# Don't Rest Your Head

Don't Rest Your Head is a rules‑lite psychological survival horror about insomniacs who awaken to the Mad City. Using small dice pools, exhaustion and madness fuel risky power at the cost of control. Classless and low‑prep, it excels at high‑tension one‑shots and short arcs.

## At a Glance

Horror • Needs GM • 3/5 complexity • One-shot friendly • None prep

## Why It Fits

A strong fit for groups that want tension, danger, and unease to stay active at the table, with rules Lite helping define the experience.

## Fit Facts

- Players: 2-5 players + GM
- Session length: 120-180 minutes
- Prep: None

## Facets

- Genres: Horror
- Mechanics: Rules Lite, Survival
- Themes: Psychological
- Decision tags: Low Prep

## Scores

- Complexity: 3/5
- New GM Fit: 5/5
- Roleplay Focus: 4/5
- Combat Focus: 2/5
- Tactical Depth: 2/5
- Campaign Depth: 3/5

## Best For

- Groups that want tension, danger, and unease to stay active at the table
- Tables that want quick onboarding and low mechanical drag
- Players who want character, atmosphere, or story to matter more than pure tactics

## Avoid If

- You want combat and action to drive most of the session
- You want low-tension or low-threat play
- You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table

## Directory Notes

You are one of the Awake: desperate, gifted, and hunted. Every hour you survive is a victory bought with fraying sanity.

## Theme and Setting

The system runs on opposed d6 pools. You always roll Discipline ; you may add Exhaustion dice to push harder and Madness dice to unleash dangerous talents.

## How Play Feels

The highest die (and then majority) determines which pool dominates the outcome—steady Discipline, overtaxing Exhaustion, or chaotic Madness—each with narrative fallout. Two economy tokens, Hope and Despair , pass between players and GM to bend results and heighten stakes.

## What Makes It Distinct

You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want low-tension or low-threat play. You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want low-tension or low-threat play.

## Where It May Not Fit

You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want low-tension or low-threat play.

## Links

- Directory page: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/dont-rest-your-head
- Agent JSON: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/dont-rest-your-head.json
- Publisher or official site: https://evilhat.com/product/don-t-rest-your-head/
- Reviews or retailer page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/28052/Dont-Rest-Your-Head?affiliate_id=1659151