Monte Cook Games will launch Cypher Play, a new organized play program aimed at brick-and-mortar retail stores for players of Numenera, The Strange and the Cypher System roleplaying games.

Season 1 of Cypher Play will begin in September and focus on Numenera. The first season will act as a template for future seasons by offering bi-weekly play over a 17-week period.  Additional seasons are planned for January and May 2017, with plans for three seasons per year in the future.

Limited to brick-and-mortar stores, the program will focus on building communities around those stores and driving sales in those locations. The program, designed in-house by the MCG design team, will offer rewards for players, including adventure material to take home and run for other games. It is designed to be easy for retailers to run and report on events. There will be numerous incentives for players to purchase MCG products at the retailers during the events. Interested retailer can contact MCG via their website.

“We’ve worked closely with a number of retailers and distributors to design a program that takes a fresh approach to RPG organized play,” said Charles Ryan, Monte Cook Games COO. “MCG has a stellar record of supporting our players online and at key cons and events, and we’re incredibly proud of the creative and active community that has grown up around our games. Now we want to apply that same energy and support to the local communities at game stores around the country, in a way that works well for retailers and rewards them with strong sales.”

The publisher is currently running a Season 0 beta test of Cypher Play, with roughly 20 key retailers participating. The beta test is designed to give MCG additional retailer feedback for improving the program before full launch.