I've never been an RPG player.
Due to all the positive reacties I bought both Fallouts here and really enjoyed them.
So far they're the onlly RPGs I've played and I already played them more than once.
The user interface in FO 1+2 was simple.
As I liked both FOs, I decided to get more into RPGs.
Arcanum sounded like a lot of fun and everyone here seemed positive.
So I bought and installed it, installed both Drog mods, picked a standard character and started playing.
The same thing I did with FO.
Unfortunately I have no idea what to do character wise.
The character options are quite overwhelming and to me rather confusing.
Some questions:
Should I play a tech character or go for a magical one?
Should I go for a predefined character based upon the tech/magic choice?
Should I choose how to use character points or should I use the auto scheme system?
Is there an Arcanum page simular to Per's FO pages which can help me out with these questions?
I'm sure with all the Arcanum veterans here I'll get some good advice.
Thanks in advance.

As a firstgoer and not hardcore RPG player:
1) Take neutral, melee based character. It's a lot easier than gunslinger and not point demanding as a magic.�
2) Nope, it's better to make your own. For a not-so-standart sword fighter, try half-elf. (his max DEX is 21 not only 20(and it has preatty bonus)
3) NOT auto scheme system. Melee man needs points in melee/Dodge (both need DEX) so you will put point also in DEX and strenght (to do higher damage). Its not that points-demanding and with the "free" points you could try some different things (like some technology, or some low-level magic, persuasion is pretty good)
4) Sadly don't know
Edit: BTW - in the begining, switch dificulty to easy. Later put it back.
PS: One of the best swords is reward in Bessie Toon case.

First time i played Arcanum i think i probably started several times before i settled on a character i liked. Combat wise if you want an easier time of it choose melee (Dex) and pick the Harm spell (Wis) and stick a couple of points into dodge (Dex).
I like talking my way through situations so first time i played through i chose Charletans Protege as background and stuck points into persuasion and had a big party.
Whilst tech npc's can build stuff for you, there is a sword you can build with a couple of tech lvls which im not sure they have access too which is very good and even if your going for a mage class it might be worth a look.
It really comes down to how you wanna play, tech char if more challenging but personally i think more fun, building stuff, finding schematics etc. I wouldn't bother with predefined or the auto system.
The character screen does look overwhelming at first, but just think of it as abilities (combat, haggle, pickpocket etc) and skills (herbology,magic,etc) and the stat points (str/dex etc) govern how far you can raise abilities and skills. Int for tech, Wis for magic and Dex for combat.

For an easy time ...
choose a half ogre with a sicky background (gives u more intelligence for spells and to get rid of stupid mode but u still end up with well buffed strength)
put a point in both melee and dodge to start (tbh this usually ends up being standard for most chars) should stop him poking his own eye out.
i find a point in either earth (for strength of earth buff) or force (for shield of protection) works well. neither takes much mana and you have the intel to cast both at the same time.
if you keep virgil alive, healing shouldnt be a huge issue. I'd reccomend making him wait just out of harms way for any big fights cos he will heal you but wont kill himself!
the rest of the points as you level shoud go into dex ann strength to boost your melee. consider things like unlock cantrip if you fancy going on the rob.
because your not focussing on magic, feel free to spend a few in tech. your aptitude will be pretty level either way. 2 pts in smithy gets you the feather weight sword which is pretty good.
so to sum up, you'll end up with a char that can hit hard, protect itself, speak properly, carry like a pack mule and because you're doing most of the hitting yourself, you'll level quickly too :)

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm now playing as a half-elf with charlatan's protege as background, going for melee and putting a few points in things like lock picking, smithy and persuasion.
As you can have that half-ogre join in Shrouded Hills, I figured I'm not playing a character like that the 1st time I play this game.

The Readme included with the game lists some interesting character concepts, as follows:
Below are just a few examples of the types of characters you may want to try out while playing Arcanum.
- magickal or technological thief
- pure thief with no magick or technological abilities
- assassin
- debutante or gentleman assassin/thief
- debutante or gentleman with no violent tendencies
- socially savvy, charismatic gambler
- super good or super evil (mage or technologist)
- warrior with no magick or technological skills
- balanced character using equal amounts of magick and tech
- gunfighter
- inventor
- a very dumb character
- a very ugly character
- a very persuasive character
- a very charismatic or uncharismatic character
You will find that the world reacts differently to these various character types and that alternate paths as well as quests are available to them throughout the game.
I just reckoned this might help anyone starting out new to the game, like it did for myself.

I prefer to play a game once and finish it simply to get familiair with everything and see if I like it.
Than I'll start experimenting with things like tactics, different character settings, NPCs, doing things in different order, etc.

Note that you will have a frustrating time with lock picking until you put 4 points into it (locks jamming, even with 3 points invested).
From what I have read on other forums, the thief skills are more of an all or nothing proposition with respect to the investment of character points, with the possible exception of pickpocket, which with one point in, it has been reported that you can successfully retrieve shop keys off of sleeping merchants.
I am not sure if the unofficial patch has addressed this, as opposed to the latest official patch.

Locked barrels, doors, ect?
Easy!
1) Have old, heavy weapon which you dont use for fighting (because it will accept some damage)
2) Put it in your arms.
3) Press Alt and left-click on your innocent victim
4) Loot the pile.
Warning: It's loud! And it's also damaged you weapon (so don't use your best!)
And for really rare moment(s), use your fate point as a critical success in lockpick.

For a real challenge, choose the BANDIT background. A craptacular pistol, handful of ammo, and no money whatsoever. Tried it on my second playthrough and gave up in the first cave after being utterly destroyed by a pack of rats.
If you want to play a gunslinger, put one point into Explosives and keep all the charcoal and saltpeter you find (which will be a lot). Soon you will find a schematic for Bullets and now you have a easy source of ammo. Plus you'll know how to make Molotov Cocktails (Fuel + Rags). And those are fun.

My first time of Arcanum, I played a melee half orc.
But hear me out.
You should try a magical one, elf or half elf.
Lots of WP points and the spells you need is basicly:
Harm
Quench Life
Teleport (Since a magical char cant use trains and so on, + its the fastest way of travelling in the game.
Also, you should consider lockpicking. It solves ALL of your upcoming money problems. But you need lots of DX for that and i dont know how the outcome of lockpicking will turn out on a magick char. ( I only mastered it on the melee char)
Good Luck

It looks intimidating at first (Arcanum) but the limitations on what you can pick each level nudge you into understanding. If you have an idea what you want to be (magic focused, tech focused, thief, warrior, gunslinger). Then your immediate skill choices are rather obvious and they cannot be raised until the statistic requirements are met.
What you're raising with those red tubes is natural aptitude. Talking to everyone you meet, you will find trainers who can teach you to harness that natural talent properly, and a few will guide you to master trainers. You should ALWAYS train your skills when possible, not just rely on filling the red tubes at level up.
A throwing character is actually easier for a first timer than melee. You don't blow yourself up on a critical fail, so early aptitude investment pays off and a master thrower is still deadly, especially if you find the overpowered easter egg weapon (which is hilariously awesome if you get the movie reference). Throwing weapons come back to you so you don't run out of ammunition.
A tiny investment in throwing is worth it for nearly all characters just because early bombs are SO worth it and can get you through those early battles with ease. Even my mage had throw.
My favourite characters where:
Half Ogre Mage (high int for sustainable spells)
Shield and Jolt from the Force school. (didn't pick up jolt until mechanical enemies became very common). Morph school (mastery), Earth School (up to body of Stone). Hardened Hands + Strength of Stone + Body of Stone (and some melee training). Mental is a good companion school for Morph because of Drain Willpower. To make 'sheeping' people easier.
Mage/Thief
Backstab. Maxed out thief skills (lots of fun). Mental school up to Stun (keep intelligence high enough for multiple stuns) walk behind your stunned target and eviscerate. Conveyance is also a wonderful school for thieves, in and out of combat. If you're bored, Phantasm can add a little spice to the mix but the thief skills really take a lot of your available points. Charm beast is worth a look right at the start to handle stupidly difficult random encounters on the world map (it lets you run away).
I soloed the game with this build.

Only boomerangs, chakrams, and the easter egg weapon you mention come back to you, I believe. Throwing knives don't come back, but you can usually pick them up to reuse. A grenade can't be reused (unless it fails to explode), but might come back to haunt you if you're not careful.