Character Points: Methods?

[Gumby Bush]

So, the default manner of handing out CP seems to be along the lines of "assess quality of play, especially role-play, hand out 0-5 CP based thereon, usually 2-3" (B498).

OK. That's pretty fuzzy. My questions:

1. What rates have others used in various campaigns? What do you change it based on? I imagine allowing improvement through study diminishes the need for CP, for instance.

2. How have others determined CP allotments? How do you set player expectations? What sorts of rubrics have you created? I know many reserve a "Force for Good" point for things like pointing out detrimental rules that should be applying.

3. I am also curious about "extra credit" options. I've heard of outsourcing session notes to players for a CP, or having players write in-character journal entries for a CP. What other ideas have people tried? What are concerns with or advantages of doing this?

4. Do you give more CP after a climactic session? Why or why not? If so, how much more?

5. What questions should I be asking? What are the answers to those questions?

[Brandy]

I do something a little different: I award points at the beginning of the session. The size of the reward is fixed (4 points was my norm for a long time). These points are represented by markers at the table (little glass stones, if you're interested). I stopped giving out bigger awards to some people and smaller awards to others a long time ago -- I really didn't enjoy the process of picking "winners" and "losers" from the player group.

I encourage players to make use of Impulse Buys through the session, and the points that aren't spent during the session become CPs to use for character progression at the session's end. Having a physical representation of them seems to make players more able to part with them, though that may be just my imagination. Players seem to enjoy putting one of their markers on the table and describing what outcome they are going to create with that.

A positive side-effect of this is that in early play sessions, when players find that they don't have a skill that aligns with their background where the character really ought to have the skill based upon their story, but the player neglected to buy it due to oversight. Awarding points at the beginning means that it's possible to fix that on the spot.

[Brandy]

To answer your specific questions:

Originally Posted by Gumby Bush

1. What rates have others used in various campaigns? What do you change it based on? I imagine allowing improvement through study diminishes the need for CP, for instance.

3 for a low-CP total gritty game. As many as 5 for a higher point total game.

2. How have others determined CP allotments? How do you set player expectations? What sorts of rubrics have you created? I know many reserve a "Force for Good" point for things like pointing out detrimental rules that should be applying.

Like I indicated before, I stopped giving out variable rewards a long time ago. It may be because of my social anxiety, but the process made me really uncomfortable.

3. I am also curious about "extra credit" options. I've heard of outsourcing session notes to players for a CP, or having players write in-character journal entries for a CP. What other ideas have people tried? What are concerns with or advantages of doing this?

I don't have any experience with this.

4. Do you give more CP after a climactic session? Why or why not? If so, how much more?

Not exactly; after a climactic session, I'd be more apt to give an in-game reward with a CP value that players don't need to spend points on: a favor from a patron, a title, wealth, reputation, contacts, allies, and so on. So it is a larger reward, but no additional points to spend.

[Kalzazz]

1. Usually 3-6 or so, depending on whim and also at times a flat 1 per hour. I don't change it much. I don't allow time use sheets or improvement through study


2. I arbitrrarily pick a number that seems good. Usually 300. But sometimes more for less starting level feel, once 62 to get that genuine 'you are level 1, housecats find you tasty' feel. Once much higher for characters who were supposed to be at least starting personasl competence plus a 'favored by destiny' package, or when were supposed to be like Shaolin Monks etc and needed more awesome

3. Gave 20 CP and 1000 money to players who wrote a short bit on 'my first advdntureand why I am no longer a level 1 fodderling'. No strong thoughts.


4. On occasion. Point or few. Why not, folks like bonuses

[whswhs]

I give 1 point for simple attendance; almost always 1 point for roleplaying; 1 point for good roleplaying, where the player makes an effort to stay in character and to bring them to life; occasionally a fourth point for really outstanding roleplaying, sometimes awarded in mid-session for a totally awesome bit. I occasionally give 1 point if the PCs accomplished something notable in the game world.

[coronatiger]

Like Brandy, I don't like creating "winners" and "losers", so I don't award bonuses for good role play or penalties for bad play.

I give out points for campaign progress, usually 3, but sometimes more if the players reached a goal or less if the players didn't do much. The campaign started out with 100 CP characters, and I imagine my baseline would be higher if the characters started out more powerful.

The players take turns writing session notes, and I give 1 CP for their effort.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Gumby Bush

1. What rates have others used in various campaigns? What do you change it based on? I imagine allowing improvement through study diminishes the need for CP, for instance.

I have generally given a flat 3/session. If characters want to use their downtime on improvement through study, that adds to it, although the limitation on that tends to be the other characters wanting to get on with things. I have occasionally given an extra bonus point for really clever insights. A GM once gave a party I was in an extra point each because it was almost Christmas.

2. How have others determined CP allotments? How do you set player expectations? What sorts of rubrics have you created? I know many reserve a "Force for Good" point for things like pointing out detrimental rules that should be applying.

I don't tend to be elaborate about these things: my games are more about story and character than mechanical details of the characters and their capabilities.

3. I am also curious about "extra credit" options. I've heard of outsourcing session notes to players for a CP, or having players write in-character journal entries for a CP. What other ideas have people tried? What are concerns with or advantages of doing this?

I sold a player a [-5] disadvantage "Diarist", and the character's journal serves as the session log. When a campaign is 100+ sessions, an extra point for each session gets wildly unbalancing.

4. Do you give more CP after a climactic session? Why or why not? If so, how much more?

Not usually, but that's when the social rewards happen.

My old steampunk campaign gave out 10 points of status-related advantages after the characters were instrumental creating the Earth-Mars treaty, which turned into a knighthood, a damehood, the first woman to be made a peer of the United Kingdom in her own right, and a Brazilian character who felt he couldn't accept it.

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Brandy

I do something a little different: I award points at the beginning of the session...

I encourage players to make use of Impulse Buys through the session, and the points that aren't spent during the session become CPs to use for character progression at the session's end...

I like this idea. Thanks for sharing.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Gumby Bush

... My questions:

1. What rates have others used in various campaigns?

My current method is [1] for participation in a session, [1] for every PC if the group was effective in the session, and [1] for a character who role plays or otherwise brings a disadvantage or quirk into play on their own initiative.

I imagine allowing improvement through study diminishes the need for CP, for instance.

I don't use formal improvement through study. I don't like the book-keeping, and many campaigns don't have a time-flow that works that way. I let players designate a self-improvement objective to occur in the background and let them put points into it.

3. I am also curious about "extra credit" options. I've heard of outsourcing session notes to players for a CP, or having players write in-character journal entries for a CP. What other ideas have people tried? What are concerns with or advantages of doing this?

I would strongly oppose CP rewards for things that are out of play. I give [5] points of tweaks chosen by me at chargen as incentive for a character background write-up and image.

4. Do you give more CP after a climactic session? Why or why not? If so, how much more?

I usual give one or more Advantages that are relevant to what the characters achieved, or what they are going to be embarking on next, plus [5-10] for them to spend on cool improvements they may have built up a yen for.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Gumby Bush

So, the default manner of handing out CP seems to be along the lines of "assess quality of play, especially role-play, hand out 0-5 CP based thereon, usually 2-3" (B498).

OK. That's pretty fuzzy.

Maybe so but it's what I've done to good success. It's possible to overthink this.

For 4e my usual level has been 250 cp at start. I'm happier if players end up looking for something cool to spend their last points on rather than looking for another Disad to get enough points to do what they want. Characters start to bo bad when their palyers are looking for more Disads.

A poosible way to avoid that might be to choose Disads first because Disads are what tend to define a character's personality and morals most. If you can get a player to feel as though he's got a good handle on those that can make his cp budget relatively solid and he sends up to his budget and reduce bad choices that might be made if he flet like he had an open-ended budget.