Gamemasters who want to add something truly striking to their collection can sign up for the BackerKit campaign for Monte Cook Games‘ Invisible sunthe now legendary tabletop role-playing game, packaged in a 30-pound black cube.
A surreal fantasy setting, Invisible sun Set in a vibrant multiverse with eight realms with their own suns, people, rules and sinister parallel dimensions. Our world is but a pale shadow of this one, where a sea captain might transport talking fruit on a ship made entirely of books, an explorer might find a key to access an ancient library that no longer exists, and the days of the week have physical embodiments that you might encounter while commuting next to you on the train.
First released in 2018, the game quickly sold out and copies printed for the second time in 2019 disappeared within months. Despite an increase in production and shipping costs since then, the price has been kept at $252, which is still a hefty price for an RPG.
Image: Samuel Araya/Monte Cook Games
But there’s literally a lot to unpack in the Black Cube, Invisible sun‘s box set. It contains four hardcover books with a total of 600 pages of rules and setting content. There are also 1000 cards with unique spells, power objects or incantations that do not appear in the books.
Magic is the key to Invisible sun, wielded by each player character. They will explore the many realms to learn the secrets of reality, including uncovering information about the recent war that took place in Satyrine, the City of Notions. All player characters will be connected to the conflict, although few people actually remember what happened.
Invisible Sun uses the Cypher system developed by Monte Cook Numenera but with some unique mechanics, most notably a tarot-like Sooth Deck. The cards are used to predict the past, present and future and are placed on a Path of Suns game board, with the ascendant card held in a resin cast hand called the Testament of Suns. The placement of the cards is used to judge magical effects. All these components are included in the Black Cube.
You’ll also find 220 wooden markers used to track character stats, custom crystalline dice, and a sheet of tokens representing other game elements. There are character envelopes with tips and rules, reference sheets for each of the game classes, and a separate envelope with pre-generated characters.
GMs also receive a notebook, two maps – one of Satyrine and another with the Path of the Suns – and accompanying handouts and props to fully immerse players in the world. There’s also an art book to showcase the game’s surreal visuals.
The BackerKit campaign will not only reprint the Black Cube, but also the Vislae Kit, a smaller box that contains only what players need for the game, so they don’t have to use their GM’s copy. No substantive changes have been made to either product since the original printing.
Monte Cook will also reprint limited quantities Invisible sun‘s supplements. These include Secrets of silent streetsa plot-packed guide to the 17 districts of Satyrine and the people who live there, and the 192-page bestiary The teratology.
Image: Aldo Katayanagi/Monte Cook Games
The BackerKit campaign introduces a brand new resource, The source, which focuses on helping launch Invisible Sun campaigns. Monte Cook Chief Operating Officer Charles Ryan said the product is a response to new players who found the ambitious game overwhelming. It can also help anyone who is looking to return Invisible sun as COVID lockdowns made it particularly difficult to play the game that relies so heavily on impressive physical components.
The BackerKit campaign for Invisible sun starts on October 31st and runs through November 17th, with the Black Cube selling for $252 and the Vislae kit costing $43. All six supplements are available in a bundle for $232, or $481 with the Black Cube. Each pledge level gets the Wellspring as part of their rewards. Delivery is expected at the end of spring 2024. Monte Cook has no plans to bring the product to conventional retail.