How do YOU do characters?

Depends. There's a lot of strengths to both options, but really the best is a bit of a combination, where you build your characters together as a group.

You can also make rough characters, and then let your players choose and swap out different features to suit their tastes better.

Usually give them an array and what starting gear they are going to have.

I sometimes give free feats based on background .

Yeah, a big problem I've been having is getting the fuckers to actually come up with their own character backgrounds

>>54060379
i let players bring their own characters, although i do try and limit obviously broken rolls like having 3 20s in all their stats

i like to see what the characters bring to the table, and fit all their differing visions like a puzzle piece into a single setting
its fun justifying a samurai in a renaissance setting (inb4 no samurai in my setting allowed)

I'd suggest just having a session 0 where you talk about what you recommend for your setting, and they can work together to make what they want/need. And, as a DM, you have veto if something is retarded

>>54060475
Are you playing with new players? New players are like chia pets, they need a cheap clay animal smeared with the seeds of weeds in order to truly bloom.

Just offer them a few example characters, and then listen and discuss with them what changes they'd like to make to those characters, like switching out weapons or changing some detail of their past.

Thanks my dudes, this helps a lot. I've been a long time lurker on /tg/ and just started getting into actually playing tabletop games

>>54060379

I personally tend to gather everyone together and explain the setting, give them an idea of what kind of campaign i have planned and check to see if they are all okay with it. If everyone agrees then I have them all create their own characters, but I have them all create them there while we are all together right after they have heard information about the world they will be playing in. That way they can all make what they want, but because they are there together they tend to put together something that works as a group since they are considering how they interact with each other, and you can usually get something that fits with the world since you are there to nudge them in the right direction. And because you are there listening you can think of plot hooks that will engage them and their characters for future use.