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Just putting a feeler out there to other players and DMs:
Normally, when I award experience points I award them to the party as a whole. Individual players may do things that earn additional XP, but that XP always goes to the "party fund" of XP, which is split evenly at the end of each session. This way, the party all advances at the same rate and everyone stays the same level. "In Soviet Pathfinder, ALL XP is Party XP!"
The alternative is awarding XP individually, but this implies that some characters might level faster than others. While that was kind of par-for-the-course in 1st and 2nd edition days, since the advent of 3rd the game seems more geared towards the party advancing together as a whole.
Of course, there is a middle way, where MOST of the XP is shared, and only a certain amount of bonus XP for roleplay and such is awarded individually. I suppose in that instance some party members might level before others, but everyone would probably be within a level of each other and no one would sprint ahead. However, past level 4 the XP required for new levels becomes so great that bonus XP either needs to scale up or else the you might as well have everyone advancing at the same rate.
So how many folks here track XP individually, and how many do it collectively?
Also, anyone else who can think of a good Soviet Pathfinder joke gets 50 bonus Internet XP. :P
We track exp individually like the tight-fisted kulaks we are.
I tend to do both. Party XP in general but to give out individual XP for good roleplaying, or just making an entertaining or interesting scene.
After the Russians landed an automatic probe (Lunakhod) on the Moon... Two friends meet on a street in Prague:
- Did you hear the great news?!
- ??
- The Russians have landed on the Moon!
- Really? All of them?
Two people working on the Danube Channel (La Canal).
-How long are you in for?
-Fifteen years.
-What did you do?
-Me? Nothing.
-Eh, you are kidding, everybody knows that for nothing one gets only ten years.
A Radio Erevan listener calls in:
-Dear Radio Erevan. I don't know what's the matter with me. I don't love the party any more. I feel nothing at all for Comrade Brezhnev or any of the leaders of the Party. What should I do? Radio Erevan answers:
-Please send us your name and adress.
Radio Erevan is asked:
-Was communism invented by politicians or by scientists? Radio Erevan answers:
-Of course it was invented by politicians. Scientists would have tested it on monkeys in advance.
[This joke seems to appear all over the place. Wonder where it started.] The Romanian minister of Transport visits his counterpart in Russia. He is surprised to see the luxurious haouse and his rich lifestyle, much more than one would expect for a party member of his rank.
-How do you manage? he asks. The Russian minister takes him to the window and asks:
-Do you see that bridge over there?
-Yes.
-Well, that bridge cost one hundred million rubles. And from such a large sum a little bit comes my way... A few years later the Russian minister returns the visit. The Romanian minister has an even more lavish lifestyle. The Russian asks:
-How do you manage?
-You see that bridge over there?
-What bridge?
-Well, that bridge too cost one hundred million lei.
Brezhnev rehearses for the speech he has to hold at the opening ceremony of the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980:
- Oooooohhhh.. Ooooooohhh.. Ooooooooohhhh.. Oooooooooohhh. Ooooooohhh..
His assistant:
- Comrade Brezhnev, these are the olympic circles, you don't have to read them!
Brezhnev visits Romania. Ceausescu shows him a huge steel plant. Brezhnev:
- Oh, we have bigger ones! Ceausescu shows him some farm machinery on a nearby field. Brezhnev:
- Oh, we have bigger ones! A big fly buzzes on the windshield of the official limousine. Brezhnev:
- Oh, we have bigger ones!
After the particularily harsh winter 1984/1985, during which the Romanians had to endure cold homes and food shortages, Ceausescu held a press conference for foreign journalists.
One reporter:
- We have a lot of information on an energy crisis that has affected Romania during this winter and which caused, among other problem, a shortage of warm water and heating in the homes. What has caused this and what measures have been taken?
Ceausescu:
- Yes, it is true, we had a lot of problems during the winter because the huge quantity of snow blocked the rail lines and the coal trains could not get to the power plants. We had to reduce the amount of energy used for heating in order to keep the industry running, but nobody died of freezing.
Another reporter:
- We have heared that there are food shortages in Romania and that much food is exported in order to pay Romania's foreign debt. What can you say about this?
Ceausescu:
- Yes, it is true, we have certain obligations to fulfill and this means that we have to export food and this causes shortages,, but nobody has dies of starvation.
A third reporter:
- Mister Ceausescu, when you saw that both cold and starvation have failed, why didn't you try nerve gas?
A Georgian gets on a plane flight to Moscow. In the middle of the flight, another passenger pulls out a gun and demands the pilot fly to Paris. The Georgian jumps him, beats him silly, and announces "This plane flies to Moscow, as planned." When he lands, he is awarded a Hero of the Soviet Union medal. After the ceremony, the KGB interrogates him. "Tell us the truth, why did you really stop the hijacking?" The Georgian replies "There was no way I could have sold the oranges I was smuggling in Paris!"
Old Brezhev joke,
Americans land on moon, Brezhnev calls Soviet cosmonauts and gives an order:
-
-By the end of this month Soviet spaceship must land on sun!
-
- Ok,comrade General Secretary, but the problem is that we will burn alive
- replied cosmonauts.
-
- Do you think we are all studip here in the politburo! You are going to land there at night! replied Brezhev
How a gipsy was kicked out of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia three times:
In 1949 they told him to take down the picture, and he took down the wrong one.
In the 50's they asked him why he didn't attend the last Party meeting to which he answered: "If I'd known that was the last one I would have been there for sure."
In 1980 he heard that DM 20,000,000 were spent on Tito's funeral and he commented: "With that sort of money we could have buried the entire Central Committee!"
That's the end of Gurita's stuff.
A British soldier, an American solider and a Russian soldier found themselves sharing a tent while on a military exercise, and the conversation turned towards how well fed each of them was.
"In the Russian army we have 2000 calories of food a day," said the Russian.
"Well," said the Englishman, "In the British army we are given 4000 calories of food a day."
"That's nothing," said the American, "in the US army we have 8000 calories of food a day!"
At this, the Russian got very annoyed and exclaimed, "Nonsense! How could one man eat so much cabbage?!"
The KGB, The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.
The KGB goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: "Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"
Kruschev was busy denouncing Stalin at a public meeting when a voice shouted out ``If you feel this way now, why didn't you say so then?'' To which the Soviet leader thundered ``Who said that?'' There was a long and petrified silence which Kruschev finally broke. ``Now you know why.''
Mao was once asked what he thought would have happened if Kruschev had died instead of Kennedy. ``Well,'' he replied after much deliberation, ``I doubt if Aristotle Onassis would have married Mrs. Kruschev.''
A man in Russia saves up all his money to buy a car. It takes him years. Eventually he has enough saved and he goes down to his local Lada dealer. He pays his money and asks when he can collect his car. Salesman: You can collect it in 1998.\\ Buyer: What month?
Salesman: April..
Buyer: What date?
Salesman: The 22nd.
Buyer: Morning or Afternoon?
Salesman: (getting annoyed) What difference does it make, it's 5 years away.
Buyer: But the plumber is coming in the morning ......
Gorbachev received a letter from the Byelorussian Republic requesting approval for a new Navy. He was quite puzzled, as the Republic was landlocked and didn't even have a decent lake, and queried the request .The reply soon came "Uzbekistan has a Ministry of Culture, so why can't we have a Navy?"
Communist Party worker: If you had two houses, wouldn't you share one with your poor comrades?
Muscovite: Yes of course.
CPW: And if you had two cars, you would share one with the State?
M: Certainly.
CPW: Good! And if you had two shirts, wouldn't you share one with your neighbour?
M: Nyet.
CPW: No? Why not?
M: I don't have two shirts.
A CIA spy is on his first day scouting Moscow. Fluent in Russian, he is confident of blending into the crowd. First, he stops at a corner store to get an apple. The lady there gives him a big smile, "Morning Mr American, how can I help you?" Shocked, he quietly buys an apple. Next stop, an old lady on a park bench. "Morning ma'am, can I have the time please?" "Sure, Mr American, it's 9.15." He's really worried. Is his disguise that thin? He meets a cop and asks directions. Having received the usual "Certainly Mr American, it's the third block on your left," he asks, "Excuse me, how do you know I'm from the US?" "That's easy," replies the policeman, "you're black."
Only in the CIA.
Group XP, no individual awards please. :)
I spent most of my 30 years of GMing tracking individual XP and using XP as a way to "reward" players for whatever I deemed appropriate. That meant characters leveled at different times and were sometimes at different capability levels.
And it was great. My gaming groups had a wonderful time. Great experiences and great memories.
But I no longer do that. Now I level the group up according to plot. I no longer track XP at all. The players are told when they have accomplished the necessary story points which mean the story now requires them to grow so they can face greater challenges.
And it's been great. My gaming group is having a wonderful time. Great experiences and great memories.
In fact the only differences I have been able to identify in the gaming experience are that I no longer have to react to the character's unbalanced and unpredictable advancement. And I no longer have to worry about lesser powered characters. And that I no longer get questions from the players whether their brilliant roleplaying is sufficient to get a bonis. And I don't get accused of favoring one player because they get more bonuses. And I no longer have to recalculate the disengaged player's XP because he doesn't keepn track. And I no longer have to figure out how to introduce the wizards and sorcerers new spells in the middle of a deep, dark dungeon. And I no longer have to adjust my preplanned encounter because the sorcerer suddenly acquired an encounter blowing spell. And I no longer...
Well I think the point is clear. It makes my life as DM so much easier, and I have not had a single complaint.
i think sometimes there are just moments in game where a player has done something awesome or amazing or hilarious to warrant rewarding extra XP
its not that i think some players should level faster but i do think it adds incentive for players to get into character and to do things that they normally wouldn't care about doing.
i think sometimes there are just moments in game where a player has done something awesome or amazing or hilarious to warrant rewarding extra XP
its not that i think some players should level faster but i do think it adds incentive for players to get into character and to do things that they normally wouldn't care about doing.
Not calling you out, far from it. I just don't see where it's advantageous for some characters to have more XP than others. In my experience, it can easily create a negative dynamic within the group.
EDIT: Pathfinder is a group game, the system takes it for granted that you're gonna have four players. IMHO, the group needs to stay at the same XP level. It just removes one more possible bone of contention.
I dont award exp exactly I advance players roughly at the same time they would have, a bit sooner or later as it fits my story better.
Individual awards for excellent roleplaying effort or the like can be handled in other ways; minor boons, hero/luckpoints, story highlighting and flavorful rewards.
I've done both, but I think I prefer group XP.
Still if someone says something particularly memorable in character the GM will say something like "Take 5 XP."
Never anything to cause level differences, but a fun thing our group does.
I always keep track of experience as a whole for the group. Even if a person missed a session they still get the same amount of experience for whatever happened in that session. I never saw the point in having characters at different levels, and as a player I find it annoying to fall behind because I can't make to a session for a legimate reason or one of the other players keeps talking over me and stealing my thunder.
If a player does something truely excellent and worthy of a special reward then I normally make it an In Character award. For example the town merchant might just happen to have that magic item a player want for their character, or maybe the informant knows a bit more than he thought he did. I use to give out a free reroll for future use, but I haven't done that in a while. Maybe I'll start doing that again.
Typically, everyone in my group gets the same XP. The players will have differing amounts because some of them miss sessions, some of them retire/die and begin with new characters, etc.
For the longest time we did individual, then during RotRl I decided to level people up at appropriate times. When I ran AoW I gave everyone the same experience.
I think for me as a DM I liked the "level when appropriate" the most, as it takes away some of the "this has to be a combat encounter, otherwise we don't get any XP...look, a dog, KILL IT FOR THE XP!" issues that crop up from time to time. As a player I think it would bug me though, being that I spent so many years playing second ed, with individual awards, and class awards, and all that...
Often times our groups have differing amounts of exp. within the group...usualy due to invidual exp awards. Though it usualy remains balance. The differences is at most a few hundred.
^-- Number four in this thread who doesn't care for XP at all.
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Equally-split group xp can work, if you have a party of PCs who are joined at the hip.
But many groups, especially in a more sandbox campaign, may have a floating stable of PCs and NPCs to draw on, and send a different party to do different kinds of missions.
Eg, if you need to reconnoiter an area, you aren't going to bring the full-plate, 2-skill point guys. You'd send the PC rogue, the PC ranger, backed up by another PC's cohort, and a friendly allied NPC.
Once they've got the lay of the land, drugged the guards, opened the gates, the other PCs, cohorts, animals and NPCs rush in, and the focus shifts to them.
You avoid the silliness of having to bring someone totally unstealthy, 'just because he's a PC', but avoid player boredom by letting the players with inactive PCs run one of the NPCs. This also gives the player some variety, from playing the same class all the time.
Leveling when I deem it right with Legend points being individual awards for outstanding performance (allows rerolling single check, taking extra standard action or picking a few other options). I still intend to use XP budget when planning combat encounters and whole adventures.
In my group, we don't even use XP currently. Everyone levels up at the appropriate times.+1
Especially if you are running an Adventure Path and you don't need XP to set the pace of advancement, this is a good technique.
It's not for everyone, but it is definitely a very common approach.
I use luck/hero points as a piecemeal reward for my players, and just level them up when they "ought" to.
Equally-split group xp can work, if you have a party of PCs who are joined at the hip.
Equally split XP is the model on which the game is based. It's not a case of it "can" work, rather the base model works just fine. And it's got nothing to with PCs being joined at the hip, whatever that means. If, in your experience, individual XP awards, or even no XP at all, works, then good on ya. Apparently a fair number of folks go those routes - fair enough.
Especially if you are running an Adventure Path and you don't need XP to set the pace of advancement, this is a good technique.
It's not for everyone, but it is definitely a very common approach.
I use luck/hero points as a piecemeal reward for my players, and just level them up when they "ought" to.
This is the approach I plan to use in my Kingmaker game, starting next week. They'll level to 2 at a certain point, then to 3 at a different point, so they can be level 4 when they begin book 2.
If they do something that in years past I would have awarded bonus XP for, such as heroism, excellent roleplay, etc., Hero Point. Or Two.
I'm also considering adapting Deadlands' system of fate points, which work similar to Hero points, but in Deadlands there's 3 varieties, and each kind of point can only be spent on specific actions, but I don't want to complicate things. For most of my group, this is their first Pathfinder game.
I used to award individual XP, plus bonus XP when merited. I never had a character more than 1 level higher than anybody else, though, because my merit awards were +100.
If they do something that in years past I would have awarded bonus XP for, such as heroism, excellent roleplay, etc., Hero Point. Or Two.
I'm also considering adapting Deadlands' system of fate points, which work similar to Hero points, but in Deadlands there's 3 varieties, and each kind of point can only be spent on specific actions, but I don't want to complicate things. For most of my group, this is their first Pathfinder game.
This is absurdly simple, and yet it really increases the suspense around key rolls, as players calculate the odds of whether or not it is worth spending that point. If you failed a key roll by 1 point, that's a no-brainer, but if you failed by 5 and you only have one or two luck points left, suddenly that luck roll becomes very suspenseful.
I also allow players to contribute luck to other PC's rolls, but they need to explain through role-playing how the point is transfered. This makes for some great scenes. Last session we had the barbarian transfer a luck point to the wizard with the rationale: "The wizard is more scared of what the barbarian will do to him if fails this counterspell..."
And that's my take on that!
In my group, we don't even use XP currently. Everyone levels up at the appropriate times.+1
This is the best single way that I have improved my GMing skills. It really helps control the flow of a Campaign.
Here's a (fairly) recent example from our Kingmaker Campaign
- Valhalrik: I have lots of money and I do need a new toy. I'm going to Restov to do some shopping and perhaps enjoy a little time at the, err, bathhouse...
Baron Nico: Restov is a 10-day round trip, and that doesn't take into account how much time you'll spend buying/selling or even the chance of bad weather.
Landon: Can we trust that you'll even make it to Restov with all of our goods? Shouldn't we all stay here and defend the people of Stagfort? Have you forgotten that the other giant owlbear is still on the loose?
Turin: There will be no denying the lummox, he'll go one way or the other. I will accompany him as chaperone and speed his return. He'll dally otherwise.
So, long story short, Turin and Valhalrik took a 15-day trip to Restov. It was a good thing that the elf did go, as the brute did indeed find trouble. Anyway, during that period, our city, Stagfort, was indeed attacked by the aforementioned owlbear. Only two party members were there at the time, the other two being away. With the help of Auchs, they were able to repel the beast. It was a costly fight however, as we lost the north wall and two houses.
If my DM was like some of you, I wouldn't have gotten any XP for the owlbear fight. My character (Turin) was roped into the other player's shenanigans. Luckily he understands these things and awarded XP all the way around (Party XP.) By doing so he accomplished two things; first, he established party RP as being important and second, he downplayed XP for combat by awarding it evenly.
That's the benefit of group XP, you actually downplay it completely. Sure we ask the DM for an XP count, probably every 2-3 sessions. Sure it can sometimes be a little bit of a pain to backtrack. But I think we've found a great balance. We're still tracking the numbers, but everyone is the same level so the numbers don't mean nearly as much as they used to.
I've tried different systems over time, but the system that I tend to use the most is a static XP gain based on encounters for the party. Then, at the beginning of each session, I let the players make a list of things they liked and disliked about the last session. This works as a way to both recapture the events of the previous game and lets the players share their opinions of how the game went (good feedback for me and where I need to improve/change the game). For each like and dislike I award the party 1d100 xp (the person who mentioned the like/dislike gets to roll for the xp, I could use a fixed system, but the rolling makes things a little more dynamic). This keeps the xp even across characters and I have found encourages roleplaying since all the players gain from it. It also means I don't have to worry about giving xp for social/non-combat encounters, because they will usually get mentioned in the like/dislike phases. I will admit that this system doesn't work for all groups, certainly not all groups I game with either.
I found awarding xp individually only encouraged players to take actions based on what I enjoy and not necessarily on what everyone else enjoyed. But I certainly used that system for a number of years.
In my experience, individual XP slows the game. We ended up doing away with XP completely and just level up as each adventure/mission is completed.
EDIT- But back to what you were saying for awarding individuals: I give out treats.
So how many folks here track XP individually, and how many do it collectively?
We recently had a HUGE debate over this issue in our gaming group. Some believed that group XP was the only "fair" way to do it, while others felt it was pure communism and that it would deter players from "playing above and beyond the call of duty" which is what heroes are supposed to do. It also eliminated any incentive to write creative backstories, draw character pics and ROLE-play since all you need do is show up, roll the dice and you get the same xp as everyone else.... BOR-ing...!!
I guess you know what side of the debate I was on.
"It's a nice idea, but not one I would be comfortable with"?
I guess you know what side of the debate I was on.
That was FAR more tactful than I was in the debate...
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We usually do individual XP. Whoever participates in an encounter gets a cut of the total xp. missing players can have their characters ran for 1/2 or full xp. If they don't want the character ran, no xp.
I've been reconsidering no xp for my next adventure path, since it tells you when the characters should be a certain level.
However, if the party leveled up together, no matter what, the game would be a low priority for many people. They'd cancel if they had any other obligations, even those that they would normally reschedule. I say this because it has been an issue in past campaigns that barely hung on for chronically missing players. Though, I give boons to people who show up on time, so that is an incentive already given for coming to game.
Also, an AP assumes 4 players. If there are 3 players, they should get a little bit more xp and be higher level than expected. If there are more players, they should get less xp since there are more of them to handle an encounter. Shouldn't there?
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Now I level the group up according to plot. I no longer track XP at all. The players are told when they have accomplished the necessary story points which mean the story now requires them to grow so they can face greater challenges.
Since I began running Pathfinder APs I have also decided to go this way. The reason I settled on this is that the APs are tough and we usually have 5 or 6 players rather than 4. Eventually the group begins to fall behind in experience points and levels unless I have other things outside of the AP for them to do. Now, I run APs because I do not have time in my life to create a whole campaign for them and therefore, putting a bunch of extra stuff in the campaign defeats the purpose for me in running APs.
Therefore, I just tell them when they have leveled up. The APs are getting better at letting me know what level the characters should be when they arrive at certain places and I usually level them up at the appropriate time to take on that challenge. It has worked out find and I no longer have to track experience and that makes me very happy.
It depends on the group and the situation. A character who is not present for an encounter does not get XP for it unless her character was away doing things that helped the party in the encounter.
Because my players often have their characters wander off to do odd things, not everyone is always working on the same goal.
So, if five characters decide to investigate Chopper's Knob while the sixth spends his afternoon buying a house, then character #6 is going to miss out on some XP.
But lately, I've just been leveling people up together. As long as everyone tries to participate.
I have used XP penalties for players who are acting completely out of character and are just ebing disruptive to the group in general though.
In Soviet Pathfinder, Experience tracks you!
I'm a communist when it comes to handing out experience. I see experience as a way to advance characters and a general reward for taking part in the group fun. If somebody created a truly memorable scene, I'll give him my praise after the session ends, and I'll do my best to reward him in-game by capitalizing on his moment of awesomeness in ways that enrich the story for everyone at the table. What I'm not going to do is grade his contribution on an abstract mathematical scale. For me, saying "Johnny gets +n experience for his great performance" instantly implies "the rest of you didn't do as well as Johnny, so you get zilch instead", and that's not something I'm willing to tell my friends who share great time telling stories with me.
So how many folks here track XP individually, and how many do it collectively?
We recently had a HUGE debate over this issue in our gaming group. Some believed that group XP was the only "fair" way to do it, while others felt it was pure communism and that it would deter players from "playing above and beyond the call of duty" which is what heroes are supposed to do. It also eliminated any incentive to write creative backstories, draw character pics and ROLE-play since all you need do is show up, roll the dice and you get the same xp as everyone else.... BOR-ing...!!
I guess you know what side of the debate I was on.
I've gotten off the idea that XP is a reward. After a fun session of roleplaying, which more accurately describes the thoughts/memories you have:
A) Math equations, calculating how much xp you have, how much you need, the rate you're earning it, the difference between what you earned and the person who sat on your left/right, etc
B) The cool scenes your character engaged in and what scenes you might get to engage in next time.
If you answer A, then XP is an extremely potent and valid reward. If you answer B, then it's the roleplaying itself that is rewarding.
I've written plenty of 1-page backstories for characters of mine and I have NEVER been awarded XP for doing so in the past 15 years, but I still do it sometimes because I enjoy it.
I've gotten off the idea that XP is a reward. After a fun session of roleplaying, which more accurately describes the thoughts/memories you have:
A) Math equations, calculating how much xp you have, how much you need, the rate you're earning it, the difference between what you earned and the person who sat on your left/right, etc
B) The cool scenes your character engaged in and what scenes you might get to engage in next time.
If you answer A, then XP is an extremely potent and valid reward. If you answer B, then it's the roleplaying itself that is rewarding.
I like a lot of Column A, with just a dash of Column B. :P
I've gotten off the idea that XP is a reward. After a fun session of roleplaying, which more accurately describes the thoughts/memories you have:
A) Math equations, calculating how much xp you have, how much you need, the rate you're earning it, the difference between what you earned and the person who sat on your left/right, etc
B) The cool scenes your character engaged in and what scenes you might get to engage in next time.
If you answer A, then XP is an extremely potent and valid reward. If you answer B, then it's the roleplaying itself that is rewarding.
I've written plenty of 1-page backstories for characters of mine and I have NEVER been awarded XP for doing so in the past 15 years, but I still do it sometimes because I enjoy it.
If playing a level based system like pathfinder then B all the way and very well stated.
A) Math equations, calculating how much xp you have, how much you need, the rate you're earning it, the difference between what you earned and the person who sat on your left/right, etc
B) The cool scenes your character engaged in and what scenes you might get to engage in next time.
If you answer A, then XP is an extremely potent and valid reward. If you answer B, then it's the roleplaying itself that is rewarding.
I've written plenty of 1-page backstories for characters of mine and I have NEVER been awarded XP for doing so in the past 15 years, but I still do it sometimes because I enjoy it.
Why must it be one or the other? Why can it not encompass both? By your explanations, gold pieces should not play a part in the game either because that is math, calculating how much you have, the rate you are earning it, saving up to earn the item desired. This is EXACTLY what xp is, instead it is spent singularly on "purchasing" a new level and all the benefits that go with it. I am sad you have not earned extra xp for 1 page backstories. Of course any good player will act the hero, flesh out their character, attend regular gaming sessions etc. all because they love the game and NOT simply to earn xp. But is it not a nice gesture to give an xp reward to a player out of appreciation for setting a good example as a player? I think not. It also encourages other players to try harder at being a better roleplayer or storyteller or attendee. How is any of that a bad thing? Obviously, extra xp should not be rubbed into the face of others. It should not be used to pit players against one another or to play favorites. It is a tool that, when used wisely and with moderation, is of benefit to the group as a whole. Of course this is only my opinion based on my scant 20 years of roleplaying.
If you want to play with a group were everyone gets a, "great job, buddy!" and a trophy no matter how well or poorly they performed, then that's your choice. Unfortunately it is a breeding ground for simply grinding through adventures in order to level and overall mediocrity, in my opinion.