BurningDaisies

Which tabletop should a newbie look into?

@First 2 questions: Monte Cook addresses this with "GM Discretion". The foci and different paths available are ready to use, but also serve as guidelines for players to make their own stuff (subject to GM supervision/discretion, of course)
The creation process can be as in-depth or bare bones as you want it to be.
Cool thing: if you want to shoot lightning from your hands. you dont necessarily have to explain how it works. The mystery is part of the fun. Do you have latent magical pontential or a colony of bizarre super-scifi nanites coursing through your veins? you can pick either and neither is wrong, because numenera is that open.

As for the feeling of diversity.... I played the numenera-equivalent of a devout priest who prayed to the great machine sprites and did ritualistic sacrifice of cyphers to get visions of the future. i also had a combat yo-yo with monofilament garotte wire...

So go nuts xD

Closed - Failure to Thrive

I will admit, this is one of the few RP's I've stumbled across with such an engaging prelude. The believable technobabble interwoven into the fictional interview... It's good stuff. I like it. I like it a lot.

Incidentally, I'll prolly start working on a character sheet appropriate to your standards later this evening. I have an idea for a transgender criminal fixer with a Robin Hood complex. We'll see how it turns out~

Which tabletop should a newbie look into?

I've been playing tabletop games for about... 12 years now, I think.
For new players, Pathfinder is often harder to get a grasp on, if they've never used the d20 system before. PF is essentially an updated version of D&D 3rd Edition. It's better for people who are already familiar with d20 mechanics, as the transition is pretty smooth.

5th ed D&D is very new-player-friendly. I've been play-testing it since it's initial release, and the rules are much less bulky than pathfinder, though you do incur a greater cost in book resources as Ellri mentioned.

But, if you just want 1 book, a simple rules systems, and an interesting setting, look up Numenera. It promotes more roleplaying and less roll-playing, and combat doesn't takes an hour or more to complete (like Pathfiner/D&D); in fact, you can run through 3-5 combats in one session and still have time leftover to explore, discover new things, and roleplay with NPCs. Streamlined mechanics makes things easier as GM and as a player.

The Archon Resonance

I kinda want to see what you made. o-o

The Archon Resonance

...Imagine being in Indigo's shoes I guess.
How familiar is she with the Tarcan territories?
What strategic concerns would she have?
Will Indigo further question Kaalia's leadership (esp. in Shae's absence)?
What information and opinions does indigo have to offer?
Perhaps knowing of the decimation in Tarcan brings up tragic memories. Does this galvanize her resolve further, or leave her shaken?

It really depends on her perspective, but hopefully that's enough food for thought.

The Archon Resonance

I myself took a two week break because my interested had drastically waned. So I know the feeling. Although... rather conveniently my break overlapped with the time Rose was busy, so.... e-e'

Don't worry about it, Kade. We've already come up with some ways to write you into a position where you could come back at any time.

In the future, just give us a heads up before you go MIA, if you're feeling run down about posting. ;o

Just write something when you're ready~

The Archon Resonance

I think an injection of new blood would be nice.

+1 vote for Zombehs joining

The Archon Resonance

Still alive, just busy... as usual.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are my off days. Sunday nights are usually free as well. All other times are iffy at best as I don't always have free time at work to get any writing done, or I have weekly obligations to other games .-.'

The Archon Resonance

I'll be up for awhile, if you just need help brainstorming~

=3

The Archon Resonance

Kaalia

A solemn determination sets into the atmosphere, as Shae and Kaalia pour over a myriad of witness portofolios, complete with verbal transcipts and photographs. A library of evidence has been strewn neatly across the long meeting room table with a large unfurled map of Tarcan.

"According to the reports, the Lost have overrun the outland villages here and here." Kaalia points to a long stretch of arid grassland, identifying the Tarcan outlands. "Not ten miles east is the Ish Sah Bog." Her finger moved to hover over a splotch of darkly mixed watercolors on the map along the northen border of Tarcan Sea. "We have less information about this incursion, but Lost have appeared there as well. Witnesses say a large snake-like creature burst out of the ground and devoured a small home--whole."

"The most pressing issue is in the suburban province east of the oasis, here." Again her hand drifted to another point, a matte beige area between the Tarcan sea and a tiny oasis, only made obvious by the map's legend and annotations. In the middle had been drawn a dark red 'X', larger than the others marking the other points Kaalia had drawn attention too. "The Kasmut Territories that make up this land are just populated enough--with herders and res miners from what I understand--for the people to suffer the most severe devastation." Stony, unflinching eyes focused intently on that spot, brooding over an unsettling possibility. "That Harp bastard was right... in a way. These aren't random incidents. Each attack by the lost has been against the Tarcan supply chain. Each of these areas are crucial to the region's irrigation. I've been to a few these places myself. Aqueducts run from both the oasis and the bog, running purified water to the other cities.

She paused and cocked her head, regarding the riddle with tireless scrutiny. "This was a coordinated attack, poorly executed, but coordinated nonetheless. My question is how? Lost aren't intelligent enough to plan this."

A grim expression tugged on the corner of her lips. Kaalia knew this could only spell disaster for Tarcan, if the Lost weren't dealt with quickly. The mystery which it provided, however, troubled her more than any other mission she had taken before. Lost were supposed to be mindless machines, twisted by rage and hunger. The thought of even one of them having the cruel intelligence to starve a nation of its water supply shattered her long-held beliefs on the nature of Lost, what they are capable of and willing to do. Even if the facts had been wrong all this time, or if someone was instigating these attacks, the 'how' and 'why' were immaterial. Tarcanis will be in shambles, if the Lost were left unchecked: those are the facts and Kaalia firmly reassured herself that her fears were impossible and just the result of overactive paranoia.

She turned to Shae with an expectant look. "Well, Captain?" Her voice was clear, but the 'captain' sounded hollow and bitter. Emphatic. "There's a lot of ground to cover. How do you want to handle this?"

In ages past, Kaalia might have served as a general, marshaling troops and delivering compelling speeches, a career officer from a bygone era. Offering valuable insight and concerted effort in determining a plan of action, Kaalia's dedication and attention to detail was second to none, except for perhaps... Shae.