[Torg] Any ever thought of or tried reversing/altering Torg's Metapower vs Advancement struggle?

[Jeff Clough]

Greetings!

I am the friend mentioned in the first post and figured this was as good 
a time as any to actually subscribe to the list as opposed to reading 
the archive online.  So, new to writing, old-hand at lurking.

I believe this thread got going as a result of a conversation with my 
friend Benn about the way Torg handles experience.  This was one of 
dozens of conversations we've had back and forth for years as we have 
both run and played Torg since, I don't know, 1995?  Without adding fuel 
to fire, my observation is this:

In Torg, you get these points called Possibilities, generally through 
rewards dished out at the end of every session and story arc.  These 
points are used to influence game-play "in the now" (re-rolls, avoiding 
damage, etc.).  They also do double duty as advancement points, allowing 
you to improve your character's skills.  I completely understand the 
dynamics of this situation, and that this situation exists.  I "grasp" 
the point completely.

What Benn was getting at, if I read him correctly, wasn't "This mechanic 
is bad and should be changed" but rather, "If you had the power to 
re-write that one aspect of Torg, what would you change, if anything?"

That said, here's the opinion that started it all.  This approach 
(Possibilities being used for both meta-gaming and character 
advancement) creates an opening for the following situation...

Bill, Bob, and Ted are all players in a Torg game.  Bill and Ted 
participate in each scene at an "average" level.  They spend a 
possibility here and there, use their cards and "let the dice fall where 
they may" about as often as the next player.  Bob, on the other hand, 
relishes a fight and dives in whenever possible.  He spends 
possibilities to compensate for poor rolls, but just as often uses them 
to improve on success, boosting his result points, getting in extra 
damage or otherwise taking center stage and really being the "go-to guy" 
for the group.

As a result of these choices, Bill and Ted will improve their skills 
faster than Bob.  This is a matter of simple mathematics.  Bob will 
spend more possibilities dealing with the bad guys, getting the good 
rolls and moving the story forward, and while RP-wise he might be having 
a grand time, his character's number-wise advancement will lag behind 
the other players.

I consider this a Bad Thing.  Any time game mechanics invites a player 
to think "I don't think that roll was enough to hit the bad guy, but I 
really want to save that possibility to improve my Taunt skill.  Screw 
it!", there's an issue, in my opinion.  I'm not saying I have a solution 
that maintains the "feel" of Torg, I'm simply pointing out a 
contradiction between the way Torg handles Possibilities and my own, 
personal aesthetics of how players should be rewarded for which 
actions.  Loving or hating how this works in Torg is just as personal a 
preference, but you at least have to admit that this situation exists.  
Is it game-breaking, of course not.  I just believe it's 
counter-intuitive.  In most other game systems, the players aren't faced 
with a choice between success and character advancement.  Rather, 
success is *rewarded with* character advancement.

Of course some balancing act needs to be created so that the players 
aren't constantly pumping up their die rolls and shrugging off damage 
with no trade-off.  I just really wish a different mechanic had been 
chosen.  Maybe someone here will suggest one.

Jeff