XP Spread

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Ah, I see. I write up a recap after every session and include who was present and who was absent. Just seems kinda formal to have them sign in.

I also use an xp spreadsheet and I find it's great to monitor xp progression and balance encounters over the longterm. I have also had a history of players "forgetting" how much xp they have or whether they recorded an amount or not (thus, doubling up). The spreadsheet gets rid of those problems and it's an easy way to send current totals out to the group all at once.

As for xp spread, the most we've ever had was one character two levels behind due to energy draining and dying. I use an xp calculator that gives more xp to lower level characters and thereby allows them to catch up over time. That being said, the character in our game still hasn't caught up to the group (still being 1 level behind).

I allow new characters to start at the same average level of the group but at minimum xp needed for their level. I've been doing this for a while and I may start making new characters be 1 level lower than the group, but I'm undecided b/c the new players are behind long enough anyhow just from starting at minimum xp needed for the level.

 

[the Jester]

Wow- nobody else has a group like this?

I realize my description above makes it sound like very casual gaming, but we actually are quite hardcore gamers, most of us in our 30s. Nearly all of us have a great level of devotion to the campaign- almost everyone shows up to every session that they can, and we even go so far as to request days off together for special gaming events and stuff (hard at a job when two of us do the same thing and one of us needs to be there).

 

[silentspace]

dude, you make people sign in and sign out with the exact minute they arrive and leave? are they allowed to sign in when they arrive or only after they are settled in and ready? :\

 

[the Jester]

dude, you make people sign in and sign out with the exact minute they arrive and leave? are they allowed to sign in when they arrive or only after they are settled in and ready? :\

Hahaha... no, people sign in when they get there, and there's only the game start and game end time...

They sign in when they are ready to do so- either as soon as they arrive or, if (f'rinstance) they're eating something before they start playing, once they're ready.

The sign-in sheet isn't like a punishment or anything. It helps me keep track of what happened when. None of my players have ever objected or found it intrusive or abusive or anything. It's also a good way to signify that we're starting- we've hung out for a half hour as people trickle in, and now we have a quorum, and passing around the sign-in sheet really serves to focus everything and start the ball rolling, so to speak. Furthermore, it helps remind everyone of who everyone's playing- "Oh, that's right, Bill is playing Horbin in this game." The players like being able to look back at the notes about previous games and stuff, too- and there's a title on each one, so the pcs often have a little clue as to what awaits them in the session. Though on many occasions they don't do what I think and the title turns out to be ironically inappropriate. But hey, that's free will for ya.

 

[the Jester]

Just to continue the discussion, we played again last night... here's the spread compared to last time. Bear in mind that none of the 6th-level pcs present at the more recent session was there for more than one combat, and both of them tend to be present only for parts of a session due to work commitments.

Char. lvl---xp last time---xp this time--- total

4/5*-- 2757--- 2506--- 5263
6----- 2179--- (not there)--2179
7----- 1978--- 2442--- 4420
8----- 1761--- 1960--- 3721
7----- 1697--- 2209--- 3906
7/8*-- 1613--- 2056--- 3669
6----- 1338--- 960---- 2298
6**--- 732---- 732---- 1464

*These two guys leveled after last game.

**This is the guy whose rp xp I hadn't yet given. He missed the greatest part of both last session and this session, alas. Oddly enough, despite vastly different stuff going on, he ended up earning the same xp for each partial session!

 

[Janx]

with some many players with different schedules, why don't you run multiple, smaller sessions.

For my own game, I run 4-6 hour sessions, once a month. We have a regular crew with full attendance. Now and then we get a sick player, and we write them out of the session.

But given that you've got people popping in and out, it would seem like continuity is hard to maintain in the story. So why not run two parties, with scheduling such that players are accomodated. And make them smaller games, so that you're more likely to fit in their schedules.

Janx

 

[the Jester]

with some many players with different schedules, why don't you run multiple, smaller sessions.

For my own game, I run 4-6 hour sessions, once a month. We have a regular crew with full attendance. Now and then we get a sick player, and we write them out of the session.

But given that you've got people popping in and out, it would seem like continuity is hard to maintain in the story. So why not run two parties, with scheduling such that players are accomodated. And make them smaller games, so that you're more likely to fit in their schedules.

Janx

It's not really an option and even if it was I wouldn't really want to. I work til about 11 pm, as does one of the other players, but multiple others work early in the a.m. With only two days off that gives me one day for running my game and one day for either other stuff or for omrob to run his game. Multiple smaller sessions aren't practical if we want to play with any frequency, and we all do! We're hard core gaming geeks, dude- we're not putting down the dice. The fact that about 75% of the time we game on both of my days off should say something.... and some of the time I run both days (when omrob's not free on one of them, for instance, because he'd almost always prefer to play if he has to choose for the week).

Besides that, continuity is pretty easy to maintain, and we're pretty easygoing about the fade in and fade out stuff- Craig shows up, and his character catches up with the party from an extended call of nature, or his fever breaks and he's ready to adventure, or whatever. There was even one time when the 'fade-out' came back later (when the pcs were on trial) and became an important plot element.

Also, the group's chemistry is awesome. We're all friends outside of the game- some of us met through gaming, in fact now that I think about it, of the eight players and one sometimes player with us, I met five of them via gaming. I don't want to give anyone the boot; and everyone gets enough 'face time' (I think) and we have bitchin' roleplaying goin' on in there.

To make it a little more difficult, though, one of the players imc works at the same place as me, and works on the same shift as me, and our jobs overlap; one of us always has to be there. So he always works on my days off, and I always work on his. So his gaming time is reduced to about 11:15 pm and later.

Another of our players gets up at ridiculous o'clock for work in the morning, and another guy who works til 7. If we want a long session for (almost) everyone, we need to start early enough that the guy who works early can stay for a while- he's usually out by 9 or 10 pm at the latest- and so that the guy who gets here after 11 still gets a couple hours. Our last few sessions have run from about 4 or 5 pm to about 2 or 3 am.

Anyhow, the real reason is that the group is awesome as is. We really only have continuity problems if someone barely shows up at all.

 

[Brain]

7----- 1978--- 2442

I'm assuming this is the line for my character. (because I got 1978 last time) So you can cross off the xp as given. That's enough to put my character up a level to 8th.

 

[the Jester]

I'm assuming this is the line for my character. (because I got 1978 last time) So you can cross off the xp as given. That's enough to put my character up a level to 8th.

Congratulations!

I assume this is freedom fighter 2?

 

[Brain]

Congratulations!

I assume this is freedom fighter 2?

Yes, FF 2. The people are now sympathetic. Also, my cohort is taking healer 1.