Product– Cypher Character Rulebook
System- Cypher System
Producer- Monte Cook Games
Price- $18.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/575752/cypher-character-rulebook?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR- Solid start to a “new” game. 99%
Basics: I’m still a BLANKING BLANK who BLANKS! Time for an update to the cypher system! Let’s look at the base mechanics.
Basics mechanics– Cypher is still d20 rolled to hit a DC. Things you are trying to do or kill have a level. The DC you are trying to hit is that DC times 3. That’s it. You have skills to reduce the DC by different levels. You have effort, where you spend points from your three different stats to reduce the DC. That’s it.
Hit Points- The basic Cypher system didn’t have hit points. You lost points from your different pools of ability points. Now you have different wound levels. Characters are a bit tankier now, and this system frees up your ability points for doing stuff instead of just being your HP.
Cyphers– The major change is cyphers are no longer just magic dodads that do “stuff”. Sometimes they are abilities you get for a bit, or spells cast on you, or something else strange. It’s more about having one-time abilities sometimes and less about carrying random magic stuff. You still cycle them and use the fast, but it changes the world differently.
Combat– Combat really didn’t change. Just like the base mechanics, its roll against level while spending ability points. You take damage when you fail a dodge or block roll, but you now fill out damage boxes of escalating problems.
Ok, that’s the base changed game; let’s look at my thoughts?
Mechanics or Crunch: I liked the old Cypher system, and this just builds on the good. You have the same strange player-only rolling that built the last one with amazingly simple mechanics. The biggest changes I see are to your last BLANK. These now act more like feat trees for a character. They are awesome and include a diagram showing how you gain and move between abilities as you level. As an old-school 3.5 DnD player, I love what’s here, and the changes feel like well-implemented feedback. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– I love the weirdness of the Cypher system. It’s just gonzo crazy stuff. That said, the book has to cover ALL the ground. Want realistic games? We got you. Want crazy cyberpunk? But of course! Want horror? There you go! But that means some things have some edges cut off. One reflection of this is the character sheets. These used to be a bit crazier. Now the character sheets look like Shadowrun or D20 Modern sheets. It’s not bad, but the change reflects a more centered stance on everything. But it’s all here and ready for playing. 4.9/5
Execution: This is a well-done book. It reads fast, skims easily, and has all the information you need right at your fingertips. Monte Cook knows how to make a quality product. 5/5
Summary: The opening of this book said it’s a new edition. I honestly don’t feel that. It feels like a solid update, but not really a new edition. The changes are all good from the first edition. They reflect the quality of play and life changes I am looking for. The options are solid, but this book has the buffet problem. You do everything decent, but it’s harder to do one thing amazingly. The individual books are built that well, but this book gives you way more than enough to make characters in any setting. I can’t wait to start playing this new edition. 99%
