Unless I'm doing a specific test or an experiment to gather data, I generally don't 'restrict' myself at all when I play.
This is the problem, really: If I'm playing for enjoyment and just trying to have fun with the game, then, for me, that usually involves being as effective in combat as is reasonably, tactically possible, and making the most effective choices I can see to make at any given point. I'd like to have a reasonable level of challenge and for the game to feel fair and legitimate as I play, and I don't want to feel like I'm handicapping myself for the sake of making things more challenging or more believable, because that's counter-immersive. I also don't want to feel like I'm cheating the game, or abusing broken AI or mechanics (these *should* be very simple needs to meet in any video game, and they are for just about every other major game I've played).
So, I play the game as the game asks itself to be played, and use all of the broken, stupid mechanics that it offers, because they are almost always the best option. Sure I use spells and class abilities too, but most of the time, being effective and efficient means abusing the homebrew and the shoddy broken mechanics heavily... so I use them when it seems tactically efficient to do so, which is often.
I very quickly lose any sense of enjoyment or fun with the game, despite the fact that I'm literally playing for fun and enjoyment; combats are a chore and not engaging, and are functionally impossible to lose, but arbitrarily limiting my options to create challenge or to create a semblance of better believability kills my ability to enjoy the game just as, if not even more, quickly.
Before long, I'm not really having fun either way - the writing and the story certainly isn't engaging enough to keep me with it through and in spite of the other detractors, at this point, nor are most of the characters, or the scene direction.
My engagement is actually highest when I'm running a specific experiment to analyse or assess an element of the game, for reporting purposes - but that's engagement in a project that I want to complete, not engagement in a game that I'm enjoying. As a game to enjoy playing, I find the design makes it impossible for me to enjoy, no matter how I choose to play, which is a remarkable feat, considering that this is exactly the genre of game I do generally enjoy; no matter how I play or what I do, it results in overpoweringly strong elements that sap the fun and engagement from the game very quickly.
I couldn't have said it better so I'll just 100% +1 this.
