There's A New Edition Of The Cypher System Coming

Next year, 2026, Monte Cook Games will be releasing a new edition of its in-house Cypher System rules system.

Originally launched over a decade ago, the Cypher System powers games like Numenera, The Strange, and The Magnus Archives. It's a d20-based multi-genre game system known for its character generation method which has the player filling out the sentence "I am a [adjective] [noun] who [verb]" -- such as "I am a jovial Explorer who howls at the moon". The titular cyphers are one-time use abilities or items. Task resolution involves rolling a d20 against a 1-10 difficulty scale.

This new edition includes a bunch of changes, including genre-specific character creation, character damage and armour, and a greater emphasis on subtle cyphers.

Two new core rulebooks will be published. The Cypher Character Rulebook will delve into creating characters for a variety of different genres, while the Cypher GM's Guide will contain rules, GM advice and resources for creating and running games.

They'll be hitting a crowdfunding platform near you very soon, in late summer, with the books coming out mid-2026.

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[Theory of Games]

I wanted to like Cypher, so I'm looking forward to a new edition that (hopefully) addresses community concerns. Especially since I'm a MC fan from wayback

 

[DeviousQuail]

Some of the changes include:

• Genre-specific character generation, speeding character creation for 90% of games and making it even easier for new players to jump into Cypher. (The same high level of customization remains for GMs crafting games with a unique vision.)

I never had an issue with this, but I'm not mad if they made it easier.

• Player character damage, freeing up pools to support greater use of character abilities.
• Player character armor, making defensive actions more interesting.

I'm most interested in this bit. I've come full circle starting with not a fan, but I get it -> played more and the mechanics make more sense -> "Everything is connected! We are all one!" -> starts to feel limiting -> not a fan, but I get it. My homebrew rules helped with it somewhat, but I'll take something with many brains and play testing behind it.

• A greater emphasis on character abilities that are unique and enable interesting play.

Didn't really feel this with the foci, but the type (class) felt this way at times. Foci varied so much from Rides the Lightning and Grows to Toweing Heights to Doesn't Do Much and Would Rather Be Reading. Clearly, some were more interesting and mechanically unique.

Type had the issue of carrying a lot of the boring, but necessary parts. Ability to use weapons, armor, skills, etc alongside the more interesting attack and exploitation stuff. Seeing this get a little more love and uniqueness of choice sounds good.

• A greater emphasis on subtle cyphers, the default form of cypher for a greater number of genres, along with a streamlining of how cyphers work.

Once I started using subtle cyphers it was hard to stop. I found them way more useful on a regular basis than manifest cyphers. Manifest cyphers have their place, I just prefer seeing more time spent in the subtle ones.

Overall I'm interested. My problem is I like where I have gotten the game with my homebrew rules. Here's hoping the changes are big enough to warrant getting the new edition.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

That part about this announcement that DOES confuse and has the potential to irk me = I just received from MC games, by copy of High Noon at Midnight.

And now they are telling me it will not be part of the new rules update only a year away? But why? The kickstarter was last year, so its not like this game has been simmering for ages...

 

[Thaumaturge]

That part about this announcement that DOES confuse and has the potential to irk me = I just received from MC games, by copy of High Noon at Midnight.

And now they are telling me it will not be part of the new rules update only a year away? But why? The kickstarter was last year, so its not like this game has been simmering for ages...

What they are saying is that the character creation rules are the ones getting the big overhaul.

The damage done by monsters requires a “one sentence instruction” to update. Charles Ryan said it takes “about five seconds” to update a monster.

Then if the monsters are compatible, the adventures are comparable, and the campaign setting is comparable (a summary of a Charles Ryan quote in an interview).

Which means the majority of any of their genre white books should be mostly compatible or easily updatable.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Von Ether]

I wanted to like Cypher, so I'm looking forward to a new edition that (hopefully) addresses community concerns. Especially since I'm a MC fan from wayback

It's subjective but I'd rather say, "community preferences" as I those issues didn't bother me, most of my regular players, and the players I introduced the hobby through Cypher. Those who had expectations and strong preferences on their RPG mechanics, especially on hit points, had more trouble.

While I am comfortable with reskinning, I get it's not for everyone. I've used M&M and the old Marvel Saga for sci-fi games but several players only wanted me to use game books with only sci-art and only sci-fi rules otherwise it broke their immersion.

For me, I don't blame MCG making changes to give the game a wider appeal. In the end, they are running a business. I've run Cypher for years, however, and these weren't issues for my style of play.