Yeah, week 2 is always that feeling like week 1 was all hubris and bluster and now I've got shit. That said, I did a playtest and it went OK, but the system doesn't pop the way I wanted. It is good for more whimsical or nice paced games, but given the influences I need something to ratchet up the tension. I'm thinking my fave game for this is Lacuna.
It has Heart Rate and Static. Heart Rate is a re-roll where if you keep the number of re-rolls in a tight band you get a bonus but if you go over it hurts you. Each time a player fails you add one to the static count and at certain thresholds you start adding surreal elements to the game.
I reckon this can be reskinned/combined with the Resistance and Freedom token mechanic I'm already using to make something that has a one-shot tension building feel to it.