04-19-2014, 09:05 PM
We handle Arete on this site differently than they do in the book, and I think that the current XP system makes more sense in a game where Arete isn't capped and doesn't necessarily correlate to a mage's rank. It's a lot harder to gain Arete in our game, partly as a measure of balance, and partly to make up for the fact that we don't require players to pass Seekings when they buy up their spheres (or rather, it's assumed the Seeking happened successfully off-camera.) So given a system where Arete is rare and takes a lot of character development to earn, I do think that the added cost of XP may be unnecessary. And it would keep the focus where it needs to be - on the character's own growth.
Now, that said? Arete seekings aren't actually about rising in rank, although obviously there's a strong correlation. The reason you have to pay for Arete is because having more of it makes your character more powerful. Willpower and Gnosis and the like are similar stats that should also be raised based on character growth, but that still need to be paid for with XP. If you really break it down, the xp system is pretty imperfect all around, but it's the best way we have of keeping the system standardized, which is important from a perspective of fairness. Not because there's a lack of trust here (I think everyone on this site is mature and awesome and I can't say I've really ever noticed anyone trying to cheat the system) but because subjective judgment calls are very difficult to make fairly and accurately without being 100% on top of everything that all of the characters are doing. And that's very difficult in an open system.
So really, like Ix, I have both positive feelings and reservations. But I do want to say that I totally trust Sam (and the player base as a whole) to make this kind of ruling work. So I'm cool with it if it's what people want. And I'm also cool with keeping things as they are.
As far as my vote goes? I'm going to abstain for now (I may change my mind and toss my hat in if I hear a particularly convincing argument,) but consider me in favor of letting people play the game they want to play.
Now, that said? Arete seekings aren't actually about rising in rank, although obviously there's a strong correlation. The reason you have to pay for Arete is because having more of it makes your character more powerful. Willpower and Gnosis and the like are similar stats that should also be raised based on character growth, but that still need to be paid for with XP. If you really break it down, the xp system is pretty imperfect all around, but it's the best way we have of keeping the system standardized, which is important from a perspective of fairness. Not because there's a lack of trust here (I think everyone on this site is mature and awesome and I can't say I've really ever noticed anyone trying to cheat the system) but because subjective judgment calls are very difficult to make fairly and accurately without being 100% on top of everything that all of the characters are doing. And that's very difficult in an open system.
So really, like Ix, I have both positive feelings and reservations. But I do want to say that I totally trust Sam (and the player base as a whole) to make this kind of ruling work. So I'm cool with it if it's what people want. And I'm also cool with keeping things as they are.
As far as my vote goes? I'm going to abstain for now (I may change my mind and toss my hat in if I hear a particularly convincing argument,) but consider me in favor of letting people play the game they want to play.