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08:42, 19th March 2024 (GMT+0)

XP vs Milestones.

Posted by Doom Shoom
Doom Shoom
member, 42 posts
Mon 5 Jul 2021
at 17:00
  • msg #1

XP vs Milestones

Been a while since I used XP anywhere, because most players just don't like it,and it is more work, especially because you need to figure XP for non-battle stuff if you do not want a murder hobo game - anbd I definitely don't. Usually, players do not even want to bother with XP anymore because some roles would inevitably fall behind, and it disadvantages the shyer players at least at the table. Also, it encourages teamwork and discourages murder hobos.

But on RPoL, there seem to be various people preferring XP and I'd like to know why. Are there any advantages to XP besides seeing the numbers go up or trying to outpace your team mates?
liblarva
member, 707 posts
Mon 5 Jul 2021
at 17:19
  • msg #2

XP vs Milestones

The closest thing I've seen to an argument for XP over milestones is it avoids DM whim on advancement. It's not a great argument because XP awards are also based on DM whim, especially when dealing with non-combat encounters. So either way, characters advance when the DM wants them to, with one you just have extra paperwork to deal with.
This message was last edited by the user at 17:20, Mon 05 July 2021.
donsr
member, 2305 posts
Mon 5 Jul 2021
at 17:27
  • msg #3

XP vs Milestones

In my games   i have a  2 fold 'award'.

the first is  for the game itself  reaching Milestones. The  game is a team effort and all players get points to use   in various part of   my system's CH...which in ture   aids in the growth for the characters, as well as grwoth they have made in RP

 the 2nd is  per player..a small award  for miles stone  in game, some times off things  will trigger awards as well.

from my point of view. Having a  'goal' to reach so you get more hit points, or can cast another  spell, lends itsself  to people pushing  numbers . ( I co-DMed a  game where two players were only doing  the match so they could get  a high level  suit  of armor... when the   Main DM  quit, i cut both players. I lean heavy to RP  in my games..if you are only interested in 'numbers' play an arena  game

 there was  a system  that stevejackson was a partner with, and has since  reissued  in a New Editon ( i was in on the kickstarter for that)... you gained points  in various  ways, and  you had point levels of  stats, that would tell you how much  you had to 'save up'.to apply those points  to IQ, ST   ect ect... depending on where you applied that, you opened up a chance of new talents..spells  ect.

 There has to be  away fro the player  to grow..RP is easy..your  players have to have thier Characters grow through RP..by stats  are important  for  HPs  and skills and such, or you 'don't have a point'

 I developed my own system, it works rather wall,  and dice  rolls are there, but it isn't the main focus of the game... No Min-Maxing.. no 'trying to get that next big spell'...play the  game, earn your  rewards.
Ski-Bird
subscriber, 173 posts
Mon 5 Jul 2021
at 17:29
  • msg #4

XP vs Milestones



Whenever I helm a PbP game, I award XP both in and out of encounters.  I use a mostly-standard metric for calculating the story awards, but I do toss an XP bonus here and there for outstanding roleplay.  About once every other week or so, I'll award story XP.  It's usually to the tune of 40 or 50 XP per award.  An outstanding post within that timeframe might mean 50 or 60 XP.

In other editions of D&D (specifically 2nd edition as that is where I cut my teeth) classes leveled at different rates.  So I guess it never bothered me to have folks level up at different rates/times from one another.  Or from having differently-leveled party members adventuring together.

In a 5E tale I am running, characters level at the same rate independent of class, so there isn't much of a delta between folks' advancement (even if they are earning separate XP amounts via my story award system, the amount is negligible enough so as to be inconsequential).  Worst case scenario ... someone who is trailing the others when they level up will usually level up with the next story award, or perhaps after the next encounter (this means that they might  enter an encounter still 3rd level while everyone else was 4th or something).

A trick I have grown fond of ... as much as is possible, I keep the math 'behind the scenes' as it were.  XP awards are enclosed within 'private to' tags and all game numbers (to hit rolls, hit points remaining, saving throws, etc) included in any IC posts are also enclosed in 'private to' tags.  I find that when folks focus on the story, the writing and my enjoyment of the tale go up.
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