The game begins with the GM provides the players with their opening; a description of the current state of affairs that the players find themselves in.

This can be a little challenging when it's assumed the players don't know each other, so it may be helpful to assume the players are associated somehow beforehand - say through a guild or having met at some establishment, or are together as travellers in some transport together, or even just assuming they are friendly acquaintances. Perhaps some unfortunate event brings them together instead, such as being kidnapped or finding themselves the mutual victims of marauders.

The GM will then ask the players how they want to proceed, and the players will make up their minds and venture forth.

The game continues, alternating between the player and and GM phases until the story reaches it's conclusion, and the session ends.

The Player Phase is when the player (or players) can take some kind of action, or ask the GM for clarification about simple, immediately obvious, matters or things in the environment.

There are three major, important kinds of actions a player can take during their turn.

If a player wants to do something trivial, like talk to someone, or butter some toast, or take a look around, they simply tell the GM, who will tell them what the outcome of that action was. These actions will typically pass time, and may even do so intentionally.

But beware! While some actions may appear trivial, they may have hidden risks! The GM may require the player to use Defy Danger or some other kind of move to avoid peril. Failure (rolling 6 or below) may yield serious consequences, or the GM may simply be testing the player's luck and finding out how good the result of their actions were.

Sometimes a player may want to do something dangerous on purpose. Such things might not be covered by use of a move, but would expose the player to some kind of risk. In these cases, the GM will typically ask the player to roll Defy Danger with a given stat, and may apply a penalty (rolling -1) or boon (rolling +1) depending on whatever factors they decide.

At any given point in time, a player may want to use a move to do something cool. This may be one of the basic moves or one of the advanced moves on the character's sheet.

Typically, all a player needs to do is tell the GM what they want to do with the move, and offer some insight into how or on what as the move requires, and the GM will either ask them to roll or tell the player if that's not possible or if they have some other problem to deal with first.

Once they get the go-ahead from the GM, the player will roll and, depending on the outcome of the roll either succeed, succeed with flying colors, or fail.

Once a player has done something, the GM may respond or wait for other players to respond as well. Kamisekai doesn't have a strict turn-ordering system of any sort, but some actions may happen in parallel and others may happen in sequence. For instance, if someone talks to an NPC, the NPC may respond immediately as long as other players are not doing something while that's going on.

While the GM has absolute power within the context of a session, we can outline a few common things they're likely to do.

Enemies can strike players at will, dealing out damage or harming armor, or inflicting ailments. Common sense should prevail, but monsters and NPCs are not restricted to the same kinds of actions players are, so regard them with caution.

Typically, a GM should warn a player an attack from an enemy is forthcoming, and give them a chance to use a move in response to it. However, a fast-striking enemy or ambush may skip such an opportunity entirely. Again, it is up to the GM to determine what the outcome of events are.

Sometimes the danger doesn't come from a living creature, as much as the environment itself. The GM may ask players to roll Defy Danger to avoid a hazard such as strong winds or a sketchy cliff-side. Alternatively, the GM may ask the players to use Stealth and avoid a dangerous enemy, or give them the chance to confront it directly.

Peril can take other forms too, such as exposure to poison, a trap left on the ground, or binding vines, anything the imagination can concoct!

In the interests of moving things along, a GM may require the player(s) to make a decision. They may find it useful to require the players to make a decision quickly, forgoing conversation under threat of consequences for taking too long or dragging things out.

When players fail rolls, or make bad decisions they may face consequences, or not. Consequences can take many forms, and the GM will typically describe them for the player in detail.

(GMs should read the consequences page for recommendations.))