So, which is your favorite character creation system for an OSR game?  Just for the sake of this thread, let's say Traveller is not "OSR", I'm talking about the D&D-variation family of games here. Though I suspect taking Trav out of the running just means a shitload of people will pick DCC.

I'm a bit of broken record on this but: Beyond the Wall. The chargen is one of the best things in the game as it uses random but balanced playbook charts that assign background and history which ties the character to the setting, NPCs, adventures in the future, other PCs and even grants stat bonuses.

It is great for what it is intended to do: quickly put a character and party together tied to the setting and each other with adventures built right into the chargen.

Traveller is not OSR because it is OG old school.

I will enthusiastically second Beyond the Wall. It is brilliant at what it does. Character generation actually produces a "character" not just a collection of numbers.

I think Beyond the Wall is pretty slick as well.

If it's got to be D&D or its close relatives, I'll just roll 3d6 in order and live with the consequences.  But the only other D&D variants I remember are "roll 3d6 and arrange to your liking," which I can live with, and "roll 4d6 and drop 1 die" (which I have never seen mean anything but drop the lowest die), which I never cared for. What other methods are there?

Yes, Beyond the Wall.

Beyond the Wall is clearly the best for providing interesting background, but I have it in a tie with B/X for those times you just want to get the character done and start the game.

I've never understood the obsessions with the 3d6 in order thing. I started playing in '78 and we did the 4d6 drop 1 thing before the DMG had even came out.  Beyond that, D&D (at least basic) has a different ability score modifier system, where you start getting a bonus at 13, while in AD&D, it's 15.

As to OD&D, monsters are pussies, a Balrog has 8+8 hit dice which makes one a challenge for eh, 4th level parties? Abilities matter less there because monsters are such wimps. Unfortunately that carried over to AD&D 1e, but was corrected in 2e and later editions..and 1e also introduced devils, who were designed for AD&D and not carried over from OD&D as is and the devilish equivalent of the Balor/Balrog, the Pit Fiend has 13 HD.

But I digress.  I guess Beyond the Wall wins by default, since basically every OSR game uses the same method, roll dice, pick class/race. But the problem with life path generation is that it creates a character for you, not the character you want to play. For some that's a plus, for others it's a minus.

The best part of BtW's character creation system is the part of it that ties the PC into the other PCs.

3d6 in order.  Strength, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, dexterity, charisma.  3d6 x 10 for gold.

Yeah the DCC full creation process is fun. I like the lucky sign, job, and , random item for what they can be combined to tell a story.

Some of those charts are in dire need of these expnasion though. There are some other alternative "occupation" charts in some of the manuals.

The funny part is the number of demi-humans we end up with even random rolling  occupation in DCC.

I think I need to try Beyond the Wall, sounds interesting.

The most interesting character creation is usually some form of Lifepath character creation.  If you're going to focus only on OSR, only Beyond the Wall has a Lifepath system, unless there's one somewhere I missed, which is certainly possible.  Its chargen suits the subject material perfectly with the creation of the PCs village and their inter-relationships.  Quite detailed for such a stripped down, D&D chassis.  For Lifepath plus perfect Form Meets Function, it gets a Gold Medal.

AS&SH, being an AD&D variant, has detailed interesting classes that are different from standard AD&D.  With the class structure and evocative artwork, it gives you that vibe you had when you first looked at the PHB, but it's new material and much more S&S.

I'd have to give a Gold Medal tie to ACKS chargen.  Being a B/X variant, it has simple, modular Basic-style Race+Class combo classes.
Where ACKs excels is with the Player's Companion where every option in chargen is assigned relative values and used to create new classes.  You know how some people say "You need a few very broad classes or a hundred specific ones?"  Well, in ACKS, making those hundred specific classes to perfectly match your setting is a snap.  Brilliant design.

Honorable mention goes to Sine Nomine in general.  From all the various options available in the Stars Without Number/Other Dust/Polychrome games, to the new classes of Spears of the Dawn, to Silent Legions to Godbound, Kevin Crawford is doing More with Less, taking a basic D&D frame, and doing something different and interesting with it each time.

Beyond the Wall.

I know it's not D&D and thus outside the criteria, but aside from Traveller my favorite PC generation method was FASA Star Trek. You ended up with a PC with a cool history and justification for his skills. We used to roll them up and see where PCs overlapped and decide on prior mutual assignments to ships, which sometimes would be cool when three PCs who served together on the U.S.S. Saratoga 10 years ago ran into the mysterious wreckage of the U.S.S. Saratoga in uncharted space and played back the final log of their old captain.

Quote from: RPGPundit;966400So, which is your favorite character creation system for an OSR game?  Just for the sake of this thread, let's say Traveller is not "OSR", I'm talking about the D&D-variation family of games here. Though I suspect taking Trav out of the running just means a shitload of people will pick DCC.

Ha! I was gonna say DCC.

True, though. Traveller is not OSR.

Roll 36 times (3d6, 4d6 drop low, whatever the DM prefers), recording consecutively.  If you add another attribute like COM or Perception than increase to 42.  The player can pick any consecutive string of numbers within the larger list.  The end wraps with the beginning, so you could start your character stats on roll #34 and it would be (for example) #34 STR, #35 INT, #36 WIS, #1 DEX, #2 CON, #3 CHR if using the 1E AD&D stat array.  

You can't switch numbers in or out.  But by allowing the player to start their stat array anywhere on the string they get to pick whatever is most important to them overall while accepting what fate gives them for the rest.  If they roll an 18 on #34 and want an 18 STR fighter, they will start the array on that number.  Their 2nd highest stat might be wisdom because roll #36 happens to be the 2nd highest roll in that ministring - something pretty rare in a fighter arranged to taste.  Or they might look for the string of six that has the best overall stats instead of one that has a a couple of high stats paired with some crappy ones.  Or they might see a string of six that allows them to qualify for a desired sub-class.  

I like it.