Watch us play Numenera in this new livecast series on Twitch!

If you're wondering what Numenera is, or just want to watch a bunch of excited people (that being me, Monte, Shanna, Darcy, and Sean) play an RPG game, this is for you.

To get you started, watch the first session right here (make sure you expand to full screen so you can see the art panel details, and turn it up just a bit to hear the weird forest background music):

If you like what you see, mark your calendars! We'll be playing this game every other Tuesday at 5 PM PT for the next several months!

Numenera 2

Numenera finished its crowdfunding on Kickstarter on October 27th.

Set a billion years in our future, Numenera is a tabletop roleplaying game about exploration and discovery. Eight times the people of this Earth, over vast millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even fully imagine now. They spoke to the stars, reshaped the creatures of the world, and mastered form and essence. They built cities and machines that have since crumbled to dust, leaving only their barest remnants.

This is the Ninth World. The people of the prior worlds are gone—scattered, disappeared, or transcended. But their works remain, in the places and devices that still contain some germ of their original function. Some call these magic, but the wise know that these are our legacy. They are our future. They are the..

But discovery awaits for those brave enough to seek out the works of the prior worlds. Those who uncover and master the numenera can unlock the powers and abilities of the ancients, and bring new light to a struggling world.

"When The Night Stole Her" teaser from Tales Beyond The Ninth World

The wonders of the Ninth World—our Earth, a billion years in the future—aren’t bounded by worldly shores. The ancients built their empires into the seas, the stars, and even into other realities. Go beyond the Ninth World’s shores in Tales Beyond the Ninth World, an anthology of three short stories, including "When The Night Stole Her" that begins as so: 

Kalice’s daughter Neela used to sleep on the terrace on warm nights, the small girl’s hands and head poking out of the blanket. Seven years old, Neela hadn’t yet learned to be afraid of the dark. She loved the stars. Kalice used to point out constellations to her daughter, making up names for the ones she didn’t know. Kalice had loved the stars, too, until the night Neela was killed.

Kalice started awake from a dream of a black sun and smoking furrows extending long, tumbling scratches across the sky. Grey-haired Lthermo was across the room, bent over his scintillating device of synth and kinked wires that he’d assembled in her foyer. 

Why was he—? Oh. Sleep lifted its cloak of un- remembering. Her daughter was gone. The emptiness of her loss seemed to widen as she rediscovered its depths, like an actual pit in her chest carved through her ribs and heart. Kalice gasped in real pain. 

Lthermo heard her. Seeing that she was awake, he gestured at his mechanism. “It’s fixed. I’m sure of it this time. The power source was weak. I’ve replaced it.” He opened his mouth again, then closed it, leaving something unsaid. He did that sometimes. 

Kalice didn’t have the emotional space to wonder what he wasn’t saying, because anguish filled her. She massaged her neck. He presumably had a whole house of secrets. To her, it was sorcery. Before Neela had gone missing, Kalice didn’t wonder about the magic of the ancients. Now, it was the only route to her salvation. She had to find her daughter. She had to! Nothing else mattered. Not even the fact that her daughter was dead.

Dead here, but not dead everywhere.

And so Kalice goes looking for her daughter in parallel dimensions where Neela wasn't killed, which is just one of three new short Tales Beyond The Ninth World.

Converting Gods of the Fall for Numenera and The Strange

Look, Ma, I did another thing!

Actually, this thing just connects the dots between a few other, bigger things I've done lately. This conversion guide (called Gods Beyond) walks you through a few strategies for taking stuff out of Gods of the Fall and using it for your ongoing games of Numenera or The Strange. (Assuming you don't just start a Gods of the Fall game—hint, hint!)

You can get Gods Beyond right here.

Wait, you haven't got Gods of The Fall yet? You can get Gods of the Fall over here.

Lucca Games in Italy

Ciao!

Batgirl and I are headed to Italy for Lucca Comics and Games Festival! I'll be a guest of Wyrd Edizioni, Italian partner who is launching The Strange— The Anomaly, the Italian edition of The Strange! I'll also be accepting the Best Italian RPG Game of 2015 for Numenera, which was translated into Italian and released last year. A virtuous circle, eh?

 I may update this post with pictures as they become available.

For now, though, I leave you with this wonderful boxed version of The Strange :)

PAX Prime 2015

MCG is going to PAX in Seattle! Come see us in room 209. We'll have two, 2-hour long demo games going all day, every day, so come by and sign up for some RPG fun! In addition, I'll be signing in room 209 with Monte Cook & Shanna Germain at the following times:

Friday 1-3

Saturday 12-2

Sunday 12-2

Finally, I'll be around at other times, too, along with Charles Ryan and Torah Cottrill to talk about cool, geeky things (including, of course, Numenera, The Strange, and the Cypher System). So come say hello! 

(If you see Torah, she might just be cosplaying a character from the Numenera Character Options book who Consorts with the Dead, or your favorite Estate Lead Operative, Katherine Manners.)

The Strange Character Options (In Translation) for Numenera

I described how to use Numenera Character options for The Strange a few weeks ago to illustrate how major Cypher System elements are compatible between different games. Now, In Translation (The Strange Character Options) has gone on sale...

You know what’s next, right? Yep. Not only does the new book provide a bounty of new foci, descriptors, and abilities for use in The Strange; you can use the foci and descriptors in your Numenera game.

So when you describe your character in your Numenera game in the sentence, “I’m a blank blank who blanks,” your answer could become, “I’m a Slacker jack who Is Idolized by Millions,” “I’m a Paranoid glaive who Goes Berserk,” or “I’m an Introverted nano who Aspires to Be Posthuman.” You get the idea. 

So here's some specific, pointed advice on using In Translation in your Numenera game:
http://www.montecookgames.com/using-the-strange-character-options-for-numenera/

NUMENERA CHARACTER OPTIONS FOR THE STRANGE

Both The Strange and Numenera rely on the Cypher System, and that means that a lot of the stuff made for one game works perfectly in the other. (For instance, here's how Numenera character foci might be sorted to work under the various laws of The Strange):

Although the games are different, their core mechanics are the same. Both rate tasks and difficulties from 1 to 10, and both have characters who use Effort, skills, and assets to reduce that difficulty, and both rely on the roll a d20 to see if those tasks come off successfully. The characters in each are described by a single sentence: I’m a blank blank who blanks (I’m a Mad paradox who Separates Mind from Body). Even many elements of the games are similar in a general sense. So although the types, creatures, cyphers, and most of the descriptors and foci are different from game to game, the form in which they are presented, and the way they fit into the game as a whole, is the same.

Which is a long way of saying you can use most of the descriptors and foci presented in Numenera Character Options in your game of The Strange. In many cases, only a few easily-made tweaks is enough to offer your players a particular focus or descriptor when they translate to a new recursion, and in some cases, even while they remain on Earth.

Find out more here :

http://www.montecookgames.com/using-numenera-character-options-for-the-strange/

Video Interview (cut with clips from my lecture) at World RPG Fest in Brazil

Eschatology Code Adventure

ADVENTURE START: 
TURBULENCE AT 30,000 FEET
The PCs begin play already aboard a commercial airliner, en route to a mission destination. Read or paraphrase the following to the players if they haven’t already been briefed.

read aloud
You’re an Estate operative, and you’ve got a badge to prove it. The Estate is a secret organization that monitors activity on Earth that originates in alternate recursions and, generally speaking, puts a stop to it for Earth’s safety. You’ve been touched by the Strange yourself and have abilities regular people wouldn’t understand. Those abilities are what make you a perfect operative for the Estate.

You and your team were assigned a new mission, which started today. You’ve been in the air for a couple of hours with a coach-class ticket from Seattle, Washington, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You’re on your way to investigate a man called Father Foss of the All Souls Church of Deliverance (located in Sioux Falls).

Father Foss began counting down to the “End of Days” a few weeks ago. Of course, crackpot evangelists do that all the time, but in this case, local televised news reports showed Father Foss pulling off several tricks that bamboozled the local media. A few reporters went so far as to call the tricks actual miracles. But you know a lot more...

Thus begins Eschatology Code, which was run as an official GenCon 2014 event for The Strange RPG (click here if you want a free preview or to purchase a copy of The Strange). Eschatology Code is an ideal introduction to the game, a stand-alone scenario, or as part of an ongoing campaign. Also included are six pre-generated characters, so you have everything you need to get started playing immediately!

If you'd like a copy, you know where to click:

DrivethruRPG Store ($3.99):

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/138649/Eschatology-Code

MCG Store ($3.99):

http://www.montecookgames.com/product/eschatology-code/

How to Play The Strange

It's ok to be voyeur if you're invited. Watch us play The Strange!

Surveilling the pawn shop!

I GMed The Strange on camera for players Shanna Germain, Monte Cook, and Jen Page. We did this so you could see the game in action, learn the basics about The Strange's unique setting, see what characters in The Strange are like (including their skills and abilities, and important elements like Pools, Edges, and Effort), and just generally see how we (the authors!) intend for a game of The Strange to be played. Plus, it's a good time. If you've got a need to fill 30 minutes with some RPG entertainment, give the video a look. And maybe help us spread the word, too!

Here's what one viewer had to say:

Post by Benoist Poire.

What will you find when you venture into Earth’s shoals? And what will find you, as you travel into...

More at http://www.montecookgames.com/welcome-to-the-strange/

MCG at PAX

Come see me, Charles Ryan, and Batgirl at PAX Prime this weekend (Aug 29 - Sept 1, 2014); we're exhibiting on behalf of MCG. We're sharing a space with Green Ronin Publishing, so if you do stop by, you'll also get to see Chris and Nicole! (As an added incentive, note that on the days Batgirl is able to attend, she'll be cosplaying various characters from Numenera and The Strange. Promises to be some cool stuff!)

We'll be in the same room Green Ronin exhibited last year, in room 208 on the 2nd level (see map--BUT NOTE, we'll be in room 208, not 209. The map is a lie! On the other hand, we're the next room over). We're in the tabletop game area, so simply go up the south escalators to the 2nd floor and take a right to find us.

DRAGONCON ON EAST COAST
Meanwhile Monte and Shanna are winging their way east to DragonCon so say hi to them if you're there instead!  They have official signing details for Dragon Con!

Title: Autograph Sessions
Time: Sat 1-2 pm 
Location: International Hall South - Marriott

Go and see them. they'd love to sign your books, decks, fan kits, oddities, or anything else that you have! So bring them your goodies! (They also like cookies).

Gen Con 2014 Schedule

I'll be at the MCG booth (booth 1653) at Gen Con at the following times (Monte Cook will be in the booth at the same time as me, which is convenient if you're looking for dual signatures on your copy of The Strange!):

Thursday: 10a-Noon, 2p-3:15p 

Friday: 10a-Noon 

Saturday: 2p-4p 

Sunday: 2p-4p

These are the times you can and should come by and say hello, or if you want something signed, this is when I'll be ready to oblige. I'm happy to sign anything, new or old. (Including copies of the D&D 5th edition, also out in time for Gen Con!)

I'll also be at the following seminars:

The Numenera seminar is on Thursday at 1p-2p 

The Strange launch event is on Saturday at 11a-1p

Both of those two events require tickets (but they're free). 

Using Real-World Photography As Adventure Prompts

GMs are always on the lookout for good adventure prompts, and sometimes those inspirations come by way of great fantasy or science fiction art. But why limit yourself to merely make-believe when it comes to inspiring ideas to stun and amaze your players? Especially when the real world offers a wealth of wonderful and idea-generating locations, as gathered into collections by photographers and various other online curators over the years.

I’ve located a short selection of such photography collections, and provided a few adventure prompts to go along with one of the pictures presented in each link. The adventure prompts are suitable for Numenera, but also for The Strange (so keep this link in your bookmarks).

Photography collections with prompts: http://www.montecookgames.com/using-real-world-photography-as-adventure-prompts/

Want A New Avatar?

If you're looking to try out a cool new avatar for your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or other social network, take the 7 questions in our How Strange Are You? quiz! You'll discover whether you're an ally of Ruk, Ardeyn, or Earth. Then download the badge for your faction and make it your avatar!

Behind the Scenes: whichever faction of The Strange achieves its goal by the end of The Strange Kickstarter (https://www.bit.ly/TheStrange) will get an extra full-color illustration by lead artist Matt Stawicki, and all backers will receive the art as a desktop wallpaper. Further, all allies of that faction will be able to vote on the contents of the illustration.

(As of the time of this writing, Ardeyn holds onto its lead with 45% of the votes tallied. Earth remains second at 32%, while Ruk trails with only 23%. Can Ruk get back into it? Only if more people take the quiz! Tell your friends; they can take the quiz even if they're not backers!)

Something Strange On The Horizon

After I left Wizards, I started putting together an outline for a sci-fi novel. But then MCG made me an offer to join the team. So I pitched my novel idea, except as a game called The Strange. And guess what? Monte and Shanna loved it!

Which leads us to where we are today, just a couple months later. We’re going to launch a Kickstarter for a new game, co-designed by myself and Monte Cook, called The Strange (UPDATE: We launched it here!). The Strange uses the Cypher System game engine. As you probably know, the Cypher System also powers Numenera. What's cool is that The Strange is going to allow us to use the mechanics in some new and very exciting ways.

When you play The Strange, you'll be able to translate between different worlds, called recursions, that have been seeded "around" Earth. Yes, that's right: Earth. The game setting includes modern day Earth. The image showing the Space Needle in Seattle is no whim. But in some recursions, sorcery, super-science, and even stranger rules of existence are all too real.

Be ready. Something Strange is just on the horizon!

Nalurus and Numenera Design Esthetic

One of the creatures I'm working on for Numenera Bestiary has the working name Nalurus. The unedited* description follows.

A nalurus looks like an ordinary person, but one who always wears a hood or mask. It may be pretending, even to itself, that it's still human, despite the terrible infection it survived but still carries. The nalurus's infection is transmitted by sight. If a living humanoid or related creature sees a nalurus without its hood and looks full upon the disquieting lines, spirals, and geometric shapes laid out in ridges across the creature's face, the awful pattern imprints on the victim's mind. Something in the interplay of information, refraction, and the physical structure of the victim's brain itself sets off a cruel and rapid chain reaction. What begins as a pinkish nose drip ends when the victim's brain completely liquefies and exits the victim's head from eyes, nose, mouth, and ears less than a minute after the infection occurred.

My concept for the nalurus was born from my real fear of a disease called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is an incurable and fatal brain disease that is caused by a type of protein called a prion. Prions are misfolded proteins that infect other nearby proteins merely by being close enough to incite those proteins to misfold. It becomes a sort of chain reaction that, over months, dissolves the brain. Obviously, over a billion years, it's gotten more aggressive . . .

But telling readers all about CJD in the Nalurus monster description itself, or the science behind some other monster I'm writing, despite it being my first instinct to do so, isn't actually the way to go to maintain the Numenera design esthetic. It turns out, I needed to deprogram, and I'm thankful the MCG team was there with the design and editorial insight that allowed me to do so. At the end of the day, Numenera is a game designed to inspire a sense of wonder, mystery, and weirdness in its players, not explain the science of how prions misfold, the underlying mechanism behind spurn evolution, or how an amber monolith might be able levitate for so many thousands or even millions of years. For most people, those specific explanations will come across as technobabble. Revealing the entire answer to a mystery is sort of like telling a joke, then before anyone can appreciate it, following up with "The reason that's funny is because [proceed to ruin joke here]."

We (I, Monte, and Shanna, if they'll allow me to speak for them) are not suggesting that a designer shouldn't have such background information in his or her back pocket, possibly even to reveal the edges of in a monster description if it seems right to do so, or indeed, available for some other purpose (for instance, such as a blog post like this one). We're just saying that the main body of a Bestiary monster entry itself isn't the best place to pull back the curtain, at least not all the way and certainly not every time.

*Unedited, pre-layout, and truth-to-tell, working version of the monster. The name could change, or for reasons, we might decide this monster shouldn't go in the Bestiary.

Numenera Bestiary and the Spurn

I've been working on the Numenera Bestiary for a couple weeks. I haven't had this much fun writing monsters since I co-wrote Libris Mortis. Which, now that I think of it, was the last time I had the opportunity to create an entire new set of monsters without any real restrictions other than theme.

(Numenera? If you don't know, go read this, then come back. I'll wait.)

So, yeah, the Numenera Bestiary. It turns out I get to write about half the creatures that'll be appearing in the product. The very first creature I created has the working name "spurn." (The spurn are, so far, the only monster in my concept collection that have an irregular plural form: 1 spurn and 20 spurn are both correct usage. Later editorial oversight could nix that.)

From afar, a gang of spurn seem nothing more than humanoids in oily rags. But up close, they're revealed as creatures formed of smashed machines, shattered synth, matted hair, drippy sludge, and garbage. Spurn are self-organizing collections of refuse that evolved among the landfills and dumps of previous civilizations over deep time.

I'm biased, but I love the concept. In the Ninth World, even "simple" dirt isn't actually simple. In fact, it's not even called dirt; it's drit, a fine, artificial soil made from microscopic pieces of ancient, unknown technologies and structures. Which makes drit fertile soil for creatures like spurn to spring up, so to speak.

I'm hoping to write about what I'm working on in the Numenera Bestiary in future posts, and give you an insight into some of the ways I'm approaching design. Until then, iadece!

Bruce R Cordell is joining Monte Cook Games

Did you hear the big news announced last night at Gen Con? I'm joining Monte Cook Games as a Senior Game Designer! (Click here for official press release.)

Words can hardly express how excited I am to join my friends Monte, Shanna, Charles, and Tammie on Numenera.

Which is fabulous, because how could I not love a game set a BILLION years in the future? Where genetically altered monstrosities, flesh-warping radiation, creatures transplanted from distant stars, and clouds of out-of-control nanobots wander? Where ruins can be found, ruins surviving out of deep time from eight previous civilizations that rose and fell on Earth, some of which weren't even human? Yeah.

Numenera is right up my alley. Sign me up. (Wait, I've been signed up. -FIST PUMP!-) I'll have more to say later. It's going to be a wild ride, and I'm ecstatic to be on board.

Design Credits / Bibliography

Cypher System, Numenera, and The Strange

Come Hell or High Water, MCG 2026 (I wrote the adventure "Dr. Nathaniel's Traveling Marvelment")

Make Your Statement, MCG 2026 (I developed all these Magnus Archives adventures)

The Darkest Woods, MCG 2026 (cross-game system horror)

All Your Gods are Dead, MCG 2025 (Old Gods of Appalachia tie-in)

Gunslinger Knights, MCG 2025 (Arthurian Dark Tower)

    + The Mother of Storms, MCG (Gunslinger tie-in zine)

Neon Rain, MCG 2025 (cyberpunk)

High Noon at Midnight, MCG 2025 (weirdest west)

    + Wanted: Hexed or Alive (High Noon tie-in zine)

    + Midnight Deck (custom card deck!)

The Magnus Archives, MCG 2024 (RPG based directly on the podcast!) [UKGE 2025 Judges Award] [Techraptor Best Tabletop Game of the Year (4th)]

Adventures in the Cypher System, MCG 2024 (includes a new adventure for The Strange!)

Cypher System Bestiary, MCG 2024 (updated take on monster manual)

Rust and Redemption, MCG 2024 (post-apocalyptic genre book)

The Weird, MCG 2023 (thousands of ideas for any game) [UK Games Expo 2024 Best Accessory, Origins 2024 Nominee]

Planar Character Options CS, MCG 2023 (CS planar spells, subclasses, items, and more!)

"A Disturbance at Bridge House," MCG 2023 (new adventure & pregenerated characters added to FREE CS Rules Primer)

Path of the Planebreaker CS, MCG 2023 (CS planar sourcebook)

10 Years of Adventure, MCG 2022 (adventure compilation)

The Origin, MCG 2022 (Cypher System setting: conspiracy-horror meets superheroes!)

First Responders, MCG 2022 (Cypher System book on real-world disasters and heroes)

Break the Horizon, MCG 2022 (Numenera book on travel and vehicles)

Claim the Sky, MCG 2021 (Superheroes genre book)

Ptolus: City by the Spire, MCG 2020 (for CS and 5E)

Edge of the Sun, MCG 2021 (Numenera sourcebook of stellar importance)

Liminal Shore, MCG 2020 (Numenera sourcebook)
Voices of the Datasphere, MCG 2020 (Numenera sourcebook)
The Stars Are Fire, MCG 2019 (sci-fi genre, including a new setting: The Revel)
Cypher System Rulebook [revised], MCG 2009

Salvage Deck, MCG 219
Explorer's Keys, MCG 2019 (10 more instant adventures)
Numenera Ninth World Bestiary 3, MCG 2019
Teratology, MCG 2019 (a "monster manual" for Invisible Sun!)
Slaves of the Machine God, (a campaign super-adventure) MCG 2019 [ENnies 2019 Nominee]
Building Tomorrow, MCG 2018
Numenera Discovery & Destiny, MCG 2018 [Origins 2019 Nominee] [ENnies 2019 Nominee]
Numenera Discovery & Destiny Player's Guide, MCG 2018
Jade Colossus: Ruins of the Prior Worlds, MCG 2017
Ninth World Bestiary 2, MCG 2017 (160+ new creatures)
Expanded Worlds, MCG 2017 (new genres)
Into The Outside, MCG 2017 (Numenera alternate dimensions) +Review
Numenera Character Options 2, MCG 2016
Gods of the Fall, MCG 2016 [ENnies 2017 Nominee]
Into The Deep, MCG 2016 (Numenera in the sea)
Encyclopedia of Impossible Things, MCG 2016 [ENnies 2016 Nominee]
Strange Revelations, MCG 2015 (10 Instant Adventures)
Into The Night, MCG 2015 (Numenera in spaaaaace!)
Worlds Numberless And Strange, MCG, 2015
Cypher System Rulebook, MCG, 2015
In Translation: The Strange Character Options, MCG, 2015
Ninth World Guidebook (Numenera), MCG 2015
The Strange Bestiary, MCG, 2014 [Origins 2015 Nominee] [ENnies 2015 Nominee]
The Dark Spiral, MCG, 2014 (96 p campaign-style adventure for The Strange)
THE STRANGE, [ENnies 2015 Winner (Setting, Best Game, Art)] [Golden Geek Nominee] [Origins 2015 Nominee] (lead design)
THE STRANGE player's guide, MCG, 2014 (co-designer)
Numenera Ninth World Bestiary, MCG, 2013 (co-designer)  [ENnies 2014 Winner]
Read the blogs introducing The Strange, when possibility became reality!

5E (under the Open Game License)

Path of the Planebreaker, MCG 2022 (5E planar sourcebook)

Planar Character Options, MCG 2023 (5E planar spells, subclasses, items, and more!)

Planar Bestiary, MCG 2022 (5E planar monsters!)

City of Adventure, MCG 2022 (bundles "Doctrine of Ghul" with 2 more Ptolus adventures written by Sean K. Reynolds and Monte Cook)

Doctrine of Ghul, MCG 2021 (5E—and Cypher System!—adventure for Ptolus)

Where the Machines Wait, MCG 2021 (5E science-fantasy mega-adventure)
Beasts of Flesh and Steel, MCG 2020 (science-fantasy creatures for your 5E game)

Beneath the Monolith, MCG 2020 (the world of Numenera translated to 5E)
Arcana of the Ancients, MCG, 2020 (with Hills of Crooked Sleep adventure module)

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D 5th Edition)

Player's Handbook, Wizards of the Coast 2014 [ENnies 2015 Winner]
Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast, 2014 [ENnies 2015 Winner]
Dungeon Master's Guide, Wizards of the Coast, 2014 [ENnies 2015 Winner]
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, Wizards of the Coast, 2013
Read my 5E D&D Design Blogs from the summer when everything seemed possible!

Video Games
Bard's Tale IV, InExile Entertainment, 2018 (level design, "The Specter's Crypt")

Cypher System PDF-only Adventures and Supplements

Like A Boss - A Book of Boss Encounters, (charity collaboration), Samurai Sheepdog, 2023

The Room With No Door, (Cypher Play Numenera Season 19-1), MCG 2019
Glimmer Burst: Locations MCG 2019 (supporting Liminal Shores)
Glimmer Burst: Cyphers, MCG 2019 (supporting Liminal Shores)
Building Amber Keep (Cypher Play Numenera Season 18-2), MCG 2018 [ENnies 2019 Nominee]
Dread Expectations, MCG 2018 (previously exclusive superhero adventure now widely available)
The Hum, MCG 2108 (previously exclusive adventure now available for all)
Words of Power, Cypher Play Season 2017-3 for Cypher System (fantasy genre)
The Cawdor Complex, MCG 2017 (adventure)
Way of the Dinosaur, MCG 2017 (converting Predation to Numenera & The Strange)
In Alternate Dimensions, MCG 2017 Numenera supplement
Exploring Numenera: Strand, MCG 2017 Numenera supplement
The Thief, The Clave, and the Ultimatum, MCG 2016 Numenera adventure
After The Nightfall, MCG 2016 (tier 2 adventure for Gods of the Fall)
Gods Beyond, MCG 2016 (converting Gods of the Fall to Numenera & The Strange)
Thirst, Cypher Play Season 0 for Numenera, MCG 2016
Cults, Factions, and Syndicates MCG 2016 (weird organizations)
Extreme Cyphers, MCG 2016 (super-powerful cyphers, yo)
Dread Expectations, Cypher System "superheroes" adventure for Asset Team, MCG 2015
Impossible Vehicles, MCG 2015 (Cypher System sweet rides)
Alternate Origins, MCG 2015 (Cypher System racial descriptors)
Mastodon, MCG 2015 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2015)
The Estate Dossiers (The Strange), MCG 2015
Swordbreakers: An Elite Organization of The Strange, MCG 2014
The Hum, MCG 2014 (adventure for The Strange)
Eschatology Code MCG, 2014 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2014)
When Worlds Collide: Converting Numenera & The Strange MCG 2014
Artifacts & Oddities 1, MCG, 2013 (co-designer)
Cypher Collection 1, MCG, 2013 (co-designer)

Novels 
Myth of the Maker, Angry Robot Books, April 2017 [Audiobook]
Spinner of Lies, Wizards of the Coast, 2012  [Audiobook]
Sword of the Gods, Wizards of the Coast, 2011  [Audiobook]
Key of Stars, Wizards of the Coast, 2010  [Audiobook]
City of Torment, Wizards of the Coast, 2009  [Audiobook]
Plague of Spells, Wizards of the Coast, 2008  [Audiobook]
Stardeep, Wizards of the Coast, 2007  [Audiobook]
Darkvision, Wizards of the Coast, 2006  [Audiobook]
Lady of Poison, Wizards of the Coast, 2004  [Audiobook]
Oath of Nerull, Wizards of the Coast, 2002 (My turn to be T. H. Lain)  [Audiobook]

Short Stories
"Rune or Reconciliation," The Well RPG, Shoeless Pete Games 2021

"All Tomorrow's Songs," Building Tomorrow, MCG 2018
"When The Night Stole Her," Beyond The Ninth World, MCG, 2016
"Breath of God," a story set in the Gods of the Fall universe, MCG, 2016
"Perfect Toy For A Nine Year Old," Tomorrow's Cthulhu, Broken Eye Books, 2015
"The Fixer," Tales of The Strange, MCG, 2014
"Recursion," Tales of The Strange, MCG, 2014
"Four Winds," The Paradox Room, MCG, 2013
"Wandering Stones", Realms of The Dead, Wizards of the Coast, 2010
"Black Arrow", Realms of War, Wizards of the Coast, 2008
"Not all that Tempts", Dragon's Return, Malhavoc Press, 2005
"Hollows of the Heart", Children of the Rune, Malhavoc Press, 2004

Shadow of the Demon Lord
A Year Without Rain, Schwalb Entertainment 2015 (Demon Lord starting adventure)

Apocalyptic RPG
Gamma World Role Playing Game, Wizards of the Coast, 2010 (co-designer) [ENnies 2011: Honorable Mention]

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D 4th Edition)
Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Wizards of the Coast, 2010
Dark Sun Creature Catalogue, Wizards of the Coast, 2010
Players Handbook 3, Wizards of the Coast, 2010 [ENnie award]
The Plane Below, Wizards of the Coast, 2009
E3: Prince of Undeath, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (lead designer)
E2: Kingdom of the Ghouls, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (lead designer)
E1: Death's Reach, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (lead designer)
P3: Assault on Nightwyrm Spire, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (lead)
Arcane Power, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (design contribution)
Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead, Wizards of the Coast, 2009 (lead)
Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, 2008 (lead)
Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, Wizards of the Coast, 2008 (lead)
H1:Keep on the Shadowfell, Wizards of the Coast, 2008 (co-designer)
D&D 4th Ed. Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast, 2008 (contributor)
D&D 4th Ed. Player's Handbook, Wizards of the Coast, 2008 (contributor)

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D 3rd Edition)

Elder Evils, WOTC, 2007 (design direction and creature concepts) [ENnie silver, Best Monster]
Ruins of the Wild, Wizards of the Coast, 2007
The Sinister Spire, Wizards of the Coast, 2007 (Lead Designer)
Cormyr: Tearing of the Weave, Wizards of the Coast, 2006 (Co-Designer)
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, Wizards of the Coast, 2006 (Co-Designer)
Player's Handbook II, Wizards of the Coast, 2006 (additional design)
Complete Psionic, Wizards of the Coast, 2006 (Lead Designer)
Tomb of Horrors 3.5, Wizards of the Coast, 2005
Races of the Dragon, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Lead Developer)
Magic of Eberron, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Lead Designer)
Weapons of Legacy, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Lead Designer)
Dungeon Master's Guide II, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Lead Developer)
Sandstorm, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Lead Designer)
Grasp of the Emerald Claw, Wizards of the Coast, 2004
Libris Mortis: Book of the Undead, Wizards of the Coast, 2004 (Lead)
Planar Handbook, Wizards of the Coast, 2004 (Co-Designer)
Hyperconscious, Malhavoc Press, 2004
Expanded Psionics Handbook, Wizards of the Coast, 2004
Underdark, Wizards of the Coast, 2003 (Lead Designer)
Miniatures Handbook, Wizards of the Cost, 2003 (Co-Designer)
When The Sky Falls, Malhavoc Press, 2003
Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id, Malhavoc Press, 2003
Mindscapes: A Psion’s Guide, Malhavoc Press, 2003 [ENnie award]
Epic Level Handbook, Wizards of the Coast, 2002 (Co-Designer)
Call of Cthulhu, Wizards of the Coast, 2002 (Designer contributor) [ENnie award] 
Bastion of Broken Souls, Wizards of the Coast, 2002
If Thoughts Could Kill, Malhavoc Press, 2001 [ENnie award]
Enemies and Allies, Wizards of the Coast, 2001 (Co-Designer)
Heart of Nightfang Spire, Wizards of the Coast, 2001
Manual of the Planes, Wizards of the Coast, 2001 (Co-Designer) [ENnie award]
Tome and Blood, Wizards of the Coast, 2001 (Co-Designer)
Psionics Handbook, Wizards of the Coast, 2001
Sunless Citadel, Wizards of the Coast, 2000 [most played 3rd edition adventure]

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D 2nd Edition) 

Die Vecna Die!, Wizards of the Coast, 2000 (Co-Designer)
Reverse Dungeon, Wizards of the Coast, 2000 (Co-Designer)
Bastion of Faith, Wizards of the Coast, 1999
Dragotha's Lair, Wizards of the Coast, 1999 [free digital download!]
Return to White Plume Mountain, Wizards of the Coast, 1999
The Shattered Circle, Wizards of the Coast, 1999
A Guide to the Ethereal Plane, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
Return to the Tomb of Horrors, Wizards of the Coast, 1998 [Origins Award]
Dungeon Builder’s Guidebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
Dawn of the Overmind, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
Masters of Eternal Night, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
A Darkness Gathering, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
The Illithiad, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
Sea of Blood, Wizards of the Coast, 1998
Night of the Shark, TSR, 1997
Evil Tide, TSR, 1997
College of Wizardry, TSR, 1997 (read a 2007 review here, 10 yrs later!)
Gates of Firestorm Peak, TSR, 1996 [Introduced the Far Realm to D&D]

Other Games

Magic the Gathering, Wizards of the Coast (a handful of card names and flavor text)

Betrayal at House On The Hill, Wizards of the Coast, 2005
Hecatomb, Wizards of the Coast, 2005 (Contributor)
The Killing Jar (Darkmatter), Wizards of the Coast, 2000
Diablo II: The Awakening, Wizards of the Coast, 2000 (Co-Designer)
Tangents (Alternity), Wizards of the Coast, 1999
Creatures & Monsters (Rolemaster), I.C.E., 1995 (Design Contributor)
Space Master Companion II (Spacemaster), I.C.E.1993 (Design Contributor)

Random
United States Tsunamis, National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, 1989 (I wrote the intro!)

MCG Articles

Please Do (Not) Open, MCG 2026 (promoting Do Not Open for Magnus Archives)

Hands of Fate, MCG 2024 (promoting High Noon at Midnight)

Break on Through to Another Plane, MCG 2022 (design diary for Path of the Planebreaker)
Our First Ten Years: The Strange, MCG 2022 (a look back at my start at MCG)

The Origin Unveiled, MCG 2022 (why you should try The Origin!)

Claim the Sky Playtest Report, MCG 2021

Edge of the Sun, MCG 2019
My Love for RPGs Led Me to Numenera, MCG 2019
Numenera Crafting Made Easy, MCG 2018
Your Best Game Session Ever (seminar, GenCon video), MCG 2018
Inside The Stars Are Fire, MCG 2018
Running Your Game Like A Boss, MCG 2018
Shaking up Followers, MCG 2018
Numenera Salvaging and Crafting, MCG 2018
Arkus, Delve, and Wright—Designing New Numenera Types, MCG 2018
Broadcasting from Studio Colossus, MCG 2018
Trail of the Dream Titans: Playtesting at MCG, MCG 2017
Follow the Synthsteel Road: Followers in Numenera 2, MCG 2017
Designing for the Cypher System: Cyphers, MCG 2017
Path of Notes, MCG 2017 (Invisible Sun)
Strange Answer to Fermi's Paradox, MCG 2017
Gods of the Fall Now In Cypher System Creator Program, MCG 2016
Guests of Dragon Con, MCG 2016
Inside the Infamous Black Cube, MCG 2016
Transcending Level 10 in Gods of the Fall, MCG 2016
Bodies In Translation, MCG 2016
Welcome to the Gods of the Fall, MCG 2016
Breathing Life Into Your Encounter, MCG 2016
Beyond The Book: Static Or Evolving Recursions, MCG 2015
Strange Revelations Pairings, MCG 2015
A Glimpse Into The Outside, MCG 2015
Using The Strange Character Options for Numenera, MCG 2015
Using Numenera Character Options for The Strange, MCG 2015
Using Props in RPG Games, MCG 2015
...and many more posts (which I will link individually as time allows), MCG 2013-2015

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (DRAGON Magazine Articles)
Strange Constellations, another warlock pact article, Dragon #403, Sept 30, 2011
D&D Adventure Format, Design and Development 2011
Consult Limb Loss Subtable, Dragon #400, 2011 (foreword)
Gamma World development, Rich and I talk Gamma World Design, Dragon #392,
Necropolis of the Sword, Dungeon #191, 2011
Sword of the Gods Design & Development, April 19th, 2011
New Damage Types, April 1st Article, 2011
Dark Sun Threats, Dungeon #187, 2011
Modrons (Creature Incarnations), Dungeon #186, 2011
"Revenge of the Marauders," Dungeon #183, 2010
Exploring Gauntlgrym, Dungeon #183, 2010
The Dreamheart: an artifact, Dungeon #182, 2010
Winning Races: Wilden, Dragon #388, 2010
Bestiary: Monsters of Mythology, Dungeon #178, 2010
Playing Shardminds, Dragon #387, 2010
Red Shoals of Dkar, Dungeon #174, 2010
Drow Insights, Dragon #382, 2009
Moon Catchers, Dragon #382, 2009
City of Aboleths, Dungeon #170, 2009
Gontal: Dominions of Nehu, A Forgotten Realms supplement, Dragon #375
Origin Stories, Dragon #371, 2009
Claws of Tyranny, Roll vs Role, Dragon #366
Wish Upon A Star, new warlock star pact options, Dragon #366
Rose Keep, a Red Wizard enclave, Dragon #366
Gontal, a new region of the Forgotten Realms, Dragon #366
Coils Below, Roll vs Role, Dragon Magazine
Alchemical Imbalance, Roll vs Role (with Chris Sims), Dragon Magazine
Cruel Shadows, Roll vs Role (with Chris Sims), Dragon Magazine
Zhent Headless Horseman, Realmslore
The Wailing Dwarf, Realmslore
Countdown To The Realms, Forgotten Realms preview article
Blood Road, Roll vs Role (with Chris Sims), Dragon Magazine
Wizards, Design and Development
Elves, Design and Development
Tomb of the Astronomer, Realmslore

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (DRAGON Magazine Articles, pre-digital)
Psicrystal Substitutions, Dragon Issue #345
Enter the Far Realm, Dragon Issue #330 (Return to the Far Realm)
30 Greatest Adventures (contributor) Dungeon issue #116
Erudite: Scholar Thieves of Thought, Issue #319 (Expanded Psionics Preview 5)
Expanded Psionics Preview Article #4, Issue#318 (larval flayer, shadow eft)
Expanded Psionics Preview Article #3, Issue#317 (new psionic powers)
Expanded Psionics Preview Article #2, Issue#316 (New psionic feats)
Expanded Psionics Preview Article #1, Issue#314 (new race: Synad)
Oath & Order: Monks of the Oath of Nerull, Issue #299
Expand Your Mind, Issue #287 (Psionic Feats)
Vs. Vampires, Issue #286
Adventure Hooks in Campaign Corner, Issue #284
Arcanopath Monk: Calm Amid Storm, Issue #281 (Githzerai in Limbo)
Vs. Goblins, Issue #275
Sheens Revisited, Issue #270 ("Revenge of the Sheens")
Profiles: Bruce Cordell (by Stephen Kenson), Issue #268
Armed And Dangerous, Issue #259 (supporting Alternity)
Mage Vs. Machine, Issue #258 (Introduction of Sheens)
Greyhawk Adventure Seeds
Weapons of Fallout

Below the Tomb of Horrors, Issue #249 (Return to the Tomb of Horrors)
Mind Stalkers, Issue #245 (Illithid Hunters)

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (5th Edition D&D Design Blogs)
NOTE: Apparently, my design blogs for 5E D&D got lost. No worries; I have the originals. I've created "new" posts (back-dated to original publication date) for all these, and threw them together under the handy tag 5E D&D Design Blogs. (I had to pull a couple of these off the Way Back Machine.)

The Advantage of Rolling Dice, June 20 2012
The Spy who Fireballed Me, June 15 2012
Ranger Design Goals, June 7 2012
Variations on a Monstrous Theme, May 25 2012
Paladin Design Goals, May 18 2012
Goblins Care Only About Your Axe, May 10 2012
Wizard With A License To Kill, May 4 2012
The Resilient Hero, April 25 2012
Crypt of the Ninja Queen, April 4 2012
Imagination and the Grid, April 11 2012
Complexity vs Ease of Play, March 23 2012
Iconic D&D Clerics, March 15 2012
Favorite Class, February 29 2012
A Quick Look at High Level Play, February 22 2012
What's In a (Spell) Name? February 15 2012
A Close Call With Negative Hit Points, February 8 2012
Holy AND Radiant Damage? January 18 2012

Awards and Honors
ENnie nominee 2019 for Explorer's Keys for Best Adventure
ENnie nominee 2019 for Building Amber Keep for Best Organized Play
Origins nominee 2019 for Numenera Discovery & Numenera Destiny
Origins nominee 2018 for Expanded Worlds as Best Roleplaying Supplement
ENnie award 2015 for 5E D&D corebooks for all sorts of things
ENnie award 2015 for The Strange RPG as Best Setting
ENnie award 2015 for The Strange RPG as Best Game
ENnie award 2015 for The Strange RPG as Best Art
Origins nominee 2015 for The Strange RPG as Best RPG
ENnie award 2013 for Numenera Ninth World Bestiary as Best Monster/Adversary
ENnie honorable mention 2011 for Gamma World as Best Game
ENnie award 2010 for Player's Handbook 3 (4e) as Best Supplement
ENnie award 2008 for Elder Evils as Best Monster Product
ENnie award for 2003 for Mindscapes, A Psion's Guide as Best Electronic Product
ENnie award 2002 for If Thoughts Could Kill as Best Adventure
ENnie award 2002 for Manual of the Planes as Best Rules Supplement
ENnie award 2002 for Call of Cthulhu as for Best d20 Game
Origins award 1998 for Return to the Tomb of Horrors as Best Roleplaying Adventure