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Hello, folks.
I hope you’re well. Experience and advancement in #ttrpgs is now hot in the discourse.
So let’s chat about it in the #TabletopChopShop
I hope you’re well. Experience and advancement in #ttrpgs is now hot in the discourse.
So let’s chat about it in the #TabletopChopShop
Personally, I see XP as the way a game tells players what to do.
Advancement and XP are generally SUPER satisfying, and players typically will do whatever it takes to get it.
It’s an incentive for playing “properly,” whatever that means for the game.
Advancement and XP are generally SUPER satisfying, and players typically will do whatever it takes to get it.
It’s an incentive for playing “properly,” whatever that means for the game.
As an aside, check out this thread by @Pandatheist —it focuses more on what XP does to game design, as opposed to what it does for players: https://twitter.com/pandatheist/status/1274090595066183682?s=21
I see three approaches to XP:
- XP for playing on the game’s terms
- XP for pushing a narrative forward
- XP for playing to the characters’ roles
Let’s go one-by-one.
- XP for playing on the game’s terms
- XP for pushing a narrative forward
- XP for playing to the characters’ roles
Let’s go one-by-one.
1. XP ON THE GAME’S TERMS
A lot of OSR games do gold-for-XP, but it’s more complicated than it sounds at first—in fact, there are three steps:
1. Go to the treasure
2. Take the treasure
3. Spend the treasure
Doesn’t that sound like exactly like the OSR dungeon crawl loop?
A lot of OSR games do gold-for-XP, but it’s more complicated than it sounds at first—in fact, there are three steps:
1. Go to the treasure
2. Take the treasure
3. Spend the treasure
Doesn’t that sound like exactly like the OSR dungeon crawl loop?
That’s the magic of the gold-for-XP system—it tells you how to play the game.
If it gets you gold, you do it. If it doesn’t get you gold, you don’t!
It encourages a mercenary, crafty play style. You don’t pick fights (or do good) unless there’s gold involved.
If it gets you gold, you do it. If it doesn’t get you gold, you don’t!
It encourages a mercenary, crafty play style. You don’t pick fights (or do good) unless there’s gold involved.
Why slay the dragon when you can get a job from the dragon?
It’s more certain gold, for a lower chance of death!
(Compare this to D&D RAW, where the dragon’s gold is an incidental bonus to the XP you get from killing said dragon.)
It’s more certain gold, for a lower chance of death!
(Compare this to D&D RAW, where the dragon’s gold is an incidental bonus to the XP you get from killing said dragon.)
Another game that does this is Flying Circus by @open_sketchbook. You gain XP by clearing Stress—but that’s really two steps:
1. Gain Stress by doing reckless shit in the air
2. Clear Stress by (mostly) doing reckless shit on the ground.
Again, that’s exactly the gameplay loop!
1. Gain Stress by doing reckless shit in the air
2. Clear Stress by (mostly) doing reckless shit on the ground.
Again, that’s exactly the gameplay loop!
The XP system drags players into telling the kind of story Flying Circus wants to curate.
And when Erika changes the Stress (that is, the XP) system for Flying Circus Historical or Storm Divers, she'll also end up subtly changing the kinds of stories told by these games.
And when Erika changes the Stress (that is, the XP) system for Flying Circus Historical or Storm Divers, she'll also end up subtly changing the kinds of stories told by these games.
2. XP FROM STORY PROGRESSION
If your group gains a level or a playbook move or a lump sum of XP every session, or every other session, you’re progressing by this format—“milestone advancement,” as some folks call it.
If your group gains a level or a playbook move or a lump sum of XP every session, or every other session, you’re progressing by this format—“milestone advancement,” as some folks call it.
This IS an XP system.
It might not feel like it, but the game still gates the Thing Players Want behind a Thing They Must Do.
Just now, the Thing They Must Do is just...progress the story. Go forward. Save the world. Do missions. Whatever.
It might not feel like it, but the game still gates the Thing Players Want behind a Thing They Must Do.
Just now, the Thing They Must Do is just...progress the story. Go forward. Save the world. Do missions. Whatever.
This is how you get narrative freedom through advancement. The game can no longer tell players what to do, beyond “go forward.”
What that means depends entirely on the table.
What that means depends entirely on the table.
3. XP FROM CHARACTER ROLES
This is the one I’m intrigued by.
In the mediocre racing game Need For Speed: Payback, there was a mechanic called Side Bets—you, as a player, could wager some of the race’s winnings on some auxiliary goal.
This is the one I’m intrigued by.
In the mediocre racing game Need For Speed: Payback, there was a mechanic called Side Bets—you, as a player, could wager some of the race’s winnings on some auxiliary goal.
These Side Bets were for objectives like:
- Drift a certain length
- Trash a certain number of cops
- Hit a certain speed
- Be in last for a certain amount of time
- Drift a certain length
- Trash a certain number of cops
- Hit a certain speed
- Be in last for a certain amount of time
These Side Bets changed the nature of the events in an interesting way: winning mattered less; that was always easy, anyway.
What mattered now was saving up your boost for the big straightaway so you could double your winnings by going 175 miles an hour.
What mattered now was saving up your boost for the big straightaway so you could double your winnings by going 175 miles an hour.
This can be done in TTRPGs, too! If the game uses XP triggers that differ between characters, it’s incentivizing roleplaying AS that character.
And if different characters have XP triggers that run at cross-purposes, you now have character drama incentivized by the XP system!
And if different characters have XP triggers that run at cross-purposes, you now have character drama incentivized by the XP system!
This is, incidentally, how my game, @BoltRPG, handles XP.
They're literally called Incentives, too.
For more details, read this thread: https://twitter.com/boltrpg/status/1273777667834347520?s=21
They're literally called Incentives, too.
For more details, read this thread: https://twitter.com/boltrpg/status/1273777667834347520?s=21
Which of these XP systems is best for your game?
I can’t say; I’m not your dad.
It’s a matter of what you want your game to draw out of players.
I can’t say; I’m not your dad.
It’s a matter of what you want your game to draw out of players.
If you want to enforce a particular gameplay loop, then tie XP to that loop—in particular, to the last step of the loop. It feels less artificial that way.
If you want to enforce character-centric roleplaying, tie XP to that instead.
If you want to enforce character-centric roleplaying, tie XP to that instead.
And if you don’t think it’s your business to tell people how to play your game, run with milestone advancement. Trust players to find their own stories within the rules and settings you’ve given them.
But whatever you choose, be intentional about it.
But whatever you choose, be intentional about it.
So that’s XP in TTRPGs!
Check out the #TabletopChopShop hashtag for more game design talk from really sharp game designers.
It's some really constructive stuff; I’ve learned a lot from these folks.
Check out the #TabletopChopShop hashtag for more game design talk from really sharp game designers.
It's some really constructive stuff; I’ve learned a lot from these folks.
Also, it’s Juneteenth! Here’s a thread by @silentferrets of Black creators you should follow and buy games from.
The cash is the important part:
https://twitter.com/silentferrets/status/1274048834407215105?s=21 Take care folks
The cash is the important part:
https://twitter.com/silentferrets/status/1274048834407215105?s=21 Take care folks
