Before play

Paraphernalia

To play you’ll need writing materials and 6-sided dice.

You may find graph paper useful for drawing maps.

If you’re playing remotely, a whiteboard app or virtual tabletop can be useful, but neither is required.

Safety

Discuss the tone and theme of the game until everyone is comfortable and on the same page.

If you want some extra support consider using safety tools to skip over, shut down, or address harmful topics.

A good place to start is to establish lines and veils.

Lines are topics that you agree in advance to exclude from play, whereas veils are prompts to fade to black when certain topics come up.

For more on safety tools, search online for the award-winning TTRPG Safety Toolkit.

But keep in mind that safety tools aren’t substitutes for kindness and respect.

Roles

One person takes the role of referee, describing a strange and dangerous world, and the others—the players—take the roles of characters exploring it.

If you’re a player, start by making a character. Work together with the group to tie your characters together, and to the world.

If you’re the referee, prepare for the first session of play.

Once everyone is happy with their characters, and the referee has an idea of how to begin, you’re ready to play.