Tom
Insider
Some games do this by starting off with a fully-fledged high-skilled character, in a completely overwhelming battle situation whereby there's no chance that the player can win. The important thing is that the user has seen the potential "power" that will be unleashed later in the game. Then, after the prologue, the player starts off with absolutely nothing, ready to build up towards the character that they've glimpsed at the start. Situations such as amnesia/coma/reincarnation are often used to justify this. Obviously, it is of vital importance for the story to lend itself to this sort of thing in order for this to be an appropriate way to start the game. Whether this sort of thing would be appropriate for Sui Generis... who knows?!
That's a very good point, which I'd forgotten; it's used mainly in Jrpgs, if memory serves right.
I don't think it will fit with Sui Generis, though, but it's something to keep in mind nonetheless.