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Cypher System

This Cypher System review is part of my “Best Tabletop RPGs of All Time” article. If you want to check out more TTRPGs and see how other top-tier tabletop RPGs are ranked, visit that page.

My Review – 93 / 100

It almost can't be said enough: Monte Cook is a genius and his games are amazing. He’s a legendary game designer and world builder, and is an absolute top-tier game designer. Of all his work, Numenera and the Cypher System, I believe, are his most well-known and celebrated.

To clear up one thing really quick: The Cypher System is a cross-genre tabletop RPG system. Numenera is a specific world with customized lore and stories that uses (basically) the Cypher System.

Just know that if you plan to buy Numenera or the Cypher System, that they are slightly separate games. One comes with a pre-existing world of lore (Numenera), while the other does not (Cypher System).

Uniqueness of the Cypher System: (10/10)

In the Cypher System, there are only three character stats. These stats represent a “Pool” of points from which you draw for abilities – and if you’d like – use extra effort to complete tasks or engage in combat by temporarily spending those points.

I normally like games with a bit more “depth” to them than three simple stats, but the way that Cypher System utilizes the stats is very unique. The game gets a lot of depth from might/ health, speed/ agility, and intellect/ personality. The simplicity is also a major plus for learning the system if you’re new to the game.

With each stat you also have an “Edge,” which is like a defense against spent points in the associated Pool, for extra effort. 1 edge reduces the cost of actions in that pool by 1. This system is very much like having “armor” against fatigue. It’s as if you’re reducing damage to yourself (your Pools), when increasing exertion for complex tasks.

When it comes to the Cypher System, the player always rolls, not the game master. To hit enemies, players roll against a static value. To dodge enemies, players roll defense against a static attack value. Target values are always based on difficulty of the task. In combat, target values are largely determined by the challenge rating of your enemy.

Players can use Experience points (Exp) to improve their character in a number of ways, to avoid additional story elements brought in by the game master, or to reroll skill or combat checks. When improving their character, players can improve stats, skills, effort, or edge. After improving all of them they go up a “Tier,” which is similar to “gaining a level” in most other TTRPGs.

Characters also gain a “Type” and a “Descriptor” which heavily influence stats and skills from the very start of the game. Types and descriptors are interesting way to broadly sort of make your own class, while giving players some starting roleplay ideas. They’re basically taglines for your character that help explain who your character is, and what they’re like in terms of personality, looks, demeanor, physique, etc.

Finally, characters also get a “Focus” which adds further unique elements to the character, such as “bears a halo of fire,” or “Explores Dark Places.” The Focus gives the player additional powers per character Tier.

Between your character’s type, descriptor, and focus, you essentially create your own character “class.” Otherwise though, and broadly speaking, Cypher System is a classless tabletop RPG.

When it comes to uniqueness, Cypher System is every bit as unique as Dungeons and Dragons was when it first came out.

Ease of Learning the Game: (9/10)

Learning to play the Cypher System is relatively simple. There are quite a few options at the start of the game when creating your character, but as you get familiarized with all the basic terminology, character-building, and the game overall, becomes very simple.

Because there are no character “classes” in Cypher System, and you essentially build your own when you choose your character’s type, descriptor, and focus, you end up reading through a lot of options when building your character. After all, your choices at the start of the game make a very large difference for your character’s overall progression through the rest of the game.

As I mentioned above though, what really simplifies the game and makes it great, starting a new character, is that each player really only has to think about 3 stats. Beyond that, everything really is just bonuses.

You can build a character in Numenera/ Cypher System much faster than you can in most tabletop RPGs. Whereas in other games you might spend 45minutes to an hour creating a character for your RPG campaign, with Cypher System, you might only spend 20-30 minutes.

Personally, I also feel that it’s easier to teach new players how Numenera/ Cypher System works than it is to teach them even Dungeons and Dragons. In reality, Cypher System is much simpler than DnD, yet still retains great game depth and options for character customization and progression.

Finally, the math in Cypher System is very simple. There’s a few intricacies here and there, but nothing that’s at all overwhelming, like you find in other tabletop RPGs.

Numenera and Cypher System Presentation: (10/10)

Numenera and Cypher System feature a very easy-to-read game manual. The content is very clear, and instructions are very easy to follow. Even the font and color selection is on-point, making it very simple to reference important rules or sections of the book.

Game Lore: (10/10)

Cypher System obviously does not come with its own lore, really. Instead, it offers a wide variety of selections to its players so that they can play the game in just about any type of setting they’d like.

When it comes to Numenera though, the lore is extensive. Set far into the furthest future imaginable, technology and magic have become synonymous in many regards. The lore is edgy and cool. It hits important traditional points in fantasy/ sci-fi and tabletop RPG legend, while still drastically expanding and creating its own place.

It’s not often that you can find truly unique game settings, nowadays. Between video game RPGs, tabletop RPGs, books, and artwork, just about every conceivable angle to fantasy and sci-fi settings has been at least briefly visited. However, I will say that when you come to Numenera, you’ll find a setting that’s fresh for your imagination to explore.

Cypher System Combat: (6/10)

I like combat in Numenera/ Cypher System more than I do in most games. I don’t like it as much as in Dungeons and Dragons because I feel the simple numbers in this case (and relatively uninspiring combat options) aren’t really to my liking.

Because there are only three core stats in the Cypher System, you don’t get to really flex your strategy/ tactical muscles very much.

In combat, you mostly end up using abilities within just one of your three core stats. That means you just use one single edge and one single effort, as well. Obviously, you go with whatever stat, edge, and effort have the highest values. Meanwhile, your other two stats (and their edges and effort) get completely neglected.

If your character fails in their main pool (runs out of resource points), chances are that it’s time to run away from the fight. There’s no switching to other stat pools, changing your combat tactics, or finding a creative way to restore your main stat points to fight on, like with a second wind of sorts.

So, fights are a bit one-dimensional in my mind.

Combat is less a question of whether or not you’ll win, and more a question of when you’ll win or lose. Fights are not really a matter of tactics and overcoming your enemy’s strategy so much as it is a matter of stat points, Pools, and Edges.

All that being said, as relatively uninspired as the tactical options provide for players, I do still moderately enjoy the feel of Cypher system combat. Fights feel a lot more complex than they actually are, and it does appear like what you do in combat is meaningful, even though that isn’t really the case.

Game “Flow”: (10/10)

Numenera/ Cypher System is more rules-light than other tabletop RPGs, but still with enough framework to really give you something to hold onto. To me, Cypher System actually has the ideal amount of rules for a good flow state. I always really enjoy playing Numenera/ Cypher System.

When playing, you won’t feel like you often have to reference the rules. Dice rolls are relatively simple, and quick. Your character provides you with just enough material to work with when roleplaying, through your type, descriptor, and focus.

Ultimately, the game is great at getting out of its own way, and at letting players just play.

Numenera and Cypher System Artwork: (10/10)

The artwork looks great. It’s uniform, fits the mood, and is dynamic. Top marks.

Cypher System artwork covers are lot of genres, as the game can be played in many settings. Meanwhile, the artwork for Numenera emphasizes the uniqueness of the setting: you get technology, magic, mystery, and drama.

If you haven’t seen the artwork of either game, and you enjoy fantasy/ sci-fi work, I highly recommend checking it out. I think you’ll find that the art present in Monte Cook’s games are every bit as high-quality and engaging as anything you’d find in a DnD core rulebook.

Ease of Purchase: (9/10)

The Monte Cook Games website is pretty good when it comes to site navigation, and purchase for the rulebook you’re after.

Monte Cook games can also be found on Amazon.

Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (10/10)

To play Cypher System, you need just one core rulebook that goes for $23 as a PDF. If you want a printed version, you’re looking at $70, which still isn’t bad as the print quality is very high.

Numenera can be purchased as a started set for $25, or prices range from $20 for a core rulebook PDF, to $120 for a sort of collector’s edition that comes with two different core rulebooks.

Overall, when it comes to tabletop RPGs, I think the value that Monte Cook provides is top-notch. I like the diversity of pricing options that range from those on a budget, to collectors.

Fame & Availability of Supplemental Material: (9/10)

Surprisingly, many people are not extremely familiar with Numenera or Cypher System. Both games are quite popular in the hardcore tabletop gaming community. Many casual gamers have most likely heard of at least Cypher System, most have not played.

Still, if you’re looking to start up a game of Numenera or Cypher System, it does help that most people are at least familiar with the names.

Both games/ settings come with lots of supplemental material. If you wanted to start up a Numenera or Cypher System campaign, it’d be pretty easy for you to do so.

Numenera and Cypher System are Produced By:

Monte Cook Games

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.

I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.

If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Jacob Tegtman

D&D books and dragon art collage with text: “Help! Get My Girlfriend to Play D&D”

How do I get My Girlfriend to Play D&D? Floral Dragons Field Guide

By Shawna Tegtman • July 1, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeVWenMXd68 Transcription Hey, y'all. How's it been? So one of the questions that I hear so often is, " How do I get my girlfriend, my wife, my significant other to play D&D with me or other tabletop role-playing games," right? I always also hear, like, I hear from my husband's friends, "You are so lucky you have a wife that wants to do these things with you." It was not always like that, okay? Five years ago when I met this man, and he was like, "I am into Fan Expo, and animes, and ren fairs, and tabletop role-playing, and D&D," and I just looked at him like, "What are you talking about? What are those things, and why are you into them? They just seem really silly." Um, of course, now five years later, I enjoy them with him, um, but it wasn't always like that, okay? So we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would [00:01:00] get me into it, right? And of course, I did my first campaign, created my first character, and something that I really liked about that character is that it had a familiar, um, a summon that was its buddy, right? And, you know, I'm the kind of person that if I have a little furry friend, it's makes everything better. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No [00:02:00] payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So that's one of the things that I want to bring up that you could potentially use to help get your significant other into tabletop role-playing. Um, and one of the things that I've found that I actually really like, I found it last year at Gen Con, is made by Hit Point Press, okay? So we were just walking the aisles at Gen Con, and I found it out of nowhere, It made me change my look a little bit, and it was, like, exactly what I wanted from a game rather than just constantly seeing the I don't know. It's just, it's weird when you're looking at it from a female perspective versus a male perspective. Um, and anyway, Hit Point Press had this item, and it is called The Floral Dragons Field Guide. And it is beautiful artwork, which really drew me in, [00:03:00] but it takes these everyday whimsical flowers and turns them into dragons. It is so beautifully illustrated. , There was a wisteria dragon, a dandelion dragon, , oh, goodness, the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom dragon is probably my favorite. But what this did for me was give me a really beautiful outlet, but also a way to dive into the world and my own way to connect, right? So this field guide is 5e D&D compatible, which is great, right? And it was this whole field guide and idea of just finding these different dragons in the world around us, and it brought an everyday whimsy to my life 'cause now I don't just see a flower, I see the dragon that it could be, or perhaps the fairies that are in it. And I think that is the way to [00:04:00] get your significant other, wife, girlfriend, to connect with you on these tabletop role-playing games, is to bring the whimsical into your everyday life. Okay? So go out on that walk, point it out, and say, "Hey, maybe a fairy lives there." Now, obviously, not all w- women are this way. Um, I just happen to be that way, and I feel like there are a lot of women that are that way, that want to find that whimsy in life, that whimsical thing. So this guide that I found, um, it actually sold out in a lot of different versions at Gen Con, and I was able to get the box set. So it had the field guide, but it also had flashcards of each dragon, and then it had, uh, a DM screen. So super pretty art on one side showcasing all the dragons, and the other side showing how they can poison, paralyze, and do all the mean things that- You know, [00:05:00] we just like to do sometimes. That it goes into your role-playing game, right? 'Cause if you're gonna sneak up on some, um, fungi dragon, right, you would hope they would do something back to you. 'Cause you know, fungi in normal life can be good or bad depending on how you consume it. So it just kind of makes sense. Um, so anyway, that was one thing that helped me connect into this tabletop role playing world, was bringing the whimsy into my normal everyday life. And this guide, The Floral Dragon's Field Guide by Hit Point Press, did just that for me. Of course, there's other things that have come up over time, and I do hope to dive into those more because every woman's different and every woman finds what they enjoy and how they can connect with their significant other. Um, but this is just one way that has worked for me. Um, and like I said, you can take pieces of this field guide that I found, put it into just about any tabletop role playing game. Of course, if you wanna know [00:06:00] more about the one that my husband created, that's gonna be at eternityttrpg.com. And of course, I have to hype him up 'cause he's amazing. Um, but as always, you can head over there and like, comment, subscribe and we'll jump more into his game, other D&D stuff, other tabletop role playing and just see what we can find in life. Bye, guys.

Streamer at desk with “Eternity TTRPG Races” text overlay, in a gaming room

Custom Races for Your Next D&D Game in Eternity TTRPG

By Shawna • June 26, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_sdjZdLByE Transcription Ateri, Kror, Empyrean, Esper, Human, Jadori, Stoneborn, Treant, and Yzarc. These are the nine races that make up the world of Eternity. We're gonna take some time and dive into three of these races, so here we go So the three we're gonna talk about today is gonna be human, Aeteri, and Empyrean. Okay? So to get started with human, human is gonna be your all-around class, right? They're the most diverse in the ways that they look, act, perceive the world. They have determination, ingenuity, and compassion that allows them to create these very powerful nations in the lore of eternity, right? More than all, though, they tend to be very emotional, which can lead to a lot of passion for the good, but it can also lead to corruption. So that's the thing that you have to worry about with humans is because of their passion level, they can just take things too far one [00:01:00] way or the other. Um, as far as, like, their stats and everything goes is they're gonna be your most even keel character, right? They're gonna be across the board even with their strength, their agility, their magic, their speed. They're really just a good race to pick for any class, especially as a gets, getting started race. Um, other thing about them is they have decent HP, um, right in the middle of any other race. So it's definitely just a good starting race, right? Real quick to interrupt, we now have free downloadable D&D cards at the Eternity TTRPG website that you can use at your table. Everything from combat actions to status effects. No more flipping through your book to see exactly what being petrified does to your character. You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link below. [00:02:00] Now, back to the video Jumping into Aeteri is where we're gonna start, Aeteri actually means ascended in this world because the Aeteri are ascended humans because of an item from the lore. Okay? This item is called the Gift of Kings, and a human uses the Gift of Kings, and they can become a elf, for lack of a better word. It's a matter of is it going to be an ascended Aeteri elf or an Empyrean dark elf, right? So pretty cool right there. Um, but jumping in with the Aeteri, right? So they're ascended. They use this magical artifact. They transcended from human nature, and Because of their transcension, they have gained a lot of wisdom, their initiative is faster, and they have a lot of good trade-ons. However, a trade-off is that your HP is gonna be lower as an Eteri. So instead of starting with, like, three or four [00:03:00] health points, hit points, you only start with two. However, that's not as bad as the Empyrean. So jumping into Empyrean, um, as I said, the Empyrean is gonna be your dark elves or fallen humans, is what they've been termed. Um, their thought process is basically, "Nobody is good enough to use the Gift of Kings, and we're gonna enslave all of human, all humans," right? Um, because they're just, they're dark, and this is the way that they feel, right? So you have this balance going on of the Eteri being the ascended and the Empyrean being the dark. So you got that going for them. Thing about Empyreans, though, and what I don't necessarily like about them, is they only have one hit point. So you have to be very careful when you're navigating your different encounters because of that. However, they do have high magic, high agility, initiative, um, high wisdom, which [00:04:00] is all really good. And then one thing that happens with an Empyrean to counteract them having one hit point, is that when they fall to zero, they actually turn into a lich, and they have three turns to do whatever they want, cause as much damage, wreak as much havoc as they can before they fully fall, right? Um, so that's kind of neat, a kind of neat play. So you take this human, you let them use the Gift of Kings, and they're either gonna turn into an Eteri or a dark elf Empyrean. So either way, kind of cool stuff going on, right? Out of those three, let me know which one is your favorite, right? My favorite out of those three has to be the human, because they are even-keeled, and they're a really good starting point for someone that doesn't know how to play tabletop role-playing games, what they're really going after, and it pairs really well with any class, right? Because you can just [00:05:00] make it work. You're not teching for anything. Um, so let me know what you think. Would you prefer human, Eteri, Empyrean? And of course, if you wanted to look into these more on your own, please go to the Eternity website, eternityttrpg.com, and that's gonna get you some more information on those races along with other classes, right? Um, so let me know what you think. Like, comment, subscribe, and we'll see you next time for those other races.

Rethinking D&D: Design Oriented Conversations to Improve the Game

By Jacob Tegtman • May 5, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2pHaAcKDbo Transcription [00:00:00] I want to start talking more about Dungeons Dragons and game design So far on this channel it's really been a news style kind of coverage where new things are happening new books are releasing and so forth But one of the things I've experienced and probably a lot of other people have as well is that Dungeons Dragons hasn't really improved as a game over the last many editions I started playing Dungeons Dragons at 3.5e Many of you probably were around the same time Maybe there's a lot of 5e players originals out there or there's you know basic or advanced Dungeons Dragons players I love Dungeons Dragons It was my introduction to the TTRPG hobby and TTRPGs are one of the main pillars of my life in a way I've spent most of my life making games creating supplemental [00:01:00] material for Dungeons Dragons exploring some of the lesser-known TTRPGs the indie games and trying to understand why I love it so much and then bring that joy to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible I think there's a lot of ways to play this hobby But one of the disappointing things to me is that D&D 3.5 compared to say 5.5e now is there's still a lot of things I prefer in 3.5 And as I've learned about basic and advanced D&D there's a lot of things I prefer even in those games So if you're not getting what you really want out of Dungeons Dragons this is kind of the direction I wanna take things I still love D&D This channel isn't gonna become about roasting D&D or even necessarily going to a ton of other TTRPGs and reviewing them And I mean there's a million other games out there you can try and a lot of them are great Pathfinder Daggerheart I've reviewed a [00:02:00] lot of them on the Eternity website But what I wanna do is present some of the ideas that myself as a game designer I've come up with over the last Well I I've probably been designing or editing games since I was about six Uh I think I was 12 when I first made a map where people could play through and you know actually engage in a a full-fledged game that I made So Let's say twenty-four years of game design experience for myself I'm a at this point a hobbyist so I'm not a professional I've never worked for Wizards of the Coast or any other publishing company I have published my own TTRPG and I'll be sharing that more in the future But all of that aside I wanna start talking about in this channel still some of the news things that are coming out but I wanna share it from the framework of here's maybe how you can take this and make it better There's a lot of elements in [00:03:00] D&D that I wanna be talking about that I think are cool but we could make a lot better So some of those topics number one being initiative I think initiative is very uninspired There's nothing wrong with it right Like the initiative system for D&D gives you everything you need to play a combat encounter It's very simple You roll a d20 you add your modifiers If you have like the alert feat in 5E Then you get to go faster and going faster typically means that you're gonna get like one extra turn than a lot of your other friends at the table or enemies that you're facing Because say you're you're seven rounds in you're taking your seventh turn they've only had six but then all the enemies are dead um that's kind of the the value of initiative right Like so going first does matter but it's not that exciting is it Like you just roll you add your bonus and then you're locked in like a static initiative for the rest of the battle [00:04:00] And these kind of issues with D&D lead to very stagnant situations where people take their turn and then they pull out their phone and they know that it doesn't really matter if they're engaged at the table because for the next five ten fifteen minutes going around the table for everybody to take their turn depending on how well the dungeon master runs a combat encounter they could have literally nothing to do especially if they don't have any reactions so forth So you kinda see this with initiative number one You see this w even with basic things like hit chance and these kinda tie in a lot because players will roll saves when it's not their turn and it gives them sort of something to do at least But with AC it's just a static value it's a situation where the dungeon master may not even need the player because a lot of DMs they write down their player's AC Before the battle even starts So they know when they're rolling behind their uh little table or you know whatever however they [00:05:00] use it maybe as a DM you're just rolling out in the open so anybody can see the D20 Other people hide that number but if they roll a five and the monster's got a plus ten or whatever they just know that they hit somebody who has a fourteen or lower right So they don't even really need the player You just Dungeon Master rolls you take X amount of damage and then all the player has to do is record that on their character sheet then they can get back to their iPhone right Like that's lame There's a lot of situations like this that could be improved I also think it's really interesting looking at old school D&D and other [00:06:00] channels talk about this kind of thing a lot and I think it's something that we could bring back to modern D&D with very good results would be things like the dungeon turn or random assigning of how enemies or NPCs feel towards the party I don't think that the critical role way of playing D&D the the theatrical way of playing D&D is necessarily the best way of playing D&D And I don't have anything against that I really like narrative gameplay A lot of the dungeons um a lot of the campaigns that I have dungeon mastered for have been fairly narratively driven And I really like I I've never written a novel but I like writing the the campaign style novels and then being free to adjust that as my players make decisions But I also think it it isn't necessarily the best way sometimes I've [00:07:00] been very inspired as a dungeon master and I've come up with great narrative plots that my players are super into and it makes for an amazing twenty-five to thirty-five session campaign over the course of a year year and a half that people love and we still talk about And there's been a lot of times as well where I'm not very inspired but I'm still trying to rely on those kind of plot points that older styles of D&D don't make you use because they generate a lot of that for you Emergent storytelling is the term I'm looking for where you don't necessarily know what plot is going to come out of the story but sometimes that's much better because at those moments in my own campaign creating where I haven't been the most inspired those campaigns can die really easily Those are the campaigns that last anywhere from two to seven sessions and just like you often hear about most campaigns die after seven sessions Those are the ones that don't make it [00:08:00] So I think that there are a lot of great older ideas that for some reason the newer versions of Dungeons Dragons didn't bring forward I also think that D&D being a fairly old game and don't get me wrong I love older games I play them all the time but it's surprising the lack of innovation I think that has been in the industry over the past What I mean when did D&D come out I Is it I can't think off the top of my head Is it forty fifty years I'm surprised there isn't better stuff Um and don't get me wrong I I love the other games too I love Pathfinder I love Daggerheart I think they're all cool but I think we can do better And so I'm not necessarily saying I have all the ideas for what could make it better but over my twenty years of designing games twenty plus I've come up with some very simple ideas that I wanna share with you and I think that when you try them out for yourself give me some feedback let me know what you think um I think together we can come up with something that is [00:09:00] substantially better And so that's my goal Everything from the mechanics of initiative in combat to the way campaigns develop narratively to player agency to things like allowing dungeon masters to also play characters in their own campaigns within limited scopes perhaps sharing the roles of dungeon master I think there's a lot of things that we could do to actually truly advance the TTRPG hobby genre beyond what we've seen so far So that's the direction that I plan to take with the channel moving forward I'm looking forward to some of these first videos We're gonna talk about the initiative system We're gonna talk about the hit chance system and I can't wait to get your feedback on it But hopefully this is a turn for me away from just new style stuff and towards stuff that you can use in your campaigns [00:10:00] like tomorrow And I hope that you enjoy it and I hope to hear from you on topics that you want to see improved in your own D&D games And again I think together we can come up with some truly amazing improvements So until next time talk to you then.