The Halloween season means eyes are peeled (hopefully not literally) for any fresh horror experiences on the tabletop. One such TTRPG that quickly grew a following was Breathless by Fari RPGs. The one-page zombie apocalypse TTRPG is directly inspired by undead classics such as Left 4 Dead and The Last of Us. Supporting two to five players and a breezy two-to-four hour average game, it's the perfect Halloween hunt.
I've given Breathless a few games, and I found it very easy to pick up. The fact that it's only a single letter-sized sheet helps. Intuitive rules and familiar tropes makes it feel just like many of the best tabletop RPGs I've played in the past. I was particularly impressed by how economical the game actions felt, thanks to how interwoven the dice mechanics are with the "resources" of the player.
Personally, I just love seeing small passion projects bloom into genuine successes. Breathless is a simple TTRPGs with many avenues to expand its core mechanics. After all, it boils down to "do the cool thing, get more dice," and that makes it deceptively simple.
Now, Fari RPGs recently announced a publishing deal with Mythworks, who has published beloved titles such as Wildsea and CBR+PUNK. Its confidence in Breathless is a great sign for those unfamiliar with the property. In addition to the core rules, the expanded Frightmare Edition release will feature tons of new text.
Most notably, breakdowns on base building and a handful of prewritten adventures for quick undead bashing. The Kickstarter will launch very soon, but the reactions online have been nothing but positive. A big part of Breathless popularity stems from how many other upstart TTRPGs use it as a foundation. Need people for your post-apocalyptic party? The Wargamer Discord has plenty of survivors. For games to go back-to-back with a significant other on, the best couple board games guide will help you out.