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Numenera Ninth World Guidebook
The Ninth World Guidebook takes your Numenera campaign into uncharted territory, literally expanding the setting beyond the borders of the corebook’s maps. This 256-page tome — more than half again the size of previous Numenera hardcover supplements — explores lands hinted at in previous books, opens new territories, and adds detail to those already discussed.
From the frozen lands beyond the Southern Wall, to the volcanic desert of Vralk and the weird, faroff realm of Corao, The Ninth World Guidebook explores new lands and includes adventure hooks, new creatures, new character options, and the incredible level of detail, imagination, and weirdness that is the hallmark of the Ninth World!
From the frozen lands beyond the Southern Wall, to the volcanic desert of Vralk and the weird, faroff realm of Corao, The Ninth World Guidebook explores new lands and includes adventure hooks, new creatures, new character options, and the incredible level of detail, imagination, and weirdness that is the hallmark of the Ninth World!
258 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2015
4 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Monte Cook
211 books125 followers
The game designer
Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994, Monte came to TSR, Inc., as a game designer and wrote for the Planescape and core D&D lines. When that company was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved to the Seattle area and eventually became a senior game designer. At Wizards, he wrote the 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and served as codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. In 2001, he left Wizards to start his own design studio, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue. Although in his career he has worked on over 100 game titles, some of his other credits include Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, The Book of Eldritch Might series, the d20 Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, The Book of Vile Darkness, Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, Ptolus, Monte Cook's World of Darkness, and Dungeonaday.com. He was a longtime author of the Dungeoncraft column in Dungeon Magazine. In recent years, Monte has been recognized many times by game fans in the ENnies Awards, the Pen & Paper fan awards, the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, the Origins Awards, and more.
The author
A graduate of the 1999 Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte has published two novels, The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. Also, he has published the short stories "Born in Secrets" (in the magazine Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in the anthology Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in the anthology Realms of the Arcane). His stories have appeared in the Malhavoc Press anthologies Children of the Rune and The Dragons' Return, and his comic book writing can be found in the Ptolus: City by the Spire series from DBPro/Marvel. His fantasy fiction series, "Saga of the Blade," appeared in Game Trade Magazine from 2005–2006.
The geek
In his spare time, Monte runs games, plays with his dog, watches DVDs, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, paints miniatures, and reads a lot of comics.
Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994, Monte came to TSR, Inc., as a game designer and wrote for the Planescape and core D&D lines. When that company was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved to the Seattle area and eventually became a senior game designer. At Wizards, he wrote the 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and served as codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. In 2001, he left Wizards to start his own design studio, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue. Although in his career he has worked on over 100 game titles, some of his other credits include Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, The Book of Eldritch Might series, the d20 Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, The Book of Vile Darkness, Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, Ptolus, Monte Cook's World of Darkness, and Dungeonaday.com. He was a longtime author of the Dungeoncraft column in Dungeon Magazine. In recent years, Monte has been recognized many times by game fans in the ENnies Awards, the Pen & Paper fan awards, the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, the Origins Awards, and more.
The author
A graduate of the 1999 Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte has published two novels, The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. Also, he has published the short stories "Born in Secrets" (in the magazine Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in the anthology Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in the anthology Realms of the Arcane). His stories have appeared in the Malhavoc Press anthologies Children of the Rune and The Dragons' Return, and his comic book writing can be found in the Ptolus: City by the Spire series from DBPro/Marvel. His fantasy fiction series, "Saga of the Blade," appeared in Game Trade Magazine from 2005–2006.
The geek
In his spare time, Monte runs games, plays with his dog, watches DVDs, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, paints miniatures, and reads a lot of comics.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2015
Despite the price tag, this was an impulse buy for me. I was browsing our local boardgame & roleplaying material store when I came across The Ninth World Guidebook and after taking a look inside, was immediately captured by the stunning artwork and vast amount of detail in this book.
I don't run Numenera games but this book makes me want to. And of course there's lots of inspiration to be used in other games, too.
I don't run Numenera games but this book makes me want to. And of course there's lots of inspiration to be used in other games, too.
January 14, 2018
It is a bit difficult to rate this book as four-stars worthy, and still be disappointed with it. But that's where I am with it. I have to rate the quality of the content, and that's creative, highly evocative, full of cool ideas. At the same time, I was hoping for a more detailed campaign setting for the Ninth World instead of the collection of ideas this book actually presents.
So, if you are buying this book because you loved the setting part of the corebook and want to go into deeper detail, The Ninth World Guidebook offers very little of that. You get one full chapter about life in the Ninth World. Seasons, human world, about every day life in the Ninth World. That's the kind of content I would like to see more about! You get a very interesting map of the super continent that is on Earth in a billion years, and the most fascinating bit is that there are more Clocks of Kala, aligned geometrically. You even get an indicator for Sagus Cliffs, the setting of the Numenera videogame Torment: Tides of Numenera.
Part 2 of the book is locations. I should probably go play DSA or SpliMo, two big German RPG systems that have tons of regional details. That's not the Numenera approach. In Numenera, you scrape the surface and are supposed to figure out the rest yourself. Instead of a deeper look at the Steadfast or The Beyond, you get new locations instead. And if the Steadfast and The Beyond aren't enough for your campaign, it expands the known map from the corebook with new locations: The Frozen South for arctic adventures, Lostrei in the north where shamanistic cultures have developed, Vralk, a volcanic kingdom full of barbarians keen on conquest of the world, the Raskel Cays, a chain of islands and the Lands of the Dawn, a set of countries far removed from the Steadfast but accessible through a 'magic' portal.
Most of the locations are great and interesting, though the Lostrei chapter was a bit disappointing. Lostrei is the mysterious Gaia, the country that the Order of Truth has declared a crusade on. But there's not much guidance on maybe actually RPing that crusade out.
No Numenera book is complete without a bestiary, and the creatures added are bizarre, weird, horrifying, and creative, as usual.
All in all, it is a thick tome full of creative locations to use for Numenera adventures, but not what I was hoping for. I am cautiously optimistic that with Numenera 2 we'll get something more my style, because I am super-excited about the Order of Truth book we'll be receiving. Give me more depth please, and keep up the great quality.
So, if you are buying this book because you loved the setting part of the corebook and want to go into deeper detail, The Ninth World Guidebook offers very little of that. You get one full chapter about life in the Ninth World. Seasons, human world, about every day life in the Ninth World. That's the kind of content I would like to see more about! You get a very interesting map of the super continent that is on Earth in a billion years, and the most fascinating bit is that there are more Clocks of Kala, aligned geometrically. You even get an indicator for Sagus Cliffs, the setting of the Numenera videogame Torment: Tides of Numenera.
Part 2 of the book is locations. I should probably go play DSA or SpliMo, two big German RPG systems that have tons of regional details. That's not the Numenera approach. In Numenera, you scrape the surface and are supposed to figure out the rest yourself. Instead of a deeper look at the Steadfast or The Beyond, you get new locations instead. And if the Steadfast and The Beyond aren't enough for your campaign, it expands the known map from the corebook with new locations: The Frozen South for arctic adventures, Lostrei in the north where shamanistic cultures have developed, Vralk, a volcanic kingdom full of barbarians keen on conquest of the world, the Raskel Cays, a chain of islands and the Lands of the Dawn, a set of countries far removed from the Steadfast but accessible through a 'magic' portal.
Most of the locations are great and interesting, though the Lostrei chapter was a bit disappointing. Lostrei is the mysterious Gaia, the country that the Order of Truth has declared a crusade on. But there's not much guidance on maybe actually RPing that crusade out.
No Numenera book is complete without a bestiary, and the creatures added are bizarre, weird, horrifying, and creative, as usual.
All in all, it is a thick tome full of creative locations to use for Numenera adventures, but not what I was hoping for. I am cautiously optimistic that with Numenera 2 we'll get something more my style, because I am super-excited about the Order of Truth book we'll be receiving. Give me more depth please, and keep up the great quality.
Read
June 16, 2018I can't really rate this book, as I haven't read the core rulebook and I know Numenera mainly from the cRPG Torment: Tides of the Numenera. I bought it to learn more about the fascinating world and get ideas that can be used for other settings.
It achieved the first objective and to a degree second one as well. What is didn't give me was a "feel" of the setting, something that would want me to use it or run sessions in it. It definitely is original and interesting but seems... a bit disjointed. Also two lands are not to my taste as they are too poralized (peaceful Lostrei and vicious Vralk) - similar issue there was with Upper Planes in Planescape. Still the book itself is very neat and for
It achieved the first objective and to a degree second one as well. What is didn't give me was a "feel" of the setting, something that would want me to use it or run sessions in it. It definitely is original and interesting but seems... a bit disjointed. Also two lands are not to my taste as they are too poralized (peaceful Lostrei and vicious Vralk) - similar issue there was with Upper Planes in Planescape. Still the book itself is very neat and for
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews