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We've spent a lot of effort on trying to make Thornwatch into a great introductory experience for people new to board games, card games, and roleplaying games. One thing I've been saying often to people at PAX demos is that Thornwatch is aimed at the "pull of the shelf, set it up for 5 minutes, and start playing" experience. As a new player, the choice you need to make before you start playing is "which of these pieces of art do I like best to represent my character for this game" -- everything else unfolds as you play.

Rather than answering your question, let me instead ask: are you just looking for a reason to say "Thornception!" while every member of a full orchestra plays their instrument at max volume?

I have a soft spot in my heart for healers, especially healers that can still Get Things Done, so I usually play the Greenheart if given the chance. In a similar fashion, the Warden is a lot of fun.

This is a great summary! My developer brain kicks in a couple more:

• In most RPGs, the players should always use their biggest, most effective attacks as soon as possible -- the Alpha Strike. This creates repetitive play not just round to round but also scene to scene. In Thornwatch, the characters start with a full deck and an empty mat, and must build up their attacks over time, which means that each scene depends (tactically) not just on the map, terrain, monsters, and story board, but also on what cards the players have readied, powered, and how much.

• In almost every RPG, the group should "focus fire" -- pick a target, everyone eliminate that target as quickly as possible, and only deviate from that target if forced. This is a fine tactic, but it gets old when it's the same tactic for every fight. Momentum shifts that around dramatically, making people adjust to the changes in the conflict each round.

• Knowing what to save or recycle requires fairly deep system knowledge (and a crystal ball really helps). In early versions of the game, characters were limited to a maximum hand size, but they could choose to keep cards for future turns, or they could discard them or play/power them, in order to make room for other cards. At PAX South this year, we tried an alternative that forced characters to discard any cards they had left - no saving, use it or lose it. This simplified the rules, made it easier to learn, and it results in better gameplay. We had to adjust the game for it (originally, there wasn't a limit on how many action cards you could ready, so some people had 10+ cards readied but not powered, which was Not Good), but once we did, it was a big improvement to the game.

...and what happened to the Briarlock after that, Mr. Selinker? :-)