RPGA question about expansion items...

[Asmor]

I'm reading the Xen'drik Expedition Campaign Standards v1.1, and I'm a bit confused with the notion of expansion items.

My immediate thought, and still my gut feeling, is that in order to, say, unlock a prestige class with expansion slots, you need to have a campaign card. However, I've read nothing in the text that says that. From a strict reading, it seems to me that I can unlock anything from the listed sources, as long as it's not restricted.

So let's say I'm making a level 1 character. Could I choose to unlock Psion, so that I could play a Psion, even though I don't have any cards that allow me to do that? (actually, I don't have any cards at all, but that's besides the point).

 

[Glyfair]

My immediate thought, and still my gut feeling, is that in order to, say, unlock a prestige class with expansion slots, you need to have a campaign card. However, I've read nothing in the text that says that. From a strict reading, it seems to me that I can unlock anything from the listed sources, as long as it's not restricted.

The "standard" method of unlocking feats, spells, etc. is to add it to your Expansion List. Every level you can unlock an item, spell or feat. At first level* you can get a number of special things (expendable item package, noble title, alternate class features), but they cost you extra slots. At levels divisible by 5 you can also unlock a prestige class or substitution level.

Campaign cards are an alternative. Creation cards and expansion cards can automatically unlock certain things. Instead opf an expansion slot, they cost you a campaign card slot (or multiple slots for creation cards). Note that this effectively costs you an action point for each campaign card slot you use per adventure.

[Opinion]The leadership of the campaign (the factiuon leaders & RPGA leadership past & present) have made a functional mess of a previously simple system, even if non-intutive. They have put a huge amount of weight on the campaign logs, requiring a large amount of paperwork to deal with and keep track of.

They also have gone in the direction of allowing almost everything. If I didn't have a very insular group, I would stop running the campaign. As a DM, I have to allow full access to books I don't understand and have no interest in (Magic of Incarnum comes to mind as a major sticking point).

I hope with the next game they decide to go back to simplicity and limit the complex options in the game.[/Opinion]

* Note that this sheet is for Mark of Heroes. XE, unlike Mark of Heroes, allows you to add things to your expansion list at first level, but the sheet doesn't reflect that (since there isn't a XE specific sheet).