In some video games the next part of the adventure doesn't open up till the player acquires enough points/XP. This means he has to hunt around for more through ancillary challenges or encounters. How could this work in a game?

Lets say you acquire clues for completing an encounter (define an encounter as any important plot point). YOu would spend those clues to unlock the next encounter. Usually you get enough, but perhaps also clues can be spent for other things, so to get more the players will have to explore the environment to produce more encounters (say they hit the local mook bar to press some goons for information). Once they acquire enough they can choose to proceed, perhaps along with an ingame lead (the actual clue, perhaps, not just points), to their next plot point.

Meh.
Honestly? That's one idea that just doesn't float with me. I spend time in games I write tying things to the in game perspective. Something "real" to the PC's point of view, not metagaming it to the player's POV. Which all experience points really are mechanically. In short form, I think its a terrible way to handle a game.

It's functionally identical to the concept of level-appropriate encounters, so while it's not something I'd use in a game, it's not so unusual.

If you run a game with adventures that are part of a series where not all of the parts are available yet then it would be sort of like unlocking chapters though without the pointless messing about to meet requirements(unless you add a bunch of bridging encounters between each part).

Using XP points to unlock later chatpers/encounters is just a console/PC game mechanic to keep the player focused in the section of the game that the designers want you to stay in whilst you level up/improve.
 
It has nothing to do with a regular tabletop RPG.

I love it when a plan doesn't come together.

Quote from: Lawbag;436438Using XP points to unlock later chatpers/encounters is just a console/PC game mechanic to keep the player focused in the section of the game that the designers want you to stay in whilst you level up/improve.
 
It has nothing to do with a regular tabletop RPG.

My thoughts. If I want to follow the yellow brick railroad, I just play a video game.