Progression in TTRPGS: Why your game might not even need Levels
(this post started as a reply to this post but it quickly got away from the point and became its own thing) Character levels: they're a constant hallmark of Dungeons & Dragons and so, as a result, have shoehorned their way into being an assumed feature of ALL tabletop games, especially for people who are new to the hobby or primarily only experienced with D&D. And it makes sense, right? Progression is a rewarding part of games, getting stronger and developing your character is fun and cool! Tabletop RPGs get the added bonus of allowing for your character's mechanical progression to go hand-in-hand with their internal progression, as well as allowing for escalation of stakes naturally as characters overcome challenges to advance the game's plot! This is all true, but it also benefits us both as players and writers of games to examine progression more critically - what forms can progression take, what styles of play do those forms benefit, and in what cases is a progression system just superfluous? Note that when I talk about progression, I mean mechanical progression - this can intersect with a game's plot or a character's internal growth, and I'll touch on that when necessary, but this post is about when your numbers go up or you get new cool tricks. So, now for my hot fucking take:
“Levels” (usually numerous linear tiers of progression where characters receive proscribed new resources) are really often just an unnecessarily restrictive means of progression, tbh - I think they mostly work in crunch and combat-heavy games like Lancer. Though they feel intuitive, I argue that levels are a very "game-y" mechanic that can feel fairly unorganic. Having a group that advances in ability at roughly the same pace is desirable in plenty of game formats (I'll touch more on that later), but if you open your mind a little it becomes a pretty limiting piece of design, especially restrictive in the context of character customization and intra-party diversity. The most common alternative (and my preferred style) is what I'd call varied or asymmetric progression - the three big mainline examples of this that spring to my mind are Blades in the Dark, Vampire: the Masquerade, and Cyberpunk Red. (more under the break out of consideration for people scrolling)