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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ratskinner" data-source="post: 7743415" data-attributes="member: 6688937">Seems to me that one big component of the issue is the idea of character "advancement" rather than "development".The "zero-to-hero" line of character development is only one way, and not even all that common a way, that we see characters develop within fiction. Yet it is the singular way that we expect rpg characters to develop! Even within the oft-cited Starwars franchise it isn't the entire group that progresses that way. Many of the characters stay relatively constant (at least as far as we can tell from their abilities, etc.) D&D (and through inheritance, most rpgs) seem to feel that everyone should start off as the farmboy and work their way up. (Star Wars would have been very short, if all the heroes started off as ignorant as Luke.)Now, I don't know that it would be any more or less popular if it were optional for one player to be the mentor, and one the zero, and a few more the sidekick, etc. However, Fate presumes that the PCs are competent from the get-go. (Which is, of course another type of uniformity) and that doesn't seem to stop anyone from enjoying Fate. Similarly, Capes doesn't seem to care at all about the relative competence and power of the characters, they have the same ability to affect the narrative (at least mathematically/theoretically, some may be more challenging to play well under different circumstances.) However, that game is drastically different from D&D and is focused solely on narrative and competition between the players, there is no attention paid to simulation at all.That focus, I think, is the key, and is one of the ways that a nominally sim game like D&D can't tolerate (too strong?) the kind of in-fiction imbalance in PCs that would be necessary to get away from it. And maybe it shouldn't. I mean, the murderhobo lifestyle is a big part of how D&D fundamentally "works". Its the core of the game design, if we're honest with ourselves.However, if I were to try and approach D&D this way...I'd pick a level, say 5th. Start everybody at 5th level (or 3+1d4) and start playing. Just don't level up or track XP. Any and all "advancement" would come in the form of in-fiction changes of character status, etc. (I might work up a list of these ahead of time.) Occasionally, very occasionally...like season finale occasionally, let someone level up when something happens in-fiction to justify it. Maybe even add some kind of "Trauma" mechanic like from Blades in the Dark to slowly wear down some the characters over time. (Come to think of it, steal a lot of stuff from BitD like leveling up the party as an organization.) I'd also look at some of the more complicated motivation/alignment style mechanics out there. (At an extreme, I might develop "classes" of character development opportunities that the PCs can choose and move forward on, granting in-fiction, but not necessarily level-based advancement.)* At some point, though, it makes more sense to play another game.Working against you will be the weird confluence of combat and non-combat capacities of the characters. So maybe steal the "datapoint" mechanic from Uncharted Worlds, success at appropriate tasks gives you a "datapoint" of information. Later, you can cash in Datapoints to modify appropriately related rolls. So you've researched the Badguy's weakness for holy water, spend that datapoint to gain advantage on that attack roll (or something.)Anyway, that's my $.02.*You could make some of them really interesting:Desk Job - You've been given an appointment by the local Sherriff, Mayor, or other official. Lose one point of Strength and one point of Constitution for spending too much time doing paperwork. Gain an office and the authority to order about a cadre of 3rd-level guardsmen. If you're near your place of authority, you can summon 2d4 of them in less than 15 minutes. They can act as your bodyguards or enforcers as needed. The DM will let you know about the other responsibilities of your position.</blockquote>

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