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:
Production Update — Drawn into Shadow
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jul 13, 2018 at 10:00:59 PM
Honored vislae,
Charles (who usually communicates these messages to you via the noosphere) has been drawn back into Shadow, so please allow me to be your guide to this week’s update.
I've tried to answer a bunch of questions that I've been seeing people ask this week, so check the roundup up of Q&As below for lots of information.
~Shanna
A Quick Guide to Things You Might Want to Know
Sold Out! We’ve sold out of preorders of the Black Cubes and the Vislae Kits. There will be some available from retailers in August, in limited quantities and with a higher price point. (Not to worry, of course, if you’re a backer or a preorder customer and don’t have your Black Cube yet. We took those into account before we offered the remaining Black Cubes for sale.).
IS App: In addition, the Invisible Sun app is now available! Use it to create your group, do side-scenes, and digitally turn Sooth cards on the Path of Suns. (Be sure to download and read the PDF documentation. It walks you through how to use the app for best success.)
Directed Campaign: The Directed Campaign has started up! If you backed at this level, you can start anytime (as long as you start by July 2019). It moves at your pace, so you’re not missing out on anything if you don’t have your Black Cube yet!
Shipping For UK backers: Our fulfillment house in the UK has received the Black Cubes and is taking them into their inventory. We hope to open up fulfillment at the end of next week, with the first Black Cubes shipping the week of July 23rd.
Coupons: If you can't find your reward coupon for a Kickstarter, check the Coupons section of your account on the MCG shop! It would be ideal—and a great favor to us—if you checked your available coupons before contacting customer service. (You must set up your Monte Cook Games store account using the same email account that you used in BackerKit; otherwise your coupons will not appear.)
Future Preorders: You’ll likely be able to preorder future books when we get closer to their arrival dates. We will keep you informed, not to worry.
Customer Service: We’re super busy on the customer service side currently, but we’re catching up as fast as we can. (Honestly, Tammie does almost all of our customer service all by herself—plus a whole bunch of other important things for the company. Be kind to her, please, because she strives to take great care of all of us, and she is awesome.). Thank you for your patience as we get caught up.
Other Stuff:Book M is being printed! (The cards and slipcases are already done.) Monte's hard at work on Secrets of Silent Streets. Bear's putting the final touches on the next chapter of the Directed Campaign (mmm, menus!) and working hard on the special items (like the wooden Path of Sun boards and more).
Everything Else: We always pass information about products to you as soon as we have it, because we’re as excited as you are to share good news! So if you haven’t heard from us about something, it means we’re waiting on information as well. Particularly about international shipping, which is (from my perspective) some kind of weird long-form magic where no one tells you what ingredients you need or when the results might actually happen. We keep on top of it, though, and always give you the most up-to-date information that we have.
We have three products up for ENnie awards this year! If you like them, you can vote for them (and all your favorite game products) here.
Production Update—Looking Forward to Book M
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 29, 2018 at 04:35:03 PM
Hello, wise vislae—
As promised, we’re posting an update every Friday to let you know how things are coming along with Invisible Sun production. Production of the Black Cube has reached a glorious conclusion, but fulfillment, particularly to overseas backers, will not be complete for another couple of weeks, so we’ll keep doing these Friday updates until it’s all done. That said, next week we’re holding our company summit, so we’re going to skip that update—you’ll hear from us next on Friday, July 13th.
For this week, let’s have an update on Book M. But first some other news:
Directed Campaign Goes Live This Weekend!
As we announced a month or two back, the Directed Campaign goes live on July 1st. That’s this weekend! We are really excited about it—mostly because it’s such a cool offering for Invisible Sun GMs and groups, but also because, like the design of Invisible Sun and the Black Cube itself, the Directed Campaign is an innovative, unique RPG product. A new way of approaching how gamers get the material that makes their games really sing. We cannot wait for you to see it! (If you aren’t already getting the Directed Campaign, it’s not too late!)
Spoiler Alert!
Invisible Sun backers are opening their Black Cubes and discovering the many secrets hidden within. Please remember: Among vislae, secrets are a currency, and the act of discovery can be as great a reward as the secret itself. Many Invisible Sun players are sharing their discoveries and even working together online—and that’s awesome. But when posting secrets, please treat them as spoilers. Respect the fact that many players haven’t fully explored their Black Cubes yet, and warn them if you’re sharing something they might want to discover on their own.
Last Call for the Black Cube
Invisible Sun is almost sold out. The quantity available for preorder is down to the last couple of dozen copies. If you’ve shown your Black Cube to friends who might want a copy of their own, tell them to place a preorder today. Seriously: Next week might be too late.
T-Shirts on the Way
In last week’s update I provided a list of when upcoming rewards are expected, and I erroneously reported that T-shirts were already fulfilled. That was a mistake on my part. They’re actually among the items fulfilling in July. So if you’re getting a T-shirt, it’s coming soon!
Trying to Reach Us?
Fulfillment for Invisible Sun has been a massive and complex undertaking, and Tammie, Kelsey, and our tiny warehouse staff deserve heaps of praise for getting the bulk of it complete within days of receiving the Black Cubes earlier this month. (Seriously: Fulfillments on this scale often take weeks, even when coming from much larger warehouses, fulfillment services, or publishers.) Large fulfillments also inevitably create surges in customer service requests, and those issues are handled by the same few people who have been so busy shipping your games. Turnaround times on customer service requests are running a little longer than usual, but if you’ve reached out to us via our Contact Us page or at [email protected], rest assured we will get back to you. Please do not send us customer service issues via social media, or send multiple emails—all that does is gum up the works and slow everything down for everyone. We want every vislae to be delighted and thrilled with their Invisible Sun experience, so we’ll get to everyone!
And Now: Book M
The cover of Book M. The Invisible Sun symbol on the back is very subtle.
While Tammie and the warehouse folk have been getting Black Cubes out the door, the design and production teams have continued to move Book M along. (In fact, work has also begun on Secrets of Silent Streets.) The slipcase and cards are now in production, and the book itself goes to press within the next two weeks.
What’s all this about a slipcase and cards? Book M is all about magic, and with the introduction of 100 new spells, ephemera, and objects of power, you’ll need cards for these items. Adding cards to a book product means it’ll need some sort of container, so rather than put it in a box, we’re putting it in a slipcase—one that’s sized for your future Invisible Sun books (Secrets of Silent Streets, Teratology, and The Threshold) along with Book M, and will look great on the bookshelf next to your Black Cube. The cards themselves can go into your Black Cube—we specifically left room for them.
—Charles and the MCG Team
Production Update—Exploring Your Black Cube
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 09:45:51 PM
Hello, wise vislae—
As promised, we’re posting an update every Friday to let you know how things are coming along with Invisible Sun production. This week Invisible Sun has been reaching backers across North America. The response has been astounding—people are really loving their Black Cubes. Check out these stunning photos by Michael Parker, and other comments, photos, and unboxings on Facebook and Twitter.
So What’s in Your Black Cube?
When your Black Cube arrives, first of all, you'll note it's really very heavy. Thirty pounds! When you open the shipping carton, you'll find an envelope on top of the Black Cube itself. This contains your random sun medallion and your sun secret (determined by when you backed the campaign), as well as the set of incantation and ephemera object cards Monte created just for you as a thank you for your patience. (Those won't be available anywhere else.)
Inside the cube, you'll find that it's stuffed with great things. At the top of the second shelf is a handout to help guide you through all the contents. Make sure you look under the component tray for even more stuff! Enjoy all the secrets and fun you'll uncover. We can't wait to hear about the games you'll play with this box of surreal strangeness.
What’s Been Fulfilled
Many of you backed for items other than the Black Cube—and many of those items are still in production or development. For the sake of clarity, here’s what’s shipping now:
The standard version of the Black Cube
With one of eight random sun medallions
And a sun-based secret determined by the day you backed the campaign
And your bonus cards
The searchable text reference
Plus two add-ons: The full set of eight sun medallions and the magnet set
Worth adding to this list: the T-shirt add-on shipped last fall
If you’re a North American backer and you haven’t received your redemption email for the items above, drop us a line at [email protected], or click Contact Us on the MCG website, and we’ll take care of you! (If you’re not in North America, see our news for overseas backers, below.)
For our preorder customers who read these updates, your orders will go out as Black Cubes are available, following Kickstarter fulfillment. Many of your orders will be shipped from the second batch, which arrives in July. As a general rule, we are filling older orders first. Note that most of the items listed above are Kickstarter exclusives, and won’t be included with your Black Cube—but you will get the bonus cards.
A little something from the Directed Campaign, which is chock full of props and handouts from the Actuality as well as other content for your Invisible Sun narrative.
What’s Still on the Way
Here are some of the things that have NOT gone out yet. Don’t panic—they’re on their way!
Specialized or autographed versions of the Black Cube (July)
Character tomes, dice sets, and similar additional component add-ons (July)
Book M, Teratology, and the additional supplements (this fall and beyond)
Overseas Backers
If you’re not in North America, you may be wondering where your Black Cube is now.
European backers: Your ship docked in Felixstowe, UK on Tuesday. (This was a few days behind schedule—sorry, that’s one thing that’s definitely outside our control!) The shipment is currently working its way through customs clearance, and should reach our UK warehouse in, hopefully, a matter of days. Once that happens it may take a few days for that warehouse to properly receive and organize the product, and then we’ll ship.
Australian and New Zealand backers: Your Black Cubes are currently shipping from Shanghai. Transit time to Australia is dramatically shorter than to the US or UK. Once the shipment arrives, there will be customs clearance, then we’ll begin shipping.
A few backers in Singapore and southeast Asia: Your Black Cubes will ship directly from Shanghai. We will send your secret, bonus cards, and medallion separately from the US as soon as your Black Cube goes out. That should happen within the next week.
I happened to check the ship status on Tuesday, and clicked through exactly as the Thalassa Tyhi was docking in Felixstowe!
—Charles and the MCG Team
Production Update—THEY’RE HERE!
almost 6 years ago
– Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 11:25:14 PM
Hello, wise vislae—
As promised, we’re posting an update every Friday to let you know how things are coming along with Invisible Sun production. Today is Tuesday, but we decided to post early because BLACK CUBES ARE IN THE HOUSE!
The first container has been delivered, and unloading has commenced!
The first truck arrived at our little warehouse at 9:30 yesterday morning—about half an hour earlier than scheduled. The sun here in the Grey was shining, which was good news: rain would have been a problem, particularly because our warehouse is small and we really needed to stage pallets out on the tarmac. But it was also bad news, because the temperatures were already climbing toward the day’s high of nearly 100F (that’s pushing 40C for non-American vislae).
It was all-hands-on-deck time. The entire Kansas-area MCG crew was there to help: Not just Tammie and Kelsey, who normally handle all warehouse operations, but also Bear and Zoa (our art department) and Charles. Rowan even helped out, and we brought in two industrious temp workers as well.
A view from the back of the truck in the early stages of unloading.
It took a little under three hours to get the first container emptied. Then the truck departed, and we all had a little lunch before it returned with the second container. By now the day was truly hot, and the warehouse was beginning to bulge, but the second unloading was complete in just over two hours. By 4PM the truck again pulled away, leaving us with more than twenty pallets of Black Cubes, plus a few boxes of bonus cards as well! Everyone was exhausted, sunburned, and very, very sweaty by this point, but there remained a couple of hours of organization before we closed the warehouse and called it a day.
The warehouse packed to the gills. This is actually a second unit we leased specifically for Invisible Sun fulfillment. Our primary unit is also pretty full, but still has room for packing and shipping.
Now begins the task of unleashing the Black Cubes to answer your summons. As I mentioned last week, we’ll be inspecting each copy of Invisible Sun carefully, and adding your bonus cards, secret, and medallion to your box. With nine sun secrets, it’s almost as if the Black Cube is really nine different products, so the logistics and organization are a bit complex. But it’s underway now, and you can expect your redemption email by the end of the week.
We can’t wait to see the Black Cube in your hands! Some backers have even mentioned that they’ll hold unboxing parties. If you’re going to do something fun when your Black Cube arrives, or just want to post some photos or impressions, let us know on the Monte Cook Games Facebook page!
—Charles and the MCG Team
Production Update—IT’S ALMOST HERE!
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 08, 2018 at 07:13:17 PM
Hello, wise vislae—
As promised, we’re posting an update every Friday to let you know how things are coming along with Invisible Sun production. And today’s news is good!
Black Cubes are currently on a train. They will unload this weekend in the Kansas City area, and the cargo company (which—no joke—is called T Rex ) has scheduled delivery. We should receive the first container midmorning on Monday, June 11, with the second arriving later that day.
There’s still a lot that has to happen before your Black Cube reaches you. Just the process of receiving two containers full of product is a big deal for our little warehouse, so that may take a day or three. And although the Cubes are packed one to a case, which theoretically means we could literally just grab a box off a pallet, slap your shipping label on it, and drop it in the mail, we are going to open and inspect every single Black Cube before we send it.
That’s time-consuming, but it will also be the opportunity to add your secret and medallion to the packaging. All of this will slow the fulfillment process a bit, but we’ll bring in some temp workers to make up for it. The bottom line: Expect your fulfillment email some time next week. We’ll start shipping to North American addresses by the end of that week!
Not in North America? Here’s your scoop:
UK and European vislae, your Black Cubes are currently on a ship, slated to arrive in Felixstowe late next week. Previously we didn’t have tracking info on that vessel, but we now know that she’s a 149,000-ton vessel called the Thalassa Tyhi. She’s currently plying the Mediterranean, having passed through the Suez Canal (the actual canal, not the ship by that name that carried Black Cubes to the US) earlier this week. We have no insight into the unloading, Customs, and transit time for these Black Cubes to get from Felixstowe to our UK warehouse, but it will probably take a week or so. So look for your copies of Invisible Sun to ship your way in about three weeks. (That's a little later than North American backers, but probably quicker (and certainly less expensive) than if we shipped your Black Cubes from the US.)
Australian and New Zealand vislae, your Black Cubes are part of the second batch, which leaves Shanghai early next week. We don’t have any further info for you, but the transit from Shanghai to Australia is much, much shorter than the US and UK, so it’s looking like about three weeks for you too.
(A very small number of backers in Singapore and Southeast Asia: Your Black Cubes will ship directly from Shanghai next week. Your secrets and medals will ship separately from the US.)
Coming to Gen Con?
A big thanks to the several GMs who answered the call in last week’s update. We still have just a couple of slots to fill, so if you’re headed to Gen Con this summer, consider running our Gen Con adventure, We Begin at the End. It was specifically designed by Monte to be super-easy for new Invisible Sun GMs and players. If you run the game, you get an exclusive print book with all our Gen Con adventures—and that’s the only way to get We Begin at the End. Running a Gen Con adventure might sound challenging, but it may actually be the easiest way to learn to GM Invisible Sun! You can find out more about GMing for us at Gen Con (for Invisible Sun or our other games) here.
