Have you ever wanted to become a serial killer? Uh, probably not. But the idea of roleplaying one in a fictional game is, admittedly, pretty intriguing. What’s it like to be filled with so much bloodlust? So much violence? Such predatory instincts? It’s difficult for your average person to fathom. Now, one TTRPG allows you to enter the mind of a serial killer and carry out your own killings, if you’re willing to explore the horror within.
Psycho-Killa is a solo TTRPG that tells the story of a serial killer grappling with their own twisted fantasies, desires, and tortured psyche. Created by Argentinian TTRPG developer Benjamín Aníbal Reyna, Psycho-Killa opens with players choosing their serial killer’s name, strength, workshop location, and psychological background, as well as a fundamental relationship at the center of their serial killing ventures. Once all that’s out of the way, roll a d6 to determine your “Degeneration,” or a specific theme that defines your slaughters. Are you obsessed with a certain belief? Do you consider yourself vastly superior to others? Or do you hunt your prey for the sport of it all?
“You loathe your current form and seek a new, grotesque, and terrifying appearance,” the Transformation Degeneration trait reads. “Randomly determine a Theme or use your Obsession to define your ‘true form.’ You are involved in a project to alter your body, but in the meantime, you wear a disguise whenever possible. You can’t bear to expose yourself or interact with others in your original form. You cannot bear to see your own reflection or image.”
Pretty horrifying, no? Expect this kind of psychological drive at the center of Psycho-Killa.
‘Psycho-Killa’: Play alone, play with friends, just get ready to be disturbed
Once you’ve created your character, the roleplaying begins. Players grab a notebook, a writing implement, and begin logging their activities, telling the story of their murders and victims. (Reyna tells players to “hide your notebook or notepad in a secure place” to prevent any awkward conversations). After you’ve written a bit, you’ll stumble across an Event: A random occurrence determined by rolling your two d6s. Perhaps you left something at your crime scene, or maybe you killed someone who has connections to the mob. Write your approach accordingly, roll for an outcome, and determine if you acted in accordance with your character’s Degeneration. If not? You’ll gain Torment points, which stack until you’re forced to kill, confide in another, or even take your own life.
Yes, Psycho-Killa is definitely dark. Reyna warns the game “is an experience meant to make you feel discomfort and contempt.” Doubly so if you decide to play Psycho-Killa as a multiplayer TTRPG. While the game is designed as a solo experience, it’s still possible to play together with a group, although Reyna warns roleplayers to “try to have open communication and be respectful” as “it will be difficult to avoid uncomfortable moments” as you play. Psycho-Killa is no tongue-in-cheek experience. It’s as serious as it gets.
I find Psycho-Killa fascinating, but not because of all the murder and bloodshed. Gore isn’t really a topic of conversation in the rules at all. Instead, Psycho-Killa asks a far more social and psychological question: Why do serial killers do what they do, and what happens when a murderer’s sins weigh too heavily on their soul? I could see a lot of fascinating fiction stories coming out of Psycho-Killa playthroughs, or at least thought-provoking exercises in embodying someone who sees other people as objects to manipulate, trap, and destroy.
Vicious, violent, unsettling, Psycho-Killa is unique. Admittedly, I’m a bit tempted to play it on a Twitch stream. Throw in an immersive overlay and some voice acting on my part, and it would make for a fantastically twisted collaborative horror story between myself and my chat. A TTRPG take on the yandere girl, if you will.
You can grab Psycho-Killa on itch.io for $2, or snag a community copy, which is offered free of charge, no questions asked.
The post Become a Serial Killer? This TTRPG Lets You Do Exactly That appeared first on VICE.
