The Strange
| Designer(s) | Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Monte Cook Games |
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Genre(s) | Science Fantasy |
| System(s) | the Cypher System |
| Playing time | Varies |
| Random chance | Dice rolling |
| Skill(s) required | Role-playing, improvisation |
| Website | The Strange RPG |
The Strange is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) set in multiple alternate dimensions, written by Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook.
Game
Setting
The Strange is set in modern day Earth but allows a GM to take their stories through many different "recursions", worlds based frequently on literary creations.
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 either a "Vector", a "Paradox", or a "Spinner".
- 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.
Game Mechanics
The Strange uses the Cypher System, developed for Numenera and is played primarily using a d20, but is used to determine if the player has beaten the difficulty of the task. The GM sets the initial difficulty and will relay that to the player prior to the roll to help them determine their course of action. A player uses their training and/or may apply "effort" to lower the level of difficulty prior to the roll, rather than heavily augmenting the result of the roll to beat a target.
Production Team
Lead Designers: Bruce Cordell, Monte Cook
Lead Artist: Matthew Stawicki
Lead Editor: Shanna Germain
Contributing Artists:
Cartographer: Christopher West
Launch
The Strange was launched via a Kickstarter campaign, the second by Monte Cook Games following the Kickstarter for Numenera. The campaign ended on November 22, 2013 and raised $418,478 from 2,883 backers.[1]
Products
Core Products
| Title | Authors | Date | Pages | Formats | ISBN | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Paradox Room | Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell | October 2013 | X | epub, mobi, PDF | ||||||
| An anthology of two short stories released with the Kickstarter to illustrate the setting | ||||||||||
| Tales from the Strange | Bruce Cordell, Monte Cook, Shanna Germain | December 2013 | X | epub, mobi, PDF | ||||||
| Collection of short stories set in The Strange setting | ||||||||||
| The Strange Corebook | Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook | August 15, 2014 | 416 | Print, Deluxe, PDF | ||||||
| The main rulebook for the game | ||||||||||
| The Strange Player's Guide | Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook | August 15, 2014 | 64 | Print, PDF | ||||||
| Book focused on the player characters; subset of content from the Corebook | ||||||||||
| The Strange XP Card Deck | Monte Cook | August 15, 2014 | 30 cards | Print, PDF | ||||||
| Cards representing a character's XP points | ||||||||||
| The Strange Cypher Card Deck | Monte Cook | August 15, 2014 | 120 cards | Print, PDF | ||||||
| Cards representing cypher items available in game | ||||||||||
| The Dark Spiral | Bruce Cordell | October 2014 | 96 | Print, PDF | ||||||
| Collection of interwoven adventurers | ||||||||||
| The Strange Bestiary | Bruce Cordell, Monte Cook, & Robert J. Schwalb | November 2014 | 160 | Print, PDF | ||||||
| A collection of creatures from various recursions in The Strange | ||||||||||
| The Strange Creature Card Deck | Monte Cook | November 2014 | 100 cards | Print, PDF | ||||||
| Cards representing creatures in The Strange | ||||||||||
References
- ↑ "The Strange, a Tabletop RPG by Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook". Retrieved 16 December 2014.