This is my rule system for lightweight RPG games (both tabletop games and tabletop-feeling video games). It’s somewhat quixotic that I designed a tabletop game system to use in a video game, but I want to recreate that old school feel of bringing an RPG from pen-and-paper onto the computer. The most interesting (possibly unique) part of these rules are the progression mechanics.

https://jhocking.itch.io/cobalt-rpg

Other than just general reactions from rpg experts reading the rules I've devised, I have two specific queries:

1 - What are other games with a skill purchase progression system? This part of my design was mostly informed by an old web game called Urban Dead, and I later realized I should also look at GURPS, but are there other similar systems I can get ideas from?

2 - What are some pros and cons of a class versus classless system? I ask because my system is classless as originally devised, but I can easily make it class-based by having separate ability lists for each class (versus one global list all characters use.) I initially liked the flexibility of a classless system, but I eventually realized class-based does enforce variety of character builds (versus players always choosing the same best abilities).