Honestly I've always been far more of a fan of exp/progression systems based on "goals" rather than single actions.
Vampire Bloodlines comes to mind: if your sub-goal in a quest is, say, "Get rid of these thugs in the courtyard" you get your same two-three talent points by getting rid of them, regardless of how you achieve it.
And yes, you can also reward a blatantly better solution more, if you want. But it's the implicit balance of the system that works, in general.
