t is your role as Storyteller (aided by Narrators) to guide players through the character generation process. It is generally best to have character creation go on off-line, well before your actual game action starts. This enables you to gauge accurately the power level and mood of your game. In addition, character histories will enable you to create plotlines that will force characters to interact. Backgrounds will also allow you to bring in faces, places, and item from a wraith’s past; always useful if the action starts to flag.

After your players arrive for the game session, you need to introduce them to the basic premise of the game. Your main goal should be to make story contribution as easy as possible for players. If players are beginners, show them the basics, but let them discover the intricacies of the game on their own. Hopefully everyone playing will have at least a basic idea of the rules, but be prepared to field questions and help out beginners.

Start by laying out any briefing sheets you want to use on a table and invite players to look them over. If players can refer to the briefings while they listen to your explanations, they’ll understand how things work a lot better.

If you’re running an extended chronicle, odds are that most of your players will simply show up and start playing once you declare things “on line.” This makes your job a lot easier – who wants to do briefings at the beginning of every session? – but be careful to catch new players who might get lost in the shuffle. Bringing them into line with what the rest of the game is already doing will make everyone happier than if new players accidentally find themselves swimming upstream against established plots and characters.