Cinder & Ash 2026

"A wallet-sized roguelike of stamina, souls, and cycles."

Lore

In a desolate world of fading light, you must undergo the Rules of the Rite. As a Cursed One, you descend into the Chasm to battle hollowed sentries and scavenge souls from the ash. Every death is merely the start of a new cycle; you must burn your gathered souls at the bonfire to transcend your failing flesh and eventually face the Boss hidden within the fog.

Game Details

Number of Players: 1 (Solo Roguelike) Genre: Dark Fantasy / Micro-RPG Play Time: Quick sessions / Infinite cycles Main Mechanics: Dice-based Combat, Resource Management (HP/Stamina/Souls), and Permanent Character Progression

Core Mechanics

The Chasm Table: Use a 1d6 to determine your encounter, ranging from deadly Ambushes and Sentry battles to finding restorative Relics and Bonfires. Stamina-Based Combat: Manage your limited Stamina (ST) to perform actions: Strike to deal damage, Dodge to evade certain death, or Recover to regain energy while leaving yourself completely vulnerable to enemy hits. Soul Ascension: Defeat enemies to claim their souls. Spend 5 Souls at a Bonfire to permanently increase your Maximum HP or Maximum Stamina. Death and Cycles: At 0 HP, you "Wither." You lose all current Souls and must restart the cycle from the beginning, carrying only your permanent upgrades forward. The Final Trial: Navigate the fog to face the Boss, a formidable foe with 15 HP and 4 Damage, requiring perfect tactical execution to defeat.

Requirements

Dice: One six-sided die. The Card: A single printed "wallet-sized" game card (cut and folded as instructed). Tracking: A way to track Vitality (10 HP), Stamina (3 ST), and Souls (0 SO) along the card's margin.