DYLAN BAILEY

Dylan Bailey 3/1/26 Dylan Bailey 3/1/26

Cinderedge - Solo Survival TTRPG

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. 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.

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.

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 ($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.

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Dylan Bailey 8/31/25 Dylan Bailey 8/31/25

Elden Ring: the Board Game Rot & Sorcery Gamefound Launch

Rot and Sorcery, the two new standalone core boxes that expand the tabletop Land Between are live now on Gamefound. Steamforged Games are once again returning to the world of Elden Ring with Machinations of the Witch and Dominion of Rot. These new games can be enjoyed as self-contained experiences or integrated with the ones from the original version released in March 2025.

On February 25, 2022 the world was introduced to the Soulslike lovechild of FromSoftware Director Hidetaka Miyazaki and writer George R.R. Martin. Elden Ring would become one of the most polarizing videogames of the past generation and would even go on to win Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards. Critics and players were swept away by the massive world and naturally integrated storytelling. Yet, once the Elden Beast was slain and the credits rolled, fans were left with a yearning sensation and wanted to explore the masterfully crafted world even more. Then enters Steamforged Games.

Learn more about Steam Forged Games and their products by checking out their website.

Founded in 2014, Steamforged Games saw a humble beginning in the corner of a Manchester, UK hobby store. Today, they are one of the most recognizable and respected teams in the board game space. Their most notable work being tabletop adaptations of triple - AAA video games such as Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Gears of War, and most recently Elden Ring.

Elden Ring the Board Game found its way to stores on March 31, 2025. Its original campaign launched in 2022 raising over £3.3 million (~4.4 million USD) with more the 130,000 backers. Now Steamforged looks to build on that success with a new, accessible entry point that expands the tabletop Lands Between.

Just as they have done previously, Steamforged will return to crowdfunding as they introduce two all-new core boxes —Machinations of the Witch and Dominion of Rot— set in eerie fog of Liurnia and the corruption of Caelid. While these boxes are compatible with the contents of the first campaign (Realm of the Grafted King, Weeping Peninsula, and Stormveil Castle), they also act as standalone entries with previous contents not needed to fully play and enjoy the self-contained experience.

In the Lakes of Liurnia, sorceries lay dormant, secrets dwell deep, and the Machinations of the Witch ensnare even the most cunning. In the Dominion of Rot, players must survive theaffliction gripping Caelid, traversing ravaged lands to face grotesque enemies, including thefan-favourite Starscourge.

“With the first core boxes, we built an engine we’re extremely proud of, that pushedthe boundaries of tabletop combat to recreate the challenging fights of the videogame,” said Mat Hart, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Steamforged Games.“Now, we’re expanding that foundation with new regions, new stories, and newgameplay, while making sure newcomers and returning players feel equally welcome.Fans can start their journey right here, with Rot & Sorcery, or returnto the beginning.”

As someone who has never played Elden Ring and finds little enjoyment in Soulslikes, I was fearful of even approaching this board game. But at Gen Con 2025, I was given the opportunity to demo portions of both Machinations of the Witch and Dominion of Rot, guided by the advice and wisdom of Steamforged game designers. Even with a minuscule amount of knowledge of the Elden Ring world, I still had a fantastic time. Gameplay felt similar to participating in a DnD campaign, but without a GM as the game smoothly runs itself. Combat had a degree of difficulty and strategy that matched the Soulslike genre. And that rush of excitement you get after defeating a powerful boss or pulling off some cool combo, is still there. But my favorite part was the level of strategy when deciding the best way to move in combat tiles and the most beneficial way to spend actions each turn. Below you can check out the demos I participated in for yourself.

Each core box offers a self-contained experience—fully playable without previous content—and includes richly detailed miniatures representing iconic enemies, immersive combat, and flavorful narrative. For returning Tarnished, the new boxes also integrate with those from the first Kickstarter for a grander, interconnected experience. The Gamefound campaign also features expansions and unlockable content that will be revealed while the funding period is live. Some content will be exclusive, making this a key moment for collectors and players alike. The Gamefound campaign is live now for both newcomers and veteran Tarnished. Discover the boxes, explore the expansions, and join the campaign.

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