tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post485278455423029204..comments2024-03-29T06:14:10.087-07:00Comments on B/X BLACKRAZOR: "Story Awards"JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-51911482761621067302021-10-18T12:02:26.686-07:002021-10-18T12:02:26.686-07:00Bonus XP isn't a terrible thing (there's a...Bonus XP isn't a terrible thing (there's a part of me that says magic item XP is kind of "bonus" since one already has the advantage of the item), so long as it's not the bulk of a group's XP...BECAUSE it's mostly arbitrary, subjective, and cannot be counted on by the players, unlike loot and combat XP.<br /><br />Less than 2%? I have no issue with that.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-34510999917228768792021-10-17T15:44:42.372-07:002021-10-17T15:44:42.372-07:00I meant to do this when this thread was fresh.
I ...I meant to do this when this thread was fresh.<br /><br />I pulled the Excel file from my last 1e campaign. It started at level 1 and ran 49 sessions. <br /><br />227,270 total xp. Of that 56.2% was from defeated monsters, 42.1% from loot, and 1.7% from bonus xp.<br /><br />Bonus xp was given in a few heavy role play sessions when a goal was accomplished without violence. But most of it was given for delivering food to a besieged city. Technically that could have been loot as food is worth a lot a gold in a starving city. But the party gave it away and I recorded it as bonus xp so left it as bonus xp.<br /><br />The campaign was a sandbox set in a war torn border region. Not the typical 1e play style, but the xp system didn't fall apart even though the PCs where often focused on things besides loot.<br />sevenbastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961009160456478009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-26252904646484522912021-10-04T13:18:35.470-07:002021-10-04T13:18:35.470-07:00Can you give some examples of how "it starts ...Can you give some examples of how "it starts to fall apart economically?" Just want to get a sense of the issue.<br /><br />Thanks in advance!JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-29955889206815420672021-10-04T07:59:44.538-07:002021-10-04T07:59:44.538-07:00I give my players a “story award” of sorts. Since...I give my players a “story award” of sorts. Since I like to run a living campaign and I don’t want to plan much in advance I base them off of goals the players decide on during play and then complete. I like xp for gold but I feel like it starts to fall apart up economically around 5th or 6th level.ligehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00652431558688176341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-70902018167120772102021-10-03T08:54:00.853-07:002021-10-03T08:54:00.853-07:00Ha! I appreciate that.
; )
Nope the comments did ...Ha! I appreciate that.<br />; )<br /><br />Nope the comments did NOT come through, unfortunately. Blogger can be a real pain sometimes (though it's free, so I will restrict my complaints to a minimum). <br /><br />I'll give you a "poke" on the last post.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-16855377218476614602021-10-03T00:40:51.277-07:002021-10-03T00:40:51.277-07:00Tried to leave a comment but it said "unable ...Tried to leave a comment but it said "unable to connect to Blogger" - you can delete this if the other comment went through. If it didn't, though, maybe poke me in the comments on the previous post? I do intend to answer you in that comment thread as well, just haven't had time and didn't want you to think I was just riling you up and disappearing.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14285793254382192231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-17024547415955266102021-10-02T06:13:37.688-07:002021-10-02T06:13:37.688-07:00I never played any of these video games, so I can&...I never played any of these video games, so I can't speak to that.<br /><br />However, I will say that vids, in general, are constrained by the limits of their medium...and because of those limits, it's easier to have instances ("play points?" there's probably some technical term) or triggers that players can "achieve" for bennies.<br /><br />Vid RPGs also tend to have the capability of "saving" your game so that you can "re-load" if your party gets TPK'd.<br /><br />RE 2E groups resembling video game play<br /><br />Did the DMs in these games place similar "constraints" on players at the table? Or do you mean that players simply received bonus XP every time they completed some "meaningful task" (as judged by the DM)?<br /><br />I would presume the latter which would be...fine I guess? If you were already coming to the table with a video game sensibility and expectation of play.<br /><br />I wouldn't like it myself...I tend to shy away from RPGs that play like vids. Kind of ignores/hamstrings the organic stuff that makes RPGs a unique and powerful medium. <br /><br />Plus it has a tendency to turn a DM from a "referee" into a "storyteller" which (in my experience) leads to poor play at the table.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-52716388822041900652021-10-02T05:53:34.320-07:002021-10-02T05:53:34.320-07:00Nope. I own all the BECMI line and there are some ...Nope. I own all the BECMI line and there are some differences from the Rules Cyclopedia; these bonus XP types aren't found in Mentzer's books.<br /><br />Since the RC came out in 1990 (*after* the advent of 2E), I'd guess Allston was just adding mechanics that reflected the shift in TSR's attitude of the time. <br /><br />The "XP for gold" system is still present and non-optional in the RC, however.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-45650270743410357142021-10-02T04:17:18.617-07:002021-10-02T04:17:18.617-07:00RC had these kind of XP rules too. They must have ...RC had these kind of XP rules too. They must have originated in E or C from BECMI.Gabriel Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00465270980485697363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-57305493332985140602021-10-01T19:44:58.825-07:002021-10-01T19:44:58.825-07:00That is totally fair. Zeb does a pretty good job w...That is totally fair. Zeb does a pretty good job with explaining the rules / procedures of the game.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-33128483730432646482021-10-01T16:41:13.874-07:002021-10-01T16:41:13.874-07:00While I would never defend 2nd Edition's XP sy...While I would never defend 2nd Edition's XP system, I'll say that it at least gets a perfectly functional implementation in the Infinity Engine video games (Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale). Monsters are worth exactly as much XP as in the tabletop 2e core rules, but every time the party completes a task or mission or quest (or slays the "final boss" of a dungeon), some fixed XP award is granted which appears to bear no formulaic relation to anything else (beyond, likely, the built-in assumption that the party will be of a certain level when they complete the task, and so the reward is vaguely commensurate with the difficulty and XP needed for a party of that level). I would even go so far as to say that Baldur's Gate is an example of the 2e XP system "working as intended" - insofar as it deviates from the text of the rulebooks but lines up quite well with how I remember every single 2e-playing group I've ever encountered actually running things.John Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522143715905888511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-28651860959905262592021-10-01T16:22:21.621-07:002021-10-01T16:22:21.621-07:00I DMed 2e for years and I don't think we ever ...I DMed 2e for years and I don't think we ever had a PC above 4th level. I would just hand out 15 XP every time they killed an orc.<br /><br />At the time I didn't think much of it, but now I look back in regret at having missed out on playing "real" AD&D where PCs could actually cast a fireball in my prime gaming years. (highschool)<br /><br />Anyway, some questionable advice in the DMG aside, 2e is a fantastic product. It's the 90s version of OSRIC. An attempt to make it clear to players what the rules of AD&D actually are (Something I am not smart enough to glean from the 1e books)Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10988755674575933713noreply@blogger.com