I just had a thought for a modification to AD&D... rather than grant XP for killing monsters, etc., just give out a generous flat amount every session. No matter what. If people want to swap out characters, the new char comes in with the same experience as everyone else.

This way, there's no need for pointless dungeon crawling, to "level-up". It would, I think, take away the focus from monster-killin' and treasure grabbin' and allow more time for plot, since level increases wouldn't be "goals" any more. This way, PCs have to have their own plottish goals, and base their play around getting what they want, instead of just aimlessly stepping through ranks of orcs.

Thoughts? Comments? Raspberries? Cream cheese?