Comparing package-based and traditional character generation in Eclipse Phase

Question

Transhuman has introduced an alternative, package-based character generation for EP. It features a sidebar on the topic on page 13:

Note that this package system builds characters that are worth 1,100 CP. This is ~20 CP more than characters built using the system in the EP Core Rulebook.

(CP = Customization Points).

I've tried tallying up the systems, and that's not the results I get.

Package System:

• 105 points of aptitudes (free)
• Native tongue at 70+Int (free)
• 10 Package Points (worth 1000 CP)
• 100 CP to spend on morph, equipment and customization.

1100 CP total, as stated.

Traditional System:

• 105 points of aptitudes (free)
• Native tongue at 70+Int (free)
• 1000 CP
• Background (varies, but 40 CP is the baseline)
• Faction (again, 40 is the baseline)
• 1 Moxie (15 CP)
• 5,000 credits (5 CP)
• 50 rep (5 CP)

For a total of 1105 CP, not 1080 as the sidebar suggests. It appears that the last three bits that "traditional" characters get for free, 1 Moxie, 5000 credits and 50 rep, have been lost in transition. Am I missing something?

Answer 1

EDIT: went and got the books to back up my answer, which turns out is mostly right - go common sense, costs a lot less!

The Eclipse Phase core book is being offered as a free download (?) at this blog.

Eclipse Phase, character generation, p. 130, step 4 (break out box in top right corner of page):

"Spend Free Points (p. 134) a) 105 aptitude points b) 1 Moxie c) 5,000 credit d) 50 Rep e) Native tongue"

So:

If you don't factor in the "free" items [in the traditional system] as having a cost [in the traditional system], it reduces the cost down to 1,080 CP as stated;

[snip rest of paragraph]

So, to paraphrase your OP:

[Snip out Package System]

Traditional System:

• 105 points of aptitudes (free)
  • Native tongue at 70+Int (free)
  • 1000 CP
  • Background (varies, but 40 CP is the baseline)
  • Faction (again, 40 is the baseline)
  • 1 Moxie (free)
  • 5,000 credits (free)
  • 50 rep (free)

Hope that helps?

As regards the free moxie and rep, they're included in the packages to what seems like overflowing, so it appears to be that as long as you fill out your 10 PP sensibly you've got them through the packages anyway (i.e. you buy a 5PP, 3PP and 2x 1PP in any combination and you'll get a minimum of one moxie and 50 rep). For credits, they're included in the value of the additional 100 CP you get to spend on gear and equipment.

Would like to think this answers the question (in pretty much the same way it did before), with the references everybody desperately needs.

If you need more explicit answers, you're going to have to read the Transhuman book a little closer and look at how the package system provides the free stuff within the package awards and additional CP resulting from the Package system.