Wait, why TCoS? If you're reading this far, you aren't nub at life (right?), and it's definitely worth your time to surf its website a little. (link website to http://tcos.com) For those of you pulling a tl;dr, here are 10 basic reasons why TCoS > life.

1) Far from being a grindfest, even in the obligatory "boring" PvE stages, TCoS is committed to actually being fun. To quote one of the devs,
"forcing players into an instance, forcing them to do something they might not even want to do and really blocking their progression in the world felt so wrong,"

2) Instead of failing at PvP balance because the classes and combat system are all structured for PvE, TCoS uses the same game mechanics in PvP and PvE, giving the two a similar metagame and making balance manageable.

3) In TCoS there are no worthless classes and there is no perfect group because while classes have unique advantages and abilities, there are no obsolete "tank," "healer," "mage" models from Dungeons & Dragons - classes are versatile and their utility comes from player skill and configuration, not preparation.

4) Dodging the boring raiding, collecting, and gearing up end-game that many mmo's have reduced players to, TCoS provides a questing end-game that seems more of an opportunity than a grind, in addition to a variety of PvP options.

5) From the start, TCoS makes motor skill (aiming, dodging, etc.) and deck creation key elements in gameplay, adding new variables to the "He's level 15, you're level 10, so he'll kill you 10 times out of 10 unless he is afk" system of most other MMOs, and making even PvE more than a mashing of senseless buttons.

6) TCoS has shed the restrictive roots of other MMOs, kicking the D&D lore that tells us that elves can't possibly be warriors and dwarves can't possibly be paladins and allow players to do their own thing, to quote the FAQ, "Unlike other "high fantasy" games, we have no stereotypes to live up to. We have no preconceptions attached to our races, so there’s no need to reinforce them with restrictions."

7) TCoS's race system ensures that no one makes an irreparable mistake in their first minutes of gameplay by making the races differ cosmetically and in lore, but not ability, curing the poor noob that made a dwarf wizard and nerfed himself for life.

8) The most important character decisions are not made in the first 5 minutes of TCoS, as character development is both flexible, via deck selection, and is done throughout the game, preventing noobs from ruining themselves forever.

9) TCoS does not encourage zerging, blobbing, whatever you want to call it (an abomination). We all need to admit it - it isn't fun - you did it because you had to, and we understand, but it's time to face the truth - it_wasn't_fun. TCoS's PvP system emphasizes the quality of players over their quantity, working towards a zerg-free environment.

10) TCoS's name is so lame, griefers won't want to play it. Let's face it....The Chronicles of Spellborn? I mean, "World of Warcraft" is no gem, but TCoS could have been named by a bunch of manatees in a tank...Well, let's look on the bright side - it's a great deterrent for the gamer that's willing to judge a book by its cover.

If you think you'd fit in nicely, you want more information, or you're simply a troll hoping to spam me with hate mail, here is my contact info:

AIM - don gudo
Email - tcs17@duke.edu

The game is due early Q1 2008, so open beta is expected in January. I will not put a hard cap on this recruitment phase but I highly reccomend that interested parties contact me within the next month or two as space is limited. Absolutely no more than 20 members.

Cheers guys,