[patchwork]

Usually, I give 2 points for showing up, 1 point for remaining in concept/in character/advancing the story, and 1 additional point to the person I feel did the best job. Thus, only one player is getting 4 points per session; the wallflowers get 2 and the actively engaged get 3. My sessions tend to be about 8 hours.

I find this gives the level of feedback and motivation I want. Clear examples over a few sessions of what sort of character behavior I'm looking for and what I'm not, yet the "winners" aren't really that far ahead of the "losers" - they seldom feel like they're being punished since 2 xp is almost as good as 3...

I don't give xp for backstory or portraits or bluebooking anymore because I find it doesn't encourage participation so much as Mary Sue attention-seeking types. Don't get me wrong, I want to read a backstory, but "Thank you, good job" is all the reward I'm putting out for it.