Are you a stingy DM?

[Buttercup]

I'm not stingy with XP, I'm stingy with magic.

This describes my style exactly.

 

[Ibram]

Stingy with XP? not at all. infact sometimes I think I'm a bit to generous with my XP.

Now with magic items I am VERY stingy: There are no Magicmarts in my world, and even finding a potion or a scroll takes a whole lot of effort on the part of the players.

The same goes for gold, they are currently 6th level and are realy excited because someone promised them 100 pieces of gold if they helped him overthrow his uncle. Add that to the "High Living Rule" from Conan and they spend most of their time broke.

 

[Hanuman]

Be the tightest fisted miser you can be!!!! The levels 4 through to 14 are the sweetest and most fun levels in the game. After that it's just to much damn work to keep track of all the variable effects that the players have. In my opinion that's the reason why wotc market research showed that on adverage a campaign only lasts for around 12-16 months.


Virus is a Latin word used by doctors to mean 'your guess is as good as mine.'

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Well, we started in March and only play once per month. Granted, each session is roughly ten hours in duration, so I guess that is really about two sessions a month if you based it on average session lengths (from what I'm told).

So, twelve sessions if you followed that jibberish. They are about to level again though, so it isn't too bad I guess.

Then you're only a little stingy which is fine. As has been stated it's annoying to level too quickly in game (going from first level to twentieth level in one in game year is just wierd and feels fake). I try to make sure that the PCs level up no more that 2-3 times per year in game.

 

[Jolly Giant]

I'm usually very generous about giving out XP; seeing your character advance and improve is an important part of what makes the game fun. Not that I don't make them fight for it. (Using encounters of the "appropirate" level is no fun! )

That's how we like it, both the players and me. They like to use their brains as much as their swords and spells, and have the most fun playing out encounters where they HAVE to figure out and take advantage of their opponents' every weakness if they want to win. It's gotten to the point where they think the encounter mildly boring if no PCs die, or at least comes within an inch of dieing.

As for treasure, I'm usually way to generous there to. But again, with the opposition the PCs are facing it's no big deal if they have a little too much stash...

 

[Hjorimir]

Now, if you want to talk about stingy, ask my players how many magic items they have !

As far as magic items go, there are a total of six magic items in the Saturday group, which consists of seven characters (if you include the NPC, which I have because he has one of the items). The rogue of the group had three of the items.

In the Monday group, which consists of four characters, there is a total of three magic items I've given out (all three of them being a vial of Silversheen). The wizard has a few scrolls that he wrote though (but I don't really count those).

 

[was]

I am totally stingy when I DM. I run a very low-magic, down and dirty campaign. There are no low-level npc's ruuning around with lots of magic at their disposal. While I don't restrict feats, I do cut XP awards in half and limit magic items. They usually get +1's around sixth level. I do not, however, send them up against anything that requires magical weapons to hit until they do. The magic items they do get, are usually very detailed and custom tailored to their likes and their characters with extensive backgrounds. I haven't gotten any dirty looks or complaints yet, so I guess they're fine with it.

 

[Nifft]

I've got one guy who thinks I'm stingy (because he's a munchkin), and another guy who isn't complaining about losing all his gear due to capture (because he's a good RPer), and a third guy who has not remarked on the subject.

I prefer to err on the side of stingy.

-- N

 

[ForceUser]

It should be noted that Hjorimir doesn't take pains to move the story along when he DMs. Meaning, if the players are content to sit in the pub swapping jokes for hours on end, he'll let them. Then after a long session of not getting anything done, the group will go "Did we level?" Well, no, of course not, you were wooing barmaids all night. Then some folks get frustrated from a lack of advancement. The problem isn't Hjorimir being stingy, it's the players being slackers. I've found, in fact, that the opposite is quite true - when the players put themselves out there, adventure, seek bold fortunes in perilous places, he's actually pretty generous with the loot and XP. But his players have a tendency to want to wait until the adventure comes to them. Their level and amount of magic items is directly proportionate to their personal drive in most cases.

 

[dreaded_beast]

As a DM, I think I am a bit on the generous side. I give out treasure almost every session, but it is normally rolled from the random treasure tables from the DMG. And I give out XP based on the CRs in the book and for "roleplaying" if there was little combat during that session.

As a player, I hate waiting a "long" time to gain a level. I am not a munchkin, bad role-player, etc. I see DnD as a game I play to have fun.

Speaking for myself, a big part of that fun is seeing my character continously grow, which is done by gaining levels as well as reaching story goals, etc.

I played in a game where it took 2 years to gain 4 levels, which for me was really slow. A fellow player at the table only gained 2 levels because he died twice during the game. Lucky for me I didn't die during those 2 years.

They way I see it, I don't want to invest a few YEARS of my life gaining in return 1 or 2 levels. For some people, that is perfectly acceptable and fine. More power to you. For me, I have other things I want to accomplish in the game, which is inherently tied to the level a character is at.

I have other things I want to do with my time than playing in a campaign, hoping to see some of my goals reach fruition, but then realize that at the rate I am going, it will take literally half-a-decade to get there.

For me, that's a bit too long, even if it's a game I love.