Chapter 1: Introduction to Cryptomancer

“Claiming that you don’t care about privacy rights because you have nothing to conceal is akin to asserting that free speech is irrelevant because you have nothing to express.”

— Edward Snowden

Cryptomancer presents a captivating intersection of fantasy and technology, reminiscent of a blend between The Lord of the Rings, Mr. Robot, and Watch_Dogs. In this game, players encounter a magical internet known as the Shardscape, a vast network made up of both private and public shardnets accessed via psychic crystals.

Through these crystals, various races, including humans, elves, and dwarves, can communicate telepathically. This mystical internet serves as a backdrop for contemporary issues such as online privacy and misinformation, providing a fantastical lens through which to view these real-world concerns. While the mechanics may seem convoluted, they fit well within the fantasy genre's playful conventions.

Section 1.1: Gameplay Mechanics

Players familiar with tabletop RPGs will spot familiar elements throughout Cryptomancer. Some have remarked that it feels akin to Shadowrun but in reverse; instead of integrating magic into a cyberpunk universe, this game introduces a digital landscape into a traditional fantasy setting.

Much like Vampire: The Masquerade, relationship dynamics are crucial to the gameplay. Similar to ARC: Doom and Mörk Borg, there’s an ever-present countdown to the game's conclusion, creating a sense of urgency as players navigate the world.

Subsection 1.1.1: The Risk Eaters

The protagonists are immediately thrust into peril as they find themselves on the run from a group known as the Risk Eaters. These antagonists, who maintain order throughout the realm, have marked the player characters as threats, whether for their knowledge or potential to disrupt the established order. The characters are left in the dark about the exact reasons for their targeting, yet they are acutely aware that their lives—and the lives of their allies—are in jeopardy.

The Risk Eaters operate like a shadowy global organization, akin to the United Nations if it were run by a secretive agency. Their authority is unquestionable, and their influence is deeply embedded within the various governments of the realm.

Chapter 2: Magic and Hacking

In keeping with the theme of a fantastical internet, much of the magic in Cryptomancer incorporates elements of hacking and technology. For instance, one spell enables the caster to summon a network of animated plants to ensnare a target, while another allows them to observe through crystals on a private shardnet, essentially transforming them into magical surveillance devices.

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Another spell grants mages the ability to "encrypt" their voices and appearances. This means not only can they obscure their identities in the physical world, but they can also scramble someone else’s voice and face, akin to identity theft on a grand scale. Imagine becoming completely unrecognizable to your loved ones and unintelligible to others.

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The game’s design thoroughly integrates cybersecurity concepts such as defense-in-depth and risk management into its narrative framework, making even mundane security scenarios significant. However, the designers have intentionally left weaknesses in their systems, allowing players to exploit them with creativity and luck.

In many respects, the Risk Eaters themselves embody the system of oppression within the game. Described as a blend of the Spanish Inquisition and the NSA, their ominous presence looms over the narrative. While not extensively detailed, their malevolent acts are hinted at through unsettling lore and story seeds, leaving it to Game Masters to develop these villains fully.

The chilling reality of the Risk Eaters serves as a parallel to real-world issues surrounding surveillance and privacy. The unknown extent of what governmental and corporate entities know about individuals can be alarming. Thus, if one believes that privacy is irrelevant simply because they have nothing to hide, they may be gravely mistaken.

A final note on the game's organization: the titles of Cryptomancer's supplements can be somewhat perplexing. The current version, 1.5, includes the first two volumes of Code & Dagger, yet there is a separate Code & Dagger vol. 1 that differs entirely. Although the bundled books were originally intended for version 1.0 and are somewhat outdated, much of their content remains applicable.

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