What do people here think about playing as a craftsman, farmer or merchant? Since we know that we can engage in multiple activities to produce things it should be possible to live the life of a medieval craftsman in the game (hunt deer, get their skin, tan leather, make armours, sell them to buyers. Or alternatively just buy deer skin or leather and go from there. Sell your farm's products or make recipes and sell them at the local market. Or simply buy where the prices are low and sell where the demands and prices are high). Do you think that it would be sustainable/profitable?

With some help from mods maybe you could even create your own commercial empire? What do my fellow commenters think?

I'm absolutely on board with concentrating on sheer graft/craft. In OB, it was possible to eschew so-sophisticated magic and high class store-bought armors, and be something of a working-class hero. Sadly, building your own stuff required enchanting, which required going to mages uni. . Now that there's proper crafting in 'Skyrim'... prospecting and forging ores for heaven sake... I think being an honest tradesman may now be an option.

Question is... why would you spoil it, and go over to the class-enemy, by founding a commercial empire.

Well at first I'd just like to have a little farm somewhere. But I'm interested in the possibility of dominating the province economically. Since each town has its own economy it should be possible to drive shops out of business through sabotage or shrewd bargaining. In the end all of Skyrim could depend on your products and you could become RICH RICH RICH!

It doesn't seem that deep haha. I'm not sure if the system will support becoming prince of a massive trade empire without mods.

You've mentioned farming a few times. Is farming something you can do in game or are you just talking about finding a place to get plants and such over and over?

I believe Todd mentioned farming once or twice. Planting seeds probably isn't possible (you can always create a farm for your use wherever you want with the creative kit) but I saw that the player can use mills and such things so you may be able to produce flour and bread if you have wheat. I'd be surprised if beer and wine (or mead) production wasn't in the game as well.

I played a craftsman in Oblivion with a mod called Craftybits. It was fun. I played Skyrim at PAX and mostly spent my time crafting stuff. I feel like someone at Bethesda must've played Craftybits... the crafting system reminded me of it a little.

I wish I could, but I highly doubt any of those skills will be deep enough to do all of the time.

Now that you mention it I would like that option.
At least when I'm tired of rescuing damsels in distress and beating thugs into submission I wouldn't mind doing some farming. I haven't heard much about it yet, but I could see myself retiring from the assassin's guild to a little farm on a hill.......

Yeah... but in the end it would only work if you could outsource your production to Akavir or Elseweyr or somewhere. Skyrim would no longer have the economic infrastructure to support growth.
I fear you're trying to import Thatcherism gone mad to my favourite fantasy kingdom.... I suppose it wouldn't be the first time though.

this is definitely something to think about it and would be awesome to do all the work and then make profit.

Modding in a farming estate.. now there's an idea..

i would love to have a farmhouse with plenty of room to plan verious alchemy ingredients. even more so if i could build it up. going from a simple home to a fortified estate. maybe combinding its construction with a small quest line like in Morrowind. that would be fantastic. so that eventualy you actualy have a new small settlement. couplete with your oun mechents and paid servents. (no slaves though since as an Argonian i find slavery offencive)

since i'm getting the 360 version i wont be able to mod it but it would be nice to see it as a DLC pack