Well. I can see why it *would* be fun, but... I prefer the system of Baldur's Gate over that of Icewind Dale.
The thing is, when I play Icewind Dale, I make a party that perfectly synergizes immediately from landing in Easthaven. That party has the best stats across the board and so on. It becomes a purely mechanical game to me.
In Baldur's Gate, you have to work to get your party to perfection. I actually feel more connected to the party than I do with six Charnames, even if - in BG1 your companions have just a handful of lines in the whole game. I much rather have options that make sense story wise. Then again, I am not of the mind that 'I hate the Origin Characters' in the slightest. I like the idea of 'Who can I trust in my camp?' - and that's entirely negated by having a bunch of Tavs standing around with no exclamation marks over their heads. So, for what the game is - of there weren't any hirelings - I'd be perfectly fine with it too. Of course, if you murder all your buddies, you run the risk of having to solo which can be over your head. Personally, I say 'well suck it up and keep trucking' but you know, a hireling or two fills that void.
Still, by that token, I think I would have found it even more enjoyable if I just come across them while exploring. Add hirelings to the pool as I save them or do quests for the order of paladins or a bard's college. Still. I am really, really anxious to see how these hirelings are and if they have something to say at times.
Having said all this. If you decide to play *as* an origin character, you have no Tav support to back you up; and i suspect this might make things more challenging. And even if not, it makes it much less custom, you loose the fun of the character editor entirely and I can see the complaint then. Whilst Act 1 is very well rounded, you're rather locked in who you bring along. And while I think I'll enjoy the story more when I play as Shadowheart - Missing out on the fun of using that awesome editor makes it so I'll not do that for a while.
On Temporary: I think what they mean is, they can perma-die outside of narrative choices. Where everyone else has their story and is able to get raised if they fall in combat, these might not.
