CHRONOS Universal LARP System Storyteller Guide

GAME ORGANIZER’S GUIDE
Jason Stull (order #10660126)

Disclaimer
This book provides rules for a theatrical non-contact role playing game.
Although these rules provide for the safest experience we can create,
you assume the risks that are associated with any physical activity you
participate in and are ultimately responsible for your own safety. This
includes the use of safe props, safe and proper interaction, choosing a
safe and legal place to play, and adjusting for terrain and weather.
Eschaton Media INC, its employees, and related companies assume no

responsibility or liability, including but not limited to injury, damage, or
loss incurred by using these rules in a role playing game setting. You
are responsible for complying with all local, state, and federal laws,
regulations, and statutes.
Finally, remember that this is just a game.
Stay Safe and Have Fun!

Credits
Original Concept
Megan Dawson Jaffe
Joshua Brain Jaffe
R.M. Sean Jaffe
Michael Pucci
Matthew Volk
Ashley Zdeb
Writers
Shoshana Kessock
Ian Powell
Josh Harrison
Michael Pucci
Sean Jaffe
Layout & Design

Joshua Brain Jaffe
Editing
Megan Dawson Jaffe
Art
Jaclyn Wellner
Matthew Volk
Producer
Ashley Zdeb
With special thanks to all of our play testers, friends, loved ones, and
supporters over 8 years of development and toil. Without you we could
not have made CHRONOS a reality.
Also Very SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR

Kickstarter Supporters
eschatonmedia.com/chronos

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 6
“A Universal Constant: Part 1”
ORGANIZER
Telling the Story 10
INTERMISSION 40
METACHARACTER
The Metacharacter 44
creation System
USING THE STORYTELLER DECK 59
FUELING A GAME 63

CONCLUSION 68
LEXICON 72

INTRODUCTION
Pools of stagnant water flooded the alley’s cracked pavement. Nora
crouched behind a dumpster and tried not to think how hard it would be
to get the stink of the filth out of her three-piece suit. Instead, she stared
at the text message on her phone.
THE HANGED CAT BAR. FIND ROSS BY EIGHT-FORTY.
Nora shook her head. Ever cryptic, her Man in White. It had been
six months since her rescue at the Java Shack, six months since she’d
nearly been killed by a runaway drunk driver. In those six months
she’d worked with the Man in White, who had shown her things about
the world she’d never believed were real. She’d learned secrets and
become a part of an underlying mystery spanning back generations.
She’d tasted what the Man in White had called Aether and understood
how it bound everything together. She’d become his right hand and
INTRODUCTION
his emissary. Some days, it meant going on errands like this one. The
Man in White’s errands never made a whole lot of sense. Being so
disconnected from mundane life, he sometimes forgot the common
courtesies of life. Like explanations and full sentences. Nora checked the
time; it was eight thirty five. She was cutting it close.
The back door to the Hanged Cat slammed open. A body flew out,
rolled down the two stairs and into a filthy puddle with a yelp. Nora
winced at the impact as two men stepped out onto the landing. One
was huge, all muscles in a black leather jacket and boots that would
dwarf her head. He was clearly the body launcher.
6
Beside the man-mountain, the second man shook his head. His brown
hair stuck up at odd angles as he raked a hand through it, then rolled
up the sleeves on his purple button-down shirt. He swaggered down the
two steps after the body and took out a cigarette. “If you wanna make
this hard on yourself,” he growled around the cigarette, “then fine. But
didja have to spill the drink on the jacket? It’s imported!”
The big guy came down off the stairs too. “Which one? The jacket or
the booze?”
Purple Shirt shook his head. “You’re cutting into my jive, Max, for
real. Just give him a boost.”
The big man looked confused, then shrugged and grabbed for the
man on the pavement. Nora imagined his big hands wrapping around
the man’s throat and she checked her watch again - eight thirty-seven.
Was this when it happened? Someone’s life was about to change, and
she had to get in the middle of it. She took a deep breath to stand up-
The guy on the ground bounced to his feet.
INTRODUCTION
It was one of the most athletic things that Nora had ever seen. One
moment, he was in the dirt and the next he was crouched low in front of
the big man, who blinked in confusion. The big man swiped at his prey
to grab his hoodie, but he was far too slow. One moment the guy had
been on the ground, and the next he had the big man’s hand and used
the swipe to throw his attacker into the wall. The big man’s head made
connection with a wet thunk and he dropped to his knees with a dazed
look.
“Max!” Purple shirt shouted. He started forward, then hesitated.

“What’s wrong with you?”
Nora blinked. Maybe there’s nothing to worry about after all. Still,
she’d never known the Man in White to be wrong. She eased around
the dumpster and stood, slowly. Both men were too engrossed in their
fight to notice anything.
The man Nora had started to think of as Hoodie stood straight. Nora
got a good look at him in the light - short black hair and wiry build
with a three-day stubble - before he flexed his shoulders and launched
himself at Purple Shirt. It was a total reversal and Nora jumped when
Hoodie laid a solid punch into Purple Shirt’s stomach. He doubled over,
all the swagger gone, and the guy standing above him stared at the
back of his head. Purple Shirt pushed himself up, wheezing, and took
a wild swipe at Hoodie. Hoodie reeled and Nora wondered where
he’d been hit, when he swiped at his eyes and she understood. Water,
he’d hit him in the eyes with water. Purple Shirt took the chance to stand
straight and in the light, she saw the determined and pained look on his
face; that hit had cost him a lot. He pulled back a hand for a nice solid 7
punch at Hoodie but it was already too late. Nora could see he was just
too slow and from her distance, she could make out the contempt on
Hoodie’s face.
For a moment, time slowed and Nora could see it all happen. Purple
Shirt drew back his fist too far, took too long, and leaned in far too
much. As he punched, Hoodie was already moving and his arm came
up to block the blow. At the same time, he brought up his knee to
catch Purple Shirt in the ribs and the look of startled pain that dawned
millisecond by millisecond was horrible to watch. Then Hoodie grabbed
the back of Purple Shirt’s neck and brought his head down to meet
another brutal upcoming knee.
Kickboxing, Nora thought, the man’s drunken kickboxing. But was

he drunk? What had really started the brawl? Nora caught a look at
Hoodie’s expression and something in her stomach twisted. There was
a cold malevolence there, the kind of uncaring for another human being
that she didn’t like. He’s not even drunk, she realized, this is just for fun.
Her phone flashed the time - eight thirty-eight.
INTRODUCTION
Hoodie reached down and if Nora hadn’t been watching, she’d

never have seen the rock concealed in his fist. It was small and the light
caught a sharp edge. It wasn’t so much a rock as a chunk of concrete.
Her eyes widened - that’s it, that’s where it happens - and she thought of
the Java Shack and an outstretched hand that had saved her life not too
long ago.
Before she knew what she was doing, she stepped out of the shadows
and faced the two men.
“Hey!” she shouted, her stomach twisted in fear.
The man in the hoodie looked up from the rock. He glared at her from
behind dark eyes, his hand upraised in mid-swing.
Nora swallowed. “Are you Ross?”
From the ground, the guy in the purple shirt wheezed. “Who...?”
“Are you Ross?” she shouted again.
“Yes!” Purple Shirt shouted. “Lady, get out of here! Call for help!”
Nora thought of the Man in White and her job and she said, “I am
help.” Then she did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She
focused down to the part of her that tasted Aether, that knew how it felt
and how to use it in special ways, and felt a clarion call, a rightness, as
time slowed down. She saw the filthy water bead and fall from Purple
Shirt’s face and saw his friend, Max, turn his head and start to stand.
8
She saw all these things at once and then barreled, faster than
humanly possible, right into the man in the hoodie. Her last thought
before she used herself as a battering ram was: That guy Ross has the
ugliest taste in clothes.
Nora was so busy worrying about being ripped apart that she didn’t
get the second text message. RESCUE ROSS OR SEVENTEEN PEOPLE
WILL DIE.
She would have been proud of the full sentence. But at the moment,
she was otherwise occupied.
INTRODUCTION
9
ORGANIZER
TELLING THE STORY
The Big Idea:
Being a Game Organizer
It starts simply enough: you want to run a game. Maybe you were
inspired by something you’ve read, or it came to you in a dream.
Perhaps you picked up Chronos and thought how cool it would be
to see your friends fighting each other in slow-motion. No matter the
inspiration, you have decided to share your vision with others by
running a Live Action role play event. But before you jump in and start
ORGANIZER
planning your epic campaign, there are some practical matters you
need to consider. By becoming a Game Organizer, you take on the role
of team leader, project coordinator, referee, and visionary storyteller.
Each of these roles requires forethought and careful planning to make
your game successful.
The first element to determine is your concept. Whatever sparked your

interest in running a game becomes the basis for your game’s initial
concept. It can be as simple as ‘I want a game that inspires hope and
personal growth’ or something as specific as ‘I want magical vampires
who are battling for the future of magic control on the moon.’ You
could also want to run a game just because you love telling stories and
aren’t married to an initial concept. The key to this step is making sure
that you choose an idea that you are invested in exploring, since it’ll
become the basis of all the thematic and storytelling choices for your
game.
Next, you need to consider the scope of your game. Are you
interested in running a large game for dozens of people, maybe even
hundreds? Are you interested in a more intimate game for only a few
friends? This is both a practical and a creative choice, since you might
have logistical issues hosting hundreds of players, or simply prefer a
smaller, more intense game meant for a tiny group of players. Once
you’ve decided on your game scope, you may consider what story
your game will tell (creative planning) and what your game will need
(logistical planning).
They say that there aren’t any new stories under the sun, only new
10 ways to tell the same tales. The goal of a Game Organizer is to find a
new way to explore the same story themes people have seen before.
Everyone has heard the boy-meets-girl story, but who has heard the
story of a girl mermaid falling in love with a demi-god come down
from Mount Olympus to start a war? As the Game Organizer, you
will flesh out your concept to include any world elements you might
want to include in your story, as well as what conflicts your game will
address. Is your story a boy-meets-girl about hope and redemption, or
about the loss that occurs because of war? You can draw on whatever
inspiration you need to craft your story, and to make it your own. As
the Organizer, you’ll be the hand that steers the game’s vision, a vision
you’ll share not only with your players but with the staff that will help
you run the game.
After you’ve mapped out your game’s themes, world elements,

factions, and plot, you’ll need to consider the practical parts of
organizing a game. Namely, you’ll need to think about all the things
you’ll need to run your game. Where will you run your game? How
much set-up will your game require in terms of sets, props, and
costuming will you require? How about where you’ll run your game?
All of these are questions you’ll need to ask yourself and you’ll need
to budget for before your game can become a reality. Budgeting is
ORGANIZER
a key part of Game Organization, since you need to consider how
much you’re willing to invest in running this game. Depending on
scope, a game can be run for donations in someone’s backyard or at a
campground for significant monetary investment. The decision is in your
hands.
The Right Stuff:

Organizing a Staff
So you, as the Game Organizer, have decided to go big. The scope

of your vision is taking you above 10 players, into the dozens and
possibly even hundreds. In order for your players to have the most fun
and interaction (and for you to not lose your mind), you’re going to
need help. If that is the scale of your dream, then you will need a Staff.
If the Game Organizer is the director, the leader, the ‘Captain My

Captain’ of the game, then the staff members that work with that
Organizer are the facilitators who bring the game to life. Without
a cohesive, creative, hard-working game staff, a game’s vision can
crumble under the weight of miscommunication and disorganization.
A good rule of thumb for staff number is a 1:8 ratio; for every eight
players in the game, there should be one staff member.
From the very start, a Game Organizer must hand-pick a team of

people whose experience and creativity they trust. Most importantly,
they must consider whether or not those staff members can be relied
upon to create a good game experience for the players. An Organizer
must consider everything, from personality clashes to ‘real world’ 11
conflicting responsibilities like jobs and family obligations, before taking
a staff member on to help with the game. It is important to be objective,
be critical but fair, and above all be honest when considering whether
or not someone will make a good staff member.
There are numerous ways to organize your staff. However, most teams
break down responsibilities into several tiers of roles. The first is the
role of the Storyteller, who will work with the Game Organizer to keep
the game’s overall themes and world in mind while they create plot on
an ongoing basis. Their job is also to address plot concerns, integrate
character backgrounds into the overall game plot, and generally present
plot that will encourage the players to get involved. Storytellers are also
responsible for implementing plots at game using the game’s Marshals.
Marshals are the next group of staff in a fully fleshed out game team.
Though they can offer contributions to the plot, they are expressly
brought aboard to assist Game Organizers in implementing their plots
during games, as well as serving as MetaCharacters and rules keepers
for the game. They are familiar with the rules inside and out and
adjudicate any kind of rules questions for players during game play. A
good way to consider Marshals is as staff ambassadors to the players,
ORGANIZER
often chosen from among the player population for their exemplary
behavior and their dedication to seeing the game run smoothly.
The final division of your game staff includes your Logistics staff.
Depending on how big your game is, you may need to assign staff
members to take over concerns outside of the in-game plot planning
concerns. You may need a Safety Coordinator in charge of making
sure there is first aid available. Maybe you’ll need someone to run
check-in for your game, making sure each player has what they need
like their character cards. The size of your game will dictate how big
your Logistics teams needs to be, but suggested roles aside from those
listed above include Business Coordinator (in charge of site rental,
12
purchases for the game and any monetary considerations), New Player
Coordinator, Site Coordinator (effectively groundskeeper while your
game is on site), and Promotional Manager (in charge of publicizing
your game and pulling in new players).
In the end, only you as the Game Organizer will know who and what
your game needs. When you hand-pick your team, understand that
communication is key. Find a way to share your expectations, concerns,
and plans with them from the beginning. Be prepared to listen to
concerns, feedback and criticism from your team at all times. Together,
you and your staff will bring your game to life - as long as you remain
on the same page.
Storytelling Techniques:
Interactive Versus Fixed
Roleplaying games in general, but especially Live Action games, are

effectively large improvisational spaces which bring players together
to collaboratively tell stories. An important difference between being a
ORGANIZER
Game Organizer and writing something like a novel or a short story is
that writing for games is an interactive activity. A Game Organizer and
their staff will get together and plan their game world and the story they
want to tell, but from the moment the players engage with the material,
all plans will change. For that reason, it’s important to understand the
difference between interactive storytelling and pre-determined or fixed
storytelling.
Interactive storytelling is a framework technique that allows Game

Organizers to establish basic plot elements, themes and items for their
game, while leaving the players the ability to drive the story based on
their own decision-making during gameplay. It is a more fluid structure
than traditional storytelling, where a writer determines the entire plot
start to finish. Instead, Game Organizers may choose to focus on the
beginning of the game to set the stage for their players and key points
that they believe will provide players to draw their own conclusions.
They then allow the players to influence the course of events with
their choices and see which direction the story goes. This is a much
looser framework which often requires Game Organizers to take a
rather ‘hands-off’ approach, acting mostly as arbiter of conflicts and
adjudicator for rules, instead of directors of the overall action.
By contrast, pre-determined or fixed storytelling is a more rigid

and traditional way to run games. The Game Organizer decides the
established plot, and players interact with that narrative by experiencing
the vision put forward by the creative team. This technique goes back
to a more theatrical model for role-playing that takes a lot of the
improvisation out of the gameplay and instead puts players into a fixed
simulation that can only be changed so far without the risk of breaking 13
the Game Organizer’s pre-established narrative. However, the more
controlled structure of this game can allow Organizers to craft very
strong experiences, by carefully cultivating how the story comes across.
The downside is that player choices in this environment can often be
limited by the constraints and needs of the pre-determined plot, with
the focus for players on the act of experiencing rather than influencing
events.
Considering how different these two techniques are, it’s important

to note that games can be either one or a mixture of both. Should a
Game Organizer want to offer players more choice, then the interactive
model might be useful while a Organizer with a very specific narrative
in mind might go for a fixed storytelling technique. It is important to
establish early on what kind of game you want to run, and convey that
feeling to the game staff as well as the players so no false expectations
occur. There is nothing more frustrating to a player than to enter a game
they believe will allow them freedom of choice, only to find themselves
constrained by a Game Organizer’s more pre-determined story model.
A good compromise lies in using both to provide an open

environment for players to change the course of events, while still
ORGANIZER
hitting certain notes through carefully controlled scenes interspersed

through gameplay. These scenes, sometimes called ‘set pieces’ are
important scenes that must get told in a particular way to get through
narrative information that the players need. Game Organizers can
craft these moments with limited player choices or with obstacles that
the players cannot overcome easily (if at all) so that they are forced to
experience rather than change the course of events. The trick to these
kind of scenes is to make sure that players who may perceive the entire
game as interactive don’t feel trapped by the limitations of the scene
and therefore feel ‘railroaded’. The constraint should be kept behind
the scenes so players don’t feel the inevitability and instead accept the
information given.
One of the best ways to decide what kind of storytelling strategies to

use is to consider your world and what kind of setting you’re going to
be running. For that, you get into perhaps one of the most fun parts of
running a game - world building and definition!
What You See Is What You Get:

The Art of Set Design
Once an Organizer has decided on their game setting, they must

scout locations in which to play the game. That space will then need
to be transformed, using whatever materials the staff can gather.
Set design is the creation of scenery that provides players with a
representation of the game environment in the three-dimensional
14 space around them. Live Action games are designed to be immersive
experiences where players are asked to believe that the game space
represents an imaginary world, ready for exploration. To help the player
imagine that game area, real-world spaces are transformed to represent
the setting of the game as much as possible. Much like a theater stage
or a television set, the game setting can be created with the help of
props, furniture, scenery, costuming, lighting, music and special effects.
This physical component is a vital part of what creates the fully

interactive experience that players seek from Live Action games. The
more a game physically represents elements from the game world, the
more a player can engage with the game on a sensory level, and the
more intense and memorable that experience will be. To that end, set
design is used to create a game that is WYSIWYG (often pronounced
Whizzywig), meaning What You See Is What You Get. Unlike Narrative
games in which players need to imagine items that are described to
them out of character during an interaction, a properly designed Live
Action space means that players can sit on in-game furniture, touch
in-game items, even taste or smell what it is their characters would be
sensing.
If the process sounds daunting, it needn’t be. Game Organizers are
ORGANIZER
encouraged to design their game sets as much as they can, but never
at the expense of feasibility or actual player safety. Feasibility can
be as simple as recognizing that your staff cannot afford to create a
lavish 1920’s hotel with gold-plated mirrors inside of an old warehouse
because of your budget. There is no need to go broke to create
your sets, as some of the best items can often be found, scrounged,
or borrowed second hand. A helpful hint when setting your game
is reaching out to your player base for donations, which helps your
players feel involved in the creation of the game world and also keeps
you from breaking the bank. Players should be encouraged to dress any
personal areas they control in game with their own props and items too,
which will add a personal touch to the space and make the players feel
like their characters are even more a part of the game world.
Feasibility can also mean recognizing the limitations of what you can
and cannot create on a game set. For example, the hypothetical owners
of the theater you rent for a game might not appreciate it if you flooded
their stage area so you can recreate a watery undersea kingdom. Often
you will have to symbolically represent what is outside of your scope to
create, but effort should be taken to at least create a token or stand-in
representation of important setting elements. The players will do the rest
with their imaginations.
Stand-in representations are also key when representing set pieces

that might be a safety hazard. The well-being of your players and staff
is always paramount when creating a set. If your high fantasy setting
requires a throne made out of thorny vines, you will want to use rubber
vines with fake thorns instead so that players don’t hurt themselves
while trying to sit. This also counts for in-game weapons, which should 15
always be represented by contact-safe versions of said weapon that
have passed inspection by a member of staff. Elements like open flames,
electricity, smoke machines and strobe lights must be used with careful
consideration for whether or not they will be hazardous for players
during game. It is the responsibility of Game Organizers and staff to
always err on the side of caution, and sacrifice hardcore realism for
safety. In the end, Organizers should want to create the best, most
atmospheric, but also most protected environment possible to make their
game great.
Who, What, Where, When, Why:

Game Environment
Another important element to consider when preparing to create your

game is what environment you want to create. The game environment is
a direct reflection of the setting. Depending on the mood and themes of
your game, you will develop an aesthetic that will help you define your
game world. As Organizer, you might start with a handful of questions,
such as:
ORGANIZER
• Where is my game set? What year is my game set in?
• Is the world very much like the world we know? If not,

how is it different?
• How would those differences affect things like dress?

Technology? Music?
Each answer will help you identify differences between your game and
others set within the same genre. Since a game is all about your own
vision, always feel comfortable to adjust elements in the environment to
16
make it your own. Question critically what makes up your game and
then answer how that would be translated into items and props found in
your world. Do some research if you need inspiration, but bear in mind
that you can adjust whatever you read according to your taste. Once
you’ve answered those integral questions, the unique world of your
game will begin to cement.
From there, the game staff can develop an idea of what items then
would be appropriate to appear in the game and what would be
considered out of place, anachronistic, or wrong for the setting. For
example, a game set in the 1920’s might be chock full of flapper
dresses, fedoras and (fake) tommy guns, but cell phones and flat
screen TVs would be technologically and historically inaccurate and
therefore not allowed. Inconsistencies in set design can pull players out
of their game immersion when they are noticed and harm the player
experience. For that reason, Organizers should carefully consider
what is in genre for their game and what is not. These environmental
decisions will also inform costume and prop choices made by players,
who will mirror the atmosphere created by the staff.
It is important to note that the creation of a game environment does
ORGANIZER
not end with the game setting. Once it is established what aesthetic
is considered in genre for the game, it is up to the staff to continue
to evaluate and consider what items and costumes players bring into
game. If a costume or a prop brought in does not match the game
aesthetic, it can cause jarring disconnect from the immersion of game,
the same way a bad set choice might. Staff is encouraged to discuss
such environmental inaccuracies with their players and should, if
necessary, request that anything that does not fit be removed from the
game space. Any items that have been brought by players to be used
out of character before or after game should be stowed where they
cannot be seen, so as not to break the immersion of a well-dressed and
accurate set.
Overall, it’s important to recognize that the environment is going to

be an ever-evolving thing throughout your game. Events that occur in
game may change things drastically, and staff must stay on their toes
to continue updating the game space to match to in-game activity. In
the end, it is staff who sets the tone and decides what stays and what
goes, and enforcing that in game is a major part of what helps a game
remain memorable.
Clarity and Definition:

Game Focus
So you’ve decided the kind of game you want to create. You’ve

picked your setting, determined the environment you want to foster, and
figured out what themes you want to use for your game aesthetic. All of
these important choices become the outline for the stories you create for 17
your players. Yet once you’ve made these decisions, it is important that
these choices maintain the clarity of your game. A game distinguishes
itself from others by having well-defined aesthetics and a clearly
articulated mood and theme. Stray too far from the choices you’ve
made and your work can become muddled and incomprehensible.
There are a lot of reasons why you might feel tempted to stray from
your original ideas once the actual game has started. The first might
be to satisfy players. You might feel the need to react to criticism by
adjusting decisions you’ve made to placate the dissatisfied. However
there’s an old saying: you can’t make everyone happy all of the time.
While that does not mean you should ignore issues proposed by your
player base, you have to decide whether or not the changes you
would make to respond to those issues are within the original vision
of the game. These choices must be thoughtfully explored and the
implications on your game world considered. You should also realize
that sometimes, a criticism you receive from a player must be set aside
to maintain the integrity of your game.
The second reason a Game Organizer might stray from their game’s
focus is when game marketing comes up. When designing for what
ORGANIZER
amounts to a limited community of people, it is tempting to try and

create a game that will reach the maximum number for the sake of
having a large player base. However, designing for a vision that makes
everyone happy will usually cause your world to be too general and
generic to be interesting. Again, not everyone is always going to be
happy with your decisions. It is your job as Organizers to be concise
with planning and keep your eye on your choices as you design your
plots.
It is also important that as you proceed with your game, you stick
with the design outlined for the sake of player satisfaction. If your
players came to a game with the expectation of a werewolf game set
in caveman days, and then halfway through you organize a time-jump
into Victorian times without giving fair warning, players will be thrown.
More than that, they may feel that the game has been falsely advertised
- they signed up for one thing and were given another. This will alienate
players and lead to a break-down in the player base. Once the game
world is defined, you as an Organizer have a responsibility to remain
within the boundaries of that definition as a service to the players.
Above all, the duty of maintaining this clarity in game focus is one of
the most important duties of a Game Organizer. When you decided to
step up and become the Game Organizer (remember ‘Being A Game
Organizer’?), you took up the mantle of captain. Your vision will be
what leads the staff and players through the world of your story. If you
lose sight of the boundaries of your story and the themes that made the
game important, then the rest of the staff and subsequently the players
will also lose their direction. As the director of the creative vision of the
18 game, it is your responsibility to stick with the choices you’ve made.
In the end, the game you deliver will be much more powerful and
enjoyable if you keep your eye on the ideas which fueled your desire to
run a game in the first place.
Bang for your Buck:

Balancing Resources
So the toolbox of your game has been set: you have your themes,
your set, your staff planned. You’ve laid out your game plans and
prepared what kind of an experience you want to present to your
players. The question then becomes: how do you present the best game
with the resources you have? Game Organizers spend a good deal of
their time balancing the delicate system of their game with an important
equation of players versus resources. When planning game sessions,
an Organizer must decide how many plot elements to plan for every
hour, how many players each element will engage, and how many
staff members will be needed to run said elements or adventures. This
management allows the Organizer to keep an eye on the scope of the
work they’re doing and to present those elements in the most efficient
way possible.
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The term scope means not only the size and context of your project,
but the capability of your resources to deliver on your vision. You may
sit down and plan a grand game that simulates the aristocracy of 18th
century England, but if you think you’ll have staff to represent a court
of nobility that numbers in the hundreds, you’ve plotted outside your
scope. Simulating an environment often means that you don’t have
enough numbers for a completely accurate representation, but you can
make do with less by having each individual thing represent an idea or
stand in for a whole group of people. Scope also refers to the amount
of time people will spend on each project or portion of the game. This
time management is a major component of a Game Organizers’ job
as they try and decide what portions of the plot require more attention,
how many people to address to the problem, and specifically who gets
to handle the task.
The first thing to learn when managing resources is to understand

that you as the Game Organizer will never be able to do all of the
work yourself. This is important enough that it bears repeating. You, the
Game Organizer, will never be able to do everything yourself. You
may take on the role of leader because the game is your idea, and
because you want to bring your particular vision to life. However it
is a necessary task to learn how to convey that vision to your staff so
that they can help you realize your ideas. The job of an Organizer is
too diverse to do all the tasks yourself and should you try, you’ll find
you short-change each task you’re trying to accomplish while also
underusing your staff. Game staff are chosen for the skills they bring
to the table, and you must hand tasks over to them to complete. Get
used to the idea of being detached from seeing the outcome done 19
personally as quickly as you can and practice passing along whatever
vital information you need to express to staff in the clearest way to
convey your message. Once you trust your ability to communicate
effectively with your staff, you have to trust that your staff will also get
the job done. Give feedback to staff if they are not exercising what you
need done effectively and be prepared to receive feedback on your
communication skills. Only with open communication and trust can a
team pull off a well-executed game.
The second thing to consider when deciding on resource management

is the math involved. It may sound cold-blooded, but it is important to
break down your manpower resources into a numbers game. How
many staff members do you have per game? How many are needed
to run a particular scene or to play particular NPCs? Are there enough
people to manage the number of players you have? A good way to
think about to decide the ratio of players to staff members needed is
when considering how much personal attention you would like available
from staff to the players. The more personal attention you’d like to
include in your game, the smaller the ratio ought to be and the more
staff you’ll need. However if you’d like to allow for more inter-player
growth and less NPC representation, then you might be able to get
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away with less staff and instead hand off important power positions in
your game world to players. We mentioned the 1:8 ration of staff to
players in the beginning, but that is subject to change depending on
your preferences and needs.
The question of personal attention in game can be a major pitfall in

the resource-management process. While every Organizer would like
to provide an in-depth personal experience for each player, it is terrible
for time management to target too small of an audience with plot. While
several players might end up with a deep, engaging and immersive
experience, if a single scene tied up a staff member for time that they
could have been spending on more players, then the impact versus
resources used ratio is off.
When you are deciding where to allocate your resources, you will
often need to make do with less than you would like. A skill necessary
to Game Organizers and staff is the capability to do whatever you
need to do with the least amount of resources. You might want to write
an adventure in which your players interact with an entire tribe of
mysterious indigenous people, each representing a different aspect of
the tribe’s vibrant and complex culture, but you might not be able to pull
that many staff members to play the roles. What if your staff needs to be
split up to deal with other players who aren’t interacting with the tribe?
Are you going to force them into a single scene? You must narrow your
scope in order to provide the same experience using less. The best way
to adjust your plans is by keeping your theme firmly in mind, and then
consider how to express it with the least amount of people, while trying
to draw in the most player interest.
20 There are ways to get around a shortage of manpower, and that is
through staff education and empowerment. Remember how we talked
about not handling everything yourself? It is important to make sure
that staff members are given the tools they need. A game’s greatest
resource is its people, and as Organizer it is your job to manage that
resource effectively. Staff members should be able to flex into different
roles as needed and to do multiple tasks so that nothing falls apart if
one person is missing. Marshals and MetaCharacters in your game
should be trained to deal with rules questions so that they will be kept
off the Storytellers plates, while Storytellers ought to be empowered
to make rules calls and decisions so they don’t need to land on in the
Organizer’s hands. Always be supportive of the decisions staff members
have made as well, and be flexible in the way you treat those decisions.
They may end up doing things that you as the Organizer did not intend,
but support them in public and discuss the decision and its ramifications
in private. Along with manpower, staff good will is as much a resource
as anything else.
Player good will and enthusiasm for the game is another resource to
be husbanded to keep things running smoothly. Make sure that players
are encouraged to know the rules well, and have them assist other
players integrating into the game. Veteran players should be praised for
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supporting newer players and fostering an atmosphere of community
out of character. Should a rules question be called for that a veteran
player cannot explain, then a Marshal or MetaCharacter can be called.
If they do not have an answer, a Storyteller may solve the issue. Only
if there has been no solution should the Organizer be questioned. This
ground-up structure not only fosters a supportive community feeling in
game, it frees the Game Organizer to focus on the important task of
overseeing the big picture. And that, in the end, is the mandate of an
Organizer.
21
What’s In Your Storyteller Toolbox:
Constraints and Narrative Gatekeeping
Where a game’s main resource might be its people, the narrative

tools written into the game are integral to keeping the story manageable
and on track. Players will come into game with their own plans and, left
unattended, would go out and explore every single corner of the game
world to satisfy their own curiosity. While that might make for great
individual stories, your game might not have the resources to let so many
people go off in so many different directions. Also, what then would bring
the players together in a single coherent narrative?
It is necessary for Game Organizers to build a framework around their

stories to keep players together. This process is called Gatekeeping, and
can be a difficult balancing act for any game. Too little containment and
you run the risk of letting your players run wild without the resources
to manage their interest. Too much containment will have your players
feeling confined and without the ability to impact the world around them.
You never want to take away a player’s choices completely, but instead
must clearly define the sandbox in which the players will be playing, by
using the tools provided within the world you’ve chosen. Each world will
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provide unique possible constraints for your game to utilize, which neatly
explain why a player can’t run off and do whatever, whenever they
want.
Let’s start with an example. Say you decide to run a game on a far-off
planet which has sunlight for weeks at a time. In the dark times between,
though, monsters come out and try to kill all the helpless settlers. This
could be a really engaging, terrifying world to set your game about
space survival. Now if you set your game during any given day of the
month, your players can go through their everyday lives on Planet X and
will invent things to investigate and do. In such an open setting, they
may have no interest in one another and the cohesion of any communal
game will be lost. However, this game setting has the perfect excuse
to bring everyone together; the nights of fear when the monsters come
out. That single story idea gives you the opportunity to draw all the
players together in one place to share the terror of being under siege by
monsters. Not only that, but the players will be limited in what they can
go out into the world to explore and therefore cuts down how many staff
members you’d need to attend to the players actions.
Constraints can come in many forms. They can be environmental,

such as in the case of the night full of space monsters listed above. They
can also be social limitations built into the game world. The game could
be set in the court of Henry the 8th of England, where players may not
depart the court unless given leave by His Majesty. The threat of social or
political repercussions will keep players from violating your boundaries
of play and focus them down the path of your plot. They can even be
geographical if you want to create a real pressure cooker, such as putting
22 all the players in a locked space like a bunker or on an island.
Something to also keep in mind is whether or not your constraint works
with the themes you want to include in your game. Say you set your game
in the midst of that space world full of monsters that come out in the dark;
if you decide that players must stay together in a single bunker area during
the monster attacks, you’ll be encouraging much darker themes than if they
were left free to foray outside and attack their enemies. In the first scenario,
the theme of the game would be much darker and claustrophobic, while
the second game might have more heroic themes, such as sacrifice and
loss. Both are playing with the same narrative choices, but the constraint
will help you focus tighter on what emotions you want to convey.
As Game Organizer, you must keep a critical eye on how much

constraint you use. By gatekeeping you may make things easier in terms of
managing direction of plot, but players can become uncomfortable with too
much lack of agency. Gatekeeping needs to be almost unobservable and
if it’s being done correctly, it won’t be recognized for what it is. Once the
constraints are recognized, the illusion breaks and players see that part of
the story for what it is - a narrative tool - and that breaks game immersion.
Choose your reasons for gatekeeping your players carefully and make sure
that they don’t push the boundaries of believability too far.
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Genre flavor is an easy way to make constraints more palatable to
players. If you’re doing a noir setting and suddenly your players are
teleported to an arena by space aliens, you’re starting to mix your genres
pretty heavily. The toll on your players to keep suspension of disbelief will
be really high, unless you’re aiming for a mixed genre game. By keeping
your storytelling narrative tools within the genre you decided, you’ll keep
your stories clear to players and make them work less to believe the fiction
they’ll be participating in.
When speaking about player reactions, you also have to consider how
tightly you want to constrain your players in general. There are games in
which players have lots of choice and agency to pursue their own agendas
to the utmost, even within the confines of whatever setting gatekeeping you
do. Those kind of games can inspire heavy player versus player action
and competition or adversarial play. If that is the kind of game that you
are aiming towards, it is important to bear in mind that players will feel
constraint in their setting more heavily when they’re used to being given
freedom otherwise.
It is important to set the boundaries of your game within the world early,
and make sure that they’re understood. This will alleviate a lot of tension as
your players will begin playing the game knowing the edges of what they
can conceivably explore, and will adjust accordingly. Make sure to remain
consistent throughout the game and if you change something, be sure it
makes sense or else you’ll risk destroying player’s suspension of disbelief.
By using these constraints reasonably, you’ll create the unseen barrier that
lets your players feel secure in making their decisions while still making the
world manageable.
23
YOU WANT TO BRING WHAT?:
Allowing and Disallowing Props
Although your vision will guide the physical makeup of your game,
from sets to props to costumes, the players will also contribute by
providing these items for their individual characters. When a player
goes above and beyond with props and costuming, it can really add
to the experience for all involved. Once one person sports an authentic
period costume, an inspired piece of equipment or an artful cosmetic
plan, the rest of the player base will often step up to keep pace with
the standout hero. Encouraging this commitment to game is an effective
way to keep your players engaged and connected to the project you’re
building together, but as in every case of player contribution, you’ll
want to monitor the props each player brings. You may have to disallow
certain items or create a system of approval to screen props before they
enter your game.
Safety should be your primary concern when evaluating a player

contribution or a new prop idea from the staff. If an item like a real
weapon (sometimes, in the case of swords or knives, called “live steel”)
or another dangerous piece of equipment somehow arrives at your
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game, you’re going to want to nix it immediately. Ditto any common-

sense exclusions like explosives or illegal substances: If it might get you
in out-of-game trouble with local authorities, make no exceptions and
ban it outright. Sometimes you’ll run across something that’s technically
legal, but might cause a stir in your local game environment: Airsoft or
prop firearms in New York City, for example, can inspire suspicion even
when fitted with the required orange tips. If you’re playing in an urban
location, it pays to be extra responsible with your prop weapons.
Another concern for allowing props is a look and feel appropriate to

your game. If you’re telling the story of wizards battling evil sorcerers
in Victorian London, you don’t want somebody running around with
24
an enchanted iPhone. For a lot of games, everyday items or thrift store
finds are completely suitable, but as the line gets blurrier, you’ll want
to keep a close eye on what does and doesn’t fit. Coming up with a
concrete rubric detailing your genre expectations is a good way to stay
on the same page with your players.
Finally, as you work to keep your props in line, you’ll want to make
sure that everyone is comfortable with what you include. Horror and
other such scenarios may include props that will put passerby in public
spaces or even some players ill at ease. If you’re going to go all-out
with fake gore or other nasties, it’s best to make sure everybody’s
aware of exactly what sort of game they’re playing. Staying open with
your communication is the best way to ensure a useful and acceptable
arsenal of props to bring your world to life.
Keeping it Real: Staying in Character
Immersion, the quality of a game to draw us into a fictional world,

is one of the best aspects of the system. When we’re emotionally and
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mentally connected to the shared dream space of a game, we can
experience dangerous things safely, explore aspects of our personalities
we rarely examine, and tell meaningful stories inside the simulation.
The cognitive frame of the storylines we create helps us to communicate
and share ideas, allowing us to briefly live the fictional experience of
the game. This is what helps games “feel real”: When you’re playing
your game, you should be able to feel the fear, elation, or sorrow as
imaginary events play out. Just like a great movie or performance,
engaging with the system should sometimes leave you creatively
refreshed by a process not unlike the famous catharsis of Greek
tragedies. It’s worth the hard work it sometimes takes to get to this point.
If you’re looking for this sort of realistic, captivating play, it’s your
responsibility to yourself and to other players to stay within the bounds
of the world. The system gives you a set of fictional boundaries to
inhabit, and the new environment can do great things for your ability to
solve problems and tell stories. Those boundaries don’t mean anything,
however, if you challenge them past their breaking point by slipping out
of character during play. Breaking character reminds everybody that
they’re not actually facing down a rampaging spirit at the crossroads
of reality; they’re really just moving around in slow motion in a
public park. That sort of revelation can disrupt immersion and break
everyone’s communal creative flow.
The truth of your emotional experience relies on the faith you put into
the fictional circumstances. Love the rules and story and they’ll love you
back.
Even the most experienced Live Action players are sometimes tempted 25
to break character. There are plenty of common situations that might
inspire a breach in immersion. One of the most dangerous examples is
humor. That’s not to say that a game shouldn’t be funny. By all means,
share a laugh with your fellow players if something ridiculous pops
into your game. What this warning covers is the temptation to throw
up an OOC hand signal and reference an Internet meme, TV show,
or inside joke. This sort of back-and-forth is often a carry-over from
Narrative table top gaming, where such “table talk” can help round
out the experience of play. Here in the Live game setting, the helpful
barrier of the table as a social gathering place does not exist. You have
to be brave and take on the complications of fear, pain, and failure
associated with in-game actions. If you get walloped by some baddie
out of nowhere, you’re better served digging deep and experiencing
whatever your character feels than making a remark and picking up the
dice, so to speak.
That leads into another reason players often break character: negative
reactions. Let’s be clear: If something touches on one of your buttons
in a way that makes you uncomfortable, it’s always, always OK to
remove yourself from the scene and take the time you need. Live game
can be an intense experience, and it’s smart to know your limits before
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you head into game. That said, if you are having an experience that
troubles your character, but with which you the player are totally OK,
do not shy away from that experience with nervous laughter or an off-
topic comment. Really sink your teeth into the fear or pain and role play
your character facing the struggle. Great stories are made from conflict
and hardship.
You’ll also want to keep your world in mind when trying to stay in-
character. If your game takes place in the past, you should be careful
not to bring in any anachronistic knowledge or props. Don’t haul
out a wisecrack fifty years too early, and don’t display your modern
technology when the steam engine might still be described as “cutting-
edge.” Having out-of-genre props and items on you while in game can
distract other players and threaten the immersion of the game world.
Another major reason for players to go out of character is to ask a

question about the rules or narrative. Maybe you want to see whether
an ability you have can be used in a new context, or make sure you’re
correctly introducing secret knowledge into the public discussion of your
game. Those are great reasons to speak out of character with a Game
Organizer or staff member, but even during these interactions, you’ll
want to try to stay private, brief, and in-character as much as possible.
Finding an in-genre way to pose a rules question is a creative solution to
a necessary logistical problem.
There are other appropriate times to head out of character to

handle real-world issues, such as if someone is actually traumatized
or physically hurt by an in-game stimulus, or if a bystander in a public
26 space engages with your game. The system gives you the tools to build
your own safe space, where you can trust your fellow players and the
staff to act with courtesy and safety when dealing with difficult plot
elements. That safe space is the most important aspect of a successful
Live game. You maintain its sanctity and expand its use by responsible
behavior on both sides of the fourth wall.
If you’re true to the tenets of the world and don’t stray too far from
your character, you can help make your game more than simply a
game. Throwing numbers around and having a system to adjudicate
conflict is one of the best aspects of a game; never be afraid to have
fun with competitive, mechanics-heavy play. Live gaming as a form,
however, can do a lot besides provide entertaining gameplay for its
participants. It’s been used as a form of therapy, for example, since its
earliest days. In order to access these deeper, more elusive and often
very rewarding aspects of Live action play, you’ll need to meet the
format halfway and stick to your character.
Game Organizers, you can help your players by giving definitive

signals for game-on and game-off, as well as serving as a beacon and
example of dedication to game. Find in-character ways to hook players
who might be drifting back into your story, and reward those who
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consistently stay in character. Together, you and your players will create
something with real meaning inside the simulation of Live game, and the
system can help you every step of the way.
Going For Bleed:

Just Don’t Go Too Far
Live Action roleplaying games can be emotionally intense

experiences. People don a character’s personality to interact with
their environment and, in doing so, invites a whole host of new
feelings and sensations. Those feelings can often pass back and
forth from in character to out of character and vice versa through a
process called bleed. Bleed occurs when a player’s feelings carry
over to influence their in character actions or reactions, or when the
in character emotions a player experiences are carried over into their
out of character lives. If it sounds as though this can get complicated,
you would be correct - bleed is a state that can help create intense
emotional states that can create wonderful game memories. They can
also get very difficult to manage if not understood and considered
carefully.
An Organizer can aim for bleed in a game as a means to invoke

powerful game experiences for the players. For example, if the staff
sets out to scare players as part of their game and utilize props and
scenery to dress their game space effectively, they can invoke real fear
or unease in players that will then bleed into their in character emotions.
The players should of course know that they’re in a safe space but, 27
like the visceral thrill of a haunted house, the natural inclination to
be freaked out by scary stimuli will no doubt add to their roleplaying
experience by bleeding into their in character emotional state. Later,
when they think back to that scene, they’ll remember real fear exercised
in a safe space and the entire game will be associated with the sense
memory of that fear. The same can occur with positive emotions of
triumph or love. The bleed over from the player into the character can
allow a player to express these emotions in that safe place and come
away with a lot to think about regarding their feelings and the ways in
which they reacted in character.
Bleed can also provide players with the opportunity to explore things
in character that they might not feel comfortable doing out of character
in their real life. Should a player have a particular issue or idea or
emotion they want to explore in game, they can bleed that over into
their character so they can experience what that character does and
the repercussions with the distance of their character as a safety net.
Provided that the player is prepared for what they might discover, this
kind of bleed can create powerful game experiences that can impact
their lives in profound ways.
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When deciding to aim to invoke bleed as part of your game,

however, staff members should maintain a cautious eye out for signs of
going too far. This state of swapping emotions back and forth between
in character and out or character states can push into uncomfortable
territory for players. First, players can confuse the emotions they are
having with the emotions of their characters and lose control of the
balance between the unreal experience and the reality. The above scary
scene in game is a good example. If a player is put in a situation where
their emotions bleed from in character fear into out of character, they
may lose track of the fact that they are in a safe space and become
really and truly afraid. That kind of cross over can be unhealthy, as the
player can walk away upset over being so frightened and no longer
28
feel as though the game is a safe space. Another example would be
when two players quarrel in character, only to have one of the players
confront the other angrily out of character as if the fight was supposed
to continue there. Out of character there might be no fight, but the in
character emotions have bled over so strongly that they can no longer
separate the two. These are examples of in character feelings swapping
over into the real world.
Equally difficult is a situation where out of character conflicts are taken

in character by players. A perfect example is two friends who come to
a game together, only to have a falling out later. One player decides
to bring their grievance in character and starts to attack his friend’s
character. His character might have no reason to do so, but his out
of character negative feelings are influencing his in character actions
causing harmful bleed for himself and for the player he’s attacking.
This kind of harmful bleed can produce out of character strife between
players as it creates a hostile environment among the community. This
kind of play is also a negative form of metagaming which should not be
tolerated by players, and should a staff member become aware of such
behavior, it ought to be addressed as a violation of the basic rules of
play.
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To minimize the chances of negative bleed, staff members ought to
encourage proper monitoring of emotional responses to in character
events. Staff members must consider carefully how far they are
emotionally pushing their players in scenes and always respect if a
player says that they are uncomfortable out of character with events
that are occurring. A signal should be developed between staff and
players in which players may remove themselves from a scene without
any penalty or remonstration should they feel uncomfortable. At no
time should a staff member push a player past boundaries they have
previously stated are iron clad, as this is a direct violation of the
assumption of the game space as safe. Staff are also encouraged
to make sure they map out as best they can what players’ comfort
levels are in advance when dealing with exceptionally difficult subject
material, and provide warnings should they expect that the subject
material may be too intense for some players. To quote the television
warning, putting up a ‘Player Discretion Advised’ warning on a scene
will give players the opportunity to decide if they are willing to risk
being uncomfortable for the experience they might have. Still, in as
much as it is the responsibility of game staff to provide warnings, it is
equally the responsibility of players to consider their own well-being
when entering into a scene.
Another important factor in monitoring and managing proper bleed

is giving players the opportunity to express themselves after game and
unpack their experiences properly. This de-stressing period, which we’ll
discuss below, is a fundamental key in maintaining bleed equilibrium.
29
Winding Down:
Post Event and After Care
The excitement is over. The game has been called. It is time to pack
up and leave your game world behind until the next session. But after
an intensive day of play, it’s important for Game Organizers and
players alike to take the time to unpack the experience they’ve just had
and prepare themselves for return back to the everyday. It might sound
a little funny, but a very important part of wrapping up a game session
involves taking the appropriate amount of care to reflect upon the events
of the game and the emotions and experiences that happened in the
game.
Due to the nature of live games and the level of bleed that can be
experienced, players and staff members alike can be touched by a lot
of powerful emotions, both positive and negative. While that can be
great for positive emotions, negative or complex feelings carried over
into the real world can cause difficulty for a player as they head back
into their regular week. Those emotions require after care, a winding
down period in which the staff and players delineate play space from
the everyday and let everyone decompress from the game. Depending
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on your own preference, the winding down period could be as

structured or as loose as you deem necessary.
There are several techniques to consider when structuring after care:

The first thing to consider actually occurs when you frame your game
space. Players will have an easier time separating their in character and
out of character headspace when there is a clear demarcation between
the place where play begins and ends. This can be as simple as stating
that once players enter a specific area, they remain in character. Then
you set aside a separate physical space where it is all right to go out of
character, especially once game ends. Another technique would be to
give an audio cue, such as a siren, horn or another genre-appropriate
noise to indicate the start and end of play. These separations allow
players to put aside their character’s feelings once they’ve stepped into
the out of character space or once they hear the cues.
Another important part of winding down after a game is having a

chance to discuss what went on in game. Due to the intense feelings
inspired by the game, players may need the opportunity to vent or
unpack what they’ve just experienced to others who were present and
can understand what they’re feeling. This can be as loose as going
to a place for food and social time after a particularly intense game
session where people can discuss things in a relaxed setting. It can also
be as structured as having a round-table discussion after game among
your players in which staff gives announcements, talks a little bit about
the experience of the weekend, and then allows players to share their
thoughts and feelings. As the staff of the game, it is important for you to
identify the needs of the player base in response to the level of intensity
30 of the game and provide that structure accordingly.
A third part of after care is giving the players opportunity to provide
feedback. Whether a player has had an amazing time or experienced
a very harrowing experience, they may need the opportunity to voice
concerns or feelings to the staff. This may be regarding mechanical
issues they’ve had with the system, rules calls that were made during
play, out of character emotions they experienced due to in character
events or out of character feelings inspired by out of character
interactions had during play. No matter the source, when a player
needs to give feedback, there needs to be a system in place to receive
that feedback and address these concerns. That might involve having an
email address provided for feedback alone or a forum where players
can interact and unpack the game’s events. Either way, this important
communication tool is necessary for staff to stay in touch with the needs
of the players post-game.
Above all else, it is important for game staff to remember that part
of the roleplaying experience is an emotional and social one. Games
that provide spaces for those kinds of interactions to occur have very
special needs to make sure that a player base stays comfortable and
accessible. By treating it with the consideration it deserves, you’ll
ensure that your game community is able to explore deep roleplaying
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experiences in an atmosphere of trust.
Unspoken Messages:
What Players Might Not Be Saying
Unlike in other game forms, a Live game requires consistent tending.

Staff must remain attentive to make sure that the players are interested
in the story material, engaging with their fellow players to share plot,
and clear about what is going on in the story and game world. An
Organizer has to keep an eye out for the clues that players may be lost
or uninterested in game content well before they receive direct feedback
about it. The reason is simple: players will not always tell an Organizer
what isn’t working.
Not every player in every game is skilled at communication. Where

some will seek out game Organizers to provide detailed feedback
about their game experience, plenty of players do not have the tools
to explain why a plot makes them feel uncomfortable or uninterested.
Sometimes, players will not speak to their staff due to discomfort with
confrontation or personal unwillingness to ‘upset’ someone. In simpler
cases, a player may not understand why they’re feeling dissatisfied
with their experience and instead feel a general frustration, confusion
or boredom they cannot articulate. Worse yet, if a player encounters
a subject that makes them feel uncomfortable enough, they may
leave game without ever addressing the problem to game staff due
to discomfort with the events that happened in game. All of these are
examples of where an attentive staff member and Game Organizer 31
can use some basic tools to keep their eye on whether their plots are
providing clear and engaging entertainment for the player base.
The first sign that something is unsaid in your game is disengagement

from the story and the ongoing plot. If players seem listless or ignore
important plot elements, there may be a reason. Perhaps they’re bored
with a particular plot, or there has been an abundance of a particular
kind of in-game event for too long. It could be that there was some
confusion about a main piece of plot information that wasn’t distributed
clearly and for that reason, the players aren’t sure what to do. A way
to keep a good handle on whether or not players are engaging with
plot is to touch base with the NPC’s and staff MetaCharacters that are
‘seeding’ game elements or leading in character game events. Question
afterwards whether all important plot information got out there and
whether players engaged with them. Important questions to consider
are: were there any deviations from what was supposed to be said?
Did the players seem to understand the information? Did they have any
follow-up questions that needed to be clarified?
Another important element to consider in unspoken player messages

is discomfort with material. Games can touch on topics that strike
ORGANIZER
nerves for a player, both consciously and unconsciously. Where one

minute a player may be fully engaged and enjoying the game, they
may disengage if they find material objectionable or too distressing or
uncomfortable. It is important to distinguish between a player ‘acting’
upset in character or a genuine sign of distress. If this occurs during
gameplay, the signs may be more difficult to notice. Breaking character
is a good sign that someone may find what is going on too intense to
keep in the scene, though it’s not a universal. Use your own judgment
but always err on the side of caution when dealing with such situations.
If you see clear signs of discomfort in a scene, you may have to deviate
during gameplay. Otherwise, make sure to engage with a player
afterwards to check in and make sure that their experience wasn’t
outside of their comfort zone.
An important means for keeping a finger on the goings on at game

is to speak to staff members regarding any feedback they may have
received from players. Often, staff will be approached as opposed to
the Game Organizer and they may learn about concerns or problems
early on. Encourage your staffers to bring up any problems with you
and keep your lines of communication clear. Should you require,
designate a staff member whose job it is to coordinate these after-game
feedback reports so that you as the Organizer do not get overwhelmed
with too much to do. This is especially important when used in concert
with post-event wrap-ups and winding down after games where bleed
may have gotten really intense.
However no reports from staff members will ever work as well as

going out and playing MetaCharacters yourself or simply watching
32 gameplay going on. When you as the Game Organizer witness your
players interacting, you will develop a feeling for their habits, their
comfort levels, and what they like and dislike. Once you know those
rhythms, you’ll be able to see when things in character and out are not
going according to plan and you will be able to adjust accordingly.
Changing Gears:
How to Introduce Re-directive Plots
Things won’t always go correctly in game. Those plots you thought

were going to go perfectly fell flat on their face. An NPC didn’t deliver
his lines correctly and now the players think that the Giant Atlamos
is a Giant Albatross and everything is very confused. As a Game
Organizer, you must be prepared to introduce plots that clarify, correct
or re-direct events in mid-stream so you can get your plot back on track.
Corrected seamlessly, the plot can go on as though nothing unexpected
ever occurred. Done incorrectly, the players will see that things have
gone wrong and their immersion in the story can be broken. It is
your job as an Organizer to recognize the problems, both overt and
unspoken, and deliver quick and clear solutions.
ORGANIZER
One reason you may need to correct or redirect a wandering plot is
due to misinformation. You may hear from a player or staff member that
something that was clearly planned went amiss. If it is information that
has gone missing or was interpreted incorrectly, a simple solution can
be created in which a new plot element (a messenger, another NPC, a
note found) can clarify the lost or misinterpreted piece of information.
Even a temporary shift in gears and the introduction of a reactive
plot (see: Writing Plot That Reacts) can get your story back on track
by letting it take a brief side trip into what elements the players have
introduced.
33
Sometimes, however, players will begin chasing things that are not
elements you want involved in your game. This might be because they
will involve players violating the genre of the game and bringing in
elements you did not want to include, or because they bring in plot
elements you may have plans for at a later time or in different ways.
If that occurs, you will have to create a plot in reaction to draw the
players away from the unwanted elements they’re pursuing and towards
something that works more with your vision. It is very important not to
make this redirection feel punitive - players should never be punished
for taking the initiative to pursue or interact with plot. Instead, your
re-directive plot should guide them away from the elements you want to
phase out and give them something equally compelling with which to
interact.
A good example of this would be if players want to bring in genre-

violating themes or material into game. If your setting is a game about
a medieval world in which kings and courtiers battle for power in a
political setting, it might be very out of place to integrate a democratic
organization out to empower the people and take the power out of the
hands of the monarchy. If such an element suddenly started coming up
in game, a Game Organizer might be frustrated by the violation of the
ORGANIZER
games themes and setting. However a glance at the reasons behind

why players want to pursue this element might tell an Organizer that
the players feel stunted by the confines of the political intrigue and are
looking for a way to shake things up and take control.
With that in mind, the Game Organizer can re-direct those energies
away from the out of genre element and instead create a plot that
addresses the needs of the players. Instead of allowing a democratic
group, a plot in which a secret society gives players the ability to act
outside of courtly politics will fill the same need while not violating the
spirit of the game world.
Re-directive plots are a subtle technique to use when responding to

player actions, as anything too overt and it can seem like an Organizer
is taking away player choice and agency. It is important to always keep
in mind the give and take that must occur to keep the game feeling
interactive.
Gatekeeping:
Balancing Challenge Versus Impediment
A major part of any game is creating engaging challenges for your

players to face. There’s a demon stalking the players through a haunted
graveyard. There’s a maniacal king out to poison his own people for
his power and glory. There’s a treasure inside the most complicated
bank safe ever created that the players have to steal. Whatever you
34 call them, players must overcome these obstacles to face their objective.
These obstacles become the driving forces behind your game and keep
the players moving forward. Yet it is important to distinguish between
challenges and obstacles that impede the progress of your game.
A proper challenge for players is one that they can face and
potentially overcome regardless of the difficulty. Note that word:
potentially. Players will fail at obstacles all the time, sometimes despite
their best efforts. That is still okay, provided that the obstacles before
them have a solution and can be conquered. Players enter into game
with the good faith that the challenges presented to them have a solution
to be solved, and like any good puzzle-solvers, they’ll marshal whatever
resources to give it their all. That good faith has to be met on the Game
Organizers side too. While events and challenges can be difficult, every
challenge must have a solution that players can reach. A challenge
without an answer is an impediment, and it is the quickest way to cause
players frustration and aggravation with your game. Presented with
challenges that have no solutions, players will stop striving to achieve
their aims because they will believe that their goals are unobtainable.
Their resources, time and energy are then wasted and they become
frustrated and angry at the unfairness of the situation. This is one of the
quickest ways to lose player interest and lose players.
ORGANIZER
Players may question whether or not challenges put forward in game
are actually solvable if they perceive them as too difficult. Should it
seem like players believe that what they’re facing cannot be overcome
when in fact it can, it is the game staff’s job to clarify the situation. That
might require introducing some evidence to prove to the players that
they can succeed, or perhaps they’ve missed a key piece of information
that will help them feel confident in at least the possibility of victory.
That possibility space is where players thrive, enjoying the thrill of the
uncertainty of their victory. Without that hope for success, players can
feel depressed, boxed in and unsupported within the game world.
Remember: nobody likes to feel helpless or railroaded by the events in
their lives. A game is no different.
There is a difference between impediments and no-win situations.

Often in game, players may come up against a situation that offers
two or more solutions that are equally unpleasant. Does a player stay
inside a burning house or go outside where the zombies are waiting?
Both choices are not going to equal positive experiences for the player
and put them in a no-win that can be harrowing. These situations can
give players very intense experiences, but should be used sparingly
as they can leave players feeling like the choices have been taken out
of their hands. In fact that’s not the case- they have still made choices,
even if they’re not pleasant ones. Still, these scenes can be seen as
impediments by players and, if used too often, can cause the same
frustration.
Another impediment within game can often come from obstructions

within the player base themselves. Key pieces of information may not 35
get spread among other players, resources may be withheld to keep
the entire group from accomplishing a mission or players may act
against one another (either directly or indirectly) in ways that can thwart
victory. While it’s healthy for players actions to impact one another and
in character actions have repercussions, the game staff must keep an
eye on whether or not player actions are causing impediments to the
game at large. If a single player or a group of players is hogging game
elements that keep plot from being shared or make achieving goals
impossible for other players, then that same frustration can start to build
up in players. Elements must then be introduced in character by staff to
keep the plot flowing and offer new areas of opportunity for players to
explore to keep things exciting.
Ultimately when designing a challenge, you must create a solution

for the player to discover, even if there is only the most minute chance
that the player will discover it. How they get there and how difficult that
solution is will determine their experience. Just make sure in the end
there is one.
Integrating Player Actions:

Writing Reactive Plots
ORGANIZER
You have designed the perfect game. You are sure the players will
love every puzzle, every NPC you have designed, and the themes are
exactly what you want them to be. You present the material to your
players, eager to see how they will eat up your masterpiece. Then
you inevitably learn the most important piece of advice anyone can
learn when organizing a game: no plan survives engagement with
the players. Players choose to take actions based upon their own in
character motivations and out of character interests. Often those will
go counter to the design of the game set up by staff. To that end, it is
necessary for staff to be able to respond to player actions by writing
36
reactive plot to integrate in character actions into the established game
world.
First, it’s important to understand why reactive plot is important. When

running a game, reactive plots will allow you to maintain the integrity of
whatever plot you’re putting forward for the game when players throw
you a curveball. But more importantly, reactive plots honor the spirit
of innovation and hard work players put into the game. As previously
mentioned, there is nothing worse to a player than the feeling that their
choices are limited or worse, inconsequential. If a player steps out
to make choices and take actions, it is important to recognize those
choices as a valid part of the game world, even when those actions
drive the story in a way that you weren’t prepared for. Nothing is more
frustrating to a player than seeing their actions ignored or marginalized
in favor of the staff’s story because it takes away their agency to impact
their environment. Therefore, staff must be on alert to find ways to
integrate player action at all stages of the game.
There are several different kinds of reactive plot, and the difference
between them largely comes down to when and how these plots are
generated. The first kind of reactive plot is spontaneous, or on the spot
ORGANIZER
reactive plot. It refers to what happens when a player does something
in game that requires you to react and adjust your storyline to keep the
overall plot on track. This can be a very hair-raising experience as it
requires staff to think on their feet and come up with compelling story
ideas on the fly. Think of these plots as minor course corrections that
don’t steamroll the character actions but instead integrate them into the
overall flow of the game. If possible, find ways to make the player’s
actions a part of the ongoing narrative. This will indicate to players
that being proactive is a positive thing that will be acknowledged
and rewarded, and that moreover they are a contributing part of
the cooperative storytelling game experience. One caution: since
spontaneous plots like these can be a little stressful and require the staff
to think on their feet, you must be careful to make sure not to flounder
or make unwise decisions based on the stress. Take time, even if it is
at game, to consider what the ramifications of your reactions will be to
the player whose actions you’re reacting to and to the game at large.
Never create reactive plot that is punitive because you are unhappy
with a player interfering with your plot.
The second kind of reactive plot also gives game staff the chance to
course-correct plots, but is instead done with some time to consider. For
example, if a game comes to an end and players actions have changed
the events for upcoming plots in the next game, it is a staff members job
to go in and reevaluate future game stories to integrate player actions.
Since it is in between games instead of on the spot, there is a chance
to really consider what steps you want to take and plan for how the
player’s actions have impacted your ongoing plot and even your setting
for the future. If possible, find out as much as you can about the player’s
actions and what led up to them and then try and integrate those 37
activities into the plot if at all possible. This careful planning really gives
you as game staff the chance to weave the player into the plot and
make them feel more involved in the game world.
A third kind of reactive plot involves the integration of elements from

player’s backstories into the overall plot for the game. This third kind of plot
is the most relaxed of the three, as it is usually done at the staff’s leisure.
Once a player provides the staff with a back story, be that at the beginning
of game or after some time in play, the staff may take elements from the
backstory and work them into the ongoing plot. It may be as simple as
turning a player’s sister into a minor plot NPC, or as complex and intense
as making the main villain of the game the long lost son of a player
character. Whatever the element used, these details firmly tie the players
into the story and make it feel as though they are part of a vibrant, living
world. Once again, take your time deciding what elements to put where
because once they are in play, they can’t easily be taken back.
The important element to consider when deciding about how to react to

player interactions is first and foremost to decide whether or not to react in
the first place. Players are going to be doing a thousand things per game,
most of which are either self-contained in player versus player action or are
ORGANIZER
playing alongside your ongoing plot easily. Game staff must decide if an
action is disruptive enough to the ongoing plot or changes enough of the
state of play to require a reaction. Sometimes it’s enough to let players go
about their own business while acknowledging what they’ve done without
having to change anything of the ongoing game. Sometimes, staff will need
to step in. It all depends on one important question to keep in mind: how
much does that action change?
All three of those examples of reactive plots also come with a lot of
challenges to be considered. One issue comes up when staff must think
about whether or not the player’s actions can be integrated into the plot
without jeopardizing the integrity of the game world. Game Organizers
carefully craft their worlds and if a player does something that you deem as
out of genre bounds, then the reactive plot becomes less about integrating
their activities into the plot and more about doing damage control. It
is important to be prepared to rule something out of genre bounds, as
mentioned in previous sections). You may also decide as a Organizer that
the player’s actions are too far outside of thematic boundaries or would
introduce an element that would throw off the feeling of your game too
much. Both of these are valid questions to consider before planning to
react, and may prompt a Game Organizer to avoid pulling that player’s
newly created plot element into the overall game plot.

Overall, reactive plots are all about keeping the delicate balance
between player agency of action and integrity of the Game Organizer’s
plans. If you can keep that in mind, you’ll be halfway towards creating
a shared authorship experience between staff and player base that will
create great interactive game experiences.
38
ORGANIZER
39
INTERMISSION
“I’ve got something to show you.”
Nora didn’t even look up from the cash register; she was too
engrossed in remembering the sequence to ring up her customer. Of all
the things she did as a barista, Nora hated the register the most. Her
fingers danced over the keys. “You’ll have to wait one moment.” The
man had interrupted her train of thought. She had to repeat, “Now,
what was that, ma’am?”
She didn’t need to look up to hear the irritating whine in the woman’s
voice. “That’s one coffee, two muffins, and don’t forget the skim. No
sugar in anything, I can’t have any. And are the muffins gluten free?”
Nora nodded. “Gluten free, no sugar. Got it.” She left the register
for the coffee machine and the woman was once again part of the
INTERMISSION
background noise, the stream of the world. Nora’s hands went through
the motions, clockwork precision in the most mundane of tasks. Pull the
lever, coffee spilled into the cup, and she was careful not to splash the
scalding liquid on her hands. She set down the cup and let it fill just
long enough to gathering up the baked goods, slipping them in a bag
just as the coffee stopped pouring. She automatically picked up the
milk canister and poured without looking, her eyes unfocused. Because
really, what was there to focus on? What was there that made any
matter at all?
Behind her, a man cleared his throat. “Miss? You’ll really want to see
this.”
Nora sighed and looked down at her hands. The coffee cup in
her grasp, the bag in the other. What could this guy think was so
important? Nora had worked at the Java Shack for six months and in all
that time, she’d never seen anything that required more than the basest
attention. It was coffee service, not rocket science, and as she turned to
look up she wondered what could possibly be so important.
The woman she was helping must have thought the same thing. Nora
turned in time to see the customer, a tall woman with a fierce scowl,
swing around to the figure behind her. “Look, didn’t you hear her? You’ll
just have to wait your-”
The words died in the air as the woman fell silent. Nora looked up
then, past her at the man and nearly dropped the bag of muffins.
He wore a white suit, that was the first thing she noticed. He had a
40 matching hat, like a gangster out of Havana from an old film Nora’s
father used to watch, and he was old movie actor handsome. His skin
was dusky tan and against the suit made his eyes stand out startling
beneath a mess of black hair.
His eyes also stood out because they were bright, shining red.
When he smiled, his teeth were neat and very white. He nudged the
stunned woman aside and ambled up to the register. Nora noted that
he had one hand in his pocket. Was this a robbery? She could see
the headlines now: Classiest Coffee Robber Makes Off With Chump
Change. Still, she kept her hands, pastry and coffee laden as they
were, where he could see them.
“Now,” he said, “where were we?”
Nora swallowed. “You said,” she breathed, “that you have something
to show me.”
If possible, the man’s unnatural red eyes gleamed brighter. Nora’s

heart jumped.
INTERMISSION
“So many things, Nora,” he crooned. “As long as you’re willing to
see.” His smile got wider then. “And maybe even if you’re not.”
He knows my name, her mind yammered. All at once it whispered,

he’s crazy, but what it really meant was, he’s the devil. Aloud she said
instead, “Your eyes-”
The man’s smile widened. “The straight-forward approach. I like it.”

He leaned across the counter then and plucked the coffee from her
hands to set it on the counter. “Before you scald yourself.” He took the
bag of muffins then and turned to the woman next to him. She’d stood,
mouth open and staring, the entire time. He shoved the muffins at her
41
one-handed and then offered her that same, toothy grin. “Be on your
way, would you? The adults are talking.”
The woman worked her mouth once, twice, and then raced for the
door. In fact, most of the patrons had backed away, leaving Nora
behind the counter to stare at the man in the white suit alone.
“Alone at last,” the man said. He leaned over the counter a little.
“Now, I’ve come to you with a one-time, no questions asked, once in a
lifetime offer. And if you take it, you’ll walk out from behind that coffee
machine and toss aside your apron and see the world around you in a
whole new way. Maybe more than just the world around you. Maybe
you’ll see everything like me, if you want to.” He put a hand, palm up,
on the counter. “Or else, I can leave you here to this ridiculous nine-to-
five for you to rot away.”
“Is this a joke?” Nora looked around then, at the patrons backing
away. A few had out cell phones and were taking photos and video. “Is
this going to be on television?”
INTERMISSION
The man barked a harsh laugh. “All the best theatrics are ruined
by television these days.” He pulled back his sleeve to revealed an
expensive, complicated watch. “Time’s wasting, girl, and we don’t
have a lot of it. Come with me now and everything changes. Stay, and
pretend that your curiosity won’t eat you alive for as long as you live.”
“I don’t even know you.” But Nora saw her free hand reaching for
his anyway. She hesitated. Then she spotted the coffee stain that has
sloshed onto her apron hours ago, already turned a muddy brown. She
looked up at the man. “Promise you’re not going to hurt me?”
“I promise no physical harm will come from me.” The man in white
grinned. “What happens otherwise is not in my hands.” He looked
42
down at his watch again. “Tick tock, little girl. Tick. Tock.” He began to
pull his hand away.
Something inside Nora seized up. If someone asked her later why
she’d taken his hand, she wouldn’t have been able to vouch for the man
in white. Instead, she’d thought about the months of endless movement
behind the counter, and the never-ending questions about sugar or
gluten or calorie counts or how many pumps. She dropped the coffee
in her hand and felt it splash warm on her sneakers. Her fingers bit into
the man in white’s palm.
Instantly, the man in white moved. With his free hand, he grabbed the
cup of coffee. His grip switched until he held Nora’s hand and dragged
her to the edge of the counter. She barely had time to grab her coat
from the peg on the wall before he pulled her out the door.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, but he didn’t answer.

Out in the street, the man in white strode purposefully away from the
Java Shack. Nora saw the woman with her bag of muffins standing on
the corner, jabbering into a cell phone. As they went by, the woman
INTERMISSION
met her eyes and they were wide with fright. The man in white dragged
Nora on.
“I asked you a question,” Nora demanded, “where are we going?”
The man in white raised the coffee cup to his lips. “To another time,”
he said, “another place.”
And a car ran the red light, jumped the curb in a blaring arch, and
went right through the front window of the Java Shack. Glass exploded
and behind them, the woman with the muffins began to scream.
The man in white never stopped walking. He lifted his hand to check
his watch and then shook his head. He took a mouthful of coffee,
swallowed, and frowned.
“Damn,” he said, “not enough sugar.”
43
METACHARACTER
THE METACharacter
Creation System
You’ve had your big idea. You have the setting, the staff, the
themes, and the plot ready to go. But there’s still one important element
that every Game Organizer must take into account: the other people in
your world! From mooks to mercs to masterminds, from courtiers to cops
on the edge to cherubim, your players will want adversaries to contend
against, allies to guide them, and supporting cast to fill out the setting.
METACHARACTER
From the most faceless mob to the most intricate MetaCharacter, here’s
how you go about it.
The creation of your game’s extras and adversaries depends on

which themes the Game Organizer has opted to use for their game
world. Thematically, Non-Player Characters vary greatly depending on
the moral and historical focus points that the game uses for its genre.
The Game Organizer will outline the nature, appearance, drive, and
strengths of the allies and antagonists for individual games.
Regardless of the world you use, however, each and every non-player
character uses the same creation system.
When considering the personae to be antagonists and supporters for

your game, you first need to consider the drive, purpose, and focus of
the NPC. Is this NPC being introduced to make a emotional bond? Is
this NPC present to provide a mechanical combat threat? Is this NPC a
story and plot hook for long term over-arc plot? These sort of questions
will help you define what mechanics a Game Organizer should use for
the creation of an NPC. The concept creation mechanics for NPCs,
based on the needs of the game and Game Organizer, are divided into
three primary categories.
Fodder NPCs are often introduced as a reoccurring threat, a barely

named extra that appears on your games ‘stage’, or NPCs that have
less than human intellect that are short lived. If a Fodder NPC was to
be given credits at the end of a movie, they would be referred to as
‘person 1’ or ‘soldier 4’ instead of being given a name.
Named NPCs named NPCs are non player characters that have
44 desires, drives, focuses, needs, wants, and most importantly purpose.
While most NPCs have names, Named NPCs are more important in
regards to the telling of a games story, introduction of plot, resolution
of stories, inter-personal character interaction, and book keeping.
Named NPCs. If credited at the end of a movie, would be characters
credited with a name such as ‘Bob the Falafel Vendor’ or ‘Vice President
Christina’.
Reoccurring NPCs might as well be full player characters by the

amount of attention is given to their persona, back story, wants, desires,
and involvement in the telling of a games story. Reoccurring NPCs
are only a step less important in scope than your players, sometimes
having more ‘META’ control than an individual PC would have, and
are entrusted for key pivot control positions in a game that a Game
Organizer feels are need to direct story. Reoccurring NPCs, if credited
in a movie, would have their names listed with the rest of the starring
cast before the movie starts. Reoccurring NPCs may be loved as much
as the player characters, have as much costume and focus, but in the
end are the tool of the Game Organizers to produce a better gaming
experience.
METACHARACTER
Now that you have determined what kind of NPC you are producing,
you need to determine which style of book keeping works for your
NPCs. Below you will find the suggested book keeping and NPC
generation system for each of the three defined NPC types. While
NPCs can be generated using the Core Deck alone, adding the
Storytelling deck makes it significantly easier to create NPCs of varying
power levels, using the Antagonist, Situation, and Obstacle cards.
Fodder NPCs are more like two dimensional cardboard cutouts our
extras in a movie instead of fully designed characters. They are the
troopers, the bureaucrats, the thugs- anyone who serves to provide
more of an obstacles than a genuine interaction. Fodder NPC’s
usually require high numbers- people are rarely afraid of just the one
goblin. These can be represented by a single Antagonist card from the
Storytelling deck.
Named NPCs require more of a specialized design. Named NPCs

will need unique skill trees that help define the specialization and
focus on the individual NPC. To represent Named NPCs the Game
Organizer should create the Named NPC the same way you would
create a standard character. The Game Organizer should then check
the average experience point level of their game (how much growth, on
average, has your game earned) to determine how much XP should be
added. These NPCs can either be represented through a combination
of Antagonist and Situation cards, or have their own Character Deck.
Reoccurring NPCs should be created and tracked the same way

that standard Player Characters are created and tracked. Assigning
XP growth to a Reoccurring NPC will show that the NPC grows and
learns the same way that players do, adding more of a rich depth and 45
relationship with the PCs. When creating a Reoccurring NPC, be sure
that the NPC does not outgrow the average experience point level of
your game by too much. A Reoccurring NPC who is more powerful
than the players in a game should rarely get directly involved with the
day to day interactions of the game. These characters will definitely
have their own complete Character Deck.
Remember, the less often that an NPC gets involved and implements
changes to the player’s game, the more important and memorable those
moments will be. A good non-player character is reliable, helpful, and
most importantly, gets out of the way once their part in the story is done.
Building a Better Bad Guy:

ADVERSARIES
Villains are easy. Well, let’s rephrase that: simple, unmemorable, and
one-dimensional villains are easy. Crafting a depthless adversary simply
METACHARACTER
takes inverting the basest of the protagonist’s goals. Need a baddy

for your white knight to battle? Simply make his foe a black armored
monster who loves murdering kittens and warmongering. Need a violent
monster for your plucky lass adventurer to fight? Craft a mustachioed
misogynist who is her polar opposite. These villains are quick-fix
solutions. These adversaries work simply as a foil to your protagonist’s
desires and plans. They lack depth, as well as a level of challenge for
your player. If it only took a goatee to make a quality foe, stories would
be quick, easy, and boring. But you, our intrepid Organizer, are too
smart for such tropes and obvious pitfalls.
To make quality, gut wrenching, and unforgettable antagonists, one

must first craft heroes. A deep antagonist is the protagonist in his own
eyes. Even if he or she paints themselves as a villain, they are still the
hero of their own story. They make their choices and actions based on
a real internal set of rationales and desires. Even a chaotic psychopath
who seeks anarchy and turmoil must at their core have a rationale for
their actions; even if it may seem a lost cause to identify the source.
Villains and foes we remember are the ones that some sick part of us
roots for, even when they’re royally screwing our protagonist. The reason
we’re pulling for them is two-fold, yet the cause is communal. One
reason is that frequently, the antagonist is more interesting than the hero.
We don’t know what they’ll do next, nor are we privy to their master plan
or dangerous intentions. The protagonist is laid bare before us; their
origins and hopes are brought to light in the hopes of having us share in
their mutual journey. In a game, the protagonist is the player, and they
know their own background. They are aware of their heroes weaknesses
and strengths, and how they seek to overcome the adversity laid before
them. Yet the adversaries that they’ll remember are the ones with cards
46 they can’t see, the antagonists who they secretly hope might win.
The second reason is that we find something in the adversary with
which we can connect. Maybe we wish to be diabolical or have some
sort of master plan run through. Maybe we seek to be able to carry out
our desires with impunity. Maybe there is some part of us that wishes
that we could have such devout purpose as the antagonists. Either
way, there is a certain human element that can be lost in the hero, yet
found in his foe. Something within them that can speak to the recesses
of our minds; that lurking subconscious thought. Within a game there
is a certain level of hope from the protagonist side of the aisle that their
characters are deep enough. When the players find confidence in that,
they turn outward to seek that depth in the storyteller created characters.
They hope that the game can match the amount of consideration they’ve
placed into their own detail and backstory. An antagonist that showcases
this depth and detail makes a player connect with their foe.
Those two reasons are the hallmarks of a quality opponent, and have
a common trait: thought. The adversary who is well thought out and
developed makes these connections, and grants the players a window
into the mind of the storyteller. The opponent with these traits lures us in
METACHARACTER
and makes us wish to know them better. Their creator hasn’t made them
a two dimensional cutout, but a living breathing force.
That being said, there is an important aspect of adversaries that

we have yet to delve into: perspective. Within literature, typically the
antagonist is considered villainous or malevolent. Within the game
world, those structures and boundaries do not hold. Your protagonists,
your players, may be villains themselves, and that means their adversaries
may be of a more heroic position within society. This leads to interesting
dynamics that we encourage you to employ within your antagonist
creation.
With your own world to play with, you can now tailor your adversaries
to better fit your players’ needs. If they are running a criminal syndicate,
illegally dealing in a substance that is to be controlled by the surrounding
governments, an ideologue agent heading the investigation to put the
kibosh on your players’ plans would be an optimal antagonist. Sure, he’s
an honest family man who loves his wife and three kids, and he fights
against the corruption within his department. He plays it by the book
even though your players keep somehow slipping through his clutches by
circumventing the system. And sure, he may be an all-around good guy
who is well loved by his colleagues and bosses. But man, will he piss
your players off! And they’ll work extra hard to find out every dirty secret
in his closet, and every plan he has to thwart him at every turn. As an
excellent Organizer, you’ll be prepared to have them find out he can be
extorted through his family. His eldest daughter happens to be in with the
wrong crowd, and he’s been doing his best to keep it under wraps. His
wife has been cheating on him with his instructor, the guy who taught him
everything he knows. How will these revelations affect him? Will it drive
him into a blind fury? Will it cause him to bend, or break? That’s up for
you to decide. And your players will be begging to find out. 47
Let’s revisit this adversary through the filter of simplicity. This agent
becomes a caricature. His depth has been reduced to a white knight,
whose sole purpose in life is to destroy the wickedness your player
creates. He shows up at every possible turn for your players, loyal
bland agents behind him, tearing through your players defenses with
will and force. He loses all fun and credibility, and his boring and two
dimensional antics do nothing but to infuriate your players. Sure, he
serves as a foil to your players’ whims, but he is a simply dispatched
foil. This new agent has no endgame other than death, and this is
a dull ending befitting a dull character. Your players will have no
attachment to him, and he not be missed.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are dull villains as well. For
example, if your players are part of a valiant organization which vows
to stop and dispatch the wicked deeds of a criminal syndicate, it would
be simple to concoct some dark overlord who hides within the shadows,
doling out blasé heists and swift yet dolorous punishments to those
who wrong him. But add a flair for the dramatic and your villain may
become a horrifying showman who runs a carnival of terrors. If you
METACHARACTER
add a backstory to your villain wherein he wasn’t always evil, but was
twisted that way through a lifetime of evils being perpetrated against
him, the players suddenly don’t have a clear cut method for handling
him. Perhaps his lifetime was punishment enough.
These questions are the fuel that a game runs on. If you can coax
your players into asking them, you’re doing your job and catching
their interest. Adding depth to your villains breathes life into the game,
and allows for a world to become flesh and blood instead of wire
framework.
Will your efforts be lost on some of your player base? Most certainly.
Not all players wish to have their adversaries pumping blood, but
they may seek cardboard cutouts. Your adversaries will still serve
that purpose if they’re well-crafted, and they’ll go even further. For
the players that do care, and do delve into what twisted backgrounds
you’ve created, you’ll have satisfied customers, and foes they love to
hate, or hate to love.
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Sample Mortal ADVERSARIES
The Politician
Making sure to gain your vote and keep the tides on their side, The
Politician can be a wicked foe for your players to go up against. Able
to curry favor with the simplest of comments and a wash of charisma,
The Politician isn’t your average knock-down drag-out baddy. Instead,
they are sly, fast talking, and perhaps even more lethal than some lunk
with a gun.
It is in the Politician’s ability to gather people to their side that their

true lethality shows. The Politician may be a civic leader opposed to
the work of your players’ organization. They may be a corrupt official,
seeking to knock out those that oppose them. Or, they may be simply
the leader of some violent cabal with ideals that would endanger the
public.
METACHARACTER
The Politician can also play the role of a good gang leader, the head
of a band of thugs or mercenaries, or the face of some antagonistic
organization. The Politician knows that true power lies in controlling
others.

Suggested Antagonist Cards: Clerk, Fiend, Kingpin
49
The Thug
Blame it on upbringing, blame it on the structure of the class system,

or blame it on bad blood, the Thug is a creature designed to hurt. Born
and bred for gang warfare, the Thug holds the honor of being the foot
soldier for bigger fish. They aren’t planners or schemers, and they
aren’t particularly charming. And yes, they may work independently,
feeding like a pack of wild dogs upon prey that show weakness. But
what they lose in intellect, they gain back in brute force and numbers.
The Thug is in no way an expert in weaponry, advanced martial arts,

or tactics. They excel in the field of beat downs, and simple schemes.
Muggings, protection rackets, robberies and intimidation are the
Thug’s home turf. And they are rarely alone. As all predators of lower
intelligence do, the Thug functions best in a pack, the strongest of the lot
being chosen as the leader. This may indicate an increased intelligence
in the Alpha, but in no way does it mean they’ll be planning a heist
any time soon. Smash and grab works much better for the Thug than
orchestrated and elaborate plans.
METACHARACTER
Thugs are difficult to beat in a straight fight, but they can certainly
be out-thought. They’re great for making players have to rely on their
brains or their social skills instead of brute force.
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Goon, Minion, Brute
50
The Mercenary
Your traditional gun for hire, The Mercenary is a well-trained

operative, most likely with some formal military training, and a loose
moral compass. Mercenaries come in with the intent of getting the
job done, but may change their minds mid-step if suddenly a higher
bidder makes an appearance A group of Mercenaries work together in
tandem, and utilize tactics and training to make the most of their impact.
A mercenary is an excellent threat for when your players need some

firepower heading at them. Maybe they’re the employees of an evil
organization, hell bent on wiping your players off the face of the
earth. Maybe they’re guards stationed around a target, hired to keep
the goods safe. Or maybe they’re bounty hunters, out seeking a price
placed on one of your player’s heads.
Mercenaries will be difficult to out-gun, and tough to outlast in a

long engagement, but they do have the option of being bought out
by a wealthier and clever player. Some may even have an ethical
METACHARACTER
code of sorts that can be exploited by clever enough players. Use The
Mercenary as a clever and deadly opponent to keep your tougher
players on their toes.

Suggested Antagonist Cards: Goon, Guard, Chieftain
51
The Copper
Cheese it! It’s the fuzz! The Copper is skilled in arriving just in time
to foil the big heist, ruin the murder plot, or thwart the brilliant escape.
The Copper is your standard police officer, trained in upholding the law
and keeping those who abide by it safe. For player characters on the
shadier side of the law, the Copper is a constant concern.
The Copper can also run a bit more deep as a concept character.
Maybe the Coppers are on the take, and being paid by the local mob
boss to rub out a competing organization. Or maybe the Copper has
taken offense to your players’ actions, and has made it their mission to
snuff them out. They may even just be innocent bystanders, taking an
enemy of your players’ on the road for a prison exchange.
Coppers are crime-stoppers, sleuths, and fairly potent authority

figures. Utilize the Copper to show your players that crime doesn’t pay,
or that it pays brilliantly.
METACHARACTER
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Minion, Guard, Chieftain
52
The Preacher
All faiths have a speaker. Even silent monks may have one who
speak for them, and any of the faithful, no matter how humble, will
be opinionated. These men and women of the cloth seek to convert
others to their faith, perhaps guiding them through love and comfort,
or terrorizing them into their arms through fear and talk of punishment.
Either version may have the best intentions in mind, or they may seek to
convert others for their own twisted needs. This gives a lot of room to
play with, but a solid core under it.
Preachers are charismatic, in their own right. They may be

saccharine sweet and perhaps plastic in their feel. This “too-good-to-
be-true” nature may alienate some, yet may also pull in the hopeful and
lost. Others may preach fire and brimstone, warning of the hellfire that
will await those who do not fall into the good graces of their deity. This
scare tactic may work on some, frightening them towards their gods. A
Preacher can be the leader of a dark cult, or the head of a local church.
They can be a salesman evangelist, or perhaps a quiet and cloistered
METACHARACTER
monk. All of these characters have the common traits of charisma and
belief, and the ability to use them to sway, steer, and guide the minds
and hearts of men.
These men and women have the ability to believe, and sell that belief,
could make any of these missionaries expert politicians or salesmen.
But they have chosen a path to power that they believe guides others
with them to a greater purpose. Sure, a politician may sway voters
and pass laws, but these shepherds speak for higher powers and
higher laws. They do not beg for the votes of the populace, but instead
command it, passing edicts that they have heard from upon high, or
from the dark depth below.
A Preacher is a useful antagonist for players who enjoy debate and

intrigue. When players set themselves upon the Preacher, they are not
fighting a human, but an ideal. They use their powers of persuasion
and performance to command their minions and true followers.
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Clerk, Fiend, Lord
53
The Civilian
Not everyone your players run into is going to fit some sort of
archetype. There are enough average Joes and plain Janes walking
around that it would be absolutely unrealistic if every single antagonist
they encountered was some sort of gun-toting machine. Instead, you
may have your players encounter The Civilian: just an average person
looking to make it home after a long day.
Now how would that complicate things for your players? Well
Civilians can be hostages in crime situations, or do-gooder interlopers
who manage to block a crime spree. Enough Civilians can quickly
make an easy decision into a hard one, or an painless situation into a
miserable one.
If the Civilians decide they’ve had enough of your players’

garbage, they may gang up and attempt to take them down. Never
underestimate the power of simple people in large enough groups.
METACHARACTER
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Pest, Clerk, Lackey, Minion
54
The Reporter
Like paparazzi outside of the hottest LA clubs, the Intrepid Reporter

makes a great fly in the ointment. With a hound like dedication to
finding the juiciest of stories, the Intrepid Reporter will stop at nothing
to get the best scoop, even if it means bribing a few locals and
endangering a few lives. They are ruthless in their quest for news, even
if they have to make it up as they go along.
The Intrepid Reporter may not be the best physical combatant to throw
in the ring, but they do very well in meddling with plans. They may
break the story of your players’ best heist, revealing all their names
to the public. Or they may be undercover, attempting to spy on your
players’ organization in order to make headlines. They may even print
falsities against your players, slandering them to the public at large.
The Intrepid Reporter is a good way to keep indiscreet players in

check. A pesky journalist buzzing around can only mean trouble for
your wicked players, and a platform for your chatty ones.
METACHARACTER
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Lackey, Infiltrator, Mastermind
55
The Worker

Your average safety helmeted, pick swinging, pipe laying, blue collar
type, the Worker gets stuff done. If there is a job that needs completing,
there is no work area too dark or dangerous for the Worker. The
Worker can serve as any blue collar employee, doing manual labor for
hard currency.
The Worker serves as an interesting obstacle to players. They may

be collateral damage in a break in or heist. They may be threshold
guardians for players to pass through to other areas by clever means.
Or they may function as a gang, working for a higher evil authority.
The Worker is no slouch in a fight, with years of muscle being built up

from hard work. They can swing tools as if they were weapons of great
power. Plus, they’ve got the union to back them up.
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Goon, Brute, Guard

METACHARACTER
56
The Medic
The Medic may seem to cover only a narrow field, but there are truly
all kinds of healers in the world. They may be a classic doctor, trained
to use the newest and latest technologies. They may be an EMT or a
combat medic, trained for quick administration of life saving medicine.
They may even be an old timey barber surgeon, applying leeches to
cure patients of ills.
Medics may be one of the biggest burdens for your protagonists,

as their abilities to heal may keep their other enemies going longer.
The Medic is also a dangerous threat, as such skill and knowledge
must mean an immensely strong brain. This leaves the players to deal
with super intelligent people who can restore life to their wounded
teammates.
Medics work great when accompanying a group of bruisers,

especially in the case of Mercenaries and Thugs. First do no harm.
Then, kick ass.
METACHARACTER
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Lackey, Fiend, Mastermind
57
The Techie
We all know that type: Macguyver with duct tape, wizard of the
cyberways, virtuoso with all things that beep and whir. The Techie.
These Techno-Savants are more than just a useful tool. They’ve
existed in ages before the internet, the steam engine, or the printing
press. They have a sensibility to them that allows them insight into the
inner workings of whichever technology is the most elite in their time.
The moment a cave dweller struck two rocks together to make fire, a
second saw this and instantly had a thousand ways to improve upon
the original concept. Hell, they already had blueprints in mind for the
wheel. That’s the Techie.
Techies work as interesting antagonists, as they may not function as

well socially or physically as other brutes or charmers. Their skill lies
in the tech around them and its creation. This makes a strange new
opposition for your players, one that may need to be out–thought as
opposed to out-gunned. A Techie may have a strong survival instinct,
bred from a mind that thinks in cool facts as opposed to irrational
METACHARACTER
ideals, and this could be used as a bargaining tool to perhaps bend

them to the will of the players. Of course, that would require them
getting to them.
You’re unlikely to find a Techie on the field of battle, unless they’re

doing spot repairs for some higher up that has made it worth their
time. They’re more likely to be secluded, hidden, and well-guarded.
They may come off as less than lethal, perhaps timid and coy, their true
danger being masked by societal constructs. They may also come off
as arrogant or pompous, believing themselves to be the superior intellect
in the room. It’s up to your players to prove them wrong.
Suggested Antagonist Cards: Lackey, Infiltrator, Mastermind
58
Using the
Storytelling Deck
Game Organizers and Marshals can choose to portray
MetaCharacters in the story. MetaCharacters are Non Player
Characters who interact with the players to help advance the story.
Game Organizers and Marshals have to think on the fly and react to
the many, many situations the players can construct. Because of the
need for quick reaction time, the Storytelling deck is vastly different from
the player’s decks. MetaCharacters will often pull only one card for a
given challenge as opposed to three, to cut down on the search time in
the deck.
A MetaCharacter using these cards against a single character will

want to use only one card at a time against a single player, however,
they may wish to combine cards (Using the same equation- colorless,
Red, and Blue) to create greater challenges that might require more
than one player working together to overcome. MetaCharacters do not
METACHARACTER
always need to show exactly which cards they’re using or even why-
cards like “Conspiracy” and “Illusion” are best kept secret.
There are three new types of Chronos Cards in the Storytelling Deck,
as outlined below.
Antagonists
The most straightforward type of card in the Storytelling deck, these
represent different archetypes of antagonists. Remember that these are
not specific- the “minion” card could be a shifty criminal, a deadly
robot, an alchemical monster or something else entirely. The idea is that
the card serves as a baseline for the MetaCharacter to build this new
character on.
59
Antagonist cards should not be handed out as full-on
MetaCharacters. Recurring, fully-formed Adversary characters should
be build with a proper Character Deck. However, side characters and
bit players, like cannon fodder troops, faceless bureaucrats, or common
thugs or the like are reflected in these cards.
To add a bit of customization to the Antagonist cards, Aether cards

may be added to adjust one stat up or down. Perhaps this Infiltrator is
a few points Brawnier than the average, or that Predator is not quite as
dexterous as its peers.

Gambits
Gambits are special abilities that Antagonists have, and they can be
used by issuing or resolving an appropriate challenge (for example, a
Clerk may “Stymie” a character with paperwork, making it an Acumen
or Resolve action.) Every Antagonist card has at least one Gambit,
METACHARACTER
even if it’s just doing a bit more hand-to-hand damage than average.
Typically, these are selected by the MetaCharacter.
Stymie
A Stymied Character, after failing a challenge, can not re-attempt this
action for one whole scene.
Intercept
An Intercepted character must find a new course of action, and can
only continue in their present course by burning an Aether.
Fear
A character who has been defeated in a Fear attack must take their
full steps away from the attacker next round.
Cloak
A character with the Cloak ability can go into stealth if unnoticed for
1 round.
Shock
A momentary stun in lieu of damage. A character in Shock can take
no actions for as many rounds as the Shock lasts, which is equivalent to
the attack’s damage.
Befuddle
A Befuddled character can take no actions for as many rounds as the
shock lasts or until they burn an Aether.
Snare
A Snared character can not act, but may still speak and move.
60
Gag
A Gagged character may not speak, but can still act and move.
Root
A Rooted character can not move, but may still speak and act.
Order
A character who loses an Order attack must spend an aether to resist
or follow a one-word command for one round.
Bully
A successful Bully attack stuns the character for one round and halves
their Resolve totals for two rounds after.
Disarm
A Disarm removes an Item card from a player’s challenge hand for
one round.
Essentially, the attacker is just knocking it to the floor.
An example of Using Antagonist Cards
METACHARACTER
Sarah and Molly are playing Agents. Savannah is infiltrating Megan’s
hideout, which is ingeniously hidden in a shopping mall in Live Play.
She scales the fence, but just as she starts to cut the glass on the
window to break in, she’s spotted by a police officer. “Stop right there!”
he calls. The MetaCharacter decides that the “Guard” card makes the
most sense. He has Root, Disarm, and since he’s a police officer the
MetaCharacter decides to give him “Command.” She uses the card’s 2
offensive Resolve to issue the challenge. Savannah fails to resist, so she
stops what she’s doing and combat begins.
Obstacles
Obstacles are the sort of physical barriers that players run into all the
time- bottomless pits, endless chasms, deathtraps, and stranger things.
Each obstacle has a “potential damage” stat- the maximum amount
of damage that the obstacle can do. If a player wishes to cross the
obstacle, they must defeat it in a challenge (almost always physical, but
the MetaCharacter’s call, of course.) If they fail, they may take some or
all of the damage that the obstacles can dish out.
A “Crossable” obstacle can be crossed by any player willing to

withstand the full damage that the obstacle can dish out. Some obstacles
are Crossable, others are not.
(Helpful tip: MetaCharacters should never assign a card value to an

obstacle they don’t want crossed. For example, a locked door to a room
that is not in play shouldn’t be given even an “Impossibly High” value-
the players will always try to get that one open first.) 61
An example of Using Obstacle Cards
Anthony and Rick are playing treasure hunters, and they are running
from a spreading fire in a warehouse in Narrative Play. The Organizer
or Marshal uses the “Heat” obstacle to issue a Dexterity Challenge.
They both manage to get out away from the fire, but the door is
locked, and therefore not Crossable no matter how dire the situation.
Fortunately, Rick has his trusty lock pick and issues a new challenge
(Which the MetaCharacter decides is also Dexterity) on the door… and
jimmies it open in the nick of time, dropping him and Anthony safely
outside as the warehouse crumbles.
Situations
Situations are just that- any of the intangible, problematic scenarios

that players can come across. These will often be the most difficult
to qualify, because they’re not as immediately obvious as obstacles
and antagonists. A wall is a wall, a thug is a thug, but “prejudice” or
“antipathy” are harder to spot.
METACHARACTER
These cards will be used primarily in one of two ways. First, they can
be used to “beef up” an Antagonist or Obstacle. For example, a Brute is
bad, but a Brute with a Vendetta is going to be worse. A Barrier is bad,
but a Barrier hidden by an Illusion is worse. Second, A “Situation”
can be used to shorten time. For example, in a Live Play, a Player may
break off from the action to try and learn something relevant to the plot.
To save time, you might simply have them issue a Resolve challenge
against a “Secret.”
An example of Using Situation Cards

George and Mark are playing Starship Pilots. Despite the oncoming
Alien threat, there has been no order to scramble against the invaders.
Miles decides to have Maggie ready his ship as he investigates.
George does an Acumen check to attune Mark’s Laser Cannons as
Mark looks into what going on on the bridge. The MetaCharacter has
Mark perform a Resolve Check against the “Conspiracy” card. Mark is
successful and returns to George with his suspicions confirmed that the
Space Admiral has sold out to the aliens and that they have to get in the
air as quickly as possible.
62
FUELING A GAME
Using Aether and the Aether Deck
Aether is the fuel that runs the Chronos Universe. The power of the
four elements let the players go above and beyond; from uncanny
abilities to simply putting a little extra oomph behind an effort, Aether
gives the players moxie. Aether can be wielded like a weapon by
the preternatural abilities of the Skeins, or simply burned to power an
Augment ability.
The base number of Aether cards a player receives is determined by

the Focus stat on their Core Card. In Skeins with a mystical genre and a
lot of Aether use, there may be mechanics to raise this number, but for a
base level human game, the Focus is it.
What is important to remember, however, is that Aether is a finite

resource. Players receive their Aether at the beginning of a game.
METACHARACTER
Now, the Game Organizer may choose to deny the players Aether, if
it is relevant to plot (such as finding a Font or Threshold), but as a rule,
players will begin the game full up. As Aethers are burned or used, they
are discarded; either given to a MetaCharacter or left in a receptacle
on the Story Table. Eventually, players will find themselves tapped.
At this point, the Game Organizer’s discretion comes into play.

How players regain their Aether is a telling point in a Chronos game
world, and while the Skeins have their own methods, it is well within
a Game Organizer’s purview to create their own system for Aether
regeneration. In a base level game, perhaps the characters must sleep.
Meditation may be an option, or even prayer. In a game with more
supernatural awareness, the Game Organizer may opt to bring the Font
and Threshold cards from the Aether deck into play, and decide how
63
the characters may draw from them. Mystic cracks in reality are found
in many genres, from superheroes to time-traveling physicians to secret
agents: it is up to the Organizer to decide what they look like, how they
function, what the characters know about them, and how Aether may be
drawn.
It is worth noting that some strategy is useful in playing Aether.

Weaker Aether cards are the best to Burn to power Augment abilities
which don’t require high level Aethers. Stronger Aethers are better
saved, for spending in a crunch situation or for spending on a power
which has specific Aether requirements. The Game Organizer may
choose to draw their own Aethers randomly, or use them selectively,
depending on their needs.
The Story Table in a Larger Space
In the Core book we discussed the Story Table- a simple table

METACHARACTER
designated as the repository for cards that affect the play space at
large. It is intended to be used by both players and MetaCharacters;
and can signify any effect or obstacle that is perceivable to those in
the space. If a player casts an Ex Arcana Ward upon a room, that
card goes on the table so that others sensitive to magic could notice it,
regardless of whether they observed it being cast. If a MetaCharacter
reveals a Situation or an Obstacle from their deck, such as Cold, they
may choose to leave the card upon the Story Table.
As far as the setup of the Table itself, it is often useful to keep a

receptacle upon the Story table for discarding Spent or Burned Aether.
It may also be useful to add a small table light, the better to see what is
on the table and also to denote its Out of Game status. In a particularly
large game space that spans multiple rooms, there may be more than
one Story Table, really as many as the Organizer deems useful.
Growth and Experience
The Chronos universe is an exciting and often dangerous one.

Whether it is the mental stimulation of intrigue and politicking, or the
all out physical challenge of fighting for one’s life, the characters in
a Chronos game will be tested and tried. And as they survive these
tribulations, characters will learn and grow. This is represented in game
by numbers and cards, adding new skills and tricks to a character’s
deck.
From the beginning, the Game Organizer should have some idea of
the power level of their game. This is established immediately by the
64 Character Deck number- beginning with a base level of 12 points, and
escalating from there depending on the game’s theme. As the game
progresses, players will earn XP at a rate determined by the Organizer.
(See the XP Table) If the Organizer likes, points may be awarded for
above and beyond achievement in areas like roleplaying or costuming
(though the Organizer should set guidelines for these awards to avoid
favoritism). There may also be Chronos Item cards in play that the
characters can acquire through gameplay.
Once the player has earned XP, the ball is in their court. Each
Chronos card has a Point Cost number in the very upper right hand
corner. It costs the player that many XP in order to “buy” that card, and
add it to their deck. The player may choose to spend their XP as they
go, or save it in order to “purchase” a more powerful card. Depending
on the breadth of the particular Chronos game, and what the Organizer
allows, cards from other decks or Skeins may be added, but the
Organizer has final say.
The following quick reference table is to assist Game Organizers

in choosing starting character build, how many experience points
METACHARACTER
to award, and how many staff members you should have. This is a
general guideline based on the number of players you have, the number
of games you would like to run, and the overall intended duration of the
Chronos campaign. These are guidelines, not set in stone rules. If you
find that your game chapter operates better with different settings, then
do not hesitate to change how you operate your game. We provide the
tools of play, you provide the experience.
When using the following chart, first determine the total maximum
number of players that you will allow at your game. With this
number, look in column one to find the appropriate table section.
Next, determine the power level of the game you intend to run. If the
power of your game is going to be in the scale of humans to slightly
augmented humans, we suggest a Low power level. If you want
characters to all be minimally supernatural (no normal characters
allowed) then we recommend the Supernatural power level. If you wish
to run a game where players will begin as Super Villains or Heroes,
then choose the Epic power level. Slide your finger down the second
column, and compare what rows share both your power scale and your
intended turnout of players.
Finally, you need to decide how long you will be running this
game. Find the highest number of potential months that you may run
this game, and match the total number of months to the highest time
duration available. Cross reference this row to both the player count
and the power level, and you have now found a single row that defines
our suggested starting levels for your game. If you follow the row to
the right hand side of the chart you will find our suggested starting
character build, month by month experience points, the number of staff
we recommend for the game, and the time duration of CHRONOS
combat rounds. 65
The combat round time varies based on the size of the character deck,
what ‘super powered’ or ‘well experienced’ characters would have
for split second decision making, and allowing enough time for truly
dramatic slow motion combat. As your characters accumulate more
unique and unusual powers and abilities, quick ‘on-the-fly’ clarifications
may be requested and you want to provide for that extra few seconds
per round. However, if you find that the group you are running an event
for are ALL well experienced CHRONOS players, feel free to make your
timed combat rounds faster.
For long-running games, a database of some sort will be required in

order to keep track of Experience and expenditure. In a smaller game,
the Organizer may take this on, but in larger games there may be a
specialized Coordinator for Experience within the Logistics team.
Should a game campaign run for a particularly long time, the Game
Organizer may have to contend with the problem of power creep;
wherein players who have a part of the game for some time are
METACHARACTER
significantly more powerful than beginning players. There are a number

of methods to tackle this- allowing new characters a higher starting
build, clever restrictions of Aether or powers, offering other in-game
incentives to spend XP on, among others. In a long-running game, you
as Organizer will have a feel for your players, and what will work.
A last thing to remember, as a Game Organizer. Don’t be afraid

of endings. If nothing else, they are an excuse to start fresh. After all,
there’s a whole universe out there.
66
Suggested EXPERIENCE AND GROWTH TABLE
# of Creation Monthly
players Power Level Game Duration Points XP Staff Turn Time
1-30 Low Less than 12 Games 12 2 2-5 30 Seconds
1-30 Low Less than 24 Games 12 2 2-5 30 Seconds
1-30 Low Open Ended 12 1 2-5 30 Seconds
1-30 Supernatural Less than 12 Games 14 3 2-5 1 Minute
1-30 Supernatural Open Ended 14 1 2-5 1 Minute
1-30 Epic Power Less than 12 Games 20 3 2-5 1 Minute
1-30 Epic Power Less than 24 Games 20 2 2-5 1 Minute
1-30 Epic Power Open Ended 20 1 2-5 1 Minute
31-60 Low Less than 12 Games 12 2 4-10 1 Minute
METACHARACTER
31-60 Low Less than 24 Games 12 2 4-10 1 Minute
31-60 Low Open Ended 12 1 4-10 1 Minute
31-60 Supernatural Less than 24 Games 14 2 4-10 2 Minutes
31-60 Supernatural Open Ended 14 1 4-10 2 Minutes
31-60 Epic Power Less than 12 Games 20 3 4-10 2 Minutes
31-60 Epic Power Open Ended 20 1 4-10 2 Minutes
61-100 Low Less than 12 Games 12 2 6-15 2 Minutes
61-100 Low Less than 24 Games 12 2 6-15 2 Minutes
61-100 Low Open Ended 12 1 6-15 2 Minutes
61-100 Supernatural Open Ended 14 1 6-15 2 Minutes
61-100 Epic Power Open Ended 20 1 6-15 3 Minutes
67
CONCLUSION
Ross stared into the bathroom mirror and nudged the bridge of his
nose.

“It still looks wrong,” he groused. He adjusted the tie of his suit and
turned to look back through the open bathroom door into the motel
room beyond. “I’m telling you, that guy didn’t set it right.”
In the worn chair beside the door, Nora stirred. She picked the lint
from the arm of the chair and said nothing. In the months since she had
taken up with Ross - how many? Six? More? It was hard to remember?
- she had gotten used to his ongoing monologue. If it wasn’t about his
nose it was the state of his clothing, or the places they had to stay. If it
wasn’t that, it was how early they got up and how little time they spent
in one place.
CONCLUSION
“You’d think a card shark wouldn’t mind staying on the go,” she
muttered.
Ross squinted at her. “Stop answering things from yesterday,” he shot

back. “I was talking about that yesterday. Today, I’m talking about my
nose.”
Nora blinked behind her dark sunglasses, then shook her head.
Cobwebs filled her thoughts, interconnected lines that danced with
eventualities, inevitabilities. She saw Ross standing in the doorway,
adjusting his tie, and also saw him dead in an alleyway at the same
instant. She saw him in another place with the head of a falcon in a
suit with a badge, and in another place with his hair slicked back and
68
a pack of smokes in his hand, ready to bust some heads for the good
of old home-town America. She saw him in a dozen ways and then
blinked and it was gone.
“You’re always talking about your nose,” she said, and smiled. “It’s
a universal constant. No matter the world, no matter the place, you’re
always obsessed with your shnoz.”
Ross flipped off the light and stepped into the room. He wore a black
three piece with creases sharp enough to cut, and a black tie. His hair,
despite everything, remained completely unruly above that badly set
nose and curious eyes.
“Hey, Max always liked my shnoz,” Ross shot back. Then his eyes
glazed over. “Max. Ahh man, Max.”
Nora shook her head. “Max is fine, somewhere. You know that.”
“I know.” Ross crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not much of a
consolation. Somewhere, out there, some other Max is fine and living
with a family. Or he’s the capo de capo of something. Or maybe he’s
CONCLUSION
a talk show host. Somewhere, Max is fine and didn’t get killed by that
crazy psycho, The Bar Room Basher.” He made a face and messed up
his hair even more. “What an awful name.” He crossed the room and
sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees as he stared
down at the floor. “That guy killed my best friend. Would have killed
me. But then you came.”
They’d been through it a million times before, and yet they’d talk
about it again. Nora had long ago come to understand why the Man
in White hadn’t tried to explain things to her. He’d just grabbed her
hand and led her into a different world, a life spent pulling people out
of their old lives to see things outside of the ordinary, and he’d done
it without explanation because he’d understood that there could be no
explanation. People couldn’t start to understand until they saw things
with different eyes. Then there would be no need for words. Until then,
she had to go through the motions.
She sat forward in her chair. The light from the moon outside caught
on her pristine white suit and made her cast an eerie glow. She could
almost see herself in Ross’s eyes as he stilled, staring at her.
“You had a talent,” she relayed for the dozenth time. “Fast fingers,
fast hands, an intuitive sense of the world. You knew things, and
because of that you were perfect. You could reach out and almost touch
the stuff that the world was made of. And if I hadn’t come, you would
have died without ever knowing about it.”
Ross let out a shaky breath. “Yeah,” he said, “Aether. Yeah, I would
never have-” 69
“And you never will,” she cut him off, “not really, if we don’t get
moving.”
Nora stood and straightened her suit. Ross stood too before her,
looking uncertain. He plucked at the suit, then looked back at the
bathroom mirror and his shadow there. She was short and bright beside
him, her suit and skin so pale, and beside her he looked severe and so
different than he had before. Again for a moment she had a thought, a
little inkling of what he might be elsewhere. She hadn’t told him what
the Man in White told her, the awful secret that he taught her the day
she’d earned her white suit. The secret that you were chosen for more
than just a talent to see Aether. She looked at him and in so many
places, so many worlds, all she saw was death. Ross dead, over and
over again, in more places than he was alive. Like lights, they snuffed
out until there would only be one left. Where months ago she would
have seen dozens, now there was only a handful.
Nora blinked and the strands of him, bound in the Aether that tied
them all together, were gone. She turned and walked to the motel room
CONCLUSION
door and pulled it open for him. From outside, light flooded the room.
Ross threw up a hand to block his eyes.
“Come on,” she said, “it’s your time now.”
When she offered him her hand, Ross didn’t hesitate. He squeezed
her fingers and grip was sure, secure. Together, they walked into the
courtyard.
A ring of cars pointed towards their motel room door, all the halogen
lights burning bright. Nora didn’t need to blink but beside her, Ross
stumbled. She steadied him with her grip and pulled him out of the
doorway and towards the cars.
Beside them stood the others. Men and women, all dressed in white,
stood beside their cars. Nora could see the dark shapes that sat inside
the cars and knew they’d be other apprentices in their black three-piece
suits, waiting while this important business was done. And maybe he’d
meet them, get a chance to talk to the others who were just like him,
new to this business and still learning what it was to be marked Out of
Time. Nora only hoped he’d last that long. They were all waiting, just
like Ross, to graduate to the next level. Nora didn’t envy them. They
didn’t really understand.
It’s not fair, she thought, he ought to know.
She leaned in close and whispered, “Look at them. Look at them

really.”
70 Beside her, she saw Ross frown and concentrate. She saw the Aether
dance and his fingers twitched, a left-over habit from his card sharp
days. Then she saw the dawning look on his face, the confusion that
turned to realization when he looked at the people in white and the
cars. Inside he could see them as Nora did, with strands that lead off to
other places and other people who, somewhere and somehow, shared
a piece of themselves in another world. Yet Nora saw the moment when
his eyes settled on the people in white and he began to understand.
“They’re alone,” he whispered. “Every one of them, they’re-”
He stopped and looked at Nora, wide-eyed.
She smiled a sad smile and shook her head before he could say the
next words that she knew he would. They’re alone, she thought, and so
am I. If he survived long enough, he would be the only one too. That’s
the day when all little boys and girls grow up. That would be the day he
got his white suit.
She held up their hands, entwined, and pulled him away from the
motel, humming as she went. The tune stuck with her since that day at
the Java Shack; it had been playing over the loudspeaker. The universe,
CONCLUSION
she thought, was not without it’s sense of humor. They walked hand in
hand into the lights of a dozen headlamps to the wistful strain of “Time
is On Your Side.”
“Yes,” she said aloud, “it is.”
71
LEXICON OF TERMS
Adversary A Non-Player Character set in opposition to the Players.
Can be represented by an Antagonist card.
Antagonist One of the card types in the Storytelling Deck, these

represent opponents and foes of a variety of power levels.
Gambit One of the powers of Antagonists. Gambits are noted on the

cards and usable at the MetaCharacter’s discretion.
Game Organizer The director, the leader, the ‘Captain My Captain’

of the game. The Game Organizer takes on the role of team leader,
project coordinator, referee, and visionary storyteller.
Logistics More specialized staff for larger games, Logistics can

incorporate Coordinators for such aspects as Business, Safety, Site, and
Promotional, amongst others as necessary.
Marshals Assist Game Organizers in implementing their plots during

games, as well as serving as MetaCharacters and rules keepers for the
LEXICON
game. They are familiar with the rules inside and out and adjudicate
any kind of rules questions for players during game play.
MetaCharacter Non-Player Characters and Adversaries portrayed by

a Game Organizer, Storyteller and/or Marshals.
Non-Player Character Anyone from a simple cipher represented by

an Antagonist card to a multi-faceted Adversary MetaCharacter with
their own deck and complex motivations.
Obstacle One of the card types in the Storytelling deck, these

represent natural and man-made hindrances to the Players.
Player Character A character portrayed by a Player, with a full

Character Deck and operating at the Player’s inspiration and discretion.
Situation One of the card types in the Storytelling deck, these

represent contextual stumbling blocks and dilemmas for the Players.
Skein Complete game worlds and histories written for the Chronos
System.
Storyteller Works with the Game Organizer to keep the game’s

overall themes and world in mind while they create plot on an ongoing
basis. Storytellers are also responsible for implementing plots at game
using the game’s Marshals.
72
LEXICON
73

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GAME ORGANIZER’S GUIDE

Jason Stull (order #10660126)

Eschaton Media INC, its employees, and related companies assume no

Finally, remember that this is just a game.

Stay Safe and Have Fun!

Jason Stull (order #10660126)

Layout & Design

Also Very SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR

Jason Stull (order #10660126)

Jason Stull (order #10660126)

THE HANGED CAT BAR. FIND ROSS BY EIGHT-FORTY.

The guy on the ground bounced to his feet.

“Max!” Purple shirt shouted. He started forward, then hesitated.

Kickboxing, Nora thought, the man’s drunken kickboxing. But was

Hoodie reached down and if Nora hadn’t been watching, she’d

“Hey!” she shouted, her stomach twisted in fear.

Nora swallowed. “Are you Ross?”

“Are you Ross?” she shouted again.

The first element to determine is your concept. Whatever sparked your

After you’ve mapped out your game’s themes, world elements,

The Right Stuff:

So you, as the Game Organizer, have decided to go big. The scope

If the Game Organizer is the director, the leader, the ‘Captain My

From the very start, a Game Organizer must hand-pick a team of

Roleplaying games in general, but especially Live Action games, are

Interactive storytelling is a framework technique that allows Game

By contrast, pre-determined or fixed storytelling is a more rigid

Considering how different these two techniques are, it’s important

A good compromise lies in using both to provide an open

hitting certain notes through carefully controlled scenes interspersed

One of the best ways to decide what kind of storytelling strategies to

What You See Is What You Get:

Once an Organizer has decided on their game setting, they must

This physical component is a vital part of what creates the fully

If the process sounds daunting, it needn’t be. Game Organizers are

Stand-in representations are also key when representing set pieces

Who, What, Where, When, Why:

Another important element to consider when preparing to create your

• Where is my game set? What year is my game set in?

• Is the world very much like the world we know? If not,

• How would those differences affect things like dress?

It is important to note that the creation of a game environment does

Overall, it’s important to recognize that the environment is going to

Clarity and Definition:

So you’ve decided the kind of game you want to create. You’ve

amounts to a limited community of people, it is tempting to try and

Bang for your Buck:

The first thing to learn when managing resources is to understand

The second thing to consider when deciding on resource management

The question of personal attention in game can be a major pitfall in

Where a game’s main resource might be its people, the narrative

It is necessary for Game Organizers to build a framework around their

Constraints can come in many forms. They can be environmental,

As Game Organizer, you must keep a critical eye on how much

Safety should be your primary concern when evaluating a player

game, you’re going to want to nix it immediately. Ditto any common-

Another concern for allowing props is a look and feel appropriate to