Hang in there, our update is a bit all over the place. 

First, Rick and I have been batting around ideas for the cover. I feel the rough sketch gives you the vibe for the action-filled cover, so I thought I would share.

I feel for whoever Wyatt is aiming at. 

I've also had fans sending me truffalo memes, thus I wanted to share.

Some have also asked how the new Cypher can impact the Underflow setting and I had some thoughts. 

The second edition of Cypher has arrived! It has plenty of surprises for old and new fans. The biggest change is how Types are now deeply tied to the genre of a campaign. For example, we now have three favors of fantasy to play with. 

There is dungeon fantasy for those who want grand stories with powerful characters who hail from anywhere in the cosmos. There is Epic Fantasy which lets PCs go from humble to heroic like a classic novel while Sword and Sorcery brings back the picaresque hero who lives as much on their wits as they do their prowess. 

Each of these genres, though, can help make your Hobgoblin Market and the Underflow different and uniquely your own!

This genre has Cypher and Fantasy both turned up to 11. All the rules are in play, types, focuses, manifest cyphers, and artifacts. But perhaps the biggest meta rule to consider is the “rule of cool.”

For the Underflow and Hobgoblin Market, this rule of cool turns the weird western more into an anime western with ponchos as capes and duster coats as robes. GM intrusions provide both hob bows malfunctions and ammo depletion. 

For NPCs in both dungeon fantasy and Epic Fantasy, Sheriff Wyatt tries to keep the peace. If there’s corruption, he’s probably unaware of it. 

This is a world where the eventual stakes are high and you fought hard to get here. Deciding between trying to heal or use a non-rest 10 hour recovery to be rid of a curse is a really  tough choice at the lower tiers - especially if your GM allows you online one chance to restore a major wound.

Just as artifacts are more rare in epic fantasy, hob bows should be as well. Perhaps there's no special custom ammo and they now have a 1 in d10 depletion roll. Those PCs wanting to embrace the gunslinger life, the Carries a Gun focus should be available.

In these more dangerous worlds, The hob bow already has a challenger as the Ironhold dwarves have developed a more fearsome weapon. The maticore crank crossbow fires multiple bolts at ridiculous speeds. A devastating weapon despite being so cumbersome it needs a wheeled tripod for transport. For PCs, it Gatling gun Heavy weapon, rapid‑fire, long range, mounted on large‑wheeled carriage; enough ammunition to fire the crossbow for 1 minute is a very expensive cost a

The GM can decide to ignore the Weird West aspects but they can add more flavor and uniqueness to their setting. It also gives a GM a chance to show off their funny voices.

The rough and tumble nature of a classic Western boom town fits right in with the Sword and sorcery genre. It’s no surprise that stories for both genres both appeared in the same old pulp magazines. 

Much like Epic Fantasy, hob bows are different. They should be even more unreliable with a 1 in d6 depletion roll to represent both malfunctions and running out of ammo.They are also one category more expensive. 

This sort of mashup embraces all the dangers of both worlds. Truffalo are walking money and food the PCs will have to protect from claim jumpers, handits, and hungry monsters. 

For NPCs, life is made harder thanks to shifty merchants and lackadaisical law enforcement. In such a campaign, Sheriff Wyatt can be either corrupt, overwhelmed, or habitually turns a blind eye to Vigilante justice.

The beauty of the new edition is not only can you signpost to your players your expectations for the game, the genre you pick adds a whole new flavor to the campaign. A GM could use the same content and run two very different games, something that seems pretty tempting right now. 

If that tempts you, let me know. You can also tell me what your plans are for the Cypher ttrpg.