For a decade now, I've been gaming using the Dungeons & Dragons game system. Not Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, but the old D&D game that came in the boxes in five installments: Basic (red), Expert (blue), Companion (teal), Master (black) and Immortal (gold). I have modified the system somewhat from its original design, adding in elements of the Advanced version that I liked and ignoring the rules that I didn't (as is any DM's prerogative).
One of the main problems with this system is the fact that there are only 7 classes to choose from, and three of those are really races, not classes. The classes are: Fighter, Magic-User, Cleric, Thief (all human), Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling . This is limiting in that non-humans are very set in their abilities and aren't as flexible as the humans are. This is easily remedied by adopting the Advanced D&D approach: humans, elves, dwarves and halflings are all considered races and can choose their class (restrictions do apply). This works out much better in the long run and allows you to play dwarven clerics and elven thieves if your heart so desires.
Another deficiency is the system used for alignments. In the normal system, there are only 3 possible choices: Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic. Lawful is the equivalent of Good, whereas anything with a Chaotic alignment is considered Evil. I have found that, again, the AD&D alignment system works better, in that you get a range of choices from Lawful Good all the way down to Chaotic Evil. This allows for a greater diversity of characters and role-playing.
The following is a link to a web page containing some tools for campaign development in a medieval setting....
John Eikenberry's RPG Library
The following is a list of the main characters of the campaign that I run. Their stats will be included shortly as a method of comparing againsy traditional AD&D characters.
Gil Tearleaf :a half-elven swordsman who is also a practioner of magic. Gil's elven mother apparently "took advantage of" his human father (so they say). He adventures in the pursuit of power over the mystic arts and to improve his swordsmanship. He is periodically challenged by warriors with similar combat styles for no apparent reason. Gil fights with two shortswords in combat, and is able to use them to devastating effect. Ieorth :an elven ranger with a penchant for anarchy, Ieorth has an extreme dislike of minotaurs. He is on a mission from his goddess to "bring nature back to the city of New Jericho", and is currently in trouble over his failure to do so. Ieorth's sometime companion is Lycaeonorukke, the Astral Silver Wolf that he can summon from a figurine. Jorm Munganre :a human cleric of Kos the Doombringer, Jorm is from the Heldannic tribes of the northern fjords. His faith demands that he never show fear or cowardice, and his favorite saying is "Your doom will come." Jorm also collects skulls, which he has turned into mugs and bowls for his hovel. He is also in the possession of several Heldannic Runes, something unheard of for a priest of his station. Kelahnus Tarrias-Sith :a pansy elven spellcaster who also is a bit of a rogue, Kelahnus used to have a disturbing penchant for fire. Having been forcibly cured of this habit while undergoing his Mage Test, the flippant elf is currently trying to right a wrong commited when he summoned a creature from the Nightmare dimension 50 years ago. Kel carries an intelligent mithril rapier named Esper, who is quite opinionated with regards to the elf's larcenous habits.