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Appendix E: New Player Guide

Step 1: The Conceptual Hook (First 30 minutes)

This is where you get player buy-in without ever showing them a rule.

  • Tool Used: Appendix C: The Psychromattic Assessment.
  • How it Works: You don't start with stats or rules. You start with a personality quiz. This is brilliant because it's engaging, non-threatening, and gets the players thinking about archetypes and motivations.
  • The Outcome: At the end, each player has a "Psychromattic Vector" and a "Primary Motivation" (a color like Green or Blue). This gives them an immediate, flavorful identity within the game's world. It's the perfect intuitive hook. "Oh, I'm a Green character. That means I'm about Security."

Step 2: The Narrative Foundation

Now you connect their conceptual identity to a character's "why."

  • Tool Used: Appendix D: The 5-Point Motivational Profile. (Optional, but powerful)
  • How it Works: You can guide them through this process. "Okay, you're a Green character. Is your main goal Security? What's your method for achieving it? What philosophy do you fight against?" This helps them build a psychologically sound character whose motivations are clear.
  • The Outcome: The player now has a character with a defined goal, method, and internal/external conflicts. This makes roleplaying much easier and informs all their future decisions.

Step 3: The Mechanical Bridge

This is where you introduce the very first rule, directly linked to their identity.

  • Tool Used: Choosing a Seed Keyword.
  • How it Works: You say, "Based on everything we've discussed, your Aura, your motivations, look at this list of Keywords. Pick the one that best represents the core of your character." A player who chose "Security" might pick Sturdy. A player who focused on "Influence" might pick Charismatic.
  • The Outcome: The player has now made their first mechanical choice, and it feels meaningful because it flows directly from the character concept they just built. They now have a "special power" that is uniquely theirs.

Step 4: The Practical Lesson (The First Session)

Now you run the adventure, which is a masterclass in layered teaching.

  • Tool Used: Appendix F: "The Longest Night" One-Shot Module.
  • How it Works: The adventure is structured to introduce mechanics exactly when they are needed, in a grounded, realistic context that is easy for anyone to understand.
    • Act I (The Blackout): Teaches the absolute core of the game: Effort Roll (SR + Stat) vs. Target Number. The Curator doesn't have to explain nine stats. They just ask, "The door is jammed. Are you trying to force it with your body (Brawn) or find a clever way to pry it (Technique)?" The player learns by doing something intuitive.
    • Act II (The Neighborhood): Teaches that the core mechanic isn't just for physical tasks. It introduces Social Clocks and shows how their Seed Keyword can be used in non-combat situations. This is crucial for teaching players to think creatively and not just in terms of "attack rolls."
    • Act III (The Breaking Point): Introduces stakes and pressure with the Threat Clock (a timer). It also subtly introduces the concept of Tags (a negative status effect from touching a live wire). This is the "final exam" of the basic rules, forcing teamwork and efficient decision-making.

Step 5: The "Graduation" - The Awakening

This is the narrative and mechanical payoff that solidifies everything they've learned.

  • How it Works: After overcoming the final challenge, their characters "Awaken." They become Level 1, their stats increase, and they get to choose three new keywords.
  • The Outcome: This is a powerful moment. They feel a sense of achievement that is tied directly to their actions in the game. They now understand the core rules and have a small suite of abilities. They are now playing "effectively." They know how to assess a problem (physical, social), choose an approach (which stat to use), apply their unique abilities (Keywords), and work toward depleting a Clock.

Your First Character: The Focused Awakening (Optional Rule)

When your character Awakens and gets to choose their three new keywords, limit your choices to the keyword pools associated with the three colors of your Trinity of Motivations (your Goal, Method, and Purpose).

This provides you with a curated "menu" of ~30 keywords that are already perfectly aligned with the core identity you established in your 5-Point Profile.

Example: A Guardian's Focused Awakening

A new player has created their first character. Their Trinity of Motivations is:

  • Goal: Security (Green)
  • Method: Ambition (Silver)
  • Purpose: Purity (White)

Their character is now ready to Awaken. Using the Focused Awakening rule, the player knows they must choose their three new keywords from only the Green, Silver, and White lists in Appendix A. They might choose:

  • Sturdy (3.1) from the Green list, to reflect their goal of Security.
  • Martial (1.2) from the Silver list, to reflect their ambitious, action-oriented method.
  • Deadeye (6.2) from the White list, to reflect their purposeful pursuit of justice.

The result is a mechanically sound and narratively coherent character, built with confidence and without being overwhelmed.

Graduating from the Focused Path

This rule is designed as a helpful guide for your first character. Once you have played a few sessions and are comfortable with the core mechanics, you should feel absolutely free to ignore this limitation on future level-ups and with any new characters you create. The full palette of 100 keywords is a vast and exciting toolkit waiting to be explored!