Character points - awarding them, What is "Normal"?

[mburr0003]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

I feel like most D&D games I've experienced leveled up every small handful of sessions, perhaps 3-6. Which probably is analogous to a much faster point rate than anybody here is suggesting.

IMO that started with 3e, kinda got cinched in with 4e (I explicitly remember the DMG saying PCs should be getting 1/4th their next level's exp every session), and is "just the way it is now".

I mean, I remember back in the day (BECM D&D) playing for months, 3 nights a week, and barely ever leveling up.

[whswhs]

I regard three points a session as normal. I might give only two points in a particularly lackluster session, but that's rare. I like to give out an extra point to a player who did something really smart and useful, or who roleplayed exceptionally well, and occasionally after a really good session I'll raise it to four points for everyone.

So I'd say your practice seems to me to be right on target.

[coronatiger]

I usually give out 3 points for a normal session (6-8 hours). If the session is considerably shorter or longer than usual, I often subtract or add a point. If the players progress towards the campaign goal more or less than I expect in that session, I reward/penalize a point. Thus, my norm is 3, and always between 1 and 5.

The only exception is when the players reach a campaign milestone. When that happens, I give out additional points, often earmarked towards some advantage/power that they otherwise wouldn't have permission to acquire. For example, a couple of sessions ago, the PCs made a discovery about how magic works in my world. I gave them some points and told them they now could buy another level of Magery.

[Androner]

In my current campaign i use this method, its been good so far.
For each session (which is on average 5 hours)

1- 1 point for joining the session
2- 1 point for writing a session log afterwards
3- up to 2 points for reminding me of their -10/-20 points in disadvantages.
4- Various amount of points depending on a completion of a quest that they choose for themselves that i approved.

[SimonAce]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I regard three points a session as normal. I might give only two points in a particularly lackluster session, but that's rare. I like to give out an extra point to a player who did something really smart and useful, or who roleplayed exceptionally well, and occasionally after a really good session I'll raise it to four points for everyone.

So I'd say your practice seems to me to be right on target.

FWIW and that isn't much I do the same thing. I find that it helps if players plot out what they plan to do with the points in advance. Its by no means required but its less jarring is someone say gains a point or two in some skill or combat reflexes and its justified as I had them all along or I am a fast learner .

[gikiski]

This reminds me when I played in a game where our GM awarded points with each story advancement or just before a big in-game change. We played regularly (every week with few skips), so this worked better than a river of points that many sessions would generate.

Almost every time, they had a package-like structure which either dealt with our recent history or in preparation for our immediate future. The past instances we had played through. The future instances came with a time skip and in-character group planning.

Felt a little like leveling up, now that I look back on it. Organic and applicable to play, so I would recommend it if you can fit something like that.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Many people award some of the points for story progress rather than just hours of play, and/or a bonus point for notable roleplaying or clever ideas or just entertaining the group ('cause that's why everyone is there, right?).

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by mburr0003

Depends...

I like to give 1 point per 2 hours of play... when things are happening. If it's a slow slog with the Players twiddling their thumbs, hemming and hawing, and hashing out minutiae planning, it slows to probably 1 every 3-6 hours. Basically, if they are "getting stuff done", they get points.

(SNIP, because I don't run "supers" games)

I tend to follow this same general rule -- one point for every two hours of actual play, when the players are focused on the session and accomplishing things.

If they pull off some incredibly clever stuff, or do really funny things, I'll throw in an an extra point.

So, usually three points, sometimes two, rarely four, and I think I've given out five points twice, and Facets is pushing toward its eighth year of play.

[TGLS]

Wow, now I feel like a cheapskate

[mburr0003]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

So, usually three points, sometimes two, rarely four, and I think I've given out five points twice, and Facets is pushing toward its eighth year of play.

Now, granted my old group used to play for 6+ hours at a sitting, and we tended to average 8-10 hours. So we generally saw 4-5 exp per session, with a few extra awards taking people as high as 7 or 8 points for a long session (12 hours, a bene point or two).

We'd also occasionally marathoned a 'weekend' when we had enough people together and the same days off. But then those were the "post-military/college" days for those groups (everyone was either fresh from leaving the military, in college, or both - and none of us had serious S.O.s, or if we did, they also gamed).

[oneofmanynameless]

"in general, he should give each player between zero and five points, averaging two or three points, per session."

After a lot of experience I tend to go for this, although I usually prefer for the GM to keep stock of earned CP behind the scenes and to manage character development based on in play choices (whether I'm the GM or I'm a player.) I also generally prefer to multiply the value of any points spent on powers by 2.5.