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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 6193966" data-attributes="member: 386">The infamous Ron Edwards said something way back that I think has been true in my experiences: you either focus on the conflict inherent to the setting (and build PCs around those conflicts), or focus on the PC's internal conflicts (and build the setting around the PCs).  Numenara seems like it falls in the first camp.He wrote an essay on this idea: <a href="http://adept-press.com/wordpress/wp-content/media/setting_dissection.pdf" target="_blank">http://adept-press.com/wordpress/wp-content/media/setting_dissection.pdf</a>  Here's a quote:In my experience, the solution begins with a single person choosing the location, at least when the group is playing the game for the first time. He or she should provide a brief but inspirational handout which summarizes the entire setting, focusing on colorful and thematic points; if the opening text of the game book provides this, a quick photocopy will do. (I’ve tried to do this for my science fiction RPG handouts, so see those if you are confused by what I mean here.) After that point, everyone at the table may restrict his or her attention to the exact location that’s been chosen. Although the organizing person should provide more detailed handouts or photocopies as an ongoing feature of preparation, everyone else must definitely be oriented and enthusiastic concerning the prevailing thematic crises that are made concrete in setting terms. The good news is that full expertise isn’t necessary to achieve this, and in my experience, asking and answering questions about the options for the geographically-limited character creation usually generate sufficient knowledge for the first sessions of play.My advice, then, would be to have the PCs be built around the setting themes you've identified.  Actually my advice is to read that essay - he's got a set procedure for developing the game which, to my eyes, looks pretty good.  Edwards probably says it better than I could.I'm not sure how the reward system works.  It looks like you get XP for complications from the DM and for discovering setting elements.  I think that'll work okay for your game, if you make sure that your discoveries (and complications, I guess) hit on the thematic elements you described.  That means making up NPCs should be pretty easy - just pick one of your thematic setting elements and have the NPC relate to it.  Shanna's first discovery hits on the "I become my enemy" theme; with the second, I might change it to her having signed some kind of "service" contract, which her employed took too liberally, and she was forced to defend herself.Anyway, I hope to hear more!</blockquote>

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