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Draft:Cypher System

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  • Comment: BlogSpot, WordPress and YouTube are not reliable sources. Many of the article's sources are primary sources (all originating from the same book) and many of the other sources seem to just focus on the rulebook rather than the game itself. Rambley (talk) 12:23, 22 June 2025 (UTC)
Cypher System
DesignersMonte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, Sean K. Reynolds
PublishersMonte Cook Games
Publication
  • 2015 (1st edition)
  • 2019 (2nd edition)
GenresUniversal
LanguagesEnglish
SystemsCypher System
Websitehttps://cypher-system.com/

Cypher System is a RPG game system published by Monte Cook Games..[1][2] The game is universal and lightweight, adapting a game system (also called Cypher System) from previous games of the publishers, Numenera and the Strange, into its own separate, stand-alone system[1]. Monte Cook Games so far has supported the game with both genre supplements (such as Godforsaken for fantasy or Claim the Sky for superheroes roleplaying) and setting supplements (for instance, Gods of the Fall or Unmasked). The game has also been used as a base for standalone games, like for example Tidal Blades: the Roleplaying Game.

The publisher also created Cypher System Reference Document (CSRD)[3][4] containing free rules taken both from the corebook and genre supplements. The CSRD is published using it's own free license, the Cypher System Open License (CSOL).[3][5][6] The CSRD and CSOL were announced and published in July 2022.[3]. Since that day, CSRD has been vastly extended, currently being written across more than 1000 pages. It contains detailed rules for such genres of roleplaying as fantasy, sci-fi, horror and superheroes.

In March 2016, Monte Cook Games together with RPG store DriveThruRPG announced Cypher System Creator Program, allowing for commercial creation and selling of material for Cypher System through DriveThru, such as adventures, settings and new mechanics[7]. This program is similar to other society programmes offered by DriveThru, suach as for Dungeons & Dragons, World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu. What is interesting, is the fact that some of the rules governing Cypher System Creator Program are different to the ones enshrined in CSOL - for example, products published via this program cannot contain big parts of rules from CSRD[8].

Mechanics

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Cypher System uses d20 for most rolls (there is also d6 in use, for example, for rolling levels of cyphers, and d100 for some random rolls).[9] Players are always rolling the die, trying to achieve at least the amount on the dice indicated by the level of the roll.[10] The level is between 1 and 10 and every number should be multiplied by 3 for the minimal amount on a die roll for success.[11]

Some levels seem impossible (for example, level 10 would demand rolling 30 od d20). However, players can lower the levels, by training (-1 level for roll) or being specialized (-2) in some skills, having the so-called assets (for example, a good computer when programming) or by using mechanics called Effort.[10]

Players have 3 Pool (Might, Speed, Intellect) in which they have points and so-called Edge, it is the amount of which they can lower the cost of abilities and roll using a given Pool.[12] If a character has to spend 3 points from their Intellect Pool, but they have Edge 2 for Intellect, it means they pay only 1 Intellect point from their Pool. Pools, besides allowing for use of abilities and easier rolls for tasks, also serve as health points for a character - a PC whom's all Pools have reaches 0 points dies, with less extreme consequences for emptying just 1 Pool.[13]

A level of Effort lowers the roll by 1 level.[12] The first level costs 3 Pool points, and every next additional one cost 2 points.[12] Thus, if a character needs to move something heavy, and they have Edge 3 in Might, their first level of Effort is free (and often automatic).[12]

The points spent on Effort should come from the right kind of Pool. Per instance, easing (lowering difficulty) of a task of lying should come from Pool of Intellect (which covers both smartness and charisma), and on easing a task of forcefully opening doors, points from Pool of Might should be used.[12]

Situations in game in which characters face more harsh conditions (comparable to rolling 1 on d20 in D&D) are dealt with using GM Intrusion. Usually (when not rolling 1) It means that in exchange for something extra hard happening to the characters, their players get additional experience points. Also, this way it's easier to shape the drama of the story and encounters. There is an option for GM of achieving free GM Intrusion if the players roll 1, in which case "free" means the player is not receiving an experience point.[14]

It's always players who roll the die - for attack of their characters and for defense against monsters that attack them. According to the design philosophy of the game, this liberates GM from rolling and keeping all the mechanics in their head, which means they can focus more on story, planning the game sessions and roleplaying.[15]

Character Creation & Advancement

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Characters are created similarly to those in Numenera. There are types (equivalents of "characters' classes" in D&D) such as Adept, Warrior, Explorer and Speaker.[16] There are also descriptors (one-word phrases which give minor bonuses, such as Weird of Strong),[17] focuses (things in which characters specialize, such as healing, fighting without weapons or using fire powers).[18] Focuses and types give characters new abilities every tier (level) they advance. The created characters should possess a defining sentence, according to the scheme "I am a [Descriptor] [Type] who [Focuses]".[16] An example can be "I am an Appealing Speaker who Descends from Nobility".

To advance a level, a player needs to buy 4 different bonuses (new skill, increase stats Pools, increase Edge and increase maximum Effort level).[19] Every bonus costs 4 experience points (gained not for killing enemies, but for advancing the plot of the adventure, victory, good roleplaying and/or making an important discovery).[20] The maximum tier (level) of a character is 6.[21]

Cyphers and Artifacts

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Cypher System contains cyphers[22] and artifact[22], known from Numenera. Cyphers are random, one time items, such as bombs, healing potions, or other items of magical or technological nature that characters can find useful in their adventures. Artifacts are much more powerful and can be used more than one time, unlike cyphers. Usually they have a "depletion roll" (a number on a die that is rolled every time an item is used). If the depletion roll will show the number stated in the rules, the artifact stops functioning. They are artifacts that are more or less powerful, as well as that are easier or harder to deplete. Different genres and settings have all their lists of available artifacts and cyphers, quite often in a form of random table.

Levels

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Levels are the most common mechanics in Cypher System. Monsters, cyphers, artifacts, NPCs, materials, buildings, locks to open with lockpicks, tasks the PCs face - all of these and more have levels, in vanilla Cypher System from 1 to 10.[10] The level marks how well-made, powerful or useful is the thing the level describes. There is technically difficulty 0 for tasks that are always possible to do - such as walking, breathing etc. If a level of higher difficulty will get lowered to 0 because of character's skills, assets, Effort and so on, the task is automatically successful.[10]

What is important about a difficulty in Cypher, it should be defined irrelevant of characters' skill and power level.[23] No matter the tier a character is on, a difficulty 4 should always be difficulty 4. Only after setting the objective difficulty such factors as skills and incompetences (negative skills which increase the level of a task) should come into the picture. This is an opposite of classical D&D in which the level of difficulty of monsters and rolls is directly related to the level of characters.

Superheroes possess mechanics called power shifts, which makes some rolls and tasks much easier for them.[24] For this very reason, in case of superheroes games, the levels exist in range of 1 to 15.[25]

Reception

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English-speaking world

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The reviewer for RPG.net, while reviewing 2nd edition Corebook, gave it a grade A[26]. They were especially enamored in the physical book looks, noting " The book is gloriously done in hardback and solid binding, with full-color pages, including color-coded chapters to help you reference sections quickly. The art is very evocative, professional, and apropos to the content."[26].

The system was also reviewed on a blog Reviews from R'lyeh[27]. The author noted that "The Cypher System Rulebook presents an excellent, flexible set of rules and advice for the Game Master who wants a game where her players and their characters shine and exciting, dynamic stories are told."[27].

James Mephit in their review wrote about the second edition that "There’s no denying that this book is an improved version of the Cypher System Rulebook. It’s got lots of good options and if you play Cypher then you definitely should consider upgrading to this version of the rules."[28].

In 2023, an user of Youtube called Qedhup published on his Youtube channel a movie providing 5 reason why he thinks Cypher System is superior to D&D and Pathfinder[29]. Among his reasons were the easy creation of encounters, simple "actions economy" or the fact that the GM never rolls the dice.

Italy

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There has been some interest among Italian-speaking role-players in Cypher System, as seen in Italian reviews available. For instance, Gabrielle Accattatis writing for GameLegends.it, gave the system a favorable review[30]. She liked the simplicity of the mechanics, quality of the Corebook, and the fact that 2nd Edition was visibly longer and fuller of content than the 1st Edition.

Fabrizio Palmieri made a review for Isola Illyon[31]. He was satisfied with the book too, commenting about how he liked its "fastness, intuitiveness and being well-put". As for the graphical matters, the book reminded him of Star Wars d20 game from 2002.

Third review was written by Arturo Benzi[32]. This was also a positive review. He noticed how Cypher System is good for both one-shot games and longer campaigns, but also noted that using the game for a particular world can demand a little effort.

Cypher System is published in Italian by a local publisher called Wyrd Edizioni[33]

Poland

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Polter.pl published a review of the game in 2023. The reviewer gave it a positive grade, but found the game to be less fun than Numenera of the same publisher. There was also expressed doubt over whether rules for particular genres were detailed enough and an open question if the genre supplements were absolutely necessary to play or not.[34]

DriveThruRPG

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On online store DriveThruRPG, the second edition of the game became a Mithral Bestseller[35]. This means it sold between 2 000 and 5 000 copies. The average rating of 2nd edition of the Corebook is 4.5/5.

Bibliography

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  • Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Corebook. Monte Cook Games. ISBN 9781939979971.
  • Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2024-09-26). Cypher System Reference Document. Monte Cook Games. Retrieved 2025-05-13.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Take Your Campaign to the Limits of Your Imagination with the Cypher System Rulebook!". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  2. ^ "The Team". CypherSystem.com. Monte Cook Games. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  3. ^ a b c "The Cypher System Open License Is Now Available!". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  4. ^ "The Cypher System Open License". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  5. ^ "The Cypher System Open License". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. Retrieved 2025-05-13..
  6. ^ "Licenses and Resources". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  7. ^ "Monte Cook Games and DriveThruRPG Announce the Cypher System Creator Program". MonteCookGames.com. Monte Cook Games. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  8. ^ "Cypher Creator System". DriveThruRPG.com. One Book Shelf. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  9. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 12. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  10. ^ a b c d Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 8. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  11. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 7. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  12. ^ a b c d e Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 15. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  13. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 216, 436. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  14. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 408. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  15. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 210. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  16. ^ a b Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 20. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  17. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 38. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  18. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 60. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  19. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 240. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  20. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 238, 241. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  21. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 17. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  22. ^ a b Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 204. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  23. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 403. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  24. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 492. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  25. ^ Cook, Monte; Cordell, Bruce R.; Reynolds, Sean K. (2019). Cypher System Rulebook. Canada: Monte Cook Games. p. 293. ISBN 978-1939979971.
  26. ^ a b "Review of Cypher System Rulebook Second Edition". RPG.net. 2020-05-19. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  27. ^ a b "Decyphering the Cypher System". RlyehReviews.blogspot.com. 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  28. ^ "Review of the Revised Cypher System Rulebook". MephitJamesBlog.wordpress.com. 2019-12-26. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  29. ^ Qedhup (2023-10-27). "Top 5 Reasons to use Cypher over Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  30. ^ "Cypher System Deluxe Edition Recensione". GameLegends.it (in Italian). 12 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  31. ^ "Cypher System - Recensione di Sistema GDR". isolaillyon.it (in Italian). 22 February 2017. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  32. ^ "Recensione: Cypher System Rulebook, un solo manuale per infiniti mondi". tomshw.it (in Italian). 18 January 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  33. ^ "Cypher System - Wyrd Edizioni". WyrdEdizioni.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  34. ^ "Cypher System Rulebook". Polter.pl (in Polish). 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  35. ^ "Cypher System Rulebook". DriveThruRPG. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
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