Group experience

[Gotha]

I'm playing with the idea of awarding experience points to the group instead of handing it directly to the individual characters. The players would then decide together how to share the points between them, discuss the merits of this or that improvement, etc. I'm hoping this would help create a bond between them, and help the players think more as a group and less as a cast of loosely connected characters.

Has anyone tried that before? Would you like that, as a player?

[Anders]

My group would either divide it evenly or descend into a frenzy of backstabbing politics. Probably the former. Probably.

I wouldn't like it.

[vierasmarius]

I think a better route might be to distribute points yourself, but throw in one extra point that the players collectively decide the recipient of.

[gilbertocarlos]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

My group would either divide it evenly or descend into a frenzy of backstabbing politics. Probably the former. Probably.

I wouldn't like it.

I'd say the same if I wasn't so sure that the latter would inevitably happen because "I need those 10 points to buy ability X that'll be much more important than what you'll buy".

Not to mention that there'll be a lot of infighting if people make a mistake, or buy something not essential, kinda like:
"WHAT? You bought the broadsword skill? Wasted 4 points on it? You already have the spear skill, don't waste on another one. My character died because of you, who didn't saved for me to buy hard to kill.

[vicky_molokh]

I remember Seventh Sea offering a variant chargen where e.g. 3 players are given 275 points per group or something like that, i.e. number that is not convenient to divide equally. I vaguely recall this forum disliking the idea. I suppose its feasibility depends on the group in question.

[Brandy]

A thought that occurs is to give each player their own XP but stipulate that they can transfer them to other players if desired.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Bookman

A thought that occurs is to give each player their own XP but stipulate that they can transfer them to other players if desired.

That actually sounds like a decent plan. Or, give the PCs a few points each, and then throw some extra into a split pool to be shared how the players see fit.

[Gotha]

Thank you all for your feedback and your advice on this.

The suggestion to distribute some points to the characters and some to the group for them to split sounds really good. It might even serve the purpose even better, since the players won't feel robbed of their own points and won't feel constrained in developing their characters.

I'm starting a new campaign next week; I'll give it a try then.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Bookman

A thought that occurs is to give each player their own XP but stipulate that they can transfer them to other players if desired.

I briefly tried this. It "went away" not because I took it away or because the players abused it, but because people forgot about it after a while and stopped doing it.

[Langy]

A different way to do 'group experience' would be to give individuals their own CP, but then also award CP (and money) to the group itself - not to be divided among people, but to purchase things for the group almost as if it were a character.

For example, the group could have its own reputation, wealth, assets, and most other social traits.