Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
Well, the benefits of XP, which I would argue are not obvious (or, to be more precise, not apparent - they’re easy enough to understand theoretically, harder to directly observe their impact on the experience) are that it provides a highly effective incentive structure, and that it gives players a clear indicator of progress towards advancement, which is deeply viscerally satisfying. The former is I think more obvious but also more controversial - I’ve seen people say “I don’t want to incentivize the players towards or away from anything in particular,” and while that viewpoint is very strange to me, it’s a perfectly legitimate preference to have. The latter benefit I think is far less apparent, but also far more impactful. You may not notice much direct benefit from the progress bar effect, but your brain will.Could you elaborate on some of those obvious benefits and drawbacks? I'm drawing a blank.
As for the drawbacks, they’re quite apparent. Math and bookkeeping. The DM has to do math to work out XP awards, and the players have to keep track of the numbers. Both things people don’t love doing. But, in my opinion, both are pretty minor inconveniences despite being very apparent, and well worth it for the benefits mentioned above.
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