"Story Awards"

[file this under the "bashing someone's edition" category]

Comments on my Wednesday post had me going back and forth a bit with Dan regarding 2nd Edition AD&D and its reward mechanics...so much so that I had to go back to my battered copy of the 2E DMG (I keep one on hand for reference) and try parsing out the system yet again. 

First, a note on my experience with 2E: it ain't much. I quit playing AD&D around 1988 after my original gaming group "broke up." Met some kids in my high school who still played, but A) they continued to play 1E even into the '90s, and B) D&D just wasn't my "scene" any more (at that time). We gamed together, but it was generally Palladium, Vampire, Stormbringer, or something weird (Toon or random shit). Later on, in my 20s and looking to get back into D&D I delved deep into the RC/BECMI realm...and could find no takers. So I decided to buck up and get the 2E books. Ran one aborted game (the group dissolved in argument before we even started) and played in another with an experienced 2E DM...however, while I had fun with the latter the whole thing degenerated into a shit-storm because:

A) we wouldn't play on the DM's rails, and

B) all the PCs had different agendas

[the party consisted of a ranger, a rogue, and a "war-priest" (this latter being a mechanical fighter who fashioned himself the holy man of a god who did not grant spells or turning ability, but instead allowed edged weapons and better combat prowess). The ranger was happy to do whatever (as long as he could shoot guys with arrows), the "priest" wanted to build his religion (asserting dominion over bandit groups and whatnot by besting their leaders and converting them), and the rogue was being played like an old-school thief, picking pockets, sneaking around and stealing shit, etc. The DM eventually threw his hands up at trying to manage us into his adventure]

I own exactly three 2E-era modules, and only one of them have I tried running (as a 1E adventure); two of them I picked up for...um..."research" purposes. We'll get to those in a minute. Point is: not much experience with 2E. Had a buddy in college that wanted to start a 2E campaign (can't remember, but he might have wanted ME to run it. Didn't happen), but that never got off the ground. Still, while I have read the books, once or twice, I'm far from an expert on 2E, nor have I any experience of running or playing in a 2E campaign. Its nuances are bound to escape me.

[oh, wait...I did some SpellJammer stuff with/for Steve-O. That's 2E, right? But that was a loooong time ago; we played far more Rifts than SJ]

Back to yesterday...Dan wrote:

You keep calling Individual XP "standard" when it's specifically called out in the book as an optional rule. Never used it, and never played with any else who used it either.

Dan is correct. On page 46 of the 2E DMG; here is what it says in the Experience Point Awards section:

There are two categories of experience point awards: group and individual. Group awards are divided equally among all members of the adventuring party, regardless of each individual's contribution. The idea here is that simply being part of a group that accomplishes something teaches the player character something useful.

From a strictly game mechanics point of view, this ensures that all player characters will have the opportunity to advance in experience points at roughly the same rate. Individual awards are optional, given to each player based on the actions of his character and his character's class.

Emphasis added by moi. This is the only place where it is noted that class XP awards are optional...it is NOT noted on page 48 (where the class awards are listed), although there is a side bar regarding individual awards for clever ideas, role-playing, encouragement of others, etc. that is EXPLICITLY noted as being an "optional rule." When you list one "optional rule" in a sidebar to another section, I think you can be forgiven for making my mistake (especially when the section text begins with "there are two categories of XP awards: group and individual..."). Ah, well. 

[I will note my one stint playing in someone's 2E game, these individual awards were NOT deemed optional, which was part of what led to our breakdown in play: fighter was trying to fight, thief was trying steal, etc. Does not make for a cooperative atmosphere]

SO there are only two ACTUAL, non-optional XP awards in 2E: combat awards (hello 3E, 4E, and 5E!) and story awards. Combat awards are strictly mechanical: there's a table based on a defeated opponent's level/HD which is modified by special abilities...very similar to all prior editions of D&D. The "story award" is different; here's what the text says:

This other group award is that earned for the completion of an adventure. This award is determined by the DM, based on the adventure's difficulty. There is no formula to determine the size of this award, since too many variable come into play. However, the following guidelines may help:

The story award should not be greater than the experience points that can be earned defeating the monsters encountered during the adventure...

The story award should give a character no more than 1/10th the experience points he needs to advance a level...

Within these guidelines you have a great deal of leeway. 

There is more to the section but it offers nothing concrete, only discussing how XP is used to monitor (and regulate) character progress, some notes about handing out arbitrary "survival" awards (properly noting "survival is its own reward"), and penalizing XP earned by PCs that died during an adventure.

What isn't discussed is...well, a lot. Like the fact that different character classes require different XP amounts to level so that "one-tenth" limitation isn't going to apply equally among classes. Nor is there a discussion of what constitutes a "story" or its "completion" or what to do when the party deviates from what the DM feels is the story proper.

[is Bilbo's story about killing a dragon or is it about stealing some gold from its hoard or is it about finding self-reliance, courage, and leadership? And is his story the same as the Thorin's?]

So, I spent the morning digging through the closet in my office (a monumental feat if you've never seen it) to find the three 2E adventures I own for a little guidance on this whole "story award" thing; they are: Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (John Rateliff), Return to White Plume Mountain (Bruce Cordell), and Night Below: an Underdark Campaign (Carl Sargent). Hoo-boy!

As I noted back in 2017, Rateliff in RtKotB strongly urges DMs to use the "optional" (old edition) mechanic of giving XP for treasure found. This in addition to "any appropriate story awards." Regarding the latter Rateliff writes:

Appropriate story awards are listed at various points in the text; generally speaking, rescuing hostages, defeating the plans of evil characters, and eliminating a threat to the Keep are all achievements worthy of experience point awards. For each cave in the Caves of Chaos that is completely cleaned out, give the group a story award. 

He then lists some actual numbers: 100 XP for Caves A through E, 200 XP for Caves F, G, H, and J, and 300 XP for Caves I and K. 

These story awards are in addition to any experience points gained in actually exploring said cave [note: Rateliff's emphasis, not mine]. When the adventure deviates from the established script [??], extrapolate the story awards listed in the text to come up with appropriate awards for your player characters.

Okay, then. What story awards are actually listed in the text? Nothing. There are none. Good work, Rateliff.

[please feel free to point out any I missed. I read/skimmed the book twice today and found nothing]

Okay, so: "completing the adventure" equals "genocide." Or something. I see why he "strongly urges" DMs to use the old x.p. for gold system. Moving right along...

Cordell's Return to White Plume Mountain is the adventure I have (years ago) tried running with 1st edition rules; it didn't go very far, but I am familiar with it. Cordell's a pro's pro and explicitly lists the (2E) XP Awards in a prominent section at the end of the adventure:

The characters may be eligible for additional experience points based on their actions. Each character actively involved in ending the threat of the False Kerapti should receive an XP story-award of 1,000 times his or her level. If the heroes save the child-Keraptis from the shade of the vengeance, each receives an additional 2,000 XP. If they refuse to give the child-Keraptis up to the Resistance (the easy way out), but instead find a good and proper foster home for him, award each PC an additional 3,000 XP. 

Well, that's all pretty cut-n-dry right? Defeat the bad guys, save the kid, and get him to a good home and you can earn 12,000 to 15,000 XP (the adventure is for characters 7th - 10th level). Which is a bit outside the one-tenth guideline limit for story awards, but it's close (unless you're playing a rogue).

What's NOT cool, though is this: you've got a fairly brutal, 80+ encounter dungeon with a "hook" that has NOTHING to do with defeating "false Kerapti" or "saving a [special special] child." The (multiple) hooks boil down to:

• Retrieving a stolen magic weapon (yours or someone else's)
• Rescuing an old friend
• Investigating "rumors of evil"
• Curiosity (anything in that-there mountain?)

Screw. You. Cordell.

SO, assuming you're running the adventure straight AND you're not using any optional rules AND your DM isn't telegraphing the plot like a madman (i.e. railroading, etc.) THEN the only x.p. you could potentially end up with is from the monsters you fight? What does that encourage PCs to do?

I *thought* (briefly) that perhaps "story XP" would be awarded for recovering the various magical weapons. I mean, that's one of the main hooks for the adventure (go find Wave). And look here! Each of the magic weapons lists an "XP Value" with its description. That must be what it's for, right?

No. ALL magic items in 2E have an XP Value. But I thought 2E didn't award XP for finding treasure. It doesn't:

Note: XP Value is the number of experience points a character gets for making an item.

[DMG2E, page 135]

Remember those "optional" individual XP awards? Right. Wizards (optionally) earn XP for enchanting items. If your 2E wizard makes Blackrazor (and the DM is using the optional individual awards), you character will get 8,000 XP. Yay...fun D&D, that.

SO...we go on this cool adventure...that has a hidden goal/objective. We spend multiple sessions exploring its multiple levels of danger. We maybe NEVER accomplish the "hidden" story award of the thing. But as long as we're fighting and killing everything we encounter, we'll earn experience towards leveling. 

Great. Plowing ahead...

Big Fat Adventure

Night Below! This book is massive. I ordered it POD off DriveThru sometime back, and it's a couple hundreds of pages (not counting dozens of maps). Originally a three-book boxed set, it is considered one of the finest offerings of the 2E era (here's a review); it is an ENTIRE CAMPAIGN designed to take PCs "from 1st level to 10th level and beyond." Check this part out (from page 9 of the introductory chapter):

Earned XP

This campaign assumes that characters gain XP for monetary treasure, at the rate of 1 XP for each gp value of the treasure. DMs not wishing to employ this optional rule should increase XP story awards to compensate, ensuring that the PCs advance at a sufficient rate to meet the challenges of the adventure. Playtesting shows that to maintain campaign balance, PCs should earn some 60% of XP from sources other than slaying monsters.

Oh, 2E.  When it comes to XP for treasure, 2E says "I just can't quit you."

Night Below offers an interesting sub-system called Social Collapse Points (SCPs) that PCs earn as they destabilize the evil subterranean societies, and succeeding at bringing about this collapse does earn the characters bonus XP in the thousands, but almost all of the things that earn SCPs are either slaying monsters or destroying/vandalizing property. But that's part of the "story awards" for Book 2 of the campaign (that section effectively ends once collapse had been achieved). The story awards I could thus find include:

• 1,000 XP for concluding Book 1 IF the PCs can wipe out the bad guys in a single foray.
• 5,000 XP for earning 50 SCPs in Book 2
• 5,000 XP for earning 100 SCP's in Book 2
• 100,000 XP for destroying the ultimate Big Bad in Book3

But there IS a lot of treasure in Night Below....though probably not enough, considering the lack of XP awarded for magic items in 2E.

Hey, folks. I know the following thought is probably going to be met with some ire, but I'm going to post it anyway. In my last post, with regard to "story awards," Dan wrote:

I have no idea where you get the idea that this discourage self-starters. An adventure is an adventure, regardless of whether the DM lays it out on a platter or the PCs choose it themselves. Finding a goblin lair in the wilderness and looting it is a completed adventure just as much as slogging through a boring Dragonlance module is. I have never run a game with XP for treasure in my life, and player engagement has never been a problem.

How does one define adventure? In B/X, it is a single game session; does this hold true for 2E? If not, where is the adventure's beginning? Where is its end? Who says when it's over? The DM? In a B/X or 1E game, PCs can beg off at any time...because they don't like the scenario, the risk versus reward, whatever. But this idea that a "story" must be "completed" is a shitty, shitty concept.

What it SOUNDS like...and please disabuse me if this is wrong...is that 2E advancement is, at its simplest, just "combat experience multiplied by two." That is, you get experience points for defeating opponents, and then you get the same experience ("x.p. equal to defeated opponents") whenever the adventure is considered to be "done." Which...well, that's just 3E again, but with a different formula for calculating it, no?

Am I mistaken?

I want to continue this discussion (somewhat) in my next post, but it won't be about 2E specifically. In an effort to be constructive, I'm going to talk about the positive aspects of 1E's reward system.

Have a good weekend, folks.

: )

Spoiling the Keep (p. 1)

For those of us who started in the D&D hobby with some version of pre-1983 "basic" (Holmes or Moldvay) the adventure module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands is pretty familiar. It was included in those old box sets and many of us cut our teeth on it (as a player or DM or both), back in the day. Many folks, re-entering the hobby after decades (or returning to "old school" play after experience dissatisfaction with latter edition sensibilities) have pulled a weathered copy of the module to fire up a new campaign. I've used it myself for this purpose...more than once! 

The B2 adventure is ubiquitous in old school circles...and in D&D, generally. Towards the end of the 2nd edition era, Return to the Keep on the Borderlands was published, a silver anniversary rewrite of the adventure updating the thing while reusing the history and locations found in module. Goodman Games put out a "5th edition conversion and classic homage" called Into the Borderlands -- with the original Roslof art gracing the cover! -- a couple years ago, and that mammoth tome can still be found in stacks at local game shops, including WotC's main retail store here in Seattle. 

The original adventure has been lauded and lambasted; analyzed, scrutinized, and criticized. People have apologized for the module, praised it (and elements of its design), and suggested ways to "rehabilitate" it. Many of us have run it, played it, read it, and blogged about it over the years; on my own blog I see I've already more than 30 posts tagged with the "B2" label...not surprising given the impact it's had on me as a DM. After all, it was the first published adventure scenario I ever picked up.

And now I'm returning to the thing, running it for my kids, albeit using the AD&D system.

[which doesn't require all that much adjustment...really]

Pretty sure I've posted
this image before...

This time, however, is a little different. In past runnings, I've always played the module "straight," i.e. as written and wholly unexamined. The play has been the thing, not the "story" of the Keep and the Caves. And this approach has served MY needs well enough, though frustrating in one respect: players have had difficulty with the challenges presented. Back in my (very brief) BECMI days, I had a party that managed to clean out most of the Caves, earning enough x.p. and treasure that they were ready to move on to a new adventure site. But in the main, I've seen players fail miserably at invading the Caves, losing character after character (and party after party) until finally "giving up" and deciding to take their adventure aspirations elsewhere. 

And none of that has required any more story than what is given in the text. A fortress on the edge of the wilderness. A cave complex occupied by hostile monsters. A band of plucky adventurers looking to score a pile of bloodstained coins. Do you need more "story" than that to have a good time? Not everyone does; I didn't, for a quarter century.

I'm looking at things differently now. I'd like to say that my "needs" as a DM have changed, but only because that's an easy phrase to reel off; there's something more going on in my head that is much harder to articulate. And I'm not going to try right now...suffice is to say that the old approach to running B2 no longer satisfies. The text as written can no longer go "unexamined."

SO, my plan (such as it ever is) is to start a new series of posts on this hoary, ancient module, even as I run it (again) for my children. They will include my thoughts on the thing, its setting, and my modifications to the adventure as I try to beat it into some semblance of a "useful play aid." Because that's how I'm looking at the module at the moment...not as an adventure to be "won," but as a campaign opportunity to be explored without any sort of expected outcome.  Doing some examination and analysis will (I believe) allow me to do a better job running the adventure that way.

This series (I am assuming it will be a series...there's a lot to discuss here) will, by necessity, contain a lot of *SPOILERS* because, I'm sorry, if this type of thing is at all interesting to you then I'm going to assume that you are already familiar with the module and none of the things I "reveal" will ruin the adventure. Not that there's a whole lot of surprises in the adventure as written (though more than I want to enumerate), but you can consider this my one and only warning on the issue.

All right, that's it. I'm still putting together the order in which I want to do this, but I'll start in earnest with "Part 2" of this series...hopefully before the New Year!   ; )

Later.

Treasure in the Borderlands

The last couple weeks I've been thinking a lot about D&D campaigns, specifically how I might incorporate existing adventure modules into a single, long campaign. There are multiple reasons my brain has been on this track...but the reasons aren't really that important.

Here's the main skinny: there are pre-published adventures that I like, and that I'd like to run as part of a campaign. That's really all that matters.

More on that later (perhaps)...today's post is about The Keep on the Borderlands (module B2) and its subsequent 2nd edition sequel Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. I've owned Return for a while now (a couple years, at least), but I've never run the thing. I'm not sure I'd even given it a really thorough read before the last couple-three days as A) B/X has been my edition of choice (and the original Keep my introductory adventure of choice) for the last decade or so, and B) 2nd edition AD&D has never really "been my bag, baby." However, two things (thinks?) made me want to pull my copy and scrutinize it:

1) I've been thinking a LOT about the Advanced game lately...and what I liked/enjoyed about it in the past, and

2) I've come around to the simultaneous thoughts that "pre-packaged modules aren't necessarily terrible to an original campaign" and "pre-packaged modules usually need substantial revamps to work in an original campaign."

That latter idea mainly due to me poring over the various module reviews GusL did on his old Dungeon of Signs blog.

But it's more than just GusL. I have an idea for another, similar post on this subject called "I Hate Bugbears" in which I intend/hope to discuss various classic adventure modules that I'd like a whole helluva' lot better if they used something besides bugbears (I1 and Q1, for example). Giant, hairy goblins that sneak up on a party are just...so...lame.

Whatever (excuse the digression)...back to the two Keeps. I really do like the original B2 a lot...a lot. But its sequel (which I shall hereafter call "RtB2") has a few good ideas as well. Ideas that are worth stealing and adapting. However, I was torn on thought of whether or not I wanted to adapt the thing wholesale to B/X (I'm not quite ready to go full on Advanced). And after a thorough analysis of the changes between the two modules, I'm 90% sure I'd rather use B2 (with a few changes) than its successor.

The main issue I have with RtB2 is with its treasure. Not the amount present in the adventure (which is actually quite a bit more than the original), but with its distribution. For the sake of collating my thoughts, here's what I found when I went through the modules side-by-side:

B2 (original) Treasure
Inside the Keep: 43,413 g.p. and change
In the Wilderness: 1,280 g.p. and change
Inside the Caves: 35,696 g.p. and change

[as I've noted before, you can get more treasure...and experience points...sacking the Keep than adventuring in the Caves of Chaos]

RtB2 (sequel) Treasure
Inside the Keep: 3,015 g.p. and change
In the Wilderness: 8.987 g.p. and change
Inside the Caves: 91,420 (!!) g.p. and change

"There's gold in them hills!"

That is a shit-ton of treasure in the caves and only counts the monetary value of loot to be pillaged (in AD&D, PCs also receive XP from magic items discovered and retained...and have the option of selling such items for even more XP/gold). This makes the Caves of RtB2 a much more lucrative delve than the original, both in terms of physical reward and advancement. Likewise the vast reduction in treasure found at RtB2's Keep makes it a lot less tempting of a target for the more villainous (PC) adventuring parties. All to the good, right?

Well, kind of.

Thing is, while there's a lot less treasure in B2's caverns, the treasure there is more widely spread and accessible. Of the original modules 64 numbered encounters (in the Caves area), 48 of them have some sort of treasure to be found. That's a 75% rate of return on exploration (even "empty" rooms are ones that are going to be searched by adventurers, depleting food and light resources and running the risk of random encounters). Sure, half of these (24 of 48) are yielding small change (less than 100 g.p. worth of loot...almost all coins), but the PCs are still getting something...and nearly one-quarter of the treasure drops (11 of 48) are hits of 1000 g.p. or more, which is a good chunk of bling for 1st and 2nd level characters.

By contrast, Return has 77 numbered encounters in the Caves of Chaos and only 28 of them yield any kind of monetary treasure. While this isn't a terrible ratio (I generally strive to have at least a 1-to-3  treasure yield in my own B/X adventures), it feels like a lot less. Cave complex F, for example, has nine chambers of which only two have any treasure. Yes, one of these is a yield of 12,530 g.p. (after a very tough encounter), but the other has a measly 66 g.p. The same complex in B2 finds loot in every single chamber, and while the total is hardly more than one-tenth the sequel adventure (a bit more than 1,550 g.p.), PCs can feel like their explorations are yielding dividends, not simply depleting their resources while hoping to hit "pay dirt."

[likewise the treasure feels more "honest" to me; that 12,530 g.p. hoard? It requires a character to make two successful "appraisal" rolls to determine the true value of a gemstone, otherwise they lose 4,500 g.p. of its value. That's pretty crappy to hinge one-third of the reward on random chance]

In both versions of the adventure, the bulk of the treasure (roughly 50%) is found in the uppermost cave complex (the "Hidden Temple"), which is all fine and dandy as characters should probably be at least 2nd level before venturing into its dark recesses (and thus needing the same amount of XP found in the entire lower levels to advance to 3rd level). But the other distribution is a little strange: in B2, the minotaur's labyrinth contains about 10% (11.7% to be exact) of the Caves total treasure take, while the ogre cave only accounts for 1.3% (it only has one monster)...the other eight cave complexes have between 2.5% to just over 5% with most hovering close to the average of 3.8%. That's not the case in RtB2: three complexes contain less than 1% of the total treasure found in the Caves (.9%, .6%, and .1%). The "ogre cave" (now home to a troll) contains a whopping 5% of the treasure, and while the labyrinth (upgraded to be even more dangerous) still has close to 10% (9.2% actually), two other cave complexed have over 13% each.

In other words, three of the eleven cave complexes in RtB2 contain more than 75% of the total treasure. And while these three complexes all contain hostile enemies that are unlikely to become allies with the player characters, it feels almost punitive that the potential "friendly factions" carry so little in the way of reward, as if to say "join with these guys or you get nothing for your trouble." It's the same with the under-stocking of treasure in the Keep itself. "Crime doesn't pay," is kind of a theme here (even should a party decided to fight the Keep's forces, they'll get bupkis for their efforts). Which isn't exactly enforcing 2nd edition's "goody-goody" mindset but...kind of?

However, there's another downside to under-valuing the Keep's treasure. All joking aside (no low level party is going to be able to knock over the bank with the forces the Keep can muster), there's a good reason the vault holds so much treasure: for buying and changing the wealth the party brings out of the Caves. For a modest 10% fee, the bank is happy to change sacks of bulky coins for small gems and precious jewelry (and vice versa) and the trading post will take those piles of furs and rolls of silk tapestries off their hands as well (presumably after making some cash withdrawals from its own bank account). That the Keep in B2 has so much liquid wealth on hand ensures PCs won't be requiring a wagon caravan to haul a (literal) ton of loot to their next adventuring site. Yes, there's more treasure available in B2's Keep than in B2's Caves, but much of it is of a portable and practical variety to readily exchange with the player characters.

Adventurers in RtB2 are going to find themselves facing a bit of a logistical hurdle when it comes to disposing of their treasure. The Keep is dirt poor, both the bank and the trading post having disappeared, and while regular caravans stop by the Keep "every few days," the merchants carry trade goods, not easily exchanged valuables or portable wealth. While most of the (valuable) treasure found in RtB2's Caves is of the gem and jewelry type (and, thus, already pretty portable), an exchange issue remains, and most adventuring party are going to end up hiking out with backpacks stuffed with bling rather than letters of credit and currency. And a lot of the stuff (like the valuable library found in the necromancer's lair) is far from portable and subject to easy destruction on the road (say, in bad weather)...which is where PCs will have to be if they want to find a place to fence the goods.

Perhaps in actual 2nd edition play, these issues become "non-issues;" players can discard the treasure that's too bulky or "useless" and gain plenty of advancement-worthy XP from the plethora of magic items taken off the corpses of dead monsters. However, much though I've been reminiscing and longing for AD&D lately, I'm still of a B/X frame of mind when it comes to treasure...I still want it to matter and its acquisition to be the most desirable aspect of gameplay. Hell, even RtB2 "strongly urges" that DMs go back to the treasure-for-XP model of 1st edition AD&D when playing the adventure, giving players the signal that a multiple variety of avenues might be taken in pursuit of the goal. If you're going to follow that advice (and why would you not?) then problematic issues with regard to treasure are going to take on a greater importance.

Admitting Defeat

The other day I blogged about picking up a few 2nd edition AD&D books (used) in a moment of birthday self-indulgence. One of these books was the adventure Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. Return is one of those "silver (25th) anniversary" adventures put out by TSR shortly after TSR's acquisition by Wizards of the Coast; it is, of course, based on the old B2 adventure Keep on the Borderlands of which I've spilled plenty of internet ink. As I've only played 2nd edition on a couple occasions (even after it was published, my friends and I continued to use 1E), these were never a priority of acquisition, although I have owned Return to White Plume Mountain since it was first published...a lovely little adventure that greatly expands the original, creates several interesting challenges, encourages faction play, and has a nice little moral quandary and multiple ending "solution."

Nice art, but I prefer Roslov.

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands isn't quite as expansive, appearing to adhere much closer to its original source material (though I'm still in the process of giving it a really thorough read). It is also, much like the original B2, designed to be used with beginning players and characters, offering all sorts of tricks, tips, and advice to the new Dungeon Master which, as I recently mentioned is sadly lacking in the 2nd edition DMG.

Of special interest is the following note on page 3:

Dividing Treasure & Experience

The original D&D and 1st edition AD&D games gave experience points for treasure gained and monsters slain; 2nd edition AD&D shifts the emphasis to story awards and specifies that it's only necessary to defeat the foe, not necessarily kill them (sometimes it's better to take prisoners). For purposes of this adventure, the Dungeon Master is strongly encouraged to use the optional rule that grants experience for treasure (at the rate of 1 XP per 1 gp value); this sends the message to the players that there are a multitude of right approaches to take (combat, stealth, negotiation), not a single preferred method of play.

[a slight quibble, but per the 1981 Basic D&D set, "Experience points are also given for monsters killed or overcome by magic, fighting, or wits." Outright slaying is not required]

Emphasis added by Yours Truly.

While (as might be imagined) a crotchety old grognard like myself is inclined to cackle a bit upon reading this (oh, you finally figured out your 2E XP system was silly and counterproductive), I mainly find myself wondering why this reasoning wasn't carried over and implemented in later editions. After all, the author of Return to the Keep is John D. Rateliff, a WotC employee for years, and co-editor for both the 3rd edition PHB and DMG.  After all-but-outright conceding that an XP-for-treasure reward system is a road that opens D&D to something other than straight combat, WotC defaulted the other way, making the game about fighting monsters ever since.

Fuck, dudes.

I took the time to review my old 3E books this afternoon, just to see if there was some "optional rule" about calculating XP based on treasure I'd missed or failed to remember. Nope. Just challenge ratings and "story awards." I wonder what the reasoning was, what was discussed in the brainstorming sessions and design meetings when they decided this would be the way to go. Were they already considering the plethora of other-genre D20 games that would be published based on their proprietary OGL? I know that the OGL itself was developed as a tool to rope in and destroy D&D's competition in the marketplace.

Hmm. Maybe something to look into.