Facilitators

Building Scenarios and Exercises

Create templates, edit narratives, and configure exercise rules.

Getting Started with Scenarios

Scenarios form the backbone of your tabletop exercises. They dictate the narrative, the objectives, and the pacing of the incident simulation.

1. Pick starting content

Start from a library template (Breachday originals or CISA-style packages) or duplicate an exercise your organization already built. Starting from a template is the fastest way to run your first exercise.

2. Review or edit the scenario

Once you have your starting material, review and customize the narrative.

  • Objectives: What are you trying to test?
  • Phases: Logical chapters of the exercise (e.g., Detection, Containment, Recovery).
  • Injects: These are events that unfold in order. You can set timing hints for scheduled releases or set them for manual release. You can also include discussion questions or references.

If your plan includes it, attach affected IT assets and/or BIA processes so your reports speak in business terms, not only IT jargon.

4. Define or confirm roles

Ensure the roles match who will be in the room. Participants will select these roles when they join the room.