Character Creation - handing out skills?

[whswhs]

I give the players a point budget, but I also talk with them about their character concepts, and recommend skills that seem essential, appropriate, or interesting.

I've written quite a few templates, but I don't think I've ever had a player build a character from a template.

The other thing I would note is that I do the character build session about a month before the first session of play. I get all the players together and ask them to compare character concepts, to make sure they aren't upstaging each other and to give them a chance to look for links. We do first draft character sheets at that session. Then I take the character sheets home with me, put them into computer documents, and go over them. I check that the point costs are correct, that the addition and subtraction are accurate and come to the right total, that none of the traits are incompatible with each other, that the characters have the skills required for their occupations/roles at suitable levels, that the builds are efficient (if a player has seven IQ-based skills with 8 points invested in each, they could raise IQ by one for 20 points and have the skills cost 4 points each, saving 28 points for a net 8 points), and that the characters have skills implied by their described biographies; and I suggest skills that might be useful and/or make an interesting narrative. We pass character builds back and forth till the player and I are both happy.

If you want to have a better handle on this, I recommend that you yourself build half a dozen or so characters that you think would be suitable for your campaign. That will give you more of a feel for what's a good build. You could post your builds here and ask for comments, even. Or you could build two or three more characters than you have players and let your players each choose one (and maybe leave them with 5 unspent points for customization).

A final tip: Give your players 5 points more than you think they need, and require them to leave them unspent. Then in the course of play, if it comes up that the characters ought to have had a certain skill or advantage, let the players buy them with those unspent points. This helps make up for your and their not being prophets.

[Lovewyrm]

I like buckets (The roguelike game Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead uses that, too), and that extra point approach sounds useful, too.
I'm gonna try it.

[briansommers]

Yes, I have that.
I’m planning on playing it solitaire - only me
And using it with tons of random tables.
It will focus on wilderness hexcrawl and exploration of caves/tunnels etc

Not sure if I want it modern or more TL 3/4 ish

I want to use it to generate plot to write some short stories.

Can you do random cc? I guess you could just roll up the basic stats on 3d6.
I like taking what I get and trying to best use that character in my game world.

[Witchking]

Welcome aboard!

Having written up 50+ Player characters over the last 36ish years I am working on admitting I have a problem...

Endorse most all of what has been said upthread.

Sitting down with the GM and the other players is a good idea(if logistically possible). I have found helps 'mesh' the party from the start. Any overlap then is intentional and usually avoids radically different character builds. (FREX 3 Sadists and 1 Pacifist (40 pts in Altruistic Disads)).

If not possible I often just ask the GM what role he would like filled if I do not have an idea going in.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by briansommers

Can you do random cc? I guess you could just roll up the basic stats on 3d6. I like taking what I get and trying to best use that character in my game world.

GURPS 3e had a random character generation system, and you'll find that in the PDF Basic Set, Third Edition, or Third Edition, revised.

However, there's a better alternative in Gaming Ballistic's product Delvers to Grow, which has a system of modular, extendable character templates. The core book has the basic system, and there's a bundle with the core book and all the add-ons.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by whswhs

A final tip: Give your players 5 points more than you think they need, and require them to leave them unspent. Then in the course of play, if it comes up that the characters ought to have had a certain skill or advantage, let the players buy them with those unspent points. This helps make up for your and their not being prophets.

Don't skip that, it's a very valuable trick.

It's near relative, "spending" points on categories of traits that you then will fill in the details of in the first session or too is often useful too when you have a character concept, but you aren't quite sure exactly what you are going to need. That is you buy (some human) Language (Acccented) [4] or (Tertiary Melee Weapon)[2] or Area Knowledge (someplace) -14, and then fill in the details later when we've firmed up exactly where the campaign is going to be set or what the most common local weapons are or whatever. This can avoid a lot of back and forth later if the characters are being designed before the GM has finalized the setting, or isn't available for the party design session.