Somewhere in the world of Mnemonic, the city of Tower once stood as a monument to the achievements and ingenuity of the peoples of the world. A massive structure, a thousand feet tall, built to withstand the mightiest of dragon attacks, and house a hundred thousand people within during the toughest onslaughts of the Age of War.

It was outside Tower that the final battle took place, where the Grey Mage finally cast the dragons out of existence forever. The world opened up and swallowed the dragons into the space beyond memory. Sadly, half the city of Tower was swallowed with it. What remains in our world is a crumbling wreck, still being repaired by those who survived, some two-hundred years later.

What happened to the other half of the city when it vanished beyond the rift is a tragic mystery that may never be solved. But we can imagine.

Beyond the rift, the city of Tower is a place locked in crisis. People who wander out of the city, or away from designated safe zones, become confused, their minds warped by the chaotic energies of a world that has no memory.

There are some who are equipped to survive short excursions into the Grey Mists of that strange place, who wear masks made of crystal to guard their minds and keep them sharp. In this ritual, we imagine how those brave wanderers work to end the crisis that plagues their broken city.

It is a futile game we play. It won’t bring our friends home. But perhaps it can give us a little peace, to imagine that their struggles end with a small measure of hope.

To our friends beyond the rift, these words are for you.

Mnemonic: Beyond the Rift is a ritual game for one to three players. Through the course of play, you will draw maps, roll dice, pull cards from a poker deck, and record notes about your journey. Before you begin, make sure you have the following materials ready:

• Four six-sided dice, with numbers 1 to 6 on each side
• One standard four-suit poker deck, including two Joker cards
• Some graph paper, dot-grid paper, or other drawing surface with guides for consistent spacing
• Something to write or draw with
• A journal

If you have a bullet journal, you can use that for both your notes and your map.

When you’re ready to begin, proceed to The Fall.

Gather Your Materials

Before you begin play, ensure you have the following materials ready:

• (Weaver) A deck of poker cards including both Joker cards
• (Adversary) A set of four six-sided dice with sides numbered 1 through 6
• (Echo) A journal to keep track of things, and something to write with

Although the Echo is the only player that needs a journal, the Weaver and Adversary may want to keep notes of events as well.

Safety Note

This is a game about perseverance through hardship, which means that you will experience failure as a core part of gameplay. Although it is important to remember that failure is always temporary, please take care of yourself.

Here are some concrete ways to modify the rules to suit your needs:

• If the labor (physical or emotional) of recording your mistakes becomes too much to bear, you don’t have to do it. When you get to The Confrontation, describe that conflict however you like. The Echo will ultimately prevail; how that happens is up to you.
• If you just want to skip the failure parts of the game, and just draw maps and describe a strange world, you can do that. When you open The Tear, move directly to The Dawn; you don’t have to complete The Weave or The Confrontation.

If you are playing with a group, I recommend having a conversation beforehand if you know there are types of hardship you do not wish to explore. If someone introduces content after that conversation that makes you feel unsafe as a player, you can and should pause play to discuss what needs to change before you can continue.

Take care of yourself. Take care of each other.