Improvement rolls

[Builder]

Hey guys, quick question

Do you tend to give improvement rolls out at the end of every session, or do you give them out on a different timetable?

So far I have been giving them out every session and a lot of the players have them building up the sheets quite a bit.

 

[Dan True]

Hey guys, quick question

Do you tend to give improvement rolls out at the end of every session, or do you give them out on a different timetable?

So far I have been giving them out every session and a lot of the players have them building up the sheets quite a bit.

I tend to split them out and give them each session - usually 1 improvement roll per session. Remember though that any character with a improvement modifier, should only recieve the bonus modifier roll roughly each third time or something similar.

- Dan

 

[Builder]

That's interesting, I tend to give out quite a bit more than that per session, between three and if they have done a lot that session 7, with an average of 4/5 a session.

I don't use the improvement modifier as I don't like it as a mechanic, I also use the times from MRQI.

I started the campaign in MRQI and have only recently got PDF's of the MRQII stuff so I am incorporating periphial stuff in gently before I make a decision to switch over entirely.

A different question, how have people found converting MRQI characters to MRQII?

 

[Dan True]

A different question, how have people found converting MRQI characters to MRQII?

I feel like there's missing an adjective from that sentence?

- Dan

 

[Builder]

A different question, how have people found converting MRQI characters to MRQII?

I feel like there's missing an adjective from that sentence?

- Dan

I think the sentence is ok and understandable, if it makes it any easier here it is done slightly differently.

How easy/difficult have people found it converting characters from MRQI to MRQII?

 

[Dan True]

I think the sentence is ok and understandable, if it makes it any easier here it is done slightly differently.

How easy/difficult have people found it converting characters from MRQI to MRQII?

My bad, I see it now.

 

[soltakss]

Do you tend to give improvement rolls out at the end of every session, or do you give them out on a different timetable?

So far I have been giving them out every session and a lot of the players have them building up the sheets quite a bit.

I give them at the end of every scenario or major scenario section, so every 2-4 sessions. However, I normally give out 1D6+6, 1D8+8 or 1D10+10 rolls. In our game, we have combined Hero Points and Improvement Rolls, so players get the choice whether to amass Hero Points, spend them on Improvements or spend them as Hero Points.

 

[Redcrow]

I like to give out IR's for every session and its usually in the 3 to 5 range, though especially long or difficult sessions can certainly earn more. I think 6 or 7 is the most I have given out for a single session so far.

Generally I only grant Hero Points when the characters are able to avert something catastrophic that would have succeeded had it not been for their direct intervention. e.g. The characters stop the BBEG from poisoning the entire towns water supply.

Although I am a little more generous than the RAW as to how Hero Points can be used during the game.

 

[Khamulcalle]

My players does not like coincidence when rolling how many points you get. which can (will) happen with the IR's.
So we made a system that works like every "Improvement Roll" is a 3 point unit. I will handout (depending on how tough and how well they played the senario) 1-5 "IR's", so they will get between 3-15 points. These can be used on skills, Characteristics or Hero Points. When a skill reaches over a hundred it costs 1 extra point, e.g to raise a skill from 102 to 103 will cost 2 points. If you wanna raise a value from 201% to 202% it will cost 3 points (1 in base and 2 extra points cause of the 200% value)

To raise a Characteristics you add your value with the value you want to have. e.g If you wanna raise STR from 12 to 13 will cost a total of 25 points.

A player cant add more than 10 points in one skill. But you can harvest points when you want to raise a Characteristics (cause you cant get 25 points in one session)

If you have the IR-modifier you will get 3 extra points so you will get 6-18 points depending on the outcome of the senario.

/K

 

[sdavies2720]

I give out usually 3-5 per session, in part because I'm only running any given campaign a few times a year -- advancement is glacially slow anyway.
1 point for showing up
1-3 points for contributing to party success
1-2 points (or occasionally more) for roleplaying.
1 point for making me laugh a lot

I generally give out another 3-5 when they complete a major story arc or reach an objective -- maybe once every 6-10 sessions or so.

Steve

 

[PhilHibbs]

I give 1-3 per session depending on how much action there has been, with an extra 3-5 at the end of a scenario, and CHA bonuses whenever an opportunity presents itself to make use of social contacts.

Hero points are awarded 1 for special occasions and 1-2 at end of scenarios.

 

[Morgan d'Barganfore]

That sounds fair.

 

[DamonJynx]

My players does not like coincidence when rolling how many points you get. which can (will) happen with the IR's.
So we made a system that works like every "Improvement Roll" is a 3 point unit. I will handout (depending on how tough and how well they played the senario) 1-5 "IR's", so they will get between 3-15 points. These can be used on skills, Characteristics or Hero Points. When a skill reaches over a hundred it costs 1 extra point, e.g to raise a skill from 102 to 103 will cost 2 points. If you wanna raise a value from 201% to 202% it will cost 3 points (1 in base and 2 extra points cause of the 200% value)

To raise a Characteristics you add your value with the value you want to have. e.g If you wanna raise STR from 12 to 13 will cost a total of 25 points.

A player cant add more than 10 points in one skill. But you can harvest points when you want to raise a Characteristics (cause you cant get 25 points in one session)

If you have the IR-modifier you will get 3 extra points so you will get 6-18 points depending on the outcome of the senario.

/K

That's actually quite good. I like it.

I normally hand out 2-3 IR's when PC's accomplish a goal or finish a story thread, which is usually the same thing as I'm running a fairly loose campaign.

 

[EricJ]

I would also give out improvements rolls for certain basic skills like candy, either giving them for free or mandating them. For example, an adventurer who spends a season in a foreign culture new to him should pick up its language skill at basic level. A caravan guard on his first jungle trip should pick up Survival(Jungle) if he survives.

Hobby skills should be available too. We know from Apple Lane and AH CoG that Glorantha has chess. I assume different cultures have different rule sets, and I assume Kraorela has go instead. I've toyed with creating rules for rolling out a chess match that handles it like a stylized combat with "hit locations" like Material, Initiative, and Position, but I've not done that yet. Now, I thing a GM should encourage players who want to have their Knightly characters develop skills with chess, their sailor characters develop skills at tusk-carving, and their farming characters develop skills in blowing smoke rings. As a GM, I'd give discounts for players who invest in those.

 

[danskmacabre]

I give out anywhere up to 5 IRs in a session, but I space out the allocations when the characters are on a break in between adventures etc..

 

[Vagni]

I tend to give out 3-5 IR's at any natural break in a scenario or campaign. So if the PC's get a rest for a day or two at an inn or on a ships journey I award them then. This tends to be every 3 or 4 game sessions on practice, so probably once or twice per scenario.

I also award one extra 'social' IR if my players have used skills such as influence, orate, sing, dance, law-speaking etc in some way to advance the story or gain influence in some way. This is especially so in the very community based Vikings campaign I run. This extra IP must be used for one of these skills.

I also award the occasional free skill check if a skill has been used a lot by the players or they have been in a situation where they could have learnt a lot from watching or helping out in some way. A good example is awarding a free check in Ship handling for players who have just returned from a long sea journey, or one in Survival for players who have trekked across a hazardous environment.

 

[Builder]

Something I am doing at the moment is giving free skill checks for use of books, depending on the lore they are trying to learn from the book dictates how long they have to spend studying.

So one of them has been learning lore Theology, for every week they study the book they get one free skill check, to a maximum of 5 times from that book.

Its just a bot of an encouragement to go for lore skills, but still takes up a lot of time so they can't be doing other things or learning other skills faster through improvement rolls.