What Dust Remains
Can you build a meaningful life –
Can you leave a lasting legacy –
Without sacrificing all that matters?
What Dust Remains is a GM-less story game for 1 to 3 players. In this game, players build the life of a pioneer who is single-handedly focused on their legacy, moment by moment, life stage to life stage from youth to death. And oftentimes, at great cost and sacrifice: their resources, their happiness, and even their principles.
Prompts form the backbone of this game, inspiring players to create opportunities for the pioneer to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, simple but intense dice rolls force players to face ever-desperate odds to progress on their legacy. At many points in the game, you will be asked: how much am I willing to sacrifice?
If you want to write a narrative about a life doomed to regret; if you are not afraid, if you are willing to open yourself, if melancholy fuels you, then this game is for you.
To play What Dust Remains, all you need are 4 six-sided dice, a deck of cards with the jokers removed, and online or offline writing implements.
Trigger warnings unavoidable in the game: painfully growing old, fear of existential failure.
Praise for What Dust Remains
- "Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind."
Danny Quach writing for Polygon—The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 - "...one of the very best games I've ever played in my life."
D. Vincent Baker, creator of Apocalypse World and Firebrands
- "An incredible game, one of the best I’ve ever played."
Aaron Lim, designer of An Altogether Different River and Spectres of Brocken
Download the free preview to see the prompts in action.
A message from momatoesPurchasing this game is deeply appreciated and directly supports me. Free copies are available—no questions asked—simply scroll down to the bottom and click "Claim access" under the Community Copy section. If the copies have run out, simply email me at hello@momatoes.com and I'll have you sorted out with a download link. ───── Other tiny ways to support:
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Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $8 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Exclusive content
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copy
A free copy, no questions asked.
Download demo
Development log
- Important typo correction—dice to roll in final life stageOct 13, 2025
- Donation to Doctors Without Borders—and tiny update to a promptOct 01, 2025
- Typos fixed + new simple versionSep 26, 2025
- New, engrossing layout and imagery—the Deluxe Edition arrives earlySep 20, 2025
- Definitive Edition now availableSep 13, 2025
- 2nd EditionJan 11, 2020
- Clarification on round order.Apr 20, 2019
- Minor typos fixed.Apr 18, 2019
Comments
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Pas de surprise, c'est une petite merveille de jeu! Nous allons explorer l'intimité et les pensées de notre personnage, en y mettant bien entendu un peu (beaucoup) de nous, nous faisant ainsi nous interroger sur nous-même. Une autre pépite! Merci Bianca!
I am thoroughly enjoying this game, but wonder if I am missing something. When the game says to create 8 boxes to mark off for levels of legacy- is it even possible to reach more than 4? My understanding was each time you get three successes you gain one level of legacy and that timeframe concludes, have I been missing out somewhere?
Hi Quinnfernal, when you gain one level of legacy in a life stage, you can still play subsequent rounds -- it doesn't have to end immediately! There are essentially 12 possible rounds where you can mark off a level of legacy (that's the 3 rounds per 4 life stages) so you can definitely reach more than 4. Hope that helps.
My poor boy missed out on so much of their life!! I am looking forward to another playthrough in that case. Thank you!
We're going to play this game and as a surprise, I intend to use who we create as a main antagonist in an ongoing campaign to let the players who created also have to contend with fighting or destroying whatever legacy remains, and understanding the opposite point if view much better than usual
The concept and execution are phenomenal. It's a seemingly simple idea, the magic lies in the design.
And even better for my intended goal- the discarded aspects can and will be incorporated into the world as consequences.
I had probably my best session of the year with this game. It was super immersive and heartbreaking.
I really loved playing this game! The prompts are really thoughtful and the artwork is gorgeous.
I had one question, though, regarding the number of dice that should be used in the Final Moments life stage. Page 15 of the Deluxe edition says 1 die but page 38 says four dice. My interpretation was that both could make sense: 1 die for a more tragic, dwindling life, 4 dice for a more hopeful, "out with a bang" life. During our session we went with 4 dice, mostly because that was closer to the prompts, but would be nice to know what is the expected resolution for future sessions (since surely we will play this again!).
Thanks!
Ack! It should be one dice, not four. But yes, I see how both options can make sense!
do you have a 15 year old reddit account perchance
This is a beautiful game. I grabbed What Dust Remains for $5 (hooray for supporting MSF) and would have been very happy with it even if I'd paid more. momatoes' design, both game and graphic design, is phenomenal as always, and her consistent attention to the embodied and emotional experiences of the players of her games is one of the qualities that makes her one of my favorite designers. I can't wait to play this!
I'm so moved by your review! Thank you so much—I hope you enjoy it!
Wow, the Deluxe Edition is beautiful! I love your graphic design so much. (And your game design, of course!)
Thank you so much! It means a lot to hear this.
What Dust Remains, written by 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer Award winner Momatoes, asks players to go behind the scenes of the accomplished and powerful, take up the mantle of legacy, and try to build something that will eclipse you, even at the cost of the things you hold most dear.