You find yourself tied to the monsters. The scratchy feeling in your chest. The way your hands tremble. The sweat that dots your upper lip when your senses are telling you a monster is close, again, now, and it’s your job to fight it. To stand up for your ideals and stand up to the threat. Whether you tame it, or this is truly a monster that needs to be slain, only time will tell.

 You know you will succeed. You always have before. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a challenge.

 Grab your gear. Put on your boots. You know how to find it. You know what to do.

 First, you just need to steady yourself.

With Breath & Sword is a solo-journaling TTRPG to help players combat anxiety. 

In the game, you play as a monster-fighter, who is being summoned once again due to the presence of a new monster. Each time a monster appears, you struggle with the emotional effects of the magic: effects that look a lot like anxiety. You must steady yourself before you go off to fight: in the game and in real life.

The Game 

Over the course of WB&S, players will participate in grounding methods and breathing techniques to calm themselves from an anxiety attack. These methods also serve as the game's oracle in order to determine how the story goes. 

By participating in the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method, players are able to determine the traits of the monster, the environment they find it in, the gear they have with them, the ideals they are fighting for, and their heroic core—the trait that makes them a hero. 

By completing cycles of breathing, players set the difficulty of their encounter: the more measured cycles of breath they are able to get through, the easier their fight will be. Although, even if a player is unable to use the breathing techniques in the game, there is no way to lose against the monster: it will just be a bigger challenge. 

It is up to the player whether they are out to tame their monster ... or they wish to slay it. You know, either way, you will succeed. You have faced this challenge before, and always come out the other side.

What You'll Need:

• A safe space to play 
• A method of writing or recording

With Breath & Sword is not a replacement for medication or therapy, but can be used in addition to these things for fuller effect. 

These techniques and more were used by the creator, Luka Brave, during his three years as a disability coach and supervisor for a company that provided services to neurodivergent teens and adults. Luka is currently in a master's program studying therapeutic applications for gaming and is teaching gaming-themed courses.