Do the following before playing your first scenario.

Introduce the Adventure Path. Open the storybook to the Adventure Path section—in The Dragon’s Demand, that’s page 2. The Adventure Path section lists the adventures and scenarios that make up the Adventure Path as well as the rewards you’ll get for completing them. It may include special rules for the Adventure Path or adventures. Read the story text aloud.

Build the Vault. Each scenario uses a subset of cards called the vault. Follow the directions on the Adventure Path page for building the vault.

The way you organize cards in the box is important. Use the dividers provided to separate your cards. Group character and role cards by character, and all other cards by type. You’ll often need to locate specific locations, scourges, wildcards, other support cards, proxies, and story banes, so keep those types alphabetized to help you find them quickly during play. Keep other card types shuffled, as you will often be asked to draw random cards from them.

Cards that are not in the vault should be kept in the box separately from those that are. If you are instructed to remove a card from the game, separate it from the vault using the Removed from Game divider. Use the divider labeled Future Adventures for cards not in the vault whose level is higher than #.

Choose Your Character. Each player chooses a character to represent the character they’re playing in the game. Each character is different. Characters have skills, which tell you which dice to roll when you attempt a check; powers, which are special things you can do before, during, or after the game; and other details that make them different from one another (see the Card Types: Characters section). You might use some of your character’s powers at the start of the game, so read them right away, then place the card on the table in front of you. Locate the pawn that matches your character, place it in a pawn base, then place it next to your character.

Build Your Deck. Each character needs a deck. If you’d like to start playing quickly, use the deck suggestions for your character in the Deck Suggestions section. Alternatively, you can choose your own cards to build your deck. The deck list on the back of your character indicates the exact quantity of each card type that you must choose from the vault to make up your character’s deck; choose only level 0 cards.