If anyone is awarding tons of xp, please let me know so I can bring a character to play under them. Where are they??? (looking around eagerly)

The xp award discussion is about awareness, so every moderator can at least know if they are slow or fast awarders compared to the average and decide for themselves what they should do. The last time I checked, the average rate of leveling at CORE is around 100 posts per level (one gaming year at two post a week). I aim for a rate of 70-80 posts per level, others have a rate of 140 posts per level. My druid posted 225 times for one level. I think the awareness that was raised this past year about xp has made people think more about the topic and at least realize where they fall in the spectum of options.

I concur with everything Sir Jaymz just said. I often mention as and example that in a table top game if the player doesn't show up for the game day, his characters don't get xp. In PBP posting is the equivalent of showing up for the game. If one player shows up and posts 50 times and another character shows up and posts 10 times, I adjust the xp award accordingly. It has been my personal experience that a good portion of the moderators do not take the time to figure out which players post more and who are barely playing, they just divide the xp award per capita regardless of character level or RP. When I quesiton it as a player I am told, well that is what the DMG says. Anyway, the DGM gives quite a few options for awarding xp and variations to apply to make the game work better.

Like Sir Jaymz I am almost always a fast and consistent poster. So my characters often get the same xp as those who post less. I urge all my AGMs to count posting rates as only ONE factor in awarding xp, but to me it is an important one. Role play, accomplishments, scouting, leadership, helpfulness, humor, etc. all count too.

Also the DMG is very clear that it is the moderators responsibility to control the pace of the game and set up the encounters. Therefore, if you players have posted 57 times and not "done" anything (actually happend to me and got no xp), it is basically the moderators fault in my opinion, but I have on a few ocassions heard moderators blame the players for not moving the game forward.

Also, I have said many times, I do not care if my character is fifth or first level, I care that my characters get rewarded and make progress. Starting at 10th level is meaningless to me and I don't think it addresses directly or indirectly the slowness of xp awards in PBP.

On the other hand, I would support the implimentation of high level games in a separate forum. If players want to play and the moderator wants to moderate, they should have the freedom to do it. Just not to the detriment of the fabric of the whole board since it appears the majority of people who voted think it is a detrimental idea for CORE for the reasons already listed by them.