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Today I want to talk about XP. What it is, what purpose it serves, and some of the more interesting ways it can be used. Im going to start pretty basic because I want to make sure were all on the same page before getting to the real interesting bits. Lets dig in!
What it is
Most games treat XP in 1 of 2 major ways, and you can immediately tell a lot about the structure of the game just from that.
1) XP is a currency.
Spend it to get stuff. This could be granular like individual abilities, or it could be entire packages(think classes)
Most games treat XP in 1 of 2 major ways, and you can immediately tell a lot about the structure of the game just from that.
1) XP is a currency.
Spend it to get stuff. This could be granular like individual abilities, or it could be entire packages(think classes)
2) XP is a track
You fill it up until you hit an acceptable point and progress in a set track(almost always class progressions)
3) XP is a switch
Much less common, but in Call of Cthulhu so worth mentioning. You got it or you didnt. If you succeed at a skill test mark it.
You fill it up until you hit an acceptable point and progress in a set track(almost always class progressions)
3) XP is a switch
Much less common, but in Call of Cthulhu so worth mentioning. You got it or you didnt. If you succeed at a skill test mark it.
Why it is
XP serves a few basic functions. Narratively it abstracts growth or improvement. Player facing its the dopamine rush of new things. Mechanically its an incentive structure.
XP serves a few basic functions. Narratively it abstracts growth or improvement. Player facing its the dopamine rush of new things. Mechanically its an incentive structure.
It may not be what the game wants to be about, and its not what every table is about, but it warps play in very particular directions.
Before we start looking further afield, lets look at some of the ways dnd has historically rewarded xp, and what that does.
Before we start looking further afield, lets look at some of the ways dnd has historically rewarded xp, and what that does.
Classes in dnd are, stepping back, ability packages. Theyre a prepacked set of improvements with limited options and a directive path. DND has always had classes so the question isnt how you spent it but how you gained it.
Combat XP
The modern default. You fight stuff, you kill stuff, you get loot and XP. (Not what this thread is about, but worth pointing out that unlike some other systems loot is a method of improvement. You improve in multiple ways.)
The modern default. You fight stuff, you kill stuff, you get loot and XP. (Not what this thread is about, but worth pointing out that unlike some other systems loot is a method of improvement. You improve in multiple ways.)
There are assumptions built into this.
1) Fights are good.
2) Fights must be balanced or regularly winnable. Theres no xp for running away. See 1.
3) The game becomes heroic. If you win more than you lose its like a faux medieval superhero story. See 2.
1) Fights are good.
2) Fights must be balanced or regularly winnable. Theres no xp for running away. See 1.
3) The game becomes heroic. If you win more than you lose its like a faux medieval superhero story. See 2.
4) Fights become more complex and granular. If fighting is the way to improvement and you want to fight more often to improve you need fights to be interesting. To become interesting you need meaningful choices. You gain differentiated combat powers. To spotlight you have roles.
XP for gold
In some older editions of dnd you were rewarded for how much shit you stole. Interestingly, in contrast to the previous example, this makes combat bad. Theres no reward for fighting (other than what the monsters carried) so its a resource drain.
In some older editions of dnd you were rewarded for how much shit you stole. Interestingly, in contrast to the previous example, this makes combat bad. Theres no reward for fighting (other than what the monsters carried) so its a resource drain.
Better to sneak past the sleeping ogre, steal its stuff, and preserve spells and hp for anything you cant avoid later. Of note this might make the focus and options of play more diverse, but it doesnt change the moral calculus as much as youd think.
What neither of these things do is directly reward talking to people. Or helping people. Or exploring. Or discovering. Indirectly they do all those things, because all those things can lead to combat or gold. If you think about adventure hooks & structure you can follow the line.
DND has also supported since at least 3e, as an optional rule, milestone play. Either by story beat or number of sessions or GM fiat characters just level up having tracked no abstract measure. That has to do with how long it takes to level and how much people hate accounting.
How else XP?
DND is not the only game, and not even close to the only way of tracking or even spending XP. Lets look at some others.
DND is not the only game, and not even close to the only way of tracking or even spending XP. Lets look at some others.
Year Zero
The many games of Free League dont track XP during a session. They ask questions at the end of every session. They vary somewhat game to game, but the structure is largely the same. Im going to use Forbidden Lands here because its what im running right now.
The many games of Free League dont track XP during a session. They ask questions at the end of every session. They vary somewhat game to game, but the structure is largely the same. Im going to use Forbidden Lands here because its what im running right now.
Did you participate?
Did you travel through a new hex?
Did you discover a new adventure site?
Did you defeat 1+ monsters?
Did you find treasure?
Did you upgrade your stronghold?
Did you activate your Pride?
Did you suffer from your Dark Secret?
Did you travel through a new hex?
Did you discover a new adventure site?
Did you defeat 1+ monsters?
Did you find treasure?
Did you upgrade your stronghold?
Did you activate your Pride?
Did you suffer from your Dark Secret?
Did you risk your life for another PC?
Did you perform an extraordinary act of some kind?
Before even getting to how XP is used, theres a few fascinating differences.
1) Not everyone gets the same amount of XP.
Did you perform an extraordinary act of some kind?
Before even getting to how XP is used, theres a few fascinating differences.
1) Not everyone gets the same amount of XP.
2) You can get the same amount of XP in back to back sessions for doing drastically different things.
3) XP is rewarded both for interaction with the outside world and for roleplaying.
3) XP is rewarded both for interaction with the outside world and for roleplaying.
What all but one of these reward is forward momentum. Change, either internal or external. They want the world to be different from PC action.
Once you aquired XP you also spend it differently. Its a currency and its granular. You pay for individual skills, individual talents.
Once you aquired XP you also spend it differently. Its a currency and its granular. You pay for individual skills, individual talents.
Improvement isnt in large steps like dnd. Its continuous and small. Just like gaining XP requires a constant set of actions to change the world, in turn the game is continuously making small changes to your character. Its a beautiful loop.
One final thing it does that I love. It adds risk to spending. In dnd when you spend XP you get a level. Done. But in FL if you want to learn a new talent and spend that XP you have to succeed at a roll. Improvement isnt guaranteed.
Aside
This is getting wordy and I dont want to bore @AjeyPandey to death before he has a chance to do his own XP thread(check it out when he does), so Im going to do a quick rundown of a few of the most common ways PbtA lets you gain XP and then call it a wrap.
End aside.
This is getting wordy and I dont want to bore @AjeyPandey to death before he has a chance to do his own XP thread(check it out when he does), so Im going to do a quick rundown of a few of the most common ways PbtA lets you gain XP and then call it a wrap.
End aside.
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PbtA shines at emulating genre through archetypical playbooks with flavorful moves and at failing forward. Success should be complex, failure should be interesting, and both should move the narrative forward through virtuous(snowballing?) cycles.
PbtA shines at emulating genre through archetypical playbooks with flavorful moves and at failing forward. Success should be complex, failure should be interesting, and both should move the narrative forward through virtuous(snowballing?) cycles.
A lot of PbtA games give you XP when you fail a roll. This is fascinating in a few ways. You’re rewarded narratively for succeeding and mechanically for failing, but because you can’t control success you’re effectively incentivized to use moves as often as possible.
Moves emulate genre beats, and so you play to find out while also creating unique but recognizeable experiences. They “feel” right. Familiar while being personal and unique. A pretty incredible trick.
Like Year Zero you spend XP on incremental improvement. Better stats. A new move. An upgraded move. They tend to have lower caps, and the most interesting ones do something narratively fascinating when you “max”.
One of my favorites of these is Night Witches, a game about a group of Russian female fighter pilots in WW2. When you get all the improvements you can your character dies on the next mission. 
Bleak tone to match the nature of the game.
Bleak tone to match the nature of the game.
XP can be gained and spent in multiple ways. It can be tailored to the game you want to design and incentivize the style of play you want to see. Its not a magic trick. It doesnt guarantee behavior. But it does encourage it.
It implies certain things about the characters, the world, the game. When done well it can work with the rest of the system to beautiful effect. Take a moment and think about what your favorite games do. They may be doing more subtle work than you think. Happy gaming everyone!
