D&D 5E When to Award XP?

[LordEntrails]

I’ve been idly mulling over switching from “at the end of a session” to “after each encounter.” ith a chronically late player, and sometimes it feels a bit unfair awarding XP for stuff that happened when he wasn’t even there yet. But on the other side, it may be more trouble than it's worth.

IME, the problem with awarding different XP to different characters is that they will get out of level with each other. Yes this is obvious, it also can reduce the fun. When you end up with a few characters level 13 and a few level 11. Then when you bring in a new player or character how do you handle it?

Yes their are reasons both ways. Yes there are ways to handle new PC's. IMO, it's not worth the hassle and the chance of alienating players.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Ultimately, you are totally right. It’s not like the always-late dude will suddenly decide to arrive on time just because of the XP, and it will only have the potential to cause drama. Heck, back in 2e, wen there were all sorts of individual awards for PCs, people would always complain about why that PC got more XP.

Yes their are reasons both ways. Yes there are ways to handle new PC's. IMO, it's not worth the hassle and the chance of alienating players.

 

[Caliban]

Obviously the best way to award XP is to have the players write an essay after each session - either outlining and discussing the themes explored in the play session, or a summary from the character's point of view, complete with internal monologue and describing the character's personal growth as a result of their recent experiences.

After all, you need to know what they actually learned from their experiences before you can determine how many experience points they gain.

 

[Sunseeker]

I’ve been idly mulling over switching from “at the end of a session” to “after each encounter.” ith a chronically late player, and sometimes it feels a bit unfair awarding XP for stuff that happened when he wasn’t even there yet. But on the other side, it may be more trouble than it's worth.

I wouldn't. IME it just slows the game down, especially if someone hits the magic level number.