Doc Democracy Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Just going to bed and I thought I would throw out a question that just came into my head: What is the purpose of character advancement in a game? More specifically, the purpose in a superhero game.... I think that there needs to be some marking of success in the game but if the villains get harder as the characters get harder, what's the point?? Doc PS: Night all - I need to get some sleep if I'm going to be able to face the week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Re: Character advancement that can be said for any RPG for me I want to see some kind of growth in my character over time RPGs in general are games with out an end unless your character dies or you become god and everything runs like clockwork forever afterwards or till some other PCs see you as a problem that needs to be dealt with RPGs are about overcoming 1 problem only to have to go after another 1 later you might have to deal with many problems at the same time if you over come the last problem the game is over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prestidigitator Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Re: Character advancement To me it is more that that players can feel a pattern of continual growth so that 1.) things don't get boring, and 2.) the more history they put into a character the more that character can have dramatic impact on the world around them. While the villains might get bigger and badder the average Joe on the street (and other aspects of the environment) doesn't, so things tend to start to feel, "more epic." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Re: Character advancement I tend to purchase new Skills and Perks with XP rather than upgrading raw combat power. I like to think this not only fleshes out the character but provides previously unavailable methods of problem solving. It's not always about pummeling the bad guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement ... What is the purpose of character advancement in a game? More specifically, the purpose in a superhero game.... ... Well, most superheroes in the comics start out facing rather simple threats and challenges. Experience lets them face bigger and/or more complex challenges. The original television season of Batman:TAS, Batman was essentially facing street thugs in many of the first few episodes. In the last season of Justice League Unlimited he was facing threats of a much greater variety and challenge. It was still the same character who originally faced the street thugs early in his career though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eosin Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement When we run an X-Man or Avengers game there isn't any XP. When a character has changed enough, in a way we all like, a new character sheet is generated and considered the default. I like it. So, I'd argue that XP need not be a factor for a successful game but that such a game would require characters to be built to design. PCs could evolve over the course of the campaign but only when story line dictated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utech Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement Some games start with a master challenge far too difficult for the PCs to handle. PCs gain power in order to someday face and defeat that challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement If we had another reward system we might not need XP, or not as much: say the character can win City of Heroes type 'Inspirations' - temporary power boosts (+1 overall skill level, +1 Damage class, that sort of thing). Players would still feel good play was being rewarded but we would not have XP inflation. All depends on the type of game you are playing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Democracy Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement OMG. A set of reasonable responses - nothing off the wall and even Sean has come into that categorisation! There is a paradigm in RPGs that you start small and gain experience to get bigger and badder. It is true across most games. Beast pointed out that he wanted to see his character 'grow'. Treb indicated that such growth does not have to be about physically pummeling the bad guy. Golden Heroes had a system that provided indices of how well the character was perceived by others - the press, the public, the authorities etc. I like to see character growth as well, I agree with Treb, I have always been fascinated by that aspect of Golden Heroes. My perception of the comics is that more often than anything else the character does not grow in power ('cept over long periods where popular characters have to become more powerful to be as hard as the readers want them to be). The big challenges in superheroes and the growth areas tend to be social - better contacts, better facilities, better relationships and often a better understanding of themselves and defeating their inner demons. I suppose the last of that could be represented by buying off disadvantages but I would love a system where this was better defined and more satisfying in-game. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schir1964 Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement One of the options I provided with my "Genesis Setting" was to allow the GM to create full powered versions of the Superheroes the players wanted to play. Once the "event" happened the normal versions of the characters the players had designed, the players would then have to figure out how to use their powers. This allows the GM to keep the general power level in check, but can let any particular character to use whatever power level is necessary for any particular situation as a means to show growth. Never got to see this actually used in practice. It requires a great deal of trust between the Players and GM. - Christopher Mullins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Re: Character advancement OMG. A set of reasonable responses - nothing off the wall and even Sean has come into that categorisation! .............. Temporary aberration, I assure you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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