Tracking XP

Tracking the XP of my various players has proven to be something of a challenge, as they typically are not prepared to spend it immediately, and several of them do not, as yet, have particularly good record sheets to record them on. So let me explain how I'm tracking it now.

Have a spreadsheet set up to track XP. There are two sheets -- one for XP earned, one for XP spent. The XP earned spreadsheet has a column for each character, and a row for each event that generates XP (sessions, months of downtime, after action reports, etc.) I enter the total XP earned by each player into the appropriate cell, with notes on any player who earned a special amount of XP for that event. By doing this, I have a traceable account of who has how much XP and why.

The second sheet tracks each session, and how much XP was spent on which session. I find it easiest to have players spend their XP first thing on a new session, since it then allows them time to think about what they're going to spend it on, as well as know the full amount they have to spend (any revisions to assigned XP, such as from turning in After-action reports, will affect their earnings.) The result is that I can track both earned XP and spent XP and ensure that every point earned is spent in the proper time, and also check the math on my PC's character sheets.

This tracking, however, is messy and error-prone. I am seeking a better method. I'll keep you updated on that quest.