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Reading Guide
You do not need to read the whole library to play Fate’s Edge. Start with the rules you will use at your next session, then follow your interests into the setting and specialist material. This guide explains the categories shown in Docs in the web client.
For your first session
Ready to play: the First Play Kit (PDF) includes a short introductory adventure, rules reference, and five pregenerated characters. An editable Word copy is also available.
- Learn the loop. Open Core → Fate’s Edge SRD. Its opening explains the resolution procedure and gives a reading path. For a shorter table aid, use Resources → Essentials or Quickstart → Quickstart.
- Make a character. Read Player’s Guide, starting with Quickstart and Character Creation. Consult the relevant talent or magic chapter when your choices call for it; there is no need to study every path first.
- Prepare a situation. If you are the GM, open the GM Guide. Start with its core procedures, then consult the material needed for your session. The SRD’s Running the Game chapter is a compact entry point.
- Choose a place. Open Travel → The Complete Worldbook and choose the region where play will begin. Read that region before trying to learn the entire world.
- See play in context. Read Resources → Annotated Play Session. A worked example makes more sense after you know the core loop.
Where is the setting? Look under Travel
Travel contains setting material, not just rules for moving between places. The category name can be misleading if you are looking for a world guide.
- The Complete Worldbook is the broad gazetteer. Its contents lead through the known realms, regional voices, travel and gateways, and Story Beat menus. Start with the preface and Cartomancer’s Compass, then jump to the region relevant to your campaign.
- The Amaranthine is the core setting book. Use its contents to find the places and themes you want to explore.
- The SRD Travel Framework is a procedure reference. It answers a different question: how to handle a journey when that framework applies.
Setting books describe the world and its pressures. Adventures put characters into particular situations in that world. Read only the player-facing material your GM has shared if you want to avoid campaign spoilers.
A map of the library
| Category | What to find there | When to open it |
|---|---|---|
| Core | The SRD and its linked references. | To learn or check the resolution loop and shared rules. |
| Player’s Guide | Character creation, abilities, equipment, advancement, and guidance for players. | When building a character or learning how your choices work. |
| GM Guide | Procedures and guidance for preparing and running play. | Before a session, or when a situation needs adjudication. |
| Travel | The setting books, gazetteer, regions, journeys, and world context. | When choosing where play happens or preparing a new region. |
| Resources | Essentials, examples of play, sheets, the GM screen, and practical table aids. | For a reminder or a tool during play. |
| Quickstart | Short entry points, including Campfire Mode and game-specific quickstarts. | For a brief introduction. Read each document’s stated scope. |
| Adventures | Prepared scenarios and campaigns. | When the GM wants a starting situation or a planned sequence of sessions. |
| Expansions | Specialist books, paths, and additional or variant material. | After the core is familiar and the group has chosen which material to use. |
| Anthology | Fiction and narrative material. | For atmosphere and inspiration; use rules texts for mechanical adjudication. |
| Other Games | Kon’reh and Toll & Veil. | To play those games. Follow their own instructions. |
| Español | Spanish-language documents available in the library. | When you want a Spanish edition; titles and coverage may differ from English. |
| Uploaded | Documents you have added locally. | For your own campaign notes and reference files. |
How the rules books fit together
The SRD, Player’s Guide, and GM Guide form the core reference, including extensions stated in either guide. A chapter being on a separate page does not make its requirements optional.
For an expansion, first identify what it adds and any changes it explicitly makes to the core. Keep those stated changes visible to the table. Do not infer a general exception from a story, an evocative name, or a missing restatement of a rule. All material must respect the core loop. If two passages appear to conflict, flag the conflict and its sources for clarification rather than silently inventing a replacement rule.
The same reading habit helps with a specialist character: learn the core procedure, then read the exact path, talent, or subsystem you will use. For example, open Crafting when you have a project, and Magic when choosing or using a magical path.
For a character rooted in a people or lineage, read Cultural Builds: 35 starting concepts, including the Edgewalker and the three Lethai Sentinel traditions.
Bringing a character from another TTRPG? Read the Player’s Guide’s character adaptation section for a conversion process, feature mapping, worked build outlines, and a worksheet.
A GM’s preparation route
Read the GM procedures, choose one region in Travel, and select a situation or adventure. The Lantern at Dusk is one available adventure to inspect. Read an adventure’s premise, requirements, and GM information before deciding to run it; its secrets are not a player reading assignment.
During play, keep the SRD tables and Game Master Screen nearby. For inspiration, look up the relevant setting chapter rather than treating the entire gazetteer as homework.
Different ways to bring the game to the table
The Paper Table and Paper Import Reference explain supported paper-based play and transcription workflows. Read their own instructions before using them. They are practical aids, not a reason to replace the shared rules with a guess.
Using the web reader
Choose a category in Docs, then filter by title. Books open with a chapter selector and previous/next controls. Use the chapter list for an overview and the local contents links for a specific topic. Links between library books stay in the reader where supported. Browser search works on the page currently open; the SRD also provides a complete reference for searching all of its rules at once.
If you only remember one route: Core for the loop; Player’s Guide for your character; GM Guide for running play; Travel for the setting; Resources for the table.