Attribute Bloat 'Re-Deux'

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

These issues put me in the mood to play Classic Traveller, where you can just forget about any form of experience points or leveling up, and just play your character, going through the universe however he or she emerged from character generation. It is very liberating. I think people play differently, and think about a game differently, when they aren't focused on this stuff.

That's a very good point. I think we're cursed by the fact that the original RPG (Dungeons and Dragons) had such a strong focus on character development via "levelling up." For whatever reason (it probably started as simple laziness) I always ignored XP in D&D, and just gave characters a level after an adventure sequence but only if it was needed because the next adventures were of higher level.

Players were more focussed on their characters deeds and the consequences of these than on the artificial process of recording XP and levelling up.

As you say, players play differently and think about the game differently.