1. Create the dice pool. Set the 17 unit dice in the dice pool.

2. Prepare the decks. Separate the hero, boss, enemy, map, item, and influence cards from each other.

3. Choose a boss. Select a face-up boss to face and return the rest to the box. Some bosses cannot be faced until certain items and enemies are in play. You may look through the decks before choosing a boss. We recommend “Something Wicked” as the boss for your first game.

4. Choose your hero. Select your hero. You must choose the side of a hero that is currently face-up. Then, return the rest of the heroes to the box. Place the three stat dice beside your hero, set to the hero’s starting stat values.

5. Set the ether. The 20 Strong dial tracks the current ether. Set it to yellow .

6. Shuffle the decks. Find the map card with the Dream Entrance at the center. Place it in the active area. Shuffle the enemy cards, map cards, item cards, and influence cards into separate decks and place them as shown in the play reference.

7. Prepare for the dream. Place the Health die on the Dream Entrance space. This is your starting location.