In I Will Survive, players take on the role of one of six explorers, each with a unique combination of shield and weapon abilities. Each round consists of turns, and on each turn each player secretly chooses one of three moves – attack, defend, reload – then they all simultaneously make a gesture to signal their move. If a player defends, which costs a shield, no one can damage him this turn; if a player attacks, which costs a weapon, he injures the player targeted if that player did not defend himself; if he reloads, he reclaims spent tokens. Anyone injured moves one step closer to the cannibal's cauldron.