[Andrew Montgomery]

Good review!

DW is a brilliant piece of writing...moody, atmospheric, rich. I've always found it to be a great place to mine ideas for other games, as well as fun in and of itself. If people chose not to read it simply for reason X or reason Y, too bad for them.

I personally am in the middle of the road when it comes to skills. Either build your system around them (like GURPS or BRP), or use something like a class (which is intended to eliminate the need for them). Don't give me a game with both (D&D 3.x-4, I am looking at thee). The brilliant thing about a class-based game is that skills suggest themselves (an OD&D Fighter who was played as a Knight would logically be able to identify heraldic symbols or know courtly manners...the same character played as a Barbarian would not). Having said that, BRP has always been my go-to game, so I have no problem with character-building from skills out. Just don't mix them.