although it looks like PC's start most of the way to 2nd rank at start of play as they get 400xp in character generation to spend, but after Character Gen dose their XP Balance "0" with the Character Gen "XP" efectivaly becoming "Character Points" used for geting the Characters redy for play?

though option A is all but unasalbale as bean the interptasion option B dose make sence and could be argued in a "Court of Rules" by even a non Hack Rules Lawer.

The initial 400xp that characters get to spend when being created are not counted towards the xp that needs to be spent to reach the second rank.

The initial 400xp that characters get to spend when being created are not counted towards the xp that needs to be spent to reach the second rank.

That is incorrect - otherwise, the mentioning of XP spent on background packages explicitly not counting towards the second rank would make no sense.

I consider it generally good sense to let the XP count towards the second rank. With many careers, some very basic abilities are only available upon entering the second rank, so speeding up the advance will move the players away from the zone of embarassing total incompetence a little faster.

Cifer said:

It is also on p. 3 of the errata - The paragraph about Starting Experience on page 29
should be expanded to include: “This means that if you spend the full 400 starting xp, the character only
needs to earn and spend a further 100 xp in order to reach the required 500 xp to advance to the second
rank in their Career Path.”

Regarding the IH like about background packages not counting towrads rank advancement - we thought it silly and ignored it.

This is one of the few things about the system I just don't like.

The initial 400 XP DOES count towards your career rank.

Any of that XP spent on background packages DOES NOT count towards your career rank.

In my opinion that's just silly and confusing, having different rules for different ways of spending your Character Generation XP.

And apart from the confusion created, the fact that different characters will - assuming they get awarded the same XP during play - advance to new ranks at different times, wasting valuable game time in doing the paperwork multiple times.

I think all Character Generation XP should NOT count towards career rank.

----------------------------------------------------

4 Players create characters...

Player 1 spends all 400 XP on advances (only needs 100 more XP to reach rank 2).

Player 2 buys the Munitorium Quastor package, costing 100 XP (so now needs 200 XP to reach rank 2).

Player 3 buys the Calixian Pattern Killings package, costing 200 XP (so now needs 300 XP to reach rank 2).

Player 4 buys the Moritat package, costing 300 XP (so now needs 400 XP to reach rank 2).

A normal session should result in a reward of 200 XP, plus or minus a bit depending on the GMs generosity and the success of the sesson.

Session 1: Player 1 advances; Player 2 might advance depending on XP reward. Players 3 and 4 don't advance.

Session 2: Player 2 advances if didn't already; player 3 advances; player 4 might advance.

Session 3: Player 4 advances if didn't already.

3 different sessions where characters advance, wasting time and effort that could be put to better use.

If everyone had the same XP counting towards rank, everyone could advance at the same time. Everyone earning the same XP encourages team work and discourages selfish power-play. Everyone advancing at the same time makes for better team-coordination and the choosing of complementary skills and talents, also improving and encouraging good team work.

I don't see why having characters at different xp levels impede gameplay.

At the end of every gaming session xp points are used to get new skills/talents or advance ones attributes regardless if a new rank is gained or not.

The only difference is that you get a new selection/broader selection of s/t to choose from, which I find not THAT time consuming.

Or am I missing something?

Maybe I'm just a little bit too obsessed with things being neat and orderly...

I'm not OCD, I'm CDO...which is like OCD but the letters are alphabetical, like they should be!

For me it really isn't a matter of who goes up and when. Instead it is that it means not all exp's are created equal. I really hate rules by exception.

Rashid ad Din Sinan said:

I'm with him on this one. I find that encouraging a little bit of competition makes for a more interesting session, especially when that competition includes coming up with better plans and encouraging teamwork. The PC who incorporates everyone's various skills into a coherent plan of action gets bonus xp, just as the character who single handedly murders an entire room of antagonist twist-cultists would. So really it becomes something of an ingame arms race; to see who's smarter or luckier by compare.