Cook the Chaos | Introduction

It’s your game now, so play it however you like, in whatever way works. Beyond that generality though, here are three approaches you can try to cook the chaos.

You’re the cook, so stir it solo...

...the players run the kitchen...

...or you as GM can grab the spatula.

This section will help you make the most of each approach, so if you’re playing with others, have a chat and decide whether it’ll be a player-led game, or a GM-led one.

Solo

- when the game refers to the GM, that’s you!

First up, create your character(s) using the souls of the chaos section, adding a few boons of your choice to improve your survivability. Then, using the rumours, jobs, and tables in this section, choose or randomise a scenario to play through. Once you have that in place, as your character(s), come up with your immediate motivation for the scenario you’ve rolled up. Think a little about what might hook your character(s) to engage with the scenario, what might conflict with their goals, how it might be resolved, and whether any twists might come into play. Then grab your dice and play to see what happens, map it out if that helps, and whenever something’s uncertain, roll on the random tables or on any oracles you have to hand, and resolve your outcomes using the game’s mechanics. Then, after each scenario, maybe journal a few sentences, asking yourself what’s changed, and what’s next.

Player-driven

In this game, you’ll see it’s set out with more of an episodic approach, where sessions don’t really need to connect. This can help alleviate scheduling issues with your game sessions, because usually there won’t be any set group of characters, and each session will stand alone. Whoever can attend a session can group up, choose or look for a GM (yep, there can be more than one over different sessions, with different player groups), decide what they’d like to achieve in the session, and then their characters will follow that up, usually beginning and ending at a safe home base.

GM-led

The third option gives you, as the GM, the chance to create challenging scenarios for the player(s) to work through, running it as above, or even creating an overarching arc or plot to tie sessions together, using the tables in the deck. However, this doesn’t mean that you end up lumped with the sole responsibility of ensuring everyone’s fun at the table. Use the random tables here to ramp up the tension, yes, but in each moment, remember that this game’s really about having an ongoing, back & forth conversation, where you’ll present conflict to the player(s) but then turn over to them the task of working through it, encouraging them to think about their goals, to strategise, to explain what they’d like to do, how they’d like to do it, and what it looks like for them as they succeed or fail. You might be the head chef referee when it comes to moving things along or deciding conflicts or interpreting dice rolls, but think of the players as your sous-chefs, and encourage them to step up to the bubbling pot of inspiration with purpose, inclusion, and creativity.

let's get you started

Let's delve a bit deeper before you're let loose into the chaos!