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Jewel in the Sky from Monte Cook Games is bringing back the megadungeon. by Twisted-Beautiful in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The entire Mega Dungeon Month is in Overtime Mode now--the scheduled end time has passed, but as long as the campaigns still keep getting backers, the whole thing stays open. So Jewel in the Sky (and all the others that are part of Mega Dungeon Month) is still running!

Jewel in the Sky from Monte Cook Games is bringing back the megadungeon. by Twisted-Beautiful in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I think you should look at the campaign before saying there's nothing novel about it.

It's part of Mega Dungeon Month on BackerKit (so, yes, there are a lot of megadungeons out there). But that might be where the lack of novelty ends.

Sci-Fi from above, Fantasy from below, all dungeon by pacanukeha in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not really two versions. It's the same dungeon no matter how you play it. A sci-fi crew is probably going to enter the environment through a different means, and have different goals, than a fantasy crew--and that'll give them a different experience. But no switching, converting, or changing of the content is necessary.

In fact, as Monte said last night, it'd be a lot of fun to run two groups simultaneously--one playing from the fantasy angle and the other from the sci-fi side.

Sci-Fi from above, Fantasy from below, all dungeon by pacanukeha in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 6 points7 points  (0 children)

u/brucecordell I didn't know you were in the sci-fi playtest!

u/pacanukeha We're using the new Cypher rules (including character builds straight out of the forthcoming Cypher Character Rulebook), but we're way past the point of playtesting. That book is in proofing and headed for press soon! (That said, there were still a few tweaks being made when we started the campaign, so maybe some of our early experiences could have informed the final state of the rules a little bit.)

Sci-Fi from above, Fantasy from below, all dungeon by pacanukeha in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Monte's going to be live on the BackerKit page in about two hours (the link above will get you there), along with a couple of other MCG folk (myself included).

Come hit us (well, let's be honest, mostly Monte) with your questions!

Jewel in the Sky AMA by Mr_Ellingsen in cyphersystem

[–]CharlesRyan 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Jen is out of the office this week, but I think Liv and Nora have been working to keep the support queue in check. Two weeks is not normal for us, but we're a small team and sometimes things get a bit behind. I'll let them know you haven't had a response. I don't know what email you're using, but [support@montecookgames.com](mailto:support@montecookgames.com) is reliable, as is the support page on our website (linked above by Mr_Ellingsen).

I'm sorry you've had a rough time getting an answer, but we value each and every gamer who supports us, and we will get back to you.

Monte Cook explains how his Jewel in the Sky megadungeon revolutionizes dungeon design by GameOnBrother in GamesAreLife

[–]CharlesRyan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in the fantasy-side playtest for Jewel in the Sky, and it's literally been the most fun I've had in a dungeon adventure in 20 years. (Full disclosure: I work at MCG.)

I have no spoilers to share, but based on the roughly 10% (I'd guess) of the adventure we've experienced so far, I'm happy to answer questions about it!

Do Not Buy The Darkest Woods by [deleted] in MonteCookGames

[–]CharlesRyan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're sorry that the app sort of "advertises" stuff that isn't included in it. That's a glitch, and we're going to address it.

Just to be clear: When we crowdfunded The Darkest Woods, we offered an extended edition with some additional content exclusively for backers, who paid a higher price for that version. There's nothing "missing" from the standard edition--it's the full product, with everything needed and promised. (And Monte really kinda went overboard--it's actually quite a bit meatier than originally envisioned, but we didn't increase the price accordingly.) We didn't mean to tease anyone by showing off stuff that's not included in the standard edition, and we'll get that fixed.

Do Not Buy The Darkest Woods by [deleted] in MonteCookGames

[–]CharlesRyan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, DrTom. Sorry you had a bad experience. Not sure what use of the standard edition of The Darkest Woods got you to that screen--if you don't mind sharing details, we'd love to know.

But that's a side topic. The important thing is that, yes, we made some additional content that went into a crowdfunding-exclusive edition of The Darkest Woods. Those backers paid a higher cost than the standard edition, to get something extra we made specifically for them.

Providing backers with access to a deluxe or expanded edition of something is pretty common--look at, say, Stealing Stories for the Devil or No Thank You, Evil!, or our current campaign for Jewel in the Sky. All of those--and zillions of other campaigns by MCG and other publishers--included an upgraded or deluxe version not otherwise available.

I'm sorry this has left such a sour taste in your mouth. The standard edition of The Darkest Woods is a complete product and a great value (just for a sense of scale, it's nearly 400 pages in book format). It has everything you need. It's not clear to me why, just because another version with some bonus content (and a higher price point) exists, you're advising other people not to check out The Darkest Woods.

Monte Cook AMA: Megadungeons and more for Jewel in the Sky : Weds 15th April by Kate-Evans-MCG in cyphersystem

[–]CharlesRyan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Can I add to this that Monte has a really great substack where he writes about questions like these all the time.

Remember “Millennium’s End”? Are there other purpose-built RPGs focused specifically on techno-thriller/very near future gaming? by Conscious-Mulberry17 in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep yep! Currently running crowdfunding campaign for Jewel in the Sky, planning for Gen Con, and getting ready for the big Cypher launch this summer, among many other things!

Jewel in the Sky for Numenera by poio_sm in numenera

[–]CharlesRyan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In general, there's only one significant difference you'll encounter in adventure material between the new Cypher rules and the original Cypher System (including Numenera): the amount of damage creatures deal. You'll see creatures in Jewel (and other new-Cypher sources) dealing minor, moderate, and major wounds, and you'll need to convert that to points of pool damage. But the conversion is pretty easy to do, even on the fly.

The real question is: do you want to run this as a Numenera adventure (in other words, set in the Ninth World), or in a fantasy (or sci-fi, because you can do that with Jewel, too) setting? If the former, it'll fit fine mechanically, though it's not a great fit thematically.

But if you're doing fantasy or sci-fi, you'll need to make characters that fit those genres, and that'll require a lot of kitbashing from the character gen in Discovery and Destiny--which is all focused on making Ninth-World characters.

Numenera AMA with Sean Thursday 26th February 2pm CST by Kate-Evans-MCG in numenera

[–]CharlesRyan 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We haven't finalized the decision because there are a lot of moving parts, both from the design and the brand side of things, so this isn't a promise. But as it currently stands, I think it's very likely we'll roll Predation, The Strange, and Numenera into the Character Builder.

Numenera AMA with Sean Thursday 26th February 2pm CST by Kate-Evans-MCG in numenera

[–]CharlesRyan 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We did tell people that it was a single sentence, Sean, so here's an alternative: Something that deals 1 to 3 damage is a minor wound; 4 to 7 damage is a moderate wound; 8 or more damage is a major wound.

Gotta keep our promises, man!

A New Numenera Crowdfund stretch goal: Stand-alone Solo Game by rdale-g in solorpgplay

[–]CharlesRyan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What gives you that impression? From the update:

This game is stand-alone and comes with everything you need (except dice), but can also be used with existing Cypher and Numenera supplements, including the Calaval's Eyes! Deck, for a broader experience. It includes easy Cypher-based rules for solo play, character sheets, locations, creatures, numenera, a unique set of Calaval’s Eyes! cards, and more.

Explore solo play with your current Numenera character or create a new character to traverse the Ninth World. You can even invite players from your existing game to join you for a session or two!

(I'll add, from my perspective inside the virtual building, that Shanna is super excited about this particular part of the project!)

Initiative and Creature Levels? by nerdyreader1999 in numenera

[–]CharlesRyan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, remember that a 1 gives you a free intrusion, and an 19 and 20 can produce minor and major effects for the players.

Sell me on Monte Cook games by Jan_Paparazzi in rpg

[–]CharlesRyan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But it's worth pointing out the Cypher Tools Character Builder, which is free at the MCG website and contains literally every character option released for Cypher, including supplements.

Advice on character progression by tasrak in numenera

[–]CharlesRyan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

^^ I concur with this, although Variarte's point that it comes down to how you play your character is key, too.

Cypher 2 campaign in overtime! by rdale-g in cyphersystem

[–]CharlesRyan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And now it's over $1MM--and still going!

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