XP Flow

[Angelalex242 101]

According to this core rule book I just bought here, page 320 says XP per session (weekly, in a face to face environment....) can be as low as 10...or as high as 25. And that doesn't count story awards.

 

At 100+ XP per month, suddenly my 600 XP=Jedi Knight idea doesn't sound so wacky, cause you get there in 6 months of play. My Obi Wan at 2200 XP sounds a lot more reasonable when it takes about 1.75 years to get there.

.

...So maybe I'm not so wacky after all to imagine super high XP characters.

[Atomisk 66]

Most groups don't play every week, so I doubt that 100 xp a month is the norm. Heck, I'm lucky if I can swing once a month! Otherwise your point is a fair one though, and I think that's partly why they haven't made character stats for the Canon characters. Yes they MAY be that powerful, but that's also a very high level of play that most will never touch.

For reference, I use 20xp as a baseline and reward 5xp on top of that for good rp and hitting certain story objectives. Mind you our sessions usually are 5 to 6 hours, if not longer, and cause it's a monthly game I have them on the faster xp track. I think if we played more frequently for shorter periods, I'd likely just do 10-15 a game. Others have made the point that gaining xp too fast let's you miss out of actually experiencing your new abilities as you grow, which can lead to forgetting about them.

[Krieger22 2,471]

I typically run at 30-40 XP per adventure, with each adventure taking 2-3 sessions to complete. My group plays every week, but we also have a couple of Pathfinder games going so it's not all Star Wars. My EotE players now clock in at some 700-800 XP, with about half of them having started down their third specialization, and compared to my AoR campaign that I just started a week ago they're noticeably tougher. But still in no way overpowered or difficult to balance.

 

We also have a 23-years long Star Wars campaign with the D6 system that I plan on converting to this system after I get my hands on F&D. Those characters are serious overpowered for that system, and I think I'll be starting them out at something like 1500-1600 XP and a cap of 5 specialization trees each. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to run sessions for characters that advanced.

[Space Monkey 124]

We have the problem that we only get to play once every 2 to 4 weeks and our sessions are only 2 hours long. As such I tend more toward more generous xp awards so the players actually feel like they're getting somewhere.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Space Monkey

[DarthGM 2,337]

I use the formula long ago suggested by Jay Little.

 

For every hour of meaningful story play and plot advancement, you award 5xp.  Assume that a quarter of your time is spent goofing off and telling stories (i.e. NOT having meaningful story progress). 

 

So for a 4 hour game session, award 15xp.  For an 8 hour weekend game, award 30xp.  6 Hour game; 20-25.  Your call.  If you've got a really dedicated group of players who "keep it going" the whole time, award them xp for that hour(s) they didn't goof off.  Story accomplishments go on top of that.

[Alderaan Crumbs 441]

I've been giving out a base of 25 XP with two players and it hasn't wrecked anything. It's allowed them to "get somewhere" in a timely fashion and also let them grab things a larger group of PCs might need, rounding them out and letting them tackle more with less, so-to-speak. As far XP for time goes, I'm not a fan. If you can only squeeze in a 2 hour session, but it was fun and productive, both in and out of game, I don't feel players should sweat losing out because they can't play for a longer time. That makes it more like an hourly wage and playing to time, not to standard (and will they get more XP if they go into overtime? ) In the end it's up to each group, obviously, and what's neat is that no one way is better. Advancement with this system feels more organic and forgiving than other systems I've played, which is something I've always enjoyed.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Alderaan Crumbs

[Simon Retold 1,132]

As a GM, I struggle with this. I want to give good XP rewards, but at the same time, it feels as though getting to 1000XP in a year might be a little on the powerful side for only a year out, especially in a trilogy of campaigns that I plan on lasting at least two years, if not more.

 

One solution I considered was giving my players XP on a curve - meaning that I'd start large, handing out 25XP per four-hour session, but that it would slowly work its way down to 10XP per session, where it would plateau off. (But even at 10XP per session, a year of playing is 520XP, so it's nothing to sneeze at.) My players, however, preferred a flat 15XP per session (plus Motivation rewards), so that's what they're currently earning.

[eldath 202]

Our group play every week and I give 5xp per hour (approx 20 per session). We started at knight level, but so far no-one is over powered.

[Desslok 13,571]

We tend to give 10-15 points for a 5-ish hour long session, and that seems to be giving us a pretty good progression without being too overpowered in the long run. But then we tend to lowball to make sure we can play the Long Game.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Desslok

[Grayfax 991]

I kind of like the 5 XP per hour guideline.  I'll probably still include end of adventure bonuses, but that makes a reasonable calculation and fair for what we normally do.  

[LethalDose 628]

At 100 XP/month, you'll earn enough XP to buy every talent in a single tree in 3 months.  Say it takes another 100 xp/ another month to buy the skill ranks you want from that talent tree plus the next specialization, so that roughly a new spec every 4 months.  And that doesn't consider the cost of force powers...

 

I don't think I'd want it any faster for a consistent weekly game, but I think that'd be okay.  If I was only running a game every other week, that'd become every 8 months, and I would worry that would be a little slow.

 

If things were moving on the quick side, I'd say get a little stingy with the credits to limit the gear they had or start tossing around some Obligation (Nothing says you can't use it after character creation in a separate game).

[Wulfherr 46]

I run 6-8 hours long sessions, 1 or 2 times a month, and I chose to award 35-60 xp (I wanted progression to be fast) per session, depending on the amount of the story covered and roleplaying done. We have just finished the first part of the campaign, which took us about 8 months and two more parts are coming up. I'm considering slowing down the xp flow. Still, considering we don't play every week, I'll probably never go lower than 25xp per session. 

[Kilcannon 177]

I award 20 to 30 xp per 4.5 to 6 hr session. Then if all players collectively stay away from metagaming they get 5 to 10 more xp. Then if roleplaying is good they get 5 to 10 xp. Then if they accomplish something great they get 5 to 10. I started them at 300 xp (200 any xp amd 100xp that can't be used for force talents or powers). They are now 700 xp and having great time. Will eventually slow xp down to 20xp a session but not until they get to over 1000 xp

[jivjov 256]

I definitely had a problem of giving out WAY too much XP to my players early on. I was handing out 50 or so at the end of a session. The only problem is now that I'm trying to dial it back, my players are feeling frustrated at the lack of notable progress on their sheets.

[Lorne 2,021]

 I think I'll be starting them out at something like 1500-1600 XP and a cap of 5 specialization trees each. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to run sessions for characters that advanced.

 

I'm guessing it's like playing Nobilis, but with 10x the complexity.

 

 

P.S. for sake of posterity, going to quote myself from the soon-to-be-lost-like-tears-in-the-rain F&D beta thread:

 

Max level at SAGA was 20, a certifiable BAMF supreme.  800 earned XP makes you a BAMF, if not ready for outright retirement, in FFG, so if my elementary division skills aren't cheated by the martinis (no judging!), that's 40XP per level in SAGA.

 

Double-checking my arithmetic, 40XP is rougly 8 hours of gametime, wherein one could easily fit about 8-10 encounters, which is on par with SAGA guidelines for leveling.

 

Now, in SAGA, you weren't a "Knight" until level 7 or 8, which is going to translate to about 300 earned XP before you can justifying calling yourself a "Jedi Knight".  That seems about right to me.

 

 

So, just for some perspective, 800 to 1,000 earned XP is going to be roughly equivalent to around level 20 in old SAGA edition, roughly making one the Greatest Jedi/Sith the Universe Has Ever Seen.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Lorne

[dfn 88]

I definitely had a problem of giving out WAY too much XP to my players early on. I was handing out 50 or so at the end of a session. The only problem is now that I'm trying to dial it back, my players are feeling frustrated at the lack of notable progress on their sheets.

If the players enjoyed ~50 XP per session, and are now frustrated with less...why not continue with 50? What problems, if any, does it present? If you're happy, and the players are happy...

[Kilcannon 177]

Agree as long as everyone is happy

[jivjov 256]

 

I definitely had a problem of giving out WAY too much XP to my players early on. I was handing out 50 or so at the end of a session. The only problem is now that I'm trying to dial it back, my players are feeling frustrated at the lack of notable progress on their sheets.

If the players enjoyed ~50 XP per session, and are now frustrated with less...why not continue with 50? What problems, if any, does it present? If you're happy, and the players are happy...

 

 

Well, my players were just getting too powerful too quickly. Combat became too easy, everyone was throwing large handfuls of dice on every check.

[Angelalex242 101]

'Too Powerful' is a point of view. Because, in this universe, there's always a bigger fish.

 

If players are powerful enough to curbstomp Inquisitors, word will reach Sidious and Vader. They may send an Emperor's Hand (Not Mara, probably, but one of the others...) or they may have Vader put in a personal appearance.

 

(In general, stat Vader up with about triple the XP any player has. If Sidious has to enter the field personally, it's probably game over. Nobody can take that guy)

Edited July 31, 2015 by Angelalex242

[Kilcannon 177]

My players are around 700. One of them consistently almost dies. Another just lost his arm to a Sith enforcer. They have seen two masters die right in front of them. We as a group like cooler and more diverse characters, but doesn't mean the minions aren't better. The rivals are trouble and a nemesis can't give them a run for their sabers

[dfn 88]

I definitely had a problem of giving out WAY too much XP to my players early on. I was handing out 50 or so at the end of a session. The only problem is now that I'm trying to dial it back, my players are feeling frustrated at the lack of notable progress on their sheets.

If the players enjoyed ~50 XP per session, and are now frustrated with less...why not continue with 50? What problems, if any, does it present? If you're happy, and the players are happy...

 

Well, my players were just getting too powerful too quickly. Combat became too easy, everyone was throwing large handfuls of dice on every check.

Are combat encounters impossible (or very difficult) to balance after a certain point? Genuine question, not sarcasm. 

 

Also, you may consider combat encounters with alternate goals:

- Protect the transport/convoy/whatever

- Steal the plans for a secret weapon ( )

- Prevent an NPC from escaping

- Prevent baddies from killing an NPC

- Prevent enemies from kidnapping an NPC

- "Hold the Line"

- Three-way FFA fight

All of the above can be run as a normal combat encounter with normal rules for combat, except there are goals other than kill all PCs/NPCs, which moves the emphasis away from DPR, and may make combat more challenging.

Edited July 31, 2015 by dfn

[Kilcannon 177]

Agree completely. I don't have to worry because my players aren't just about kill or win. They like the twists and turns and favorite fights for them usually include more than just attacks

[Angelalex242 101]

Besides, this is Force and Destiny. The wise jedi takes his opponent alive, if it all possible. Killing a prisoner is not a good idea. Even if it's, say, Count Dooku.

[jivjov 256]

Well, to be fair, my group is an EotE-centric group with a couple players using AoR specs. I just posted here because of the topic. So my players aren't coming up against force users and lightsaber wielders much (or at all).

 

And yeah, I've found combat to be harder to manage at higher "power levels". The stock FFG-provided stat blocks seem pretty hilariously weak, even for nemesises. I had what was supposed to be a "Big Boss Fight" dude get very very nearly 2-shotted at my last session.

 

Yeah, I can always bump up the bad guys' soak/wound threshold to make combat take a bit longer, but it just struck me as odd at how ineffectual an FFG-provided bad guy was.

[Syralus 13]

My group plays every Saturday evening (8 players). I started xp off at anywhere between 15/20 xp per session depending on the session (10 sessions in now). I'm currently slowing xp down to about 10/15 xp per session as I've given my players access to a sizeable lump of credits. Eventually I'm going to bring my xp back up, but I have other things I want done first.