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Cypher: Faster. Easier. And Even Better!

Created by Monte Cook Games

The award-winning TTRPG perfect for forging the stories YOU want to play. Lightning-quick character generation. Super easy to GM. Unique and imaginative campaigns. And all the flexibility, story focus, and fast-paced play Cypher is famous for!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Using the New Cypher Rules in Your Game Right Now: Part 3
8 days ago – Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 01:27:29 PM

Hey there million-dollar backers!

This is the third in a series of updates covering some of the changes to the Cypher rules and how you can start incorporating them into the Cypher System game you’re playing right now. To catch up on any you've missed, check out our other recent updates!



Players Control Ability Durations

Time in a game session is pretty flexible; you might have a combat encounter, then travel for an unspecified amount of time before another encounter happens. The GM probably doesn’t care if it’s been 45 minutes or 90 minutes, but you need to know because it might mean some of your cyphers and abilities have expired. This forces the GM to accurately track time passing (often coupled with how fast you’re traveling and therefore how far you’ve traveled), and means that instead of thinking about what to do next, you’re thinking about what abilities have ended and whether you have to use an action to start them up again.

In the new Cypher, most duration-based cyphers and character abilities end when you use a specific recovery (formerly called recovery rolls). For example, instead of Shroud of Flame lasting ten minutes, it lasts until you use a ten-minute (or longer) recovery.

To use this in your current Cypher System game, use these rough guidelines:

  • Anything that lasts about a minute now ends when you use a one-action or longer recovery.
  • Anything that lasts about ten minutes now ends when you use a ten-minute or longer recovery.
  • Anything that lasts about an hour now ends when you use a one-hour or longer recovery.
  • Anything that lasts more than a couple of hours now ends when you use a ten-hour recovery.

This change doesn’t affect abilities that are “always on,” like Eyes Adjusted, or instant or one-round abilities like Onslaught.

And speaking of recoveries, in the new Cypher you can use your four recoveries in any order you want. Most groups (including our MCG home games) already played it that way as a house rule, so we decided to make it the official rule.

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Why the Change?

Putting control over cypher and ability durations in the players’ hands frees up the GM to focus more on the story instead of details like how fast the characters are moving or how many minutes it’s been since they last stopped. Plus, this change presents some interesting tactical options for your character. For example, if you have three active abilities that end on a ten-minute or longer recovery, and you’re wounded and tired, you can decide if you want to use a ten-minute recovery (and end all three of those abilities), or push on longer to take advantage of those abilities as long as possible.
 
Stay tuned for more ways to use new Cypher rules in your game!


It's the Last week for Numenera: The Amber Archive!

Have you seen the Datasphere Deck Tool (which will be a great new feature for your Cypher decks—not just Numenera!)? Looked into the huge library of free PDFs—45 titles totaling over 4500 pages? Checked out Beasts of the Amber Archive, with scores of new creatures that are 100% compatible with your Cypher game? Or just explored the loads of new material we're bringing to the storied Ninth World setting of Numenera?

The campaign closes this week! Don't miss out on great deals and another amazingly exciting campaign! Check out Numenera before it's over!

Using the New Cypher Rules in Your Game Right Now
15 days ago – Tue, Mar 03, 2026 at 08:31:44 PM

This is the second in a series of web articles about some of the changes to the Cypher rules and how you can start incorporating them into the Cypher System game you’re playing right now!



Pick Your Starting Edge

Because your type determines which of your three stats gets an Edge of 1, sometimes your combination of type and focus means that you’re paying a little extra for your focus abilities—like if you’re a Warrior or Explorer (which by default have a Might Edge of 1) with a focus that relies on Intellect. You could choose Improved Edge as one of your starting type abilities to get an Edge of 1 in a second stat, but that means one fewer starting ability that lets you do something fun or interesting during gameplay.

So in the new Cypher, all types get to choose which of their three stats has Edge 1 (the other two stats have Edge 0).

If you have an existing character whose starting Edge 1 wasn’t a good fit for your focus abilities, ask the GM if you can swap that around to a different stat (this usually just means adding 1 to your desired Edge and subtracting 1 from the Edge you don’t use very often).



Why the Change?

When you have a cool character concept but the math doesn’t work out in your favor, that’s kind of disappointing. By making this change, you can play your dream character from tier 1, without waiting until you get enough advancements to offset the built-in type abilities. (Of course, you can still choose to make a character with a non-optimal Edge stat, perhaps because you want to play through the idea of someone who is just starting to learn how to use their abilities, but now it’s an option instead of a requirement.)

You may have noticed that we already put this choose-your-Edge option in the new types we created for books like Neon Rain (because any cyberpunk character can be good at Intellect tasks like hacking, or physical combat with katanas and pistols) and Gunslinger Knights (because even a fully-armored knight who channels power from magical storms ought to be good at their main type abilities from the get-go). For the new Cypher, we’ve just extended this idea to all character types.
 
Come back next week for another sneak peek at the new rules—this one’s really going to give players a lot of options!



Numenera heading to hit a ninth stretch goal! 

The new edition of Numenera is already fully funded and has unlocked eight stretch goals so far! The ninth stretch goal is well in hand, and now there's a chance to grab physical shins (the numenera currency) for the first time in years! Check out the update now! 

Using the New Cypher Rules in Your Game Right Now!
22 days ago – Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 12:02:47 PM

As the Cypher corebooks finish the final stages of development and move into the production phase, the design team wanted to share some insights into the new Cypher—and, as a backer of this campaign, we're giving you an advanced look. (This series of articles will go up on our website, but not until we're much closer to the release of the new Cypher.) It's a small way of saying thank you to everyone involved in this campaign.



Using the New Cypher Rules in Your Game Right Now

Later this year we’re releasing the new version of Cypher that you crowdfunded in 2025. The two game editions are very compatible, but there are a few changes to the rules that will have an impact on characters, creatures, and cyphers. This article is the first in a six-part series about how you can start incorporating some of these changes into the Cypher System game you’re playing right now!

Subtle Cyphers Are Instant Abilities

Playing by the existing Cypher System rules, you’ve probably been in a situation where you roll on a task, the roll is pretty low, and then you realize you have a subtle cypher that would have eased the roll. In most cases (especially as it takes an action to activate a cypher), the cypher couldn’t help with that roll. But not anymore!

First, subtle cyphers (which, in the new Cypher, will just be called "cyphers") are becoming what we call instant effects—activating one isn’t an action. That means if you have a skill boost cypher that eases your next two Speed defense tasks by three steps, you can trigger it even when it’s not your turn, like when something is attacking you unexpectedly.

Second, most subtle cyphers that ease skill rolls can be used either before or after you roll. This means that if you roll and don’t like the number you got, you can activate the cypher and affect the roll—no more worrying that you forgot a bonus that could have helped you! You still have to decide to use the cypher before the GM tells you if you succeed or fail at the task, but it’s a nice advantage if you think you fell short by just a little bit.



Why the Change?

Cyphers are an important option for players—that’s why we named the game after them! In the new version of the game, we wanted to make subtle cyphers extra useful, so you can take advantage of their benefits instead of saving them and missing an opportunity where they would have helped you. Also, because (unlike your type or focus abilities) your roster of subtle cyphers changes from session to session, you might forget you have a relevant cypher until the exact moment that d20 falls from your hand. Subtle cyphers being instant, and some of them usable after a roll, makes them a more intuitive part of gameplay.
 
Stay tuned for more ways to use new Cypher rules in your current game!


Ninth World Record Smashed!

Numenera: The Amber Archive is funding the new edition of Numenera. The original Numenera launched the Cypher System, and this new edition is a setting for the new edition of Cypher. The campaign is not only fully funded and well into stretch goals, but thanks to your fantastic support, we passed a truly incredible threshold: $517,255. What makes this number particularly special (besides being over the gobsmacking half-a-million mark) is that it represents the funding total for the original 2012 Numenera crowdfunding campaign! Check it out now.

Predation Playtest and Weekly Web Articles
about 1 month ago – Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 02:21:42 PM

Greetings, million-dollar backers! 
 
We hope you’re enjoying the early access material for Cypher—we’ve had a lot of really positive comments about it! If you backed at the All In pledge level and have not yet redeemed your early access PDF, please log in to Backerkit and check your account. 
 


Predation Playtest

This week, we playtested the upcoming free adventure for Predation, along with some of the new character options! Four adventurers—including a Dinophile who Kills Time and a Sawbones—set out on a storm-chasing adventure. Thanks to some terrible dice rolls (how many 1s can players roll in a single game AND on a single turn?!?), they encountered much more than they bargained for. And that was even before they reached the dangerous and dino-filled storm!
 


Weekly Web Articles

We’re coming out with a series of weekly web articles previewing some of the changed rules and explaining how to implement them in your current Cypher System campaign. So, if you want to know how to convert creatures from Cypher System to Cypher, how best to use subtle cyphers and more, keep an eye on MCG’s news pages. 

Reminder: How to Get Your Rewards

As a reminder and for those new to MCG, here’s how you get your rewards.
 
When products are ready, you’ll get an email to the address you used for your BackerKit pledge. We don’t collect your shipping address until you request that we ship items to you. Please add montecookgames.com and backerkit.com to your whitelisted email addresses so you don’t miss notifications.


Numenera: The Amber Archive is Live! 

This science-fantasy fan favorite will be the first supplement to receive a Cypher overhaul and use the new rules. Its already funded and we’ve starting hitting stretch goals! Check it out now.
 
Thanks again for your support — we’re stoked to bring you more products for Cypher!

—Team MCG
 

The Character Rulebook Manuscript Is Complete and More!
4 months ago – Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 01:34:08 AM

Greetings, million-dollar backers! 
 
Again, a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped bring this campaign to life! You’re amazing!
 
In early December, we'll have the Character Rulebook manuscript ready to share with those of you who backed at the All-In (Print & PDF) pledge level. The Cypher Bestiary has been updated and will go to print when the Character Rulebook does. We're on schedule to have the first draft of the GM's Guide complete at the end of the year. Once we have specific dates for all this, we’ll let everyone know.

How do I get my rewards?

As a reminder and for those new to MCG, here’s how you get your rewards.
 
When products are ready, you’ll get an email to the address to you pledged to BackerKit with, letting you know. We don’t ask for your address or details until you request that we ship items to you. Please add montecookgames.com and backerkit.com to your whitelisted email addresses so you don’t miss notifications.

The full info can be found here.

Playtesting
Our Design Team ran several Cypher games at Gamehole Con in Madison, to hugely positive and excited feedback! Watch out for more info on Cypher and other projects. 

 

Numenera: Welcome back to the Ninth World

With the new edition of Cypher upcoming, MCG is going back to the wonderous setting of Numenera for our next crowdfunding campaign. We would love for you to come along to the Ninth World! Don’t forget to sign up now and receive the early pledge reward when you back the campaign.

 
Thanks again for your support and making this come to life!

—Team MCG