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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 7732100" data-attributes="member: 3192">XP Score is each player's game score. D&D, like other games, is designed for repeatability so players can actually improve their playing the game. The XP score can be a reliable measure for players reflecting on the different campaigns they've played and how they might change their play to improve their game.The objective of D&D is to score as many XP as possible. One of the (once) unique things about D&D was your gaming piece improved in their class (roleplaying) abilities as the player demonstrated their ability at playing the role. As your piece's abilities increased you could more reliably aim to take on harder threats and receive even more points.I'd say this is an obvious yes. If you switch to a different game, a different campaign, you begin again at the start. No score. To allow a fair game between players I think it's best to start everyone at the same time and without any head start points. After all, each campaign is different and their is a lot to learn each time. That said, experienced players who have played the same ruleset repeatedly might want to start a campaign at a higher level. This allows them to skip ahead to the range they are being challenged at, but there are drawbacks to this. New players might have some talent, but aren't experienced with the game, so they should always start off at zero. If they are very good, they will score points and advance quickly anyways.Everything in a game is an arbitrary construct. What allows the construct to be a game is its persistence. It's the players who are roleplaying the class, but the design which has different focuses for mastering the game according to a role. As game constructs, NPCs might have gained ability in a class, but it depends on the monster type I suppose.The 1e DMG is notoriously unclear, but still is chock full of game design. I go with the interpretation that NPCs gain 50% XP compared to PCs (for a number of varying reasons) and taking only such from group XP totals, but it's up to the DM ultimately. How useful are NPCs when they aid the players at the game? I think that matters. Are they constructs the players game as well? Or, for some, are they some kind of way for a the DM to play a PC? A DMPC? (Which always struck me as an impossibility in a roleplaying game.)I think monsters gain classless XP, advancing as monsters, but that was a latter day rule to make monsters make sense. The early game really only had XP for treasure acquisition, same as Dungeon! boardgame. Not even XP by class for roleplaying mastery. As to what qualifies a character, a creature speaking broadly, for a class depends upon the design the DM chooses. I think it was originally treated as a human-only characteristic which the demi-humans were mimicking and the rest of the humanoids weren't. I don't think it's simply a measure in class abilities or many mindless monsters would qualify. I'd say it's closer to something like a high level of trained skill in a class. Ability + Skill to even reach 0 XP level 1 in a PC class. NPC classes would require less training and treated as a separate route of advancement altogether, one with slower and weaker progression. All very much depending on the particular class of course.</blockquote>

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