Pretty much the title.

Skyrim is the first TES game I've played (more of a Bioware type story fan), but enjoyed it a lot (open world, first person perspective especially).

Would it make sense to play after Skyrim? Specifically, is it different enough (game and combat mechanics, magic, etc.) to start playing?

Thanks for sharing your perspectives and advice.

Magic is very different in Oblivion. But I'd say it's definitely worth playing (especially if you get the Shivering Isles expansion). If only so you can have an entirely new world to explore. Might take some getting used to, but it's worth it.

The main differences to me is that Oblivion is a lot more colorful than Skyrim, and also the faces are a lot uglier

But the gameplay is mostly the same, so if you enjoyed Skyrim you will probably enjoy Oblivion too. Especially since it's a whole new game world you get to explore.