A plan in the works involving XP

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AWC
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A plan in the works involving XP

Post by AWC »

Feel free to comment but don't expect I like you, I mean feel free to comment. This is a plan in the work not a finalized rule set. May or may not be used.

The idea is to reward people who go after and complete goals and plots by offering xp without allowing them to get a major advantage.

First off this plan involves a running xp total for the game which is equal to 35+6 per game that's been run (this number might decrease to 5 per game once the number gets over 200) This number will be the games max xp.
Current XP per game will stay as is with this option.
You may not spend more xp on your character than the games max. This means if you have max xp and earn more than the 6 per game then the rest is banked in case you miss a game. Also if you die you get any unspent xp for your next character.

This sets up the new way to do story XP. Basically you pick a major plot line (such as find Simeon or stop the hunters) or a personal plot line like take a position in court, gain a certain amount of status etc. You may only pick or change your choice in your write up. This means you can't succeed more than once a night or change it during game so you should pick something important to you. When you succeed you get XP based on creativity, time and difficulty of goal(difficulty will be considered less if the whole game jumps on it), how much it helps game, if its political based, or little customization (like instead of killing 7, your goal is to kill 7 and get all the credit). You can never pick a goal of killing a PC or major NPC (that is not a villain like 7) or that directly involves it. This is supposed to be a political game first. No we won't tell you what each is worth so you can 'shop' for high xp plots.

Finally toying with the idea that people at game with max xp can only pick political goals they invent. If you have max xp you should be a political mover and leave more plots to newbies.

The point of this
-Give new players and people who miss games a chance to catch up without giving them an edge over people who show up to ever game.
-If you can solve your plot quickly you can get in on another plots xp. If you can succeed at your goal every game you can get some xp very quickly. Hopefully this gets boon trading going a little more.
-It gives the ST a master list of the players primary goals or plots they are most interested in at the time.

Downside.
-More record keeping
-More powerful average character
-Might shift the focus more towards xp "questing" and away from political plots.
jaf
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by jaf »

this is just a thought, but how about a method of sacrifice.

IF you are max. out your xp. but you want to get a few other things disciplines or something you can always sacrifice the same amount, lets say other skills by also buying the discipline or things you want.
example.
you have dominate 3 and your a mehket you diced that dominate does not suite you or you don't like anymore and want to buy resilience. You are max out, so you decide to drop 3 and 2 of dominate that is 35 xp lost forever. but you have that same amount by playing in the game, lets say you have 50 xp in stack ( yes i played video games) . You look for a person that wants to train you in resilience and you spent 1 and 2 that is 21xp and still have 14 scarified spot to spend on something else. While doing this you cannot use dominate 2 and 3 it is dormant in your character.

Though your skill is not gone, it is just merely not usable at the moment. Lets say the ST decides to upgrade the max xp. to 300 then you don't have to go talk to anyone else to show you dominate 2 and 3 you can just spent your xp to reawaken it.

I think this is good so the maxed out player will be perfected in the areas they want and they wont be overwhelming compared to the other players, just more orientated to what they are used to using.
What do you think?

Another thing that came to mind is that, if you implement this people will stop paying for game. So, instead of giving so one xp during the max out, you can always give out more information or reward about what they are looking for, kind of getting the common sence merit. It also, helps you know about your achievement in game of what you have done for rochester kindred society.
Lets say you have discovered a plot, and started to unfold it. You write in your write up what you want to do, you get information for what your doing normally. When you give out money for game you get and anonymous tip of "look into this " per say helping you out for the plot, not too much but just enough. That means that ST will be more "cheap" in giving out information, unless there is payment. Kind of like real life. You dont have to do it it just is a little but slower to unfold.
You finished the plot let say (congratulation) now that your max out you dont have to get xp but you can have a diffrent xp improvement for example merits like city status, fame or covenant status it will be given to you as you have more involment in that things. Also because it is so easily taken from you if ST decided must not count in the overall xp. Also you can cash in those for more info in something else.
example
finished a plot ( i destroyed kane or found him, for those of you who think i cant kill him)and destroyed the conspiracy that was around him. I get one a few things, i may move closer to gaining city status lets say to get from city status 4 i need 4 achievements that is if the plot involved mostly city things, in this case that the plot was more dedicated to the ventrue as a whole, i get ventrue status for such an achievement and the elders will see me with more respect. Because this is such a big deal i get an achievement to Fame, that increases to 1 ( in kindred society) making it easily identified ( it also comes with its draw backs) , though this can be temporary for the plot can be a "big deal" this month next month is something else. Also the status and the fame can be easily taken making the players constatly be looking for ways to stay with that status and that respect.
Now how i would do it. On the back of the book you write the xp with dates, that is what currently what is being doing. Lets use one page before that to keep track of the achievements. you move towards 1 status or fame or a merit that the st wants to put there with 1 achievement. If you uncover plots or something that the ST says its big enough for you to move in the achievements table then you continue your progress.
So for the first dot you need just one big achievement, then for dot 2 you need 2 achievements, dot 3; three achievements , and so on. Also there can be negative impacts if you decide things opposed of your current status or work. Because the higher you are in these merits your are easily targeted, that means you have to always behave and let others do your bidding. In other words, create plots for young lings, or politics.

what do you think?
Last edited by jaf on Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Joshua
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Joshua »

As the head narrator I really like this. Specifically the ability to have a list of plots that people are working on and going after. That way, if I want to know "Hey, no one is going after Simeon's body and no one cares about this plot that's supposed to have been a major plot since game 1...." I can actually check that. Also, it helps me tailor the plots to what people are actually doing.

Personally, I think it would be helpful to list all major goals, even if you can only go after one at a time. (Or at least, get xp for going after one at a time). While I won't help people find the plots that earn the most XP, I would be willing to show which plots are going to be the most active (or planned to be the most active) in the next few games.
jaf
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by jaf »

I don't think you should list the mayor goals. Then people wont have the freedom to do what they want, they will be questing. Though you can understand by the write ups what they want to do and just give it a name as his personal quest or mission.
Daemon Blacknight
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Daemon Blacknight »

i see no reason why each player shouldnt list there short mid long term and impossible goals in there journal. im slightly confused by this cap idea. if the cap is 35+5 per game played and increases with each new game as that would imply. would it not be impossible to ever hit that cap? unless you hapen to have attnded the vast vast majority of games and recieved rather significant questing bonueses. for example i showed up like a year late so id need something like 100 bonus xp to get there.
Michael
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Michael »

so its quest XP eh. kinda lame IMHO.

what about the players who don't want to get involved or don't fit in to any "major plot". basiclly your forcing everyone to do something, and i've noticed a few players who don't want to do anything. some games I just with that Sol could do nothing and chat all game long, and with this new system I'd get penalized for just socializing all game. kinda lame. sure i could do something in my write up, but then I'd never have to show up to game. (yes i know that with me going to NYC this system would benefit me doing write ups, but its not about me.) if you read the base books there is a system just like that already in place, its called story xp, and everyone in game gets it.

Now the "xp-cap" idea isn't that bad i guess. it basiclly just puts a cap on the games power level.
Finally toying with the idea that people at game with max xp can only pick political goals they invent. If you have max xp you should be a political mover and leave more plots to newbies.
---- Dislike. Sol isn't a political character, and I don't think that he will ever be. so is it fair that I'd be forced to do something that my characters wouldn't do?

just some thoughts and an devils advocate point of view.
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Joshua
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Joshua »

Looks at Sol... Uh, you have something like 8 plots you've been involved in. From AK, to Sidewinder, to your shadow, to a dozen other things. Any of those would count. Sol is one of the characters who has consistently worked towards a goal. And about half of those have been political.

Actually, for those who want help making goals, I'm more than willing to help out with that before or after game. As I said, it will help me make more plots people are interested in.

I guess the point is that the system should reward two kinds of people. The people who get involved in the game's plot and push it along, and those who make their own plot and drive events on their own. If people come to game to sit down and not take any action... Not have personal plot, not go with other peoples plots, not go with any existing plot... I guess they can enjoy themselves conversing with people in character. the game is a social one afterall.

Still, players who are active have more fun. This is true of almost all games. And I'd like to help people get into that.
Michael
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Michael »

Still, players who are active have more fun. This is true of almost all games. And I'd like to help people get into that.
---- I agree, but i don't think it right for me to be rewarded for Sol's plot that i came up with. ok in a sense i feel that i am being rewarded, buy furthering my characters requiem. maybe some cool toys and stuff. but i dont feel that XP should be only through plot advancement.
Daemon Blacknight
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by Daemon Blacknight »

"---- I agree, but i don't think it right for me to be rewarded for Sol's plot that i came up with. ok in a sense i feel that i am being rewarded, buy furthering my characters requiem. maybe some cool toys and stuff. but i dont feel that XP should be only through plot advancement."

Michael



furthering your character's requiem is plot advancement.
AWC
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Re: A plan in the works involving XP

Post by AWC »

In case I didnt make it clear you still get the 3-6 xp per game for showing up. This is an occasional boost xp that is not very high. The cap is to make it so no one can get more xp than someone who has shown up on time every game and donated. If you are a new character or missed some games the boost would slowly let you catch up.

Also whether or not there is story xp could people write what plot they are most interested in or personal goal, and then 2 other ones that are not as important and then maybe 2 goals that are not as important or you are likely to do next. Then message it to Josh or write/print it up bring it to game and hand it to Josh. You are in no way held to any of this right now and if we do give xp for any of it you are not held to your secondary choices it just helps to know what people are looking at. If you don't know enough about what is going on you can just put find out more about the city.

Example
Primary Goal: Complete 7 Plot
Secondary Goals
- Complete Simeon Plot
- Personal Goal gain Primogen position
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