I have no experience with forum RPGs (just the pen & paper, and the video game kinds), but one method I've thought of for simplifying the character creation process is to choose your character's role, rather than its stats.

The thing that makes role-playing fun is that your character will invariably be better at *something* than you are, and often will be above average as far as normal people. So, keeping in mind that there are some stats in which the character might be a badass, there are no real overpowered, omni-characters.

The idea is (using the d20/D&D system as an example) you have six stats:

STRENGTH
DEXTERITY
CONSTITUTION
INTELLIGENCE
WISDOM
CHARISMA

You start off by choosing a "role", based on one of these stats. This is the character's most valued attribute -- the one that makes them successful at their particular niche, more so than the rest. That attribute would get a score of 15 (giving a +2 bonus, and with a point left over to raise it to +3 at fourth level), which is not exactly "exceptional", but certainly "above average".

Then the character's designer chooses two "supporting" attributes. These can be whatever the player feels the character will need in order to better-support their character's primary role. These attributes get a score of 13 (+1 bonus, with the ability to add a point and raise the bonus to +2 at fourth level).

Then the player has to choose a "weak" attribute. This is that one area where the character's armor has a chink. That attribute is set to 9 (-1 penalty, with the ability again to raise it a point to change the bonus to +0 at fourth level).

After the player chooses those four attributes, the other two are set to 11 (+0 bonus). Simple as that.

Alternative method: Use descriptors in lieu of bonus scores. +0 is "average", -1 is "slightly weak", +1 is "above average", +4 is "superhuman", and so on.

By the way, have you looked into the FUDGE role-playing system?