2024-06-12 Iteration 5 is in development (long version)

Work on the fifth iteration of the role-playing system “Mystika - Beyond the Shadows” has officially begun.

It is now official: work has begun on the fifth iteration of the role-playing system “Mystika - Beyond the Shadows”. The release of the new version is planned to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Mystika, which will be celebrated on 23 August 2025.

Since ist launch, Mystika has offered a flexible and in-depth ruleset that can cover anything from fantasy to science fiction. With its classless, skill-based character development system and modular rules, it allows players to customise their gaming experience. The combination of selectable level of detail in the rules, cinematic abilities, a variable magic system and different background worlds makes the system particularly versatile and adaptable.

Innovations in the fifth iteration

The upcoming iteration of the system will include a number of innovations designed to further optimise the gaming experience. One of the biggest changes is the complete removal of attributes. In the purely skill-based system, passive skills will take over the tasks of the previous attributes.

The next planned adjustments include an overhaul and further simplification of the combat system, the rebalancing of weapon damage and extensive playtesting to ensure a balanced gaming experience. The creation of the LaTeX-based PDF rulebook itself has been technically revised in order to fully utilise the possibilities of PDF at the gaming table and thus significantly increase user-friendliness at the gaming table. For example, all important words in the PDF can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding definition.

The current roadmap envisages that the next test games for the combat system overhaul will take place from December 2024. At the same time, the system reference wiki on the official website will be updated and then gradually made accessible to interested parties again.

Rules will be accessible for free

As with the previous versions, the fifth iteration of “Mystika - Beyond the Shadows” will also be available free of charge as a PDF document and as a system reference wiki. The complete rules and content will be available online so that anyone can access the game system and create their own adventures.

Community participation and test games

Interested parties have the opportunity to join the Mystika community via the website or social media. There they can take part in test games, get in touch with the developers, ask questions and suggest their own ideas for the further development of the system.

About “Mystika - Beyond the Shadows”

“Mystika - Beyond the Shadows” has been offering a flexible and modular platform for role-playing games in various genres for almost 30 years. The game is characterised by its classless character development, a free magic system, a selectable level of detail and the high degree of influence that players have on the actions of their characters. The modularity of the system allows game masters to customise the rules to their campaigns, while the simple ruleset offers great freedom of implementation.

Release and further information

The official release of the fifth iteration of “Mystika - Beyond the Shadows” is scheduled for 23 August 2025, in time for the game's 30th anniversary. However, the system reference wiki will be accessible to interested parties in advance. Further information can be found on the official website https://www.mystika-rollenspiel.de.

Editorial offices are welcome to use this press release in full or in extracts.
For press enquiries and queries, please contact Henning Lechner at presse@mystika-rollenspiel.de.

Contact
Henning Lechner
E-mail: presse@mystika-rollenspiel.de
Website: https://ww.mystika-rollenspiel.de