Who is this for? Why Critical Core?

Critical Core is for anyone from age 9 to 109. It follows a format familiar to many
other role-playing games, but with special considerations. As players play Critical
Core, they will be developing and enhancing the Core Capacities that are critical
for building relationships and having meaning ful social interactions. Critical Core
enables this growth through a unique adventure module design and through the
practices covered in the Facilitator’s Guide. While the specific developmental
capacities in the Critical Core adventure modules are targeted to specific au-
tism-related outcomes, they can be adapted and modified to meet the needs of any
playing group.

Getting Started
Critical Core is usually played around a table with pencils, paper, and dice. Most of
the players will be playing a character in the game, often called a “player character”
or “PC,” while one player (often a parent or other mentor) will act as the “game
master.” The game master is a player with special responsibilities for guiding and
facilitating the game experience. This player should make sure to read the Game
Master’s Guide for more about this important role before beginning.

Players who will be playing PCs will select the character they’d like to play from
the character sheets included with the Critical Core kit. These sheets cover the
attributes and unique abilities of each specific character. Players can then create
the unique name and backstory of their character and get ready to jump right into
the adventure.

The Critical Core role-playing game is built on the 5th Edition ruleset of the
world’s most popular role-playing game, designed to reduce barriers and get play-
ers playing quickly. The modules in Critical Core use many monsters and items
from that system, and could be easily adapted back to 5E. Additionally, if you are
already familiar with another role-playing game system and you and your players
have the skills and knowledge to play it, you can skip straight to the Facilitator’s
Guide, using the wisdom therein to play your favorite RPG incorporating many of
the benefits of Critical Core.

For Later On
By the time players reach 5th level in Critical Core, they will likely be equipped to
transition into a more comprehensive role-playing game system. You can continue
to use the Critical Core Facilitator’s Guide and the targeted structure of the module
design to augment other role playing games for years to come.
What’s in the digital game kit?
1. Introduction Sheet (this document)
2. Game Master Guide
3. Facilitator’s Guide
4. Adventure Modules
i. The Little Town of Tusk
ii. The Festival of the Birds
iii. The Age of Green
5. Game tokens
6. Character Sheets
i. Original Full Color
ii. Original Without Artwork
iii. Print Friendly
7. Spell Cards
8. Ability Cards
9. Monster Cards
10. Game Master Screen
11. World Map
12. Additional Artwork including monsters, characters, and
maps for use in a digital game space.

For more useful resources, visit criticalcore.org

Want to make the most of Critical Core? Help your players experience
even more insight, growth, and positive change (while having even
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