The Narrative Mode is one of the two main Game Modes in Chronicle X. In it, the players follow a scripted campaign across some chapters, with a branching story depending on the outcome of earlier chapter.
The rulebook says:
Players will play through a story driven Mission Book where they will decide the outcomes. Winning and losing Missions will dictate how the story unfolds and which narrative paths the game will take.
To achieve victory, Hero Players will have to face off against the Alien Forces in order to level up their skills and abilities. Players will also have to construct a Space Station to provide buffs and extra effects, gather/craft valuable Items and equipment in preparation for the final confrontation with the Overmind.
The gameplay in the Narrative Mode uses the following overall structure:
1. Do the general game set up, as in get the components out of the box, sort/shuffle the decks of cards as needed, and so on. Also decide who plays as the Overmind Player, and which Heroes the Hero Players want to use. (If you only have the Core Box and no Expansions, there's no choice for the Hero Player; six Heroes are needed, and only six are available in the Core Box)
2. The Hero Players get a Space Station consisting of the two rooms "HQ" and "Warehouse". The Hero Player doesn't get any Items from the start, and the Heroes Experience Points are set to zero. The Overmind Player gets a Alien Upgrade Sheet without any Upgrade Nodes installed.
3. Consult the Mission Book for the scenario information for the next Mission. Set up the Mission and its Mission Map according to the instructions. The Overmind Player decides what Alien Units to "buy" for the Mission.
4. Play the Mission, alternating between Hero Player Turns and Overmind Player Turns, until one side fulfills its objective as defined by the scenario, and for the Overmind Player also by Hidden Agenda cards.
5. Switch to the Resolution Phase, where the Heroes can rest and recover, expand their Space Station, and Upgrade Items, and the Overmind Player can apply Upgrade Nodes to the Alien Upgrade Sheet.
6. If it wasn't the final Mission in the Mission Book, go back to step 3. (Both sides keep any Upgrades they've made, and the Hero Players keep the Items and Experience Points they may have gained.)
Game Modes
Chronicle X has two main game modes: the Narrative Mode, where players play a scripted campaign, and Conquest Mode where the alien player aims to conquer the Earth, and the human players aim to prevent that.
The original form of the game has one player playing the alien side (Overmind Player), and one or more players playing the human side (Hero Players). However, an Expansion adds a Co-Operative Mode where a deck of cards control the alien side.