Barry Brenesal

I think you've posed some very interesting material for discussion, Spartan. I certainly don't mean to steal your thunder, but only figured you might be curious about the games I've mentioned and their subsystems, too. I doubt Stardock will add anything on the basis of what either of us lists--they have a very definite and clear concept in mind!--but it certainly hurts nothing to discuss this kind of thing. And you have good taste in your choices, which mean they frequently

Oblivion's character creation system Have you ever taken a look at the character creation system in Darklands? As the game is abandonware, you should be able to download it easily enough. I've never seen anything as good for giving your character, not just a selection of skills, but fusing them to a fictional background, anchoring the figure you've created in time and place. Civ4's exploration and empire management system &n