THE STARE-DOWN

"DON'T LOOK AWAY... OR YOU'RE DEAD!" LORE The entity doesn’t strike from the shadows—it thrives in them. It stands directly before you, a presence felt rather than fully seen, anchored by a singular, unblinking eye. Your mind is playing tricks on you. The perimeter of your vision is blurring, twisting the environment into hostile shapes, whispers, and sudden movements. You can feel the cold sweat. You can hear your own racing heartbeat. The rules of survival are shifting right at the edge of your sight, but the moment your pupils wander to read them, the trap snaps shut. Can you master your own biological reflexes, or will panic tear your mind apart? GAME DETAILS Number of Players: 1 (Solo Print-and-Play) Genre: Psychological Horror / Micro-Game / Dexterity & Reflex Play Time: 3 – 5 minutes per run Requirements: A single printed 6.5 cm x 6.5 cm square card (heavy matte cardstock highly recommended) and your own face. CORE MECHANICS The Foveal Anchor (Direct Focus): Your eyes are legally locked onto the central illustration of the Eye for the duration of the round. Looking directly at the rules or your trackers is an automatic penalty. Peripheral Literacy: You must read, interpret, and react to changing text triggers printed on the outer edges of the card using only your peripheral vision while rotating the card 90 degrees each turn. Tactile Edge Tracking: Your fingers act as the game's physical memory engine, pinching and sliding along the card borders to track your current Round progress and your rising Terror level. Biological Action Triggers: The game turns your real-world body into the controller—forcing you to physically hold your breath, freeze, or slide your fingers based on what your blurry vision thinks it saw. Will you survive the night, or will you blink?