Experience, how do YOU handle it?

[Timothy]

Creamsteak said something about this in another thread, and he got the idea fro Sollir.

Should XP for battles increase in PbP Games?
PbP battles are long, and CAN be very boring, as you have to wait for the next in line. Also Battles ARE unavoidable in most Games.
So does this give the right on extra XP?

And on another matter;

How do you handle roleplaying XP as a DM/GM in PbP's. Per quest? Per period Real time, or per period Game time?

Do you award extra roleplying XP if somebody does some good IC roleplaying?

And do you base other rewards (items and so on) on roleplaying as well?

 

[KitanaVorr]

For me it depends on the game is it a serious game or a fun game?

In the In Character Character game, people will be leveling up every week depending on how many times they post so they get their first "present" come this Sunday. So if they post at least once a day (week day, don't count weekends but if so big bonus for them) then they gain a level otherwise, they have to wait until next week.

In the Gangs of Texas, I'm handling that differently. I award at the end of the day(game day). I base this off two things: the number of posts and the quality of your posts. I don't do the "oh there's 600 points available, let's divide it up". I do it on a case by case of each character and how well the week went (if the character actually learned anything worthwhile or was just laying there waiting for stuff to happen). Big bonus points on initiative, none for just waiting for stuff to happen to you.

Number of posts is important to me b/c nothing is more annoying that someone else holding up the action from their inaction unless of course you've got a good excuse.

Hope that helps!

 

[Creamsteak]

Sollir's idea revolved around reducing the xp needed to gain a level instead of adjusting the xp reward, for mechanical reasons. For instance, you could use this table:

Character Level/XP Requirement
1/ 0
2/ 750
3/ 2250
4/ 4500
5/ 7500
6/ 11250
7/ 15750
8/ 21000
9/ 27000
10/ 33750
11/ 41250
12/ 49500
13/ 58500
14/ 68250
15/ 78750
16/ 90000
17/ 102000
18/ 114750
19/ 128250
20/ 142500

This is basically done to reduce the number of combats required to level. Role-playing xp is of course, valuable, as are avoided combats and significant non-combat encounters, but most games end up in a fight at some time. And fights are long on the IC boards, a week on average, occationally longer. In a year of playing every other week, a group of 6 characters should be around 7th-8th level, at least in my home-games. The Psionicle, running for well over a year, has only progressed 2-4 levels per character. That's fine, I'm not at all complaining -just setting some examples. Also, the LHHS (Light Hearted Hack n' Slash) turned enough XP from an adventure to gain 2 levels, because of the PCs increased power level over average, and the ECL adjustment system I use.

So, this is still a case by case basis, and to set the context for this discussion, I think we are all refering to a 'standard' DnD game on these boards. A standard game with roughly 13.3 'encounters' (whether combat or not) over the course of a character's level progression.

Now, in my opinion, I don't like XP rewards based on my time spent. Why? Well, personally, I don't like to be rewarded when I play. That being, I like to 'take' my experience by succeeding at something difficult. Whether that's convincing the town council that I'm not a criminal, convincing a 13th level cleric to travel 900 miles with me to seal a den of evil, or killing a really mean kobold ranger. If I'm rewarded, I feel shafted. I know that sounds odd, but I'm a big fan of fighting for what my character's purpose (slaying evil, genocide, or somewhere in between), rather than posting 'just to post.'

 

[Creamsteak]

Not much has been said on this matter?

 

[GruTheWanderer]

I haven't worked it out for myself yet, but here are some thoughts.

With Delta Squad, we've been gaming for four months and come to the end of the first mission. From a strict XP calculation, the characters gained about half of the XP necessary to go up a level. But I think it was worth it to advance them, for the sake of the time they've invested in the story. (And I'm looking forward to Spelljammer adventures at higher levels. Mind flayers, beholders, and neogi - oh, my!)

With Sunless Citadel, the purpose is to play through the adventure line. With that in mind, the characters will almost certainly advance the appropriate number of levels even if they don't fight all the battles. Let's see, if we make one level every four months it will take six years to finish.

 

[reapersaurus]

I don't see how XP should or could work the same for PbP campigns as it does for pen and paper.

Therefore, the DM should have complete control over when and if leveling happens, regardless of what has been encountered in-game.
He/she has less tools at their disposal to award XP as they do in PnP gaming.

As a player, I think that more DM's should do as creamsteak did in the LHHS: level up, somewhat arbitrarily and generously, so that players could advance their character concepts, and more storylines could open up for the game.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

I agree with reapersaurus. For that matter, I think arbitrary leveling works pretty well in real-life games, too, although players are more anxious about it.

The big difficulty with arbitrary leveling is how it affects spells and item creation feats that use xp.

 

[Yellow Sign]

In the game that I am running the campaign is divided to several chapters. I plan on just having the players level after each chapter. Easier for me and the players.