Rifts: Tying power increase to abstract exploration

I'm thinking of adding a particle beam underbarrel attachment.

The idea is that the device powers up over time as the user figures out ways of increasing it's power. As they explore the world ways of increasing its power come to them in dribs and drabs. The way this works is the device does 3D6 MD base damage, but has a percentage chance (starting at 50%) of doing an extra 2D6 damage. You roll during initiative - if you pass, it does the extra damage for the rest of the combat (until it's ammo runs out - it can do four shots a day. Costs 50 credits a shot). I'd go 1D6 extra damage, but I don't think 1D6 is terribly impressive.

Anyway, so now instead of having to put some kinda new weapons in every nook and cranny they explore, or somehow giving them a new weapon for figuring out stuff in the world, I can tell them that percentage increases by one or two points! Thus slowly making the weapon more powerful!

When it gets to 100%, it resets back to 1% and the weapons base damage increased by 1D6 (3D6 goes to 4D6).

Though this kinda means a step backwards in power as when the percentage is 90%+ they'd probably be getting the +2D6 extra damage, well, over 90% of the time. But when it upgrades, it's as if they go down by one die because at the start your going to have a very low percentage and rarely roll it.

Not sure what to do about that. As said, I could just make the bonus 1D6...but it doesn't seem alot. I'm certainly not having the base damage increase by 2D6!

I guess a mitigation (but not solution to that) is to not have it reset to 1% on upgrading, but to 50%. But I want this mechanic to stretch, giving about 2% every ten minutes of play. It'll cut back on that alot if I do that and it still doesn't really solve the problem.

Reward Systems: One vote, one party

There's something that bothers me about the reward structure for a summer class, described over at play this thing.

I'm not quite sure what it is. I'm thinking that it's the complete lack of choice - that point systems can act like voting - and you vote/collect points for what you want. But a 'set' system - it's like a one party system, but the more you vote for them the better off you are.

Not sure I like game systems that promote monomaniacle behaviour. It really is all or nothing. You can't sway the sysem - your either a devote, or you leave it entirely.

Not commenting there, so as to reserve the cynicism a bit.