Best way to handle backgrounds after Character Creation

[Jack1]

Do people find it's easiest, when faced with the issue of players procuring new backgorund dots in game to straight up reward people free of charge or, after players justify it with IC actions, let them buy the background for a set amount of exp.


Par example, in the game I'm currently in, players have the option of spending exp (3 per dot) to arrange for the backgorund in question (after a relatvely small amount of effort) to fall into their lap. However if players actualy labour for something they still have to pay. If a player loses a background, say his business goes bust or his artifact destroyed, the GM refunds him the exp in the background. It's a good system. It's fair and it works.


Now I'm starting my own game up pretty soon, and I havent decided how I want to handle this issue. On the one hand, the System my GM uses is functional and fair, however my style of GMing has always leant towards being in favour of the players where I can I like to reward them for efforts in character. (giving them the background for free if they worked for it) Unfortunately, this gives certain players advantages, and it's abuseable (I summon that demon what's made of Jade. And again. And again).


Anyone care to share their thoughts?

 

[Flagg]

As I see it, Backgrounds are for pre-game aquisitions and alliances only. Anything that happens in game, happens in game. It doesn't need to be represented by a dot on a page at that point.


-S

 

[Forn Clakes]

When I first started to ST Exalted games, I would make sure that every character's background's were up to date, with every new ally, contact, artifact accouted for.  


Now, I don't bother.  I agree with Still on this, Backgrounds should represent a character's life before play and only be updated at certain arcs in the story, not session-by-session.  Trust me, I've learnt the hard way.


~FC.

 

[wordman]

As I see it, Backgrounds are for pre-game aquisitions and alliances only. Anything that happens in game, happens in game. It doesn't need to be represented by a dot on a page at that point.

I second... er... third the motion.

 

[uteck]

People who summon lots of demons tend to draw attantion, at least they do in the game I am in.  Players have aquired vast fortunes of resourses 4 or 5 and that was compensated by haveing groups of people wanting their share of said fortune.  The big uber artifact had a few groups of people trying to find it, some of whom I did not want to meet for any reason.  


In game benefits should be seen as an oppertunity for a new plot hook.  :twisted:

 

[Samiel]

Par example, in the game I'm currently in, players have the option of spending exp (3 per dot) to arrange for the backgorund in question (after a relatvely small amount of effort) to fall into their lap. However if players actualy labour for something they still have to pay. If a player loses a background, say his business goes bust or his artifact destroyed, the GM refunds him the exp in the background. It's a good system. It's fair and it works.

I use this system for a number of reasons. There is the fairness of it all, as I have a mix of nubs and l33tzors. If backgrounds were contingent on in-character ambition, at least one person at the table would be destitute (And you know who), and another (Mr. Q himself) would be so laden with Orichalchum he'd have to wear (Orichalchum) sunglasses to see beyond his lapels.


It has occurred to me that in exchange for using this system, I should award more xp per session, and from tomorrows session out the base xp is going to be 5 rather than 4, with normal rewards.


Whether you use this in your game or not is a matter of your personal taste, but if you're thinking like me it depends on the players more than anything else. I know I wouldn't have a great deal of problems if someone else got all the material cheese, but what if someone else did?


That said, Roy probably wouldn't care, and Rob's characters die soon after aquiring their first bit of the pie, so he might avoid some cheese. In fact, the person that stands to gain the most from free backgrounds is probably me.


You have a different group, and I'm not sure any of us are going to spend whole sessions reading books or something like in mine and then complaining about their lack of artifacts, so I think you're safe using either without trouble.

 

[Jack1]

Samiel said:

It has occurred to me that in exchange for using this system, I should award more xp per session, and from tomorrows session out the base xp is going to be 5 rather than 4, with normal rewards.

Retroactively applied right?


Bear in mind that I paid you compliments in that other thread.


Everyone else said:

Dont charge for backgorunds

I'll try it out, at least at first. Thanks for the adive everyone.


I've never GM'd for exalted before so I'm a little wary.

 

[Samiel]

I've never GM'd for exalted before

LIAR!

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

LoL, harsh accusation Samiel.

 

[DarkProphet]

I will occasionally increase/decrease or grant background points to players during games.  Of course, they have to be supported by actions in-game.  


I don't allow characters to buy background points with xp, although it might be possible to persuade me to allow such, there's have to be a good in-game reason why the character has obtained the background, though.... generally if the character has done something to earn an increase in a background or a new background... then I'll give it freely and they wont have to spend the xp.


I also don't give xp back as a result of reduced backgrounds, I see no reason to give xp out because they've lost a point or more of backgrounds.  Sure, they spent points to get them, but they've done something in-game to lose them and after the game officially starts, the points they spent on backgrounds don't really matter.  It'd really depend on what the background is and what happened to lose the points and such.  Backgrounds like artifact are different, if they lose the artifact, it breaks or is stolen... I'll usually give them a chance to get it back, and as such they don't lose any points.


Keeping track of the background points isn't difficult and doesn't take any effort at all, for the most part the ponts don't change at all.  Usually the ones that change, are given as new backgrounds or removed are ones like contacts, allies, backing, and so on.  If they become a member of a guild (in the case of one of my players, he became a member of am assassin's guild) then they'll get backing according to their rank in the guild.  It takes almost no effort to keep track of.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

I've found that post-chargen, it's easier to give group-based backgrounds as part of the rewards, and reduce the xp gained that session by a point or two.


 For example, if the Exalts come across their ultimate weapons as a prelude to the last campaign arc, I might only award half the story bonus I otherwise would have given them.


 Every so often, I've found it useful to offer certain backgrounds in exchange for xp. Manses work well with this.


 In summary, as long as the ST controls the xp-for-background flow, and has final say, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Yeah, I do the same of awarding backgrounds via in game events and play. I keep a decent track of it. I never really cared to give xp for it, unless it was artifacts, then good God, I'd be a nazi over what they get.