So, thinking about how good GM techniques can make almost any game fun, I decided to revisit Savage Worlds.  To reacquaint myself with the rules, I remade a character that I had recently built in a different system, an athasian half-giant barbarian mercenary.

Oh, crap, was that annoying!

First, unless I wanted to be a vanilla character with "average human" d6s in each stat, I had to choose to be clumsier, dumber, wimpier, weaker or more sickly than average.  I understand the idea of balance, but it sure gets things off on the wrong foot.

Then there's the skills, which pretty much do the same thing.  I suppose if I kept most of my skills at d6 or lower it wouldn't be so bad.  I guess I need to remind myself that this is a "Novice" character.  The handful of available skills are pretty bland, too.  I could spice things up with some Knowledge(Flavor) skills, but it would be a shame to waste my minimal points.

So I've got my average guy with a handful of average, bland skills.  Thankfully, Edges to the rescue!  Oh, I get just one?  Well, maybe it will be interesting.  "Brawny: +1 Toughness".  Hmm.  Nope.  Maybe I'll get another one, but to do that, I'm going to have to be "Illiterate" and "All-Thumbs" as well.  Excellent.  This guy seems cooler and cooler.

Ah, well it seems I'm saved from being an uneducated fumbler, because as a Novice with d6 stats and d4/d6 skills, there are only a handful of Edges I can take, and those just don't fit my character concept.  Oh, crap.  I guess "Command".  Illiterate fumbler and leader of men.  Awesome.

I hope I'm not just being negative here.  That might happen.  On the other hand, I've played games with less detailed characters and didn't have this problem, mostly because they were still competent.  The lack of a stat or skill on the sheet wasn't prescriptive.

Bleh.  Sad.  I mean, "ANGRY! RARR!"