ime in Wraith works as it does in real life. It moves forward inexorably and relentlessly. For the most part, everything in Oblivion is played out in real time, and players are expected to stay in character unless they have a rules question.

During the course of a story, it is assumed that a player is always “in character.” A player should only rarely drop character when interacting with other players. Doing so ruins the atmosphere for everyone involved. Challenges may be talked through, but if a player needs to take a break, he should inform a narrator. Furthermore, that player should not interact with any of the other players while out of character. Not knowing if you’re dealing with Desmond the Deathlord or your buddy Frank weakens the shared illusion of the game.

The only other exception is when a Narrator calls for a “time-out.” This may be necessary to resolve a dispute or to change the scene if the story calls for it. When “Time-out!” is called, all players within hearing distance must stop whatever they are doing until the Narrator calls out, “Resume.” Time-outs should be kept to a minimum, since they interrupt the flow of a story.