Clint_L
Hero
There are pros and cons to each style. Classic EXP systems tend to feel empowering to players, who can track their progress and plan accordingly. But they feel very unrealistic, like levelling in a video game, and the things that award experience often don't make a lot of sense (for example, you are usually rewarded the most EXP for successes, rather than failures. Why? I would argue that our failures teach us more). This system is also easy to game; as I mentioned in another thread, the first time I played AD&D the more experienced party brought my character along on a dragon kill, and the EXP gained from the mounds of treasure put him immediately up to level 5. It often favoured certain classes more than others. However, there are more refined versions of EXP-based levelling that avoid these sorts of problems, and if done well this style probably feels the most fun for a lot of players.
Milestone levelling has the advantage of simplicity and keeps the players the appropriate level for the challenges that they are facing. It makes a lot of sense in pre-published adventures, where the characters are on more of a rail so that the levelling process is predictable.
DM fiat (which I use in my home campaign; though it's actually more of a discussion with the players) is even more simple and keeps progression tied to the story beats, while allowing much more freedom. But I think this and milestone both lose some of the sense of progression that comes of EXP being earned and in the player's hands.
Milestone levelling has the advantage of simplicity and keeps the players the appropriate level for the challenges that they are facing. It makes a lot of sense in pre-published adventures, where the characters are on more of a rail so that the levelling process is predictable.
DM fiat (which I use in my home campaign; though it's actually more of a discussion with the players) is even more simple and keeps progression tied to the story beats, while allowing much more freedom. But I think this and milestone both lose some of the sense of progression that comes of EXP being earned and in the player's hands.