Well put, OP, and I completely agree with you about rules and mechanics and how we players as well as game designers should approach them.
Where I would disagree with you is the extent to which Larian has done this right in BG3. I am not at all convinced that the systems Larian has built into BG3 further storytelling and roleplaying, at least in meaningful and deep ways. I agree with fans of BG3 who claim Larian has created a game with lots and lots of interractive systems in it. Totally agree. But where I differ from the fans is that I believe the vast majority of those systems are shallow and superficial and don't provide (to me) a meaningful and satisfying experience in using them. There's a lot of fizzle and pop and novelty, but once one goes past that there's nothing much underneath. Just my personal take.
