I dislike skill books as a rule in video games, but acknowledge it's probably one of the better ways to handle a classless system.
Without wanting to sound argumentative for the sake of it; what makes it better and what other methods would you have been thinking of as a reference?
What purpose do the books serve?
One purpose is to allow you get a new skill that you are able to use because you have level'd up. This could much more easily be achieved by keeping it all within the character management sheet. Just allow people to select abilities in what ever class they unlock. Simple.
Another purpose is as a crafting objective. There are scrolls etc to craft.
Another is as a Gold sink. Balancing player income need not come at the expense of infuriatingly annoying game mechanics.
It adds another challenge for you to overcome. That's true. One man's annoyance is another man's challenge. But one could argue that for most any poorly designed game mechanic.
A rich immersive RPG should seek to make the interface and game mechanics as invisible and unobtrusive as possible.
Maybe I am missing something?
