[larsdangly]

I think the stat advance progression is unusual but good. Basically, the new rules encourage PCs to undergo a quick blossoming of stats, as they morph from near-normals into gifted but generally unskilled adventurers over the course of a few sessions of play (sort of like an extended DCC 'funnel'), after which the correct move is to sink XP into talents and spells, fleshing out the character's skill set. Once these effectively saturate, XP becomes a mechanism for keeping a Minor Wish in reserve, so your character can survive the occasional bad roll. The idea of a D+D-like indefinite ascent in core stats is not really possible, but I'm down with it.

Edit: I also think the new system contributes an increased feeling of realism (or at least versimilitude). Michael Jordan took a couple of years to blossom from a guy who couldn't make the basketball team to one of the most physically gifted players in the world. This progression in fundamental gifts didn't continue - he never quite reached the point where he could jump up, over and through the hoop. Instead, the next few years saw him develop and refine skills. And then he peaked and experienced a couple of years of great accomplishments and transcendent moments (and some big losses), but you couldn't really say he was improving any element of his abilities or skills over that period. And then age and the rest of the field caught up to him. That is the kind of arc the new TFT experience rules steer you toward (unless you get killed in your first couple of fights, of course).