Acrux

I'm about one-third, or halfway, or so through EftP (a little past finding the Tower of the Magi -- just did a quest to kill some basilisks) But, the battles are getting a bit tedious -- I haven't found any really great equipment for a while, nor any new magic, and I definitely don't have enough cash for purchasing upgrades (even with hoarding everything I find and the 10%x4 bonus for selling items). So, I was thinking about skipping ahead to chapters 4-6. But I'm curious whether the gameplay is much different? The leveling screen looks similar to Geneforge.

There's a newer roguelike called Dungeons of Dredmor that has a very casual feel, and lots of levels. It's not as difficult as, say, Dungeon Crawl, but it does have a lot of unique classes, and a humorous feel.

Which of the series would be recommended for a newcomer to play first? Is the gameplay of both series more or less similar? I have Avernum:Escape from the Pit, Avernum 4-6, and Geneforge 1-5. The storyline/world of Geneforge looks especially interesting to me. And if that's the case, would it be recommended that I save those for dessert?

Thanks.Sounds like it will get better and better for me then!

I'd like to add my own newbie question: I'm finding a lot of items -- sheets of paper, ink, claw bowls, dice, etc. Is there a reason to hold on to these? Right now, they just seem to be taking up a lot of inventory space. Are they for atmosphere only? Also, this is my first Spiderweb game. Does this compare favorably with the others (most especially Avernum 4-6 and Geneforge 1-5)? Is the gameplay similar?