Cinderedge - Solo Survival TTRPG
QuasiReal Publishing, founded by Grant Mielke, combines over 60 years of expertise in game design, development, and marketing. The company is dedicated to creating innovative tabletop experiences that push the boundaries of traditional gaming narratives. In the past they have done so through projects such as MythCraft RPG, Veil of the Eternal Night, and Bria’s Mythical Menagerie. Now they push that boundary to the limit with their newest project, Cinderedge.
Die alone in a burning forest. Firewatch meets Disco Elysium in this haunting solo journaling tabletop RPG where you play a forgotten Ward Keeper maintaining a magical barrier against apocalyptic flames. Using just cards, dice, and a journal, document your final days through 150+ evolving prompts over the course of 3 distinct chapters. Balance your Ward’s supplies, sanity, and stability. Sacrifice memories to survive and create something beautiful from inevitable loss. Inspired by many of our favorite games, Cinderedge transforms tabletop gaming into an intimate meditation on duty, isolation, and what we sacrifice to protect others.
While the PDF version of Cinderedge may already be purchased for $14.99 on DriveThruRPG, QuasiReal Publishing has recently started a Kickstarter campaign (that is already fully backed at time of writing) that will introduce other variations of the RPG along with premium Cinderedge themed physical components for use while playing. This campaign will allow players to purchase this game in PDF, Zine, Hardcover, or even a limited Collector’s Edition. The Hardcover Collector’s Edition may be purchased on its own for $59. But there are also two main pledge bundles that offer even more. All Kickstarter contents are estimated to be delivered June of 2026.
Hardcover Collector’s Edition
Ward Keeper’s Stash
The Ward Keeper’s Stash ($69): Includes the Cinderedge Zine, Ward Keeper's Log Journal, the Collector's Playing Card Deck, and the Official Dice Set. All in a high-quality, magnetic close, rigid box. Also includes free PDF and OST Digital Downloads.
Unmarked Grave
Unmarked Grave ($129): includes the Hardcover Collector's Edition book, Ward Keeper's Log Journal, the Collector's Playing Card Deck, and the Official Dice Set. All in a handcrafted acacia wood box with burnt lettering and soft felt liner. Also includes free PDF and OST Digital Downloads. This will be a Limited-Edition Kickstarter Exclusive.
As a gift, QuasiReal Publishing passed along a PDF copy of the rulebook to allow for a review to go along with this article. Spoiler Alert! There is no happy ending, there is only the record you leave behind. An overwhelming ominous sensation is felt while playing knowing that at the end of it, there was nothing you can do. Ultimately, death comes for us all. I have run through 2 playthroughs so far and can gladly say that both were unique and saw different prompts.
For those who have never played a solo journaling TTRPG, the biggest gameplay mechanic is your own imagination. Typically you are given a setting for the story to take place; Cinderedge happens to take place during the mid-17th century in a magical high-fantasy world called Ancerra. Then you draw from a deck of everyday playing cards, with each card representing a different prompt to roleplay. By journaling how your character plays out these prompts, a story is formed.
Cinderedge takes that key mechanic of using the imagination and slowly twists it, homing to works by Lovecraft and Robert Howard. As the game and story progress your character, who you know is on a collision path with death, slowly goes insane as you are asked to sacrifice memories in order to survive. Imagine you are carrying a sentimental photo of a loved one in your wallet. Now imagine if the face in that photo began to blur, have its mouth sowed shut, or even grew horns. These are the types of mental obstacles your Ward will face; and you as the player are sickly asked to be the one that drives your character down that dark path. Words alone cannot describe this experience. There are genuine emotional stakes as players literally forget pieces of their character's identity to survive another day.