Why I dislike Milestone XP

[Satyrn]

So I guess from most of the posts when a player is out their PC is out? So you know that there is a huge fight this week against Frank the Evil badguy and you are out so your PC stays home and your buddies fight alone. Yet you want a full share?

Yes.

Because of the way my group plays, I find I have more fun when all of us have the same XP. Right now, one guy's levelling up a couple sessions after the rest of us, and it takes away some of the fun for me. Not a lot, but what's taken away is a net loss of fun compared to if he'd just been given the XP he missed.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Yes.

Because of the way my group plays, I find I have more fun when all of us have the same XP. Right now, one guy's levelling up a couple sessions after the rest of us, and it takes away some of the fun for me. Not a lot, but what's taken away is a net loss of fun compared to if he'd just been given the XP he missed.

I guess to me its strange that when a player isn't' there his PC wandered off or something. In 30 years of D&D we have always done it where he is a party NPC for that session. So we have never encountered this issue, well outside of making a new PC that comes in at a different level. And then I've never had a player complain about it. Bottom line is other groups are strange.

 

[Stormdale]

Yes.

Because of the way my group plays, I find I have more fun when all of us have the same XP. Right now, one guy's levelling up a couple sessions after the rest of us, and it takes away some of the fun for me. Not a lot, but what's taken away is a net loss of fun compared to if he'd just been given the XP he missed.

Really?

My group ranges from 5th-10th level doing ToA. Nobody is less useful or having less fun because they on't all have exactly the same xp. The 10th level PC has missed 1 session out of about 60, the other players have missed sessions, had their PC killed, or in one case retired them to play something else, and none has refused to play/is having less fun because they don't have the same XP total as the guy who has made 59 out of 60 sessions.

Stormdale

 

[MoominT]

Milestone XP sucks! unarguable fact... for me. But I have had a great gaming group with great DM's who have a similar play style to me and award XP. It works and is fun and rewarding.
I do have to say that all my group are Mature players, you miss a session because life gets in the way, you get the same rewards as those who turned up. You missed the fun of a gaming
night I am not going to punish you anymore than that.

I play in a separate group as well that is using Milestone xp and The first DM that used it running Storm Kings Thunder, kind of gave the expression of oops I have forgotten to level you up for a while, Ding level up!
robbed me of any sense of achievement the way he did it. The other adventure played the DM said he likes to level up every 3 sessions, again this for me robs me of any sense of achievement. I do have to admit my perspective does put it in a bad light, I do not gain experience from a fight, so therefore as a clever character I am going to do my best to avoid all fights, but I play d&d for the epic fights.

You enjoy what you enjoy, I enjoy xp rewards.

 

[Satyrn]

Really?

My group ranges from 5th-10th level doing ToA. Nobody is less useful or having less fun because they on't all have exactly the same xp. The 10th level PC has missed 1 session out of about 60, the other players have missed sessions, had their PC killed, or in one case retired them to play something else, and none has refused to play/is having less fun because they don't have the same XP total as the guy who has made 59 out of 60 sessions.

Stormdale

The point where I have a little less fun comes when we're all levelling up at the table . . . except that one guy.

 

[5ekyu]

"Why should I risk everything on the possibility of earning some XP and loot, if I could get that same benefit without taking any risks?"

If the only thing at stake is xp then you shouldnt.

In my games, xp are never at stake, yet somehow, my players send their characters into harms way frequently. See, in my games, they are running characters, not moving chess pieces, and for those characters, there is often a lot at stake and they never heard of xp.

I expresdly never want to hear players weighing decisions their characters have to make on things like "we got xp..." or "we need xp".

So i choose not to link them.

 

[cmad1977]

I award xp and use milestone xp depending on what seems more appropriate at the time. My PCs don’t know the difference.

 

[iserith]

Milestone XP sucks! unarguable fact... for me. But I have had a great gaming group with great DM's who have a similar play style to me and award XP. It works and is fun and rewarding.
I do have to say that all my group are Mature players, you miss a session because life gets in the way, you get the same rewards as those who turned up. You missed the fun of a gaming
night I am not going to punish you anymore than that.

I play in a separate group as well that is using Milestone xp and The first DM that used it running Storm Kings Thunder, kind of gave the expression of oops I have forgotten to level you up for a while, Ding level up!
robbed me of any sense of achievement the way he did it. The other adventure played the DM said he likes to level up every 3 sessions, again this for me robs me of any sense of achievement. I do have to admit my perspective does put it in a bad light, I do not gain experience from a fight, so therefore as a clever character I am going to do my best to avoid all fights, but I play d&d for the epic fights.

You enjoy what you enjoy, I enjoy xp rewards.

Perhaps considering it from another angle will help. Milestone XP is supposed to be tied to specific events and challenges. If you overcome those challenges, you get the XP. What would that do for your sense of achievement compared to standard XP?

Story-based advancement is also tied to accomplishing significant goals in the campaign, except it doesn't use XP. The DM just awards levels. In theory, you don't get those levels if you don't accomplish those significant goals. How do you feel about the sense of achievement there, assuming there was ever a possibility you could fail?

 

[Sunseeker]

Who said they were?

The OP. Pretty much everyone who supports the idea that the players should be able to do whatever they want and get XP for it.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

The OP. Pretty much everyone who supports the idea that the players should be able to do whatever they want and get XP for it.

No, and no.

"whatever they want" is to play some D&D, and yeah, they get XP for doing it. That doesn't mean every campaign is or has to be any particular way.

Also, it's still not clear to me why you quoted me mentioning it seemed like you have too much experience with players that don't mesh with your DM style and made your counter to a claim that no one appears to have made.