[UA] Stupid Newbie GM questions...

[Eslington ~]

It's suggested that for a street level game, a PC could start with up
to three hardened notches their choice of madness meters, if they take
a failed notch on meters of their choice in exchange.

So you could, say, take two hardened notches on Violence and one
hardened notch on Isolation, but would have to also take on three
failed notches on meters of your choice.

Also note that upon becoming adepts, characters take on one hardened
and one failed notch on the Unnatural Meter to reflect their exposure
to the supernatural.

As a GM though, these are reccomendations. Rules to bend as you see fit.

If you feel your player's character concepts justify them, you can let
your players write their own madness meters out as they choose, within
any boundries you choose to set.

You might want to avoid this if your players don't quite "get" the
system and are likely see being totally hardened on a meter as a path
to invulnerability rather than a descent into inhumanity.