Gaming Reward Systems

I've been trying to puzzle out why people keep coming back to role-playing games time and time again. There is a huge investment in time and thought placed into each session and most of the time these end in dismal failure - either no one enjoys the scenario or through the roll of the dice something bad happens. So what rewards keep everyone coming back?

In World of Warcraft there is a feeling of accomplishment. You can track your advancement with a number of stats, much like those who follow sports. There are experience points which reward you with levels, gold which rewards you with better gear, achievement points for bragging rights, numerical standings in player-vs-player modes, and a host of other numbers for the player to track and compare with others. Many video games have a similar model in place.

However, tabletop RPGs are more esoteric in their rewards. Most cannot measure success by magic items since these are placed not at random but purposefully by the gamemaster. One could use wealth as a measure of success, but more often than not treasure is not accumulated in a steady fashion and can be spent for other rewards. Experience points and level are a good measure of success in earlier editions since it was truly an accomplishment to get your initial character from 1st level to 9th level without dying! But what about the emotional investment in your character? I've seen reckless abandon and paranoid seclusion in the same game. Placing a cherished character in danger time after time will likely end with the character being hopelessly unrecoverable or changed beyond the scope of the original concept. Why do people risk this? Why can't others seem to risk this?

In order for a game to be successful I feel you need some element of danger, some seemingly impossible task that the players can overcome by dint of intellect, willpower, or simply stubborn refusal to quit. If the game is too easy then it becomes a chore; too hard and no one will even bother trying. There is a fine middle line where you have to make the task seem daunting but solvable given the proper resources.

My current AD&D campaign seems to be in disarray. I've played the "3E adventure" card on them, now I need to follow through. 3E adventures are quite linear but meandering, seem to have a plotline that exists despite the characters, and if you aren't careful the players will try to solve every little mystery within as quickly as possible despite the fact that the adventure is meant to sustain the mystery over many levels. I don't know how to keep them interested in what's going on long enough that they won't forget all the nuances of the backstory. They seem to be more of an immediate gratification crowd - you know, if I do what you want now I will be rewarded now. I like to think of this as the "puppy reward." You do the trick, you get the treat. But 1st edition AD&D advancement is much slower and this raises the question of rewards. If you don't advance, you can't finish a plotline each night, and you can't see why you keep doing this week after week, then why do it at all? Seems to me that the only way I can keep their attention for longer than 10 minutes is to have endless combat sessions. Puzzles and thought problems are ok, but they can be very frustrating as well. And traps meant to divert or delay are the worst, since players hate to be railroaded.

I guess that the game itself can be seen as a reward but all participants have to work at making it so, just like any other endeavor.