I'm also considering an a la carte system for character creation, which would essentially allow players to create their own class. Magic is already divided into different schools, so that's easy enough. I can strip the special class-based abilities away from the classes, and either offer them as-is to be added on, or figure out a value for each ability to allow further customization. This could be an additional method on top of keeping the regular classes, maybe with the regular classes having a lesser experience cost to level than they would if broken into their individual abilities.
On the surface, this looks like it would make things more difficult or make creation take longer, but it would also allow me to take a new player, ask them what they want to be able to do, and put together a conglomeration of abilities that would approximate their desires.
I do have ideas for making individual schools of magic based on different stats for learning and casting. This would be a way for dedicated spellcasters to have more casting ability despite the static mana system, since different types of spells may draw from different resources.
I'm also considering the option of allowing some method of choosing spells, instead of having them random by default, since the sheer number of spells I have compiled makes it statistically daunting for a cleric to get any healing spells. This could change if schools of magic were taken a la carte, though. Something to keep in mind.
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I've always liked the ability to customize a character. It's what initially drew me to GURPS. The only drawback to heavy customization is how long it takes and how much effort it demands.
Not all players are like me. Some are happier getting into the meat of the adventure. Then you also have the problem of adding a new player just before the game starts. Character creation, even for one person, can take up most of your session, leaving you with some disgruntled players.
You can solve this by adhering to the rule of no new characters rolled up during the session, all new characters have to be created outside the game. This works if you see your gamers a lot.
You could also pre-create characters. We sometimes have an evening of making new PCs to pass out to the newbies. Sometimes we end up keeping the best ones for ourselves.
You could also keep the very basic classes that you want in your game, and make those as simple as possible to roll up. Template characters, so to speak. Then you can also offer your more advanced system to the people who have something specific in mind and want a way to get there.
While we're on the subject, I have often wanted standard equipment packages. While I am perfectly happy to spend an entire night honing a particular character concept, I don't usually care for virtual shopping.
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