Gotta recommend gurps, or gurps lite. With it's system of advantaves and disadvantages it's good at differentiating characters thru means besides skills and stats.

Gurps lite is also free at e23.

It's not the easiest thing to get hold of right now, but you should consider HeroQuest. It's very easy to create characters and differentiate them from each other, and it has a general conflict resolution mechanic in which personality, relationships, beliefs and everything else can be used. If you hate GURPS and you're thinking about RISUS, have a look at HQ.

Quote from: SethwickAnyway, I need a system where villagers without a lot of fighting skills can be created a differentiated from each other. That is I need a system where personality and such counts for something, because basically skill wise all the PCs will be quite similar.

I like systems with easy chargen and a generic conflict resolution system (as opposed to a specific combat resolution system and different skill resolution system, etc).

The D6 System from West End Games.  If you are familiar with the original Star Wars RPG, it's the same system.

Character Creation-You have six or so attributes, and under each of those you have a set of skills related to it.  Each attribute has a die code-a number of dice you roll when using it, trying to beat a difficulty number.  You have a number of dice to divide among your attributes equal to 3 x (number of attributes), so if you have 6 attributes, you divide 18 dice between them to get your attribute die codes.

Each skill under an attribute starts with the same die code as the attribute, but you have a number of skill dice (usually 7 using RAW) you can assign to them to improve individual skills.

Example-Agility is an attribute, under it you have several skills, including stealth, melee, riding, dodge, and some others.   If Agility starts with a die code of 3D (which means 3D6; the 6 is dropped since only 6-siders are used), all of those skills also start at 3D.  If you then assign 2 skill dice to Stealth and 1 skill die to melee, you get this:

AGILITY-3D
Stealth-5D
Melee-4D
Riding-3D
Dodge-3D

There are 30-something skills in the game, so it's not hard to differentiate characters by giving them higher die codes in different skills.

Everything is resolved by rolling the appropriate die code and trying to beat a difficulty number, including combat.  You have your choice of damage systems, either a hit point type mechanic, a wound system, or a combination of the two.

You earn character points for solving problems and overcoming challenges (like experience points in other games).  You use character points to increase the die codes of your skills.  You also have fate points which you spend to increase the number of dice you roll for hard actions that you feel you really need to succeed at.

The game also has advantages, disadvantages, and special abilities that you can take at character creation that can increase or decrease the number of skill dice you get.

It takes less time to create a character than it took you to read this.  I'll bet you can do it right now. Go here for a copy of the D6 Fantasy character sheet (link is to pdf).  Divide 18 dice among the attributes (ignore the Extranormal attribute for now, that deals with the magic system, which is a bit more complicated), then divide 7 skill dice among the skills.  If I remember right, Body Points (the equivalent of Hit Points) are 20 + Physique.  Also ignore the advantages, disadvantages, and special abilities-they're not hard, but there's too many to list here, and they really aren't necessary (especially for hordes of NPC villagers).

Strength Damage is your natural strength, which you add to your weapon's damage rating in combat.  I don't remember how to calculate it right now, but it takes about 2 seconds (I think it's your Physique attribute die code divided by 2, rounded up).

You will also see the spaces for Funds and Silver. You will only use one of these. Funds is a die code representing how much wealth you have access to (sort of like a wealth stat). If you prefer to actually count coins (as I do), you would use Silver instead (which is the number of silver pieces you have).

All that extra stuff aside, all you really need are the attribute die codes, skill die codes, body points, and strength damage.

Quote from: TechnomancerThe D6 System from West End Games.  If you are familiar with the original Star Wars RPG, it's the same system.

*headsmack*  I shoulda said!

Meh, with the granularity of D6, differentiating between similar archetypes isn't all that easy. Okay, so your smuggler has a pip more in grav bike operation...

Risus: Simply make sure the cliche's are different across the PC's board other than 'Folk Hero' (aka Peasant Hero).

Then you have cliche's of "Gentle Giant" (the big strong but kind person), Cunning Layabout, Devoted Brother, etc.


or my FRPG whose name you know where you have on the fly traits, handful of simple skills--and Faith, Will and Valor are the most important mechanical aspects of the game.