Breathless: Frightmare Edition

I'm a massive lover of horror - I try to inject aspects of it into my games (which are predominantly 5e with some LoA thrown in) using atmosphere and high-tension scenarios. Mothership is a horror TTRPG that I greatly enjoyed, though horror is something that can be quite difficult to pull off. It requires a serious mindset and high stakes that pull no punches, in my opinion, otherwise you end up falling too far into the comedy horror and silliness. So when I heard that Breathless was getting a new edition, I jumped in to take a look.

I have been lucky enough to receive an early access preview of the core rules, first adventure, and a draft of the current haven and journey rules, to look over while the Kickstarter is still active (Note: the Kickstarter ends on May 7th, but keep an eye out for further BackerKit updates etc afterward).

Breathless

Back in 2022, Rene-Pier Deshaies designed and released Breathless as a minimalist two-page RPG that quickly became an indie phenomenon, known for its tension, scarcity, and survival mechanics. The game was originally released as part of a Game Jam called Festival Draconis, priced at $6 on itch.io, and even managed to received praise from John Harper of Blades in the Dark and AGON fame. After releasing his own Game Jam, there are now over 350 hacks and games powered by the Breathless system, including Fari RPG's Stoneburner and Pandion Games' Midnight Muscadines.

Now, there comes a new edition of Breathless: the Frightmare Edition.

STORYPAK Mock-Up

Breathless: Frightmare Edition

This release expands on the original pamphlet by introducing new art by Vil (of Mothership: Dying Hard on Hardlight Station fame) and a campaign mode with an estimated twelve sessions worth of scenarios, written by Allen Hall. Fifteen new pamphlets have been designed by DNGN CLUB (HOW'S MY DRIVING?) and are all contained within a compact, collectible STORYPAK, a format designed for fast setup and play (first developed by Emanoel Melo for CBR+PNK). This is the first time that any game outside of CBR+PNK has been launched in this format, marking the expansion of the STORYPAK product line beyond its original release, with Breathless: Frightmare Edition being published by Mythworks.

Impressions of Mechanics

While I have admittedly not had a chance to run this with anyone (getting people together to run anything is a challenge at the best of times), my read-throughs of the content have been extremely positive. The simplicity of the system is a welcome change to the number crunch associated with games such as D&D and Pathfinder, and I found myself intrigued with the way the dice work.

The Player pamphlet states that a full set of polyhedral dice is required, though that isn't quite true. The system uses d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, and d12s, but no d20 nor d100 (if you count that as a separate dice from the d10), and does on occasion call for a d3 roll for the DM, which can be achieved using the d6. What's interesting about the dice is that they aren't static - while a stat or item may start with a specific type of dice, rolling poorly can result in that dice reducing in size, increasing the likelihood of something going really quite wrong! So it's clearly important to keep an eye on the state of your stats and items as the different phases progress. The fact that you can have a relatively high chance of succeeding one moment but a massive drop in probability the next is a very intriguing mechanic, and honestly quite a scary one too!

Also of interest is the fact that the game generally moves through three phases: Journey, Haven, and Survival. Each phase offers slightly different rules and tools to lock players into a game of grim, tense, survival horror. The different phases require slightly different methods of play and utilise the dice in slightly different ways, though the core mechanic of dice being able to decrease in size remains. Journey phases denote travel over long distances - these are dangerous, and can be used to establish narrative at the start of a game. Survival phases are typically supply runs or missions, used to achieve specific goals or gather goods to ensure the security of the Haven. Haven phases are where a lot of the roleplay, barter, trade, and pursuit of personal goals happen. Havens are relatively safe spaces where players can rest, as well as investigate leads and interact with NPCs. However, Havens don't always remain safe. All it takes is a single spark, and crap rolls can result in the deterioration of the Haven's three protection tracks, which can then lead to a fourth phase, known as Fallout.

Fallout, only occurs in the most dire of circumstances: when a Haven has fallen and is no longer a safe space. This phase allows a new narrative to be written using the Survival phase as the basis of establishing the new reality, serves as a means for a time jump, or can signal the end of the game.

Generally speaking, I like the way it reads. I'd have to get around to running or playing a couple of sessions to know for sure if it's the kind of horror game I truly enjoy, but it looks incredibly promising!

Layout and Art

The layout and design of the pamphlets is clear and precise with little to no overcomplicated decoration. The artwork is fantastic (but then again, Vil is great at what they do!) and doesn't overshadow the text or graphics in any way, complimenting it instead. It gives me 80s comic book horror vibes, which is an aesthetic I love, and the available mock-ups have clearly been well thought through by people that truly care about the project. Bringing in Vil to do the art was a fantastic choice, because Vil's style is so punchy and evocative. It uses a very simple colour palette (usually only two or three colours) to create these very aggressive yet incredibly detailed illustrations that seem to embody both rage and fear in one; bringing the feelings of not just the player characters to the fore, but the NPC enemies hunting them too. I loved Vil's work on Mothership and seeing it again on Breathless is a true joy.

It is honestly beautiful, and I truly wish I had the money to buy the whole set myself!

Final Thoughts

There isn't much time left on the Breathless: Frightmare Edition Kickstarter now, and that is wholly my own fault for taking too long to read through the material. Otherwise, I would have encouraged more folks go and take a look at it. The material is clearly made with love, and I genuinely adore how simple and elegant it is while maintaining that classic horror feel.

The mechanics are simple, and while I cannot say for certain without running a game, they seem incredibly easy to pick up in the first session. The pamphlets go into great depth without feeling like they're bogging the reader down, and the risk factor involved with the diminishing of the dice makes the game feel like it has true consequences for pushing too far, which is precisely what a horror game needs.

I can't wait for this to be published properly, and I honestly hope to have enough pennies aside to get my hands on it when it does!