Y̸̡̟̠̟͇͚᷀᷾ͧ̌ͪ̅ͯ︡ō̵̟͎͚͔̣̑͒᷆͒̂̏u̸̗̙̠͕̖̳᷇͗ a̶̧̨̨̰̩͓̣̘︠̀̓̿ͥ͢͠r̴̨᷿̮̝͒͂̿e̸̪̯͉̲͉̬̺̟̭͋︢᷅᷆͆︡͋̏̅̑ c̶̜͈̻̹̭̫̱͆͜͟͞͞h̴̯̮̩̙͐̑̇̄̓ͪ̇̓͌ȃ̶̢̧᷂ͥ︣͑̃ͪ̔̀͂n̷̪ͪ̏̑̉̄g̵͇̞̩᷊̩̽᷃ͤ︣ͫ͘͜͟͟į̸̣̦ͩ͋᷉ͣ̀̔̽̅᷈ͫn̶̞̽́̕g̴̲̝̲͉̞̝̬᷿̰ͥ̂᷄̀.̸̡̭᷆ͦ᷁͂

The changes started subtly: cravings and intrusive thoughts. But they soon built into noticeable physical changes, followed by a complete change in perception. It isn’t clear what you will become, but you can no longer deny that you are becoming something.

Do you fight the change? Embrace it? In either case, there is no stopping the transformation. Whatever you are becoming, it is inevitable. At best, you might be able to wrest enough control over yourself to spare those around you.

Transformation is a Kafkaesque, body-horror, solo RPG. Take on the role of an unfortunate soul whose body and mind are becoming something they cannot yet imagine. As the game progresses, you will change, taking on both physical and mental monstrous changes. You’ll journal about the changes as you struggle to understand what’s happening and relate your understanding to those around you.

You are trapped in isolation with a companion. Your situation makes dealing with the transformation even more complex. Your companion won’t understand what you are going through, but to be fair, neither do you. As the change progresses, you begin feeling less like yourself. Your thoughts and emotions are not your own.

Mechanics

Transformation plays over seven in-game days. You use a standard deck of cards to determine what changes your character experiences and what events you encounter each day.

You divide the deck into three separate decks: clubs, spades, and then all the red cards together. Then, shuffle each deck and set it close by. Each in-game day has a new table of possible changes and events. The Clubs deck determines the changes you experience, while the Spades deck determines the events you encounter.

You have access to resources known as Mementos and Bonds. Mementos remind you of your humanity, while Bonds represent your relationship with your companion. Spending these can help you maintain control of your humanity and push an event toward a positive outcome. Be careful, though. Your Mementos and Bonds are limited, and there are few ways to replenish them.

Changes and events start small but escalate quickly. As your change progresses, your companion might embrace your new form, reject it, flee in terror, or even become your victim.

Inspiration

This project drew inspiration from the following sources.

Movies

• The Fly (1986)
• Videodrome (1983)
• Altered States (1980)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)
• The Thing (1982)
• Alien (1979)
• Hellraiser (1987)
• Crimes of the Future (2022)

Stories

• Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, 1915
• Gothic tales of vampires, werewolves, and possession
• Indigenous stories of shape changers, skinwalkers, and other bad medicine

RPGs

•  The Portal at Hill House by Travis D. Hill
•  The Wretched by Chris Bissette
•  The Quiet Year by Avery Alder
•  Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings

Note: That while the majority of the Art in Transformation was created by real human artists, the background textures on several pages were created using the AI Art tool MidJourney. We have decided to not use AI Art in any future projects.