Extending an existing statistic fails to present the player with a to challenge or tool and is generally regarded as a boring and tedious addition to a given system. Introducing a novel statistic can present a new rule to engage with, possibly even turning a Reskin into a Variant. Too many statistics can drag down a game, so it’s equally valuable to experiment with removing statistics as new ones are introduced.


Practical Creativity by Raph Koster, GDC 2014