First thing is, the game never shows me a menu, it cuts straight to the temple in the beginning of the game. Should there be a main menu or is it supposed to jump right in?
Anyway, I really want to play this since I was pining away for a hardcore rpg. The trouble is, I'm finding character creation pretty cryptic. I understand that it's more effective to generate your own stats, but when I do that, the rules tell me my stats don't match a class.
So, I guess what I'm asking is if someone can recommend a custom party that they've either used or one that they know will work. Base stats or at least an idea would be super helpful. Thanks for any ideas on this.

Realms of Arkania doesn't have a typical "main menu" like most other games. There's the opening credits, the intro/story vid, then a prompt to go to the main program or character generation. You ain't missing anything :)
As for stat rolls: all the minimum/maximum values for classes are in the manual, which can be downloaded from the RoA 1+2 icon in your account page (assuming you bought it from here).
Now, for a recommended party, a few things to note:
1. You need fighters/tanks to hold the front line. These come in the form of Warriors, Thorwalians, and Dwarves. Two fighters should be enough. Dwarves also start with a decent lockpicking skill too, so they can replace the less combat savvy rogues.
2. Magic: never leave home without it! Personally, I have two Magicians/Magicienne, either specialising in a different schools to diversify the amount of spells at my disposal. Combat magic is a must, in my opinion, and a debuff/ailment magician (eg. Domination) is great for making the toughest of opponents flee in terror.
3. Theivery. Whether it's lockpicking, pickpocketing, cheating at cards or haggling for the best price (a good haggler can net you a 50% discount!), the Rogue can do it all and better than most. However, magic can used to open locks and, as mentioned before, even Dwarves are competent at lockpicking. Rogues can save/make you a lot of money, but you can get by herb-picking in the wilderness. Overall, an interesting archetype, but not necessary.
4. Do not underestimate elves. Bows are great damage dealers and are great for picking off targets and assisting your fighters. Silvan elves, who are versed in various magic and make great trackers, also make decent backup magic-users.
Hope this helps!

Just look at the pregenerated party. It's the optimal party for taking 6 different classes but the character stats are a little low.
Replace the warrior/dwarf/thorwalian/mage/druid/elf with a warrior/dwarf/thorwalian/mage/druid/elf who has 13 in all positive stats. Negative stats aren't that important, just make sure they fulfill the class requirements.
Thorwalians are a little weaker than dwarves (but if you have the computer distribute the skill points at level up having a thorwalian in the party is strongly recommended) and druids can't wear armor or use weapons as good as elves, but you don't need two of the same class in the party.

How do you get positive 13 in all stats? I think I'm going to go for a dwarf, thorwalian, two magicians, an elf and either a rogue or jester. Thanks for the replies.

It's almost impossible to "roll" all 13's for stats. You can achieve it, however, by bringing up the right click menu and choosing change statistic, but doing so will penalise you by forcing you to add 2 points to your negative attributes (Claustrophobia, etc).
Concerning party make-ups, there isn't really a right or wrong way to make a party. If you wanted to, you could finish the game with a whole party of Jesters, a party of three or, hell, even solo as a magician! RoA is very flexible that way.