I've been developing an RPG for a number of years, and a recent reworking has changed my perspective on the approach I'm looking for. Silver Cord is a psychic adventure rpg. The short of it is that the system uses free-form traits that have ratings, no set attributes.

I was using the ratings as a measure of a trait's aptitude, but I took a bold step away from that and decided to have the rating measure a trait's usefulness to the character in the story.

Take, for example, two body-builders, John and Mike. John is twice as strong as Mike. In traditional games this might be marked as John as a Strength of 10 and Mike as a Strength of 5, but in Silver Cord it is not necessarily the case. I built Mike with a Strength 10 and John with a Strength 7. Because Mike's strength rating is higher, he can utilize his strength more effectively than John (who's actually stronger) because it is more important element to Mike the character.

I hope I'm explaining it correctly.
I'm looking for feedback on this approach to traits. (and I'm hoping to get some play testing)

Thanks,
Ronald Pyatt

jueqel wrote:
Take, for example, two body-builders, John and Mike. John is twice as strong as Mike. In traditional games this might be marked as John as a Strength of 10 and Mike as a Strength of 5, but in Silver Cord it is not necessarily the case. I built Mike with a Strength 10 and John with a Strength 7. Because Mike's strength rating is higher, he can utilize his strength more effectively than John (who's actually stronger) because it is more important element to Mike the character.

John and Mike's strength will be spelled out in their trait descriptions.
John: Weightlifting - a heavyweight and can bench press 250 - Rating [7]
Mike: Weightlifting - gym-bunny that benches 130 - Rating [10]

In a simple weightlifting contest, John would beat Mike, hands down. It would be obvious to everyone that John is stronger than Mike. However, if a conflict were to arise with these two that has an impact on the story (i.e. rolls are required), John's weightlifting would have less an effect on the outcome due to his lower rating. This plays out with subtle alterations in the scene where John may be prone to panic, low self-esteem, sweaty palms, or some other appropriate factor. Mike may be more confident, have more control or better leverage to carry out the task.

The difference shows up in situations where rolls are not required. When helping someone move their apartment, John will find it easier to pick up heavy furniture.