Tabletop Exercises

Add dice to an exercise!

A fun and engaging way to enhance a tabletop exercise is to add elements of random chance using dice. Stay tuned for additional exercises that incorporate dice. Security teams can also get started by using premade games from Backdoors and Breaches from Black Hills Security. 

logo for backdoors and breaches. image of a d 20 dice 

Best Practices

  • Assign roles accordingly. Always have a participant assigned to running the exercise, as well as a designated note-taker. 
  • Plan the exercise for at least 60 minutes, followed by a 30-minute debrief on lessons learned.
  • Determine if the exercise should be technologist-centric or high level. Tabletops that involve executive leadership should focus on the business impact of security incidents.
  • Encourage active participation and collaboration among team members during tabletop exercises.
  • Document key observations, lessons learned, and action items for post-exercise review and improvement. 
  • Conduct regular tabletop exercises to test response plans, validate security controls, and adapt to emerging threats.
  • Tailor scenarios to reflect the organization's unique risk profile, industry regulations, and technological environment.