The World We Left Behind

The answers to mysteries often lie buried in the past

In The World We Left Behind, play as astronauts trekking across an alien planet. Learn about the planet’s flora and fauna while uncovering vestiges of the past. What happened to the sapient species that called this planet home? Why do only remnants of their lives remain?

During this casual worldbuilding game, players draw symbols on playing cards to create a planet, populate it with traits, and uncover the mystery of the species that left this world behind. Tell a story of wonder, companionship, and legacy in the midst of a lonely planet.

The World We Left Behind is GMless and designed for 1-5 players. The game is 44 pages long (including covers), there is zero prep needed to play, and a full game lasts 2-4 sessions. Alternate rules for one-shots are found in the back of the book.

Instructions and templates for online, one-shot play are included in the digital bundle.

Materials For Play

To play The World We Left Behind, you will need the following:

• A standard deck of playing cards (these cards will be written on during play)
• At least one fine-tipped permanent marker
• A six-sided die (d6)
• A flat surface
• A few hours of time per session

The Ballet

The World We Left Behind was originally commissioned by BalletCollective to be used as Source Art in their 2023 season, THE MOMENT IS IMMINENT. Composer Phong Tran and choreographer Troy Schumacher played The World We Left Behind and used it as inspiration for the music and choreography of the ballet.

The ballet The World We Left Behind premiered in NYC in Fall 2023, performed by dancers from New York City Ballet. A free livestream of the show took place on Oct 30th at 7:30pm ET. The video is available to watch through Nov 10th. The World We Left Behind begins at time stamp 1:38:00.

42 page, 5.5 x 8.5 inch, full color, gloss-cover staple-bound zine