It would seem the archetype and species rules don't add up according to the rules presented in the core rulebook (p192). Perhaps its time to create an accurate method of creating species and archetypes.

Characteristics

Start with "2" in each Characteristic. Increasing or decreasing these starting values modifies the starting experience accordingly (starting with one characteristic at "1", four at "2", and one at "3", for example is worth -10 XP).

Starting Experience

120 XP

Wound Threshold

Starts at 10+Brawn

Increase/Decrease Wound Threshold by 2 (-5/+5 XP)

Increase/Decrease Wound Threshold by 3 (-10/+10 XP)

Increase/Decrease Wound Threshold by 4 or more (-15/+15 XP)

Strain Threshold

Starts at 10+Willpower

Increase/Decrease Strain Threshold by 2 (-5/+5 XP)

Increase/Decrease Strain Threshold by 3 (-10/+10 XP)

Increase/Decrease Strain Threshold by 4 or more (-15/+15 XP)

Special Abilities

Select special or unique abilities, reducing the starting experience accordingly (see page 192-3)

Rarity

The Gm can adjust each species or archetype by +/- 30 XP reflecting how rare such archetypes or species are within the game.

Using these values, regarding existing archetypes and species:

Typical Human (110 XP) Starting Skills (-10 XP), Ready for Anything (-5 XP), Rarity (+5 XP)

Labourer (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), +2 Wound Threshold (-5 XP), -2 Strain Threshold (+5 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Tough as Nails (-5 XP)

Intellectual (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), -2 Wound Threshold (+5 XP), +2 Strain Threshold (-5 XP), 1 rank in Knowledge (-5 XP), Brilliant! (-5 XP)

Aristocrat (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Forceful Personality (-5 XP)

Dwarf (90 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), +1 Wound Threshold (-0 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Tough as Nails (-5 XP), Dark Vision/Stubborn (-5 XP), Rarity (-5 XP)

Catfolk (90 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), -1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), -2 Strain Threshold (+5 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Claws (-5 XP), Fleet of Paw (-5 XP), Rarity (-10 XP)

Half-Cat Folk (100 XP) -1 Strain Threshold ( 0 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Catfolk Ancestry (-5 XP), Rarity (-10 XP)

Elf (90 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), -1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Ynfaenal Lore/Nimble/Empyrean Magic (-10 XP), Rarity (-5 XP)

Orc (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), +2 Wound Threshold (-5 XP), -2 Strain Threshold (+5 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Battle Rage/Hot Tempered/Tenacious (-5 XP)

Gnomes (90 XP) Characteristics (-20 XP), -4 Wound Threshold (+15 XP), +1 Strain Threshold (0 XP), Starting Skills (-10 XP), Militia Training or Tricksy (-10 XP), Rarity (-5 XP)

Mongrel (100 XP) -2 Strain Threshold (+5 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), The Beast Within (-5 XP), The Human Spirit (-10 XP), Rarity (-5 XP)

Revenant (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), +1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), +1 Strain Threshold (0 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Reanimated (0 XP), Dead Nerves (-5 XP)

Bioroid (155 XP) Characteristics (+70 XP), +1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), -2 Strain Threshold (+5 XP), Artificial (-10 XP), Inorganic (0 XP), Rarity (-30 XP)

Clone (80 XP) +1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), Starting Skills (-10 XP), A face in a Crowd (-5 XP), Rarity (-25 XP)

Animalist Alien (70 XP) Characteristics (-50 XP), -2 Strain Threshold (+15 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Natural Weapons (-5 XP), Rarity (-5 XP)

Psionic (70 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP), -3 Wound Threshold (+10 XP), +1 Strain Threshold (0 XP), Mind Reader (-10 XP), Mind Shaper (-10 XP), Min Breaker (-10 XP), Rarity (-20 XP)

Robot (175 XP) Characteristics (+120 XP), Starting Skills (-10 XP), Artificial (-10 XP), Inorganic (0 XP), Networked Intelligence (-15 XP), Rarity (-30 XP)

Vanguard (100 XP) Characteristics (-10 XP),-1 Wound Threshold (0 XP), -1 Strain Threshold (0 XP), Starting Skills (-5 XP), Space is Our Birthright (-5 XP), High Tech Baubles (-5 XP), Rarity (+5 XP)

Its not a straight formula. Especially for special abilities that sometimes its hard to set a value for. Also note in a setting your archtype should balance its not strightly necessary for them to balance across different settings. If you take something like a claw attack its xp value is higher for a race that starts with a brawn of 3 then 2. A racial ability of gills or underwater breathing might be worth more in some settings or maybe 0 if you play in a underwater setting. The special qualities listed are just suggestions.

What im trying to say is that you are looking for accuracy where there is not supposed to be any. (also note that the errata states the Animalist alien to be at 80 starting xp) so when making your own archtype go for balance and what makes a species unique.

The only true fault in the species design rules is that all the Human Archetypes have +10xp for no explicit reason other than that’s how it was in Star Wars. In the Star Wars system it was explained that Humans are better, they are the dominant species in the galaxy, but that’s irrelevant in Genesys. So Rarity should only impact Humans (in ffg’s eyes) and grant them an extra 10 xp.

as far as your calculations even they don’t have consistency, for example Humans; the two skills are out of career and therefore worth 20xp not 10. Labourers you listed the -2 Strain as +15 but it should be +10, Intellectual should have the cost of +2 Strain be -10 not -5. Etc.

One problem is that an increased WT with a higher Brawn, say a 14 with a 3, should cost more xp than the same 14 WT with a brawn 1. The same goes for Willpower and Strain. Cost of Skills or abilities should also take into account the characteristics that have been modified.

Ultimately there is no system that can calculate exact costs, they just get you close before you need to apply a little bit of your own opinion.

11 hours ago, Richardbuxton said:

The only true fault in the species design rules is that all the Human Archetypes have +10xp for no explicit reason other than that’s how it was in Star Wars. In the Star Wars system it was explained that Humans are better, they are the dominant species in the galaxy, but that’s irrelevant in Genesys. So Rarity should only impact Humans (in ffg’s eyes) and grant them an extra 10 xp.

as far as your calculations even they don’t have consistency, for example Humans; the two skills are out of career and therefore worth 20xp not 10. Labourers you listed the -2 Strain as +15 but it should be +10, Intellectual should have the cost of +2 Strain be -10 not -5. Etc.

One problem is that an increased WT with a higher Brawn, say a 14 with a 3, should cost more xp than the same 14 WT with a brawn 1. The same goes for Willpower and Strain. Cost of Skills or abilities should also take into account the characteristics that have been modified.

Ultimately there is no system that can calculate exact costs, they just get you close before you need to apply a little bit of your own opinion.

Sorry, I put he wrong values for labourer (adjusted). I have found, despite the rules on p192-3, that Strain should cost the same regardless of type, so +2 equals 5XP, +3 10 XP, +4 or more 15 XP. If that isnt the case, the Labourer and Intellectual archetypes dont add up in the rule book. I am not sure why they put the higher cost for Strain - both seem equally important.

Also I dont understand why you have costed non-combat skills at 10 XP each. As written, during character generation, any skill costs 5XP (unless linked to a higher characteristic). Initially you will want to be as good as you can in your career skills, so the benefit of having non-combat skills is balanced by not being able to get rank 2 in a career skill, which a Dwarf Warrior could do with Resilience etc. Once play begins, its a different matter. If that rule existed, you would have two costs for a Dwarf, depending on whether you gain Resilience as a career skill, and one without. Obviously that would complicated matters and feel like it forced species stereotyping.

By the way, the Humans in Star Wars are actually better balanced than Geneysy. Most species start with 2 5 XP special abilities, as do Humans (2 skills), and since they have 2 in each Characteristic, mathematically they start with 10 XP higher (+30 XP to drop a 3 to a 2, -20 XP to raise a 1 to a 2, for a net +10 XP).