How do you reward players without granting items, gold, inspiration and lvls.

[coarse basin]

I am a Gm of six years primarily running Dungeons & Dragons but have shifted to Cyberpunk Red as a system over the last six months.

• Cyberpunk Red uses a sort of EXP system where depending on certain aspects of your game, you gain a certain amount as a group/individual depending on situation and actions.
• I'm a roleplay heavy dm with boss monsters as my primary encounter. There's usually meaning behind a lot of my battles and it's key for me to keep it that way.
• Would EXP for Dungeons and Dragons work? If so any suggestions tied to that to assure that the players have a long way to go for their leveling goals, it is a long campaign at the end of the day.
• Are the other ways to reward the players outside of those listed, if so what are your suggestions?

Hopefully this gets a bit of the idea of my question/concerns. If more detail is needed I'm happy to discuss this further.

[mint heath]

The easiest thing is favors, relationships, and land.

Adventurers do something that helps someone, that someone offers their future aid.

Castles and land were big parts of advancement in early versions of D&D.

You reward them with more investment in the setting.

I hope I’m making sense.

You’ll need to focus on immaterial rewards.

[alpine karma]

Selling your players a problem

[mint heath]

Good news, you now have membership into this exclusive group in society.
Bad news, they have drama.

[alpine karma]

Not like good drama either

[coarse basin]

That makes sense, I'll def be looking into ways of rewarding them through NPC's on Favors and already have some ideas tied to that now that I'm thinking on that. Castles and Land def makes sense and I can see it coming in handy for the work they put into assisting the world.

[alpine karma]

just the kinda cringe drama that makes you question how society keeps functioning if this is what adults stoop to

Also. As like a clean reward: Prestige

[mint heath]

Status is always good.

Some people wonder what’s the point in spending so much money on one’s lifestyle.
Suffice it to say a German heiress can get away with stuff Doug from accounting can’t.

[alpine karma]

The catharsis of a hated NPC having to asskiss the party is probably worth like two levels of treasure

[mint heath]

I do like the journey of the players being barely tolerated to begrudgingly respected.

[alpine karma]

Another crowd favourite is "laughably underpowered bandits try to ambush the party of seasoned adventures"

[narrow grove]

I personally enjoyed my level 5 party encountering the lair of a powerful necromancer that had been the scourge of the local adventurers - but said adventurers were all level 2, and the necromancer was baffled at how the party was destroying his horde of minions so easily. Was a fun way to show how big a difference 3 levels is in PF2e