(TFT) Subjective/Objective Experience

["grabowski" <grabowski@erols.com>]

Much like Patrik, I hated the way experience was gained of DX points given
as experience for the kill.  This caused a lot of in fighting between two
player characters.  One was a "brute" and the other was a archer, the
"brute" would put himself at risk and beat the heck out of an enemy and in
waltzes the archer, who would fire one arrow at that same fighter and take
him out for the DX points.

When I played, I used the system provided in the book because the players
liked it.  Because we played for hours on end, at the end of the night or
should I say early morning, I gave each player character 10 points for each
hour played.

I really don't like and I know a lot of players don't like subjective
experience.  There needs to be objectives even when it comes to roll
playing.  To give an example:  I had been involved in a FRP campaign, where
the GM/DM fawned over certain characters because he liked the people playing
them better than others (sounds childish, it is).  If you are on the wrong
end of the stick (like myself and two other gamers), you felt like the guy
in the red shirt in Star Trek.  You ask why we kept playing?  Well for one
thing it was the only game in town (1976 D&D) and even though the DM was a
pain, we still liked him.  This problem eventually resolved itself when the
players he liked got on his case about the problem.  It got a little better.
What I am saying with this example is experience should not be left up to
the whim of the person in charge (DM/GM) but in objectives being
accomplished.

Warhammer Roleplay modules (at least the Doomstones campaign) are some of
the best examples of how to give out subjective experience objectively.
EXAMPLE:
Did the character pass the trial of fire    20 points
Did the character help defeat the group of Orcs in room 11   35 points
Did the character assist in killing the Orc Lord     100 points

This is subjective in the fact that why is the Orc Lord 100 points when a
room fill of Orcs is only worth 35.  It is objective because there are
points given to accomplish certain objectives.

This system would end the mathematics after a battle and save it to the end
of the campaign/dungeon/etc.  Less time consuming in play but more time
consuming on the GM's part because he has to come up with how much each
objective is worth.

Another way this system could be handled is this.

Did the character pass the trial of fire    10-20 points
Did the character help defeat the group of Orcs in room 11   15 - 35 points
Did the character assist in killing the Orc Lord    50-100 points

Subjectivize (new word???) the objective points and have the players rate
themselves for each objective and you as the GM rate them and then average
it.  Leads to less arguing as the players are rating themselves and prevents
every one from getting 100 points for killing the orc.

Yours in Cidri,
Justin


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