Re: Battletech A time of war
That may be true, but the AToW system is great for making a fully formed character. I'm planning to use it in my home TT game and after creation convert it to another system for actual play. The lifepath system helps you think about things like where the character grew up, what kind of education they had, and what their training was like. Most systems expect their players to do that without instructions. Experienced RP's don't need this granted, but it doesn't hurt, and they newer or less thorough RP is then encouraged to figure it out.
I also like the negative traits it imposes on the character in creation. Making the player think about things like enemies, addictions, and physical limitations. They also provide a way to overcome those negatives in freebie points, and other traits. These take away from other skills attributes and traits they could have but they also let you customize a character while also keeping them consistent.