A role-playing mechanic. Each time you fail at a skill, you tick a box. After a certain number of boxes, say ten, your skill level increases. Because experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. And every time you succeed at the skill, you tick a box, and when you get twenty of those, you go up a level. Because practice makes perfect. But you learn more from your mistakes than your successes.
The skill list on the character sheet could have the boxes right there for you to tick off. I could whip up something in a word document.
This is interesting, because I haven’t done any game design in a minute, and here’s a skill advancement system that is organic and doesn’t use abstract experience points or some such, and is something that is completely not the GM’s responsibility to oversee. The only way to advance a skill is to use it. It’s very elegant, I feel. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Share them in the comments below. How bloggish of me.
Ethan Abides 