Right now I am running a D20 game where my players are rewarded XP in just about the normal way. I won't get into that because the details are not important. What is important is the way I am thinking of changing the way I reward XP.
I would like to have players come up with a certain number, say five, character goals each. Each time one of those goals is accomplished that player receives a XP reward. I would also like to have the group create five group goals. Each time one of those is accomplished, everyone in the group receives a XP reward. The group XP reward would be two or three times higher than the individual character goals. Players would still receive a small amount of XP just for attending game as well.
I have spoken to my players about this, but what I would like feedback on is do you think this type of reward system, if the numbers were right, could award a similar or greater amount of XP?
If it weren't for item creation and other "costs XP" abilities (which I hate), I'd reccommend just saying "You level up every time you achieve a goal. Cross off the old goal and wriote in a new one."
I like the just telling them when they gain levels route. As for item creation, just increase the gold cost to 75% of market price or sometrhing and have rare components for spells that require XP costs.
You could always break it down into simpler steps.
You need to earn 10 (or 5 or whatever) Chips to advance to the next level. For every goal you complete, you earn 1 Chip. It's the same scale at every level, the only difference is that the goal must be suitable to your current level (so no level 18 guys determined to crush a small band of goblin brigands or something).
A group goal completed earns everyone in the group a Chip. A group goal could be a "campaign" goal that the GM lays out "discover the secret of the Thundering Tower" or something the group collectively chooses "to establish a safe land for the refugee gelflings."
10 might be too much for some groups. I can see people agonizing over picking goals all night long and then getting them approved, etc.
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Let me say that the reason I went with Character and Group Goals is to get the players and characters more involved in what goes on in the game. While just giving them levels is fine, I like the idea of them telling me exactly what they want.
I'd like their character goals to be a mix of short and long term, the same goes for group goals. Either way, I would hope that one or two of both would be accomplished each game session.
Let me say that the reason I went with Character and Group Goals is to get the players and characters more involved in what goes on in the game. While just giving them levels is fine, I like the idea of them telling me exactly what they want.
I'd like their character goals to be a mix of short and long term, the same goes for group goals. Either way, I would hope that one or two of both would be accomplished each game session.
I'd probably divide up the amount of xp to reach the next level by 10 or so and then assign 1/10th to each character goal achieved and 2/10ths to each party goal achieved so meeting 4 personal and 3 party goals would take to the next level, but you could adjust it to give faster or slower progression.
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I suggest you look at the Sweet 20 Experience Points. It's an adaptation of the XP system from The Shadow of Yesterday to D&D. (The Shadow of Yesterday, by the way, is free to download. I think it's a great game in its own right.)
I've used this XP system in a few games and it works pretty well.
Sweet 20 is based around things called "Keys." Every character has a couple of major motivations, and he or she gains XP depending on how strongly they play into those motivations. Thus, if you select Key of the Coward, you become a better coward by running away from fights.
Three interesting features about this system:
1. It's very easy to come up with new Keys, to adapt them to a specific culture in your game-world. If the ones on the site don't please you, it's easy enough to build on them.
2. When a player violates a Key, he or she can choose to cash it in for massive amounts of XP. In other words, there's this huge scene where the character undergoes a crisis of faith, or a reevaluation of his entire life--and you get rewarded for doing that. Lots of drama when it happens.
3. From a DM's perspective, coming up with a satisfying story is dirt simple, because the players are telling you the kinds of scenes they find interesting. Johnny has the Key of Cowardice and the Key of Love. That's a great big bullseye telling you what to do--devise a scene where Johnny has to choose between protecting his beloved... or being tortured. Does he suffer outrageous pain to protect her, or betray his darling in order to save his own skin? And note that no matter what he does, he gains XP. So, the player is actually happy you're putting him into this horrible situation.
I suggest you look at the Sweet 20 Experience Points. It's an adaptation of the XP system from The Shadow of Yesterday to D&D. (The Shadow of Yesterday, by the way, is free to download. I think it's a great game in its own right.)
Jeff,
Above is more or less what I would have said, only with some keen Sweet 20 info thrown on. I am currently tinkering with Keys for my young adult fantasy fiction modification, First Quest and I could talk to you about how that is going to alter things a little bit.
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Just remember that when tinkering with XP systems, that they are at their heart reward systems. The players get XP for "proper" behavour, so in order for the reward to be meaningful it must increase their compasity for "proper" behavour. If you have them running around reaching goals to get XP, that XP must help them reach futher goals otherwise it becomes one big dog and pony show.
FREX:
Player- I reached my goal! so I get better at killing things?
GM-now pick another goal!
*later*
GM- Man, all your goals are combat focused! you should pick some more diverce goals!
Player-why? no matter what I do I just get better at killing things.
GM-???
See the problem here? It's not that what you want can't be done it's just you should be aware of the ramafacations. If dealing out more violence is the reward for reaching goals then don't be suprised when players use violence to reach their goals.
I would like to have players come up with a certain number, say five, character goals each. Each time one of those goals is accomplished that player receives a XP reward. I would also like to have the group create five group goals. Each time one of those is accomplished, everyone in the group receives a XP reward. The group XP reward would be two or three times higher than the individual character goals. Players would still receive a small amount of XP just for attending game as well.
I'd add in a modification that "help my friend achieve his goal" is a perfectly fine individual goal, providing they have an individual way to go about it.
Sometimes when you have four or five PCs, all of the character concepts may be not equally suited to having sweeping goals. Last long-term D&D game I was in, we had four PCs. Two of them had serious, character-defining goals. One wanted to find his missing wife and the other wanted to avenge a murdered lover.
On the other hand, two of the PCs were just sort of along for the ride, interested in helping their friends and seeing the world. I had one of the along-for-the-ride PCs. The character concept didn't lend itself to any huge goals, and I was happy to let the other two PCs define the direction of the campaign.
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