Some people like starting from the street and going up from there, others like playing Prime Runners from the get go. What do you usually use to build these advanced characters? higher build points, build points+starting karma awards, or something else?

BP + karma would seem a bit redundant to me. Just jack up the BPs. You can also play with the maximum allowed availability and rating of gear.

The problem with straight BP is that there is no established method for advanced abilities such as Initiation, Submersion, Summoning an Ally, etc.

Using BP + karma tends to lend itself to many exploits in the break points between BP and karma. You can try Serbitars 'Karma only' char generation system and then up the amonuts of karma until you get to the power levels you want.

hehe i dont feel like any runners are level one in this game...

It is even suggested to start with 500 BP if designing Prima Runners, though.

Sure... but that's not that different from planning ahead and wait till the karma comes in.
The only real difference is the security...

I have to agree - I know that when I built my last character, I spend far too long tinkering with the balance between cyberwear, biowear, and adept points.

You can always find that breakpoint. For some people, it's part of the fun.

And I'd say that if you're using BP + Karma, then the runner hands the GM the sheet after BP. The GM looks it over. If the character is a Samurai with one point total in combat skills, the GM says "Awww, your character died in backstory. Try again?"

The way my old GM would do it was that he would have us all make our characters as usual but put all equipment purchased on a seperate sheet of paper.

Then he would look over all of the sheets and generally mark off some of the equipment as stuff lost, stolen, broken, expended, etc during thier career.

Then he would hand the sheets back and give us a bit of Karma and money to spend on the character. He would continue to repeat those two steps until we were at the power level he wanted.

Yeah it usually took a bit longer when initially making the character, but it actually worked out pretty well and simulated the kind of things that would have happened during a gaming session.

I don't know how well it would work for 4th edition, but I don't think it would be to much different then for 2nd or 3rd Ed.

not for us adepts! or if your plans for your essence don't include a knowsoft link.

haha, we didn't have that back then. you youngsters have it easy.

The concerns listed here are valid. But they're concerns that are inherent in starting at a higher level.

It's the same in other systems. If I make an 8th level character in DnD, I can pick and choose my classes. I can play something that doesn't really even work until you get a certain combination. I can spend no points on spot until my 7th level, when I pick up Barbarian 1.

It's just the nature of starting with higher powered characters.

If you're very concerned, have the players build their characters at 400 points. Then have them turn in the sheets, and a list of goals and plans (I want to get initiated, I want to buy a bike with weapon mounts, I want to pump my strength, I want to learn how to kickbox). Then spend Karma for them. If you don't think they could do something, then they don't get to buy it (IE, the sam with 0 combatskills. "I'm sorry - you tried really hard, but no one would hire you as muscle, so finally, you capitalized on your knowledge of corp security, and became a decker..