XP for Missing Players

[Thanee]

If the characters are present (but controlled by someone else), they should receive full XP. XP are for characters not players. Players receive fun as a reward for playing!

We usually don't have characters of missing players around, tho. However, we use the XP system from FRCS, therefore it doesn't matter much, if someone is a little behind (or loses a level due to death, for example), because they gain XP faster, if they are of a lower level, than the rest of the party.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I give players full xp when they don't show up. I mean, this is a game, not high school algebra. When life intrudes, life takes precedence. I don't see the point in penalizing players because they have a life. OTOH, my players know that if they don't have the time to show up consistently, they're not welcome in the game. And if they're not going to come, they have to call ahead of time.

This is my stance. I don't penalize players for not missing a game. To my knowledge, every player in my campaign would make the game if they could, so why dock them for circumstances beyond their control? We all enjoy the game, we all enjoy the hobby. No reason to deal with petty xp penalties because one player has more free time than another.

In game, I send the PCs of non-present players off on side-quests of their own. Even if the player isn't there, the PCs are assumed to be doing things, fighting fights, IOW gaining xp.

 

[hong]

In case anyone thinks so, don't think I am saying that character death removal is a bad thing. Also don't think that the connection to Godmode in video games is some way of making a point for me. I was just curious as the few games I did cheat on (Postal 2 - what a horrible game I didn't even finish it), I understood the feeling of not being able to die. For me it took 90% the challenge out for that game, though it was a stupid game so possibly it's not a good comparison.

The fact that you chose to compare RPGs to shoot-em-ups is very interesting.

Since the topic is deaths in RPGs, a much better comparison would seem to be to adventure games like Sam & Max, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle, etc. In these games you can't die either, and yet there's still plenty of challenge to them. Of course, that challenge may not be the _type_ of challenge you're after, but it's still there nonetheless.

 

[Greyhawk_DM]

I vote for the not there-no xp method. In our campaign, players who don't attend often do so because of their own choosing (not jobs) so they choose not to get XP. There is some whining, but their PC is often out of of danger in such games.

So how does the "no xp" factor get explained "in game"? I mean if the PC's are there, in the game, then they should share the xp with the other PC's.
IMC this is how I handle the "no-show" player:

In my game...if a player cannot make the game then the PC doesn't make the game...
The PC will stay wherever the party was last, unless it is in some obviously hostile area, then I will play the PC to "relative safety" and then leave them there...[see below]
If the Player has to leave the game early, then I will usually run the pc until we get to a point in the game i.e. city, village...etc...that I can leave the PC in "relative safety" I will also time freeze that PC to that date and when they return they will have to "play" to catch up to the other players....alone.

I like to keep as much "meta-gaming" as I can, out of the game.

 

[Bloodsparrow]

So anyways... looking for ideas or input.

In the game that I'm currently playing, we adopted some rules that my roommate and his group came up with.

In that group, members would take turns DM'ing. So when it was somebody's turn to DM, they would put their character to the side during their tenure. (In game, they would be off doing some crazy thing or other.) In order to help the DM's character keep up with the other players when that DM's time was up, it was decided that the character of the DM would get 66% of the AVERAGE experience earned by party members while the player was DM'ing. (The result of whatever crazy thing they were doing.) I hope that makes sense.

My group also uses this formula (66% of averave exp) for when a brand new player and/or character enters the game.

I would say that if a player can't make it to the game, and leaves the character in the care of the DM, then they should get something like a persentage of the average exp earned for whatever the DM had them partisapate in.

If a player can't make a game, and leaves the character in the care of annother player, then they should get full exp for whatever the temp had them partisapate in.

 

[Altalazar]

I never give XP for players who don't show up for a session. Sometimes this makes Xp get a little out of whack, but often, who can't make it varies, so it about evens out for everyone after a while.

I think it cheapens XP too much to just give it out without any participation like that. Even as a player, I don't think I'd like it - it just wouldn't feel right. I like my XP to be earned.

 

[WayneLigon]

Simple question: Should characters be awarded XP when their players are unable to make a session, if the Character is being NPCed by the dm, and thus still faces risk, takes damage, etc.

Sure, as long as the character is doing things along with the rest. Not really fair to penalize them. If it's more than two sessions, though, I'd make some arrangement with them. More than likely I'd see if one of the other players wants to play that character for a time.

 

[jmucchiello]

I never give XP for players who don't show up for a session. Sometimes this makes Xp get a little out of whack, but often, who can't make it varies, so it about evens out for everyone after a while.

I, too, never give XP to players whether they show up or not. I give XP to the characters that participated in the action. So whether or not the player is there if someone is rolling dice for his character and saying the stuff that character would say he gets full xp.

I have this luxury because I play with mature adults whom I do not have the moral authority to tell my Sunday night game night is more important than some other event in their life. As long as they tell us ahead of time they can't make it, I don't care what the reason is. If you have to punish your players for absenteeism, perhaps you should not game with those players.

Finally, docking a character's XPs punishes the party, not the player.

 

[Shallown]

I award XP to missing players but only because I have a house rule If your not there it doesn't mean your character isn't. Meaning that I reserve rights on your running your character when you are gone. The reasons are simple to me. A character suddenly disappearing or acting hugely out of character (the front line fighter is watching the horses) disrupts the little bit of reality in the game. Another is continuity is also disrupted and not becuase it is my game but becuase this disrupts all the players. I think it boils down to trust. My players trust me to be fair and run appropriately. Often the player elects for someone else to run the character which is also fine. They take the risk and share the reward.

I think the important thing is XP is just a game mechanic. Its not all that important in the long run as long as it is fairly awarded. The only thing an absent player misses out is RP awards but sometimes another player has played the character so well they have still gotten it. My players know each others characters even if they argue and fight a lot between characters they are still honest in how the other character would react even if it means they will react in a negative way towards their character. I have had players running their regular character and an absent players play out fights between the two just becuase that's they way they would have acted.

I guess everyone has their own way of doing things.

Later

 

[Altalazar]

I, too, never give XP to players whether they show up or not. I give XP to the characters that participated in the action. So whether or not the player is there if someone is rolling dice for his character and saying the stuff that character would say he gets full xp.

I have this luxury because I play with mature adults whom I do not have the moral authority to tell my Sunday night game night is more important than some other event in their life. As long as they tell us ahead of time they can't make it, I don't care what the reason is. If you have to punish your players for absenteeism, perhaps you should not game with those players.

Finally, docking a character's XPs punishes the party, not the player.

I play with mature adults as well - and none of them feels they should get exp when they were not there participating. It isn't about punishment. It is about feeling that what they have was earned. If things are given without them being earned, my players would complain that is too monty-haulish and would rather not accept it.