Cartographer's Echo

Map a world that is forgetting itself.

The Cartographer's Echo is a solo map-drawing and journaling RPG about memory, loss, and the stories we leave behind. Using a deck of cryptic memory fragments, you will explore, interpret, and create a unique map of a realm that shifts with every choice you make.

What is The Cartographer's Echo?

You are the last Cartographer. Before you lies a forgotten, ethereal realm, a world that is not fixed in space but shifts and reforms based on the fragmented memories and powerful emotions of its few remaining inhabitants. It is a world on the verge of fading into oblivion.

Your task is not merely to draw what you see, but to interpret the echoes of the past to give this world form and permanence. Armed with your journal, a pen, and a set of cryptic clues, you will map this ever-changing landscape—not just geographically, but emotionally and historically—in a desperate attempt to stabilize it, or perhaps, to understand why it must fade.

A Unique Solo Experience

The Cartographer's Echo is a contemplative game that puts creativity and interpretation at the center of its design.

• Discover Memory Fragments: Instead of dice rolls for exploration, you will draw from tables of evocative, cryptic prompts. A "rusted key forgotten by a weeping willow" or "the sound of a distant, cracked bell" become the seeds from which your unique world grows.
• Draw Your World: The core of the game is the "Living Map" you create. Every location, path, and symbol you draw has meaning and influences future events. Connect locations with "conduits of memory," trace "rivers of forgotten joy," and watch as your personal cartography breathes life into the world.
• Manage Your Focus: Your journey is a psychic strain. Balance your internal Resonance (clarity, focus) with the creeping Dissonance (confusion, despair) of the fading realm. High Dissonance can have permanent, scarring effects on your Cartographer, while high Resonance allows you to perform incredible acts of cartographic will.
• An Emergent Narrative: There is no pre-written story. Your tale emerges naturally from the combination of random fragments and your personal interpretation. Will you become a savior, a historian, or another lost echo? The story is yours to discover and create.

An Artifact of Play

When your journey is over, you will be left with more than just a memory. You will have a complete journal filled with your story and a beautiful, hand-drawn map—a unique artifact that is a direct result of your personal playthrough. No two maps will ever be the same.

The beautifully formatted, PDF contains everything you need for countless hours of contemplative gameplay:

• The Complete Core Rulebook: All the rules for creating your Cartographer, exploring the world, and achieving one of the three Great Works.
• Advanced Character Growth: Unlock new skills and abilities with the Epiphanies system as you reach major milestones in your journey.
• Optional Modules for Deeper Play:
  • Realm Personas: Start your game with a unique thematic seed, like the "Drowned Realm" or "Crystalline Labyrinth," each with a minor rule change to make every campaign feel different.
  • The Echo Eaters: Introduce a direct, map-destroying antagonist for a more tense, survival-focused experience.
  • Scenarios & Burdens: Take on curated challenges with unique victory conditions, like "The Last Lighthouse," or add self-imposed "Burdens" for a true test of skill.
• Legacy & Campaign Play: Use "The Ages of the Realm" rules to link your games together, where the outcome of one playthrough directly influences the start of the next.
• Expanded Appendices: Over 70 unique memory fragments across multiple tables, dozens of introspection prompts, a full glossary, and more to ensure endless replayability.

Details at a Glance

• Players: 1
• Time: 1-3 hours per session, with rules for continuous campaign and legacy play.
• Materials Needed: A journal (or paper), a pen/pencil, about 20 tokens in two different colors, and a set of dice (d6, d10, d20).
• Genre: Solo RPG, Journaling, Map-Making, World-Building, Contemplative.

• You love world-building, creative writing, and introspective prompts.
• You are a fan of journaling games like Thousand Year Old Vampire or map-making games like The Quiet Year.
• You are looking for a quiet, meaningful, and deeply personal solo experience.
• You want a game that produces a beautiful, unique artifact of your playthrough.

Thank you for visiting the realm. May your pen be steady and your memories clear.

- Black Iron Press