Do you use them?
Which ones do you use? How much do you give for them?
Are there any you have explicitly prohibited?
Are there any other "contributions" you've come to use regularly in your campaigns, and how much do you offer for them? :naughty:
RPGPundit
I don't like the way they're handled in the book.
I think it's far better to award (at experience time) a point or two for each contribution that has come in over the interval, than to give points for them up front, because the ability of the player to provide contributions can vary.
Yes, I agree. Anytime I gave "points up front" for someone to do art or some other work, they would inevitably slack off, especially if it was for what's supposed to be an ongoing contribution (ie. a character log).
Instead, I pay points when the job is done.
RPGPundit
::gobsmacked::
I like character contributions in concept, but don't usually use them in my campaigns.
My problem has to do with the demographic of my game group -- wife, sister, my kids, and a few friends. This particular group is very diverse in terms of how much they are willing to prepare for a game session, which means that a couple of my players would get a huge benefit while other players would resent their lack of benefit.
Now, the true Amber attitude would be to say "so what -- if you don't work you deserve to get the shaft" but all that would do is alienate several of my players rather than motivate them to work harder. I'm a good judge of my players and would hate to tear up the game group over such things.
However, if I was playing with a more traditional and more age-balanced group (such as back in college) I would have played up the contribution aspect of the game to the hilt. I think that it's a great idea to reward those who invest more into the campaign because their work and ideas also make my own job as GM that much easier.