Information on using EL to give XP

[dcollins]

ok. A level 8 party encounters three vampire spawn (CR4). That's an EL7 encounter. If you award by CR, you get 1800. If you award by EL, you get 1600.

Like, I say, sometimes there's a bit of rounding error.
If you'd picked 2 CR 4 creatures (EL 6), then it's 1,200 xp either way.
If you'd picked 4 CR 4 creatures (EL 8), then it's 2,400 xp either way.

For me, 1,600 is close enough to 1,800 to not want to bother adding up indiviual CRs and then modify for difficulty adjustments (especially when encounters already have a listed EL).

 

[Lasher Dragon]

I've been running the WLD for a couple 8 hour sessions now and I still don't quite understand the XP-by-EL thing that is suggested in the beginning of the book. I have been doing XP by EL, but my PCs are still becoming close to gaining their 4th level while still in section A. I have decided that I'm just going to have to be an arse and stop giving experience points until they catch up with where the book says they should be.