[Note - this has progressed some since this post; see Post #3 for a current PDF].
I'm toying with this idea. It borrows from a few others (WFRP, old FASA stuff, and more). This would work for any genre, including fantasy and sci-fi. The example below is a sci-fi one.
I'd like to stress that these are really rubbish off-the-cuff examples. The choices would actually be much more interesting and varied! You could be a street orphan who begged for food, joined a gang as a teenager, spent some time in prison, then joined the suicide goblin hunters.
You have six attributes. Three start at 2 (your choice) and three start at 1 (your choice) for a total of 9 points. For example:
STR 2 DEX 1 CON 2 INT 1 WIS 1 CHA 2
To build a character you take a series of backgrounds. Each adds a number of years to your age and affects your attributes. You have 10 points you can spend, and each costs some of those points.
| High School Jock (2) | 4 Years |
| Prerequisites: Any two physical skills at 2+. | |
| You were a football player in High School. You developed your physical and social skills, but your academic skills fell slightly behind. | |
| STR 1 DEX 1 CON 1 INT 0 WIS 0 CHA 1 | |
| Football Scholarship (3) | 4 Years |
| Prerequisites: High School Jock | |
| You got into a university with a football scholarship. You received a decent education, and extensive athletic training. | |
| STR 1 DEX 1 CON 1 INT 1 WIS 0 CHA 1 | |
| Military Academy (1) | 1 Year |
| Prerequisites: Con 2+ | |
| You joined the military and completed basic military training. | |
| STR 1 DEX 0 CON 1 INT 0 WIS 1 CHA 0 | |
| College (2) | 4 Years |
| Prerequisites: Int 2+ | |
| You gained a Bachelor's degree at university. | |
| STR 0 DEX 0 CON 0 INT 1 WIS 0 CHA 1 | |
| Space Marines Tour (1) [repeatable] | 2 Years |
| Prerequisites: Military Academy | |
| You completed a tour in the Space Marines. | |
| STR 1 DEX 0 CON 1 INT 0 WIS 0 CHA 0 | |
| Starfleet Tour (1) [repeatable] | 2 Years |
| Prerequisites: Military Academy | |
| You completed a tour in Starfleet. | |
| STR 0 DEX 0 CON 0 INT 0 WIS 1 CHA 1 | |
Now, the choices would be much more complex than that. That just illustrates the idea. There would be many, many career building blocks. You would define your character's background and attributes at the same time.
So you'd end up with something like this:
STR 5 DEX 2 CON 3 INT 2 WIS 2 CHA 5
You'd also have an AGE at that point. That's important, because age modifiers will affect your attributes, too. I haven't worked out the numbers yet, but the physical skills will start to fall off while the mental ones may increase a little.
Task resolution is then accomplished by an attribute roll. The attribute tells you how many d6s you can roll vs. a target number. Other things can add or remove d6s, too. Target numbers are set in the rules, or they are opposed; for ease, opposed rolls vs. NPCs and monsters simply use an average target DC of 3 x attribute. So an attack might be STR vs. DEX, and the attacking PC rolls 5d6 against a target number of 12 (if the NPC's DEX is 4).
