Modern Mythology | Story & Setting in RPGs and beyond3 Huhti

Ep.25: Cypher Systems

In Episode 25 of Modern Mythology, we take on the Cypher System, a well-known universal tabletop RPG system with a strong reputation for flexible, narrative-driven play. Because Cypher isn’t tied to a single core setting, it gives us a good way to look at how a system’s mechanics shape story across genre—and in this case, through a fantasy lens.

We’re joined by SJ McKeen—author, fellow pro GM, professional voice actor, and streamer—who brings both GMing experience and firsthand familiarity with Cypher to the discussion. Together, we look at what the system does well, how it supports narrative play, and what it offers groups who want a framework that can adapt to different kinds of stories rather than one fixed world.

As usual with most of our actual-play episodes, we wrap up with a discussion of what the session surfaced for us about system, story, and play more broadly.

Topics discussed:

00:00:35 Introducing the Cypher System

00:01:20 Special Guest SJ

00:03:35 Broad strokes of setting?

00:06:35 Meet our characters

00:11:20 Monster Hunting

00:12:40 Mountainside Temple

00:44:00 The Gateway

00:53:00 Miasmic Hallway

01:05:45 The Prison

01:10:45 The Inner Sanctum

01:27:30 Charge!

01:54:00 LTB!

01:58:45 Denouncement

02:02:00 Break it down

02:04:10 Combat Downward Spiral

02:12:00 Madness in RPGs

02:21:40 Arcs and XP

02:33:00 Learning Curves

02:37:20 Read Character

02:41:20 Functional Character Sheets

02:48:00 What's SJ Up To?

For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel.

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