[quote=@Benny]For example, if your character is a numenera academic, its likely that they would know how a certain device functions, whilst someone that trained as a fighter in Ba-Adenu Forrest might not even recognise what a button is (depending on backstory, of course). [/quote]
The scientist would be drawing from the Blue Tide due to their years of study.

A fighter might be either a follower of the Silver Tide, focusing on strength and power, or the Red Tide, focusing on action. In a fight they would either wait until their attack would have the greatest effect ([color=silver]Silver[/color]), or charge in relentlessly ([color=red]Red[/color].) You could also have tactical fighters, who would study their enemies and wait for a weakness or vulnerability to reveal itself ([color=blue]Blue[/color] Tide), or protective ones who deliberately place themselves in harm's way, as to protect other members of the party ([color=gold]Gold[/color] Tide.)

The Tides system never restricts what actions a person could do though, but does make them consider their motivations for why they choose to take those actions rather than any other. Using the examples above, at the beginning of a battle involving three players, one jumps forward to attack, the second takes up a defensive stance and the third begins to ready an ability to strike with.[list][*]The first fighter could be just eager to get into battle ([color=red]Red[/color]), they could be trying to draw the enemies away from the others ([color=gold]Gold[/color]), or they could want to take the honour of the kill for themselves with a swift victory ([color=silver]Silver[/color].)
[*]The second fighter could be reserving their power for a good moment to strike ([color=silver]Silver[/color]), they could be studying their opponents for weaknesses ([color=blue]Blue[/color]), or trying to keep things calm and under control ([color=indigo]Indigo[/color].)
[*]The last fighter could be choosing to let the first take the glory for themselves ([color=gold]Gold[/color]), acting with tactical insight ([color=blue]Blue[/color]) or holding back so they can steal victory out from under their companion with an attack against an almost defeated foe ([color=silver]Silver[/color].)[/list]
It would be up to players to actually justify why they were doing a certain thing, so instead of saying "my character quickly attacks the target" they instead say "following the Red Tide my character leaps forwards, eager to bathe their blade in the blood of our enemies". Doing this would gain them a Red Tide point for their love of action and their passionate attitude towards the battle, but would cost them an Indigo point for being bloodthirsty and a Gold point for lacking compassion.

Once they'd collected enough Red points, for sake of argument let's say 10, they'd be able to spend all those point to do something significant to the story, such as defeating a particularly threatening opponent with an overwhelmingly swift attack, managing to open a door blocking the party's path with quick action, or convincing someone to support the party by inspiring them with a passionate speech.

As a quick note, you can have a negative value of Tidal points, and usually you'd lose two for every one gained in a different colour. This would mean that to earn enough points to benefit from a Tidal Surge you'd have to suffer a twenty point deficit in other areas. This would encourage players to consistently act in a certain manner, rather than switching between whatever they think might be the best way to win the scenario at any given time, even when that wouldn't be 'in character' for their character.