The Strange

The Strange is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game, written by Bruce Cordell and Monte Cook, and published by Monte Cook Games.

This article is about the tabletop RPG. For other uses, see Strange (disambiguation).
The Strange
Cover by Matt Stawicki
Designers
PublishersMonte Cook Games
Publication2014 (2014)
GenresScience Fantasy
SystemsCypher system

History

The Strange was published in 2014 by Monte Cook Games, as a result of a crowd funding campaign in 2013.[1] The campaign raised $418,478 from 2,883 backers.[2]

Game

Setting

The Strange is set in modern-day Earth but allows a GM to take their stories through many different "recursions", worlds based frequently on literary creations.

Character creation

Character creation has been simplified by having players fill in the blanks to the statement:

"I am a __________ __________ who _________s."
  1. The first blank, the adjective in the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Descriptor", a way to describe the character's strongest characteristic.
  2. The second blank, the noun of the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Type", which is either a "Vector", a "Paradox", or a "Spinner".
  3. The third blank, the verb of the sentence, is filled in by a character's "Focus", or what the character is most known for or their special talent.

Game mechanics

The Strange uses the Cypher System, developed for Numenera and is played primarily using a d20, but is used to determine if the player has beaten the difficulty of the task. The GM sets the initial difficulty and will relay that to the player prior to the roll to help them determine their course of action. A player uses their training and/or may apply "effort" to lower the level of difficulty prior to the roll, rather than heavily augmenting the result of the roll to beat a target.

Products
TitleAuthorsDatePagesFormatsISBN
The Paradox RoomMonte Cook, Bruce CordellOctober 2013Xepub, mobi, PDF
An anthology of two short stories released with the Kickstarter to illustrate the setting
Tales from the StrangeBruce Cordell, Monte Cook, Shanna GermainDecember 2013Xepub, mobi, PDF
An anthology of short stories set in The Strange setting
The Strange CorebookBruce Cordell & Monte CookAugust 15, 2014416Print, Deluxe, PDF
The Strange Player's GuideBruce Cordell & Monte CookAugust 15, 201464Print, PDF
Book focused on the player characters; subset of content from the Corebook
The Strange XP Card DeckMonte CookAugust 15, 201430 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing a character's XP points
The Strange Cypher Card DeckMonte CookAugust 15, 2014120 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing cypher items available in game
The Dark SpiralBruce CordellOctober 201496Print, PDF
Collection of interwoven adventurers
The Strange BestiaryBruce Cordell, Monte Cook, & Robert J. SchwalbNovember 2014160Print, PDF
A collection of creatures from various recursions in The Strange
The Strange Creature Card DeckMonte CookNovember 2014100 cardsPrint, PDF
Cards representing creatures in The Strange
In Translation: The Strange Character OptionsBruce CordellApril 201596Print, PDF
Additional character options for The Strange

Reception

The Strange won the 2015 Silver Ennie Award for "Best Interior Art", "Best Game", and "Best Setting".[3]

References
  1. Appelcline, Shannon (2015). Designers & Dragons. The Platinum Appendix (2nd ed.). Silver Springs, MD, USA: Evil Hat Productions. ISBN 978-1-61317-081-6.
  2. Appelcline, Shannon (January 1, 2014). "Designers & Dragons: The Column #27: 2013: The Year in Review". RPGnet. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  3. "2015 ENnie Award Winners | ENnie Awards". www.ennie-awards.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
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