It seems like most people go to Whiterun and follow the main quest line right away. I'm not going to do that. First I'm going to go to Riften, do quests for the Jarl and get him to like me enough so I can buy a house. Then I'm going to work on sidequests and such so I can get enough gold to purchase that house and furnish it. After that I'll continue doing the Jarl's quests and see if maybe he'll make me a Thane and give me a Housecarl. (I'm assuming that every Jarl can reward you with a Housecarl if you get far enough into their questlines.) After that, it's off to the Mages Guild. I plan on trying to be a pure Mage character, using staves, daggers, Mage robes or light armor, maybe even just enchanted clothing, with a little bit of lockpicking thrown in if it's true that the open lock spell has been removed from the game.

After that, who knows?

I'm gonna search for umbra.

I plan to do the main quest up to meeting the Jarl of Whiterun (name?). You get an encounter outside the city that leads you into joining the Companions, which, is something I want to do almost right away.

i will do the main quest through the whiterun part and then set out to find the dark brotherhood.

I'll leave the MQ for last... first I'll wander here and there, find the cheapest roof to rent, then I'll join a guild some mercenaries or thieves for some adventure.

I wouldn't mind searching for locations in general and seeing what I can find. I am interested in Daedric Artifacts.

I'm also going straight to the dark brotherhood then i'm going to find some bad [censored] dungeons

Issac

I'm making a list, I'm checking it twice, gonna find out who's due for a random and completely inexplicable werewolf attack.

But in more serious, I'll seek out the College. Then the thieves guild. Then the Companions if I haven't been locked out.

Same here

Going straight to Windhelm and joining the Dark Brotherhood up to
Then I'll completely finish the College of Winterhold.

Get to the Companions quest where you become
Then finish the DB

Thieves Guild

Finish Companions

Continue Main Quests

Do all of the quests that seem interesting

That will probably take me a a good 1-3 years as I'm going to try and do everything interesting/

Then I'll make my roleplaying character.

I'm getting the MQ out of the way then getting round to do everything else.

Umbra may not be here this time around

Read the Infernal City and Lord of Souls to see what I'm talking about


I'm gonna join the College of Winterhold!

Riverwood -> Whiterun -> Winterhold is pretty much my plan, stopping in any other villages/settlements along the way. I want to expand my spellbook as quickly as I can as well, to give myself more options in combat.

Head over to Riften as well, and...retire!

To Riverwood and from there we'll see...to the OP - Jarl is in Riften?I thought he's in Whiterun.

well for me its strait to solitude to see if I can "dig up" anything on the wolf queen potema. I hear she was big into necromancy you know. the dark brotherhood and dwarf delving. there are ruins somewhere hears hopeing for a dwemer sphere companion or summon like in morrowind.

i'll do the mq until dragons are activitated then i'll do the camponion quest line so i can become a werewolf and fight a dragon like that.

Its confirmed you can join all guilds at once.

My plan is to do the MQ up to the point where I meet the Greybeards... Then my character will decide to ignore her supposed destiny, and pop next door to Riften for some Thieves Guild fun.

Pretty sure there is one in each hold.

Theres a Jarl in every city, also, there's no person named "Jarl" Its a title of the owner of the city.

I'll go exploring the rest of the world only after I've been made Thane of Whiterun. Too much important stuff happens before that point to ignore it, and it's a fairly structured way to ensure you have a solid starting point for your character (a few perks, some gold, a house, dragon shouts, etc).

i will go to riverwood to get some decent not so rusty and tattered gear and then i will start a long difficult trek to markarth.

Rorichstad, or however you spell it. Gonna see if I can find the thief's family.