Friday 7 January 2011

Houserule: Player Awarded XP



A while ago I read a post on one of the many brilliant blogs I follow, sorry I can't remember the one, about different ways to appreciate good roleplaying. Then a couple of sessions ago I decided to try this out in game. The way we now roll is as follows:


Each session each player may award one other player one - 1 - experience point. This has to be done before the Learning Curve, in effect, it has to be done in play.


This has worked very well so far, and the precedence thus far is that the XP is awarded for spontaneous, in-character comments, usually displaying insight or connection to the setting. Particularly clever one-liners have also been awarded.


If you, dear reader, is unaware of the system we use, it is nWoD. I am pretty liberal with the XPs, usually awarding between 7 and 10 each time. In a level-based system (I'm working on a d20 model here) I'd say each such award would be of level x 100. Enough to make a difference, but not enough to shift the balance.


Any thoughts?




[Picture source: Tower of Zenopus]

6 comments:

  1. 7 and 10?!?!?!?! Good lord I need to move! I have to move the Earth to get more than 2 or 3 (3 is VERY VERY generous).

    Oh the trouble I could get into with all that XP!!!!

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  2. LOL! Well, trouble is never in short supply in the Book of Worlds. I'm constantly nagging for my players to supply more of their own ;)

    With all possible respect for your ST, 3 XP is a little stingy. But, I can see why he'd want to keep things moving slowly with, what? eleventy seven players?

    Note to self though, subtract one from future awards to reflect outsourcing one point.

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  3. My GM (Rob Conley) sometimes does this and its fun. I like it because its more interaction within the players. And its fun. But I already said that. Oh, he also does a quote of the game which is award a little nudge of xp.

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  4. In my old Warhammer FRP games, we would often give an XP bonus to someone for great moments, as voted by the rest of the party. It was a nice touch.

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  5. I think Tim's point about the player-interaction is a good one. It gives them a quantifiable way of appreciating each other, and, and here I'm speculating wildly, it may also focus them more towards each other.

    But yes, Higgipedia, it is a nice touch. And by that I mean that it seems that both the giver and the receiver enjoys the reward.

    As the GM, it can also highlight play I wouldn't have noticed otherwise, as my mind sometimes wanders off to explore eventualities and behind-the-scenes kind of stuff.

    For me, this one is a keeper.

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  6. I just thought I´d post the quote that earned me one spontaneous point last session. Spoken on bahalf of Toadface that was´nt present and thus would not go into the Wolf´s lair; "The Wolf and the one that eats the berries have a packt" (of staying the hell away from eachother).

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