Awarding Bonus EXP

[Outlanders]

How do you award bonus XP, and how much?

I typically award 25 points for successful use of skills that are crucial to the plot, or even larger awards, like 100 or more for players who successfully figure out a very important point in a plot.

I'd like to see how other people do it.

Chris

 

[0-hr]

You really should award bonuses as a percentage rather than a fixed amount so that it scales with level. Really, 100xp at level one is worth far more than at level 15.

Personally, I would just as soon not deal with awards in the double digit range. It's just not worth the bookeeping to track a 25 point award when you need 10,000 to get the next level. So I would say make the awards actually be worth something, or don't bog down the game with them. Save the bonuses for big things, then give big bonuses if they are earned.

And honestly, I don't much like the idea of individual bonuses. it turns the game into a competition among the players, and that is seldom a good thing.

So, to summarize, I would usually only give group bonuses; they would be substantial but only rewarded when really warranted; and they would be a percentage added onto the sessions normal xp.

But that's just me.

 

[Otterscrubber]

Our DM does not usually hand out too many xp awards to individuals but rather will give rewards to the group. The only exception to this is that he does have a weblog where we can post in character journal entries online for all to view. In this way we tend to do most of our 'role-playing' between sessions. Those that do get an xp bonus of 50 per level at the end of the next adnevnture. It is a new thing we are trying and seems to work out well for us so far.

Of course maybe he isnt give out too many rewards cuz we arent that good.....

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I award a very small amount of experience for special circumstances. i.e. a brilliant and unexpected strategy, exemplary role-playing, etc. I try to make the award small enough that it doesn't really matter. I don't want a good role-player or brilliant strategist to get bonus levels over the others...that wouldn't be fair to them. But 50xp here or there can mean a free 1st-level scroll, or leveling up a session early at some point.

 

[Ferrix]

I ran in a game a summer or two ago where we would do a secret poll amongst the players. Each of us after a session would write down the players name who we thought did the best role playing. Whoever got most votes got 100xp, and then it decreased by ten as it went down the line. I really liked the system cause it involved the players, and rarely people voted for themselves. It worked quite well. Next time I run a big game I plan on using it.

~Ferrix

 

[maddman75]

I've done a player-voted 10% MVP award before, and it worked out well. I'm currently using the bonus to encourage behaviour that I want. giving 10% experience all day long to everyone that shows up on time....and last game I only had two out of seven players get the bonus!

 

[Rashak Mani]

Does anyone feel much larger XP bonuses for RPing helps players roleplay more or not ?

 

[officeronin]

Does anyone feel much larger XP bonuses for RPing helps players roleplay more or not ?

Yes! If killing monsters is the only thing that gets the PCs xp, then that's what they do! They create their characters with the goal of whupping the most with the fewest hinderances, and roleplaying considerations are secondary. If it's possible to rise in level through roleplaying, players will try that.

I give about half of the xp through story awards/roleplaying. Of course, I cut the fighting xp in half, too.

OfficeRonin

 

[MerakSpielman]

I used to give out a percentage "role-playing bonus" whenever I handed out xp (typically after a session, via email). Everybody got bonus xp, but the best role-players got the most. Typically the bonus was from 10-20%.

I have halted this practice for the following reasons: First, we have some damm good role-players in the group. They always ended up with more xp than the others. Always. Then there were the 2 folks who honestly tried, but were lousy role players. Their characters were just as valuable to the party, but their XP suffered.

It ended up seeming that the characters were being rewarded/penalized for the abilities of the players.

Then I tried giving out XP awards for individual achievements. The druid got xp for turning into a bird and scouting out a dangerous location, for instance. The wizard got xp for recovering her stolen spellbook. Etc...

This didn't work either. The same few people who are crack role-players have mensa-level IQs (though they did not actually join mensa, they could have). They could think of a dozen creative things for their characters to do with a few seconds notice. (Note: One of them is experimenting with role-playing a stupid character now. Now she thinks of dozens of ways to role-play stupidity well, so that didn't help me out any)

I have ended up resorting to giving each member of the party the same number of XPs. It irked me, but it seemed the fairest solution.

edit: Though a lot of these xp are non-combat.

 

[Magic Rub]

From levels 1 - 10, I give out a 1000xp role-playing bonus to 1 PC per session. Levels 11 - 20, I give 2000xp. The PC's & I all vote on who played their char. the best. No one can vote for themselves. All in all it works very well.

I always give a bonus to everyone if it's been a really good night for character play, the nights where every one learns something new about there PC & everyone else's. That is to say not much in the way of hack & slash or traps & challenges. Just a night of planning, talking with people in a bar (or whatever), or PC to PC banter nights.