Nerdarchy on D&D XP: Should This Sacred Cow End
In this 17-minute video on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted ask the question does fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons need experience points anymore? We don’t know any Dungeon Masters or D&D players who are using it in their games.
The conversation begins with Dave and Ted wondering about who uses XP to measure advancement in their D&D games. Between the two of them a tremendous amount of D&D gets played with many different groups and in the current era of the game not a single one of them use XP.
In the video Dave and Ted discuss the advantages of both using XP and not using XP in games. They segue into how and why their groups moved into taking XP out of the equation, which includes feeling like players who missed a session because of other responsibilities were getting punished. There’s several other considerations too and they explore these in the video. Because XP is so deeply connected to the D&D experience (it is the granddaddy of RPGs from which all others derive, after all!) it’s something of a sacred cow and with WotC moving towards One D&D they wonder about the effect on the game if it were removed altogether.
The conversation wraps up with a look at some other RPGs. Tracking character advancement with XP is almost ubiquitous among RPGs but there are examples without it and they point out some of these. Shadow of the Demon Lord and Quest, for example, stipulate how characters advance after every session. For another perspective on XP they point to earlier videos about Mashing Up Milestone XP and Inspiration in 5E D&D and 5E D&D XP and Encounter System Art or Science and you might find some inspiration of your own there.
Do you use XP in your D&D games? How do you track advancement? Share your methods in the comments here or at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel or with the community over at Facebook and until next time, stay nerdy!
Featured image — Fun fact: the historical painting used to create the video thumbnail depicts grognards, or members of Napolean’s Old Guard, whose Grenadiers were known as “the Grumblers” (les Grognards in French) because they openly complained about the petty troubles of military life. The Star Wars reference was just for kicks.
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