First, let me say that I'm new to RPGs having only picked up on Oblivion to check it out after seeing the Skyrim trailer. I really enjoy both games a lot.
Second, I generally svck at video games. I just don't have the digital dexterity or reflexes or whatever to be really good at them. I've known this going way back to repeatedly getting my butt kicked by my best friend in Intellivision hockey. For this reason, I tend to play games on low difficulty levels but difficult enough to be challenging. I don't want to be able to go 16-0 playing the Cleveland Browns in Madden, for instance. As I get better at games, I typically adjust the difficulty to reflect this.
I've also really enjoyed reading through the forum the last few days, even though I don't understand a lot of the technical talk. It seems to me, though, that for many players the objective is to find ways to continually upgrade your character's abilities by finding/creating more and more powerful armor/weapons/spells and abilities. Now, obviously this is inherent in the game and is, to some extent, unavaoidable at any difficulty level.
My question is this: if the role you want to play is inconsistent with this, wouldn't it simply be better to play at a lower difficulty level and enhance your character's abilities just enough to actually be true to that character and still enjoy the game?
For instance, my current character is a Nord melee character who makes very little use of magic beyond shouts, battle cry, or whatever potions he comes across or buys. I really don't see my guy as somebody who is going to want to trick himself out in all kinds of Elven or Orcish or Dwarven or Glass armor or heavily enchanted weapons or armor. I wear light armor (superior grade leather right now) and generally use a sword and shield and a bow. I fear that at higher difficulty levels, I might not be able to successfully play this role this way.
I've seen a number of threads dealing with whether you can successfully play a mage while wearing only robes. My suggestion, with my limited experience, is that if that's how you want to play, play that way at a level of difficulty that allows you to still be challenged, but without being impossible. And if you find that it's easier than you thought, increase the difficulty. I don't see the point in not playing the role you want to play just because you feel obligated to play the game on Master because that's the only way a "hardcoe" gamer would ever think of playing.
Thoughts?

I suggest trying your hand at Adept (normal) difficulty and see how you get on with it at first, if you find it too challenging then try Apprentice (easy). The difficulty setting can be changed at any time, even during combat.
I currently play on Adept as I find it to be fairly easy but also challenging at times....one thing though with Adept is the higher level mages seem to deal a lot of damage.

I haven't found any indication the difficulty changes anything but combat, which is one of the least interesting parts of the game (but maybe the most popular and the one most emphasized).

Damn you really over think things. Why do so many people over anolyse everything? Play the level you`re comfotable with.

I play master because I`m a vet at playing RPGS, I know what to expect. I do not and never, ever play a game level because of what other people play. I play the level I want to play.

It`s my game, not anyone else`s on this forum.

Just play Easy and change as you wish.

I wanted to play a nightblade, and since i know Destruction doesn't scale well with difficulty settings since oblivion (or perhaps morrowind, can't remember if there were difficulty level in it), i play on adept, but i limit myself to 200 health, that way, my destruction do good damage, and since i've only 200 hitpoint, the foes does good damage on me too. More realistic. I wish difficulty only affect NPC damage, not their HP pool.

I'm sure I am overthinking it. I'm just kind of responding to a general impression I get from reading some of the threads here. I'm sure if I could play on Master w/o saving every 2 minutes and fighting the same battle a half-dozen times before moving on that I would do so. Thanks for the response!

I would start your character on Adept.....the default setting. The game screams , "nord!" warrior!!!.

Honestly, at adept you will find it quite easy at times with a warrior..... especially with the perks lined up
to do extra killing blows and damage. Armor can be found anywhere in the game, not just made....

and when you come across that perfect peace of armor for yourself, without smithing, it's quite rewarding.

Have fun, bud.

Thats a really great way to play `lots` of immersion - old RPG player here - I am 49 yrs old so even pre computer era, the way you are playing is good, sink into the game and enjoy it, its about the journey not getting to any `end point`.

Only thing I would add is play low difficulty - but try play DiD (dead is dead) one error thats it, that makes the game much more fullfillng - still each to his own and I think you were just giving a valid opinion not saying `others should play as I do`
(sorry spelling Grammar - Dyslexia)

I generally have little problem with games. I tend to quickly get into the game mechanics and therefore might call me quite skilled. Especially with Beth games like OB, FO3 and of course Skyrim.
So I play at Expert and roleplays. I currently play a Monk character, only using Hooded Monk Robes and a Wooden Battlestaff, as from the http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3871 mod.

I read an article a while back that someone had posted here about the two types of RPG players: Those focused on the "rules" of the game and those focused on the "role" you want to play. Those who focus on the "rules" debate things like whether you can play a mage on master difficulty and wear robes and have strong opinions on things like whether the master enchant perk is overpowered. Those who focus on the "role" don't worry about such things (although they do worry about things that decrease their choices or the impact those choices have on the world) and just play their role.

Most folks are a blend of both play styles, but it sounds like you are more focused on the "role" than the "rules." I wish I could be more like you. I tend to be somewhere in the middle. Don't feel bad if you have to move the difficulty slider to the left in order to roleplay your character in leather armor. That's what the difficulty slider is there for, don't be afraid to use it and don't feel bad just because someone else is playing at Master with their fully perked, enchanted, smithed, etc. character. A lot of roleplayers purposfully gimp their characters just to make things more interesting. A pure roleplayer is just as "hardcoe" as someone who focuses more on the "rules" to buff their character to the max, just in a different way.

That's what's great about TES games. They appeal to a lot of different playstyles, which is why they have so much repeat value. On one playthrough, I will perk my character to be really powerful. Next playthgough I may focus more on roleplaying a certain role and purposefully not take perks that would make the character more powerful if they do not fit in with the role I want to play. For instance, right now, my Khajiit has purposefully not taken the glass armor smithing perk because I think he looks better in scale and that seems more fitting to his personality. But if I had been a true roleplayer, I would have stopped at leather (like you) because honestly that seems more fitting. Like I said, I wish I could be more like you and refrain from perking to smithing to scale, which seemed like a good compromise between a "rules" and a "role" playing style.

Kudos to you for being true to your character's role!

I think you should focus on what makes the game fun for you, which sounds like the role-playing aspect vs the game mechanic aspect. IMO, any character build can be successful on master (it's more challenging to gimp a character than to build a strong one). IIRC, there was a dead-is-dead video of an unarmored character killing a dragon with a pick-axe on master.

But it all comes down to you. If you have more fun on master, play it. If you have more fun on adept, play it. The only reason to play a given difficulty is because it's more fun to you than the other options.

There is more than one way to enjoy Skyrim. Some people like to anolyze statistics and build the most efficient and effective character they can because, well, it's important to them. Other people don't pay much attention to stats and just try to always play in character. Do whatever you enjoy doing. There's no right way to do it. Being hard core just means you take your play style very seriously. There is no difference in this regard between min/maxers and role-players. They just have different objectives.

I'm playing on Master, I don't min/max, and I intentionally gimp my character to increase the challenge. That's fun for me. If you find the game too challenging with your current build, just turn down the difficulty. Nobody cares what difficulty you play on but you.

I like to think of Novice mode as Lord of the Rings mode. In LOTR, every orc or goblin Aragorn or Gimli or Legolas hit died in a single blow. The movie was still great, even if they did play on easy.

when I played oblivion, if i wanted to do an archer assassin i'd turn the difficulty right down because bows were underpowered, but if i did a crazy orc brute who thought he was stronger than he was I would turn difficulty right up

I play mainly for experience so, and don't go calling me a milk drinker , I play on Novice and wear whatever feels right for my character and use whatever feels right for my character. Not that it matters, its just how I play

EDIT: Oh and Assassain33, you joined a day before my B-day just thought i'd throw that in.

cool didn't know that sorry I didn't join a day later to be mildly more interesting

I play on apprentice, and i genuinely feel its more like the standard difficulty being that its still very possible to be killed easily. I tried Novice, but the balancing seemed really off to me... Being that bandits dropped incredibly easy, but the tougher enemies remained quite lethal. I decided on sticking with apprentice and only died once so far at level 14. I think skill sometimes has nothing to do with survival. I was ambushed by a few Thalmor and was decimated before i could barely react.

I appreciate all the responses and I'm glad to see so much support for just playing the game without so much concentration on stats, etc.!