But you can avoid overwhelming players simply by not requiring them to read and understand the mechanics. There is no need to prevent them from doing so. I don't mind autoleveling and premade characters for those who want it (which the Pathfinder games had), but there is no good reason for the "Its a surprise" approach for everyone else. No, I don't want my character build to be a surprise. I want it to be something I can actually plan for, and I don't regard respec as an adequate substitute.
