exp for out of game acts

[Surfal]

I give EP for game-related OOG stuff. For example, maintaining the campaign web site, writing up the adventure logs, scanning and posting the maps, painting minis that we'll use, that sort of thing.

The idea that bringing munchies to the game deserves EP is IMNSHO rather silly. In my games the players take turns bringing and making a fresh dinner to feed all the participants (I provide lunch). Mmmmm, jambalaya

 

[phoamslinger]

I also give xp for OOG things. But usually it's with a mind towards game balance. I gave a player 1000 xp for walking my dog while I was out of town. But his character is 3 levels below the rest of the party average.

He wins. I win. And the rest of the group gets a stronger ally than they had before.

Last week I offered a 100 xp bounty on Miller Moths. One player killed three, but gave the extra xp to another player to help him level.

Sometimes I'll give xp for food or drinks. Not always. But a fed DM is a happy DM and I'll usually bump everyone's xp for the night, not just one person's.


After everything, I find that doing things like this doesn't introduce competition between players, instead it helps them build esprit de corps and cooperation to improve the overall group.

And after all, it's just a game (heresy, yes, I know).

 

[Sodalis]

i tend to give out small insignificant things that are just atoken of gratitude. If a person brings snack, i let his haracter have a feast from the villagers. If he does me a favor, I will have an NPC view him favorably, or give them small amounts of money- or a shop owner likes them... nothing too big- but just enough to make them feel appreciated.

and yes- a fed DM is a happy DM

 

[Ace]

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.

My occasional DM gives XP if you donate blood and show the reciept. I think its kind of creepy myself but maybe it wouldn't bug me in a Ravenloft game

 

[Tsyr]

If a player goes out of the way for the group (ordering pizza and covering the bill, etc), I give in game rewards, but not EXP... normaly something minor... for example, one automatic confirmation of a critical threat for a fighter type, a reroll of a single damage die for a wizard, something like that... Enough to say "hey, thanks!", but not enough to make it seem like I'm playing favorites, or to make it seem like I can be "bought", or have the players think that it's a way to "get ahead" (If you're in situations where your willing to spend 25$ on pizza to get an automatic confirmed crit, you need help anyhow), or anything like that.

But, them, I have a fairly loose gaming style as it is... for example, in my games, you generaly can't die by a bad die roll... if you have done nothing wrong and the orc rolled a bad critical when he had 1 hit point left, or something like that, it will generaly just take you to 0... Not that you can't die, plenty of deaths occour when I'm not running an "long term game" type thing, but its never by something innane that spoils fun.

 

[Lady Starhawk]

We have some players who are always late, and sometimes those of us who arrive on time get some extra XP's thrown to us. Sometimes it's every 5 minutes until the latecomers arrive.

It encourages promptness (sometimes). But I can't remember anything out of game getting XP's, just in game.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

I generally slap 1 XP penalties on people every time they do something that pisses me off, like sing. Or, if they really piss me off, I'll give them a 1 XP bonus to never, ever sing again.