I strongly enjoy the Special system, and have done so since it was first developed. I liked its adaptation in Arcanum, although I think it's demonstrable that the game's balance was skewed in favor of non-magical PCs. (In fact, there's been a very good player mod released that deals with precisely this issue. If you're interested, you can find it at http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/.) But the core of the system, the reason why it has worked for so long, lies in how it plays out for a host of original combinations. You could have a charismatic lockpick without combat skills in Arcanum who still wins, because others would join and fight their battles for them. It didn't always work as well as it should in theory, since Arcanum relied upon poor follower AI in battle (unlike the Fallout series, where you directed each member of your team), but in essence you could still remain at the back of your line, protected, firing off spells or ranged weapons, while your people rushed in, screaming and bleeding. Go, team!​