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Comment by thriftwy | Hacker News Reader

Classical roguelikes have bones/ghosts mechanic, which is progression-lite. Multiplayer DCSS servers even have multiplayer bones - you can meet and fight ghosts of other players' deaths.

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I have always interpreted bones/ghosts as using previous runs as an additional source of level-generation data, rather than a progression mechanic. In the game, it is realistic that other adventurers would have attempted what you are attempting (and died trying). The game could fill in this assumption by randomly generating ghosts and loot, but real-world data is more interesting and nuanced. For example, one of my favorite components of the nethack bones system is seeing the cause of death of the ghosts I run into. Again, 'cause of death' could be reproduced with some random generation, but it wouldn't be as good.

Anyway, I only play nethack on public servers or using the nethack hearse tool, so I don't 'progress' by using my own bones files. Maybe if you play purely locally, you can view your own bones files as a form of progression.

Mechanically speaking, bones can also only get you so far. You have to first get to them to take advantage (and you can't control if they'll actually show up or not), but... then you already got as far as the bones did, and are presumably roughly equally equipped. Usually only 1-2 items orthogonal to your current loadout are useful (e.g. you wished for good armor this game, but a good weapon in the bones game). Also, the bones failed, so on average you are probably better off than they were.

(That's assuming you don't do some degenerate play like get a bunch of loot, run back to level 2, and die purposefully. At that point you might as well savescum.)

In most games bones also represent a significant risk. The ghosts fight you, the items come cursed, etc.

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