PRESS PLAY: Found Footage Roleplaying Game

In Press Play, we collect and review unexplainable events caught on tape while also seeing how our proximity to these tapes brings us closer to a shared fate. We explore haunted footage which itself haunts us.

To play, you need 2-4 players, a handful of six-sided dice in two different colors/sizes/other distinctions, some notecards or paper scraps with writing utensils, and the included playmat at the center of this zine. The playmat is available to download on this page as a free demo.

Inspired by The Ring, Archive 81, Channel Zero, The Blair Witch Project, and more.

Uses tools from other games of mine: Cobwebs conspiracy horror and Ritual folk horror roleplaying among many others.

For digital play, use this character keeper and digital playmat/dicerollerdesigned by Jason Bostwick (https://stockpotpress.itch.io/)

More information

Status	Released
Category	Physical game
Rating	Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars (8 total ratings)
Author	World Champ Game Co.
Tags	Creepy, creepypasta, found-footage, GM-Less, Horror, play-to-lose, Tabletop role-playing game, vhs, zine

Download

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Click download now to get access to the following files:

press play.pdf 2.3 MB

press play playmat letter.png 11 MB

press play basic playmat letter.png 781 kB

Development log

Symbol Addendum
Oct 12, 2023

Comments

Role Playing Public Radio72 days ago(+1)

I have a question about this in the eject scene. "

Once each character (Recorder & Reviewer for each player) has one of their Understanding or Expiration tracks filled, the story comes to an end. As a group, you have one more scene in each of the two timelines."

Then the Eject rules mention "Characters who have understanding or expired are excluded."

How does this work?

World Champ Game Co.71 days ago

great question, this is definitely messy the way I wrote it! It’s been a couple years but I think the intention was once each player has one of their two characters tracks filled, not both, so there could be survivors in either timeline. In the event that a player has expired both characters, they’d do a scene using the no characters rule on page 25.

My goal was to give a quick epilogue/cliffhanger type ending, the final shot of the Blair witch or something like that, which isn’t explored beyond its initial impact. The tape/game ends and you’re left to wonder and feel the eerie vibe.

truantjohnny166 days ago(+1)

this looks great. Can’t wait to play.

Alfred Valley2 years ago(+1)

This is a terrifying pdf.

Coup Critique2 years ago(+1)

Man, this design and layout are *chef kiss*