Bonus XP for writing up a story hour?

[the Jester]

I give 25/level for a number of different roleplaying categories, for props (minis, etc) and for "lubricating the game" (which includes things like helping to take notes). If someone else were to write up a story hour installment, I'd give 'em a double-lube award.

Er, which is to say, 50/level.

 

[Nail]

I do give out XP rewards like this, but I'm afraid the flat rate per level doesn't work well. Sometimes it takes us 4 meetings to go from one PC level to the next, other times it might take fewer meetings. If you give out a flat rate, PCs could gain lots of extra XP over their peers.......and bad feelings can develop.

 

[Kichwas]

I've settled on a minimum of 300 words, Which is nothing.

I told my players that for a sample they could look at this page:
http://home.pacbell.net/arcady0/MnM/Campaign.html
The first box on the left and the top box on the right add to 304 words - so it makes a good visual for them.


For DnD I'll give 50xp * level every session they log.
For MnM I'll give 2 bonus one use hero points.

I may give a one use hero point for the DnD game as well.

In DnD They could use the Hero Point to:
reroll one non-damage die roll with a minimum of 50% as it's result.
Get inspiration to the storyline - a free clue.
Recover from certain conditions (like stunned) instantly.
Make me reroll one damage roll against a PC.
Use one metamagic ability once with one less level cost.
Use one ability once as if one level higher.


I'm extracting from the MnM Hero Point list to DnD like terms here, and this idea is still ultra-rough in my mind. Not sure yet if the items in that list are too powerful, or even equal to each other. Thought them up as I typed this.


Being fair about this is not high on my list of concerns. Story hours and journals works wonders for bringing a game alive. They do more for a game than any other factor I can think of, so they deserve to be unfairly rewarded.

 

[Greybar]

I'd probably consider 50/level too high, since so far I've been giving 250ish for journals. It was enough for one of the players to edge over the line into a new level last session.
john

 

[Benben]

XP/level really needs to be set by the campaign.

My campaign averages one combat per session.
We've never had more than 3 combat encounters in a session, and had our fare share of zero combat sessions.


Without handing out XP for role playing, tactics, story advancement, extras like journals and minis, my players would never level up.

 

[S'mon]

In the Gaxmoor campaign I'm currently playing in (soon to become the Necropolis campaign ), we're getting around 200-350xp, depending on the DM's judgement of the Story Hour. It might not be much, but it adds up over time.

It's interesting that because the DM is using a level based XP system (meaning higher level characters get less xp than lower level ones), the highest level player is now starting his own account in order to 'keep up' with the Xp the other players are getting.

I like the system. It encourages us to remember what's happening, why it's important, and how everything hangs together.

I'm Tallarn's GM - you can see how my story XP awards work on the Gaxmoor Story Hour at:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28405&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

I think the system works well; last session all 4 players posted accounts, giving me & the other players useful perspectives on the session, and fun to read too.
I aim to give up to 300 XP for a good account; the level of the player's PC is immaterial (I don't like giving more XP just because a character is higher level). Occasionally I give more for an exceptional piece or because I've given in to plaintive entreaties.

 

[just__al]

Anyone ever consider offering up some kind of bonus to a player who writes the sessions up as a log or story hour?

If so, what kind of bonus and how much is fair? Did the idea work out?

I give a flat 5% bonus to xp for this session IF I got a journal after the last session.

Seems to work out OK.

 

[spyscribe]

If my DM gives out XP for writing story hour, he hasn't told me about it.

Personally, I do it for the fame.

 

[Desdichado]

How do you handle magic item creation?

Custom magic system too. I've used CoC's and Midnight's most recently; both are pretty much what I'm looking for in a magic system, for different reasons.

 

[Desdichado]

Arrr!!! Avast ye muliple posts!