Are you a stingy DM?

[TheAuldGrump]

When left to my own devices I am. ('Wow we killed the dragon! Waht do we fin?' '2 pieces of silver and some pocket flufff' 'Wow! That's more than we've gotten in the campaign until now!')

Fortunately 3.X does have guidelines, which help protect me from irate players... It make it a whole lot easier when I know how much treasure and XP is expected in an adventure.

The Auld Grump

 

[Sammael]

Hmmm. I don't think so, but I may be wrong. Let's see:

My long-term campaign has a party of 6 characters. They made it from level 1 to level 12 in about two and a half years, after 80 6-hour sessions (less than a year of in-game time). So, 11 levels gained over 80 sessions, or approximately 7 sessions per level. Hmmm. That doesn't sound right.

However, I think almost every player has skipped at least 15-20 sessions, which reduces the number to 6 sessions per level. The ones who have skipped only a couple of sessions have changed characters, so that accounts for their lower level. About 10 sessions were either spent playing alternate characters or were interrupted. So, realistically speaking, it's 5 sessions per level. That seems OK.

I also allow players to purchase feats with XP, and most have done that, so that has probably reduced the level a bit, as have the few deaths and casting spells with xp components. Overall, I'd say they were gaining a level every 3-4 sessions at lower levels, but it takes them a lot longer now (as it should be, IMO).

As for the amount of gear, they have less than what is recommended for their character level, but not a whole lot less. They are about a level behind, I think, but their combat ability hasn't suffered because of it.

 

[Piratecat]

We purposefully tie level gain to once every ten-fifteen sessions, depending on what sort of adventuring they're doing. That means that in about 25 games a year, the PCs go up in level twice. This is obviously much slower than standard, but the game is structured around this sort of gradual power increase and it's not an unpleasant surprise to anyone joining the campaign. It also means that we've managed to adventure with the same characters for 12 years now, and we're just hitting epic levels. That's worked really well for us in regards to storytelling and plot layering.

 

[diaglo]

3-4hr per session; 5 sessions per week; 50 weeks per year; for 10+ years.

about 900hr of roleplay to gain 1 level.

no, i'm not stingy. that's just the way we used to play.

 

[Piratecat]

Wow, I can't imagine I'd find that fun... and people are surely thinking that same thing about my own game. Tastes certainly differ, and I think game groups self-select for people with the same expectations and style.

 

[diaglo]

Wow, I can't imagine I'd find that fun... and people are surely thinking that same thing about my own game. Tastes certainly differ, and I think game groups self-select for people with the same expectations and style.

i'd say your group levels too fast for my tastes. but i'd probably enjoy it more than some of the games i've played in the past 4 years.

 

[ForceUser]

Playing twice a month for 3-4 hours at a time, I would get grumpy if I didn't level at least a few times per year. I like experiencing a feeling of progress when I play. I love roleplaying, but it's also about advancement for me.

 

[Henry]

3-4hr per session; 5 sessions per week; 50 weeks per year; for 10+ years.

about 900hr of roleplay to gain 1 level.

For that kind of level advancement, my group would play GURPS with the 1 character point per session rule.

With my FR Game, we used to level about once per 3 games, or once per month; we got to about 7th level before a hiatus. In my current game of Eberron, They're levelling about once per session, but that's because I have a specific plot in mind with a beginning, middle and end, and the PC's are supposed to be a set level by the end to finish it. I even know what level I expect them to be when they face a given challenge.

Why such a lightning advancement and set ending, you might ask? Because I find that the more we play open-ended campaigns, the less we finish them. We give up at some to-be determined middling level, and never come to a satisfying conclusion. I can't tell you the number of adventuring companies we've left wandering about having untold adventures, and we never decide what happened to them. The only two campaigns we've finished EVER were both set with certain goals and a defined beginning, middle, and end. So that's the approach I take to conclude the tales of our group, rather than having yet another unfinished character with more potential than accomplishment.