Unearthed Arcana WotC's Mearls Presents A New XP System For 5E In August's Unearthed Arcana

I have to say...not terribly impressed with this month's article...

http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-ThreePillarXP.pdf

I think my thread should be closed. So I repeat myself here:
Streamlined and probably very useful. I think level 1 and 2 should get an accelerator. Should be considered tier 0 probably.

 

[Shasarak]

Not in my experience, although it works there as well.

I dont see it working for a sandbox style adventure.

 

[Ovinomancer]

I dont see it working for a sandbox style adventure.

False dichotomy. Sandbox is not the opposite of railroad. And it can work in a sandbox fairly well. To show why, it's important to note that milestone leveling is goal based -- achieve the goal, gain a level. How you achieve it isn't important, just that it is achieved. This works well in plot games, where you need to pass the plot wickets to move the story, but that doesn't require railroading if you're flexible about your plot and can adapt future events to match what happens in prior events (or, like most WotC game, the next chapters really don't care how you dealt with the last chapters). So, to use it in a sandbox game, you need to be clear about your goals. Something like 'clearing three tier appropriate dangers earns a level' works in sandbox games, which are already tiered to a degree to provide increasingly dangerous areas for higher level play anyway. The basic structure is the same, but instead of racking up XP encounter by encounter (or gaining quest XP), you set the bar to having to do enough adventures of an appropriate tier to gain a level. Works out the same in play, except for wandering the troll hills for random encounters until you ding, of course. But that's the least interesting version of sandbox play to me, so....

 

[Saeviomagy]

I dont see it working for a sandbox style adventure.

Why? Milestones are just "you achieved things, so have a level". Unless your description of sandbox adventure includes grinding out XP on low challenge creatures, then meaningful things to do in the sandbox effectively are milestones already.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Why? Milestones are just "you achieved things, so have a level". Unless your description of sandbox adventure includes grinding out XP on low challenge creatures, then meaningful things to do in the sandbox effectively are milestones already.

Fewer words, same argument. Bravo!

 

[Shasarak]

Why? Milestones are just "you achieved things, so have a level". Unless your description of sandbox adventure includes grinding out XP on low challenge creatures, then meaningful things to do in the sandbox effectively are milestones already.

I guess it is fine if you have a lot of set discrete encounters. In my experience most sandbox games are a lot messier then "you achieved things" where more granular XP works a lot better.

 

[Shasarak]

Fewer words, same argument. Bravo!

In a sandbox game the party does not usually have to be at a certain level by a certain time so you dont have to make sure they are leveling up at a set pace. There is no rush to get to a high enough level to fight whatever end boss the adventure path is using.

 

[Saeviomagy]

In a sandbox game the party does not usually have to be at a certain level by a certain time so you dont have to make sure they are leveling up at a set pace. There is no rush to get to a high enough level to fight whatever end boss the adventure path is using.

But you usually do have some sort of progression throughout, it's just that the players decide their path through it. Even the most dynamic and plotless sandboxes have the players setting goals and hopefully achieving them. Otherwise we're both kind of right - milestone XP doesn't work because the game really is just grinding monsters for experience and loot.

Now, you might enjoy that, but that's less sandbox vs railroad than it is adventuring vs monster extermination.

 

[Shasarak]

But you usually do have some sort of progression throughout, it's just that the players decide their path through it. Even the most dynamic and plotless sandboxes have the players setting goals and hopefully achieving them. Otherwise we're both kind of right - milestone XP doesn't work because the game really is just grinding monsters for experience and loot.

Now, you might enjoy that, but that's less sandbox vs railroad than it is adventuring vs monster extermination.

I guess if the only thing you give XP for is for killing things then thats what you are going to get. No surprises there really. Personally I am not really a story gamer but good on you if that is what you enjoy.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I guess if the only thing you give XP for is for killing things then thats what you are going to get. No surprises there really. Personally I am not really a story gamer but good on you if that is what you enjoy.

So... your players have goals and they achieve them then? So where's the objection to milestones coming from?

 

[Ovinomancer]

In a sandbox game the party does not usually have to be at a certain level by a certain time so you dont have to make sure they are leveling up at a set pace. There is no rush to get to a high enough level to fight whatever end boss the adventure path is using.

Which is why I said tier appropriate. Tiers are already provided as level ranges.

Look, you asked how it could work for a sandbox style game and have been provided a decent answer. Will it work for your sandbox game, with your unique needs and wants? Maybe not, but that's why it's an option and not a rule. YMMV, and that's awesome, have fun! I'm not here to convince you that you should be using milestone levelling or that milestone levelling is bestest for everything.

I do stand by my statements that for WitC's adventure paths, it's the best option as it meets the most of their goals for the product.