From the introduction: GRIEF, ILLINOIS is a serious-tone game about a town where everyone knows each other, tragedies strike, and players collectively deal with the Anger , Guilt , and Compassion that comes with them. Players will create basic characters, form relationships between characters, deal with the Anger and Guilt that come from tragic events, get older, and do it all again. The game is played in four rounds, with ten years passing between each round. Rounds consist of three parts: preparation done in groups, roleplaying, and the end of round. There will be time at the end to debrief, to allow players to discuss the game, especially if they are having bleed-over feelings from their characters.