In response to the comments, they are interesting to read and give a good feeling for where some people come from when approaching these systems in this hobby.
As for "where I'm coming from", that part is easy. The reason I fell in love with RM back in the day was two things, both of which seemed illustrative of an underlying design principle.
1. Perception as a skill. By that time I already had issues with the idea that a 1st level elf thief was
less likely to be surprised than some ancient human fighter
who had lived to be ancient by not getting surprised.2. -25 for no skill. In other words, failing to learn a skill didn't mean you were
unable to accomplish that action, it only meant you weren't very likely to succeed. In other words, the age old question of, "Why can't I _____?" now had an answer: "You can try, I just don't think much of your chances."
The design principle I thought I saw illustrated in those mechanics was very simple, but also very fundamental.
We the designers don't tell
you what a fighter, or mage, or cleric, or etc, is.
You the player tell
us, and we help you put it into game terms.