Exactly what I was hoping to see!  Those themes are indeed the ones that I was wanting to see stressed in this story.  In particular I think I'll like being a bit more conniving as we go forth on great moneymaking schemes!  :D  The presence of the Order Of Truth as an organization that has strayed from it's founder's original goal and intent will be very interesting, especially with the possible political/economic/societal ramifications that it'll have on the Steadfast, where the Church's continued presence and spiritual domination is a major component in keeping war from cropping up between the different nations (war profiteering anyone?).  Not to mention the possibilities of market ventures into the northern lands, where there are likely to be not quite so 'civilized' from the perspective of their southern neighbors (if old biases prove to be true).<br/><br/>Aye, barter will most definitely prove to be a very important aspect of the game, I would think.  First episode, Laurence stated that merchants would typically carry more goods that coin, since the one are typically harder to rob or see the definite worth of for the uninitiated.  I think this would probably be more of a terrestrial game, although there are is a lot of money that gets moved around on maritime shipping and the like (and bigger risks as well).  Greed and taking risks often go hand in hand in business.  XD  AT least, in my experience.  Get what you can when it's available, but do your best to not step on anyone else's toes (unless you can get away unscathed of course).<br/><br/>Alright!  I'll try to reread that part of the rulebook so that I'm a bit more familiar with the system in question.  But this will definitely not be a typical level gaining kind of game I would assume.  XD  I very much look forward to the results.<br/><br/>My character is Olan Vanden, a Learned Glaive Who Talks To Machines.  The Glaive section is currently up for debate, since a Jack might be a better fit for the focus of the party.  Originally I had selected the Type on the idea that we'd have one of each Type in the party.  But on the other hand, I could see where in a game where combat could potentially be very lethal, it would be useful to have a character that specializes in the going when it's rough.<br/><br/>As for his position and capabilities, I intended Olan to be the brains, knowledgeable for his book smarts and his expertise with Numenera and other ancient machinery.  The trade of ancient artifacts is a very lucrative business, after all.  It could pay (literally) to have such an expert aboard.  And a guy who knows which part of the sharp metal bit goes in which part of the guy that wants to hurt you's anatomy.  He studied at the University of Doors, graduating (barely) and now finding himself in the world.  And sadly it's not quite what he was expecting.  But he's nothing if not practical.  So he needed a means of sustenance and shin.  So he hired on with a local merchant, bringing his knowledge to the table.<br/><br/>I'm not sure about gods (or powerful beings that could be perceived as one) being hard to replicate, given how simple the system is to play around with.  And I'm excited for something that will be more heavy on the story as well!  It's been a while since I've gotten in on a good tabletop!<br/><br/>I rather like the idea of combat being lethal.  It really forces the players to think outside the box and play clever.  What happens when the guy brings a knife?  Draw your gun.  :D  But I do echo your concerns regarding helpless characters.  It's most definitely a very frustrating situation to be in.  Another one is a point in the story where your character can't have a way to contribute to the party (ala combat heavy characters and other super specialized archetypes).  Though with Numenera I doubt that would come up much.<br/><br/>Very heartily agreed!