The Shadow Inside Me

THE ALLEYS HAVE A MEMORY, AND THE SMOG DOES NOT FORGET

The Shadow Inside Me is a lethal, rules-light tabletop roleplaying game where hard-boiled pulp noir collides with creeping esoteric horror. This game is about desperate survivors drowning their trauma in whiskey and cigarette smoke, trying to outrun the supernatural rot of a corrupt city before the night presents the bill.

Designed specifically for intense, intimate sessions (the Narrator and from 1 to 3 Players), the game drops you into New Hope City, a rain-slicked concrete labyrinth divided into three cynical faces: The Mud, The Rust, and The Ink.

SYSTEM FEATURES:

• Fiction First, Fast-Paced Engine: A d6 system designed to support the narrative flow. Actions drive the dice, skipping downtime to maintain the relentless pace of a pulp movie
• The Breath & Attribute Attrition: Your survival pool (Breath) is fragile. When it hits zero, physical violence, psychological trauma, and horror bleed directly into your core attributes (Nerve, Intuition, Shadow)
• Bonds as Survival Currency: Your connections are your last line of defense. Invoke your Anchors, Assets, or Liabilities for crucial bonuses or to absorb damage, but every call strains the relationship. When cornered, you can Burn a Bond for absolute success, sacrificing that person forever.
• The 20-Minute Reel: A complete toolbox for the Narrator to generate atmospheric, non-linear Case Files, deploy thematic clues using the Three Clues Rule, and run high-stakes climaxes under twenty minutes of preparation.

INSIDE THIS 60-PAGE BOOK:

• Complete character creation rules, Edges, Masks, and Inner Demons.
• A comprehensive catalog of mundane equipment, firearms, and corrupted occult Relics.
• The complete guide to New Hope City and its factions.
• A lethal bestiary featuring both Mundane Underworld Threats and Occult Horrors from beyond the Veil.
• Practical gameplay examples and ready-to-use scenario frameworks.

Grab your trench coat, crush your cigarette, and step into the fog. Something in that alley is looking back at you.

AI Disclosure & Transparency

• Content & Game Design: 100% Human-created. All setting material, lore, mechanics, and text were fully conceived and authored by humans. No generative AI was used for content creation. Each image has its author in the Credits.
• Translation & Localization: AI-assisted translation and linguistic tools were utilized solely to adapt the original text into English and ensure high-quality prose and fluency.