Page 19 - Chronicles of Darkness

An Introduction to making sure there are always complications.
…facilitating the actions players’ characters take, while
Storytelling Games the story.
…making sure that poor dice rolls affect but don’t stop

Chances are you know what a storytelling — or roleplaying The players are responsible for…
— game is already. But if you’re new, or if you haven’t played a …creating their own individual characters as members
Chronicles of Darkness game before, let’s talk about the basics. of the cast.
Starting with this book, you’ll play out stories following a …deciding what actions their characters take.
core cast of characters as they make their way in the Chronicles …making decisions that create drama and help keep the
of Darkness, a distorted reflection of our own everyday world. story moving.
It’s a lot like a TV drama, something like Pretty Little Liars or …highlighting their characters’ strengths and weaknesses.
Breaking Bad. Individual gaming sessions, generally running …confronting the problems the Storyteller introduces.
two to four hours, are like weekly episodes. Secrets will be …developing their characters’ personalities and abilities
revealed, relationships will be tested, and blood will be spilled. over time, and telling personal stories within the overall
Around two to five players take on one cast member each. story of the game.
You’ll make decisions for your character. When her best Everyone is responsible for…
friend betrays her, you’ll plot her scheme for revenge. When …giving other players chances to highlight their charac-
the man with a hook for a hand comes calling late at night, ters’ abilities and personal stories, whether that’s by showing
you’ll decide whether she runs or fights. them at their strongest or weakest.
One player, the Storyteller, is responsible for portraying
…making suggestions about the story and action, while
characters who don’t belong to specific players, and present- keeping in mind the authority of players over their characters
ing fictional situations that challenge the other players’ and the responsibility of the Storyteller to occasionally make
characters. Think of these as the supporting cast of our trouble.
imagined TV series — both ongoing characters who help or
oppose the core cast, and guest stars of the week who turn
up to cause unique kinds of trouble. Inspirational Media
As for challenging the player characters, it’s the job of the
Storyteller to come up with scenes where the players have Here are some books and movies that get us in the mood
to make decisions fraught with conflict and danger. The to explore the Chronicles of Darkness.
Storyteller narrates a situation, then the other players say
how their characters respond. The most important question Horror and Drama
a Storyteller can ask is “What do you do now?”
When a character acts, the outcome of the action is deter- The Crow, directed by Alex Proyas. Witness a city burning
mined by rolling a handful of dice. The basics are simple. You for a mysterious ritual, and a man risen from the dead to wreak
add a few numbers on your character sheet (a mini-dossier) vengeance upon those who wronged him. The Crow’s seedy
and roll that many dice. You’ll find out whether your action characters and revenge-driven story are an example of what can
works, or fails and gets your character into more trouble. happen when a Chronicles of Darkness chronicle goes, very, very
While players other than the Storyteller will generally be wrong. Keep your eyes on the depiction of Detroit in the 90s, a
advocates for their characters’ success, planning ways in which place which must look very much like the Chronicles of Darkness.
they can accomplish impressive deeds, a lot of drama and fun Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. This anthol-
comes from when things don’t go well for the protagonists. ogy comic follows strange events in the lives of a myriad of
Again, think of a television series…the most interesting episodes people. Sometimes there’s a supernatural element, like a
are often the ones where everything goes wrong for the characters young woman who can barely control her psychic powers.
until they find a way to turn it around. That said, the Storyteller Other times, the truth is more ambiguous, like when the
should make sure characters have a chance to bounce back rather “ghost” of a suicide leaves her boyfriend a mix tape. Demo
than constantly dumping suffering on them. illustrates how the uncanny can impact ordinary people.
The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin. A young
The Storyteller is responsible for…
woman is in trouble, and the Church tries to help. It could
…bringing the Chronicles of Darkness to life through be almost sweet, except that the trouble is demonic posses-
description. sion and the help is a priest due for a crisis of faith. This is
…deciding where scenes start and what’s going on. a great example of how a horror story can be terrifying and
…portraying characters who don’t belong to other players. hint at bigger mysteries while sticking to very personal stakes.
…involving each player and her character in the ongoing story. Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith. This brood-
…putting players’ characters in tough spots, encouraging ing procedural comic follows the titular Fell, a detective
interesting decisions. in a “feral city” – a major metropolis where law and order

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INTRODUCTION