Character Creation: Point Buy or Random Roll? (Part II)

As noted last week, while developing a rules set, a key early mechanical decision for a designer is whether to use Point Buy or Random Roll for character creation.  We've already examined the former, so let's take a look this week at the latter:

Like Point Buy, Random Roll has both strengths and weaknesses: In a well-designed Random Roll system, character creation is typically significantly faster and actual play is more organic and can produce really interesting and unexpected results.  I consider Lifepaths a form of Random Roll where the system has preemptively generated stats rather than the player.

Plus, there's little that's more Old School than rolling and praying to the Dice Gods during character creation (and it's quite satisfying, for example in Dungeons & Dragons, to roll an 18).

The primary drawback of Random Roll (of ability scores in particular) is that it can produce swingy results which, in turn, can produce PCs of considerably different starting power levels.  It is true that it can be awkward to be the player with crummy stats, especially if there's someone with ludicrous stats in the same party.  So, some people protest Random Roll on the basis of fairness.

However, this argument ignores the ability of a GM to flatly disallow overpowered PCs at his table and to allow players to reroll or otherwise augment underpowered PCs.  Furthermore, the importance of swingy results is proportional to the importance of what's being rolled (e.g., ability scores).  For example, in the three LBBs of Original Dungeons & Dragons (i.e., not including Supplements), ability scores are more for roleplaying purposes and have little mechanical effect (e.g., a Fighter with Strength 10 fights as well as a Fighter with Strength 18).

On the other hand, when what's being rolled becomes more important, Random Roll can produce disparate results for unlucky players.  For example, as "stat inflation" set in for Dungeons & Dragons, the incentive for higher stat characters arose.  Indeed, by the time of AD&D, the Players Handbook flatly states, "It is usually essential to the character's survival to be exceptional (with a rating of 15 or above) in no fewer than two ability characteristics."

Swinginess is not necessarily an issue for Lifepaths, unless, for example in Classic Traveller, PCs can die or character creation otherwise prematurely ends.  This doesn't, however, prevent character creation in Traveller from being addictive.


Based on last week's post, you might think that I am way down on Point Buy systems.  However, this isn't the case: as a system junkie, I've spent hours pouring over the character creation rules and contemplating potential characters in a some Point Buy systems, such as Exalted and Ars Magica.

Also, only the oldest of Old School games are pure Random Roll (e.g., Original Dungeons & Dragons).  Not long after, hybrid systems appeared, such as in Basic Role-Playing, where players roll ability scores but also assign skill points.  Point Buy elements also soon appeared in Dungeons & Dragons itself, such as 1e's weapon proficiencies.

Overall, Point Buy systems are great for character focused and more serious games, whereas Random Roll is better suited for more casual games and where players are less invested in their characters.

For the rule set I'm designing, I want to keep an Old School feel so I decided to use a hybrid system, with Random Roll of ability scores but to also adapt a version of 1e's weapon proficiencies.