New adventures from The Magnus Archives creator Jonathan Sims—plus new lore and new options for GMs and players. With a complete corebook FREE with every pledge, it's a great jumping-on point if you're new to the game!
This is a great opportunity to jump into The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game!
Every pledge level includes the complete corebook in PDF for free!
Prefer a physical book? You can upgrade that to the print version with an add-on at a discounted price especially for backers of this campaign (and you still get the PDF for free!).
Every pledge level also includes Enter the Archives—a special guide for launching a campaign with players who don't know much about the setting. More on that below!
Learn more about The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game—download the free Player's Guide, complete with pregenerated characters!
Deep in the bowels of a rather stodgy old building lie the most comprehensive records of paranormal activity on Earth. Within, one can find recorded accounts of actual monsters and magic, cursed objects and haunted locations—and, worst of all, evidence of terrifying entities meddling in the affairs of humans at this very moment.
Imagine taking the statement of Raymond Finch, who suddenly discovered his office cubicle was part of an endless maze, and on his expedition to find the breakroom, something started hunting him amid the copiers and watercoolers.
Or perhaps that of Georgia Quinn, who began to notice more and more cobwebs everywhere she went—only to eventually realize the webs were coming from her own flesh.
Or yet another from Seong-Min Park, who believed his landlord was breaking into his apartment during the day and hiding occult symbols on all his belongings. And he was right.
And once you’ve read the statement, you have to make a plan to verify and learn more about it. You have to investigate each event in person. You must go there and get involved in the terrifying situations yourself. You need to uncover not just the who, the what, and the where, but most importantly the why.
The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game takes horror on a unique and chilling arc. Adventures at first seem to be unconnected—“monster of the week”-style encounters with the supernatural. But links between these disparate horrors soon emerge, and the players begin to see a bigger—and more chilling—picture. The real twist comes as the PCs realize that they aren’t just combating this web of horror—they’re being affected by it. It’s changing them, and they’ll ultimately have to decide how much of their humanity they’re willing to sacrifice to save our world from malign forces working to reshape it. Individual adventures are exciting, creepy, and full of the unexpected, but the way they come together through a campaign—long or short—builds an amazing and memorable experience.
The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game is powered by a modified version of the Cypher System, combining that game engine’s narrative focus and GM-friendly design with mechanics optimized for an engrossing horror experience. (Monte Cook, lead designer of The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game, also created acclaimed horror masterpieces such as The Darkest House.)
The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game was released in late 2024. This campaign funds three new supplements for growing and enriching your characters and your campaign—GM resources; creatures and artifacts; hooks and adventures (many written by The Magnus Archives creator, and voice of The Archivist, Jonathan Sims); powers and abilities for characters; and so much more. Plus some very cool props, handouts, artifacts, and other elements that make your game ever more immersive—many of them exclusives. We have more details about all of those just below!
If you'd like a deeper look at The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game, download the free Player's Guide.
Tangled in the Web brings you three all-new RPG books, plus a bunch of additional aids and accessories, to expand and enhance your Magnus Archives RPG sessions.
If you love The Magnus Archives podcast, you can probably already imagine an amazing game campaign. But what if your players have no idea what it's all about? Believe it or not, that might be the best way to play it! They'll start the campaign knowing almost nothing about what awaits them—just like their characters. This short booklet is a perfect guide for easing your wide-eyed, innocent players into the game, giving them just the info they need to start their career with the Magnus Institute (or similar organization) and face their first investigations into the supernatural. You know where it will go from there!
Ten new investigations—ready-made adventures for your investigators to embark on— for your game. Ten new statements and ten new terrifying challenges. Learn the secrets of what sits between the stars as you explore the observatory infected by an astronomer’s obsession with the dark void. Investigate a bookshop where the books write themselves and the text with reveals hideous truths you didn’t want to know. Confront a wicked professor twisting his students into killers, and struggle to stop a cult so devoted to darkness that they cannot be seen except when revealed by a very special “light”—which is actually darkness itself. (Oh, and did we mention that some of these adventures and their statements are written by creator of the Magnus Archives himself, Jonathan Sims?)
A book specifically for the GM, Face Your Fears offers new monsters, artefacts, and more. Learn of the Burned Ones, who hate you for your uncharred flesh, or the Insidious Clock that marks out precisely how much time you have left, unless you go mad from its inexorable progression. And as a bonus: a detailed layout of both the Magnus Institute itself and Salesa’s Storage where the dealer of cursed objects keeps all his horrible goods and the protocols for keeping them safe (or rather, keeping him safe from them)—both written by Jonathan Sims. They’re coming right out of the world of the podcast, for you to use them as you see fit in your own campaign.
For players, this book offers new descriptors and foci, cyphers, and character creation options. Maybe you want your character to be a Resilient Protector who Faces their Fears or a Charming Elocutionist Who Lightens the Mood. Some of the material in this book is aimed at somewhat more advanced players who want characters who wield more of the supernatural themselves. So if you want to be a Disturbed Investigator who Collects All the Wrong Books, or a Quirky Occultist who Gazes Beyond the Mirror, this book is for you. Perhaps best of all, Do Not Open offers a sort of lifepath system for creating a mysterious, disturbing past or backstory for your character—just like some of the characters on the podcast.
Great props really bring your game to life. Imagine handing the players an actual Breekon & Hope document when they investigate that strange shipment mentioned in a recent statement. Or a business card found in the files of another case. The game's original Prop Set 1, comprised of in-universe ephemera (including newspaper clippings, forms, business cards, handbills, posters, letterheads, and book excerpts), is filled with mysteries, clues, and potential plot hooks for your investigations. It's releasing soon, and is available through an add-on bundle of existing products. This sequel set provides even more immersive props for your game.
Collect thoughts for your campaign, or notes from your investigations—or just throw it in your backpack for a stylish and handy place to jot things down. This is just a notebook. But it's an official Magnus Institute notebook, straight out of the Magnus Institute supply closet and just like those used by Martin, Jonathan, the other members of the archives staff—and the PCs in your game.
Give your props a bit of extra character with this set of four self-inking rubber stamps. Create your own government records, certificates, commercial forms, and more—it's a perfect accessory for The Magnus Archives Prop Sets. It's also great for decorating your books, character sheets, or other game-related items. These stamps add an extra touch of immersive authenticity wherever they leave their mark!
Add an element of the arcane to your bookshelf, or hand your players convincing, immersive props. The five dust jackets in this set are sized to fit common book sizes—slip them on books you own (or pick up a couple of dusty old tomes from a used bookstore, for added verisimilitude) to convert them to props of dangerous tomes from the infamous Leitner collection.
An actual Leitner! This is a full-fledged, physical copy of the book featured in The Magnus Archives podcast episode of the same name—and perhaps in your own chilling adventures, if you dare read it! You'll know it's the real deal when you see the Leitner bookplate inside the front cover, the ink blurred by dampness. We made A Guest for Mr. Spider as part of the original crowdfunding campaign for the RPG, and it became an instant highly sought-after collector's item. Don't miss your chance to get this second Leitner for your collection!
Products manufactured in China and Canada are now subject to U.S. tariffs—and that includes items you're funding through this campaign. A tariff is a tax paid by the importing company and the U.S. consumer (not, as the president has sometimes falsely asserted, by the country the goods come from). That means you and us.
Our books are printed in Canada. As of the launch of this campaign, products manufactured in Canada will be subject to a 25% tariff (effective March 3rd.) A few of the items funded by this campaign will be manufactured in China, and face a 10% tariff rate (already in place).
A tariff only applies to the manufactured cost of an item—just what we pay the factory. It doesn't include what we pay our artists and other contractors, or our payroll, or the many other costs that go into making these books for you—in fact, the manufactured cost is well under half the total cost. So a 25% tariff might, fortunately, increase the total cost of making a book by just 10% or so.
While 10% is better than 25%, we can't absorb this large and sudden increase in costs and still keep our lights on and our hardworking, creative staff paid—we have no choice but to pass some of these costs on to you. We have priced these new tariffs into our pledge levels (you're paying a few dollars more that you would without tariffs). This ensures we'll be able to deliver your rewards even with this increased burden.
It's unclear whether these tariffs are a negotiating tactic or a long-term economic policy (or, if the latter, whether their negative economic impact will force their repeal). If the tariffs are rescinded before we manufacture your rewards, we'll pass the savings back to you in the form of a $10 credit on the MCG Shop (our online store) to everyone who backs at a non-digital-only pledge level.
Your digital rewards (PDFs) will be delivered using BackerKit’s Digital Distribution feature. When a digital reward is ready for you, you will receive a message via BackerKit with a link to download your digital reward. We will also deliver digital rewards through our online store and on DriveThruRPG, since many backers prefer to maintain their libraries of PDFs on one of those platforms. (You can use any or all of these platforms to download your PDFs; the files will be identical.)
Your physical rewards and add-ons will be delivered through our online store, the MCG Shop. When a physical reward is ready for you, you will receive a message sent through BackerKit with a link that will take you to the MCG Shop to pay for shipping and redeem your reward for free.
We offer a variety of domestic and international shipping methods from which you can choose. As of this writing, basic domestic shipping is $9 per shipment, but we do not control future postal rates, so that cost is subject to change. International shipping is calculated by destination and shipment weight.
We operate our own warehouse in the U.S. and work with trusted global fulfillment partners in Europe and Australia. We do everything in our power to get your rewards into your hands as quickly, reliably, and affordably as possible.
United States: Your rewards will be fulfilled by our shipping center in the United States.
Canada: Your rewards will be fulfilled by our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable). Please note that our books are printed in Canada, and thus they are not subject to import duties; however, they are subject to GST. Items not manufactured in Canada, such as dice and decks of cards, are subject to import duties and GST.
South America, the South Pacific, and Asia: Your rewards will ship from our shipping center in the United States. You will be responsible for import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees (if applicable).
The EU and UK: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in England and will ship DDP (Deliver Duty Paid). UK and EU backers will not pay import duties, but will pay VAT where applicable.
Australia and New Zealand: Your rewards will be filled by our shipping center in Australia. Backers in Australia and New Zealand will not pay import duties and taxes.
![Mark shut his front door and flopped down on the couch. The sleeve of his favorite shirt hung shredded by that thing’s claws. His jeans were smeared with the horrible-smelling goo that had been all over the abandoned factory. His hands shook as he took his work badge off and threw it to the floor. He needed a drink. He needed sleep. He needed to talk to his boss about some vacation time—and get a few days away from the Magnus Institute. But he knew that wasn't in the cards. Because something about that thing—about that factory—was hitting a familiar note. He couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow, in one of the many statements they'd investigated before, there was a connection. It always starts with a statement. An everyday person off the street, reporting an experience with the weird and frightening to the enigmatic Magnus Institute. Then come the phone calls and internet searches, verifying the details. The investigation, the effort to uncover not just the who, the what, and the where, but the why—even if, as it so often does, those questions lead to dark and terrifying places. Like that factory. But that’s the job. If only they’d mentioned that maybe these strange stories, these disparate and terrifying events, weren't isolated incidents. That maybe there was a bigger picture… --- More horror. More options. More creatures and resources for the GM. More adventures, including all-new terrors by Jonathan Sims, creator of The Magnus Archives. You thought we’d plumbed the depths of the Magnus Archives, revealing the horrible truths and terrifying accounts of the supernatural therein, conjuring up all there was to know that you probably didn’t want to know in the first place. The truth is, we were just getting started. STRETCH GOALS! [locked] 1600 Backers: Face More Fears. We'll expand Face Your Fears with with more artefacts, monsters, NPCs, cults, items, organizations, and other resources and inspiration for building terrifying adventures. Plus every backer gets a FREE vinyl sticker. See update 2 for details.](https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/9svsmd93635j1cx11yxrz1pldxrd?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&auto=compress%2C%20format&cs=srgb&q=80&fit=max&w=1360&lossless=true)
