If you’re the Game Master (‘GM’) running the game, or are flying solo (hey, you're the GM and the player), first grab some d6 dice, then lead the player(s) or yourself through the souls of the chaos character creation, using or sharing with them the relevant information & how to approach the game. Characters can be made quickly in this game, but it involves some creative imagination, so you or the player(s) might feel pressured to flesh things out rapidly. Feel free to remember and make clear, however, that not everything about the character(s) need sorted right away, that during the game you can explore things like what their weapon looks like, or something about their failed career, opening some time to think and also to shape character(s)’ details depending on what unfurls in the game.
Once the party’s set, head to cook the chaos & use its rumours, jobs, and tables to randomise a wild scenario for the character(s) to run though in this session. But if you’d prefer a little more prep, you could just cook the chaos before the session, so that you can taste test & chew over what might happen and how best to present it all.
If you're using the physical deck for the game, you’ll see that its sections are divided by colour. Feel free to separate out those sections & cards you need on the table, and if you’re using any other Venger’s Decks or random tables for your loot, NPCs, encounters, and so on, make sure they’re readily to hand. Although there are lots of random tables in this game, remember that everyone’s free to roll these tables at random, or alternatively, to avoid the bell curve of likely results and to use them just as inspiration, choosing what’s needed in the moment.
collect the bones...
As GM, it’s your job to take each scenario you’ve prepared or rolled up at random, and to present it for the character(s). A cool way to do that is by creating hooks, in other words, focusing on nailing the presentation of encounters to entice the player(s) to engage with the them, and some conflict, in other words sprinkling in challenges for the character(s) to make them think, to widen their eyes, to convey danger or pressure. Use the random tables for this if you like, and try to do it without planning, or thinking through, how what you’ve presented might be resolved. That’s for the player(s) to work out, and for you to be neutral about, albeit with the goal of fun for everyone around the table. But as they work through what you present, have a think about any twists they might face once any conflict ends up resolved, how what’s just happened might fit in with everything else that’s been unfurling in the game, or with any goals the character(s) might have been mulling over or developing.
... and flesh ‘em out.
The rules in this game are light. The idea is to give you more head space to focus on presenting conflict at every turn, on fleshing out and visualising indelible scenarios, on simulating together the fictionally consistent reality of each and every in-game moment. And so, the answer to any questions that arise may not lie in this deck. Instead, it’s more likely to be found within the folds of your imagination, inspired by what makes sense in the moment, by what flows organically from the approach taken, and the decisions made, by the character(s), creatures, and NPCs. But if you ever do need some guidance, look to the random tables, look to the dice, look to the player(s), and see what sparks.
let's get you started
1. RULES...If you'd like to check out the rules for running The Chaos solo or with a group, dive into the rules of the chaos. Wait, that's right...you're already here! So from here you can begin either with an introduction to how to play this game solo, or you can fire into the rules.
2. CHARACTER CREATION...Or if you're looking for the character creation side of things, here be the souls of the chaos section.
3. CREATE A SESSION...And once you're sorted with the rules and character(s), kick off a random scenario in cook the chaos.
4. CREATURES...Need some monsters to jump out of the dark shadows? Look no further than creatures of the chaos.
5. RANDOM TABLES...Oh, and if you're looking for more random tables to spread, well, chaos in your game, here are some curiosities of the chaos. And there's also the random rolls generators here.
6. EXAMPLE OF PLAY...And finally, here's a little example of the chaos to give you a flavour of how an encounter might play out at the table.