So Ive been working on a Spy game. Ive been thinking about experience. It is a level based game. The amounts of experience to gain a level isnt what Im concerned about. But how the experience is generated. Gaining it by slaying creatures or finding gold isn't really an option. Im thinking of something along the lines of how palladium does it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I'd make most of if objective based.  Depending on how many objectives are complete in a mission, dictates the xp award

Mission objectives and how many secrets you dig up.  Not to mention how many secrets you keep buried since after all what the enemy does not know will kill him/her.

So heres my thoughts so far what do you guys think?

Awarding Experience


XP Rewards
1 Using a skill
3 Quick thinking/Useful idea, or action
5 Completing a mission objective
10 Completing a mission
10 Endangering oneself to complete mission/accomplish goal
5 Good Roleplaying
5 Daring Action (successful or not)

Level/XP
1/0
2/10
3/20
4/30
5/40
6/50
7/60
8/70
9/80
10/90

I forgot to add,

These totals are not used concurrently. So for example it takes 10 points to reach 2nd level. Then it will take 20 more points to reach 3rd level.

So 250xp total to reach level 10? Thats only 25 missions at the very most, if no other rewards. That might be fine for you or go really fast, depending on your tastes.

Yeah, I'd stretch out these XP values for each level. 1 mission completed = straight to the next level?

Also, "completing a mission" is kind of vague, isn't it? Missions may have multiple objectives, and these objectives may change if tings go FUBAR owing to factors outside the operatives' control. And I'm sure dealing with unexpected situations should be worth something, too.

Here's how I'd do it:

1. Do away with "completing a mission" XP awards. It's not about the destination but rather about the journey.

2. Reduce, or do away entirely, with the award for "endangering oneself"; if it's a gritty spy game, I'm not sure we want to encourage PCs to take stupid risks. If you keep it, make sure it's less of an award than having a brilliant, risk-averse idea.

3. Don't use 10 points per level. Make each level more expensive than the last. Works for everything from D&D to karate belts. I'd use a simple arithmetic progression: level 1 requires 10XP, so from 1 to 2 you should acrue 15XP, for a total of 25XP. From 2 to 3, 20XP, for a total of 45XP, and so on.

My suggestions:

XP Awards
1 Using a skill
3 Good Roleplaying
3 Daring Action (successful or not)
5 Endangering oneself to complete mission/accomplish goal
5 Quick thinking/Useful idea, or action
7 Completing a mission objective as given by mission command with zero or minimal collateral (GM's call)

Level/XP
1/0
2/10
3/25
4/45
5/60
6/90
7/125
8/165
9/210
10/260
11/315
12/375 etc.

I guess I didn't explain the XP/leveling very well. It cost 10 xp, to go to 2nd level. It costs an additional 20xp to got to 3rd. To go to 4th level an additional 30xp. So at 4th level you would be sitting on 70xp. So not 10 per level.

Quote from: The Butcher;726788Also, "completing a mission" is kind of vague, isn't it? Missions may have multiple objectives, and these objectives may change if tings go FUBAR owing to factors outside the operatives' control. And I'm sure dealing with unexpected situations should be worth something, too.

Here's how I'd do it:

1. Do away with "completing a mission" XP awards. It's not about the destination but rather about the journey.

2. Reduce, or do away entirely, with the award for "endangering oneself"; if it's a gritty spy game, I'm not sure we want to encourage PCs to take stupid risks. If you keep it, make sure it's less of an award than having a brilliant, risk-averse idea.

3. Don't use 10 points per level. Make each level more expensive than the last. Works for everything from D&D to karate belts. I'd use a simple arithmetic progression: level 1 requires 10XP, so from 1 to 2 you should acrue 15XP, for a total of 25XP. From 2 to 3, 20XP, for a total of 45XP, and so on.

My suggestions:

XP Awards
1 Using a skill
3 Good Roleplaying
3 Daring Action (successful or not)
5 Endangering oneself to complete mission/accomplish goal
5 Quick thinking/Useful idea, or action
7 Completing a mission objective as given by mission command with zero or minimal collateral (GM's call)

Some good things to ponder. Thank you.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;726536I'd make most of if objective based.  Depending on how many objectives are complete in a mission, dictates the xp award

this but add personal objectives determined byteh PCs.
I started doing this in Amber and for any game with a conspiracy hint its great.

It does the following
i) means players can ignore your plot and concentrate on their own agendas and still progress
ii) encourages players to engage with the wider world because they are looking to expand their PCs
iii) Makes the players think about what their PCs actually want to do which aims immersion and roleplay.

It really really works well.

As a guide my PCs have 3 active objectives at any one time usually short medium and long term.
The scope of the objective determins its xp rating
The objective must involve a conflict (not physical necessarily. So finding out who caused the explosion at Archangel is a great objective but learning Russian fuently isn't (that is what you do with xp not what you get xp for).
A really long term objective shoudl be split up into chunks. You don't have to do this but it makes more sense. This way you get regular chunks of xp rather than huge infrequent leaps.
the players come up with the objectives the GM works with them to extablish the xp value and helps to make them SMART so you knwo when they have been hit.

I really recommend it as it add a whole layer of immersiona nd roleplay and makes xp part of the ongoing game rather than an addition.

I like what your saying here jibba. Hmmm... need to revise, some of my revisions.