Rosso Profondo

Hunt a serial killer through 1970s Roma—or play the killer yourself. Rosso Profondo is a solo journaling RPG inspired by Italian giallo cinema, where beautiful people die in beautiful ways, and every witness becomes complicit in violence they cannot unsee.

Roll the dice—track trauma. Write in blood-red ink. The gloves are black. The truth is buried. Someone must die. Someone must know why.

WHAT YOU GET

📕 Complete 36-page print-and-play edition formatted for home printing (8.5" × 11" portrait)

🎲 Elegant 2d6/1d20 system with asymmetric results for Killer and Detective roles

📊 Corruption mechanics that track your inevitable descent (Obsession, Evidence, Trauma, Clues)

🎨 Extensive random generation tables:

- 20 Victim Types (fashion models, opera singers, photographers, twins...)

- 20 Rome Locations (nightclubs, catacombs, opera houses, villas...)

- 20 Methods of Death (straight razors, garrotes, ritual drowning, defenestration...)

- 20 Childhood Traumas (the buried truth that drives everything)

- Plus: NPCs, complications, forensics, red herrings, investigation tools

🎭 Giallo style reference tables for visual aesthetics, sound design, and fashion

📝 Deep journaling prompts for both Killer and Detective perspectives

⚡ 8,000 unique murder combinations (20×20×20) = 21+ years of gameplay at one murder per day

🎬 Cinematic gameplay focused on style, atmosphere, and psychological horror over realism

HOW IT PLAYS

AS THE KILLER:

1. Roll to generate your victim, location, and method (roll 1d20)

2. Describe your preparation, the stalking, the obsessive planning

3. Execute the kill (roll 2d6 for outcome)

4. Track Obsession and Evidence as they creep toward 6

5. Leave calling cards because part of you wants to be caught

6. Journal your fragmented memories, your compulsions, your art

7. Complete the six-murder ritual before police close in—or break completely

AS THE DETECTIVE:

1. Discover the murder scene (roll 2d6 to examine)

2. Interview witnesses, follow leads, connect patterns

3. Track Trauma and Clues as obsession consumes you

4. Spend Connections to access information and protect potential victims

5. Journal your theories, your nightmares, your descent

6. Unmask the killer before reaching 6 Trauma—or become what you hunt

Both paths lead to inevitable conclusions. Both paths change you forever.

 KEY FEATURES

✓ Two complete playable roles with distinct mechanics and endgame conditions  

✓ No prep required - random tables generate complete scenarios  

✓ 1-2 hours per murder for focused, intense sessions  

✓ Virtually unlimited replayability - 8,000+ unique combinations  

✓ Journaling-focused - write your descent in first person  

✓ Style over realism - embrace theatrical violence and dream logic  

✓ Trauma-informed - explores psychological horror with care  

✓ Safety tools included - X-Card and Lines & Veils recommended  

✓ Gorgeous giallo aesthetics - blood red, deep black, baroque beauty  

✓ Soundtrack recommended - Goblin, Morricone, Nicolai, Cipriani  

CONTENT WARNING

This game explores murder, psychosexual obsession, childhood trauma, and baroque violence in the style of Italian giallo cinema. The focus is on stylized mystery and psychological horror, not graphic detail. Think Argento's Deep Red or Bava's Blood and Black Lace—suggestive, dreamlike, disturbing but not explicit.

Topics include: murder, violence, childhood abuse/trauma, institutional failure, mental illness, obsession, gaslighting, surveillance, and sexual themes (non-explicit).

Use safety tools. This is a solo game, but you're still accountable to yourself. If a topic becomes too much, pivot. Change victim types, alter traumas, skip scenes. The game should disturb you aesthetically, not traumatize you, actually.

SUPPORT THE CREATOR

This game was created with love for giallo cinema, Italian culture, and narrative-focused RPG design. 

Pay what you want with a suggested price that reflects the 36-page professional layout, extensive playtesting, and unlimited replayability.

Your support enables:

- Future expansions and scenarios

- Additional victim types, locations, and methods

- Soundtrack recommendations and playlists

- Actual play examples and guidance

- Translation into Italian and other languages

Suggested donation: $5.00  Less than a cup of fancy Italian coffee  

Designed by Julian Grant  

v2.0 Complete Edition | 2025

Inspired by the masters of giallo cinema

May your blade stay sharp and your nightmares stay vivid.