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The Strange is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game, written by Bruce Cordell and Monte Cook, and published by Monte Cook Games.
 Cover by Matt Stawicki | |
| Designers | |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Monte Cook Games |
| Publication | 2014 |
| Genres | Science Fantasy |
| Systems | Cypher system |
History
editThe Strange was published in 2014 by Monte Cook Games, as a result of a crowd funding campaign in 2013.[1] The campaign raised $418,478 from 2,883 backers.[2]
Game
editSetting
editThe 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
editCharacter 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
editThe 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.
Products
edit| 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 | |
|
An anthology of short stories set in The Strange setting | |||||
| The Strange Corebook | Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook | August 15, 2014 | 416 | Print, Deluxe, PDF | |
| 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 | |||||
| In Translation: The Strange Character Options | Bruce Cordell | April 2015 | 96 | Print, PDF | |
|
Additional character options for The Strange | |||||
Reception
editThe Strange won the 2015 Silver Ennie Award for "Best Interior Art", "Best Game", and "Best Setting".[3]
References
edit- ^ Appelcline, Shannon (2015). Designers & Dragons. The Platinum Appendix (2nd ed.). Silver Springs, MD, USA: Evil Hat Productions. ISBN 978-1-61317-081-6.
- ^ Appelcline, Shannon (January 1, 2014). "Designers & Dragons: The Column #27: 2013: The Year in Review". RPGnet. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "2015 ENnie Award Winners | ENnie Awards". www.ennie-awards.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.