing Games Asia Pacific on Google Plus I have put up an are you interested in a one shot? I will be running it in my own time zone but once I am off for the year from teaching I may also try and schedule something that suits USA/Europe. If you play a Cypher system game or you just want to ask something, hit me up in the comments. Keep rolling!