As I have over 7000 hours of Rimworld I thought it is only fair to write a quick guide so you can all make the same mistakes as I have. Because trust me, whenever I start a new game, those 1000s of hours of experience go straight out the window. So here’s 10 easy steps for you.

(abc = optional/alternative)

1. Get the game

2. Run the game. Let the fun begin

2b. Get a load of incompatible mods and spend hours trying to get the game to load, or even actually start

2c. Use the scenario editor to prepare a game, using anything but the the default settings

3. Start a new game, (optionally using the scenario you just made), pick any storyteller/difficulty.

4a. Pick a spot on the map that looks visually appealing or just hit random, or;

4b. Spend hours looking for the perfect tile, trying different map seeds

5. Create some colonists by clicking random buttons until you think, “yeah, this isn’t going to work”, or;

5b. Spend half an hour tweaking your starting colonists until they form a perfect ensemble for losing the game like a boss

6. Wait for the game to start, depending on how many mods you use, from 30 seconds to 3 hours.

7a. Turn on dev mode if you want to be, or are, a dev

7b. Turn on god mode if you are a god

8. Start clicking like a maniac on all the buttons, colonist, animals. Pick any game-speed, pause whenever you feel like it

9a. Follow the tutorial, or;

9b. disable the tutorial

10. Watch total chaos unfold when bad things start happening. Watch your colony burn to the ground. Say “Oh well, better luck next time.”

10b. Start over, or;

10c. Savescum to try again, or;

10c. Actually complete one of the ways to win the game and actually finish it. I have probably done this 5 times, out of the 100s of games I have started

There is no right way of playing Rimworld. People saying “that’s not the way Rimworld is meant to be played” do not know what they are talking about.