Glimpse the Distant Future in Numenera: Strand

Although it’s not as well-known as Dungeons & Dragons, Monte Cook’s Numenera RPG has developed a devoted following all its own thanks to its unique setting. Drawing inspiration from authors like Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, and David Zindell, Numenera is set on Earth a billion years in the future. Multiple civilizations have risen and fallen between now and then, resulting in the Ninth World. There, inhabitants eke out a quasi-medieval existence whilst searching for the titular “numenera,” relics from previous ages that possess great magical powers. (See Clarke’s Third Law.)

Originally released ten years ago, Numenera: Strand is a ten-minute short that depicts one of the Ninth World’s inhabitants encountering a numenera and its bizarre qualities. As a fan of the “Dying Earth” genre, I’ve long been fascinated by Numenera and even acquired many of the game books via Humble Bundle several years ago. I’ve never had a chance to actually play Numenera, though, but this short film, along with some of the comments, have definitely got me considering the possibilities. (And maybe I should get around to actually finishing Torment: Tides of Numenera while I’m at it.)

In related news, Monte Cook Games is currently — and very sucessfully — crowdfunding the release of Numenera’s next edition, titled The Amber Archive.