Buying and selling as a merchant for a while, hunting, walking around as a guard, heavy-lifting at the docks, having a desk job etc. You'd work when you could and then explore at other times. Personally, I think this would be a good RP option. It might even be viable if money wasn't so common. How would people feel if they could actually be in real jobs?

I imagine it'd get real dull, except maybe to play as a hunter / fisherman. This game is too combat-centric for things like farming, etc..

I usually take adventuring breaks and live the quiet life in Riverwood, putting up my feet at Gerdur's. Using the fishing-mod, I make a living fishing or go out hunting with the help of the hunting mod which makes trapping a viable choice by trading pelts for better coin. Spend the nights drinking in the Inn and sometimes have it end with a bout of indoor athletics with the bard (JoshNZ's AP mod).

Or I spend a few gamedays being a blacksmith, crafting armor and weapons, enchanting them and selling them. I fund that by chopping wood and when the Blacksmith's inventory is depleted I move on, returning a few days later.

The game might not offer it explicitly, but there's nothing stopping you from living the tradesman's life.

I've roleplayed being a woodcutter for various reasons during my time playing Skyrim but it's not really a viable way of making lots of money. Roleplay wise it can work though. I soon got bored with that. I suppose more jobs would be something to do, but roleplay wise you can always already do those things and pretend that you do have those jobs. I just think that it could get boring. I mean how would buying and selling as a merchant even work?

I'm not writing off your idea, I think it's a great idea for perhaps a mod. But for the moment you can always just roleplay those things yourself.

Just quoting because I love your sig. The Yoshimi song makes me happy always. I can't help but laughing at the lalalala passage. ^^

98% agree. No desk jobs. However actively doing things would be amazing. Getting orders like 100 iron swords for the Stormcloaks/Imperials and such, and having a reknown system along with it. Like you begin off with like sharpening swords for Whiterun guards, and then you get a message from a courier from Tullius he has an order for 100 Imperial Swords and would like to speak with you.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1418236-a-couple-of-things-i-want-in-the-game-becoming-a-town-guard-and-destroying-the-thieves-guild/

I just made a thread about something similar. Town guards mang. I'd do it in a heartbeat, especially if one of our arrest phrases is "Stop right there criminal scum!".

I have a wandering alchemist character. Does that count?

People could come into your shop, and you have to run it. You're limited by inventory. You need to make a profit margin, etc.
With desk jobs you would have to use some sort of minigame interface. I suppose that's not for everyone.
Have you seen the youtube Skyrim Police videos (was it cops? something like that). That'd be great if we could do something like that!

My N'wah!

That's how I made my fortune on one of my characters. I really wish I could have opened or bought an Alchemy shop to retire with.

no i have one of those in real life, but maybe courier jobs would suit a traveling adventurer.

I would feel terribly bored?

Unless there are actually a working simulation of a real economy in Skyrim, it would be all pointless minigames.

That's what would make it fun, yes.

That's really where mods come in.


Without mods, I have a hunter/gatherer character who earns income from gathering ingrediants, mixing potions and selling them. Also by hunting and selling pelts. I find it fun. Sometimes I get real crazy and do some treasure hunting in the Nordic ruins.

The Flaming Lips <3

Isn't there already a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism_%28video_game%29 for that? I'm not sure how interesting that would be, for me I'm not sure I would find much fun in dealing with that. My concern with these jobs would be that in an actual mechanic it would end up feeling like the Fable job system, just a annoying minigame. Not saying they would but that is my worry.

That's the thing. It would need to be interesting, not some annoying minigame. You know the assassin contracts you get in the Dark Brotherhood, where you work as an actual assassin? That gets boring quickly, as do the Companion's and Thieves' Guild contracts. It need to be well thought out, and well applied. Sadly, I'm afraid Bethesda will never truly apply the feel of an actual job that you enjoy though.

Can any developer implement a job system in a non-simulator game that's not boring though?

It's not a bad idea but not for me. I tried that in a Dreamcast game called Shenmue and I was bored.

As long as it would be optional it would be ok for me.

I'd like to see jobs pertaining to blacksmithing, cooking and other crafting services. Some more mercenary type jobs wouldn't go astray too, like escorting a merchant from one city to another.