character choice in RPGs

When I start playing a game, I play along. I want it to succeed at bringing me in to its reality, so like some hypnosis victim, I am predisposed to believe. So I always try and play in character. If the story is lacking or weak in explaining something about the world, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. If there are in-game flaws that I can use to cheat the system, I try not to abuse them. I am a willing co-conspirator in the story.

I like to play the mage in RPGs, but all to often game mechanics are so complex its easy to end up very frustrated while trying to figure out the game and to also figure out the magic system at the same time. Now I'm trying something new in the game I'm currently playing - I'm taking the fighter role that I have always ignored. If the game offers the usual RPG roles of fighter, mage, thief, etc. then you can probably finish the game as any of them. The role of fighter is always the baseline, so I'll take that to learn the game. Assuming the game is any good, I can do another playthrough as mage.

I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but the game I'm playing right now (System Shock 2) pushed me over the line. This game has a ton of choices, and if I can learn most of it without having to try and master the magic of the game (psionics), maybe I can enjoy the story that much more.