The Strange

The Strange is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) set in multiple alternate dimensions, written by Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook.

The Strange
Designer(s)Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook
Publisher(s)Monte Cook Games
Publication date2014
Genre(s)Science Fantasy
System(s)the Cypher System
Playing timeVaries
Random chanceDice rolling
Skill(s) requiredRole-playing, improvisation
WebsiteThe Strange RPG

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."
  1. 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.
  2. 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".
  3. 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

TitleAuthorsDatePagesFormatsISBN
The Paradox RoomMonte Cook, Bruce CordellOctober 2013Xepub, mobi, PDF
An anthology of two short stories released with the Kickstarter to illustrate the setting
Tales from the StrangeBruce Cordell, Monte Cook, Shanna GermainDecember 2013Xepub, mobi, PDF
Collection of short stories set in The Strange setting
The Strange CorebookBruce Cordell & Monte CookAugust 15, 2014416Print, Deluxe, PDF
The main rulebook for the game
The Strange Player's GuideBruce Cordell & Monte CookAugust 15, 201464Print, PDF
Book focused on the player characters; subset of content from the Corebook
The Strange XP Card DeckMonte CookAugust 15, 201430 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing a character's XP points
The Strange Cypher Card DeckMonte CookAugust 15, 2014120 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing cypher items available in game
The Dark SpiralBruce CordellOctober 201496Print, PDF
Collection of interwoven adventurers
The Strange BestiaryBruce Cordell, Monte Cook, & Robert J. SchwalbNovember 2014160Print, PDF
A collection of creatures from various recursions in The Strange
The Strange Creature Card DeckMonte CookNovember 2014100 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing creatures in The Strange
In Translation: The Strange Character OptionsBruce CordellApril 201596Print, PDF
Additional character options for The Strange

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.