Cool new books with cool, campaign-exclusive extras. Plus great pledge levels for gamers new to the Cypher System!
Knights of Dust and Neon

Knights of Dust and Neon

Strange, dark times call for strange, dark heroes—and these three new titles for the Cypher System deliver! Plus great pledge options for gamers trying out the Cypher System for the first time.
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Not already a Cypher System player? Every pledge level includes the complete Cypher System Rulebook in PDF. Skip down to find out why the Cypher System is getting so much love these days—and why it's going to be your next favorite game system!

From a distance the skyline shines with bright lights, vivid holo ads, and the glow of massive tower blocks. But down here on the broken streets it's a cacophony of neon, gunfire, cyberware, and sirens. And no matter your gear, your guts, your street cred—or your hacking skills—you're always just one sketchy job away from annihilation.  Dust devils swirl and dance along the tracks, the only motion visible aside from the sway of the station's signboard. The townsfolk know to stay out of sight when the 10:17 rolls into town. The slow hiss of steam and tick-ticking of the boiler sound almost like a real train, but there's a sinister edge to it. Just like the sinister, pinprick eyes under the disembarking stranger's shadowed brim. Their fingers twitch slightly, just inches from the pearled handle of their revolver, as their skinless, grey face turns in your direction.  The storm howls—louder even than your engines, but not as loud as the monstrosities that call from within. The breach is almost open, and soon they'll pour out. But they won't find this world helpless. You stand between them and the innocent—you and your spellbound motorcycle, your lovingly crafted and blessed revolver, and your holy oath. For you are among the rare and elite protectors of Sancara: a gunslinger knight!  Strange, dark times call for strange dark heroes—and these three Cypher System supplements deliver! Stretch goals: Unlocked: The Midnight Deck, a deluxe poker deck straight out of the world of High Noon at Midnight. Unlocked: Otherworldly Sites Pack, 16 oversized cardstock prints that bring Sancara to life as players explore this enigmatic setting. Unlocked: Campaign Journal Upgrade, The GM's Campaign Journal gets even more awesome and customizable. Unlocked: Hackers' Matrix. A set of virtual 3D maps that make your journey into cyberspace immersive and engaging. Unlocked: Gunslinger Knights upgrade. We'll beef up the page count and add a poster map to the book! Unlocked: Whole-campaign upgrade. Let's do it all! Add more content to Neon Rain and High Noon at Midnight, make the Gunslinger Knights poster map double-sided, expand the Hacker’s Matrix and Otherworldly Sites Pack, and upgrade the Midnight Deck and GM Campaign Journal. Every backer’s rewards get bigger and better! See the update for details.
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Three Great Books—And So Much More header graphic


With the Cypher System, you can run any campaign—any adventure—any character—you can imagine. To give you even more tools to build awesome campaigns, our line of hefty genre books delves into specific topics in both breadth and depth. Stay Alive!, for example, explores every aspect of the horror genre, from J-horror to slasher films to Lovecraftian cosmic terror to killer toys, clowns, and creepy children—and then gives you character options, special rules, creatures, adventures, and more to help you really make the most of your horror adventures. The Stars Are Fire does the same thing for science fiction, from near-future dystopia to high-flying space opera. Claim the Sky digs into superheroes. Rust and Redemption covers the post-apocalypse. And so on.

Image of 7 books: Godforsaken, The Stars Are Fire, Stay Alive!, We Are All Mad Here, Claim the Sky, Rust and Redemption, It's Only Magic.


(Interested in these existing genre books? Grab a bundle of all seven at a fantastic discount—see the Add Ons section. Or check out the All In: Embrace the Cypher System pledge level for an even better deal!)

We also publish a variety unique, cool, and fun campaign settings for the Cypher System. Predation, for example, is set in the late Cretaceous Period—the height of the dinosaur age. Researchers, explorers, and other "commuters" had traveled back to this ancient earth, where they became stuck when, inexplicably, time travel stopped working. It's a little science fiction, a little post-apocalypse, and a whole lot of dinosaurs. Gods of the Fall is another unique setting, a cool fantasy world where the PCs ascend to godhood. The Origin is a gritty superhero experience. And those are just a few examples!

Image of 5 books: Unmasked, Gods of the Fall, Predation, The Origin, First Responders, Path of the Planebreaker, and Ptolus.


This campaign funds two new genre books and an awesome new setting. But that's not all: we want to make cool additional elements for each of these books—things that expand your experience and help you really get the most out of them. We're starting with a zine-format supplement for each book, stuffed full of additional adventure content as well as setting tidbits, characters, and more. Through stretch goals we hope to add additional support products and features. Some of these will be campaign-exclusive, making this campaign the best way to get these items, and making them a heck of a bargain.

Image of the book Neon Rain, with the zine Cash and Chrome. Neon Rain takes your Cypher System game into the cyberpunk realm. Cybernetic upgrades, virtual reality hacking, smuggle designer drugs, chases at breakneck speeds on futuristic highways.


Holographic ads and fortified skyscrapers loom over the city's decaying streets. Criminal gangs battle in the alleyways, while above the fray faceless megacorps control political, economic, and military power. Cybernetics are as common as mobile phones—but even so, life on the streets is brutal and short, and the line between survival and anonymous death often hangs on one more questionable job.

Neon Rain takes your Cypher System game into the cyberpunk realm. Install cybernetic upgrades and dance on the edge of what it means to be human. Use virtual reality to hack into a corpo mainframe and dodge guardians and traps built by hostile AIs. Smuggle designer drugs, or tweak with your own body chemistry and risk addiction and death. Chase and be chased at breakneck speeds on futuristic highways under a night sky.

Whether you’re a fan of classics like Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and Blade Runner, or newer shows like Altered Carbon and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Neon Rain gives you the ammo to create an intense roleplaying experience in a dark future, skating on the border between gritty street life and slick technology.

Image of the book High Noon at Midnight with the zine Wanted: Hexed or Alive. High Noon at Midnight is packed chock-full of ideas for games set in an uncanny world of magic, horror, and even advanced tech fused with six-shooters and wanted posters, card games in smoky saloons, and showdowns at high noon.


The outlaw's rotting husk shambles from its grave, seeking vengeance. Better hope your ghost-banishing rounds are chambered, partner! Because you’re riding across a west where hungry tumbleweeds roam, cursed beasts slink through arid canyons, demons in spurs drink whiskey, and, just maybe, justice rides a horse made of hellfire.

High Noon at Midnight is packed chock-full of ideas for games set in an uncanny world of magic, horror, and even advanced tech fused with six-shooters and wanted posters, card games in smoky saloons, and showdowns at high noon. Find loads of player options, including new descriptors (like Trigger-Happy) and foci (Gambles it All Away) along with cyphers, artifacts, equipment, and more. The GM also gets a wealth of campaign-building advice for an alternate west, optional rules (including a few for using a card deck at the table), creatures, adventures, weird set pieces, and a complete pre-made setting called The Ghost Range.

If you love the movie Tombstone but are hankerin’ for a weirder take—are inspired by western-adjacent sci-fi like Westworld with all its gritty themes—or delight in shows that are a little more playful like Firefly (or even The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.), High Noon at Midnight is your dusty trail leading to dimensions where fortunes are decided one cursed bullet at a time.

Image of the book Gunslinger Knights with the zine The Mother of Storms. An order of knights is sworn to the protection of Sancara's innocents. Each of these warriors brings with them a personally crafted, holy, and magical gun. They ride into Sancara on mechanical steeds, individualized and cared for as much as the knights' weapons. These are the gunslinger knights, and you are one of them.


The world of Sancara is a world of storms. And not your normal storms, for within each swirling maelstrom a brief connection forms, joining Sancara to another world. Rarely are these worlds benign—most teem with dangerous entities eager to spill out and bring their terrors to the unfortunate people of Sancara.

But those people are not without protectors. An order of knights is sworn to the protection of Sancara's innocents. Each of these warriors brings with them a personally crafted, holy, and magical gun. They ride into Sancara on mechanical steeds, individualized and cared for as much as the knights' weapons. These are the gunslinger knights, and you are one of them.

In the tradition of Cypher System setting books like Gods of the Fall and Predation, Gunslinger Knights is a hefty hardcover book detailing a unique campaign setting, along with character options, cyphers, equipment, monstrosities, and more. Play a Gallant Wayfarer who Makes the Impossible Shots, a Grim-Faced Stormbringer who Repels Sorcery, or a Stalwart Knight Superior who Slays Dread Beasts. Face down the relentless threat to Sancara—become a gunslinger knight!

Image of 4 metal dice-d20, d10, d10 percentile, and a d6-with a red glittery texture streaking through them. Included is a black dice box. Text says: Premium dice and dice box. Striking, high-quality metal Cypher System dice, marked for special Cypher System results. Comes in a handsome premium dice box.


These striking, high-quality premium metal Cypher System dice seem to glow from within with an astonishing luster. The Cypher System uses four dice—a d20, percentile dice, and a d6—and these are marked for special Cypher System results. We've designed some truly beautiful dice for Cypher System-based projects in the past, notably the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game and The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game. Now here's a set of equal brilliance for every other Cypher System campaign you might choose to run! It comes in a handsome premium dice box. You'll love the way these dice look, and you'll really love how they roll!

GM's Campaign Journal. Premium faux-leather cover with a lustrous feel, filled with prompts for building and recording your adventures.


This GM's Campaign Journal is a fantastic aid for building sophisticated, engaging Cypher System campaigns. Outside, the premium faux-leather cover has a lustrous feel, while inside it's filled with terrific prompts for building and recording your adventures. The deluxe features are rounded out by a ribbon bookmark, that, like the rest of the journal, is both beautiful and functional. This journal upgrades our system-agnostic GM Notebook with a premium feel and Cypher System-specific prompts and elements. Like the dice, above, we've made similar premium journals for specific games—this brings that same luxury and utility to any Cypher System campaign!
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New to the Cypher System? header graphic


The Cypher System will be your new favorite tabletop RPG. (Already your favorite? Skip down for pledge levels, add-ons, and more.) But what if you don't have the Cypher System Rulebook? No problem! Every pledge level includes the complete Cypher System Rulebook in PDF. This 448-page book is a $22 value in PDF, but it's free with every reward and delivered early. Of course, a physical hardcover is even better—it's included in the Explore the Cypher System and All In: Embrace the Cypher System levels.

Download the Free Cypher System Rules Primer Now! button.

Here are just a few of the many reasons you're going to love the Cypher System:


You make characters with a three-part sentence. You’re a Rugged Warrior who Stands Like a Bastion. A Guarded Adept who Keeps a Magic Ally. A Charming Speaker who Bears a Halo of Fire. Or perhaps a Graceful Explorer who Moves Like the Wind. There are dozens and dozens of options for that three-part sentence, and each contributes to your abilities and stats—and even suggests elements of backstory and connections to other PCs. Character creation is fast and intuitive! Here’s an example of a Cypher System character you can check out (and use in play, if you like) right now.

It’s soooo easy to run! The Cypher System is amazingly easy to GM. If you can decide how hard something is on a scale of 1 to 10, you can resolve anything in the Cypher System. The GM sets a difficulty, the PCs’ skills, tactics, and choices might reduce that difficulty, and then the player makes a simple die roll. (And it’s always the player—the GM never rolls!) It’s fast, effortless, and focused on narrative and choices rather than numbers and math. The GM’s bandwidth is freed up for making the game interesting and fun, rather than managing mechanics. Here’s a quick explainer from Geek & Sundry, showing how easy the game system is to run.

Which means it’s really easy to prep for. It’s Friday and the players will be here in 15 minutes? If you have a cool idea and a number between 1 and 10, you’ve got an encounter. You can build sophisticated stat blocks in less than five minutes. You can run completely on the fly! The GM’s imagination is freed up to make your game cool, interesting, and fun—you’ll spend almost no time on the mechanics. Here’s an article about building stat blocks in minutes.

Built-in tools help GMs and players forge the story they want to experience. Want to add a fun twist or unexpected curveball to a scene or storyline? Punch up an encounter or an entire adventure? Throw in a GM intrusion—a mechanic that lets you turn the tables on the PCs a bit, but in a way that’s fair and fun for them. They have their own tools, including player intrusions and Effort (to increase their odds in a clutch situation). XP is a currency that players can expend for story benefits as well as character advancement. Here’s a short article about how GM intrusions can really make a game memorable!

Gameplay is fast-paced and fun. Things move quickly in the Cypher System—a typical game session might cover twice as much ground as a more mechanics-heavy RPG. But it’s not just about fast-paced encounters. Task rolls—all tasks, even combat—start with a negotiation between the player and GM, not a math exercise. This keeps the focus on the players and the narrative, not the character sheet. Check out this actual play to see this in action!

Cyphers keep things fresh. Cyphers are single-use special abilities. In some genres, they may be physical items the PCs come across—potions or scrolls, or bits of inscrutable alien technology. In other genres, they may be less tangible—blessings, inspiration, or simply a meta-game benefit for the player’s use. Either way, a cypher gives the PC a one-time, often unusual, boost—easing a roll, or enabling a cool and dramatic player action. Here’s an article about how cyphers keep your game fresh and exciting.

It’s all compatible! Need a giant oceanic kaiju for your supers campaign? Grab one from the Tidal Blades RPG. No conversion, no work. Introduce a weird Numenera artifact into your sci-fi game. Pull a creepy monster from Ptolus into your Cthulhu campaign. Grab a character option from The Strange for your modern character. If you’re playing Cypher System, the entire Cypher System is your toolbox. No muss, no fuss! For example, the Ninth World Bestiary 2 contains over 160 creatures easily used in any Cypher System game. You can grab eight of them, ready to go, when you download the free preview for that title.

Any genre. Any campaign. Any character. Got a cool idea for a new campaign? The Cypher System will run that game. Aliens-inspired space horror? Sure! Whimsical light fantasy, a la The Princess Bride? Yeah, that works. An old-West zombie apocalypse? Swashbuckling pirates on the high seas? Reality-hopping dimensional travelers? Classic fantasy? Hard sci-fi? Superheroes? You got it! (You can even publish your material, through the Cypher System Open License.) For just one great example, take a look at Predation, where futuristic time travelers are trapped in the Cretaceous era.
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Pledge Levels header graphic


New to the Cypher System? All In: Embrace the Cypher System backer level. Everything you need to get started with the Cypher System, a complete library of amazing supplements, and EVERYTHING from this campaign! $520
Cypher Merchant backer level. Retailer Only. A great discount, free shipping, and bonus product for brick-and-mortar retailers. $230
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Add-Ons header graphic


Deluxe Cypher System Dice add-on. These handsome metal dice look almost like they're glowing from inside—you really have to see them to truly appreciate the effect. The d20 bears the Cypher bug on the 20 face, and special markings to identify results that have special effects in Cypher System gameplay. $55
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Timeline header graphic


Here's the expected delivery timeline for this campaign's rewards. Supply chains and freight transit continue to be unpredictable, so we're padding this timeline to allow for slippage—we may be able to beat some of these dates, but there's also a chance we may see unanticipated production or shipping delays. We appreciate your flexibility!

June 2024 (as soon as we close the pledge manager): Cypher System Rulebook, Cypher System Starter Set, released genre books and other bundles, The Weird, and similar existing add-on items. Spring 2025: Neon Rain, GM Campaign Notebook, and dice set. Late Spring 2025: High Noon at Midnight. Summer 2025: Gunslinger Knights.
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The Amazing Team at Monte Cook Games header graphic


The Amazing Team at Monte Cook Games  Monte Cook Games has been publishing highly praised, award-winning, innovative RPGs since 2012, including lines such as Numenera, Invisible Sun, No Thank You, Evill; Stealing Stories for the Devil, the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, and of course the Cypher System. We pride ourselves on works that are imaginative, fun, easy to play and GM, and beautiful—and crowdfunding campaigns that, for well over a decade now, have consistently delivered big and on time.  With decades of design experience, Sean K. Reynolds (he/him) has worked on a couple hundred books for half a dozen RPGs (including Numenera, the Cypher System, and three editions of D&D), designed videogames, taught classes on game design, written plays and musicals, run online game conventions, judged international talent-search contests, and had bit parts in geeky movies like Gamers: Dorkness Rising and Attacking the Darkness.  A 30-year game design veteran, award-winning Bruce R. Cordell (he/him) has hundreds of RPG credits—including The Strange and contributions to dozens of Numenera and Cypher System titles. He’s also contributed to four editions of D&D, and authored ten novels including Myth of the Maker and several books set in the Forgotten Realms.  Shanna Germain (she/her) has worked as a writer and editor for nearly 30 years, and has ten books, multiple games, hundreds of short stories, and myriad other works to her name including No Thank You, Evil!, The Devil’s Dandy Dogs, and We’re All Mad Here. She’s won numerous awards for her work, including multiple ENnies, the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game of the Year, the C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship, and the Utne Reader award for Best New Publication.  Dominique Dickey (they/them) is a writer, editor, cultural consultant, and Nebula-nominated RPG hooligan. In addition to their own designs including TRIAL and Tomorrow on Revelation III, Dominique has written for Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Dungeons & Dragons, and Sea of Legends—and of course MCG products including the Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, Rust and Redemption, and The Weird.  Legendary TTPRG designer Monte Cook (he/they) has written or contributed to literally hundreds of products. He was a codesigner of D&D 3rd Edition, and designer of HeroClix, Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Ptolus, Arcana Evolved, a number of Planescape products, Numenera, Invisible Sun, The Darkest House, the Cypher System, Stealing Stories for the Devil, Call of Cthulhu d20, Monte Cook’s World of Darkness, a whole bunch of d20 stuff, and—going way back—products for Rolemaster and Champions. He’s also written fiction, comics, and non-fiction, including Your Best Game Ever, a guide for RPG players for making every game session awesome!  Our mighty team also includes Art Director Bear Weiter (he/him) and Graphic Designer Javier Beltrán (he/him), who make our products beautiful. Managing Editor Teri Litorco (she/her) wrangles the words and projects. Kate Evans (she/her), Jennifer Walls (she/her), Tammie Ryan (she/her), Olivia Ryan (she/her), and Charles Ryan (he/him) interact with our fans and customers and keep the business rolling along smoothly.  We're a small, values-driven team, but we deliver big!


Join the incredible community of Cypher System gamers on the Cypher Unlimited Discord
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Shipping header graphic


Our fulfillment system may be different than other crowdfunding campaigns you've backed! Our campaigns typically feature multiple rewards delivered over a period of time, and we make them available to you when each item is ready—and you decide whether to receive them when they're available, or all at once at the end (or a mix). But that requires your attention!

You will pay for shipping when you redeem your rewards. We offer a variety of domestic and international shipping methods from which you can choose. As of this writing, basic domestic shipping is $9 per shipment, but we do not control future postal rates, so that cost is subject to change. International shipping is based on postal and shipping rates at the time of the order, and varies by destination and shipment weight.

Shipping and global logistics are disrupted everywhere. That said, we operate our own warehouse in the U.S.  and work with trusted global fulfillment partners in Europe and Australia, and we all do everything in our power to get your rewards into your hands as quickly, reliably, and affordably as possible.

For detailed information on shipping and our fulfillment process, visit our Crowdfunding Reward Fulfillment page.

International Shipping

International shipping is expensive. We don’t have any control over shipping rates, and we can’t accurately predict what shipping rates will be at the time of fulfillment. To comply with international law, we cannot mark your reward as a gift or as a zero-value item. Here are details that apply to your region:

  • Canadian Backers: Your rewards will be fulfilled by our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable). Please note that our books are printed in Canada, and thus are not subject to import duties; however, they are subject to GST. Items not manufactured in Canada, such as dice and decks of cards, are subject to import duties and GST.
  • The Rest of the Americas, the South Pacific, and Asia: Your rewards will ship from our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable).
  • The EU and UK: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in the UK. UK and EU backers will not pay import duties and taxes.
  • Australia and New Zealand: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in Australia. Backers in Australia and New Zealand will not pay import duties and taxes.

This project is customs friendly. No extra custom charges! Rewards bound for the UK, EU, US, AUS, and NZ will be delivered duty free or duty paid.
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