I've been toying with a few builds. Surprisingly, none of the builds have worked-out the way I envisioned but all have been satisfying.
One build was supposed to be a heavy weapons warrior that relied on Bound Sword/Axe but the magicka cost was too great. Trying to divvy points between magicka, health and stamina was too much. If, you're doing anything more radical than a 60/40 split between 2 traits you're crippling yourself. Seventy-thirty works well too, unless you're just boosting a single trait. The Bound Sword/Axe didn't work out because warriors need health and stamina to take a give punishment from their close-quarter brawling. I couldn't keep enough magicka to constantly re-conjure my weapons AND for on-the-spot healing.
However, an archer using Bound Bow works pretty darned well, especially if you're sneak attacking. Add in the staggering perk and Unrelenting Force shout and you can keep most enemies at bay if not drop them outright in the opening shot. So what if the companions call you a *****, at least you're a live, rich *****. My archer has pretty much just doped-up on straight health and is working well.
Another concept I wanted was a thief that used illusion spells to augment sneaking etc. I chose a khajit for their enhanced sneaking but quickly found out cycling between spells and weapons was a pain in the ass. It was easier to just keep spells at hand and incinerate or electrocute enemies like so many Wall Street Occupiers. The khajit angle paid off unexpectedly well when the magicka went dry like a virgin whose father just came home and enemies closed to melee range. Khajit get 15 points of melee damage for using their hands and that is better than most melee weapons at mid-level skill, all the more so when you're just starting out. Add the "Glove of the Pugilist" from the Ratway in Riften and your mage is cracking skulls.
For a warrior, nothing beats a purebred, Aryan cloning vat Nord. Smithing is nice because you can forge and refine weapons and armor significantly higher than anything you'll find lying around, which is how they incentivize you, after all.
The archer and mage are getting the enchantment treatment. I haven't progressed far enough with the pair (probably has something to do with constantly re-starting the game) but I would like to see an archer that has each piece of armor and weapon double-enchanted with one of those enchantments being a maxed-out boost to archery and then something else useful in addition to the already maxed-out skill tree. If I can get daedric smithing for the bow as well, so much the better. Rinse and repeat for the mage with appropriate skill and trait boosts.
And yes, re-playing the same missions is OK because each build requires a different approach. My berserker loathes mages because they hit him with frost, slowing-him down and wearing him out. Sure, once he closes distance they squish easily enough but the dancing little faggots never stand still and they throw-up wards to ruin your shout for the duration of the fight. Other brawlers had best beware because he has been working out at the forge and taking injections of bull shark testosterone.
Meanwhile, the archer and mages can pretty much drop anyone from a distance...except those damned bull shark steroid shooting knuckle-draggers. The mage is versatile but magicka-depletion is a serious threat. Once the tap runs dry it's best to just skitter away until the blue line refills. The archer is hardy enough but multiple foes can be overwhelming; keep 'em canalized to minimize the time spent re-aligning your shots. Once the brawlers close distance it's best to shoot and scoot (I play almost entirely in 3rd-person view to avoid hanging-up on the terrain).
I'm enjoying the game for exactly the reason the designers intended: character development conforms to the player's style. Your builds aren't following a pre-determined tree. Your sneaking skill improves because you're constantly sneaking. You're a battle-mage and not a healer because you throw more fireballs than healing spells.
In the bang-for-buck category Skyrim wins, hands-down. For $40 to $60, depending on where/when you purchase, you get a game whose main story arc will take over 100 hours to play out and still leave you with multiple dozens of more hours just to run around and act the fool. Add in the fact you can replay numerous character concepts and you're paying pennies-per-hour for entertainment. The only downside is your wife might start sleeping with somebody else...if you consider that a downside.