1. Make a Character

Your character will have stats. A 20-sided Dice Check (DC) determines outcomes of choices or situations that involve luck.

And special abilities for certain situations.

What You Will Need

• Your character
• A 20-sided die
• 3 hours of distraction-free time
• A place to play
• A place for notes
• An open mind

General Rules to Follow for a Good Game

• Be respectful
• Let your friends talk
• Only play your character
• Be fair to your GM
• Be a fair GM
• Bring open-mindedness
• No “real-world” interruptions
• Suspend disbelief

2. Learn How to Play

Luck + Skill vs Probability of Success

(Die Roll) + (Stats & Skills) vs (Dice Check)

First, discuss what you are thinking

Narrate your character’s actions, dialogue, and reactions.

Then, say what you want to do

Use action verbs to declare your intent:

Discussion Actions

Decision Actions

Finally, find out what happens

The GM determines whether a die roll is needed. If so, roll a D20, add any modifiers, and compare the total to the Dice Check (DC). Meet or exceed it to succeed.

3. Crunch Time

When the GM calls Crunch Time, the game shifts to structured turns:

1. Everyone rolls a die for initiative — highest goes first, then clockwise.
2. On your turn, you can do one thing only.
3. After all players go, the GM resolves NPC turns.
4. Repeat until the scene concludes.

DC Probability Table

What You Will Need

A scenario, a 20-sided die, 3 hours of distraction-free time, a place to play, a place for notes, and an open mind.

General Rules to Follow for a Good Game

• Manage time
• Help everyone learn
• Offer debrief
• Address topics responsibly

Pre-Game

1. Define the stakeholders and define the aim. Define why you are doing this. Make sure at the end of exercising, this has been achieved.
2. Design a scenario idea to exercise this aim.
3. Create the structure with a 3-act narrative: The Introduction → The Conflict → The Resolution.
4. Prepare injects and complications to keep things interesting and fun. Think about when to provide obstacles to navigate. Use random tables for preparation and keep them on hand during play.

Mid-Game

Balance Your Hats

• Explaining and interpreting the rules
• Breaking the ice for roleplay
• Controlling the spotlight of focus
• Portraying NPCs, organisations, and their agendas and motivations
• Expressing and painting the setting and scene
• Shaping and directing the tempo and narrative arc
• Refereeing outcomes and arbitrating where appropriate

Guide the Players

First, discuss what they are thinking — narrate character actions, dialogue, and reactions. Then, say what they want to do. Finally, find out what happens.

Discussion Actions

Decision Actions

Create Situations, Not Plots

Interesting situations should contain:

• Sufficient Information
• Consequential Impact
• An Interesting Choice

Listen and Respond

Scenarios are a conversation. Your role as the GM is to describe scenes, listen to how players react, and then interpret what happens next.

Dice Checks

A 20-sided Dice Check (DC) determines outcomes:

Luck + Skill vs Probability of Success

(Die Roll) + (Stats & Skills) vs (Dice Check)

Crunch Time

When you call Crunch Time:

1. All players roll a die for initiative — highest goes first, then clockwise.
2. Each player takes one action per turn.
3. After all players go, resolve NPC and entity turns.
4. Repeat until the scene concludes.

Post-Game

• Ask players: What went well?
• Ask players: What did not?
• Ask players: What surprised you?
• Identify areas of improvement. Discuss strategies to address them.
• Acknowledge the learning mindset — identify patterns and the power of learning from mistakes.

DC Probability Table