"Dear JB" Mailbag #17

[*sigh*]

Dear JB:

All the games I play in these days eschew XP entirely and use milestone and story-based leveling instead. I like not having one extra thing to track as the DM and as a player and it means you don't end up with weird in-game stuff like leveling in the middle of a dungeon or even a session. However, it also means that the players have no real idea of how close they might be to the next level -- we have a running gag in one of our campaigns that we end every session by saying "so we leveled for next session, right?"

XP is prominent in game resources -- the 2024 encounter building rules now use XP, for example -- but because I don't use it or see it being used it feels extraneous, which got me wondering how prevalent it still is.

How is leveling handled in your games? Are you still using XP? Have you tried story-based leveling and gone back to XP for some reason?

Do You Still Use XP

Hey DYSUX:

I'm going to answer your three final questions first, because the answers are short; they are:

1. The normal way (minus training).
2. Yes.
3. No.

Okay, now for the rest of it.

I am sorry, DYSUX...very, very sorry indeed. I am sorry for the problems of the world. I am sorry that you and I have to live with those problems and deal with them as do as all the other human beings with whom we share this delightful planet. I'm sorry for the messes humans have made and continue to make, and I'm sorry we can't all seem to get along and behave like decent people on a more regular basis.

I am sorry. And while it may seem like I am not personally responsible for the world's problems, the fact remains that I am one of the people on this planet, and so I share in the responsibility. I am a part of this great race of humanity, and so I share in its collective responsibility. And on behalf of everyone I apologize to you and to me and to everyone. I am sorry.

Drilling down more locally, I am sorry for you and your game. It is clear that the game is too difficult for you. I am sorry for your education...whatever educational system set you up for failure by failing to teach you strong principles in BASIC ARITHMETIC, since basic arithmetic is all that's required to calculate experience points in the D&D game. Yes, in ANY edition, even the abomination that is "DND 2024."

I am sorry for your ignorance. I am sorry for your laziness. I am sorry that I haven't been a better example in the world...or, at least, in this hobby. I am sorry I haven't bothered to write sufficient blog posts describing how to add points together, divide them by surviving party members, and consult a table to see if an individual character has "leveled up."

I am so, so sorry.

Of course, I don't play "DND 2024," so it may just be that I have it easy. Let me check out a copy of the 2024 DMG and see how one goes about doling out the x.p. Hmmmm. Step-by-step it looks like this:

1. determine whether you want a given encounter to have a "low," "moderate," or "high" difficulty. Ok.
2. look at the chart on page 115 and cross-reference the difficulty choice with the average PC level...this gives you a number.
3. multiply the number on the chart by the number of characters in the party (PCs and NPCs)
4. using the x.p. awards listed for each monster in the latest MM, use this "point budget" to put together the monsters for the encounter.

So...what's the problem? 

[*read*read*read*] 

Um...says here that the x.p. is awarded to the party for defeating the encounter, and then split amongst the party member. Okay....

So the problem is...what? Not having a calculator?  If you own a smart phone, these generally have a calculator app already loaded. I'm sorry I can't point to where it is specifically on your list of apps (since I don't know you personally), but perhaps someone nearby can help you find it?

Let's get to your second paragraph, DYSUX: you wonder how prevalent the use of "XP" (i.e. "experience points") are given that they are a prominent part of the game (any edition of the game, by the way). My guess would be "pretty prevalent" among people who A) play D&D (any edition), B) use the rule books, and C) have half a brain and/or a rudimentary education. Clearly, YOU are lacking one or more of these three things. 

You seem to find the game of D&D too challenging to run as a DM. You state that doing away with experience points means "not having one extra thing to track as the DM." Pray tell, what other things do you need to track that you so need to free up this memory space in your brain? Encumbrance? Spell durations? The amount of chips in the communal snack bowl?  The level of drink in your glass?

Allow me to be frank, DYSUX: I think you're a lazy idiot. Let me explain why:

• Calculating experience is not rocket science, especially in 5E. You add the point value of monsters slain (usually not all that many in your average 5E session) and divide it amongst the group. The point value is easily found in the MM; the math is easily done on a calculator. You don't do this DURING THE GAME; you do it at the end of the session or between sessions. You give the amount to your players (to add to their character sheets) and you keep a running total for each PC (in a notebook or on a laptop), which can then be compared (again, between sessions) to see if a level threshold has been achieved. The only "tracking" that needs to be done is how many monsters have been defeated...simply make a note, or put a checkmark by each monster entry in your adventure text or something that can be easily reviewed once the session has concluded.
• If you were to run an old edition game...like, say, AD&D...you'd need to track g.p. value of treasure recovered, too. However, given your capabilities, you might find such extra work to be overwhelming. I merely note it and the fact that this isn't very hard...I've been able to do the math (without a calculator or computer or smart phone) since before I was a teenager. Again, it's just basic arithmetic.
• By not using x.p. you are depriving your players of objective goals of play in favor of arbitrary ones set by the DM. You are subjugating player agency to the needs of the story and/or simply riding roughshod over the players with your own laissez-faire fickleness (however that lands on a particular, given day) with fiat awarding of levels. You are furthermore destroying the joy that comes from pride of accomplishment that players feel when they see that point total climb and surpass the needed amounts to level up their characters' personal power, replacing it with slavish devotion to DM whim and a "good boy" pat-on-the-head feeling for jumping through your hoops. All because you're too lazy and/or stupid to put in the effort to do simple math.

DYSUX, if it sounds like I'm being harsh with you, it's because I am, because I would like to stomp and squash such ignorant practices. Sadly, though, I sincerely doubt that you are alone in the way you run your D&D game, because I have read too much evidence to the contrary. And I am sorry about that. I am sorry for you and I am sorry for the hobby and I am sorry for all the poor saps that are learning BAD, BAD practices in how to run the Dungeons & Dragons game. 

Fortunately for you, it IS just a game, and you can run it however you want at your own table. But don't expect to gather much respect from the people who know better.

Sincerely,

JB