I like the idea of a side quest giving you information about the world, while the main quests only progress story/time. But sticking to the main quests would give you a bland Hollywood cliche, and only by finishing side quests you got info that could deepen backstories, reveal true motivations and flip your point of view to result in a "what the f..." moment for the gamer.
Also...
What if only side quests gave you experience/gold?
I like the idea of a side quest giving you information about the world, while the main quests only progress story/time. But sticking to the main quests would give you a bland Hollywood cliche, and only by finishing side quests you got info that could deepen backstories, reveal true motivations and flip your point of view to result in a "what the f..." moment for the gamer.
Also...
What if only side quests gave you experience/gold?
Good idea! Tho I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to balance the rest of the game to pull that off...
We could take the life approach: you still have to eat, buy clothes, pay for the roof above your head and health services :D