More Secret Project X thoughts

One of the ideas I have been wrestling with is to present players with character choices that are not directly linked to an in-game bonus.

I will take as an example of Pathfinder's traits. When I first read about them, I really loved the idea, seeing them as a chance to provide some flavor to a character. I scanned the list to find something to which I could add some RP to my character. What a letdown it was when I realized that they served no purpose that to give people a +2 to initiative and/or make Perception a class skill. No flavor, no reason, no story, just math.

That is one of the main reason Legacies does not use traits. I want to use that "slot" for something more interest and something that I, as a writer and a campaign director, can hook onto and make the players' experience more tailored to them.

I think we achieved this in NeoExodus. If you did not know, there are no traits in the Legacies campaign. Rather, players are given a home region, which does a number of things.

   -  It gives that a character a different flavor, so that a fighter from the Confederacy immediately has a different imagery than one from the Protectorate.
   -  It gives the GM an immediate means of reacting to certain characters.
   -  It opens up access to regionally-based feats, prestige classes, and archetypes. This is a crunch element.
   -  It allows the PC to make any Knowledge checks up to DC 15 rather than the usual DC 10.

So I am looking to create something similar for Secret Project X... Not only am I looking for that sub-system to work with SPX, but also with NeoExodus and not unbalance the campaign! I had a lot of time to think and ponder ideas during the drive Nashville to Louisville to Fort Wayne, and then back again... Twelve hours to think...

I have not fully found the answer I was looking for, but I have a few ideas. Perhaps holding a public design session like the one I did for the book on Gytha... I think it might help me get different points of view on what I'm thinking.

You all know by now that I seek to find a light, simple and elegant solution that is easy to self-administer.

JP