So, what do you guys think ...

I love the layout, style, and simplicity of the Basic Rules, but I also love the chart of the Expert Edition found at the Netbook/Enhancement section of the Resources/Download hosted above.

Clearly, the characters listed in Basic are not adjusted to the Expert Editions ranking system, but I think the Expert Chart would still work; albeit successes are a little harder to achieve, making for a grittier-style game. I see it as being very useful in regards to Column Shifts, Advancement, and Character Generation - with a little fiddling.

Am I off base in this thinking and a bastard GM or am I on to something ...?

I think it's easier to "add grit" / be a bastard GM (lol) by piling on the appropriate difficulty column shift modifiers from the basic rules.

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Dead Sidekick
I think it's easier to "add grit" / be a bastard GM (lol) by piling on the appropriate difficulty column shift modifiers from the basic rules.

Agreed. I'm not a fan of the expanded ranks because I see them as an unnecessary addition when the GM already has the tools to make things tougher (or easier) on players.

I've contemplated using the Expert ranks, but I feel they were added in the wrong spot.

I think there needs to be more of a separation at lower ranks, not between AM - UN.

For instance, Strength levels jump from 1 ton -> 10 tons -> 50 tons -> 75 tons -> 100 tons.

With the expert ranks it's 1 ton -> 10 tons -> 25 tons -> 50 tons -> 60 tons -> 80 tons -> 90 tons -> 100 tons

The expert ranks go against the "doubling" pattern established in the base game. I'd much rather have a rank between RM and IN so Strength can go 1 ton -> 2-3 tons -> 10 tons, and then a rank between IN and AM for 10 tons -> 25-35 tons -> 50 tons

EDIT: forgot about these alternate ranks

I like the cut of yer jib, Barna.
Sometimes it seems there's not enough distinction, and other times the abstraction is the best, simplest approach to things.

I also like the input given thus far. Oftentimes you find yourself bouncing of the walls of your own brain-box ... not exactly seeing things clearly.

Dr. A.

My homebrew Universal Chart (see sig) has negative rank columns on down to where even rolling 100 would be a miss

Gotta agree with Thrudjelmer and Dead Sidekick:: the chart works fine as is.

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Dead Sidekick
My homebrew Universal Chart (see sig) has negative rank columns on down to where even rolling 100 would be a miss

I do something similar in my homebrew without actually changing the chart. At Shift-0, if there are still negative column shift modifiers, they are applied to the color result of the roll. At Shift-0 with -3CS, the result will be shifted down to a White FEAT even on a roll of 100.