Do you dream of escape, but don’t know from what, or to where? Looking for a chance to escape the insanity of the world, and immerse yourself into something rich, deep, and fantastical? Something that challenges the limits of your creativity as well as your intellect?
If so, then join us. Escape the Shadow of the real world and find the Invisible Sun. Enter a new Actuality of surreal fantasy where mystical characters wield fabulous powers and struggle to discover the secrets of true existence
Invisible Sun is the new roleplaying game by Monte Cook. Its focus is in deep immersion storytelling. Its mechanics and gameplay are tailored around overcoming the barriers to that immersion. Magic is not mechanical, but truly magical. Character creation and development is based around story arcs. And we’ve gone further than that. Because we know the challenges gamers face in the modern world, with conflicting schedules and sometimes distant players, Invisible Sun does something different. It embraces traditional tabletop play, but enhances it with away-from-the-table activities, rules to deal with absent players, solo play, online play, and more. All the barriers are down. All doors are open.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Coronavirus Impacts on Your Rewards—and Other News
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 07:18:09 PM
These are difficult times for everyone, and many businesses are struggling to remain functional. While nobody can predict the long-term effects of this pandemic, we here at Monte Cook Games are fortunate. We are all healthy and safe, Monte Cook Games is operational, and we believe we’re in a position of relative security for the foreseeable future. Because we all work from our homes (except for our shipping warehouses), our internal operations have been largely unaffected by the pandemic.
Unfortunately, although our internal operations have been humming along, we’re seeing delays both upstream and downstream of our product releases. This means there will be . . .
Changes to the MCG Release Schedule
Our manufacturing vendors have slowed or stopped operations, and the hobby game distribution system has all but shut down as well. For these reasons, we expect to push some of our mid-year release dates back by at least a few weeks—and quite possibly more, if, as seems likely, factories and distributors don’t reopen within the next month or so.
What does that mean for your rewards?
If you backed for the Directed Campaign, but have not yet launched your narrative, you now have more time. The final month for launching Directed Campaign narratives was originally July of this year (well, it was originally July of last year, but we extended it to 2020 when we held the Invisible Sun reprint Kickstarter). Knowing that this is a difficult time to start a new RPG campaign, especially for a game like Invisible Sun that’s optimized for in-person play, we’re pushing that back to October of this year.
The only remaining reward for this campaign is The Threshold. This title is complete and in layout, but with our printer closed we don’t know how soon we can get it on press. Originally slated for June, it looks like The Threshold will be delayed by a month or so. But there’s still a lot we don’t know at this point, so further delays are not out of the question.
We will, of course, keep you up to date as things progress. Be sure to read our Kickstarter updates and emails, and make certain they aren’t going into your spam folder. These are our only channels for getting critical information about your rewards to you.
Did You Miss Ptolus?
The Kickstarter for Monte’s legendary campaign setting, Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire, came to an incredible end last month. But with all the uncertainty and anxiety of the growing pandemic, it’s no surprise that many gamers missed it. If you love detailed, immersive, imaginative fantasy campaign settings, but didn’t get in on the Kickstarter, don’t fret: BackerKit is now open, and you can make a late pledge to get in on awesome exclusive deals—including loads of unlocked stretch goals.
Pledge at RESIDENT or higher to get the massive, 672-page Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire with its hundreds of pages of extras, along with all eight stretch goal products and a 2700-page library of existing Ptolus-related titles (a $250+ value) in PDF.
Pledge at HERO or higher to get Ptolus in print, plus the NPC Deck, GM Screen, Player’s Guides, Character Portfolios, and Ptolus: City of Adventure—and all the PDFs! It’s an amazing, Kickstarter-only deal.
We’re Taking a Couple of Weeks Off
We’re going to take advantage of this unplanned slowdown to take a little time off. MCG has given our entire staff a couple of weeks of extra paid vacation in April. The entire company is taking a break this week and next. For two weeks we won’t be responding to Kickstarter messages or comments, email, or other communications. We’re all going to focus on relaxing, keeping ourselves and our families safe and healthy, and generally unwinding in this very uncertain and anxious time. And then we’ll be back, at the end of the month, hitting the ground running!
There is an exception: our warehouse will remain open, shipping store orders (and Kickstarter rewards, for backers of past campaigns).
Speaking of store orders . . .
Stuck at Home (Perhaps with Kids)?
Here’s a little something for gamers practicing social distancing, quarantined, or under a shelter-in-place restriction:
And for gamers getting into games online for the first time, the entire chapter on Playing Games Online, from Your Best Game Ever, is available for free. We’ve added it, in its entirety, to the downloadable free preview of that title.
We’ll keep this sale open for as long as conditions warrant (subject, of course, to product availability).
Are You Ready to Walk the Nightside Path?
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 07:42:05 PM
Greetings, vislae—
The Nightside Path. Is it evil? Many people think so, but that’s really an oversimplification. It’s certainly dangerous. Slippery. Dark. Yeah, maybe evil isn’t such a bad description. . . .
The Nightside is coming your way. In the Kickstarter, we talked about how this would be an unusually formatted book—and that it would come in a specially-warded bag, to protect the rest of your library from its malign influence. That’s all true, but is also comes with much more: New spell cards, new Vance spells, and a special “experimental” die for use with some forms of Nightside-related magic. It’s a really cool product, and it will take your Invisible Sun narrative to some really cool places. But be careful when you go there!
We’ll be fulfilling The Nightside in the next week or two, so if it’s among your rewards keep an eye out for the fulfillment email!
Take Your Game to Eleven!
If you love what Monte has created in Invisible Sun, and you also like more conventional fantasy gaming, you may be interested in this.
Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire, Monte’s legendary fantasy campaign setting, returns for Cypher System and 5e fans. We're reissuing the entire premium product in two versions, one for each of these popular, critically acclaimed game systems.
Explore a sprawling fantasy urban setting, presented in amazing detail and steeped in lore and atmosphere. Delve into the extensive dungeons beneath its streets. And maybe, when you're ready, ascend the Spire that looms overhead, the heart of an ancient and restless evil.
Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire isn't just huge—672 beautiful pages plus hundreds of physical and digital extras—it also set new standards for physical production. From its embossed cover to the multiple bound-in satin bookmarks, everything about Ptolus is premium quality. It's all designed to make things surprisingly easy on the GM—the original Ptolus pioneered many of the features commonly found in MCG products today. And Ptolus comes with roughly 300 pages of additional digital content. It's really an amazing product!
And to top it all off, most backer levels include an entire library of existing titles, including the 3e version of Ptolus itself, in PDF, delivered early. Get over $250 worth of products—that's 27 titles totaling 2100 pages. But only if you back the campaign!
A Beautiful Slipcase for Your Books
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Nov 13, 2019 at 11:34:46 PM
Good day, clever vislae—
If you own Book M, perhaps you recognize that slipcase. It was designed to hold Book M, Teratology, Secrets of Silent Streets, and the forthcoming The Threshold—but it turns out it’s also perfectly sized to hold the four hardcovers from the Black Cube. We here at MCG have found it is a really handy way to store and transport our books.
Would you like one? We don’t have any of these slipcases available, so we’re contemplating a limited run. If enough Black Cube owners think it’s a good idea, we’ll make them. If you want one, reserve your copy now—time is very limited.
Explore the Path of Suns with Enchiridion of the Path
Enchiridion of the Path is now available! This unique guide isn’t just a sourcebook—it’s also 128 pages of in-game handouts to give your players. Check it out!
Take Your Game to Eleven!
You’re gaming. You’ve got a good campaign. Good adventure. Good players. You’re having a good time. You’re on ten, all the way up, all across your gaming table.
Where do you go from there?
What we at MCG do is—when we need that extra push—we put it up to eleven. One better. One faster, one easier, one little step more fun. How?
We’ve always believed in products that improve your game experience, speed things up at the game table and during prep, increase immersion in the game world, and make the GM’s life easier. These things aren’t always standard RPG books—but what they lack in conventional format they more than make up for in better gaming!
Decks that save you loads of time. Props that make your players’ eyes light up. Tools to keep your books, campaigns, or characters organized and easy to manage. Prompts that miraculously expand your ideas. Minis that bring characters and creatures to life, and fiction that brings the game world to life. We have dozens of great products that take your game to eleven.
And for a limited time only, they’re all on sale*! Actually, everything at the MCG Shop (except a few new releases) is on sale—but the best deals are on the things you didn’t even know you needed. For Invisible Sun, you can get a set of Wicked Keys, the Prop Set 2, sun or order medallions, or the Iconic Figure Set at incredible savings. There are discounts on Teratology, Secrets of Silent Streets, and virtually everything else—for Invisible Sun and all our game lines.
Have You Seen Enchiridion of the Path?
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Oct 29, 2019 at 10:25:04 PM
Greetings, wise vislae—
Are you soon setting out to explore the realms along the Path of Suns? The journey will surely be fraught with dangers as well as wonders, but a well-prepared visitor might study these realms from the relative safety of Satyrine, uncovering key secrets that would likely make the expedition safer and more successful.
Enchidion of the Path is coming soon, and you can preorder it now. In fact, preorders are shipping this week, so you can get it even before street date. If you’d like a closer look, you can download a free preview. But hurry—preorders close soon!
Join Us On Liminal Shores
The Numenera: Liminal Shores Kickstarter campaign unlocked a load of really cool titles and other items for Numenera—including some pretty great backer-exclusive deals that will never again be available.
If you missed it, here’s some good news: Late pledges for Numenera: Liminal Shores are now open, but only for the next few days. The titles funded through this campaign take you into the datasphere and to the edge of the Sun itself, revealing many secrets of the prior worlds along the way.
And the news gets even better: Through BackerKit, we’re working on unlocking yet another stretch goal. If we make it, we’ll unlock the Datasphere Deck, which will allow you to quickly and easily map the datasphere, either as you create your adventures or on the fly. Check out the video for a look at how it works.
There will never be another chance to get in on these Kickstarter-exclusive opportunities. Hurry—BackerKit closes Thursday!
Explore Realms Beyond the Actuality
A few weeks ago we launched the new Cypher System Rulebook. It’s had an incredible response—here’s just a taste:
TheCypher System Rulebook lets you use Numenera’s multiple-award-winning game engine to power any campaign you can imagine. Horror, fantasy, science fiction, superhero, steampunk—you name it, the incredibly flexible Cypher System makes it easy. And like Numenera, it’s fast and narrative at the game table and a dream to GM. If you don’t have it yet, download the free preview and take a look at the new Cypher System Rulebook!
Check Out These Props!
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Aug 23, 2019 at 10:52:00 PM
This is the Invisible Sun Prop Set 2. Because you helped make Invisible Sun a reality, when we unlocked the prop set as part of the reprint Kickstarter, we also gave it to you in PDF. (You should have received a redemption email recently.) We hope you’re enjoying it.
If you like the PDF, you should see the physical version. The newspaper articles printed on real, hand-torn newsprint. The raised letters on the Niaboa Curtan business card. The whisky labels—front and back—just waiting for you to affix to a bottle. The page literally ripped from a book.
If you like what you see, great news: The Invisible Sun Prop Set 2 is now available in physical form at the MCG Shop. And did you know that you can also get:
Everything you need to make the absolute most of your Invisible Sun narrative!
Liminal Shores and Glimmer Bursts
Invisible Sun is a game of secrets and deep mysteries. Numenera is focused more on exploration and discovery—but it has its own mysteries sometimes. Right now there’s a glimmer burst going on over at the Numenera: Liminal Shores Kickstarter. If you’ve enjoyed digging into some of Invisible Sun’s secrets, you might also enjoy Liminal Shore’s glimmer bursts. Check it out—but quickly: This glimmer burst ends midday tomorrow!
