Over the Edge is an old favorite of mine, and a few years back a third edition was released. Imagine every b-movie concept you know plus a few dozen you do not, thrown into the same small subtropical island, add a whole lot of paranoia and weirdness, and you aren't far off. The first edition of the game was of importance to me since it was the first RPG book I read that explicitly recommended not caring about realism or pre-conceived dramatic plots, but to go with the flow and care about having fun first.
Anyway, the basic assumption of the game is that you play a character who comes from the outside world into the location the game plays in, which means I do not have to spoil anything. However, the character itself can within a few limitations be rather colorful. The main limitation is that plot-wrecking abilities like teleportation or perfect precognition are out. Let's see what I can come up with.
How about someone who was subject to chemical conditioning, genetic engineering, and conditioning to be the perfect servant for their government. He is someone with staying power, who could not be bribed, threatened, or otherwise deterred from his goal. A super athlete, created to win international competitions and Olympic games. Now the program has been shut down due to a potential leak, and John Mancy Cardigan has been cut loose. I like it!
There are a couple of requirements for the character concept that basically ensure that common problems that make characters not fun to play (with) do not apply, and none of these throw a red flag. Next is the Question Mark, a single-word trait that both describes the character, and due to the attached question mark hints at character development. I will go with 'Determined-?'.
Now to choose a Main and a Side Trait, that describe his abilities. The Main will be 'Designed Superathlete'. The Side Trait is supposed to broaden the character a bit, spin them a bit, and add some other abilities. How about 'Soap Opera Afficionado'? John has lived a life as a product in a less-than-nurturing environment, and Soap Operas give him a taste of social interactions he has been missing out on; of course, he also lacks the experience to judge them as less than perfect reproductions. There is a list of plot wreckers to avoid, and these Traits hit none of those. So, all good.
Now to determine ability scores from these. The game has levels, and the abilities are determined by the level and traits. I decide to go with the standard level, which is Expert, i.e. level 2. This means in his specialty John will be an expert, but not at the highest level in the mundane world. Which seems good to me. He would be the guy whose engineering allows him to compete at the international level, but he doesn't have the experience yet. Between that and his traits, he has Fight 2 (probably his core ability), Sway 1, and Weird 2. Fight is all physical stuff, Sway social ability, and Weird covers all things like magic, faith, weird science, and so on. John is the product of such, and in his case, it'll cover weird animal-derived features - part of his makeup is the re-use of animal DNA, think pulp weird science.
Now for the Trouble, a short description of something that can tempt John to act in a non-rational way. Something colorful, that will come up in the game from time to time. It might sound weird, but I think his lifetime of pharmaceutical consumption for specific purposes has left him very comfortable with and very curious about the idea of recreational drug use. I am sure that'll work.
In an actual game there'd be a long discussion with the GM to work out details and fit the character into the group and setting and so on, but I will leave it here. As OtE characters go John is actually pretty tame, downright mundane. I like him.
John Mancy Cardigan
Determined-?
Designed Superathlete
Soap Opera Afficionado
Fight 2, Sway 1, Weird 2
Trouble: Morbidly curious about taking recreational drugs.
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