Improving keywords

[soviet]

Is there a good reason for not being able to spend HP on improving keywords?

It just seems strange that they are the one mechanical thing that stays static, when a big part of HQ (it seems to me) is the idea of making all abilities follow the same rules. The narrating chapter of HQ explicitly allows keywords to be improved for specific reasons like 'advanced experience' and extended periods 'off-camera', why can't players choose to do it themselves?

I ask because I am about to start running my HQ Star Wars stuff and I am thinking of adding it as an option, say for 5 HP for +1.

Thanks

Soviet

[Eero Tuovinen]

Well, I'm currently running HQ from memory alone, which means that I'm only applying the rules kernel, without even trying to remember all those fiddly bits. The rules can handle it quite fine; most limitations are actually unnecessary, as long as the players are willing to use their own judgement.

So I'd say that there's no particular reason for not allowing raising keywords. I could well imagine automatically raising them by one after each adventure automatically, actually. Then again, I see no reason for it, either; characters are changed in HQ to reflect changes in the perspective, not just to make them stronger. Generally a particular trait can better characterize the character than a raise in a keyword.

One option could be to raise the keyword always when an ability belonging to it raises over the augment limit; this'd represent the idea that the keyword level is generated by a number of abilities augmenting each other. It would increase the breakpoint effect, though, so perhaps better to raise the keyword at 10 and 20 instead...