I always thought some variations on gameplay were fun and challenging.

One example was the No-Materia challenge in Final Fantasy 7. Which means you could never use magic or abilities.

Right now, im trying to get every item, and every job mastered, and complete all the missions in final fantasy tactics advance. Its addicting!

I don't quite understand the 2 "options".

But i do play some wierd "variations" of games.

For example i played Fallout starting with a Luck of 10 and with Jinxed and Bloody Mess. How fun it is to see ppl around you explode for no reason. (you being immune to Jinxed because of high Luck)

I also played Wizardry8 with the classes i never, ever chose because they are too crappy.

And probably other things. It mostly depends on the game.

maxing out my charectorand getting every quest complete in oblivion, now that was a good two-hundred hour variation.

If I really like a game I generally try to complete every mission in as many ways as possible. But I would never intentially handicap myself just to see if I could complete a game at a disadvantage

Morrowind. Set every stat to 1. I was so weak I couldnt carry my own clothes let alone a torch or an item.

SO I'm guessing you got killed by a LOT of scribs.

Scribs? **** I was running(crawling is a better word) from mud crabs.

Pffft, the Morrowind Mud Crabs are much bigger and more dangerous than the Oblivion ones. Well, okay, not much more dangerous.

I normally find myself 'holding back' in strategy games, just to give the AI a chance of being a challenge. I do it a lot in Hearts of Iron - not producing as many troops as is needed for the war :)

First time I play, I try to just do everything, but after that I like to play IC or variations :)

I used to experiment with different approaches to playing games. Haven't done it in a while thought as time is an issue with me. I usually never finish most new games I start because of time or lack thereof.

I played an interesting version of Pokemon once: its called no evolution. Quite simply, you tap the B button on every level; that's right, all your Pokemon must stay at their initial evolutionary stage, and you must catch them there. So, you can't cheat and go catch a Haunter or a Gyrados, you have to grab that Gastly. It's not that hard in the beginning, but you really begin to feel your stats slipping below par around Cerulean and Saffron Cities; the Elite Four is hell. However, you don't realize how good you are...or aren't... until you do this; you create insane strategies to win, and abuse every TM in the game in the process. You also learn how much Pikachu sucks right around the LV 50 mark.

Another challenge in the Pokemon games is no TMs at all, and you can only give each HM to one Pokemon.

First time I play, I try to just do everything,

Same here, after thant I do everything again and then just do what I want from then on.

One variant I've played on Pokémon is the no-switching variant. Which is to say, once you've used (being defined as using at least one attack) from a given pokémon in a battle, that's it. You WILL use that pokémon on your team for the rest of the game. And you don't use potions during battles except at the elite four.

It's not that hard in itself, but where it gets though is when you go and deliberately pick the single worst possible starter for early match-ups. (Charmander in RBY, Chicorita in GSC).

Given how crappy the pokémon you can catch early on usually are, not an easy scenario. Even a lvl 36 Charizard has a though time against Misty (not to mention that, if you get a charizard by the time you face Misty, it means you'll be playing at a type disadvantage against Surge, too. Though at least by then a few decent second choices will start being available (such as Kadabra))

I invented a multiplayer cooperative play variety of Sim City 2000, check it out! (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=177770)

I played an interesting version of Pokemon once: its called no evolution. Quite simply, you tap the B button on every level; that's right, all your Pokemon must stay at their initial evolutionary stage, and you must catch them there. So, you can't cheat and go catch a Haunter or a Gyrados, you have to grab that Gastly. It's not that hard in the beginning, but you really begin to feel your stats slipping below par around Cerulean and Saffron Cities; the Elite Four is hell. However, you don't realize how good you are...or aren't... until you do this; you create insane strategies to win, and abuse every TM in the game in the process. You also learn how much Pikachu sucks right around the LV 50 mark.

Cool! I have to try that out when I come home!

I like to create historical empires in Paradox-games, though sometimes I want to beat history as greatly as possible. Or just survive as some tiny nation that in real life got destroyed. I once in EU2 survived as Lorraine(a one-province country in French-German border) to Napoleonic ages, and France was the most powerful country of world. I fought several wars against France, allied with some strong nations. But at Napoleonic ages France attacked, I got no allies, and in the end only provinces I had were Lorraine and Polotsk in Belarus. I won it by a ridiculous war. :lol:

Once in Deus Ex I tried to kill as few foes that I could. But it didn't go well. :lol:

I like to create historical empires in Paradox-games, though sometimes I want to beat history as greatly as possible. Or just survive as some tiny nation that in real life got destroyed. I once in EU2 survived as Lorraine(a one-province country in French-German border) to Napoleonic ages, and France was the most powerful country of world. I fought several wars against France, allied with some strong nations. But at Napoleonic ages France attacked, I got no allies, and in the end only provinces I had were Lorraine and Polotsk in Belarus. I won it by a ridiculous war. :lol:
I myself prefer to play as Oldenburg. ;)