Behind the Screen:XP Rewards
So, I just had this whimsical idea for a little blog article I'd do around my other more mundane yet personal (and probably boring) posts. I should start a separate blog for this, and I might later if I stick with it. In the meantime, it goes here.
This particular rant/discussion/what have you, stems in part from a discussion my group had awhile ago, and a post over at ENWorld. In yet another "What's wrong with 3.x" thread, the poster declares that power gaming is destroying the game. A major point of his is the speed with which characters level. His example holds that players can take a character from level 1 to level 20 in a year. (I'd link to the post but can't remember which one it is. I know, this is bad practice for a semi-serious article.) His point was rebuked by many other posters, pointing out the control the DM has with awarding XP and treasure to his players.
I found the entire thread interesting, because my group's chief complaint in the aforementioned discussion was the turtle crawling pace with which we're leveling. Two levels in six months! Egads! And those two levels are the "fast ones," being levels 1-3 for one character and 2-4 for the other three. (As a side note, I can't fail to point out that in a different campaign which I partially DMed, in four months time the characters only leveled once, from 8-9, and that's with access to much more healing and considerably less downtime than the present characters have.) Nevermind that less than 60 days have passed in game.
This disparity brought me to the following conclusion. There are two very different goals for level progression in most game groups. The Players, of course, want nothing more than to level as quickly as possible. The DM, however, likes to slow things down a bit, keeping the group at a power level that he/she is familiar with.
From the player side of the table, it's easy to see that level progression is the surest way to more power. Magic items can be stolen. Contacts and allies can die or be turned against you. Fighter feats and higher base attack bonuses are much harder to do away with. And if your DM is a stickler for the "Character Wealth by Level" chart, you're not even seeing a magic weapon or armor (probably not any permanent magic) until level 3.
The DM sees things a different way. He's got a story to tell. He's got an adventure to plan. If an adventure runs slow and takes multiple game sessions, that's prime time to plan ahead. Nothing hurts more than sinking 4+ hours into an adventure only to have it made obsolete when the PCs hit level 5, allowing the party to now fly over the beautiful hedge maze leading into the evil sorcerer's tower. That's an extreme example, and one easily fixed by a skilled DM, but it's an undeniable fact that the more power the characters have, the less control the DM has over them.
Some would say this is a fault in the game, but I argue that it's nothing more than differing opinions of the game's fans and a benefit of the game itself. Much like the game can be played as an all out melee, a set of tactical encounters, or a heavily social roleplaying event, the pace of advancement is tailorable to the taste of the individual. Balancing the desires of all involved is just another plate in the air for a long term gaming group. Power gamers desire the taste of fast advancement, while story tellers and roleplayers generally need less in the way of constantly evolving skill sets. I've seen many a gamer change their mind about speed of leveling with nothing more than a different side of the DM screen facing them.
For a real taste of turtle flavored level sundae, compare the XP charts of 2nd edition to what we have now. Not even a thief leveled as quickly as a 3.x character.
Comments? Suggestions? Flaming piles of monkey crap you want to throw at me? Post away.
This particular rant/discussion/what have you, stems in part from a discussion my group had awhile ago, and a post over at ENWorld. In yet another "What's wrong with 3.x" thread, the poster declares that power gaming is destroying the game. A major point of his is the speed with which characters level. His example holds that players can take a character from level 1 to level 20 in a year. (I'd link to the post but can't remember which one it is. I know, this is bad practice for a semi-serious article.) His point was rebuked by many other posters, pointing out the control the DM has with awarding XP and treasure to his players.
I found the entire thread interesting, because my group's chief complaint in the aforementioned discussion was the turtle crawling pace with which we're leveling. Two levels in six months! Egads! And those two levels are the "fast ones," being levels 1-3 for one character and 2-4 for the other three. (As a side note, I can't fail to point out that in a different campaign which I partially DMed, in four months time the characters only leveled once, from 8-9, and that's with access to much more healing and considerably less downtime than the present characters have.) Nevermind that less than 60 days have passed in game.
This disparity brought me to the following conclusion. There are two very different goals for level progression in most game groups. The Players, of course, want nothing more than to level as quickly as possible. The DM, however, likes to slow things down a bit, keeping the group at a power level that he/she is familiar with.
From the player side of the table, it's easy to see that level progression is the surest way to more power. Magic items can be stolen. Contacts and allies can die or be turned against you. Fighter feats and higher base attack bonuses are much harder to do away with. And if your DM is a stickler for the "Character Wealth by Level" chart, you're not even seeing a magic weapon or armor (probably not any permanent magic) until level 3.
The DM sees things a different way. He's got a story to tell. He's got an adventure to plan. If an adventure runs slow and takes multiple game sessions, that's prime time to plan ahead. Nothing hurts more than sinking 4+ hours into an adventure only to have it made obsolete when the PCs hit level 5, allowing the party to now fly over the beautiful hedge maze leading into the evil sorcerer's tower. That's an extreme example, and one easily fixed by a skilled DM, but it's an undeniable fact that the more power the characters have, the less control the DM has over them.
Some would say this is a fault in the game, but I argue that it's nothing more than differing opinions of the game's fans and a benefit of the game itself. Much like the game can be played as an all out melee, a set of tactical encounters, or a heavily social roleplaying event, the pace of advancement is tailorable to the taste of the individual. Balancing the desires of all involved is just another plate in the air for a long term gaming group. Power gamers desire the taste of fast advancement, while story tellers and roleplayers generally need less in the way of constantly evolving skill sets. I've seen many a gamer change their mind about speed of leveling with nothing more than a different side of the DM screen facing them.
For a real taste of turtle flavored level sundae, compare the XP charts of 2nd edition to what we have now. Not even a thief leveled as quickly as a 3.x character.
Comments? Suggestions? Flaming piles of monkey crap you want to throw at me? Post away.
posted by Amazing Shafeman at 3:47 PM
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