Publisher blurb:
One of the features of Cepheus Deluxe was making character generation non-random by default. We wanted to catch everyone’s attention and showcase what could be done with the 2D6 OGL Science Fiction mechanic. Making custom characters is a feature that greatly helps Referees speed things up for pickup games, and it helps bring new players to Cepheus Deluxe. No longer is this that game where you can die in character generation, and even if you survived, you won’t really get to play the character you wanted to play. Point allocation with minimal-to-no randomness is the standard nowadays. Players want to make the character they want to play, and they do not want to feel stymied or that they are fighting both the game and the Referee from the outset.
However, non-random character generation removes one of the most beloved mini games from the 2D6 OGL Science Fiction experience. It also takes away from the Old School experience that Cepheus Deluxe otherwise provides: dying in character generation is the risk you run while you gain more skills. Having a character come out entirely different from what you intended is part of the fun and gives the player a lot of fodder for meaningful background development and roleplay. With random character generation, you can generate a hero wrongfully convicted of a crime, who then escapes from prison with nothing but plans for revenge. The character’s backstory is more than just an exercise in creative writing, it’s actually part of the gameplay. This means that the backgrounds developed this way are actually part of the setting!