The two questions Numenera players must answer before they can play their best

Numenera is a simple but subtle game. Its narrative qualities are born in the interactions between the players and the GM. To get the most out of their play experience, Numenera players need to answer two key questions:

How do things work here?

and

Why bother?

The first question points to the rules of the game. For players to fully enjoy the Numenera experience, they need to know:

• How pool, effort and edge work for the player's benefit
• How they can use their creativity to lower the difficulty of tasks by working together and using assets
• All the cool things they can do with XP

Pool, edge and effort are key concepts in Numenera.  They are the basic resources that players may bring to bear to solve their characters' difficulties, so understanding how they work is critical to enjoying the Numenera experience. The challenge for players of other rpg's is to view pools as dynamic renewable resources rather than static measures of relative power like ability scores.  According to some GM's, the pool system is actually easier for first time role players to grasp.

In addition to spending from pools, task can be made easier by working together.  On page 101 of the rule book there are a list of options for characters to work together to increase their chances of success.  Most of these options either lower the difficulty of actions or give the players bonuses to their rolls.  Players should have ready access to this list as a file, handout, or on the GM's screen or play mat.  Players should be encouraged to work out combinations in advance if they are interested in their characters getting the full benefits of cooperation.

 Players can also look for advantages of any kind and see if the GM is willing to count them as assets.  An asset is anything in the environment that would make a task easier. For example, a character needs to climb a sheer, slick wall that the GM has rated as a difficulty 6.  Can the character use an esoterie or cypher to rough up  or punch hand-holds into the surface?  The modified surface is now one difficulty easier to climb. Maybe one of the character's friends trained in survival can locate some sap or other sticky substance to smear on his boots and hands.  A little creative thinking has reduced the task from an intimidating level six to a more manageable level 4.  If the characters can think of another asset or advantage, they can bring the difficulty even lower.  Especially creative assets might even be worth some XP as discoveries.

Finally, players need to know what spending XP can do for them.  XP are powerful tools to shape a story and move it towards fulfilling the character's goals and desires.  XP can be used to re-roll a die, to gain a setting-specific bonus to rolls (including combat rolls against specific enemies if the player can make a case, though this should be rare), to call for a long term benefit like a permanent base or windfall of cash, and to advance player characters.  The short- and medium- term benefits from spending XP are especially important for players to understand because they

Once characters know how the world works, they must know what work they are going to do in it.  The goals and motives of player characters are critical to the success of a long-term campaign.  Even the goal "get rich or die trying" is better than no goal, because it tells the player what the character will do next.

Goals for characters might include:

• Becoming the foremost authority on Numenera in the world
• Becoming the Amber Pope
• Seeing the Amber Monolith
• Taming a Jiraskar

 http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389663-From-The-Ground-Up-Numenera-OOC

Complementary Action: Two characters attempting different but complementary actions both gain +2 bonus.

fhttp://thealexandrian.net/creations/numenera/numenera-cheat-sheet-draft1.pdf

Complementary Action

: Two characters

attempting different but complementary actions

both gain +2 bonus.