I am a big fan of Shadows of the Demon Lord. I enjoy 5th Edition, but this game has become my "D&D" of choice. This series of greater ancestry generation is a much needed addition to the game line. In moments, you can fire up your imagination and have ideas to launch you into the game world. The tables help you fit into the world, although their idea of Dwarves is pretty universal. I don't use their setting, but it works just fine in any world.
The tables appeal to the old school gamer, but it is finely balenced so the randomness does not create useless characters.