I was impressed by Cypher's emphasis on lightening the GM's load, allowing more brainpower to be put toward improvisation, and running the game smoothly in general. Even creating baddies on the fly is pretty quick & easy.
Great video! I really knew nothing about the system, other than it existed. Your breakdown helped me understand it a lot better and what the pros and cons are. Sounds interesting! The layout with the different colors for each section is something I've been doing for a B/X supplement I've been writing!
This was such a helpful breakdown, thank you! I hate the idea of spending XP for temporary benefits, but nearly everything else about Cypher System sounds great. (But oof, thanks for pointing out the editing issues in the book!)
I love the Cypher system; I particularly appreciate how most of the complexity is player-facing. I just always felt that the cyphers themselves -- even subtle cyphers -- felt kinda forced, especially in some genres (SciFi, modern, etc.).
In some campaigns, they are better used as power enhancers or meta narrative. You can also swap a cypher slot for an extra skill to reduce the number of cyphers needed in the game.
The concept of "I am an [x] who [y]s" originally appeared in the web generator "They Fight Crime", and honestly the Cypher System doesn't take advantage of the interpretive nature of such statements, ultimately relying on explicit class style systems.
Have you played it yet? Found cypher system from old gods too and love the podcast and ttrpg! Starting to run games in another cypher system setting now too
What I find frustrating about the Cypher System is that, in terms of character creation and advancement, it is a gigantic cafeteria without access to the kitchen. This is especially transparent in the revised edition of the Cypher System, and the tiny font size that it has is a frustrating testament to this. Compare this phenomenon to something like, say, Mutants & Masterminds, another d20-based game where characters and abilities are built with points. The page count to M&M is close to half of that of the Cypher System, but I find that I can do more with M&M and faster by "cooking up" my abilities rather than sifting through a massive catalogue of pre-packaged abilities. The system definitely has potential but I think Monte Cook did too much to appeal to the D&D crowd by presenting cafeteria-style character creation and advancement with the Cypher System.
I’m not sure I agree. I do think the book would have been better with generic abilities which depended on the players narrating them in a way that fits with the genre (which is what Open Legend does). But nothing about character advancement feels like D&D. The addition of benefits you purchase through experience points and the way advancement is handled don’t match up. Also, the book encourage GMs to curate the abilities to reflect the world and for players and GMs to come up with their own abilities which fit the world. So it’s not as slick as it could be, and I think the system shines in Numenéra a bit more because it’s focused on a single genre, but I don’t think the analogy you use works.
This is in part to Cypher also allowing you to tweak the power level of the campaign AND you subtract the parts you do not want. Someone who Thunders may not belong in the same campaign as Licensed to Kill. You simply don't allow the Focuses that don't fit. You only need 20 Focuses for your whole game. And I assume you have some system mastery with M&M, because I guarantee it would take me far longer to "cook" up a power package in M&M compared to you.
@@ganzagaming1849 The reason I can cook up a power package in M&M faster than looking for its equivalent in Cypher is because with M&M, character powers are created from effects, whereas with Cypher, I either have to choose from pre-made options (of which there are dozens) or, if I want to customize a descriptor, a foci, or a role, I have to sift through hundreds of pre-made abilities (or make them up, which requires me to basically wing it).
This is a nice review of the Cypher system, but you do start with a lengthy preamble. It's not until almost 9 minutes into the video that you get to the rules. While information such as bookbinding, length, format, and included art may be useful to your viewers, it does take up more than a third of the video. This is my first view of your channel (sent here by @misfitadventurers) so I don't know if this is common in your reviews or what your main audience prefers. Just my thoughts.
![Discovering Numenera [A #ttrpg review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/H0F-Yhem3Vk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Discovering Numenera [A #ttrpg review]](/img/tr.png)
I was impressed by Cypher's emphasis on lightening the GM's load, allowing more brainpower to be put toward improvisation, and running the game smoothly in general. Even creating baddies on the fly is pretty quick & easy.
It really is. The system had gotten into my head.
Good editing is a sorely underrated aspect of roleplaying books.
That is true in general. Which makes finding great design and editing so wonderful.
Great video! I really knew nothing about the system, other than it existed. Your breakdown helped me understand it a lot better and what the pros and cons are. Sounds interesting! The layout with the different colors for each section is something I've been doing for a B/X supplement I've been writing!
Thanks, and I can’t wait to see your supplement!!
i like the examples in the video. i have the book and can say, the video is spot on.
Thanks!
This was such a helpful breakdown, thank you! I hate the idea of spending XP for temporary benefits, but nearly everything else about Cypher System sounds great. (But oof, thanks for pointing out the editing issues in the book!)
Thanks! I kinda like spending XP, but it is a paradigm shift.
I love the Cypher system; I particularly appreciate how most of the complexity is player-facing. I just always felt that the cyphers themselves -- even subtle cyphers -- felt kinda forced, especially in some genres (SciFi, modern, etc.).
It is something that fits so nice in Numenera, yah. But subtle cyphers are kinda fun if you use them as epiphanies or social insights.
In some campaigns, they are better used as power enhancers or meta narrative. You can also swap a cypher slot for an extra skill to reduce the number of cyphers needed in the game.
Very fun to mess with !
The concept of "I am an [x] who [y]s" originally appeared in the web generator "They Fight Crime", and honestly the Cypher System doesn't take advantage of the interpretive nature of such statements, ultimately relying on explicit class style systems.
Is that still live?
I was actually looking at the system book today and was very tempted.
I do recommend it. Numenera has the benefit of being a single setting but this is VERY good.
Looks interesting.
It is very interesting. Numenera is even better.
Do you need the cypher system book for their Game Old Gods of Appalachia?
You do not, AFAIK. There are some books that extend cypher core but games Old Gods, Numenera, and The Strange are independent.
@@DMTalesTTRPG Thanks. I'm new to role playing games and love the podcast. Figuring out how to get started.
@mysticimagesart5827 cool! I have not played Old Gods, you’ll have to let me know how it is!
Have you played it yet? Found cypher system from old gods too and love the podcast and ttrpg! Starting to run games in another cypher system setting now too
@JuggleGod yup. I’m running Numenera now and love it!
What I find frustrating about the Cypher System is that, in terms of character creation and advancement, it is a gigantic cafeteria without access to the kitchen. This is especially transparent in the revised edition of the Cypher System, and the tiny font size that it has is a frustrating testament to this. Compare this phenomenon to something like, say, Mutants & Masterminds, another d20-based game where characters and abilities are built with points. The page count to M&M is close to half of that of the Cypher System, but I find that I can do more with M&M and faster by "cooking up" my abilities rather than sifting through a massive catalogue of pre-packaged abilities.
The system definitely has potential but I think Monte Cook did too much to appeal to the D&D crowd by presenting cafeteria-style character creation and advancement with the Cypher System.
I’m not sure I agree. I do think the book would have been better with generic abilities which depended on the players narrating them in a way that fits with the genre (which is what Open Legend does). But nothing about character advancement feels like D&D. The addition of benefits you purchase through experience points and the way advancement is handled don’t match up.
Also, the book encourage GMs to curate the abilities to reflect the world and for players and GMs to come up with their own abilities which fit the world.
So it’s not as slick as it could be, and I think the system shines in Numenéra a bit more because it’s focused on a single genre, but I don’t think the analogy you use works.
This is in part to Cypher also allowing you to tweak the power level of the campaign AND you subtract the parts you do not want. Someone who Thunders may not belong in the same campaign as Licensed to Kill. You simply don't allow the Focuses that don't fit. You only need 20 Focuses for your whole game. And I assume you have some system mastery with M&M, because I guarantee it would take me far longer to "cook" up a power package in M&M compared to you.
@@ganzagaming1849 The reason I can cook up a power package in M&M faster than looking for its equivalent in Cypher is because with M&M, character powers are created from effects, whereas with Cypher, I either have to choose from pre-made options (of which there are dozens) or, if I want to customize a descriptor, a foci, or a role, I have to sift through hundreds of pre-made abilities (or make them up, which requires me to basically wing it).
This is a nice review of the Cypher system, but you do start with a lengthy preamble. It's not until almost 9 minutes into the video that you get to the rules. While information such as bookbinding, length, format, and included art may be useful to your viewers, it does take up more than a third of the video. This is my first view of your channel (sent here by @misfitadventurers) so I don't know if this is common in your reviews or what your main audience prefers. Just my thoughts.
I enjoy looking at layout and design. But I do include time stamps to jump ahead of you aren’t interested in it.