There's a mechanical assumption about skill/level based games that, when I look at it at face value, really amuses me.
Let's just for simplicity sake, take 3e. This is not picking on 3e, but it's an easy example for me to use and most of us are familiar with it.
In 3e, when you gain XP, you level up. You get more skill points, where you can place these points where you want, and thus you get better at those skills.
But, the fastest way to get XP is to kill monsters. Sure, there exists RP awards, and other avenues of XP. But the surest, quickest way to get XP is to best an opponent in an adversarial circumstance.
So if you for instance wanted to increase your Perform (Musical Instrument) skill, you merely place one point in Perform, and then... continue slaying monsters. You could spend every day in the dungeon, every level putting points into Perform (Musical Instrument). You never have to play that instrument beyond that novice level single skill point, and eventually you'll be better than most people in the world if you just keep maxing it every level.
So you gain skill in something by doing something else that's COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the thing you're getting better at.
To give a little less far-fetched example, look at Wizard Schools. The best way to gain spells is not going to a Wizard school and studying for years, researching spells, creating spells, etc. The best way is to kill monsters.
A wizard could get his Wizardly GED, leave school, and go kill monsters with magic missile. Every level he gets new spells. NEW spells, that he didn't study, wasn't casting, in completely DIFFERENT schools than he was using (For instance, Magic Missile x100 can get you a new level, where you take Invisibility).
Meanwhile, his old classmates are still in Wizardschool. They spend years casting the same spells, and yet because they're not slaying monsters and racking up tons of XP, they don't level up as fast. Soon they see the GED wizard throwing around high level spells while they have yet to master third level spells!
Sure, the assumption is "He was working on it between combats!" But, he never uses any of it. He's mastered that spell by the time he casts it for the first time in a fight. Not only that, but if the rules are How the World Works... then he really doesn't have to study in between classes. All he as to do is cast that same Magic Missile at every monster he comes across, and he just Learns how to cast fireball.
Again, this could be done with any system, as even those without levels, you get points for XP that you spend on new things. But once more, you could spend those points on thing you're not particularly doing. So skill and expertise are being granted without needing to practice.
I just find this very amusing.
Let's just for simplicity sake, take 3e. This is not picking on 3e, but it's an easy example for me to use and most of us are familiar with it.
In 3e, when you gain XP, you level up. You get more skill points, where you can place these points where you want, and thus you get better at those skills.
But, the fastest way to get XP is to kill monsters. Sure, there exists RP awards, and other avenues of XP. But the surest, quickest way to get XP is to best an opponent in an adversarial circumstance.
So if you for instance wanted to increase your Perform (Musical Instrument) skill, you merely place one point in Perform, and then... continue slaying monsters. You could spend every day in the dungeon, every level putting points into Perform (Musical Instrument). You never have to play that instrument beyond that novice level single skill point, and eventually you'll be better than most people in the world if you just keep maxing it every level.
So you gain skill in something by doing something else that's COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the thing you're getting better at.
To give a little less far-fetched example, look at Wizard Schools. The best way to gain spells is not going to a Wizard school and studying for years, researching spells, creating spells, etc. The best way is to kill monsters.
A wizard could get his Wizardly GED, leave school, and go kill monsters with magic missile. Every level he gets new spells. NEW spells, that he didn't study, wasn't casting, in completely DIFFERENT schools than he was using (For instance, Magic Missile x100 can get you a new level, where you take Invisibility).
Meanwhile, his old classmates are still in Wizardschool. They spend years casting the same spells, and yet because they're not slaying monsters and racking up tons of XP, they don't level up as fast. Soon they see the GED wizard throwing around high level spells while they have yet to master third level spells!
Sure, the assumption is "He was working on it between combats!" But, he never uses any of it. He's mastered that spell by the time he casts it for the first time in a fight. Not only that, but if the rules are How the World Works... then he really doesn't have to study in between classes. All he as to do is cast that same Magic Missile at every monster he comes across, and he just Learns how to cast fireball.
Again, this could be done with any system, as even those without levels, you get points for XP that you spend on new things. But once more, you could spend those points on thing you're not particularly doing. So skill and expertise are being granted without needing to practice.
I just find this very amusing.
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