Q. Why Chronicles of Darkness over Classic
A. Chronicles of Darkness is more friendly to people new to the setting. Chronicles of Darkness also does not have the over reachign mythology that the classic version does. Chronicles of Darkness is much more conductive to free form RP where the Storyteller and Players control the world.
Q. Do I need to have a character sheet?
A. No, you don't the RP does not use the mechanical rules, Only the setting, Clans, and Covenants and those sorts of things that can easily be picked up from wikis and don't require much if any knowledge of the rules. You can make one if you want.
Q. Vampire the Requium doesn't use Generations, how do you tell which vampires are more powerful?
A. Vampires power in V:tR is marked by Blood Potency but putting Blood Potency 1 in your tag is not very interesting to people and requires knowing about the mechanics. The longer it's been since your vampire has been turned the more powerful they are. If you want to show what phase in their existence they are you can use the titles such as Fledgeling for just turned vampirs, or Neonate for a vampire that's been around long enough to stand without their Sire's support. Ancilla is a good term for a vampire who has been around long enough to be a important. Betwen 50 and 150 years. Note that older Vampires like Elders or above need to be approved or played by staff.
Q. Do I have to play in the overreaching storylines?
A. No. Not every Vampire cares about the political struggles. They could be unaligned, or part of a neutral covenant. They could be opperating in Nearby cities that aren't swept up in it. Same with Mages. The other stories are contained in small areas and aren't overreaching the whole setting.
Q. Do I HAVE to play a creature like a Vampire or Werewolf?
A. No, Normal humans are a big part of CoD. You could play an ally, a hunter, or even someone oblivious to what's going on. Its completely possible to play a group of humans who just live in Miami completely unaware of everything. For those players you're just people living in a city who don't know their boss turns into a Werewolf and battles evil at night. No one is forced to play anything specific.
Q. What CoD games are represented?
A. Most of them are. Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage have some larger storylines. Changeling, Hunter, Geist, Promethian, and Mummy are all perfectly fine.
Q. Any advice for someone who doesn't know the setting at all?
A. Play a human. Get to know the setting from the inside. Your character could always get bitten by a vampire later, or undergo first change into a werewolf, or die and come back as a Sin Eater. It's a flowing story that needs all types to be fun.