A role playing game for adults, FMA deals with sensitive and taboo topics surrounding depression, sexuality, violence, abuse, addiction, and pain. Bring a plush toy, which you will destroy in the course of play.
The Number One rule of FMA is best-summarized by the phrase “I Will Not Abandon You.†Originally coined by Meguey Baker, it is one approach to serious, difficult role playing; its opposite is “Nobody Gets Hurt.†In FMA, you will get hurt. If you don’t feel angst, sadness, frustration, anger, or emotional distress then you have missed the point of play. This game is about finding those touchstones in you, the actual player, and exploring them to reach a deeper understanding of your actual life, through the lens of a fictional one.
But you will not be abandoned by your fellow players. This rule is inviolate, and those players who eschew it should be invited to leave the game. Then forced to do so. You must play FMA with people in front of whom you feel safe to break down, and who will be ready with comfort and understanding when that happens. Even when things become so intense that everyone needs a break for a few moments, no one is left to suffer such a break alone—even during an intermission, you will not be abandoned.