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My personal opinion is to make it a bonus for second circle (if not first). Third is too long of a wait. Thats at LEAST five sessions of the caster unable to do much of anything.

If you leave it as-is players will either have no fun playing the discipline till third, or take the option and perhaps feel like it was a waste after the fact.

But don't get me wrong, Metaxes, I think you guys are doing awesome work and I love that you are checking in on the forums and contributing regularly! I hope that it continues, even with the Kickstarter well and truly funded.

Incidentally, it isn't just Wizards, but all casters that are looking at this revised approach to matrices.

And we haven't gotten the money yet -- the campaign closed, but we don't get the money for about a week after that.

Once we do, we're off to a warm nation with lax extradition!

Yeah, I really don't see a cause to wait on getting another Matrix. A caster at First Circle has two Talents that must be taken up just to cast spells (alright, you can connect Threads with Thread Weaving, but what First Circle character has the legend or the money built up to do a whole lot of that?). Limiting the number of spells available when you haven't yet gotten any other Talents to branch out with really does limit the overall effectiveness.

They currently get one free Matrix @ 1st Circle and one free @ 3rd Circle. (Aaah, sniped by Mataxes!)

Comparing 1st ed to 3rd ed/3r:

1st Edition: 2 Matrices @ 1st Circle, 1 Matrix at 2nd Circle, 1 Enhanced Matrix @ 6th Circle, 1 Enhanced Matrix @ 8th Circle
1st Edition Total: 3 M, 2 EM

3rd Edition: 1 Matrix @ First Circle, [1 Matrix in Initiate Pool], [2 Matrix in Novice Pool], [2 Enhanced Matrices in Journeyman Pool]
3rd Edition Total possible: 4 M, 3 EM

So, if changed to 2 automatic Matrices @ 1st Circle, the player could pick up 1 extra as 1st Circle Optional Talent... which means a possible 3 Matrices @ 1st Circle, and 4 possible @ 2nd Circle. This seems a little too many that soon. A Perception Step 7 Wizard will have 8 spells minimum in their grimoire, and will have half of them ready to go at any time.

If you do grant 2 Matrices @ 1st Circle, consider moving one of the Optional Matrices to the Journeyman Pool? You could swap it with Evidence Analysis (which was a 2nd Circle in 1st edition). You'd need to look at the other spellcasters, too.....

(Aside: I appreciate Roth as an active member of the forum (more active ED fans!), and am glad the hyperbole got dropped.)

I'm just not sure if the change would retain that "choice point" for the player, if they compare a regular Matrix with the other talents in the Journeyman Pool. I see players picking up that extra Enhanced Matrix before considering the (possible) regular Matrix. So, that would be a 6th Circle choice, and I'm not sure it stacks up to the other Talent Options in that pool.