With this alternate ruleset you will still get experience points at the end of the adventure or gaming session. But the amount will slightly differ, probably something around 5% of the former amount. And you will be able to spent it point by point to your liking. Mostly.
Apart from direct training (which needs time and often also a teacher) you are able to increase skill levels on the fly during the course of an adventure. This is done by spending the experience points on a single skill test. This way, you are not only creating a special experience to the action where the skill roll is required but you are also more likely to succeed. While all skill rolls use 2d10 and you try to roll a total lower than your stat level you are allowed to use 3d10 when spending an experience point this way and pick the two lowest numbers to add them to a total (see Stats and Tests).
The spent experience point goes from the free experience point pool to the skill and whenever you do something similar you add another one to that skill. When you have spent a certain number of experience points that way your skill level will rise. Simple learning by doing.
When you use an experience point to push a skill roll you can either assign the spent experience point to the specialization or to the base skill. This is also the case when you do not have a specialization for that skill usage - you may still assign the spent point to that specialization and learn that it when you have the required amount of experience points assigned.
If you have assigned points to a base skill you can never use them to raise or learn a specialization. On the other hand, points assigned to a specialization may at any time be used to raise a base skill or be reassigned to a base skill. But still, once they are reassigned to a base skill they can never be used for a specialization.
With these alternate rules you can use an attribute roll as a substitute for a skill roll - the amateur skill roll. And you may also spent an experience point while doing so. When doing so you have the choice to either assign the experience point to the attribute or to the base skill you were substituting with this attribute roll. Whatever you choose, you can not reassign this experience point later.
Base skills and specializations have their own ratings but when it comes to spending experience point to increase one specialization to the next level they are added to a total - just like during skill rolls.
It costs a number of experience points equal to the new specialization skill level PLUS the base skill level to increase this specialization to the next level. So increasing a specialization skill with a rating of 6 and a base skill of 8 (skill total of 14) costs 15 experience points. This also works for learning a new specialization - so the next specialization level is 1 and the skill total the base skill level plus 1.
It costs a number of experience points equal to double the new base skill level to increase a base skill to the next level. So getting a base skill from 8 to 9 costs 18 experience points.
To learn a completely new skill you have to spent 10 experience points. Then you will start with a base skill rating of 2 and a specialization (of choice) of 2.
It is more expensive to raise a base skill than to raise a specialization but it is far more effective since it raises the skill total with all specializations of that skill.
Since you can assign experience points to attributes as well you may increase them.
It costs a number of experience points equal to double the new attribute rating to increase an attribute rating by 1.
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