Awarding experience was the hardest thing for me to get the hang of when I went with Hero (Champs back then). Generally at the end of a session the PC's will only get 2, maybe 3 xp all together. And that's if they played well, in character and were successful. The most I have ever seen awarded to a single PC was 5 pts. The average is 2. The 5 pointer was in a StarHero game were the PC's were trying to plan how to infilterate a pirate base. The PC's got into an arguement and the players roleplayed so well the GM was able to sit back, only having to cough up the ocassional piece of computer data or die role.
On the other hand we had a theif in our party who in three sessions had Dame Unluck on his shoulder and never made a single successful role. He still received experience because people learn as much from failure as success.
My method is to award points as follows:
Awsome, in-character roleplay = 3pts
Good solid, if uninspired character play = 2pts
Was there, but has difficulty with the "in character concept" = 1pt
Entire concept of roleplay is "me hack kill" = 0pts
+1 pt for a significant in character contribution by a single PC.
+1 pt to the PC who won/solved the session/scenario.
A thief picking locks isn't doing anything that is too special, for a thief. Now if the party is slowly being driven back by the mob of townmen and peasents who are "not right" as indicated by green glowing eyes and the tendencey to continue to attack regardless of small inconveniences like missing limbs or tripping over their own intestinal track. Noting the cloaked and chanting figure to the rear of the mob, he hurls his sword (the intelligence of this still being debated) hitting the priest shattering his concentration (er..that was the plan, sure...) causing the mob to drop like puppets with the strings cut. This followed by the benevolent and immediate gifting of two daggers, a throwing axe and a particularly nasty bolt of magefire (from a really pissed off mage who had just spent not one, not two but three gold Guilders on new and fashionable robes, now bloodied and torn). This was worth an additional point for the warrior.
All in all, Hero XP is more an evaluation of the PC's overall performance rather than rewarding individual actions. Just my opinion of course, but I don't think I'm too far off the path.
