Getting rid of ability bonuses/penalties for races

[doctorhook]

But you probably wouldn't see a whole lot of people instinctively going for counter-intuitive races, because races are part of your archetype. You generally don't choose to play a dwarf because you want a dexterous, fragile mage, and if you're playing against type, part of the fun is in dealing with your restrictions.

I disagree. I think the fun of it comes from being both dwarf-y and a mage -- from seeing in what ways a dwarf is superior to the typical mage, on account of his dwarven traits. (He may not be as agile, but he's probably tougher, for example.) However, nowhere in this equation to I see any reason why a Dwarf Wizard should be inferior at magic compared to an Eladrin, for example, the same way I don't see why an Eladrin should be inferior in melee combat compared to a Dwarf.

Why do I feel this way? In 4E, these races can be successful members of the same class while still accomplishing their roles in very different ways. 4E races all have completely different racial powers and options, and lend themselves to different builds of the same classes. This way, an Eladrin Fighter and a Dwarf Fighter can still be capable and efficient Fighters, although they probably accomplish it in very different ways.