> My personal gripe is just the explosion of special purpose pieces that Lego vends today. Less is more Lego.

I've personally been amazed at the possibilities that seemingly single-purpose parts open up in the hands of a skilled builder.

One example is the "stud shooter" -- a utensil for minifigures to shoot out 1x1 round plates. Check out what these folks did with it:

https://www.newelementary.com/2020/05/stud-shooter-15391%20-...

New Elementary is a gold mine for creative uses for "specialized" parts.