Has anyone looking for a real challenge started a perkless character?
You can still max all your abilities and learn all your spells.
You'd only get to wear what find or fight for since you don't have Smithing perks.
Seems like it would actually be pretty challenging and pretty difficult to become too overpowered.

I'm gonna go ahead and say that this will be next to impossible once you hit 50, unless the challenge has been accepted on Novice.

No thanks. I'll wait for mods which add more enemies, bosses and balance tweaks to make the game more of a challenge.

Isn't it a bit early in the games life to be thinking of this sort of thing?

It's not like anyone has run out of things to do yet.

I've actually thought about doing this. I'm sure I will, at some point. But not until I've explored the perk system a little more though thoroughly.

It's actually fun, one of my characters i'm doing it playing on Adept (the medium difficulty) and for once your not just some OP BA who takes out everything and feels immortal. Every battle becomes an adrenaline rush.

I just mentioned it because I see so many posts of people saying Smithing, Illusion, Conjuration and Stealth are all broken and imbalancing the game.
Your pets will be weaker, your illusions won't work on almost anything, you can't make the best items and you'll actually need enchanted sneak armor without sneak perks.
You'll still get to play how you want. Melee, spells, sneaking or whatever.
You can level up for health, magicka and stamina but don't spend your perks.

If you want a challenge I bet this is it.

Exactly.
Every fight is going to be a challenge!