Beyond All Worlds by Robert J. Schwalb is a role playing game supplement published by Monte Cook Games for use with Numenera.
The supplement is available as a 22-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $3.19 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. One page is the front cover and one is ads.
The Introduction starts by giving some background on the location knows as the Mouth of Hell, which actually is an opening to an interdimensional machine designed to look and allow passage between universes. It was sealed after something terrifying broke through, but the seal has worn thin. The Mouth was used to dispose of criminals and later political rivals and anyone who got in the way. A sidebar discusses Hell itself in the Ninth World.
Characters explains that the adventure is challenging but not overwhelming for second and third tier characters. Fourth tier characters should face increased hazards. There are suggestions about replacing NPCs with NPCs already known and some on how to get characters involved.
The Overview explains the adventure, which involves entering the Mouth of Hell and then attempting to escape. There are suggestions as to where to place the Mouth.
The Adventure starts with some optional encounters and a guardian. There is a full-page flowchart of the adventure path showing various ways characters can move through the adventure to escape. Though this isn’t truly Hell, it is an unpleasant place. The portals mean that characters could end up in other worlds, if the GM choses, and there are a number of tables for randomly creating such. Once the characters finish the adventure, they may not be in the same world and there may be a future problem with the thing that was sealed away.
Beyond All Worlds in Review
The PDF is bookmarked but these only cover three sections. Navigation is poor. The text maintains a two column with sidebar colour format and appeared to be almost free of error. The sidebars are used for internal and external references, some game stats and suggested GM intrusions. There are a number of colour illustrations, at least some of which appear to be custom. Presentation is good.
With the Mouth of Hell being the entrance to the realm, this adventure can easily be dropped in pretty much anywhere. Though Hell is not Hell, there are some unpleasant elements inside, particularly the inhabitants. It’s also not a truly linear adventure; there are a number of paths that can be followed through, skipping entire encounters or, in one case, most of the adventure itself. Beyond All Worlds is a dark, albeit not hideously dark, adventure and it can be found by clicking here.
Leave a Reply