I was curious what people think of the two latest endeavors MCG is doing.
The first is the Cypher System Rulebook, a rulebook designed to take the system used in Numenera and The Strange and make it akin to a GURPS universal system. It just was made available for pre-order and I guess it's tied to a GenCon release.
http://www.montecookgames.com/product/cypher-system-rulebook/
The second is aiming the Cypher system at kids with the No Thank You, Evil game. This one's being backed on Kickstarter, and apparent it's already reached its goal.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/montecookgames/no-thank-you-evil-a-game-of-make-believe-for-famil/
The first one I'll pick up because I love the prior work, and with GURPS suffering laxidazical development I'm interested in seeing how the Cypher system works elsewhere. I'm just curious how Cyphers would work since the system seems to be built around that mechanic.
The second one is interesting, as I think RPGs need better entry products and this seems to fit the bill. I'm very surprised Wizards or some other big company hasn't tried this potential market yet.
No Thank You, Evil looks interesting, but I don't really know the Cypher system well enough to see why it would be a particularly good kids' game.
More specifically, why it would be worth $40 when I already have stuff like Hero Kids or Dagger that I can play with my kids.
Quote from: Ddogwood;831676No Thank You, Evil looks interesting, but I don't really know the Cypher system well enough to see why it would be a particularly good kids' game.
More specifically, why it would be worth $40 when I already have stuff like Hero Kids or Dagger that I can play with my kids.
Who ever needed to buy anything when they already had something else, right?
Chutes and Ladders 4EVA!
Having a 4 year old makes me a sucker for supporting RPG material for kids/families. Who knows what will light the spark best for him, so I'm happy to take the shotgun approach. More, please.
The generic version isn't of much interest for me.
Numenera's setting caught my eye for its obvious Viriconium influences... but I don't much care for the system.
Yeah, I bought heavily into Numenera and The Strange kickstarters. I have like 10 books on my shelves right now. I have read through both core books several times. I just can't get excited about the system. So the Cypher System is in the 'meh' category for me (which sucks, considering my investment). I have the Shotguns and Sorcery book on the way someday, so maybe a different setting will inspire me.
Now, the IDEAS? Amazing creative stuff. Chock full of ideas. The monster books are splendid. I believe I could pilfer tidbits out of these books for many many years.
I like the idea of RPGs tuned for the younger crowd. However, my attempts at introducing my neices/nephews have thus far fallen short. They are the "play outside - explore the world" types, which is fine by me. :-) I don't have a desire to pitch in on this one.
Quote from: Natty Bodak;831687Having a 4 year old makes me a sucker for supporting RPG material for kids/families. Who knows what will light the spark best for him, so I'm happy to take the shotgun approach. More, please.
Using your 4 year old as the [strike]excuse[/strike] rationale for your buying habit...congratulations, well and nattily done say I.
Quote from: Bren;831750Using your 4 year old as the [strike]excuse[/strike] rationale for your buying habit...congratulations, well and nattily done say I.
Having a kid was the best excuse factory for buying stuff EVAR.
I have no interest in either, but congrats on Monte for making a little kid's RPG. It's a good idea and his KS looks like its gonna be a hit...but I must ask what's gonna stop those damn 6 year old honkies from committing the brutal atrocity of cultural appropriation???
Damn you wee honkies!!
Quote from: Natty Bodak;831687Who ever needed to buy anything when they already had something else, right?
Chutes and Ladders 4EVA!
Generally, I try not to buy something new that does essentially the same thing as something I already have (and I'm typing this on an original iPad).
I would like a more compelling reason to get this than "It's new, and it's for kids!"
Quote from: Spinachcat;831798I have no interest in either, but congrats on Monte for making a little kid's RPG. It's a good idea and his KS looks like its gonna be a hit...but I must ask what's gonna stop those damn 6 year old honkies from committing the brutal atrocity of cultural appropriation???
Damn you wee honkies!!
If one of the stretch goals isn't an adventure called "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter is a Nibovian Wife" I will be disappointed
Not a fan of this Cypher system. I bought all these dice because I want to use them, when I GM.
I didn't really play enough Numenera to get a good grip on the Cypher system. Hopefully I'll have the chance eventually. I do love character creation, though, and I wonder how Cypher core would fare as a Numenera supplement.
As for NTYE, I don't think I'm the target audience for this... yet ;) though it does look cool.
I am in on No Thank You Evil! Quite looking forward to it. I have a 4 year old, and my wife runs a Geek-themed parenting group. I'm looking forward to running many a game for young'uns.
Quote from: Natty Bodak;831911If one of the stretch goals isn't an adventure called "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter is a Nibovian Wife" I will be disappointed
i think that would be the one thing capable of making me support anything on kickstarter
Quote from: JRT;831661I was curious what people think of the two latest endeavors MCG is doing.
The first is the Cypher System Rulebook, a rulebook designed to take the system used in Numenera and The Strange and make it akin to a GURPS universal system. It just was made available for pre-order and I guess it's tied to a GenCon release.
Most popular RPGs eventually do come out with a generic rule book for their game system. But there are plenty of generic systems out already. I was wondering when a billion years would become boring for players to think up something to do in. So until a setting idea comes to mind, they might as well get the generic game system and plug along to see what ideas might happen that way for a totally other setting. I'm guessing one would have to really really really like Numenera's game mechanic to want to buy the generics for it. A big selling point is that the generic rules cover more stuff and allow more stuff and include more stuff than Numenera had in its book.
I'm curious as to how the Cypher system will work in a "generic environment". For the most part, it should work, but there's one key element, the cyphers, that has me thinking.
The game assumes that players use cyphers, which were originally akin to ancient artifacts in Numenera, and they are designed to be one-shot items that you collect and use (the system punishes you if you try to hoard). That fit the setting, because of the weird ancient tech going around. But it seems the most setting specific.
An explanation was given in the Strange as them being re-purposed to cosmic touchstones of the strange itself. But how does the logic for cyphers work in, say, a modern action RPG, or a historical game like the old west, for instance? That's what I'm curious about.
I noted that Monte did not do another Kickstarter for the generic book, but is for the kids game. I suspect the game is so successful that he's only going to use Kickstarter for riskier projects that he needs to gage an audience for.
Quote from: JRT;832001I'm curious as to how the Cypher system will work in a "generic environment". For the most part, it should work, but there's one key element, the cyphers, that has me thinking.
The game assumes that players use cyphers, which were originally akin to ancient artifacts in Numenera, and they are designed to be one-shot items that you collect and use (the system punishes you if you try to hoard). That fit the setting, because of the weird ancient tech going around. But it seems the most setting specific.
An explanation was given in the Strange as them being re-purposed to cosmic touchstones of the strange itself. But how does the logic for cyphers work in, say, a modern action RPG, or a historical game like the old west, for instance? That's what I'm curious about.
I noted that Monte did not do another Kickstarter for the generic book, but is for the kids game. I suspect the game is so successful that he's only going to use Kickstarter for riskier projects that he needs to gage an audience for.
well at least its closer to the thing kickstarter is meant to be for then most things
I'm not really sure about RPGs for very young kids. I mean, I have a kid in my DCC campaign (he was 9 when he started), and I think that's shown me that you don't really need super-simplistic rules...
Quote from: RPGPundit;832415I'm not really sure about RPGs for very young kids. I mean, I have a kid in my DCC campaign (he was 9 when he started), and I think that's shown me that you don't really need super-simplistic rules...
How did kids play D&D in the '70s? It's weird how people today think kids can't learn stuff. The problem is that today's teachers don't teach anything, then blame the kids.
Quote from: RPGPundit;832415I'm not really sure about RPGs for very young kids.
It's not for kids. It's for the helicopter parents.
The kids want RIFTS and Warhammer!
Quote from: RPGPundit;832415I'm not really sure about RPGs for very young kids. I mean, I have a kid in my DCC campaign (he was 9 when he started), and I think that's shown me that you don't really need super-simplistic rules...
My kids are 4 and 7. My 7-year old can handle standard RPGs with a little support, but my 4-year old needs something simpler. Hero Kids was fine, and he has played DCC with us but he didn't understand the rules at all.
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;832429How did kids play D&D in the '70s? It's weird how people today think kids can't learn stuff. The problem is that today's teachers don't teach anything, then blame the kids.
I hope you're being sarcastic. I can't speak to the '70s, but in the '80s most kids learned to play D&D because someone else taught them how. And as a teacher, I'd say that it's more accurate today that today's parents don't teach their kids anything, and then blame the teachers. I've met parents who were genuinely surprised when I said that their kids needed to
read at home in order to improve their reading skills.
I run an RPG club at my school, and even though I have the books there for any kid to look at, half of my players have never even picked it up. Most of the rest have never made it past the equipment list. But clearly that's MY fault, because I don't teach them anything.
I think, while kids can get into D&D probably as early as age 10, you'd need to present something a little bit more kids speed--it looks like Monte's version is being aimed for kids as young as six, and it also is using the same cypher system, just tweaked for younger ages.
I remember old TSR had the board games which were supposed to be gateways to the RPGs. You don't see many of the big guys doing this kind of thing.
Quote from: Ddogwood;832458... but in the '80s most kids learned to play D&D because someone else taught them how.
I taught myself. We figured it out as we went along. We got some things wrong for a bit and fixed 'em as we figured it out. I think people make things more complicated than they need to be. :-)
Quote from: Ddogwood;832458And as a teacher, I'd say that it's more accurate today that today's parents don't teach their kids anything, and then blame the teachers. I've met parents who were genuinely surprised when I said that their kids needed to read at home in order to improve their reading skills.
Exactly. I tell all my nieces and nephews to read about things that interest them OUTSIDE of school.
Quote from: Ddogwood;832458I run an RPG club at my school, and even though I have the books there for any kid to look at, half of my players have never even picked it up. Most of the rest have never made it past the equipment list. But clearly that's MY fault, because I don't teach them anything.
Yes. It is your fault. You were not wearing a bow tie. Its. The. Bow. Tie.
Quote from: trechriron;832651I think people make things more complicated than they need to be. :-)
Yes. Some people like to be 'experts' about things they know and part of that requires implying that what they know is 'hard'.
RPGs aren't hard and if a kid wants to learn a game they will.
What is most striking to me is how much the supposed kids' version of the system sounds like Monte's early talks about 5E.
The major selling point is that "No thank you, Evil!" provides three levels of character creation that are all meant to play together at the same table in the same session.
The differences appear to be tied to mechanical complexity. There are rules that the most basic PCs never use. I wouldn't be surprised to see those rules turn out to be things like combat maneuvers and other sources of mechanical crunch.
Quote from: trechriron;832651Yes. It is your fault. You were not wearing a bow tie. Its. The. Bow. Tie.
Dammit, I thought wearing a fez would be enough.