exp for out of game acts

[holomachamp]

do you guys think that dm's should award exp for stuff that their players do out of the game. (i.e. one player brings snacks dm awards 100 exp), ( or player pisses dm off out of game, and dm threatens to kill player in game). i don't think it is right for a dm to overeach their control to realife.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yeah, that's pretty much the standard. If people can't get the game and reality seperate we have this thing called online playing where you can auction your characters. Pretty simple really.

 

[Eternalknight]

do you guys think that dm's should award exp for stuff that their players do out of the game. (i.e. one player brings snacks dm awards 100 exp), ( or player pisses dm off out of game, and dm threatens to kill player in game). i don't think it is right for a dm to overeach their control to realife.

I award XP for players bringing food and drinks. If one of my players helps out a new player, they get XP. I try not to deduct XP, but if a player is being an absolute pain in the buttocks I will. I perfer to talk to that player and try to get him back on track.

 

[Squire James]

I think in-game rewards (or punishments) for OOG actions is one of the "cardinal mistakes" a GM can make, right up there with plot rail-roading and "precious NPC's". "GM's Girlfriend", arguably the worst mistake a GM can make, is simply an extreme case of this behavior. Minor cases are minor mistakes (not to be confused with "okay"), so I wouldn't make a big deal of it if 100 XP is all it is. If the richest player happens to be 2 levels higher than everyone all the time, then it's a problem.

Generally, it's best for all players and the DM to pay for their own "munchies". Any deals that are worked out shouldn't have anything to do with the game. I was "teased" a lot (I called it "bullied", but maybe I was being over-sensitive) as a kid because my parents didn't have much money, and I think when someone plays D&D they should not continue that attitude.

 

[Henry]

My group jokes about it, but I don't recall an instance where anyone has actually DONE it. I cannot give reasons why, but this practice unsettles me to consider, perhaps because of the "overreaching" thing. It's been one of the "taboos" of D&D since year one.

 

[Harlock]

I will award XP for in game things. Roleplaying awards when I think someone was very in character and entertained the group. Never have I awarded XP for something out of the game. If a player brings snacks, great! I didn't have to pay for them and I thank them. If a player loans me a book or a movie, great! Thanks for that. If a player says I'll bring the snacks or buy you ELH if I get some XP or the Staff of the Magi, I'll cut him loose from my group because I don't want to play with someone like that. Balance is a delicate issue in most games and to me this is just too simple a way to ruin that balance.

 

[Zappo]

It is kind of a running joke in my games. Sometimes a player will say "I have brought snacks, I want extra XP", or something like that, and I would answer "Good, you get 1 extra XP. Remember to mark it on the sheet".

 

[hong]

I got 1000 XP each for writing up "The Secret Diary of Padma Illindra" and "Roy and H.G. do RttToEE", which chronicle two fun-filled sessions in Geoff Watson's RttToEE campaign. I'm not complaining.

 

[GenLang]

I will periodically hand out small bits of bonus XP for doing helpful things outside the game. Usually it's just 50 XP per trip for a decently loaded player to carry things down the three flights of stairs to the car (or up those 3 flights, before the game), but I'm also willing to negotiate XP rates for someone to do data entry for me (entering magical items/properties/etc into excel sheets for me) so that I can spend my time on ther aspects of the game.

It's not enough XP to matter, except for spellcasters who fuel scroll making with this extra XP, and it hasn't been a problem this campaign.

 

[2WS-Steve]

The in-game rewards for quasi-OOG activities like writing character or adventure diaries can have a pretty nice in-game effect. I've found they give me additional hooks for scenarios and help keep players invested in their characters and the game. This is one of the "lighter-touch" techniques for improving roleplaying.

I've also had players extend the concept to doing things like drawing up a coat of arms for their characters or making maps of ships they might own.