We’ve previously discussed using the more streamlined attribute system from classic D&D and Swords & Wizardry and how the lower bonuses and penalties to dice rolls can both streamline the game and encourage more character description. That was followed with a system to allow players to select a character’s attributes.
The only drawback to both diceless character creation and having a single tier for exceptional abilities is that all Fighters and Dwarfs will tend to be the same amount of “strong”, and all Wizards the same amount of “intelligent”. This doesn’t …

Rolling 3 six-sided dice to determine a D&D character’s starting ability scores is an iconic part of the game, and certainly part of the fun for a lot of players. Still, some people do find the randomness of character creation can interfere with their enjoyment of the game if they had a particular character concept in mind that they were hoping to play.

When it comes to character names in fantasy literature, movies and RPGs I’ve always preferred them to be genuine real-world names, or at least based on the rules for making real world names (eg. Tolkien’s characters in The Lord of the Rings). I find “fantasy names” that are random syllables jammed together, and possibly sprinkled with liberal amounts of apostrophies for good measure, pull me out of the fantasy world. They break the 4th wall. They ruin the immersion.
I’d rather have characters with names like Roland or Cedric than something …

I was never a fan of the way Original D&D handled it’s stats.
When I started RPGs with the Moldvay Basic edition of D&D the ability score modifiers ranged from -3 to +3 (-15% to +15%). This creates enough mechanical difference between the characters that it matters to players what numbers are on their character sheet and a definite sense for whether a character is good or “bad” based on the stats rolled in the first 5 minutes of the game.

For our Ancient Academy game of D&D I decided to have each player roll to see what extra starting item their character would begin the game with. I saw the idea for a Deck of Stuff on Jeff Rient’s blog, but wanted something a little less gonzo for my game. I looked through the charts of mundane items in the AD&D Dungeon Master’s guide for ideas and put together the following list.