Bennies or rewarding players?

In most games I run I offer some form of reward for players who help expand the game world. Basically this means that any time a player writes a character diary, or draws pictures of their characters of the game, or writes a song based on the game (it has happened 3 times) I give them in game currency. In Savage Worlds that would be bennies, in Nobilis it was extra miracle points. But AW does not have a "spend for benefit" in game currency.

Has anyone experimented with something like this? I figure that due to the chaotic nature of the game a randomness might be appropriate. A mix of bonus barter, taking a +1 on a roll, in story benefit would probably be best.

Any thoughts?

This can be a fun thing to do, with the right crowd. However, before you go ahead, take a close look at the game as it is written:

You will find places throughout the game which already incentivize, provoke, or reward player input into the game world, whether it's questions about the past, choosing options for the hardhold, or simply dealing with the MC's questions ("so, what do you use for currency around here?").

In the games I've seen or played, there was always a great deal of player input into the game world. I can see a group avoiding that intentionally, but it's already the "natural" way of playing Apocalypse World, and tends to be a big part of the game culture surrounding it.

Paul - One of the reasons I dig AW is because of how much the characters help develop the world. This however is for out of game development. Drawings, character background, diaries, props, anything that the players do outside of game time that helps enhance in game time.

I'm with Paul in that my instinct is to see how it goes without anything in-game :shrug:. But if you're set on it, I think something like:

When you use outside time to make something cool about or for the game, mark experience.

or maybe...

When you use outside time to make something cool about or for the game, hold 3. Spend this hold 1-for-1 to take +1 on any roll, even retroactively.

Something like that?

I used to do this for D&D games and such. We don't use anything like it for AW though, putting in the effort outside of the game pays its own dividends. Getting an image of yourself and putting it on display just helps everyone see the character the way you do, which only enhances that interaction. Writing a journal, or otherwise provides deeper context for your decisions, and with the others able to read it, they are prompted to get to know your character, or interact with your character in a way they might never have had time to do during play.

Also, because writing journals and doing off scene creation stuff with the MC is a way to have a more, mutually agreeable final image. Nothing like an MC giving that forced smile when you say what you think is awesome, and they have to try to agree. Much better when both people are already down with it, and they've bounced that ball back and forth a few times to get an even more honed tale.

However, a word of caution. Players that end up doing all the world building can disenfranchise the other players that dont. Say one guys has been thinking about something that happened in one of the games, and is waiting for a good time to bring up what he thinks that was all about--when another player together with the MC decides its something else in the middle of the week. Not cool. These things should generally be created in front of everyone with opportunity for the others to weigh in, or color in those lines at the same time.

So. I have to say, I strongly recommend you do not give additional benefits to players that are already giving themselves additional benefits.