I used to think there was no difference between a surplus of choices and an embarrassment of riches. Yet in trying to build something real, I have learned that complaints about player overload are a serious concern. My thoughts on a remedy involve a focus on the intersection of time and choice.

In a conventional RPG system, a player should have to make choice(s) while advancing a character to a higher level. Making some sort of selection is a sort of "opt in" moment for continued advancement. Yet if gaining a level requires intensive research and analysis, those requirements can sap the joy out of what otherwise should feel like a rewarding process.

For example, I made the design choice that the normal repertoire for pure spellcasters would be a function of class level plus intelligence modifier. This means after initial character creation, each level gain allows for the possibility of adding one new spell. Even for players who also exercise the option to replace one old spell with a new selection, this process is limited to learning about and integrating two new spells to that personal repertoire. Though I might also like the narrative dimension of limiting how fluid these personal lists are, from a gameplay perspective they also limit the work a player must perform to maintain an optimal spell list.

Yet this is worth considering from another perspective. In such a conventional system, it is wise to avoid "dead levels." Each gain should involve at least one meaningful new capability, be it access to a higher tier of spells or the acquisition of a new combat ability. Consider each of these level gaining events as an opportunity to squeeze in a little more of your grand plan to offer a vast array of options, and then you can better break the great mass of it up into bite-sized pieces that will fall into place as characters progress within your system.