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I'm making a fairly complicated story. Each chapter will be played differently.

For the first, you have to choose three links of several. After each choice making and branching, you return to the original page and are able to choose two more links. Then the story continues.

For the second, you have a "time limit" and have to use your "time" wisely to navigate around the chapter.

Would you prefer to be thrown directly into the game, or to first get a page warning you of the limits of the chapter you are in, so you can decide correctly?

If there's a variable that says "TIME" in all capital letters with some numbers next to it, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure out what's going on.

Variable "time" will probably not be shown in a blunt way, but be suggested in the text.
 

By a "time limit" do you mean that you can only click a certain number of times before it's game over?

I can't really answer your last question without knowing more about your storygame. It's a choice between immersing your readers more or making sure they understand what's going on. Ultimately it's about what you think works best and/or what the reader will enjoy more. Use your own judgement.

You would be able to do so much before the story continues. It will be not a game over. Probably. Unless you screw up big time knowingly.

I would want to know as a player that I only had a certain amount of time.  You wouldn't even have to tell me exactly how much- just that time actually mattered here.

Lots of games tell the player there is a time constraint, when actually there's all the time in the world to explore side areas and read every codex entry.  Personally, I'd be frustrated if the story suddenly without warning turned out to have a hard limit on actions, especially if the previous section had been a "tutorial" style, focusing on exploration.

I see. Would you prefer to have "in character" hints, or a tutorial page explaining you exactly what is going to happen in the chapter you are about to begin?

In character. Totally.