THE GLITCH VAULT
Welcome to the Glitch Vault
What it is:
The Glitch Vault is a hidden digital-mechanical system buried beneath a legendary arcade. It exists to stabilize perception, attention, and visual processing. When the system begins malfunctioning, reality inside becomes unstable—symbols flicker, pathways shift, illusions distort, and space itself becomes unreliable.
Tone & Feel:
Retro-futuristic · digital fantasy · mysterious · immersive · slightly surreal
Think glowing symbols, shifting light paths, flickering environments, and glitching enemies
Therapeutic Lens:
Every environment is intentionally designed to create opportunities for:
Visual scanning
Tracking
Near–far shifts
Visual-motor integration
Visual discrimination
Sustained attention
The player experiences a cohesive dungeon-style story, while the therapist delivers structured vision therapy inside a motivating narrative frame.
THE GLITCH VAULT – GM SCRIPT
Who this is for: Occupational Therapists running a TTRPG-style vision therapy session
How to use this page:
● You can read the READ ALOUD sections verbatim
● Follow GM DO THIS
● Dice rolls add story tension but do not replace the therapy task
● You may adapt narration, the script will suggest specific rolls for your client to make, but allow the client to guide the story and come up with creative ways to solve the problems, sometimes requiring a different roll than the one suggested
BEFORE YOU START
GM DO THIS:
● Place dice, blank paper, character sheet, and a pencil in front of the client
● Keep all worksheets face-down
READ ALOUD:
“We’re going to play a short table top role playing game. I’ll describe the world, you tell me what you want to do, and sometimes we’ll roll dice to see how it goes.”
BEFORE YOU START
GM DO THIS:
● Place dice, blank paper, character sheet, and a pencil in front of the client
● Keep all worksheets face-down
READ ALOUD:
“We’re going to play a short table top role playing game. I’ll describe the world, you tell me what you want to do, and sometimes we’ll roll dice to see how it goes.”
SCENE 1 – THE REHAB ARCADE (Character Selection & Copying)
Focus: Visual tracking, near‐point copying
READ ALOUD:
“You grew up visiting the Rehab Arcade—a place whispered about like a legend. Some said it was just games. Others swore the arcade sharpened focus and changed how people saw the world. Hidden beneath the humming cabinets lies the Glitch Vault, a system designed to recalibrate perception itself. For years, it ran silently in the background, keeping everything in balance. But recently, something went wrong. Screens began to flicker. Paths duplicated. Players reported seeing things that weren’t there, or missing things that were. The attendants tried to shut the system down. It didn’t respond. So tonight, they made a different choice. They chose you. A nearby screen flickers to life, loading the available hero profiles.”
GM DO THIS:
● Place the archetype + stat sheet in front of the client
● Prop it so the client must shift focus between it and their own paper
SAY:
“Read through the profiles and choose who you want to be.”
GM DO THIS NEXT:
● Have the client copy their chosen archetype, stat bonuses, gear, and ability onto their
character sheet
● Have the client name their character
ROLL: Have client roll Mind
● 10+ → “Your profile loads cleanly.”
● 7–9 → “Minor glitches, but it works.”
● 6‐ → “The system stutters—but lets you through.”
READ ALOUD:
“The screen accepts your input. Your chosen profile locks into place. For a moment, everything goes still. Then the floor beneath you hums, and the massive door ahead unlocks with a sharp digital click. Beyond it, you catch a glimpse of something wrong...symbols where solid ground should be. The Vault is already testing you.”
SCENE 2 – THE SYMBOL FLOOR (Cancellation Task)
Focus: Visual scanning, figure–ground
READ ALOUD:
“Beyond the vault door, stretches a wide chamber. The floor is tiled with symbols: letters, arrows, strange icons. Some flicker. Some vanish. A warning flashes briefly: ONLY CERTAIN SYMBOLS ARE STABLE.”
GM DO THIS:
● Place the cancellation worksheet in front of the client
ROLL: Mind or Luck (to identify targets)
● 10+ → “You look at the floor and it is as if certain symbols are glowing more than others.” (Tell them which symbols to find.)
● 7–9 → “You aren’t sure... it seems like some may be glowing slightly more than others...” (Tell them which symbols to find.)
● 6- → “The floor looks like a glowing mess of symbols and arrows.” (Client must try another idea and roll again.)
SAY:
“Find and mark only the stable symbols. Ignore the rest.”
(Client completes worksheet.)
READ ALOUD:
“As you step off the last stable tile, the symbols behind you flicker and vanish. The room seals itself, as if satisfied, for now. Ahead, light spills across the floor, forming glowing lines that twist and turn. They don’t stay still.”
SCENE 3 – THE SHIFTING MAZE (Visual‐Motor Integration)
Focus: Visual‐motor skills
READ ALOUD:
“Light spills across the floor, forming a glowing maze. At first it looks stable. Then you blink. The paths subtly shift.”
GM DO THIS:
● Place the printed maze in front of the client
SAY:
“Trace a path to the exit.”
ROLL DURING TASK: Agility
(You may have client roll multiple times while narrating.)
● 10+ → “Your movement stays steady.”
● 7–9 → “The path narrows, but you are still on track.”
● 6- → “The maze shifts—adjust.” (Turn the paper.)
READ ALOUD:
“The maze dissolves the moment you reach the end. The glowing lines retract, leaving smooth walls and six sealed doors ahead.”
SCENE 4 – THE ILLUSION GALLERY (Spot the Difference)
Focus: Visual discrimination, memory
READ ALOUD:
“Each door pulses softly with colored light. Nearby screens show nearly identical images...Nearly.”
GM DO THIS:
● Place the spot-the-difference image in front of the client
SAY:
“There are six differences between these two images. Each difference will unlock one door. Find all six to unlock the correct door.”
Optional Narration:
● Quick correct → “You grab the real key.”
● Slow correct → “You hesitate, but recover it.”
● Incorrect → “The illusion resets—look again.”
READ ALOUD:
“The correct choice causes the room to respond immediately. One door unlocks with a low mechanical tone. As it opens, you feel a shift, like the Vault is no longer testing you, but watching you. Beyond the doorway, the space opens wide. This is the core.”
SCENE 5 – THE VAULT CORE (Mapping Combat)
Focus: Near–far shifts · Visual tracking · Spatial mapping · Sustained attention
READ ALOUD:
“You step into the heart of the Glitch Vault. The room is massive, platforms float at different heights, and walls slide in and out of view. At the center, something moves. A figure made of static and broken symbols pulls itself together, glitching from place to place whenever you look away. This is the Vault’s last defense. If you want to leave, you’ll have to face it.”
GM DO THIS:
● Keep one copy of the map visible but out of reach
● Give the client the other map
● Point out the player’s starting position
SAY:
“To fight this, you’ll need to keep track of the room. Look at my map, then copy what you see onto yours. You’ll need to keep checking back—nothing stays still for long.”
THE GLITCH GUARDIAN (enemy)
● Hits: 5
Special Rule – Glitch Movement:
● At the start of each round, move the Guardian on your map
● Client must look up and update their map
COMBAT FLOW
Repeat rounds until the Guardian reaches 0 hits.
1. Map Update
● GM moves Guardian
● SAY: “The Guardian glitches to a new position.”
(Client updates their map.)
2. Player Turn
● ASK: “What do you want to do?”
● Roll based on desired action: Below are suggestions
○ Agility (movement)
○ Might/Dexterity (attack)
○ Mind (prediction)
3. Guardian Turn
● GM chooses Guardian action, roll if needed: Below are suggestions
○ Move to a new platform
○ Attack the player
○ Dialogue with the player
4. Resolve Rolls
● 10+ → Success (Guardian loses 1 hit if attacked)
● 7–9 → Success with consequence
● 6- → Miss; Guardian shifts position
Feel free to be creative in narrating what happens, for example:
● platforms destabilize
● vision distorts
● Guardian forces repositioning
ENDING THE FIGHT
When the Guardian reaches 0 hits:
READ ALOUD:
“The Guardian freezes mid-glitch. Its form breaks apart into fragments of light. The room steadies. Platforms lock into place. For the first time since you entered, the Vault is quiet.”
ENDING – READ ALOUD:
“One by one, the distortions fade, as if the Vault is finally catching its breath. Above you, far beyond the walls, the arcade returns to its steady glow. For now, the system is stable.”
Evidence:
While the effectiveness of TTRPGs in vision therapy have not been published at this time, the evidence available suggests a positive impact. Check out the Rehab Arcade’s TTRPG page for more information about this.
Below is evidence in support of the specific interventions used throughout this one-shot: