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Usually, when a major TTRPG creator announces a new project, it’s been well planned out in advance and is part of a larger roadmap for the game. In the case of award-winning designer John Harper, however, the announcement of a new Blades in the Dark supplement has a much more unusual origin.
Entitled Requiem for the Wretched Dead, Harper’s upcoming book owes its existence to the Breathless: Frightmare Edition; a little known, rules light, zombie RPG Kickstarter that was on its last legs. Below, we break out all the details on what happened and what we can expect from both Breathless and this new Blades in the Dark release.
How the Breathless Kickstarter led to a new Blades in the Dark tie-in
The story begins in early April 2026, with Canadian indie RPG designer René-Pier Deshaies and US publisher Mythworks launching a Kickstarter entitled the Breathless: Frightmare Edition. The game was meant to be an enhanced version of Deshaies’ original Breathless, which is a one-page, rules light, acton-horror zombie RPG, which Deshaies’ self published on Itch.io under his Fari RPGs imprint.
Despite having a well-established publisher like Mythworks behind it, as the Kickstarter neared the end of its campaign, it seemed likely that it would not be hitting its relatively modest funding goal of $30,000. That is, until Blades in the Dark creator Harper stepped in.
The award-winning designer posted on Bluesky just a few days before the Kickstarter ended that if the project was successfully funded, he would release a tie-in product entitled Requiem for the Wretched Dead, which would take place in the Blades in the Dark world, but use the Breathless ruleset. In the Bluesky post, Harper noted simply: “If Breathless: Frightmare Edition Funds, I’ll make this”.
In a detailed follow-up post on Reddit, Breathless creator René-Pier Deshaies describes the aftermath of Harper’s announcement, writing “A couple of hours later, we got 200+ pledges, thousands of dollars more, and we funded.” As a result, both the Breathless: Frigthmare Edition and the new Blades in the Dark tie-in supplement will now become a reality.
What is the new Blades in the Dark supplement?
The new project is entitled Requiem for the Wretched Dead: Breathless Survival in the Deathlands. While Blades in the Dark typically focuses on the gritty, lightning-shielded city of Doskvol, this supplement takes players outside the walls and into The Deathlands, a nightmarish waste of petrified forests, supernatural miasmas and restless spirits.
It’s important to note, however, that this new supplement will not be using the base Blades in the Dark rules (aka the Forged in the Dark Engine), but rather is built using the Breathless SRD (Systems Reference Document); an open gaming license that allows third-party creators to develop their own materials for the rules.
What is Blades in the Dark?
Blades in the Dark is a tabletop RPG published by Evil Hat Productions and created by award-winning indie designer John Harper. The game takes place in the city of Doskvol, a slum-filled Victorian-inspired fantasy city shrouded in perpetual darkness and surrounded on all sides by electric barriers that keep an army of vengeful ghosts at bay. Players take on the role of a crew of criminals, con artists, occultists and thieves, pulling off daring heists while dealing with rival gangs, corrupt authorities, restless spirits and a city powered by chaotic supernatural energy.
Mechanically, Blades in the Dark is inspired by the Powered by the Apocalypse TTRPG system, emphasizing player choice and narrative-driven rules. The game system (which is now known as Forged in the Dark) uses pools of six-sided dice, with outcomes shaped largely by the story and level of risk rather than strict success-or-failure results. Players can spend Stress to push themselves or trigger flashbacks, allowing the group to roleplay past scenes in order to change the outcome of a current scene. Play flows between intense criminal “scores” and downtime, where characters heal, grow and expand their crew’s influence in the city.
What is the Breathless RPG?
Breathless is a rules light action survival horror game first published in 2022 by Canadian indie RPG designer René-Pier Deshaies. In the game, players take on the role of survivors struggling to find supplies and stay ahead of hordes of endless zombies known as the “Breathless.” The original game was essentially one page of rules that was available as a pay-what-you-want product on Itch.io.
In terms of the rules, characters are defined by six core Skills: Bash, Dash, Sneak, Shoot, Think and Sway. Players then assign a d10, d8 and d6 ratings to three chosen Skills, with the remainder starting at d4. Players make Checks by rolling their current Skill die, where a result of 5+ is a success, 3-4 is a success with reduced effect, and 1-2 is a failure. Every Check forces the rolled Skill die to “step down” to the next lower size, though players can use a single-use d12 “Grit” die for critical moments or “Catch Their Breath” to reset all Skills at the cost of the GM introducing a new consequence.
In early 2026, it was announced that Mythworks (publisher of games including Slugblaster, The Wildsea and CBR+PNK) would be producing a new edition of Breathless which they would launch via Kickstarter. This enhanced version would include slightly modified rules and come in a box designed to look like an old horror movie VHS tape.
The campaign generated over 1,000 sign ups when it was first announced, which is why many were surprised that it was not funded relatively quickly; although designer René-Pier Deshaies did release a video on his Patreon explaining just how difficult the game design and crowdfunding process was, which helped to generate more interest and backers.
Why we’re excited about a Blades in the Dark: Breathless tie-in
- Exploring the unknown: The Deathlands have always been one of the most evocative yet mysterious parts of the Blades setting, and getting a dedicated survival game set there is dream come true for fans of the lore.
- Mechanical innovation: Seeing the Blades world filtered through the rules light mechanics of Breathless feels like a genuinely unique crossover that we’re 100% on board for.
- Survival horror focus: While the base Blades in the Dark game is about daring heists in a grimdark steampunk city, this supplement sounds like will lean fully into the horror of the setting, emphasizing survival over criminal capers.
- Community spirit: This project exists because one veteran creator used their platform to lift up an indie designer, proving that the TTRPG community is still one of the most supportive spaces on the internet.
Final thoughts
This is a rare case where everyone wins. Breathless: Frightmare Edition gets its time in the spotlight and Blades in the Dark fans get a brand new way to experience their favorite dark industrial fantasy world. Notably, this isn’t the only collaboration Harper has made with other designers, with the upcoming Blades 68′ spin-off also stemming out of a pitch to Harper from indie creator Tim Denee.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on both new products in the days ahead and will offer complete reviews closer to launch. In the meantime, you can still make a late pledge for Breathless: Frightmare Edition now on Kickstarter.