Good words ctrldeleet.
I'm starting to thing that crpg has two souls (well a bit more but they are subcategories): the people who come from native, who don't really like the grind but love the option of characterization and the other who like the way skills can be switched to time spent playing (ie grinding to higher level).
Both are viable way to enjoy the game, but the difference between the two groups are what make people whine in the end, when chadz, coming from the native born part, changes something