Comment by Razengan
7 years ago
The mechanics are supposed to get out of your way and Numenera’s Cypher system seems to do that job well.
The setting too leaves a lot of room and options for a good DM to expand into and build upon.
You can base almost any kind of story in Numenera, with tech levels ranging from primitive to medieval to hyper-sci-fi.
"You can use it with any kind of story" is a bad thing, not a good thing. A game's mechanics should reinforce its story or themes. Even the granddaddy of generic games, GURPS, has this in some measure in the way its mechanics reinforce a gritty, high-tension feel where every single HP and FP is precious.
> "You can use it with any kind of story" is a bad thing, not a good thing.
And yet that is what every successful RPG does.
Story != Themes.
Setting/cosmology/pantheon/bestiary/etcetera != Story.
D&D is the system, or “game”, with many settings from Planescape to Spelljammer.
The Forgotten Reams is a setting, with many stories from Drizzt Do’Urden to Neverwinter Nights.
* Reams = Realms