Does anyone else have an XP formula/idea for new characters joining an established group?
My working solution at the moment is that the new player’s character receives 5+n XP to spend however they like, where n= total number of sessions. The intent is that they will be generally a little behind the other PCs in terms of overall XP, but for the purposes of skills, they have a slight boost so they don’t have to compensate as much.
Depends on how far along the established group is. If it’s only a session or three, just run the new people through some downtime activities. Between training and role play to reduce heat they should earn enough.
If it’s a lot of sessions, then it might be best to have them in as a freshman so to speak. Have them play up the “new kid vs the grizzled veterans” you can also award them extra XP for playing against threats above their tier.
Zero. Since my group is rather comfortable swapping out characters, I think characters will regularly be of different XP counts.
But even if they weren’t, I think Blades is a great game for allowing lesser characters team up with veterans. It’s got a very flat power curve. Sometimes Tony Soprano has to take Christopher on a job with him. Does he wish he had Paulie or Sylvio? Of course. But mentorship is important.
We had two new characters join our crew after session 50. They were able to jump right in and mix it up with the rest of them. It’s not like D&D where more experienced characters automatically outshine the newbies.
They way my group has handled it the couple times new characters has been brought in is give the new character a couple “advances” to get them about on the level of the other characters. Although the last time I had a new character come in I just brought them in stock. It works either way because a new character is still going to be balanced against the threats the GM will throw at the group most of the time. Thats just how Blades was designed and is one reason it is so great. But there is nothing wrong with granting a new character a couple special abilities/action dots when they come in if you want to. Ive done it both ways.
Also (and this may just be indicative of the fact that my campaign is a much slower burn than most rather than anything else), my players don’t earn anywhere near 5 XP a session, so a multiplier of 5 would put new characters WAY ahead of existing ones.
Oh crap, I notated that incorrectly (been way too long since I did algebra). My formula is actually 5+n. It’s a lot less, but the question is still a legitimate one. Thanks for your answers, everyone! I appreciate the design of the game being such that differences in XP aren’t too much of a problem. I’ve mentioned to players many times that you shouldn’t be afraid of utilizing skills with no dots anyway, because a desperate position grants XP, and you can get 2-3 dice from a devil’s bargain, pushing yourself and getting assistance from another PC.
One thing to remember is that a lack of skill bears no relation to the desperation of the roll. Just because they don’t have the skill doesn’t make the situation desperate, as far as I can tell.
Oh, of course. I meant it more from the perspective of “things that you’re not particularly suited/equipped for.”
New characters have never gotten bonus XP in my game. Veterans aren’t so much better than new characters that new characters feel irrelevant.