Okay. Good luck changing the details about every single race--their max scores, what abilities have disadvantage vs advantage, etc--AND keeping things balanced. I don't agree that this "increased immersion" is worth the reduction in simplicity and character flexibility.
Here is where you make a false assumption about me. I simply do not care whether or not the mechanics are balanced. I care about immersion. Look outside the window at the real world and ask yourself if it is balanced or not. I think it takes less than a second to answer that question and the answer is no it isn't. I care far more about simulating an immersive environment than about creating a balanced environment, hence why I am willing to throw things out of the window if they don't make sense, regardless of how it impacts the balance of the game. If someone ends up picking something that sucks and then struggles as a result of it, well, thats life! I have certainly done that on many occasions and in the long term, those were actually some of my most memorable experiences. You don't remember the times when everything was easy, you remember the times where you struggled through something and then came out at the other side.
Agreed.
Some of the most fun stories are where the character overcomes their struggles in spite of their flaws and inherent weaknesses.
