XPs for Regents

[Samuel_Barnes@icpmech.na]

I would like to know if any DMs have found or developed a good
standard for dealing out XPs for PCs who focus more on ruling and
developing the kingdom than adventuring. I haven't read the Boxed Set
completely, but from my experience with Birthright DMs are unsure
about how much a character should get per turn or per action.

For example:
In a recent campaign, all characters started out at first level. I
decided to focus on solidifying my rule in Roesone. Most of my
actions then were Rule and loads of Diplomacy - both of which I did
significant role-playing for.
Another PC figured that his kingdom was ok and decided on a policy of
adventuring every turn. By the 7th turn the character was nearly to
fourth level and the rest of us were struggling to reach 2nd.
The reason for the struggle was that the DM didn't award many xps for
'staying home.' Finally, around the 8th turn the DM doled out some
xps which brought everyone to 2nd level. I was glad for the
improvement, but I argued that he was shafting the theif and cleric
characters who needed significantly less than the fighters and mages
to go to 2nd level and they had done a lot more than some of the ftrs
and mages.

What I'm looking for here is a standard that someone has developed to
remedy this sort of situation that I'm sure other campaigns have
experienced.

[Sepsis]

At 08:55 AM 6/26/97 -0400,Samuel Barnes(Samuel_Barnes@icpmech.navy.mil)wrote:
>
> I would like to know if any DMs have found or developed a good
> standard for dealing out XPs for PCs who focus more on ruling and
> developing the kingdom than adventuring. I haven't read the Boxed Set
> completely, but from my experience with Birthright DMs are unsure
> about how much a character should get per turn or per action.
>

>

I have worked out a basic rule of thumb that seems both fair and realistic.
Generally I grant between 10-50 Exp. Points(depending on role-playing) per
*successful* DA. Still a sit at home Regent won't climb in levels the way an
adventuring one will, but then again they really shouldn't. Your DM should
be more careful with the Exp. he passes out to "adventuring" Regents, so as
not to throw the game out of whack. Kindly remind him that there are many
benifits to adventuring besides Exp. Points, so he can go light on them and
not feel guilty. As I said this works IMC, but it may not suit yours.

Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-

BR Netbook: http://www.box.net.au/~hoss/birth.html

[Dustin Evermore]

Sepsis wrote:
>At 08:55 AM 6/26/97 -0400,Samuel Barnes(Samuel_Barnes@icpmech.navy.mil)wr
ote:
>>
>> I would like to know if any DMs have found or developed a good
>> standard for dealing out XPs for PCs who focus more on ruling and
>> developing the kingdom than adventuring. I haven't read the Boxed
Set
>> completely, but from my experience with Birthright DMs are unsure
>> about how much a character should get per turn or per action.
>>
>
>>
>
>I have worked out a basic rule of thumb that seems both fair and
realistic.
>Generally I grant between 10-50 Exp. Points(depending on role-playing)
per
>*successful* DA. Still a sit at home Regent won't climb in levels the
way an
>adventuring one will, but then again they really shouldn't. Your DM
should
>be more careful with the Exp. he passes out to "adventuring" Regents, so
as
>not to throw the game out of whack. Kindly remind him that there are
many
>benifits to adventuring besides Exp. Points, so he can go light on them
and
>not feel guilty. As I said this works IMC, but it may not suit yours.
>
>Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net
>

IMC, I have ruled that regents do NOT gain experience point by sitting
and ruling at home. They can raise skills, work out to increase Hit Points,
and learn new skills. However, I can't see how sitting on the throne all
day, every day, is going to increase skill with weapons or raise Hit Dice
or improve saves (which I regard more as practiced reflexes and general
resilience than anything). Thus, that 50 year-old ruler across the border
may or may not have significant levels under the belt and the PCs never
assume anything.

Just some more thoughts.
Dustin Evermore

[EMagyar007@aol.co]

In a message dated 97-06-26 23:31:38 EDT, you write:

[Matthew M. Colville]

>At 08:55 AM 6/26/97 -0400,Samuel Barnes(Samuel_Barnes@icpmech.navy.mil)wrote:
>>
>> I would like to know if any DMs have found or developed a good
>> standard for dealing out XPs for PCs who focus more on ruling and
>> developing the kingdom than adventuring. I haven't read the Boxed Set
>> completely, but from my experience with Birthright DMs are unsure
>> about how much a character should get per turn or per action.
>>
>
>>
>
>I have worked out a basic rule of thumb that seems both fair and realistic.
>Generally I grant between 10-50 Exp. Points(depending on role-playing) per
>*successful* DA. Still a sit at home Regent won't climb in levels the way an
>adventuring one will, but then again they really shouldn't. Your DM should
>be more careful with the Exp. he passes out to "adventuring" Regents, so as
>not to throw the game out of whack. Kindly remind him that there are many
>benifits to adventuring besides Exp. Points, so he can go light on them and
>not feel guilty. As I said this works IMC, but it may not suit yours.
>
>Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

As a GM, I don't allow my players to *merely* take Domain Actions.
I sit down with them, individually, and we have a solo session in which
they perform thier domain action, and deal with (through role-playing,
decision making, and crisis management) whatever problems I throw at them.

For every solo session like this, I award 1/3rd the XP necessary
for advancing a level. This conforms to my basic rule of thumb that
*anything* we do for 4 hours is worth at least 1/3rd the XP necessary to
advance. It helps me figure out what to award when no-one is killing
monsters or discovering treasure, and it neatly prevents anyone from
complaining that no-one ever advances.

- ---------------------- ---------------------------
Matthew M. Colville. Armed only with wisdom
mcolville@earthlink.net The Shintao Monks fight against the darkness...
Role-Playing and Fiction
http://home.earthlink.net/~mcolville

[Dustin Evermore]

EMagyar007 wrote:
>In a message dated 97-06-26 23:31:38 EDT, you write:
>
> and ruling at home. They can raise skills, work out to increase Hit
Points,
> and learn new skills. However, I can't see how sitting on the throne
all
> day, every day, is going to increase skill with weapons or raise Hit
Dice
> or improve saves (which I regard more as practiced reflexes and general
> resilience than anything). Thus, that 50 year-old ruler across the
border
> may or may not have significant levels under the belt and the PCs never
> assume anything.
>
> Just some more thoughts.
> Dustin Evermore >>
>
>
>This is a basic *problem* with a game like ADND and not with skill based
>games. Elric! and Cthulhu, both produced by Chaosium are skill based
games.



>ability. Personally, I like the skill based systems better, since they
>de-emphasis combat as a way to gain experience. Monsters are not just
so
>much experience waiting for a hero to destroy them. Skills can be used
and
>increased without combat, the way it should be.
>
>Thanks,
>M.

I think we're agreeing to an extent. I do use the optional rules present
under the action Training in Birthright. With proficiencies added to
AD&D, it does allow to use of skills, and you can increase them without going
out on adventures, but rather spending a little time on them. Thus, a PC
can increase their skills, certainly, and does not have to wait to gain
slots until they go up in level (this is my own implementation of the
optional rule presented in BR). They can even say they are working out to
increase hit points.

However, for the other things you get from adventuring, i.e. hit dice,
improved THAC0 and theiving skills, and other stuff, I just don't see how a
king can improve this simply by ruling his nation. No, he must brave
assassination plots, lead armies, and personally resolve important issues with
character actions and adventures. Thus, I never award xps for
non-roleplayed, non-adventure type stuff. No one seems to minds in my game, though,
since almost all of the session is spent in roleplaying and adventuring
and plenty of experience can be made that way.

This said, I do have to admit I do personally find skill-based systems
far more believable in game play and fun to use. I use AD&D for Birthright
currently since it "fixes" my biggest problems with typical AD&D games.
And besides, with Birthright, I really feel the setting and wealth of
really good roleplay material makes worrying what type of system it's based on
really immaterial.

Cheers,
Dustin Evermore