Beginnings are always the most challenging times, during which we are presented with the most complex choices with the greatest variety of outcomes. Unlike endings where things are generally simple and strait forward much like a rock hurtling downhill at tremendous velocity. Beginnings are significantly less painful though no less exciting.

This book is in its own way a beginning. Representing nearly two years of work by the two of us it has come together only with the most dogged determinism. It is far from perfect but it works and we hope you will enjoy it. When we first looked at running the first live action wraith game almost two years ago we realized that it would almost be simpler to start from scratch that to use the live action materials that were already in circulation. Like Alice looking down the rabbit hole we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and what sorts of choices would await us.

There were a number of goals that we had for the book and the rules contained within. First and foremost we wanted to create a handbook that could be easily referenced during game sessions minimizing the amount of rules that players and storytellers would have to minimize. Secondly, we knew that if people were going to be using this book then the genre as a whole would need an introduction, not only to live action wraith but to the world of wraith in general. For anyone who has ever approached the task of writing a textbook or similar piece of writing knows just how difficult it can be to combine these two competing goals in one "small" book.

Writing the rules we had different goals in mind very much connected to the sort of game that we felt wraith should be. On one hand we wanted the political intrigue that makes vampire and live action games in general enjoyable and playable with such Herculean numbers of players. Second we wanted to bring in the feel of the table top wraith game which we both enjoyed. Most importantly we wanted a game that would allow for a strong plot line with events that would shape and change the world that the players would interact with. Nothing about this game should ever be static or dull.

[Writing a book for a game is not the same thing as writing a game and balancing conflicting goals can be difficult.]

The structure of the book is designed in many ways to reflect all of these goals. First, we needed a general background to the world of wraith and to our interpretation of the game itself. While it is always tempting to skip ahead to what may seem like some of the more meatier sections of the book, we strongly recommend staying the course. It took us about a month to work through the table of contents to get it to meet all of our conflicting goals. This first introduction is intended as something of a roadmap to the rest of the book. It is hoped that by reading this you will understand better what we were trying (and hopefully succeeding) in doing and it will make your own journey that much easier. [Say something about background here after Jason has written it]

It is followed by what is in many ways the most important section of a live action rule book (or any role playing game for that matter) character creation which subsumes the content of chapters 2 through 4. Choice plays a significant role, unlike vampire wraith character creation is extremely flexible. Each choice increases the number of subsequent options rather than decreasing the available selections to a few discrete choices. We have separated the shadow character creation into a separate chapter in keeping with the table top format. This allows for us to go into a little greater detail into a subject that is an important and unique aspect of the wraith RPG system. The Arcanoi sections are probably the points that players will go most gaga over and the part that Storytellers will look at and freak when they realize just how much is there. There are Arts from over twenty tabletop books plus a few that we made up to balance out the numbers of arts in each Arcanos. The trick is not to get overwhelmed and assume that it is necessary to memorize everything contained therein, just get a general sense for the overall feel or theme of each arcanos.

In the final part, we turn to how all of these rules and powers should play out in game. In many ways this chapter is the book and everything else could be viewed as additional background material. In the final chapter we turn back again to background in the world of wraith. In this the final chapter we explore everything that could reasonably be encountered by the players and how to handle those situations. The appendices are for everything you didn't realize would come up but when it does boy you were glad it was there for you to find. It is also the sort of catch all for everything that didn't really have a good place somewhere else. Do not underestimate its value, while it may not all be helpful at the games start when you do need it you will be glad it is there.

For those who have played in other WW live action games they will find many similarities. The majority of these are in terms of structure and system, traits are still used in the same manner and abilities are still used as retests. However, underlying these superficial similarities is a game that’s basis is fundamentally different. Wraith is grounded tightly to the story lines of both the overall game and of the dramas of each individual member. Vampire on the other hand is largely a political soap opera. Years can pass and while the players may change the fundamental nature of the "game" remains. A rough description might be same prince different politics.

Wraith requires a much stronger sense of individual identity on the part of the characters and an additional commitment on the part of the storytellers to both provides sufficient story lines as well as flexibility to respond to player choices. The combination is both challenging but also quite rewarding. Wraith tends to attract a stronger gamer but provides the sort of return that is not found in other systems.

A note on gender, when referring to both players and characters the female form of the pronoun has been used to refer to the neutral sex. When discussing spectres or shadows we have chosen to use the male form of the pronoun. On one hand this was done to promote as sense of equality of language and secondly to highlight the differences in the fundamental nature between a wraith and her darker half.

Acknowledgements: We would very much like to thank all of our players both past and present for putting up with the near constant rules revisions. We would also like to thank Garret Thomas, Charlie LeCrone and Melissa Morrison for aiding us in storytelling the game.

Players and their respective characters form the backbone of any role playing game. How much the players enjoy the game and the degree of involvement their character's have in the chronicle can determine that chronicles success or failure. It is important to remember that even if all you are is a player in a game that does not free you from certain responsibilities. One player's actions can significantly affect another's enjoyment of the game. As a result its very important to be mindful of others feelings and respect others personal space. Other responsibilities include:

• Following all OWBN rules
• Bringing new players into the game and helping them to find a comfortable role for their character in the game.
• Keeping "out of game" information and events separate from in-game events and vice versa

The last responsibility on this list may not seem clear as to all in involves. All to often players allow frustrations from their personal lives to affect their play in game or they take information about other characters that they hear "out of character" and use it in game against that particular player. This is referred to as metagaming and is a terribly destructive to any live action game. Finally, it is important for players to remember that they are not their characters. All to often players will play one character for a year or more and will forget that distinction viewing the possibility of their character's demise as a personal attack on themselves. The emotional consequences of this loss of perspective is readily obvious. While it does fall on the storytellers to monitor their players for all of these sorts of problems, especially in larger games, this is an impossible task and it falls on the players to monitor themselves in all but the most extreme cases.

Narrators are a very valuable resource for storytellers to use but one that can very easily be abused. Often time Narrators are viewed as a stepping stone to becoming a storyteller. This is not their only use, however. Especially in larger games narrators are the primary adjudicator for resolving basic rules disputes and most combats. In addition they can serve a number of other valuable functions:

• Helping new players to create characters and to introduce the rules
• Taking charge of Hauntings and retainers
• Playing short term NPC for storyteller driven plots.
• Playing Shadows (more about this in the Shadows chapter)
• Aiding storytellers with the running of harrowings.

The position of narrator is as much a learning position as it is a leadership position. Narrators should have a good overall knowledge of the rules specializing in one or two arcanoi. Narrators will often be called upon to explain rules to other players, and in the process it is hoped they will increase their own understanding at the same time.

The role of storyteller has less to do with rules adjudications then it does with developing plot lines and dealing with player's issues. Storytellers will often have to deal with frequent challenges to their rules calls and will need a solid understanding of the rules on top of the creativity and tact required for their other duties. It is a near superhuman task at time to keep all of your players happy but when it goes right it is also extremely rewarding. The secret to success is to set out from the beginnings the principles for running the game and overarching plot lines, and no matter how frustrating the day to day affairs get to stick to those principles.

In devising plot lines it is recommended to combine two divergent themes as lynchpins. These are a sense of personal regret for each and every wraith in your game. Remember that wraiths lived lives that were unsatisfying and unfulfilled. As such they are very flawed persons with significant personal struggles. These struggles can often times be extremely overwhelming experiences. Coupled with that the storytellers have an obligation to create a world of horror and darkness. Within this world there are challenges to frighten and engage the characters as well as to disrupt those journey's and to provide an opportunity for those journey's reach fruition. The last is something of a contradiction but hardship of any sort can either make one stronger or brake them, in this case it is up to the character to decide.

In many ways a storyteller is something of a big sibling or babysitter and must be attentive to the needs of the players. They must attempt to make sure that players are enjoying the game and not allowing it to overwhelm them. The storytellers will often have to deal with obstreperous players and difficult personal situations. This can often be the most difficult part of the game to have to deal with these sort of problems while respecting the personal privacy of their players.

In many ways it is the very challenges faced by storytellers that can make the experience so rewarding. Being a storyteller brings with it an enormous sense of accomplishment and those moments where the players respond to a plot make the struggle worthwhile.