Monte Cook Games' Darkest House Is Designed For Online Play

Monte Cook Games' newest Kickstarter has just launched. It's a plug-in horror location/interlude designed to work with any game system, and built for online play.

The house itself can fit in any game by simply placing a door -- they give examples of the apartment at the end of the hall or a strange unit in the station quarters sector. In that sense, the house exists in all worlds.

As a digital product, everything is shareable and formatted for the screen, with plenty of handouts, images. It has been deigned with VTTs in mind, as well as Zoom or Discord.

The house itself has several dozen rooms. You get two an app, and two PDFs -- the GM's Secrets of the House, and a Player's Guide. The GM downloads The Darkest House (mac or windows ZIP files) -- you can actually download a little demo, which is the intro page.

It's $45, or $85 with exclusive additional content.

The Darkest House

A descent into horror for 5e or any RPG that will make your campaign and characters better—optimized for an awesome online experience.

www.kickstarter.com

 

[Aldarc]

HERO 5th released genre sourcebooks that were a lot like what Cypher is doing - advice on genre, new rules (kept to a minimum) to run that setting, and sometimes a setting to show you how it works. I actually found that to be the best approach to releasing material for me (I know it isn't for everyone). Mostly because I never was required to purchase a supplemental rulebook or an upgraded core book, or have my current books become obsolete with updated rules - so I really appreciate Cypher approaching things this way.

However, and more to your point that I quoted, I've only been playing for a year or so. I still haven't plumbed the depths of what is possible with the system. And I agree there are flaws that could be addressed, from my experience, they haven't broken the game - but then I started with the revised rulebook, so I don't know if that made any changes.

I understand what they are doing and why. It attests to the flexibility of the Cypher System as a toolkit. But I would love to see MCG push the game to a new, bold direction: e.g., as an OSR style game or a more narrative story game. Though I admit, that I have still been wanting, hoping, praying that MCG would let Bruce Cordell write a full on psionics/psychic campaign setting with the Cypher System.

I wouldn't mind a companion book that fixes some of the flaws, as long as those fixes do not invalidate previous supplemental books; but in some ways given how few specific rules are in the genre books, that doesn't seem a problem.

One of the main issues that comes up and up again is the XP loop, particularly the divide between XP as advancement and XP as temporary bonuses.

 

[Paragon Lost]

I understand what they are doing and why. It attests to the flexibility of the Cypher System as a toolkit. But I would love to see MCG push the game to a new, bold direction: e.g., as an OSR style game or a more narrative story game. Though I admit, that I have still been wanting, hoping, praying that MCG would let Bruce Cordell write a full on psionics/psychic campaign setting with the Cypher System.


One of the main issues that comes up and up again is the XP loop, particularly the divide between XP as advancement and XP as temporary bonuses.

I'd definitely be all in for a campaign setting like that! Bruce does good work. As an aside and semi off topic I received my ginormous Ptolus Map, 5e DnD dice, Cypher Dice from that Kickstarter today. Unfortunately they went with a long triangular box and it arrived bent in half and the DnD were floating around inside the box loose. :/ The box had been re-shipping taped up but and the map had some marks from the bend from the damaged box, oh well.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I understand what they are doing and why. It attests to the flexibility of the Cypher System as a toolkit. But I would love to see MCG push the game to a new, bold direction: e.g., as an OSR style game or a more narrative story game. Though I admit, that I have still been wanting, hoping, praying that MCG would let Bruce Cordell write a full on psionics/psychic campaign setting with the Cypher System.


One of the main issues that comes up and up again is the XP loop, particularly the divide between XP as advancement and XP as temporary bonuses.

Interesting - for me, I detest OSR (I spent my time in those games years ago when they were originally out, and I was very happy to find something different), and I am always uncomfortable with a strongly narrative system* (like the Sentnel Comic RPG- though I do want to try that out). So for me, where the mechanics and style of game that Cypher is... well it was exactly what I was looking for. I completely understand why it wouldn't be others. And a book of alternate rules of a more narrative based approach as a "This is another way you can play the game" would be welcome.

Agreed on Bruce writing a Psionic setting, and about the XP - that was the major thing I was thinking of when I mentioned it had flaws.

Back to thread topic, I still won't get this because I don't do any electronic playing, but as stretch goals come up and get added, the whole does look better and better; as stretch goals are supposed to do.

*Dresden Files was a game I really wanted to play, but I just never felt comfortable with the Fate System it is based on. Genesys was interesting in that the characters were built a little more traditionally, but the dice really forced narrative decisions. I guess it's just an approach to gaming that I just am not comfortable with.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Interesting - for me, I detest OSR (I spent my time in those games years ago when they were originally out, and I was very happy to find something different), and I am always uncomfortable with a strongly narrative system* (like the Sentnel Comic RPG- though I do want to try that out). So for me, where the mechanics and style of game that Cypher is... well it was exactly what I was looking for. I completely understand why it wouldn't be others. And a book of alternate rules of a more narrative based approach as a "This is another way you can play the game" would be welcome.

Agreed on Bruce writing a Psionic setting, and about the XP - that was the major thing I was thinking of when I mentioned it had flaws.

Back to thread topic, I still won't get this because I don't do any electronic playing, but as stretch goals come up and get added, the whole does look better and better; as stretch goals are supposed to do.

*Dresden Files was a game I really wanted to play, but I just never felt comfortable with the Fate System it is based on. Genesys was interesting in that the characters were built a little more traditionally, but the dice really forced narrative decisions. I guess it's just an approach to gaming that I just am not comfortable with.

I'd rather they didn't go the OSR route. It's fine but these days it's overall something I don't want to run or play. Oh and I wanted to love the Dresden Files game, but I just can't stand the Fate System. :/ Agree with you on Genesys mechanics, I just never grew comfortable. I felt like I was constantly translating the mechanics to play it. Kinda like when you learn a secondary language, you're always translating in your head and it slows you down. That's how I felt about the Genesys dice. :/

 

[MNblockhead]

My only experience with the Cypher system is No Think You, Evil! Which, is not really the Cypher System experience, I know. Still, I was impressed with the quality of that game and my sons and I enjoyed it until they outgrew it.

I have played a variety of OSR games (Swords & Wizardry, Dungeon Crawl Classics, various re-skins of Black Hat) and I enjoy them. But I don't see why MCG's would want to make yet another OSR. They have something with its own unique flavor, with a strong fan base. Why ditch it for another OSR clone?

 

[Aldarc]

My only experience with the Cypher system is No Think You, Evil! Which, is not really the Cypher System experience, I know. Still, I was impressed with the quality of that game and my sons and I enjoyed it until they outgrew it.

I have played a variety of OSR games (Swords & Sorcery, Dungeon Craw Classics, various re-skins of Black Hat) and I enjoy them. But I don't see why MCG's would want to make yet another OSR. They have something with its own unique flavor, with a strong fan base. Why ditch it for another OSR clone?

Interesting - for me, I detest OSR (I spent my time in those games years ago when they were originally out, and I was very happy to find something different), and I am always uncomfortable with a strongly narrative system* (like the Sentnel Comic RPG- though I do want to try that out). So for me, where the mechanics and style of game that Cypher is... well it was exactly what I was looking for. I completely understand why it wouldn't be others. And a book of alternate rules of a more narrative based approach as a "This is another way you can play the game" would be welcome.

You misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting that they ditch it for an OSR clone. One of the strengths of the Cypher System is that it's a resource game at heart, where the players are leveraging their attribute pools (which double as health) for fueling abilities and increasing odds of success while also finding powerful single-use magic items (i.e., cyphers). These are useful because players typically have a far more limited range of abilities by comparison than in D&D, so creative use of cyphers are often key to success. There is already a lot of OSR type sensibilities there in the structures. There are even several articles where Cypher fans talk about some of the similarities of play with OSR games. So in this case, I would like to potentially see MCG lean more heavily into that for at least one game to show what else the Cypher System can do other than 50 Shades of Subgenres.

Agreed on Bruce writing a Psionic setting, and about the XP - that was the major thing I was thinking of when I mentioned it had flaws.

If I were to answer "What is the most asked question you have seen in the Cypher Community?" it would be "My players hoard all their XP for character advancement. How do I get them to spend it on short-term benefits and re-rolls and slow down advancement?" Solutions abound, but the problem remains. XP does a little too much and is too important for advancement, and I think it's fairly telling that Invisible Sun moves away from this too. I expect if the Cypher System does a proper new edition, it would likewise move away from the present XP feedback loop, but I have not heard MCG talk much about their future plans with the game.

*Dresden Files was a game I really wanted to play, but I just never felt comfortable with the Fate System it is based on. Genesys was interesting in that the characters were built a little more traditionally, but the dice really forced narrative decisions. I guess it's just an approach to gaming that I just am not comfortable with.

We have discussed our experiences with Fate before in the past. That's perfectly understandable.

 

[eyeheartawk]

If I were to answer "What is the most asked question you have seen in the Cypher Community?" it would be "My players hoard all their XP for character advancement. How do I get them to spend it on short-term benefits and re-rolls and slow down advancement?" Solutions abound, but the problem remains. XP does a little too much and is too important for advancement, and I think it's fairly telling that Invisible Sun moves away from this too. I expect if the Cypher System does a proper new edition, it would likewise move away from the present XP feedback loop, but I have not heard MCG talk much about their future plans with the game.

This is always a bad idea. This was a thing that existed in a few games in the 80s and 90s. 7th Sea 1st edition comes to mind most immediately. In every case I've ever experienced players will do everything in their power to not spend it. I would be very surprised if it gets kept around. I'm actually surprised it made it into the game in the first place.

 

[Paragon Lost]

This is always a bad idea. This was a thing that existed in a few games in the 80s and 90s. 7th Sea 1st edition comes to mind most immediately. In every case I've ever experienced players will do everything in their power to not spend it. I would be very surprised if it gets kept around. I'm actually surprised it made it into the game in the first place.

Agreed, it's one of the main issues for me with the Cypher system. I'd rather divorce the experience points used as a game mechanics spending resource and just keep it as a leveling/experience resource. I need to go back through and read through my Invisible Sun stuff, I'd obviously hadn't read through it enough to realize that they'd separated the two. To be honest though, I snagged Invisible Sun for my wife, she was really enthralled with it when it came out. I ended up just browsing through it, I think I collect to many games...

 

[CharlesRyan]

Curious about The Darkest House? Monte is on Cypher Unlimited talking about the House that Hungers (and probably lots of other stuff) at 10 EDT tonight (7PDT). They take questions, so if you have them, this is a great chance to get answers straight from the creator!