I had just finished writing down a list of what I thought were the most important points from everything I just read when I noticed my wife coming out of what looked like a trance. [It sure looks strange watching someone stare off into space with their eyes twitching and occasionally raising their arm to swipe or press some invisible thing in front of them]. When her gaze focused on me I started talking. “Alright love, I did the tutorial, read Sammual’s pamphlets, and read everything in the message queue. I wrote a list of the important points to remember. Before I start on that I want to mention something I noticed. When I was doing the tutorial I caught myself making gestures as if there was a tablet floating in front of me where the System screens were and I noticed you doing the same. From the outside, it looked REALLY strange, and with us going back in time to 1989 before there were touchscreen tablets or AR glasses we will not be able to use them as an explanation.”

“I can see that being a problem,” she replied. “It’s a habit we are going to have to break, fast”.

“Agreed, and here is my list of important items to remember. Please let me know how this matches up to what caught your eye.” I said as I handed her the list I created.

1) Don't spend System Points to increase Stats or Skills, use the Skills and Stats you raise through use as a source of more SP.

2) Don’t spend any System Points on anything physical that will not fit in your inventory as only our souls will be sent back.

3) There are many different ways to do most things. Research first!

4) Many Titles give bonuses to Attributes or Skills, gain them by being first to do something. I gained an extra bonus level of S.A.L. from the title 'Eager beaver' when I was 'in the first 100 Users to complete a System Quest' after I finished the ‘New System User Tutorial' Quest.

5) Over time, unused Skills and Attributes will atrophy without use. A memory Advantage/Perk/Power will reduce or even eliminate the Skill and most attribute atrophy while a simple exercise routine will eliminate the rest of the attribute atrophy.

6) Your Stats screen shows or contains links to EVERYTHING about you. You can change anything on your status screen with enough SP.

7) S.A.L. is important, I have a 100 level bonus to it so The System likes and helps me.

8) Bloodlines are awesome! Basic Humans have low racial max Stats but can breed with and evolve into most other races.

9) Hit Points (HP) are just a numeric expression of how close to dying you are, you are not the Gamer.

10) There are 5 different sources of 'supernatural' powers, Aura, Chakra, Magic, Psionics, and Qi.

11) Play the long game, you have ~ 33 years.

Stolen novel; please report.

12) With future knowledge, System Store information (Training guides, textbooks, and designs) we can become THE economic power and build a seat of power for when the System comes to Earth for everyone.

13) Guides and tutorials in the System Shop are cheap ways of gaining skills and spells and sometimes even improving an affinity.

14) You can create new System skills, they cost: 75 SP and you gain 1 System Point per 500 skill levels EVERYONE gains.

15) The System has Perfect Information for everything in the areas it controls.

When she was done reading my list she looks up at me and says "And once again I wonder how we have survived as a couple".

"Huh?" I responded intelligently.

She continues on "We find out Gods and Goddess exist, that the one you dreamed of for years considers you to either be his creator or at least the reason he is a God and that his Realm still exists, that one of them is the Earth we live on, that she wants to kill us and is in the process of committing genocide and your list of important points is entirely on how to min/max The System?"

"Um, Yes?"

I think for a second. "OK, we just had like the world’s biggest infodump hit us. I was shocked to the point where I'm surprised my brains didn't start leaking out of my ears. I started to panic until you let me know you were starting to panic. At that point, I shoved my emotions aside and started troubleshooting / debugging / planning / programming / min-maxing. Treat it like a game, bug, or programming project. That way I don't shit myself and/or run around screaming. I think it’s an autistic thing. When I get overwhelmed, everything but logic shuts down and I get MAJOR tunnel vision."

“I can see that,” Sarah said as she pulled out her list and started to read it to me. “My list is quite different.”

1. The lives of our family and everyone else are at risk.

2. Gods are real and at least one wants us dead!

3. Going back in time is the only way a friendly God could come up with to keep us alive.

4. Gods, as in more than one. How many? Who are they? How ‘active’ are they going to be? What can they do? What will they do?

5. We will get our children back in time.

6. Our top priority is making sure we live long enough to have the kids again.

7. Our second priority is to convince Gaia to not destroy humanity.

8. Our next priority is having a fallback location that is out of her reach (Another planet? Realm?).

9. Human’s having magic or psionic abilities is bad enough but what about other threats? Samuel mentioned ‘System Monsters’. It sounds like a D&D campaign. How big of a dick is the GM?

10. 'Your reality connects to many different realities' this sounds like it could be very good and/or very bad. Invasions? “Scratch that, later I read that we have 33 years before that” ‘Falling through’ and then getting lost?

11. 1 System Point a day breaks down to gruel, water, barracks, and clothing just above rags. (365 Points a year / $13,870 a year)

12. System Users also gain System Points by increasing skills, increasing attributes, completing quests, and killing System Monsters.

13. The System only recognizes ownership by System Users and System granted Titles. The only human government The System will recognize is a Monarchy. A forest for example could be owned by a person or the Baron of X but not “The United States”, “Pennsylvania” or, “The governor of Pennsylvania”. So we will be dealing with an invasion of monsters at the same time most of the governments of the world will be undermined by The System, it’s currency, store, and enhancements?

“Crap. So much for my happy comic book / RPG geek out. This is going to suck isn’t it” I said.

“Not as much as living downwind of a super volcano that is about to blow while dealing with a biblical level flood would” Sarah replied.

“Before I get sidetracked again, we need to figure out everything that needs to be done NOW before we go back. And we need to do it in a few minutes. No pressure!” I announced.