Players will first spend some time together creating a group of rabbits to play during the game and discussing the types of rabbits each person wants to portray. One player will act as the GM and ask some questions of the other players — their answers will flesh out the PCs' warren and the problems that it faces, to be further developed in gameplay. Playing The Warren involves the GM and all the players engaging in a conversation. The players will describe their characters' words, thoughts, and actions. Meanwhile, the GM will describe the world surrounding the PCs, its inhabitants, and the consequences of their actions.

When players describe doing something that is a given, the GM will describe their success. When players describe their PCs doing something that is impossible, the GM will tell them so and describe their failure. The imagined events that everyone is contributing to, throughout the conversation, is known as the fiction. Everybody will ask and answer questions, and these contributions will shape the details of the fiction. There is no fixed order to who gets to talk when, just the normal flow of a regular conversation — sometimes you'll be talking, lots of times you'll be listening, and once in a while someone will politely interrupt. At times, even the rules will politely interrupt the conversation in the form of moves.

Moves are the core mechanism of The Warren. Moves work by advancing the fiction. There are two broad categories of moves — player moves and GM moves.

Player moves all represent important aspects of being a rabbit. They are broken into three categories: Basic moves, Special moves, and Character moves. Basic moves are things that all rabbits do frequently in their day-to-day lives, while Special moves are important things that rabbits do, though perhaps less frequently. Character moves are things that make a rabbit unique, a special trait or aptitude that only they possess. Not every action a PC takes will correspond to a move. Much of the time you will just describe what your rabbit does, says, or thinks and the GM will likewise say what happens.

The text of each Player move begins with a trigger, a concrete event in the fiction, which always causes the move to take effect. Sometimes a move's effect involves a die roll but not always. Whenever a player takes an action that triggers a move, the conversation pauses while the move is resolved, and then the conversation continues, taking into account the effects of the move. Everyone at the table should keep an eye out for situations where a move might be triggered.

If it is ever unclear whether a move has been triggered or not, then the GM should ask additional questions to clarify the situation. Sometimes this will mean asking the player what they are trying to do and discussing ways that they can make the fiction match the move that they want to trigger. Other times players will describe both their action and its outcome and you may have to backtrack to where their action should trigger a move. At times, players may even describe taking an action that triggers a move and then realize that they don't want to make that move and need to describe a different course of action.

Player characters may only trigger moves that are available to them — Basic moves, Special moves, and Character moves. They cannot trigger moves chosen by other players or moves that have been lost due to scars. Characters won't necessarily trigger all of the moves available to them during the course of play — it's entirely up to the actions they take in the fiction.

When a move calls for a roll, it will usually be presented as "roll+" followed by a PC stat, e.g. roll+Swift. Unless otherwise stated, this means that the player who triggered the move should roll two six-sided dice (2d6) and add (or subtract) the value of the listed stat from their sum. The move will then list the possible outcomes according to the resulting sum. Frequently, a low roll will elicit a move by the GM. The GM will never need to roll the dice. Some moves will use words like "forward", "ongoing", or "hold". These are bonuses that you can use in play. When a move tells you to "take [some number] forward", e.g. take +1 forward, that means you get to add that number to your next roll. Sometimes it will specify which type of roll you can apply the modifier to. When a move tells you to "take [some number] ongoing", e.g. take +1 ongoing, that means you get to add that number to each roll thereafter. Sometimes a move will specify which rolls the ongoing modifier will apply to or a condition under which the ongoing modifier no longer applies. When a move tells you to "hold" some number, e.g. hold 2, that means that you have already succeeded and you may activate the move's effects that number of times when you see fit. It might be immediately, it might be a little later in the conversation — it's up to you.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 18:26, Thu 02 June 2016.

GMs have their own moves. Just like Player moves, GM moves help move the fiction forward. Unlike players, GMs will never need to roll the dice. GM moves work a little differently and are more direct — often prompting the GM to introduce a specific type of complication or adversity to the story. GM moves are either "soft" or "hard". Soft moves introduce a threat or complication — something the PCs can respond to, overcome, or avoid. Hard moves, on the other hand, introduce the hardship or consequence itself. Most of what a GM says while playing The Warren can be considered a move of one sort or the other. Soft moves are important because they telegraph what might happen in the fiction, giving players an opportunity to act and change or avoid that outcome. Soft moves are changes to the fiction that often prompt players to make a move. Hard moves are the inevitable consequences that result from soft moves or unsuccessful Player moves, and they often involve mechanical penalties. Using a hard move without a preceding soft move will feel especially harsh to players. Threat and predator moves are GM moves that are specific to certain aspects of the fiction.

In The Warren, you start the game with a single player character, a rabbit, through which you interact with the fiction. Throughout the game, you may end up playing other rabbits. As a player, your agenda is to play your character like a real "person". This means imbuing them with their own opinions, agendas, hopes, strengths, and foibles. This means they are aware that their actions have consequences, for themselves and others. All rabbits start play as members of the same warren. Your rabbits might not start out or end up as the best of friends but they will often rely on one another to survive. Sometimes players' characters will come into conflict. This is all fine and well. Sometimes rabbits will be just horrible to one another. This too is fine. It is important, however, that character conflict should not spill over into player conflict. If you think things might get deliciously ugly, it's a good idea to check in with the other player to collaborate on the dark path ahead.

Panicking can ruin the best-laid plans and seal the fate of an individual rabbit or even that of a whole warren. When you panic, you're in a bad spot. When a PC reaches their maximum Panic — usually as a result of a few failed Resist Panic moves — they temporarily lose control and the GM gets to decide which of the rabbit's instincts takes hold:

• Fight — You flail wildly, kicking and biting any nearby, or you see red and attack regardless of consequence.
  
  
• Flight —  You run blindly until you are alone, or you flee into unconsciousness.
  
  
• Fright — You freeze, unable to move or even cry out, or you scream uncontrollably.

A rabbit that succumbs to panic is a rabbit at its most vulnerable. Without help, they are at everyone's mercy and no one needs roll to act against them — the GM will simply narrate the outcomes of any actions taken by PCs or NPCs. A panicked rabbit that is neither injured nor threatened will eventually regain their wits all on their own but not until the situation changes and the GM gives the all clear. The Help/Hinder move can be useful for restoring a panicked rabbit's senses. When another rabbit decreases a panicked rabbit's Panic score, they immediately come to their senses and their player regains control. Of course, a malicious rabbit might also use Help/Hinder to increase another rabbit's Panic score, thereby causing them to panic!

You may notice that, aside from one or two Character moves (such as Tooth And Claw), there are no moves for directly doing violence — this is an intentional omission! Only a few rabbits will be big, mean, or experienced enough for violence to be a go-to option. Most rabbits will have to be clever to survive and get their way. Does this mean you can’t do violence? No, but it does mean that you have to say what your rabbit does and that the GM gets to decide what happens. A clever rabbit will do all they can to make sure that the situation they create points toward their victory. Here are some guidelines for resolving potentially violent situations:

• If two or more PCs are fighting, this most likely triggers the Compete move.
  
  
• If an NPC is attacking the PC, it’s a GM move. This will probably start with a soft move followed by asking what the PC does next.
  
  
• If the PC wants to fight an NPC, the GM should ask them how do they do it. Do they have a relevant move that is triggered? If not, it's up to the GM to decide the outcome.
  
  
• Has the PC set up a favorable situation or is this pure folly? Let them just do the violence or treat it as a golden opportunity to make a hard move, respectively.

As the GM, keep an eye out for other moves that may be used to resolve the situation. Is the PC starting the fight with threats? Consider using Speak Plainly and determine the outcome from there. Maybe you say, "Hindpaw is no runt, you can drive him off if you can keep your nerve up — roll to Resist Panic" or "You get in a good nip but Hindpaw lunges forward, pinning your ear to the ground — are you going to Struggle free?" Whatever methods you use, keep in mind that looking for a fight is always going to be dicey.

Any rabbit of sufficient age bears the physical and psychological scars of a lifetime of hardship and predation. Player characters accumulate scars when a move calls for them to gain a scar or when physical or mental trauma follows from the fiction. Non-player characters may be injured or even slain when a player's move calls for it or when the fiction dictates they should die. When a PC gains a scar, they must pick one Basic or Character move (but not a Special move) that they may no longer make, based on the nature of the wound. They should cross the lost move off of their rabbit playbook and describe how the injury relates to the lost move.

Moves that are crossed off are no longer available to that character. If a Character move is crossed off in this manner, it is immediately available for other rabbits to take as their advance for the session. No rabbit may reclaim a move during the same chapter in which they lost that move. Whenever a lost move would normally be triggered, the GM will treat it as though they rolled a 6- and make a GM move as a result. Importantly, triggering a lost move doesn't mean that the PC's action fails but it does mean that the situation will become more dire. Players should be on the lookout for situations where lost moves would otherwise be triggered and accept the consequences of a 6- or choose a different course of action.

Gaining a scar need not be the end of a rabbit. Losing a move or three in this manner can make for a fun creative constraint and playing to past traumas can make for excellent fiction. However, a PC’s scars will begin to slow them down — when a PC has three or more scars, consider retiring the rabbit.

In a one-shot game, retiring a rabbit can make for high drama and become the pivotal moment of the game. In a multi-chapter game, character turnover makes for good games by telling more of the warren's stories. Retiring your rabbit also means that your Character moves go back into the pool for others to choose. Sometimes players will want to have a dramatic death scene or take a fated action to ensure that their death counts for something. A rabbit's death needn't be described in detail — maybe they lead a predator off into the tall grass, never to be heard from again. Player characters can also be retired when their player opts to let them adopt a more static role in the fiction. They become another member of the warren.

While retired rabbits are no longer under the control of a player, they will remain a rabbit of note within the warren because of their relationships and past deeds. Once a PC is retired, the GM is free to use them as an NPC and any Character moves they possessed are immediately available for other rabbits take when they advance. The player is also free to create a new PC to play — preferably a rabbit that already has ties to the existing fiction. Perhaps they will play a young rabbit just coming of age, an adult rabbit that has not yet played a role in the fiction, or perhaps even a rabbit from another warren already established in the fiction.