Monte Cook Games Overhauls Cypher System: Player Rulebook, $10 Genre Zines, Pregens and Redesigned Cyphers
The Cypher System from Monte Cook Games is getting a clear, player-friendly overhaul: the rules are being split into a character book and a GM book, new genre-specific pregens and affordable zines will make it easier to start games, and several mechanical tweaks aim to simplify play while remaining compatible with the 2015 rules.
- New split: a Character Rulebook and a separate GM guide.
- Pregenerated builds and genre zines for faster play.
- Cyphers reworked into session-earned boons; activation is now a free action.
- Optional physical extras: a 100-card Cypher Deck and a Tarot-sized Divination Deck.
- Campaign running on Backerkit through Sept. 27, already raising six figures.
What Monte Cook Games is changing
Monte Cook Games is reorganizing the Cypher System so the rules are easier for new players to jump into. Specifically, the system will be split into two books: a Character Rulebook focused on player-facing options and a GM guide that contains the referee tools and advice.
Consequently, players can use the character book with pregenerated builds for specific genres like space opera, crime thrillers, and gritty post-apocalypse. Meanwhile, veteran players can still assemble modular characters the old way.
Why they made the split
Bruce Cordell, a senior designer at Monte Cook Games, explained the motivation plainly: “The Cypher System Rulebook is for GMs,” he said. “It doesn’t let players just jump in and say ‘I want to play this type [of character].’ You have to do a lot of finagling, a lot of work. Which is fine for our players, and it’s been fine for over 10 years, but we decided […] it would be nicer if we could just get players started playing more quickly.”
In short, the goal is to reduce the setup overhead for players, while keeping the deeper options available for GMs and experienced groups.
How cyphers and core mechanics are changing
Cyphers remain central, but they’re moving from scavenged items to more abstract, session-earned boons. That means players will generally earn cyphers when they rest, rather than needing to find them through checks. Also, activating a cypher is now a free action, a change first used in the 2024 Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game.
Additionally, the new edition tweaks damage so it no longer automatically reduces a character’s physical attributes — a change aimed at addressing a common player frustration. Despite these updates, the books will be compatible with the 2015 Cypher System rules.
Zines, decks, and other extras
To make genre play even easier, Monte Cook Games is producing a series of small zines for fantasy, science fiction, and “real world” settings. Each zine focuses on the relevant section of the character rulebook and is priced at $10 (which includes a PDF).
GMs can also opt for a 100-card Cypher Deck to hand players an easy-to-read reminder of temporary powers, instead of rolling on random tables. There will also be a Tarot-sized Divination Deck designed for GM inspiration, whether for session plots or NPC beats.
Compatibility and what stays the same
The new layout and updates are intended to be additive: experienced groups can keep using the modular creation rules from the older rulebook, while newcomers get faster entry through pregens and zines. Cyphers still exist, but their presentation and flow are adjusted to fit more genres, including “real world” and hard sci-fi games.
How to back or learn more
Monte Cook Games is running a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit that runs through Sept. 27. You can view the campaign and support it on Backerkit.
Further, the Cypher System and Monte Cook Games sites have more background on the rules and existing books, such as the original Cypher System Rulebook and the earlier roots of the system in Numenera. The company’s main site is at Monte Cook Games.
Backer benefits and PDFs
All backers will receive a bundle of nearly 30 PDFs, including the original Cypher System Rulebook and many supplements spanning genres such as Weird Western, cyberpunk, fairy tales, and time travel scenarios. A PDF of the full Cypher Character Rulebook is listed at $19, while the zines are $10 with a PDF included.
Sales context and fundraising
Interest in Cypher spiked in 2023 after broader market shifts pushed players to explore alternatives to other major systems. The current Backerkit campaign has already raised more than $600,000.
Responding to recent uncertainty in the market, Cordell said, “I would say that the general uncertainty that came into this world at the beginning of this year just ran through the whole RPG community in a weird sort of way, and it’s something that we have to keep an eye on. But kind of like how the stock market is still going up even in the face of inflation, I guess hope wins out. We had the best Gen Con ever, the best presence, the best sales,” he says. “Unless something even more horrible happens, there’s every reason to have continued optimism, because things are going well.”
Timeline
The Backerkit campaign runs through Sept. 27. Meanwhile, Monte Cook Games will continue to sell and support the 2015 rulebook and its supplements while rolling out the new split edition and physical extras to backers.
