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Monday, July 6, 2015

Bennies vs XP (Savage Worlds)

I've been putting a lot of thought into the use of bennies. Especially with regards to my "other uses" I've written about in the past.

The two additional used I've been trying out is using them as rewards much like Fate points for compels and GM intrusions.

The problem is I don't feel bennies are enough of a reward. If bennies are flowing and the game is moving along nicely a compel or intrusion are both complications to the story. Complications that must be delt with and overcome.

As an example; if one of the players is on a stakeout watching for a suspect to leave his home. If I offer a benny to compel the player to give in to his addiction by abandon his post for a minute to step over to a newspaper stand to get a pack of smokes, so the suspect can get away. A bennie just doesn't seem like a proper reward. Though my players are really good sports and almost always accepts the bennies its really out of interest in keeping the game interesting and not because the reward is well worth the complications.

My idea is from now on only giving 1xp to every player for just showing up. 1xp each player if a story milestone is reached during the session. All other xp will come from ones being offered from compels and intrusions.

2 comments:

  1. I think the idea is good. Maybe the reward could be sort of a convertible xp Benny a little like Old School Hack's "Awesome Points" mechanic where it only counts as xp after it is spent. I am a borrower and a tinkerer.

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