I've played a couple of tabletop role playing games, and I've played in a lot of different ways and setting types: being lax about rules, being strict about them, low fantasy, horror-themed, etc... I've had a lot of fun in all of those styles, and I'm always looking to turn any setting/story into something you can roleplay onto a tabletop system. System rules are important and shouldn't be taken lightly, after all, they've been thought out with an important sense of balance in mind, but I think you can have fun following them word-for-word as much as you can enjoy playing a game ignoring or modifying other rules - the most important is that everyone is on the same level for that topic when they play. It's all about fun, and I like fun.