A note about clarifying why we are using Generic Concepts: this is taken straight from the GUIDES and is a direct quote from a user...
http://www.myth-weavers.com/wiki/ind...tting_Selected
do not mistakenly equate "more exotic" or "more powerful" with "better."
There are some players who turn up their noses at commonplace characters because they prefer "real roleplaying"--meaning they prefer to play something impossibly exotic and powerful (Undead half-dragons and half-demon/half-celestials, mineralized warriors, etc.) and believe lower powered characters are "boring."
Simply put, if a player isn't creative enough to make a human warrior "not boring"--if they can't come up with something unique and interesting enough to make the character exciting--then they very likely can't do it with a Royal-Cosmic-Vampiric-Dragon-Elf.
Instead of having a flat, lifeless, cardboard character, They will have a flat, lifeless, cardboard character with lots of powers and pointed ears and that is all.
There is nothing wrong implicitly with playing advanced character concepts with lots of powers, but in all cases take extra time to ensure your character has creative depth. What that means exactly, and what types of things you will want to include will vary drastically depending upon the game, GM, and other players involved.
Now lets get right to the meat of this side discussion:
The concept "Dwarf with axe" is literally a cliche trope concept. The background development is specifically where we will discuss the ins and outs of the character to make them interesting (however background will be left open enough where each person can interpret what the text means for themselves and customize their RP experience based on how they envision the character).
It is not equipment lists and special abilities that make an interesting character, it is the story and personality of the character and how the player utilizes that in the plot.
The idea of using easy to handle tropes and generic fantasy is because of who the target audience is:
NEW GM'S AND NEW PLAYERS
Throwing in the advanced and convoluted backgrounds and planar creatures and epic level gear and spells is only going to ruin their experience because it's just going to flat out be too much for a new player or GM to handle. Not to mention it's hard enough for new players to envision dragons and elves as commonplace, so lets not start throwing harder concepts at them like djinn and alien worlds where everyone has pyrokinesis.
As a matter of fact, part of the project outline, if read it, is specifically to take those old cliches, bundle them and package them in such a way that it's fun and interesting and geared for PBP from the get go.
PLUS: As mentioned previously, running a game with uber generic pregens is, speaking as a player and GM of twenty years, a great exercise that can really challenge your skills by forcing within the confines of a character you didn't design, not to mention but this exercise can also be a lot of fun for advanced players. But again, the target demographic is quite literally noobs, so lets save the epic stuff for once they have a few adventures under their belt.
I would think this should be obvious, but you need to learn to crawl and walk before you can run or even drive.
Being familiar with the guides is not a prerequisite for working on this project, but it certainly will help avoid more of this sort of discussion.