Why award XP for showing up on time?

[Majoru Oakheart]

So, given how well the thread on XP for showing up at ALL was going, I thought I'd ask another related question. Do you award an XP bonus for showing up on time for your session? I have had a couple of DMs who do this but I don't personally.

I think out of character things should stay seperate from IC rewards. Sometimes things come up and people have to be late. I won't give them XP for the parts of the game they miss, but I refuse to give bonus XP for just showing up on time.

 

[Crothian]

I don't reward people for doing what they should be doing.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I find food rewards are best for this kind of thing. Have some donuts, cookies, brownies, or something along those lines hot and ready when the gaming session starts and people will show up early to your sessions.

 

[the Jester]

No bonus xp for being on time, but you don't get xp for the stuff you miss.

 

[The Shaman]

Have some donuts, cookies, brownies, or something along those lines hot and ready when the gaming session starts and people will show up early to your sessions.

Donuts? Brownies?

Try, "The cap goes on the single-malt five minutes after our scheduled start time."

I like gaming with adults.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Donuts? Brownies?

Try, "The cap goes on the single-malt five minutes after our scheduled start time."

I like gaming with adults.

You sure you don't mean "It's bone dry 5 minutes after the start time."

And.....

How many of your players game sober?

 

[The Shaman]

You sure you don't mean "It's bone dry 5 minutes after the start time."

And.....

How many of your players game sober?

You don't drink a fine Scotch to get drunk - that's what margaritas are for.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

One of my old DMs used to give out something like 500 XP for showing up on time for the game since he wanted everyone there to play at 11:30 pm sharp (we played late nights). I worked until 11:30 pm, he knew that. That's why we played late. However, everyone except me got bonus XP every session because they could all make it there on time. We never started until midnight because they always waited for me to show up, but everyone eventually outlevelled me (and the guy who worked with me who I drove to the game)

In a game I more recently played in, the DM gave out XP for showing up on time as well. I'm good at being late, it's what I do. *grin* I was normally only 30 minutes late, but I complained about being outlevelled by other people just because I was 20 or 30 minutes late. Of course, since her fiancee came with her, so the game wouldn't start without him and he'd always get the bonus. Other people besides me got docked the bonus XP from time to time, but I still think it's silly.

 

[devilbat]

Do you award an XP bonus for showing up on time for your session?

Yep, I do. I feel that if you've made the effort to be at the table, ready to play, at the scheduled start time, it's worth a small xp bonus. It also gives a nice incentive to keep being on time.

I don't buy into the "punishing players" catch phrase that is being bandied about in xp threads. If a player feels punished because everybody else got 100 xp extra, while he didn't because he was twenty minutes late, then toughen up. I understand life gets in the way sometimes. No one gets reprimanded for being late, but I'll tell you what, I have seen players run into the session, with thirty second to spare, so they can get the bonus.

I think out of character things should stay seperate from IC rewards.

I don't. I like to have players keep online journals, participate on the groups message board, create written backgrounds for their character, etc. All of which is worth xp at my table. I also give out a "High Roller" xp award each session. This 100 xp bonus goes to the player who goes above and beyond the norm with role playing, problem solving, creative idea implementing and such that session. Keep in mind, we have adjusted the xp tables, so players don't level as quickly as RAW.

 

[The Shaman]

I was normally only 30 minutes late, but I complained about being outlevelled by other people just because I was 20 or 30 minutes late.

Let me make sure that I understand what you're saying: you were consistently rude to the other gamers by making them wait around for you or forcing the GM to work you in after you finally grace them with your presence, then you get annoyed when the other characters outlevel you by taking advantage of the bonus the GM offers for showing up on time?

Wow. That is one clanging set of brass ones you've got hanging there, Majoru Oakheart.

If one of my players was so inconsiderate time and again, I'd ask the player to just stop showing up altogether. It's not worth the hassle.