BREATHLESS

Shoot. Loot. Survive.

Breathless is a survival horror role-playing game where you play as survivors trying to stay alive in a world plagued by the undead. Watch the video above, print the game on two sides of a letter-sized sheet of paper, and enjoy a nice and cozy zombie survival one shot at home.

Frightmare Edition

Breathless is getting remastered as Breathless: Frightmare Edition, published by the amazing folks at Mythworks. Written by yours truly, with layout by Jack Panic of DNGN Club, art by Vil, adventures by M. Allen Hall.

01Refreshed core rules

02New mechanics for havens and journeying

03Rolling tables to generate your apocalyptic world

04A lineup of ready-to-play adventures

05A 12-pamphlet collection packed with content

Breathless is...

FastRules-bright survival horror tuned for one-shots, with rules to keep pressure high and outcomes moving.

Open100% open-licensed, free to use, modify, and publish, and already inspiring 300+ Breathless hacks.

AccessibleDesigned for quick setup and immediate play, with everything you need to loot, shoot, and survive.

DangerousEvery check adds pressure, every consequence escalates, and every scene can turn desperate in seconds.

TenseSkills and gear wear down as you use them, forcing hard choices between momentum and survival.

ReplayableBuilt for repeated play with one-shots, campaigns, and a huge ecosystem of hacks and community content.

Where to Buy

What People Are Saying

A survival horror RPG with condensed mechanics? Yes, please. Check out BREATHLESS.

John Harper

I'm a huge fan of 1 pager games, and Breathless is a fantastic game.

Matteo Sciutteri

This game looks amazing and I can't wait to try it out. The rules are so simple and easy to learn but have so much depth to them! I love usage dice!

Sofia

Played Breathless for five hours today and all I can say is WOW. Few games really nail the pickup-and-play functionality of TTRPGs, but Breathless absolutely crushes it.

xdeathcleric

An excellent take on the survival horror genre, the system does a fantastic job of driving player actions forward. And I LOVE a system that has baked-in support for solo players!

Graycastle Press

Breathless is a perfectly tuned survival horror game. The eroding skill dice perfectly capture the desperation, fatigue, wearing down of resources, and scrappy tone that these kinds of stories tell. At the same time, you are not so fragile as to feel powerless and ineffective. The dice swing big because your chances of making it, and the consequences for not, swing big. This is also, not surprisingly, one of the best entries into this game system overall, which has gone on to cover a lot of ground!

The Cargo Bay

Elsewhere

This FREE Horror Tabletop RPG Is Amazing!

A Roll For Tentacles YouTube overview of Breathless as a free one-page horror TTRPG.

Watch on YouTube

RPG: 'Breathless: Frightmare Edition' Sparks Surprise 'Blades In The Dark' Announcement

A Bell of Lost Souls article covering Breathless: Frightmare Edition and the surprise announcement it sparked for Blades in the Dark.

Read article

Breathless: Frightmare Edition Kickstarter, Zombies In a Storypak!

A Sprites and Dice feature previewing Breathless: Frightmare Edition, with an overview of the Storypak format and Kickstarter campaign.

Read feature

LIVE! Surviving the Frightmare | First Look & Character Creation for Breathless RPG

A Maia's Solo Room livestream reading through Breathless: Frightmare Edition and making a character.

Watch on YouTube

What is Breathless?! An intense and FREE zombie apocalypse TTRPG.

A Tales From The Unknown YouTube overview introducing Breathless as an intense, free zombie apocalypse TTRPG.

Watch on YouTube

Perspective Checks | Sharing With The Community with RP Deshaies (Fari RPGs)

A Perspective Checks podcast conversation with René-Pier Deshaies about sharing with the TTRPG community and Fari RPGs.

New Game Showcase: Breathless Frightmare Edition

A podcast episode featuring the New Game Showcase for Breathless: Frightmare Edition.

René-Pier Deshaies (Breathless: Frightmare Edition) ep. 275

A podcast conversation with René-Pier Deshaies about Breathless, open-source and free games, TTRPG licensing, and accessible design.

Breathless: an interivew with RP Deshaies

An Alex Rinehart interview with René-Pier Deshaies about Breathless, rules-bright design, community tools, and the new Frightmare Edition Kickstarter.

Read the interview