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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:

More Cyphers Unlocked—Now Let’s Make Something New!
7 months ago – Wed, Sep 03, 2025 at 01:36:47 PM



Hello, backers—

Whether it was a holiday weekend (as it was for those of us here in the US) or the regular kind, we hope you had a good weekend. Thanks to you helping spread the word, it was a good one for the campaign—because it set us up to unlock the expansion to the Cypher Deck!
And as always, we’re giving every backer a fun, free extra to go with this stretch goal: a vinyl sticker. While those we unlocked earlier were whimsical (and we may see more designs of that nature in the future), we went in a slightly different direction in our most recent poll. This is the design you chose:


We’ve opened another poll to choose our next sticker design. See below—but first, let's talk about the next stretch goal!

Let’s Make a GM Screen

Cypher is built to keep the mechanics out of the GM’s way. The players roll all the dice (and Cypher’s narrative tools don’t rely on fudging results anyway), so there are no rolls to hide. Even so, sometimes it’s handy to have key game info at the GM’s fintertips, and to keep notes and secrets away from players’ prying eyes. So let’s make a GM screen!

Like all of MCG’s products, we’ll deliver top-notch production values and thoughtful design. The screen will be printed on heavy board stock, with beautiful and inspiring artwork. Cypher’s vibe is collaborative—so the screen will have a landscape format that isn’t so tall it isolates the GM from the players. And if you want the info but not the barrier, it’ll be made to lay flat on the game table, so the GM can reference it without anything between them and the players.
This new screen will be available as an add-on, and also added to the rewards of all backers at the ALL-IN (print and PDF) pledge level (and in PDF at the ALL-IN (PDF only) level). We’ll unlock the Cypher GM Screen at 3350 backers.

YOU Make It Happen

The buzz around this campaign is great, and we’ve really reached a lot of gamers. That’s because backers like you—yes, you!—have helped spread the word. Please keep it up!
 
 
Here are four great reasons gamers you know might love Cypher. (You can find some others we posted in an earlier update.) Right-click an image to download it. Then give it a share, with the link mymcg.info/cypher

Everyone you reach takes us one step closer to unlocking this stretch goal—and, hopefully, many more to come!

And For Our Next Sticker…

Make the GM Screen a reality and, as we do with every unlocked stretch goal, we’ll toss in a little bonus reward in the form of a vinyl sticker. We've had a few dragon designs in this campaign, and this time we're pitting two new once against each other. Which should be our next bonus sticker?


We can’t wait to see which one you choose. Please vote—and keep spreading the word!

Thanks for your support!
—Team MCG

The Divination Deck Is Divine!
7 months ago – Fri, Aug 29, 2025 at 01:09:53 PM



Hello, backers—

Thank you so much for all the work you’ve done spreading the word. The buzz for this campaign has reached thousands of gamers, and we’ve now passed 2900 backers. The upgrade to the Divination Deck is unlocked!
The Divination Deck will be a great resource, and a central feature on the game table of any GM who loves a bit of inspiration on the fly. This premium upgrade will make it as beautiful and pleasant to use as it is handy. (There's more about the Divination Deck and how it helps your game soar in our last update.)

As we do with every unlocked stretch goal, we’re giving you a little bonus reward—this vinyl sticker—free!


The sticker collection is growing! It’s our extra thank-you to all backers for helping this campaign soar by spreading the word and reaching new backers.

Which sticker design should we unlock as the next bonus? We have a new poll, below!

More Cyphers, Please!

Cyphers are single-use special abilities. They represent an unexpected moment of advantage, a touch of insight or inspiration, a bit of luck, or simply a meta-game benefit for the player’s use. They keep your character sheet fresh, giving you new options in addition to your regular character abilities. And because they’re single-use, their effect on game balance isn’t an ongoing concern; they can be interesting, unusual, or flashy in ways that enhance, rather than undermine, long-term play.

Because they are frequently encountered and quickly used, writing out a cypher and its effects on a character sheet (only to erase it half a session later) can be a bit of a drag. And pulling out the corebook to roll on a big random table can slow down the game. That’s why we’re making the Cypher Deck—draw a card randomly for a pregenerated cypher, then simply hand it to the player to be kept until used. Each card contains a unique cypher, along with some advice on how to integrate its use into your game events in a way that feels natural and enhances the narrative.
We were planning a 60-card deck, but because it’s so useful, we’d like to expand it to 100 cards. This will take advantage of the expansion to the Cypher GM’s Guide you unlocked recently, and nearly double the number of cyphers at your fingertips. Get us to 3150 backers, and we’ll expand the size of the Cypher Deck!

And after that? We have so many great ideas for making the most of your Cypher experience, and weeks left to unlock more wondrous stretch goals! 

Help Reach New Backers—and Get Free Character Art!

Tell us about your character! If you have a favorite Cypher character, we’d love to hear about it—and three winners will get beautiful custom illustrations of their characters, commissioned on their behalf by MCG. The promotion is almost over, though. Don’t miss this chance to get a custom illo for your character, and help promote the campaign by doing so. Click through for details! 


Which Sticker Should We Make Next?

As we do with every stretch goal, if we unlock the expansion to the Cypher Deck we’ll add a free bonus to every backer’s rewards in the form of a vinyl sticker. So far we've looked at designs with a whimsical approach, but let's do something a little different this time. Which of these designs do you think we should do next?


Vote now, and keep spreading the word to help unlock even more stretch goals!

Thanks for your support!
—Team MCG

GM’s Guide Expanded!
7 months ago – Thu, Aug 28, 2025 at 08:06:36 AM



Hello, backers—

What an exciting launch period we’ve been having—you’ve unlocked yet another stretch goal! The Cypher GM’s Guide is getting bigger, with more creatures, cyphers, equipment, and artifacts included in the many genres it covers. This matches the expansion you’ve already funded for the Cypher Player’s Guide. And both books, plus the Cypher Bestiary, have already had production upgrades including foil covers, giving your copies an exclusive premium finish that won’t be part of the standard edition available in the future.

And as a bonus, as we do with every stretch goal unlocked, we’re adding a vinyl sticker to your rewards—free! It’s just an extra little thank you for supporting the campaign and helping unlock these stretch goals.


You chose that sticker design via our recent poll. We’re starting up another poll for the next one—see below.

Let’s Talk Divination Deck

A (so far!) undersung offering in this campaign is the Divination Deck. The 50 cards of this Tarot-sized deck each feature a divinatory image that inspires all sorts of ideas on the fly. Any time you’re at a turning point in the game, or would like some inspiration for a plot wrinkle, a GM intrusion, a cypher choice, an NPC’s attitude, or even the weather, just draw a card.
Say you draw the Knife. It implies conflict or a wound. Change, a violent or at least drastic reaction, or the splitting of bonds. This alone can inspire the direction you take an NPC, a scene, or your narrative overall. But in addition, the accompanying book suggests intrusions, NPCs and their traits, cyphers, assets, creatures, and more.

You aren’t expected to use all of this each time you draw. Maybe in one scene, you simply want an adversary for a random encounter. Draw a card for a creature suggestion. Maybe later you’d like an intrusion idea. Draw three cards, and choose the one with the vibe that best matches the current scene, using the intrusion it suggests. And if you’re stuck for a plot twist later that session, draw another card for its divinatory recommendation. The Diviniation Deck is a limitless font of GM inspiration and time-savings in a beautiful format.

So let’s make it even more beautiful. With this stretch goal, we’ll upgrade the Divination Deck with premium features such as foil stamping on the card backs, upgraded paper and finish, and a deluxe box. We think the Diviniation Deck will be a central feature on the game table of any GM who loves a bit of inspiration on the fly, and we want to do it justice. We’ll unlock this upgrade to the Divination Deck when we reach 2900 backers.

And after that? We have so many great ideas for making the most of your Cypher experience, and weeks left to unlock more wondrous stretch goals! 

But We Need Your Help!

We’re unlocking stretch goals by reaching new backers. There are thousands of gamers out there who haven’t heard about this campaign yet—and try as we might, we can’t reach even a fraction of them without the help of backers. Sharing an image or a bit of information is a great way for you to help spread the word. It only takes a second.


Here are four great reasons gamers you know might love Cypher. (We'll post more in the future.) Right-click an image to download it. Then give it a share, with the link mymcg.info/cypher

Everyone you reach takes us one step closer to unlocking this stretch goal—and, hopefully, many more to come!

Sticker Time!

If we unlock this upgrade to the Divination Deck, we’ll also add a free bonus sticker to your rewards. Which one should we make?


The poll is at the bottom of this post—vote!

Thanks for your support!
—Team MCG

The Strange Is Unlocked!
7 months ago – Wed, Aug 27, 2025 at 08:39:50 AM



Hello, backers—

Great news! You’ve unlocked The Strange, adding the first entirely new product to this campaign’s rewards. We’re so excited to be making this hefty hardcover campaign setting, which is now part of the rewards for all backers at the ALL-IN (print and PDF) pledge level (and in PDF for ALL-IN (PDF only) backers).

You can also get it as an add-on, but seriously: why add on a single book when you can upgrade your pledge and get so much more? The ALL-IN pledge levels were a great deal to start with, and are now even better—and the campaign is just getting started!

If you’re new to The Strange, this dimension-hopping, intrigue-filled campaign setting has been a fan-favorite for years, but the original has been long out of print. Learn more about it in our last update

Your Bonus Reward

As if a whole new book isn’t enough, your rewards now include another sticker! Voting was very close this time, but we have a winner:


We add a vinyl sticker as a free bonus reward for all backers, every time we unlock a stretch goal. Vote for the next one below!

Shall We Expand the Cypher GM’s Guide?


One of your first stretch goals was an expansion to the Cypher Character Rulebook. The design team would love to similarly grow the GM’s book, particularly adding more equipment, cyphers, creatures, and artifacts to supplement the copious guidance and rules options for the many genres it covers. We anticipate this will add roughly 24 pages to the heft of the book, giving you that much more for your campaigns and adventures!

We’ll unlock this expansion when we reach 2600 backers.

And while we’re at it…

Let’s Choose Another Sticker

We’ve unlocked three stretch goals so far, and added three bonus vinyl stickers rewards on top of those goals. We’ll add a fourth if we unlock this expansion. Which design would you prefer?


Vote in the attached poll! The winning design will be our next bonus reward.

You Make It Happen

This campaign is going gangbusters, and we have so many more stretch goals we’d love to hit. The way to make that happen—the only way—is for backers like you to help spread the word. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to tell us about your character—it’s fun, you’ll help spread the word, and maybe you’ll win some cool, custom art for your character!


Thanks for your support!

—Team MCG

Corebooks Upgraded. Now Let’s Try to Enter The Strange!
7 months ago – Tue, Aug 26, 2025 at 07:01:26 PM



Hello, backers—

You made short work of that stretch goal! Thanks to all your great help spreading the word, the upgrade to the Cypher Character Rulebook, the Cypher GM’s Guide, and the matching version of the Cypher Bestiary has been unlocked, and they’re all getting foil-printed covers!
And as a bonus reward, every backer gets this vinyl sticker added to their rewards! That makes two you’ve unlocked so far. Here's the winner of today's poll, and the collection you've built so far.


Let Us Tell You about The Strange

Earth. The present day. The world as we know it.

Except: in the dimness of a chaotic extra-dimensional zone known by a few as “the Strange” lie thousands of Earth’s “recursions”—pocket dimensions that spawn from human myth, legend, and fiction. Rarely larger than a continent, and sometimes no bigger than a few city blocks, these aren’t full-fledged parallel universes. Rather, they’re reflections of human imagination—one might be the halls of Valhalla; another the sands of ancient Egypt; yet another the foggy East End of Jack the Ripper’s London or even the plains of Rohan. If a realm has been imagined on Earth, there is probably a recursion somewhere in our world’s shoals that represents it.


These mini-worlds have gone unnoticed for millennia, but in recent times, a rare few have discovered them—and how to reach them. Some do so for the sake of discovery. Some for plunder. A few for even more nefarious purposes. Regardless of these motives, the rare but increasing traffic between Earth and its recursions has inevitably allowed forces from these realms to discover ours.

For while most beings in these recursions are simply facets of the fiction that creates them, a rare few have “the spark.” Awareness. An ability to recognize that their own realm is limited—but that a broader, fuller world exists. Some of these beings cast ambitious eyes on our Earth. And some are very, very dangerous.

The Strange roleplaying game was originally published by MCG about a decade ago, and powered by the Cypher System. (In fact, its publication predates the original Cypher System Rulebook.) It’s been out of print for a while, but remains a fan favorite. Player characters work for The Estate, a secretive organization that seeks to protect Earth from the dangers increasingly leaking into our world. Adventures set on Earth have an X-Files sort of feel, as the PCs investigate odd happenings and combat other shadowy figures and organizations that exploit the Strange and its recursions. When adventures take them into these other realms, the PCs usual take on aspects of the recursion. They don’t just visit a space-opera realm. They translate to it, becoming, in part, the types of aliens and characters that inhabit that world.

It's a dimension-hopping game filled with intrigue, mystery, and planet-threatening danger. And we want to bring it back!

Stretch Goal: The Strange

We want to create a whole new edition of The Strange, powered by Cypher! It will be a setting book you use with your Cypher corebooks (it won’t contain its own game rules), and will be thoroughly revised and updated, with new content, adventures, and options.

And it will be a whole new book—a thick, hefty hardcover—added to the rewards of the ALL-IN (print and PDF) pledge level, as a PDF to the ALL-IN (PDF only) pledge levels, and available as an add-on for backers at other levels.

We will unlock The Strange when we reach 2200 backers.

Oh, and a Sticker!

Every time we unlock a stretch goal, we throw in a bonus reward—a free thank-you for every backer, no matter what pledge level. Help us choose the next vinyl sticker to add to the collection:


Vote for your choice, and it will be added to your rewards, for free, when we unlock The Strange!

It’s Up to YOU

We need your help to reach 2200 backers and unlock The Strange. If you haven’t already, you can take part in this contest to help spread the word—and maybe win some beautiful custom art for your Cypher character!

And here are some great graphics to share on social media, on reddit, or wherever you talk about games online—right-click to download them:


Thanks for your support!

—Team MCG