What’s New in Malware & Monsters

✨ What’s New in the World of Malware & Monsters

Welcome, Incident Masters and Players! We’re constantly evolving the Malware & Monsters experience to make your cybersecurity training more engaging, effective, and fun. Here are some of the latest exciting updates from our recent development sprints!

🚀 New Adventures Await!

Comprehensive Scenario Planning System is Live!

To make facilitation even smoother, we’ve rolled out a Comprehensive Scenario Preparation Planning System. This major update, tracked in issue #62, introduces 42 new, detailed planning documents for our scenarios. These guides provide everything you need at a glance, from NPC motivations to round-by-round facilitation notes, dramatically cutting down your prep time.

🛠️ Power-Ups for Incident Masters

A New Dimension of Flexibility: The Modular Game Configuration System is Here!

Ever wanted to run a quick demo of Malware & Monsters but felt daunted by the prep time? We’ve heard you! Our new Modular Game Configuration System is now live, allowing you to tailor session length and complexity to your exact needs.

  • Quick Templates: Choose from pre-built templates like ‘Quick Demo’ (35-40 min) or ‘Lunch & Learn’ (75-90 min) to get a session running in minutes.
  • Full Customization: For those who love to tinker, you can still build a session from scratch, choosing every option from the number of rounds to the complexity of the attack.
  • Narrative First: Best of all, no matter which configuration you choose, the full narrative depth of the scenario is always preserved.

This powerful new system, implemented as part of issue #59, puts you in complete control of your training sessions.

Now it’s easier than ever to get started with M&M!

Ever hesitated to run a Malware & Monsters session because you weren’t sure how to adapt the materials? That barrier is gone! We’ve just completed a massive transformation: all 56 operational scenarios now have comprehensive, ready-to-use materials for every session format!

What’s Complete:

  • Quick Demo (35-40 min): Opening presentations, guided investigation clues at timed intervals, and pre-defined response options—perfect for your first facilitation
  • Lunch & Learn (75-90 min, 2 rounds): Time-stamped clues, round transition narratives, NPC interactions, and pressure events with clear facilitation guidance
  • Full Game (120-140 min, 3 rounds): Investigation sources catalog, response evaluation criteria, and structured support for player-driven discovery
  • Advanced Challenge (150-170 min, 3+ rounds): Subtle evidence layers, realistic red herrings, innovation requirements, and expert-level facilitation frameworks

The Impact: First-time IMs can now confidently open any scenario and see exactly what to present, when to present it, and how to facilitate it—no interpretation or extraction needed. Every scenario—from Gaboon Grabber phishing to Stuxnet nuclear facility attacks—includes 500-600+ lines of step-by-step facilitation materials with clear visual hierarchy. This complete support system, delivered through issues #81 and #82, removes the uncertainty from facilitation and lets you focus on guiding your team through the adventure.

New Training Guide: IM Quick-Start Guide Unveiled!

Calling all aspiring Incident Masters! We’ve just released an essential IM Quick-Start Guide to get you up and running faster than ever. This one-page reference, from issue #38, condenses core mechanics, facilitation principles, and session structures, making your first few sessions a breeze. No more digging through the entire handbook to find what you need – just pure, actionable guidance to ignite your journey as an IM!

✨ Under the Hood

A Fresh Coat of Paint: Visual Identity Alignment

The entire website has received a visual overhaul to align with the vibrant, engaging branding of the Malmons.world project. As part of our work on issue #57, we’ve updated card colors, gradients, and design tokens to create a more cohesive and exciting look and feel that matches the pixel art style of the Malmons.

Mobile Navigation Just Got Smoother!

Navigating Malware & Monsters on your phone or tablet is now a seamless experience! We’ve tackled the pesky mobile hamburger menu issues from issue #39, fixing transparent backgrounds and scroll interference. This means crystal-clear readability and buttery-smooth navigation, ensuring you can access critical information anytime, anywhere, without frustration.

Crystal-Clear Handbooks, Every Time

We squashed a persistent bug that was preventing our beautiful badge images from appearing in PDF versions of the handbooks. Thanks to the fix in issue #55, you can now be sure that your players’ achievements will render perfectly in all formats, whether online or in print.

Robust Builds for Contributors

For all our contributors and those who build the project locally, we’ve strengthened the build system! We addressed issues with the entr package in issue #52, ensuring the make watch functionality works reliably across different operating systems. This means a smoother, faster development workflow for everyone.

License Clarity: Protecting Our Community

We’ve updated our licensing to better protect the spirit of Malware & Monsters. By transitioning to CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (tracked in issue #53), we ensure the game remains free for all non-commercial use while clarifying the process for commercial applications. This step secures the project’s future and Lena Yu’s creative vision.

Want to contribute to these exciting changes or suggest new ones? Join our Community Discussions and help shape the future of Malware & Monsters!

Join the Community

Malware & Monsters is more than a learning framework - it’s a growing community of cybersecurity professionals committed to collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

Legacy & Contemporary Learning: Our community explores cybersecurity’s full timeline, from foundational attacks like Code Red (2001) and Stuxnet (2010) to today’s threats like LockBit and FakeBat, helping practitioners understand how security challenges and solutions have evolved.

Getting Started

For Players

  • Find Local Sessions: Connect with facilitators in your area
  • Online Communities: Join virtual sessions and discussions
  • Skill Development: Track your progression through the badge system
  • Knowledge Sharing: Contribute to the community MalDex

For Facilitators

  • Training Programs: Learn to facilitate engaging cybersecurity sessions
  • Resource Sharing: Access scenarios, Malmons, and best practices
  • Mentorship: Connect with experienced facilitators
  • Innovation: Contribute new techniques and approaches

Community Resources

Documentation

Discussion Forums

  • Scenario Sharing - Exchange new learning scenarios
  • Technique Development - Collaborate on facilitation approaches
  • Research & Development - Advance the framework through research
  • Regional Chapters - Connect with local communities

Events and Activities

  • Virtual Sessions - Online learning opportunities
  • Regional Meetups - Local community building
  • Annual Conference - Community-wide learning and networking
  • Competitive Events - Tournaments and challenges

Contributing

Content Creation

  • New Malmons - Document emerging threats for community use
  • Scenarios - Develop engaging learning experiences
  • Regional Adaptations - Customize content for local contexts
  • Translation - Make content accessible across languages

Platform Development

  • Open Source Tools - Contribute to community technology
  • Documentation - Improve guides and references
  • Testing - Help validate new content and approaches
  • Feedback - Share experiences and suggestions

Community Building

  • Local Chapters - Start communities in your region
  • Mentorship - Support new facilitators and participants
  • Outreach - Promote collaborative cybersecurity learning
  • Partnerships - Build connections with organizations and institutions

Recognition and Advancement

Player Progression

  • Badge System - Demonstrate mastery across cybersecurity domains
  • MalDex Contributions - Build reputation through knowledge sharing
  • Community Leadership - Take on mentorship and organization roles
  • Professional Development - Connect learning to career advancement

Facilitator Certification

  • Level 1: Session Assistant - Support experienced facilitators
  • Level 2: Incident Master - Independently facilitate sessions
  • Level 3: Master Trainer - Train and develop other facilitators
  • Community Recognition - Acknowledgment for outstanding contributions

Research and Innovation

Academic Partnerships

  • Effectiveness Studies - Research on collaborative learning outcomes
  • Curriculum Integration - Incorporate into formal education programs
  • Cross-Disciplinary Research - Connect with education and psychology research
  • Publication Opportunities - Share insights through academic channels

Industry Collaboration

  • Organizational Pilots - Test approaches in workplace settings
  • Professional Development - Integrate with corporate training programs
  • Conference Presentations - Share experiences at industry events
  • Standard Development - Contribute to cybersecurity education frameworks

Global Impact

International Expansion

  • Cultural Adaptation - Modify approaches for different cultural contexts
  • Language Accessibility - Develop multilingual resources
  • Capacity Building - Support cybersecurity education in developing regions
  • Cross-Border Collaboration - Build international learning networks

Sustainable Development

  • Resource Sharing - Make materials freely available to underserved communities
  • Train-the-Trainer Programs - Build local facilitation capacity
  • Open Source Commitment - Maintain community ownership of core resources
  • Inclusive Participation - Ensure accessibility across diverse backgrounds

Contact and Connect

Online Platforms

Direct Contact

  • General Inquiries - [community@malware-monsters.org]
  • Facilitator Training - [training@malware-monsters.org]
  • Research Partnerships - [research@malware-monsters.org]
  • Content Contributions - [contribute@malware-monsters.org]

Regional Chapters

  • North America - [Regional coordinator contact]
  • Europe - [Regional coordinator contact]
  • Asia-Pacific - [Regional coordinator contact]
  • Other Regions - [Starting new chapters]

Ready to join the community? Start by attending a local session, connecting with online discussions, or reaching out to learn about facilitator training opportunities.

Together, we’re building a more collaborative, effective, and inclusive cybersecurity community.