Promoting the entire party's experience level at the same time

[ruleslawyer]

This is what I do. Everyone gets the same XP but bonus action points (and, on extremely rare occasions, fate points) can be handed out for excellent play.

Same here. I use glory points (from Iron Heroes) as a reward, but "XP" is a thing of the past, replaced by "level up when the DM says so."

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Since I'm running systems where the PCs use different advancement charts (based on class), I have varied character levels, and they level-up when they've got the appropriate XP. Thieves and clerics tend to level faster than others. Also, death and PC replacement can cause level disparity. So does missing sessions (you don't show, you have less XP than the others). So does individual bonuses (from high prime requisites, magic items, etc). The party is hardly ever made up of PCs at exactly the same level (especially if you count the henchmen and hirelings).

I don't find it burdensome, and I like the dynamics from the less homogenized approach. Different systems facilitate different approaches; when I ran 3E, the PCs were typically much closer in levels -- usually exactly the same.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

IMC I have gone to advancing the group as a whole when appropriate based on the story, and using P-Kitty's idea for dealing with XP.

Boiled down its an extention of the Action Point mechanic. Each level gain the character renews an action point pool of 5 + 1/2 level. You can burn an action point to gain 1,000 xp for use in crafting items.

So far it has worked pretty well and makes for less time consuming management on my part.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

You can burn an action point to gain 1,000 xp for use in crafting items.

What does "burn an action point" mean? If it means it's gone permanently -- i.e., at the next level you'd gain 4 + 1/2 level AP -- than I could see that working. If it's just spent the same way you'd spend it to throw an extra d6, it's way too generous.

1000 XP is enough to craft 25,000 gp worth of items.

If I were going to do this, I'd probably hive a variable amount based on level, and it'd be pretty low. Something like "use an AP to gain 50 XP/level for crafting (and XP components to spells)."

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

'burn' as in use, just like for the addiitonal D6 to a D20 roll or other uses.

Of course, you don't get to keep the XP pool, so unless you are doing all that crafting right then...

Original thread here

 

[werk]

I use a spread sheet to calculate xp earned for CR (monsters, plus traps, plus puzzles) for all who show up (no show, no xp, no problems). I then use another spreadheet to record xp for each PC + RP bonus, minus any xp costs (normally e-mailed OOG)

When the spreadsheet says they level, they level (at the next convenient point in the story). I normally e-mail them, together with any background info, ready for the next session

Fun fun...

Ever laugh so hard you can't breathe while calculating xp? ...or have groups continually talking about that one time you cut a cell twice instead of cut/pasting?

Good times, good times.

It is very true, you can go to great lengths to award people individually according to their contribution, schedule, participation, problem solving ability, snack choice, etc, etc. But is it worth it?

A great player doesn't usually need to be rewarded more than an average player (I often refuse this type of treatment), and a poor player definitely doesn't need to be scolded and held back. There are so many real life rewards that are so heavily weighted on the individual, I just don't see the need to do it while playing a game for fun with friends. And easy is more fun than meticulously accurate.

/soapbox

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

It is very true, you can go to great lengths to award people individually according to their contribution, schedule, participation, problem solving ability, snack choice, etc, etc. But is it worth it?

Just a note, you can also plagarize someone elses work and use an XP calculating spreadsheet that takes a couple minutes to crunch the numbers for you. The one I used before switching to P-Kitty's concept is very simple to use.

Key in the CR of the encounters.
Mark who was engaged in that encounter.
Print.

Allows DM's to track based on attendance {if they wish}, IC participation {Rogue snuck out and didn't assist at all}, etc..

But I agree in part with your soapbox, which is partially why I switched.

 

[Phlebas]

Fun fun...

Ever laugh so hard you can't breathe while calculating xp? ...or have groups continually talking about that one time you cut a cell twice instead of cut/pasting?

Good times, good times.

..........................
/soapbox

Years ago (at a university club) I had a list of PC's and i just used to tick off the list when somebody did something clever / funny / in character etc and give xp bonuses for ticks - i also used to black mark for excessive OOC comments. Gave that up long ago though it did serve its purpose of stopping people chasing orcs around claiming they were little green bags of xp.....

An old freind who plays IMC and who is notorious for the worse puns you can think of still jokes whenever he's punning excessively that at least he's earning his black mark...

If you don't want to spend the few minutes it takes to calculate xp individually, fine, but I can't quite see how its any different from any other DM preparation to make the game run smoothly. Ymmv