Ambiguous Name: Easy Exp

Since "mundane actions" keeps cropping up as a description for what you do to get this XP, how about Mundane Actions Mean XP?

Perhaps a good approach would be to tropify alternatives to the "standard" approach of player characters advancing as a result of "overcoming challenges" (the current DM guideline for D&D, as I understand). That would mean that both the traditional Dragon Quest style (XP only at the end of combat) and the Mass Effect style (XP only for completing quests) and any hybridization of the two such as Dungeon Fighter Online (lots of XP for quests, and even more for non-repeatable quests or those that require combat, moderate XP for completing dungeons by defeating bosses, very little XP for killing normal monsters) would not count, while instances of gaining XP (or an equivalent, as in FFX) from any other source would count.

In addition, a simple instance of Rare Candy would not count, because Item Duplication bugs notwithstanding, obtaining the item used therein generally involves some measure of challenge.

Bump for votes.

I prefer changing this trope to be about any actions outside of combat that generate EXP. This would imply a name change as well, which I'm fine with.

Since the votes are tied between the two options, I've added a compromise.

I think Non Combat XP is only going to be tropable when combined with RPGs Equal Combat—that is, only if the non-combat xp is improving your combat abilities. (Cuz in some games, catching a fish only levels up your fishing ability, and I don't think that's an example of the trope.) If we're granting that, then I don't have a problem with the proposed split.

That's a good point.

Calling the crowner in favor of the leading proposal. Make it so.

I will start the YKTTW for "Non-combat EXP"

I may be a little late but isn't the supertrope simply Experience Points?

edited 4th Jul '12 9:05:21 AM by Lophotrochozoa

Non-Combat EXP YKTTW is up and in progress.

Please note that I'm trying very hard to maintain the split as decided by TRS, so please read the description carefully.

Also, whenever we do split Easy EXP fully, I would like to include Rare Candy in the disambiguation, since that's very closely related to this (these) trope(-s).

i would think

@Troacctid (56): I am doing the YKTTW for Non-Combat EXP, and I am specifically including examples where fishing repeatedly increases your fishing ability only, and stuff like that. The "Mundane EXP" part will handle the other aspect, where talking to people or coming back to the game after two years gains you experience.

The whole point of the split is that those are different tropes, though.

Games like Rune Scape or World Of Warcraft that have a zillion different skills all trained in different ways are not an example of this trope. Getting +1 fishing for going fishing is not the same trope as getting +1 swordsmanship for going fishing.

edited 6th Jul '12 6:48:21 PM by troacctid

In that case, there's probably three different tropes here, not just two. I was told to split this in two tropes, and that's what appeared to work for me.

There are really three different ideas:

1. EXP farming via non-combat means - I go complete a quest, and I get EXP for it.
2. EXP given for mundane tasks such as talking to NPC's - I fall asleep for a week, and I get EXP for it
3. EXP for specific skills - I spend two weeks crafting armor, and my armor crafting skill increases.

And finally, there is Rare Candy, which is EXP via consumable items. So, based on this, the TRS crowner was wrong, and we need to split in three, not two, and Easy EXP needs to disambiguate four ways. At this point, it's best to give it a description and call it an index.

edited 6th Jul '12 9:49:56 PM by DarkConfidant

An alternate way of looking at it is to define "Exp" as the most general form of advancement available (as it traditionally applies only to character level, which traditionally advances numerous aspects of the character at once). This would exclude "skill-specific advancement" entirely, as even when skills or other character attributes use points to measure advancement, it's usually entirely separate from the basic Exp which advances character level.

By this reckoning, the two tropes would be:

1. Do something other than combat in order to get better at combat (and possibly everything else too).
2. Do something entirely mundane in order to get better at combat (and possibly everything else too).

The third situation, of "doing something specific to get better at that specific thing" would fall outside the scope of "Exp", since that's a more "realistic" and thus less tropeable mechanic. In addition, Rare Candy could count as either of the above tropes, depending on where it comes from: if the advancement item can only be obtained via combat, it's an extension of advancement via combat. If it can be obtained through non-combat effort, it's #1 above, and if it can be obtained without effort, it's #2.

To summarize: getting +1 combat for going fishing is probably a trope, and getting +1 fishing for going fishing probably isn't.

There aren't very many examples of the "Advancing one's fishing skill by fishing repeatedly" type anyway. I've just soft-split it off.

(To invert the trope, there are games where gaining combat experience and levels gives you skill points to improve your non-combat skills - Star Ocean: The Second Story, for instance)

Since I'm taking a leave of absence from the site, someone will need to take over the Non-Combat EXP trope. I'll go ahead and mark it as Up For Grabs

"Non Combat XP" would be a "trope" boiling down to "existence of something common and non-specific, as opposed to a very specific limitation". Which is a non-trope, just as much as e.g. "Look, there are non-humanoid armored vehicles in this work, too!" would be.

Moreover, we already have "Combat-only XP" trope — No Experience Points for Medic. I just added a redirect. Want to note its absence as remarkable, add "...averted".

I'll see that, and raise you: a specific type of non-humanoid armored vehicles is a trope!

Thus, a specific type of non-combat xp, such as perhaps xp from quests and xp from doing almost nothing is likewise a trope or tropes. And anyway, the crowner has already been called.

Non-Combat EXP launched from YKTTW with five hats. One (very consistent) nay vote duly noted. Looks like Mundane EXP is up next.

edited 19th Jul '12 11:17:23 AM by Shrikesnest

Did Mundane EXP ever get off the ground?

Edit, redundant.

edited 10th Sep '12 7:55:22 AM by Desertopa

How did we end up naming this "EXP"? Shouldn't it be "Experience" (per the original post)?

@Enraged Filia yes, and now imagine there would be "trope" called Armored Non-Mecha instead. Nuts? Nuts. This one is equally nonsensical and fanwanky.