Unspeakable: Sigil & Sign

 

Unspeakable: Sigil & Sign is a cosmic horror roleplaying game set in a custom version of the Mythos. Unlike other Mythos game experiences, however, you take on the role of the Old One cultist in this one. Not the hapless bystander nor the intrepid investigator, you are the Outsider (see “The Outsider”) — a scion of the Mythos, itself, both gifted and cursed with its dark power.

As an RPG product, what Unspeakable: Sigil & Sign offers isn’t just a single game book. Due in part to the system on which it runs (see “Axiom System”), and in part to the concept through which the material is conveyed, the core of this game is expressed as a set of products that includes the following elements:

Corebook: Unspeakable: Sigil & Sign divides the “in-world” material — character and setting information — from the game rule information. The former becomes a lavishly written, designed, and art-directed book that is both full of vital information and essentially system-free, making it appealing even to non-gamers. It includes detailed information on all 13 of the Old Ones and their cults, as well as entries on dark cult Rituals, the Old Ones’ servitor races, and more. The Sigil & Sign core tome is 320 pages of glorious, full-color cosmic horror goodness, with a writing team that boasts some of the best talent in Mythos, horror, and weird fantasy gaming.

Play Kit: Separate from the system-free corebook are all the components that make up the crunchier “game” part of the game, and these are gathered together in a product called the Sigil & Sign Play Kit. The contents of this kit are the core mechanics of play:

• Axiom Sigil & Sign: This boardgame-style rules booklet contains all essential rules of the game not found on cards. Organized across its 48 pages are presentations of all 26 core Axioms (rulesets) of play, including character generation, card mechanics, Traits, combat, and write-ups for how skills and powers work in the game under Axiom. 

• Axiom System Cards: The play kit comes with two decks of Axiom cards, the Human deck and the Mythos deck (108 cards total). The Human deck contains only Human cards, which are ID cards that reflect mundane archetypes like Actor, Boxer, Occultist, etc. The Mythos deck contains Axiom cards unique to Sigil & Sign and to its protagonists, the Outsiders. 

• Sigil & Sign Dice: Each print copy of the game comes with eight 14mm Axiom dice. Axiom System dice are six sided, with four numbers (1-4) and two proprietary sides, one each for Sigil and Sign. Sigil and Sign results have special effects during play.

• Sigil & Sign Tokens: Each print copy of the game comes with 48 tokens. Tokens are double-sided (Sigil on one side, Sign on the other) and are gained and spent during play.

• Sigil & Sign Playmat: Each print copy of the game also comes with one playmat, which is a cloth rendering of the play space on which a player plays the game via the hand of cards they’ve arranged and whatever tokens they may have.