Self Portraiture [Shudderspeed]
A downloadable Introspection
"Self Portraiture" provides simple, optional rules for Shudderspeed. Flesh out a new PC's characteristics, outlooks, ideologies and regrets. It also provides a fun way to crush their spirits!
Props to Puppetland, without which the mechanics of this supplement would never have occured to me.
Download
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Self Portraiture is a single page rules expansion for Shudderspeed that adds a second HP system.
The PDF has a striking, lurid look, washing an old-timey photo in bright red and superimposing white text over it.
Contents-wise, Self Portraiture has you take a photo of your character, and then tear off pieces when you want to counteract bad things happening in the game. This is a really neat and tactile HP system to begin with, but it's especially good for a horror game, and represents an eroding psyche and sense of self.
Overall, I'd absolutely recommend this for Shudderspeed, but I'd also encourage pairing it with any horror system. It's versatile and has a heck of an impact on play.
Thank you for the review!
One objection! Possibly to myself, as I may not have phrased it well in the PDF. The player takes a picture 'FOR' their character, not 'OF'. I may have made the writeup too terse if that doesn't come across. The 'explain it to the GM' bit is to make the player B.S. about how the limited depth of field in the shot manifests their character's tendency to focus intensely on a single thing, how the upward 2/3rds sky framing reflects their spirituality, and the rusting tractor symbolizes how they used to be really good at their job, but that part of their life has fallen into disrepair and neglect. Landscapes, or artistic surrealism, or slice of life photography more than portraiture (despite the supplement name!)
Although, thinking about it, that might work too. Would probably make the tearaway harder to judge though.
Oh! You take a picture the way the character would take it, not of the character.
I think that's likely a reading comprehension issue on my end, not anything with the text, but it's an interesting difference!