The one mechanic I do like and have imported to other systems (except Shadowrun) is the 5x5x5. It's basically asking the player to name (maximum) 5 friends, 5 acquaintances and 5 enemies. The enemies don't have to be "hunt-you-to-the-ends-of-the-earth" types, just people that you share a mutual dislike for. Also, you don't have to have the 5 of each, but they do recommend to try and think of at least 1 or 2 of each.