It's a shame, but the recommended system for doling out experience is the same old boring "One xp a session, plus maybe another if the party reached an important point in the story" stuff that I've heard from the mainstream for years, and which I am now far, far too cool to tolerate. So let's all be cool and brainstorm a superior drop-in replacement.
I'll give my awesome ideas first, but everyone who has different awesome ideas should share them whenever. And also, if the day ever comes when folks are playing this crazy game, people who actually tried out their awesome ideas should absolutely share their experiences.
So what makes a good experience system?
- it should reward (and therefore encourage) behavior which makes the experience at the table more fun for everyone
- BUT it should incorporate limits, so as to not be abusable, or lead to one-note behavior
- it should reinforce the conventions of the fiction, both general (for example, D&D is about struggle, so you get experience from winning fights) and personal (for example, your merchant character wants to build a trading empire, so you get experience from making deals)
- it should be fair, such that everyone has an equal opportunity to advance their character, and no one feels as if they being excluded or blocked
- BUT it should be dynamic and variable, so that in a given session some people may earn a little bit more than others
I think those are pretty good basic principles. I have some personal feelings that may be slightly less universal. For example, I don't think out-of-character behavior should ever be rewarded with experience, especially in systems like this where even a single point can mean a big increase in character capability...but that's a matter of taste.
Some specific WFRP3 concerns, as I see them
- The default system ensures 1 (or maaaybe 2) advances per session. A seamless replacement should likewise make it very easy to get one point and significantly harder to get two. A faster moving replacement would give more. There may be unforseen pacing consequences to speeding this up too much (characters reach high ranks before having endured and overcome impressive challenges, for example).
- Related note, as I said earlier, one advance means a fair amount in this game. Rewarding multiple advances for one action seems as if it might rapidly unbalance. If it seems as if two disctinct behaviors should be rewarded, but one of them is much harder or "better" than the other, then the easier one should be dropped and the harder one used as a new baseline for what an advance is worth.
- Careers! These should be fertile ground for a targeted experience system. Every career should have some associated behavior which can give points.
- Races/Ethnicities might be used the same way, though I'm leery of rewarding the reinforcement of stereotypes (yes, even in fiction). But other people can make suggestions here.
- ?? I am not super-familiar with the feel and flavor of Warhammer. Should people be rewarded for enduring injury and surviving? Refusing reward or renown for heroic deeds? Whatchoo think?