Hashing Out Ideas

Let's talk a little about life in the town. You know as much as me, it's an open canvas, and I'll fill in the extra details I need before play.

I'd suggest finding a fun concept and then we build the town around making that concept(s) make sense. Numenera is a world of the strange, so don't assume Cooperstown is a mundane mining community. Have fun!

I would very much like to have a good portion of the portal-land be specifically dangerous, the terrain itself be dangerous: void, antimater, fire, creeping ice. Something like that. Possibly the portal-land mine is an asteroid or distant moon of some sort. I like the space element Moonfall Station adds, and kinda want to double down on it.

Side note: Thinking of building a tank former or current guard character (impulsive seeker that sees beyond).

I'm not familiar at all with Cypher, so please forgive my lack of experience. Fortunately, I find a strange satisfaction from learning a new system, so I'll catch on quickly.

Same with Numenara. I've read about it, but I've never played in it.

The mining town feel makes me think of a western and makes me want to play a small-town lawman of some type. Maybe the portal to somewhere else brings in some Weirdness or alien threat. Something that's way above a lawman's usual pay grade.

Also, what are we looking at for game/posting speed? Life is becoming more complicated as we approach the summer, and I can't guarantee a daily posting rate, though I'll certainly try.

I set it for three times a week, but I'm entirely flexible. Good topic for this discussion, too.

I can post up to once day..

Side note. The other character I was thinking of playing is a mutant who was one of the first through the portal, when it was still unstable and gained mutations from i and is now motivated to find out more behind the portal and the places beyond.

I see we're using the Destiny, Discovery, and Into the Night books. Will I need to pick anything else up, or will the three of those give me anything I would need to play? For instance, do I need the core Cypher System rulebooks?

Into the Night you won't need. I don't think there is much character stuff in there.

Destiny and Discovery are the v2 of the corebook, but if you have the original, that's fine, they're perfectly compatible. You don't need anything more.

I intend for outer space to be a theme and environment you need to contend with. Where we go from there is up in the air: a war for resources on land, exploration of the crafting system, space opera, strange Cthulhuian horror. All of the above.

I've always loved crafting in games, though I haven't explored it in TTRPGs. Sounds fun, and Numenara is supposed to be good for that.

Qralloq, is there anything you want? Any theme to explore, particular story to tell?

Good question. My modus operandi is to begin with a story planned and follow the characters. In this case, when I first heard Monte Cook Games were releasing Into The Night, I've wanted to see how space intersects with the Ninth World. So that's my plan, I have story planned, but I won't railroad you if you find something more interesting to explore.

Hi, thanks for letting me in. so for the town how about it being divided by those guided by the order of truth and the malakhists? i need to check the books again. But i thing they are a religion that worships aliens. It might make sense if the connection to outer space is somehow known ( or maybe a poorly covered secret) in a place like that, nanos could have much potential

I was only able to ger my hands on the preview of Into The Night (money being a thing...) but it looks quite interesting.
I am looking forward to learning about the portal, how it got there, what it's really doing and the land behind the portal. I think it makes sense for there to be some sort of entity(s) on the other side. (Some, one, many... I am undecided) but think an 'out of our depths' tone is appropriate.

I'm thinking about the space station, Moonfall, where Cooper lives. I'd like to get an idea of what the station is for in relation to Coopertown. Does Cooper run the town through proxies that come to him via the gate? Is there another gate on the station that goes to the REAL location of the ore? Perhaps the station isn't small, but more like Knowhere from Guardians of the Galaxy. Maybe the station is a giant relic of a past world and the ore is just big chunks of it brought down to be used for constructions that are pathetically rudimentary in comparison.

I'd also like to explore the character "Cooper". Is he evil? Perhaps he'd like to think he's good, but pragmatic in nature and is forced to make difficult decisions that others don't understand. He may not be human at all, perhaps he's an immortal alien here to pull the strings of humanity like a puppet, either to bring them back to their former glory or to prevent them from rising above the surface ever again.

He makes more sense to me as someone pragmatic but not evil. If Moonfall is a vulnerability, it means there's something else out there that may prey upon it. Maybe an alien force come to take back technology a prior civilization "stole" from them a hundred million years ago. Or perhaps Moonfall is like Knowhere, and the alien creatures recognize it as one of their own.

Great questions. We'll explore that (either in gave or in a knowledge dump) once we know more about your characters. Are they on the inside track and in the know of these secrets, or are they merely suspicious?

My presumption is that outsiders will know none of that and likely assume the ore is actually mined in the mine.

I think I'd like to move forward with a "lawman" archetype. I'm reading through Numenara: Discovery, but haven't gotten far yet, so please let me know if I step on any established setting lore.

My lawman wouldn't be a part of the circle that knows the truth of the mine. He's a rogue with a heart of gold, burned more than once by betrayal, loss, greed, whatever. I'd like to think he's a former soldier of some type that settled down in a mining town, hoping for an easy life. He came to love the simple people there, and has an idealistic perspective on their lives, willing to die (or kill) for what he thinks they deserve. He wouldn't appreciate secrets being kept from him, especially if they affect the lives of the people of Coopertown. It would be easy enough to move his protective nature to innocents of all types (for bigger conflicts).

He's rich in sarcasm, quick smiles, mild cynicism and a competent fighter, but poor in most other things. He's got a strong sense of right/wrong, but will get his hands dirty. Often, and likely due to a past in brutal battles, he finds that the ends justify the means. He's witty, but not well-learned. After a quick glance at the Numenara character types, he'll likely be a Glaive.

Tropes-wise, I'm going for a Timothy Oliphant in Justified or also Timothy Oliphant in the most recent Mandalorian season. Maybe some Malcolm Reynolds, too.

hi guys. I was checking the books and i couldnt find those alien worshipping malakhists anywhere, so i take that idea out (unless someone finds it interesting enough to elaborate on it) i did find in the ninth world guide a cult beyond the steadfast that worships a transfigured god that is actually orbiting around the planet. Anyway if there’s some cult in coopertown my Nano could use it as a background . I guess we might have a an Arkus or jack with the lawman. It would be interesting to see what other characters you have in mind so our GM can think of interesting stuff to do with them. And maybe start with characters sheets if PCs are aprooved

I've got so much more reading to do before I start a character :P

I debated an Arkus for my lawman, but in my head that ends up being more of a politician or mayor than a sheriff. I feel like a small mining town lawman would have plenty of opportunity for cracking heads, and I like the dark past as a soldier with experience in a brutal war. The kind of thing that you don't tell your grandkids about, ya know?

I don't know if there's any mechanic to support multiclassing yet, but maybe I can dabble in Arkus while having most of the character as a Glaive.

The cult idea sounds great, we can certainly make one if the one you found doesn't work for you.