The Smoldering Wizard

Old-school Roleplaying

Musings on Experience Awards in 0e and White Box Games

May 21, 2022 — Doug

Link to Discussion

In Greyhawk, the first OD&D supplement, there is this famous text (p. 12):

"The awarding of experience points is often a matter of discussion, for the referee must make subjective judgments. Rather than the (ridiculous) 100 points per level of slain monsters, use the table below, dividing experience equally [emphasis theirs] among all characters in the party involved..."

The emphasis on "dividing experience equally" is interesting. I used to think that Gygax was railing against 10 slain Orcs being worth 1000xp, divided among an entire party. Which is strange to me, as I still like to play this way in all my OD&D/White Box games, regardless of the system. I find it helps PCs gain levels more quickly in today's gaming environment, which is typically shorter games with smaller groups that are played not as often. Maybe it results in rapid advancement if you are playing 1974-style 12-hour sessions, but still not overly so, given the typically larger parties back then.

But now, looking back carefully at Men & Magic on the section about awarding experience, p. 18:

"Experience points are awarded to players by the referee with appropriate bonuses or penalties for prime requisite scores. As characters meet monsters in mortal combat and defeat them, and when they obtain various forms of treasure (money, gems, jewelry, magical items, etc.), they gain "experience." This adds to their experience point total, gradually moving them upwards through the levels...

Let us assume he gains 7,000 Gold Pieces by defeating a troll (which is a 7th-level monster, as it has over 6 hit dice)...thus; 7,000 GP + 700 for killing the troll...

It is also recommended that no more experience points be awarded for any single adventure than will suffice to move the character upwards one level. Thus a "veteran" (1st level) gains what would ordinarily be 5,000 experience points; however, as this would move him upwards two levels, the referee should award only sufficient points to bring him to "warrior" (2nd level), say 3,999 if the character began with 0 experience points."

Notice that nowhere in there does it say to divide experience equally among each party member leaving the reader to deduce from the example how to handle larger parties. I suspect that what some referees were doing back then was awarding the total XP for slain monsters to the entire party, without dividing it up equally (this seems even more likely with the example about the veteran earning 5000xp in one session). So a party of six first-level PCs that battled and killed 10 orcs would each get 1000xp. And that does indeed seem "ridiculous", especially when you include treasure-based XP awards in the total.

I can imagine Gygax receiving letters about this, or hearing of games played where referees were seeing every PC gain a level per game, which prompted that paragraph and emphasis in the Greyhawk supplement. This is all just conjecture on my part of course, but I'd love to hear from anyone who played back then and knew of referees who awarded XP this way.

Tags: musings, odd, whitebox, experience, greyhawk

Random OD&D Dungeon Solo Play Report #4 - The Adventures of Graf the Warrior

October 16, 2021 — Doug

Link to Discussion

Link to Prior Solo OD&D Play Reports

In our last session, Graf the Veteran got lucky and left the dungeon with a 6,000gp jewel, more than enough to level up. Back in town, he upgraded his armor to plate, purchased a short bow, a lantern and some oil, and set about trying to hire some help.

In OD&D, retainers are classed and leveled help that a PC can hire to accompany them on adventures, for a share of the loot. The rules stipulate some expenses, but "the referee must determine expenditures". However, in the section on hiring specialists and mercenaries, a guide of 100-600gp is given for advertising expenses, so I used that to make it easy.

Graf spent 100gp and had two potential hires present themselves - a Cleric and a Magic-User. Graf offered 200gp up-front to each and a 1/3-share of any treasure. The Cleric was insulted by Graf's offer, but the MU reacted favorably, and agreed to accompany him back to the dungeon. Total expenses for Graf: 417gp.

I perused my stash of index card characters, and pulled out Shal the Medium, with a 15 INT, giving her an extra 1st-level spell under my house rules. She memorized sleep and hold-portal, and headed out to the dungeon with Graf. For this I was using the Monster & Treasure assortment and the AD&D 1e DMG random dungeon generation tables.

Read more...

The Chronicles of Nolenor Play Report #28 - The Harvest Fair

August 16, 2021 — Doug

Real dates: 11/10/19 In-game dates: November 23rd, EY632

PCs:

Ambrose (Swashbuckler – Fighter L5)

Roger (Woodsman – Warden L4)

Hirelings:

Retainers

Figgish (Thief L1 - Squire to Ambrose)

Read more...

Random OD&D Dungeon Solo Play Report #3 - The Riches of Graf the Veteran

July 11, 2021 — Doug

Link to Discussion

Link to Prior Solo OD&D Play Reports

For this session I rolled up Graf the Veteran. He was light on starting gold, and so was outfitted with chain armor, a spear and a sling, with 12 torches, rations and a flask of oil in his backpack. He started with 3hp.

Read more...

Random OD&D Dungeon Solo Play Report #2 - Freya versus the Undead

June 25, 2021 — Doug

Link to Discussion

Link to Prior Solo OD&D Play Reports

For this session I rolled up Freya the Acolyte. She was outfitted with plate, shield, mace and the usual assortment of dungeoneering equipment, and had 3hp. Again I'm using the 3LBBs as written, with the Strategic Review random dungeon tables and the Monster & Treasure Assortment as needed.

Read more...

Random OD&D Dungeon Solo Play Report #1 - Delth's Folly

June 21, 2021 — Doug

Link to Discussion

I've been running OD&D solo sessions on and off for the past few months, as I have some time and the inclination I roll up a PC and run through a random dungeon crawl. I'm sticking to the three 3LBBs with some other bits from the same time period:

  • The Strategic Review Issue #1 "Solo Dungeon Adventures".

  • D&D Monster and Treasure Assortment (useful not only for monsters and treasure, but for the "Treasure is contained/guarded/hidden by/in" tables.

  • The revised underworld wandering monster tables from the Greyhawk Supplement (this is all I'm using from that supplement), just to give a bit more variety.

  • Various unstocked maps, as needed.

Read more...