Great thread.
Like a lot of you, I did a lot of my gaming “back in the day,” with systems that did not have such traits, except as they were built into races and classes. When I got back into gaming a few years back, I discovered the idea, esp. through Savage Worlds’ “edges” and “hindrances,” and really warmed to the idea, so much so that I was a bit put off by BRP’s lack of them. Having soured a bit on SW, and looking for another generic system, I’ve again looked to BRP, but in a new light. I’ve realized that most of SW’s edges and hindrances can be handled just fine by BRP. SW’s traits basically boil down to the following categories:
Special powers (e.g., spellcasting, super powers): BRP has all sorts of powers.
Personality traits (e.g., heroic, cowardly): I’d rather handle these with roleplaying.
Boosts to skills (e.g., Ace, Thief): Just bump up the relevant skills!
Social traits (e.g., Wanted, Enemy): Again, roleplaying.
Combat maneuvers (e.g., Dodge, First Strike): I’d rather not limit characters without such “feats,” and just handle such things with normal combat, allowing all the usual maneuvers, with relevant bonuses and penalties; characters who are especially good at such things are simply character with high enough combat skills to offset the relevant penalties.
Handicaps, broadly construed (e.g., young, old, lame, blind): I’d rather characters not start with severe handicaps, and minor ones can be roleplayed, as long as players keep them in mind when building the character (e.g., a character with one arm should probably not go crazy with the Strength score … ).
So I really don’t see myself missing traits too much …