The Gaming Den

What would you feel about a game where it was possible to trade class features and abilities like a resource (and this is supported by fluff) but the setting is such that you can't simply get whatever class feature you wanted at the market? Are there such games out there? Are they any good?

Shadowrun and Dungeons and Dragons. Especially 3rd Edition D&D.

D&D 3.x makes characters rely on magic items to such an extent that they might as well be CFs. For this reason I often treat magic items as a TM or something from a flavour perspective, as most people want to play characters who are individually competent rather than magic item whores, while conveniently ignoring stuff like sundering that rarely comes up in actual gameplay anyway. In any case, the idea's totally workable. In any incarnation. Personally I'd want something where you'd need more experience/<insert arbitrary "power level" here> in order to "equip" higher quality and greater quantity abilities, though a more free-reign system could work too. You'd just have to make sure it doesn't just boil down to the GM arbitrarily deciding who has what abilities. Because that's dumb.

I hadn't considered magic items as an example of power (combat utility) as a transferable resource. That's a really good example, thank you. I need to think about this a little more.