Well, I'm just finishing up one game, and starting another (they're overlapping right now), and I can tell you that I've used all of Luke's methodologies in both games with much success. Well said, Luke.
Note that any break in cost for any ability increase seems to me to be an automatic purchase. Players can't seem to pass up a bargain. So, if they have a choice between spending a HP to inrease their sword skill by one, or to cement an increase their wealth by two, the wealth will be taken.
This is somewhat unfortunate. It means that when something like this comes up, the player really doesn't have a set of viable options on what to spend. In other words, if you have a treasure trove, then you're making the decision for the player on what to spend one of his HP on. If in the game players had all sorts of options that could increase their abilities by more than one, more options than they typically had HP, then it would be a different story. But that doesn't seem indicated. That is, it rarely occurs to me to offer more than one of these to a player at a time. They tend to be rare, and handed out as rewards at the end of adventures and such.
My "solution" to the problem was my "Currency Based Resolution" system. Using that, a player could convert the money into, say, skill with swordsmanship with an appropriate contest. But this is a huge rules hack, and I wish there were a simpler way around the "problem" of conversion.
What about a simpler conversion concept? Just roll any success on the right contest, and the bonus goes from being one thing to another? Seems reasonable (and doesn't even void the rules, really). For instance, if my character had a +4 bonus to a relationship with an Adept, he could use his bargaining abilities and change that to a +4 in some Use Grimoire ability that the Adept could teach. Basically instead of becoming better friends with the Adept, he uses his leverage to get the Adept to teach him some important things about the Grimoire.
Make sense? The only problem would be getting players to use it, I think. They'd have to understand the principle well to take the steps needed to get such a conversion.
Mike
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