21 thoughts on “So what’s your favorite experience system for PBTA games?”

  2. I like Classic Highlights for it’s decentralized authority, I like Failure to Learn for it’s inherent power curve, but I really adore Carrot or Stick choices — especially when it can be either character’s choice to Dish or Decide based on definitive actions and relative histories.

  4. So far my favorite is XP on a miss. I enjoy having the bloody nose mulled by a little reward.  Highlighting seems like a neat idea, but it’s felt hit or miss in our Monsterhearts game.  Dark (in particular) is a hard stat to use, so the odd time someone highlights Dark and a numerically weak stat, it feels like a flat tire.

  5. XP on a miss is definitely my favorite. As Michael notes, it takes the sting out of a miss.

    I also like “key” type XP awards, like the alignment moves in DW or moves like Oftner Right or the playbook-specific moves in the Regiment. I particularly like keys that prompt actions or decisions that cause trouble for the PCs. It’s a good way to reward such behavior.

  7. Through social influence and social barter mostly, but there are other times when I’ve seen it applied.

    Do this thing and gain an xp carrot, or Do some other thing and take the stick until some social debt is paid or conditional penelty is satisfied.

    This is also usually coupled with the inherent PbtA all actions provide interesting outcomes philosophy.

    The most difficult it’s done when you did it resolution mechanic, means complete failure is rare after the dice is cast… failure may follow on to become a tough situation where the outcome may be different than expected or desired, but that thing you did… it’s pretty much done. Now what do you do with these new twists and tangles? This is my main hesitancy to the XP for Failing process, the next big one is simple verisimilar wisdom, “Action is experience in motion — unbiased to successes or failures… only by time is adroitness from knowledge remembered as mastery.”

    But I do like the inherent curve:

    The novice quickly learns much by innocently stumbling in the darkness; yet the master finds more difficulty uncovering new and novel experiences in the light.

    That was a failure? Ok, well did it, so done did it… but…

    Make a Hard Choice or Pay Dearly; Hold Tight On The Carrot, But Loose The Brass Ring or Pay In Carrots For Cucumber Flavored Twinkies.

    Take XP for a Task or Temptation, or Ignore Res Gestae and owe Boon or Burden.

    Every action already has a Failure XP come up if the situation in the fiction justifies the need… so, it also stacks it up on redundancy a bit at times.

    example: I rolled a Highlighted Stat, Failed, and was given a choice… take the carrot or the stick… +3 XP, but I have to kill Rofball for Joe’s Girl, in a way that lets the whole town know it was Her justice that he faced. Damn, and I was trying to calm her vengeance, not up the ante… $#!t &^@|< .

    Over all… it comes down to what method is most convenient to keep the current activity moving, and the fiction flowing, with the most tailored fiddly bits for the particular player’s interests and character’s choices. That’d be the system I use, Edition Walls and Publisher Proprieties be damned.

    OH, and I am really digging the Factions mechanic in Urban Shadows… that one is a novel approach for XP too.

  8. William Mims

    Dude, you write like a Delphic oracle. I feel there’s something profound in what you say, but I can’t figure out exactly what. Could you give a more explicit example of carrot and stick? Does the MC just arbitrarily offer XP for action or are you talking about the rules from an existing hack? Do you apply it only on roll failures, or other times? Enlighten this simple one.

  9. I am talking about the social influence rolls in Apocalypse World… but expanding the concept to include all the places where the concept is generally used.

    AW has moves and moments where the player can choose to take or give +1 XP or -1 Ongoing… such as Seduce/Manipulate.

    Also the various Debts and Strings based social influence systems in some *World Hacks, tend to offer similar net results in applied process.

    The MC could offer a carrot, a stick, or a choice, any time there is a call for an appropriate MC Move… which is fairly frequent enough to be at any time a whim is fancied.

    But interactions between Player’s Characters can set up moments where players can offer carrot or stick moments to each other as well… though, it depends on actual situation and group interpretations, I suppose… to nail down an example isn’t simple, I’ve not really tracked every instance I’ve witnessed the concept in action.

  10. Oh right, I forgot those – I love those, Jeremy Strandberg. Like the Officer in The Regiment, they’re often brilliant.

    “Harsh Lessons: When one (or more) of your soldiers are killed or go critical because of a decision you made, mark xp.”

  13. XP on a miss is always in. Something with Bonds or History is usually good. A standard set of after-session questions is good.

    I’m currently working on a secret project where each playbook has a set of objectives. Meeting one of those objectives in a session is worth an XP. They’re basically a riff on after-session questions, but customized and can be triggered in the middle of a session. I consider that optional, but an advance in the middle of a session is a thing I allow in my games; I’m just not going to make it mandatory.

  19. Now DA’s XP is based on Rights, before you got one xp for every debt and move you used, but you could only use it once that advancement. This made players spread their moves around.

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