Itemized XP tracking?

[SteveZilla]

I have a question for everybody out there. An informal poll, really.

A long time ago I started keeping an itemized record of XPs awarded to my characters (usually just date and amount) because I'm forgetful and have had some forgetful GMs. Also, it helps me to better remember the history of the character, anchoring certain chronological points in my mind.

I was wondering how many others do something similar instead of just keeping a running total?

[TheRavenIs]

Haven't done that in a formal way....but it does sound like a good idea.


Good Idea----repped

[Nevenall]

For my Star Wars game I keep a list of each chapter and the experience given out for it. As well as miscilaneous (sp) awards.

I like it because I can look back and see how far the campaign has come.

[Curufea]

A couple of my players do it. Which is good, it means they care about their characters and track their development.
I don't as a GM because I'm a narrativist :)

[Dust Raven]

For the longest time I kept an Excell spreadsheet that tracked XP earned for each player and for what the XP was awarded for (by general category). After each session I'd open up the spreadsheet and enter the XP earned that day, and at the end of the story I'd award the totals to everyone. This allowed me to go back and explain why one player received fewer XP than another, or why one player received more than everyone else, and occasionally give advice if one player seemed to be falling behind on XP.

BTW: the number one reason for a player falling behid on XP was absence. If the player doesn't show up, he's not there to experience anything.

[Edsel]

I keep a detailed campaign log of my game see the Weekend Warriors Campaign Log (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40202). In it I keep track of XP awarded to the player characters.

[Lord Mhoram]

As a player, in each campaign I play, I keep a character diary of a quick description of the adventure and thier thoughts. Usually at the end of said summation I list the XP I got.

[Edsel]

You might be interested in something like this tracking sheet from Eosin's Fantasy Hero game (Last Dominion) here is a link to the pdf of the sheet (http://www.pencil-pushers.net/Downloads/Tracking.pdf).

[Frenchman]

I do it in reverse - I keep a list of things I want to buy, and each time we're awarded xp I put some hash marks by the ones I allot xp towards, then when its paid for I scratch it off the list and put it on my character sheet - it also means that I'm the only person in our group who knows how much xp my character has.
The Most :king:

[keithcurtis]

Every adventure we run has a title and an xp award. The XP award is usually standard. We don't give out prizes for good role-playing or anything like that. The award amount does decrease as the character gains points, however.
Here's an example from a Savage Earth character:


Tira
0: Prolog
1: Nemo’s Court
2: Jewel of Merikia
3: Settling In Part 1
4: Settling In Part 2
5: The Death Pits
6: The Deal
7: Spyke
8: Vampire, or Too Many Haiku’s
9: Reunions and Revelations
10: Karkul
11: Into the Wilds
12: Last Stand at Abitibi
13. Return to Tallon
14. Paladin Play
15. Annihilator: The Theft
16. Annihilator: The Search
17. Annihilator: The Return
18. It takes a Thief
19. I Went to a Garden Party
20. Gator Attack
21. Bon Voyage
22. Coralia
23. Ungava
24. Strait of Belle Isle
25. Sanlorenz
26. Montral
27. Dirondack Mountains
28. Niagara
29. Stoneroost
30. Triangle
31. Tronto
32. Citadel
33. Niagara revsited
34. Mouth of Ontar
35. Gauntlet
36. Lair of the Lamanaria
37. City of Diamond
38. Homeward Bound
39. The Telling of Tales
40. Investigations
41. Ship of Glass
42.Declarations of War
43.Blitz
44. False Tribute
45. Reprisal
46. Last Voyage of the Orion
47. City of Crystal 48. Falling Sands
49. Raiders from Below
50. Down to Earth
51. Rebuilding
52. Missing Persons
53. Riddle of Iron
54. Big Trouble in Little Tallon
55. Turning Points
56. Puppeteer

Keith "Meticulous record-keeper" Curtis

[SteveZilla]

I do it in reverse - I keep a list of things I want to buy, and each time we're awarded xp I put some hash marks by the ones I allot xp towards, then when its paid for I scratch it off the list and put it on my character sheet - it also means that I'm the only person in our group who knows how much xp my character has.
The Most :king:

There is one other who knows how much XP your character has -- the GM. :)

For games where stuff is bought with points, I have also maintained a "wish list" of things to buy, though I didn't go so far as to 'allocate' XP towards anything in particular. I just saved up and if I thought it was time to buy something (and had the XP for it), I'd discuss it with my GM, who never once had a problem with any purchase, though sometimes it was worked into the story. With a 30 point expenditure I once did, the GM made it into a sub-plot and gave me a "radiation accident" to explain the big jump in power.

By keeping my XP 'unallocated', I could better adapt to whatever direction the GM's game went in. If it was combat heavy -- skill levels and powers (either to increase existing ones, or new ones). If it was interaction-heavy, then useful non-combat skills (either to increase existing ones, or new ones). A mix of styles (what I preferred) brought about a mix of purchases, and a well-rounded character (IMO).

For other games where the XP just accumulates (like D&D), I just kept the date and amount on a custom character sheet. I've thought about doing a journal, but every game that I've tried that in (barring the one current one I'm in) folded before anything really important happened. :mad:

[zornwil]

My XP/Rep system is based on detailed accounting of events and awards XPs/RPs according to various types/magnitudes of events. So, yes.

[Rapier]

I use the Notes tab in HD to keep track of my players and me, as a player. It happens that on occassion, that I actually lose track or click the wrong button or something and have to recalculate my XP. This makes sure I don't short myself (or the player) or give them too much. It's a really good idea. Plus it helps you to remember where you've been. I pretty much just describe the night with a short 5 word (or so) description and the XP award.

Parking Lot Danger Room: 2xp
Search of the city and dam: 2xp

[Vondy]

Every adventure we run has a title and an xp award. The XP award is usually standard. We don't give out prizes for good role-playing or anything like that. The award amount does decrease as the character gains points, however.
Here's an example from a Savage Earth character:



Keith "Meticulous record-keeper" Curtis

This is really good!

As a player I have three characters I have kept these kinds of records for (and many that I didn't). One is for a character that is truly ancient*, but I didn't start jotting a few lines down with each entries until the character's second full-time stretch. I have no idea what some of the older one's are supposed to remind me of!

*Started 21 years ago, played regularly for 5 years; then retirement for 4 years; then a return to full-time for two years; then semi-retirement with off and on returns to this very day.

[Matt Frisbee]

To answer the initial question -- I do for every game I run. I used to publish a running total of every character in the game for every session. If a player had dispute about how much they actually had, I'd just open up the campaign log and read off their awards session by session. In the rare cases where I was wrong, I made the correction, but that usually required a concensus of everyone at the table.

My latest campaign I've been slightly lax in keeping track of XP's, but I do intend to remedy that in the near future. :)

Matt "Couldn't-stand-accounting-class-but-keeps-meticulous-gaming-records" Frisbee

[MPT]

I always keep track of how much XP I give out each session and to who. I also keep track of what they spend XP on. This way I can check player's character sheets at any point and know if the values have been updated correctly.

I also ask players to decide what skills etc. they are working towards (I don't allow PCs to just buy skills, they must spend some time working towards them) and keep track of this as well.