Rethinking Character Points

So, I was going to put up some small bits on timing (Stories, Scenes, Rounds, etc.), but I got seriously sidetracked with thoughts on character creation.

Character Points, one of the sacred cows about the L5R system in any edition, and in just about any system without class levels. But they quickly become overwhelming as you whip out your calculator to produce that PERFECT BUILD. The Advantages and Disadvantages become an intense balancing game, but even just thinking up new ones suddenly become an exercise in arbitrary decision-making as the prices vary from 1 to 10, or even more, without any real sense of why they cost what they do. So, I'm taking a cue from Savage Worlds and creating just two categories for ADs and DAs: Minor and Major. That's it.

Then it occurred to me, why stop there? Why not eliminate CPs entirely?

I'm a big fan of Houses of the Blooded and Blood and Honor, and decided to take a note. What I've got here is just rough sketch of what I'm thinking.

I. Choose to create an Uji Samurai (regular clan samurai), a Ronin, or a Gakusho (monk).

II. Prioritize your Rings: 3, 3, 2, 2. So, two Rings (and associated Traits) are set at 3, and two at 2. Your Void Ring is 2.

III. If you are an Uji Samurai, choose a Ryuu (school), which gives you a +1 to a Trait chosen by the Ryuu. If you are a Ronin, add +1 to any Ring. If you are a Gakusho, add +1 to your Void Ring.

IV. If you are an Uji Samurai, your Glory is 1 and your Ryuu determines your Honor. If you are a Ronin, your Glory is 0, and your Honor is 1.0. If you are a Gakusho, your Glory is 2, and your Temple determines your Honor.

V. If you are an Uji Samurai or Gakusho, your Ryuu or Temple will determine your 6 Ryuu Skills. If you are a Ronin, choose any 6. Then distribute ranks, just like you did with your Rings: 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2. Also, Uji Samurai will have a free Skill (Rank 2) and Emphasis from their Uji as a bonus (if it duplicates their Ryuu skill, the bonus stacks).

VI. But you want some additional Skills to make you stand out, right? Of course! So you gain 2 more Skills of your choice. The ranks of the Skills are equal to your Rings, according to their category (Bugei, High, Merchant, and Low): Bugei-->Fire, High-->Air, Merchant-->Water, Low-->Earth.

VII. You can now spread 3 Emphases among any of your Skills.

VIII. Your Starting Equipment is determined by School, with some modified bundles for Ronin.

IX. Qualities. You gain 2 Minor Advantages, and can buy more Advantages by buying Disadvantages. You cannot have more Disadvantages than your Void Ring.

X. Calculate Insight. Rings = 10 pts. per Rank. Skills = 1 pt. per Rank of at least 3. Emphases = 1 pt. per Emphasis. So, starting character will have between 130 and 139 Insight.