Not letting the players know how much experience they have

[FriarRosing]

I was pondering the whole notion of players going into battle just to get the precious XP bestowed by slaughtering hordes of monsters, and as I was thinking about it, I was wondering if there was a way to get around the whole concept of going into the dungeon for the purpose of amassing tons of XP to level and get sweet powers. I've heard about people just arbitrarily leveling the party when they felt they deserved it, but I don't know if I like that. I want something more defined than that.

I'm starting a BD&D campaign soon, and I'm planning on not using a battle mat or miniatures in hopes of capturing more of an imaginative, less "game-y" kind of feel over our normal 4e campaign. I'm considering not letting the PCs know how much experience they have, and only letting them know when they've leveled up (telling them one morning when they wake up the feel a strange increase in the confidence and ability over the previous weeks or months or some such nonsense). I just want them to think more like their characters would i.e. focusing on amassing loot and sweet cash over this strange substance known only as XP.

Is this a stupid idea? Has anyone else ever done it? I recognize that XP is a prize and incentive in the game that makes it more fun, but I feel like it may detract from what I want to do with our game. I'm considering telling them I'm leveling them arbitrarily, but really just doing the XP in secret. Part of me for whatever reason worries that knowing I was keeping it secret from them would be frustrating or something--like I was somehow cheating them in some wat.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well for myself this is how XP is run:

There are Major and Minor Milestones.

A Major Milestones is when a character experiences a truly major event, ie: if Rob from OoTS completes his pledge that be a Major Milestone, you automatically gain a level.

A Minor Milestone is more like a Quest Reward since a completion of a Quest is likely to cause a Minor Milestone. A Minor Milestone is activated when a somewhat important (less then a Major) event happens, you gain from that all the XP from everything since last Minor. Obviously going up a level if you get enough.

As for your case, well do things besides combat that gives XP. Emphasize things like investigations, social interaction, diplomacy, etc. and have XP-rewards for them. Give out XP for PCs when they do something intriguing or interesting.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I've moved away from XP completely when I DM. The group advances based on a combination of their accomplishments and the needs of the campaign/adventure. It keeps us advancing at about the same speed as "normal" campaigns, but without the bookkeeping, and without even the tiniest risk of "We need more XP, let's go kill something."

 

[justanobody]

I have played in games where the players were not given any of there numbers. It really made the game play much different and you played less focused on what the numbers were. Most times it even made for better games with higher victories because you did things against the numbers that were even more successful.

 

[the Jester]

I've done it- I just tracked all the xp for the pcs. It worked pretty well.

 

[aurance]

Is this a stupid idea?

Not at all. Many groups I've known over the years have either kept very loose track of XP or not at all, simply leveling the PCs as appropriate, and as far as I can tell player experience has not suffered in the least from a player not knowing what the exact XP total is.

 

[Shemeska]

I've moved away from XP completely when I DM. The group advances based on a combination of their accomplishments and the needs of the campaign/adventure. It keeps us advancing at about the same speed as "normal" campaigns, but without the bookkeeping, and without even the tiniest risk of "We need more XP, let's go kill something."

I'm on the same page as Ari here. I haven't given out numerical XP in about three years. Saves me the time and hassle of calculating the numbers, and keeps my players less focused on the rush to level and more on the mutually developed storyline and plot in the game. Helps in the immersion I find. The PCs level when I let the players know that they have, usually giving them a week to prep the updated character sheets so it doesn't take away time at the table.

Magic item creation I generally don't bother keeping track of XP for on a strict basis, and in return the players don't go crazy on it (though it's been really rare that they've made them or used XP fueled spells). If anything I just hold back the user one session and then it's back to normal, and I don't find it a horrible balance killer.

 

[Lanefan]

Depends on the system you're using, I'd say.

If you're using a slow or very slow advancing system (e.g. 1e but without ExP for treasure, or 2e as written) then give out the numbers; bumping a level is a significant achievement and it's fun to track as your character grinds its way along.

If you're using a fast or very fast advancing system (e.g. 1e with ExP for treasure, or 4e as written) then it might be worth trying the numberless method...the players are going to be focused enough anyway on all the new powers and abilities they keep getting dumped in their laps; ExP numbers just add to the distraction.

For 3e you need the numbers regardless as so many things have ExP as a cost.

Lanefan

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I've moved away from XP completely when I DM. The group advances based on a combination of their accomplishments and the needs of the campaign/adventure. It keeps us advancing at about the same speed as "normal" campaigns, but without the bookkeeping, and without even the tiniest risk of "We need more XP, let's go kill something."

This is pretty much what I do, too. I actually do track XP, but I simply award amounts based on accomplished goals and, as Mouseferatu said, the needs of the campaign.

For example, my group is currently in "Hell's Heart," the last in an adventure trilogy by Nic Logue. I've decided how much experience is available for accomplishing the goals of that adventure, and if the players can manage to meet those goals while avoiding all combat, good for them. The lack of combat won't affect the XP award.

(The reason I track XP at all? (1) One of my PCs is an artificer. (2) There's a small level discrepancy among PCs, and I award slightly more XP to lower level PCs, so the gap will eventually close. (3) When players miss a session, their PCs receive less XP (sometimes none for that session, if the PC can be "written out" temporariliy).)

 

[Dausuul]

I've moved away from XP completely when I DM. The group advances based on a combination of their accomplishments and the needs of the campaign/adventure. It keeps us advancing at about the same speed as "normal" campaigns, but without the bookkeeping, and without even the tiniest risk of "We need more XP, let's go kill something."

Yup, this is how I do it. Soooo much simpler than tracking XP.