This is, more or less, just something that I'm throwing out here for anyone who wants the idea.

I already know that a number of people will not like, or want to use it.
And to that, it's fine.

Like the sub-title reads, this is an optional concept here.

First, The Theory.
Age often times, and more often than not, brings experience to us.
In SR, it really doesn't matter what age you are. A 20 year old runner who's been running for 5 days has the same ability of skill possibility as a runner of 50 years of age and has been running for 5 years.

While I don't bother with how long they've been running the shadows in this rule, mainly for simplicity's sake, I do attempt to represent the ability of gaining more skills over time, like in real life, at the trade-off of sacraficing your physical abilities.

The Mechanics Of It All.
For every 10 years of age past 30, the runner will get a GM's decision of either +5, +10, +15, or +20 Skill points added to their Character Generation alloted points for purchasing Skills. These points may only be used for purchasing Skills.
These points are to be alloted after the physical attributes have already been asigned values by the player and the points have been spent on them.

For every +5, +10, +15, or +20 (depending on which the GM goes with) skill points received in this manner, the character receives a -2 to one of their physical attributes in the following pecking order.
Body, Quickness, Strength.

-----------------------EXAMPLES-----------------------

With the +5 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 6

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +5

::

With the +10 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 50:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +10

::

With the +10 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 60:
Body: 4
Strength: 4
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +15

-----------------------

With the +10 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 6

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +10

::

With the +10 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 50:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +20

::

With the +10 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 60:
Body: 4
Strength: 4
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +30

-----------------------

With the +15 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 6

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +15

::

With the +20 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 50:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +30

::

With the +20 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 60:
Body: 4
Strength: 4
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +45

-----------------------

With the +20 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 6

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +20

::

With the +20 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 6
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +40

::

With the +20 Skill point option a human character with all 6's:
Age 40:
Body: 4
Strength: 4
Quickness: 4

Extra Skill points added for the age of the character beyond their normal Skill points at character creation: +60

-----------------------

The reason for the 4 different options of Skill points given (+5, +10, +15, and +20) is to provide GM's the flexibility to choose the right value to fit the power level of their game.

Hello first generation elves and dwarves.

With regard to this, I would definitely say to start with Quickness as the first stat to drop.

That being said, I think this is the player's decision and responsibility, not something that need be enforced by rules. A player already has the choice between stats and skills.

~J

Frankly, I don't see the point. and a -2 to an atribute is a bit harsh, neh?

To dive in deeper, (and procrastiate some work more)
you'd have to take into account ages and maturity rates of different metahumans.

Elves, who life 4 times as long as orks do, wouldn't lose atr. as quickly.

-2 Attribute: 4 Build Point cost.

+5 Skill Points: 5 Build Point cost.

With my Rigger, I'd've loved this rule. A free skill point? Sign me right up.

~J

Eh, guys.
Don't get me wrong here.

I used this once before.
It wasn't that I sat around thinking about it.
Nor do I think that it's a major issue at all.

I just rather threw it in a game once just because I thought it once.
It worked decent with our game.

For some reason I remembered it out of the blue so I just threw it out for anyone to look at if they cared.

It's not even worth any real serious effort to me to bother with finiting this rule in any way because if I was real hard set on this, I'd do it diferently accounting for more things and making it more detailed, but like I said. I'm not.

Oh and Solstice, you weren't around when I first showed up.
In a two day span I layed out enough house rules from Initiative to Character Creation that it was claimed that I was out to re-write the entire game.

Since that time, I have written, or helped write about 4 different Initiative systems in depth for SR.
Made an alternate Hollywood rule system variation for SR
And I can't even begin to count the multiple variations of other rules I've mentioned or plucked at not counting ones I haven't posted.

I am a creation junkie.
I also over analyse things.
It's in my nature to tinker.

My first Signature used to read.
"Customize, Customize, Customize!"

My second Signature read.
"If it's not broke, mess with it until it is and then fix it."