Priority vs. Points Options

[Azryl]

Call me a traditionalist but i prefer the priority system, It seems like most dumpshockers' prefer the points system,be it Becks or SRcomp. What are the pros and cons of the three character creation systems?

[moosegod]

Never used BECKS.

I like points because of the comparitive flexibility. I think the required costs for metavariants, changeling, etc. are ridiculous, however. It also has that customizability edge.

I use Priority a lot, mostly with younger(age or experience) players.

[Fortune]

[Bearclaw]

I prefer the point system. It's got bugs, but I prefer it anyway.

I think they overcharge for b class magic users. I mean really, 20 would be much closer to reasonable than 25.

[Chodav]

Becks is complicated and time-consuming, but nice if you don't mind that.

Priorities are good for new players, but they're so . . . channeling. For example, if you pick Priority A for magic, then you WILL have lousy attributes, skills, money, or two of three if you really screw your choices up.

I like the point-based system in SRComp, which my GM does not own and therefore does not allow . . . Hmm . . . a Christmas idea, that . . .

Hey, Azryl, that SRComp e-mail getcha thinking? ;)

[Kagetenshi]

Advantages to:

Priority: I hear there are certain characters that can be made under Priority that come out at close to 130 build points or so, an advantage even with my usual 128 build point allowance. Other than that, I really can't say anything to recommend it aside from the fact that it typically takes the least time to sort out how much to allot where.

Build points: simple, flexible, compatible, beautiful. Most additions (Otaku, SURGE, edges/flaws) are written mostly for it, and as such fit in far better than any other system. My preferred system, and one that IMO makes Priority essentially obsolete for most purposes.

BeCKS: A very detailed system that tends to produce characters with lots of mid-range skills rather than a few high-level skills. Called by some the best system to combat munchkinism, I've found it to be quite munchkinable but with an eye more towards "munched generalists" who do one thing well and nearly everything else acceptably rather than people who roll salad bowls of dice for a single type of task. Just too much trouble to be worth it for me.

Sum-to-10: never used it, never seen it used, am scared of the possibilities within it.

~J

[Azryl]

No, the request in another post, wanted to consult the sprits of dumpshock

[Ol' Scratch]

I'm a fan of Sum-to-Ten Priorities. It's well balanced despite what the Build Point System suggests, elegant, and all but forces characters to have strengths and weaknesses. With the Build Point system, characters tend to look pretty identical within the same basic concept group (especially mundane humans).

I also like it when an Edge is countered by a Flaw and vice-versa, so with the Sum-to-Ten Priority system, that's guaranteed, whereas with BP you can get away without one or the other. I'm not a fan of Otaku or Shapeshifters, so that works nicely, and I've always treated Metahuman Variants exactly the same as Metahumans for both Priority and Build Point purposes simply because I love their flavor and they're self-balanced to begin with.

So yeah, Sum-to-Ten Priority for me when I'm GMing.

[Catsnightmare]

It depends on what type of character I'm making. For mundane characters I use the Build Point system. But for magical characters I use Priority cause the awakened get screwed by the Build Point system, it favors mundanes.

[Fortune]

[Tanka]

I tend to frown on Sum-to-10, only because you can be a Mundane Human and take another 10 points in Resources, Attributes, and Skills.

Can you say "Ouch?"

Priority limits far too much, you usually need just that one last skill point, and you can't do jack about it because you can't switch resources/attributes to skills.

Build Point is quite nice, but the costs for things are just a tad out there.

BeCKS is also good, but with so much math that you have to do to get to the "average" 425 point character, it's just painful.

I tend to like SR2's handling of metahumanity. Either Race A if the More Metahumans rule is not in effect (Then they get 2 Karma Pool instead of 1, as well), or Race C if it is (1 Karma Pool). That tends to keep the races all equal (Since they more or less are) and keeps everybody from being a metahuman at the same time. Joe Munchkin can't take Resources A, Attributes B, and Skills C and still be a metahuman. He has to sacrifice something (Probably skills) to be one then. Whereas in SR3, you can be either Dwarf or Ork if you go that route.

[Kagetenshi]

...I just read this topic as "Priority vs. Pants".

Time to sleep, I think.

~J

[TinkerGnome]

It's not that the BP system favors mundanes, it seems to favor mundane humans. However, that's just because mundane humans get screwed over by the priority system (since they waste the equivalent of 5 points on a null choice whereas non-mundanes, and non-humans do not).

For the rest, I've found that BeCKS leads to moderation in most things except for spell points (which are cheap) and specializations (which are the way to go for most skills under BeCKS). It is, by far, the most customizable of the systems, but also the most open to abuse.

Sum-to-10 isn't one I use, but it seems no better or worse than the others. It's somewhere between priority and BPs in terms of detail and doesn't look abusable.

[Ol' Scratch]

[Kagetenshi]

Maybe it's just that the possibility of multiple As feels unbalanced.

~J

[6thDragon]

I've never heard of the sum-to-ten system, but I've played with all the rest.

BeCKs is my far the best in my book. I've seen too many players min-max they're characters with the other two. It's a bit more complex, but then again; this is shadowrun everything's a bit more complex. If you want simple system, I suggest D&D. The priority system isn't flexible, and I'd have to agree the BP system favors mundane humans. The priority system works better with the metavariants and edges flaws from SRComp.

[Tanka]

Sum-to-Ten is in SRComp, I think it's right before Build Points.

[Kagetenshi]

It's in 2nd ed SRComp. 'Twas taken out in 3rd.

~J

[Tanka]

Fair enough. Might be why I couldn't find an exact page. FanPro probably looked at it and barely refrained from ripping hair out.

[Fortune]

[6thDragon]

Uh, that's right now I remember the sum-to-ten. It sounds simple, and a little more flexible, but I can see ways to min-max. Especially for human mundanes.

[Fresno Bob]

What exactly is it?

[RedmondLarry]

Sum to 10:
Think of priority A as 4.
Think of priority B as 3. C=2. D=1. E=0.
You get any combination of priorities that add up to 10.
So two A's, one C, and two E's add to 10.
So does three B's, a D, and an E.

Provides some variety, and allows things like Full Magician with 1,000,000 :nuyen:.

[Fresno Bob]

Ingenious...

Thanks.

[Fortune]