The deluxe corebook set featured in the Kickstarter Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny (Source: Monte Cook Games)

Numenera is returning to Kickstarter once again in the form of two new corebooks to replace the original science-fantasy tabletop roleplaying rule book.

I’m pretty excited about Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny and I’m very curious to see how the changes will affect the game. In fact, one of the books details just that as it focuses on how discoveries will allow players to make their mark in the history of the Ninth World.

The original book that came out in 2013 is one of my all time favorite books, and one that has a lot of importance in what I’ve done in the gaming world.

Numenera pulled me back to the world of tabletop roleplaying games with its interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy elements. Initially, I was skeptical when I first heard about the game, thinking that it was going to be something straightforward with a hard focus on futuristic science fiction tropes.

Instead, the setting was fantastically bizarre, and came off more like a very weird fantasy game with amazing and bizarre technology mixed in.

It was a very welcome change that not only inspired the creation of this website but my soon to be published adventure.

So when I learned about the Kickstarter I was of course pretty curious what the new rulebooks featured and how they differentiated from the original book.

Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny set. (Source: Monte Cook Games)

According to the creators, Numenera is about players exploring ruins of the past to discover treasures and helping build a new future. They say since launching Numenera a few years go, they’ve always wanted to do a more thorough job of players helping to build that future and help make the Ninth World a better place.

That all led to Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny, where Discovery is a revision of the original corebook and Destiny is about enabling players to help shape the future.

I don’t think there was any doubt in my mind that I was going to back this project, but I think delving into the subject of how the players are going to “lift the Ninth World out of darkness” really spoke to me.

A lot of my games concern not only the discovery and use of numenera, but the potential ramifications not only for the individual but communities as well when artifacts of the past become an integral part of society,  perhaps to the detriment of others.

The physical books themselves look pretty nice with new covers and a slipcase, but the deluxe corebook set is spectacular and something I immediately took to. I really like the minimal but dramatic approach to the design of the painted covers where the settings, with the various obelisks, are the main focus of the art.

The deluxe corebook set, which is leather-bound, is just beautiful with the production appearing to rival some of my limited edition books.

The deluxe corebook set featured in the Kickstarter Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny (Source: Monte Cook Games)