In my last thread, I wanted to say that rings/bracelets would work similarly to the badge system from the Paper Mario games… But realized that they really wouldn’t. They’d likely end up having the same range of options, but you wouldn’t be able to apply rings quite like you would badges.
So, I’ve returned with something a bit more on-the-nose. Much like a Boy/Girl Scout’s sash, the Badge Sash holds badges (or medals, or pins, or charms, or…), with each one imbuing it’s wearer with either enhanced attributes/capabilities or allowing for new abilities. Of course, a character can only use as many badges as there is space on the sash, so…
You can see where this goes, yes?
Get bigger, outgrow your sash, get it upgraded, have more space for badges. It is possible to lose weight and become too small for the sash, in which you’ll need to have it taken in; however, that is a downgrade. Thus, character progression/potential is naturally tied to the character’s weight, making it less of a non-negative and reinforcing the player’s drive. Well, weight and collected trinkets, but… Collectibles are fun, right?
This would be a system for more “adventurous” WGRPGs, allowing players to more easily mitigate the consequences of increased weight and keep trundling along.
Possibly a bit too “game-y,” but sometimes, that isn’t wrong.