1 Getting Started



Take your time. The games themselves are quite wordy and require some time to absorb. You don’t need to memorise everything, but it certainly helps to know where everything is. So take your time. Print everything out and read it at leisure. You don’t need to understand everything immediately – so skip over anything you find confusing and come back to it later.



At some point you’ll need to start preparing the game. You’ll need envelopes for each character, into which you will put the character background and whatever rules are required. That’s usually two or three sheets of paper, plus possibly some item and ability cards. I usually re-read the characters as I stuff the envelopes – it reminds me of who they are and what clues and abilities they start with.



You’ll probably find it useful to have a full set of the game notes to hand as well. So having stuffed the packets, you’ll need to print out another set in case you need to refer to something during the game itself.



I like to have everything complete (envelopes stuffed and packed, invitations sent) at least a week in advance of the party. That reduces the likelihood of last minute rushes. They still happen, but with most of the preparations already complete, I find that last minute rushes are easier to deal with.