What other solution would you prefer to the OP's problem?

I am confused. On a grand scale I can't think of many games that force you to be a normal person... outside of maybe Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Minecraft... etc. All media has some sort of hero, some sort of person, or character, that we can idolize, or want to be. In video games it's a bit different as we almost always become that person and that's what makes games special. We can be, or do, whatever we want, it's an escape.

Previous titles fall into the same trap of none discrimination. Every character I've ever made has been the "chosen" one. Everyone hated my Dark Elf in Morrowind but hey, he still saved the flipping world. Many people scoffed at my Wood Elf in Oblivion, yet he still saved the world (or would have had I not gotten bored). The same is true for Skyrim. The Nords didn't exactly like my Dark Elf, but he still saved the flipping world.

I have a feeling a lot of you wouldn't be avoiding the main quest if it wasn't so [censored]....

So how is it weak?
You are given a choice. It has consequences if you take it. For someone who is complaining about lack of choices and consequences to be complaining that a choice they made has a consequence is a bit rich.

Some people don't think it is fun to just walk around and pretend that you are doing something that matters. At least with the structure of a questline you know you are doing something (within the game world) that actually makes a difference. Also there is a sense of urgency to get to whiterun and figure out what the hell just happened with this dragon is there not? The main quest doesn't have to be restrictive and if they did something like the Fallout NV questline you wouldn't have to avoid it.

I really, really don't understand what you're trying to say.

Are you saying that the main quest is too restrictive? That you want to feel significant even if you don't do the main quest? That you feel compelled to avoid the main quest?

Ok I never said I had found nothing to do apart from the main quest, you must have mistaken me for another.
I still greatly appreciate all the rich world of skyrim, all the side quest, I also like the main quest, this was not my point...

About the guy who corrected me about morrowind (where we indeed play the reincarnation of a badass guy), forgive me I played this game quite young and it seems I didn't understand everything.
About the oblivion related thing, I do not remember being a friend of martin or knowing him before the kvatch lovely meeting (game lore wise), but I could once again be mistaken.

I think people have been mistaken by the superman stuff of my original post. I was not talking about raw powers (btw I lold hard at the supermanlike powers comparison), I was rather talking about what you are meant to be. I don't even know if Mr Kent was born with superpowers, that's not my point. I was more attached to my characters in previous games, because I could shape a more distinct personality for all of them. In skyrim I cannot but think "all right let's try... a marksman dragonborn ! Oh no wait, maybe a illusionist dragonborn ? "

In oblivion if I ignored the main quest (I usually did since I hated those fiery gates when they appeared in the midst of my lovely forest walks) I could just be a lucky prisoner with a shiny talisman that I should give to somebody, nothing cataclysmic nor urgent in line except if I chose to believe the star stuff the emperor told me, which I can explicitly, in the dialog options, choose to not believe, and that's a huge difference.
We are much more "streamlined" in Skyrim, I mean a dragon is roaming free, I just cannot let this aside and just don't care. And then all the stuff begins and however cool it is, I don't like the fact that I feel compelled to do and continue the main quest.

I wanted to stress the difference I'm feeling in terms of RP design. Of course they are ways to avoid the main quest I do not question this.
I guess I am indeed a spoiled child who wanted a more neutral RPG experience then It's what I loved in Oblivion. Here the experience is much more movie like, take the whiterun actions, everything is scripted to make it a very continuous and fluid story , you arrive, if you have the dragon stone it's immediatly continuing towards the dragon attack and all the stuff. It's very cinematic, it's very cool, the dialogs are even starting all by themselves... but I lost something I liked in previous games.
Maybe just a little "pause" in between the quests where you give the information about the dragon and the rest goes on could have totally changed that. I would have satisfied my conscience, if I'm curious I can ask if they need the help of a guy in rags, if not I just go away, so you will say "you CAN go away", yes, but not without going against the logic of the RP scripts.

Anyway, I don't know if I'm clear about all this, enjoy the game people, it's still amazing ^^

What I am saying is, in order do feel as if we are playing the game OUR way, we shouldn't have to avoid the MQ. Try playing Fallout New Vegas. I can play that game in any way I want. With Skyrim, I can't unless I ignore most of the quests and just make it up myself.

In Oblivion we are told we are great right in the beginning, before anything happens at all.
In Skyrim we have Alduin destroy an entire city with a meteor storm and he incinerates anything in his path. That gave us an idea hmmm this is going to be something right here.
Morrowind did it best when you stumble upon a Dwemer cube, you are given basic directions on where to head to or you can stumble upon it.

So you want branching quest lines and you want to happen upon the main quest?

YES. Someone finally understands. Ignoring certain parts of the game is just unacceptable to me because it is always right there in your face. Let's take the Theives guild for instance. You're only option is to join them but what if you are role playing as a richeous paladin that wants the rid the land of greed and overal bad guy-ness? You're just SOL. Now, in New Vegas, you could just walk right up to the bad guys at their main base and take them out. See what I'm getting at here?

ha my point exactly..so many people complain about choices they make and blame bethesda for their choice
This reminds me of the guy who complained about the existence of the ohgma glitch, saying he didn't want to use it but had no choice as if it was a prerequisite to play..people are strange

And I can't just ignore that they are there because I have been to riften and have seen what is going on there.

I have not done many of the quest in New Vegas and have not yet been to the Legions camp yet.

In Morrowind one thing I did like is that if I wanted to I could kill Vivec if I wanted to do so I could kill Fyr and I could "continue in the doomed world I created" that made it seem like you had more control over your characters destiny. I an not really sure about branching quest lines in the main quest line because the events in this game chart out a story for future installments. I would like something like Morrowinds great houses in Skyrim where you can build up prestige in your chosen group and you get a stronghold or castle built because you have risen to a high rank in the group, it would be great if these had a twisting story where you could betray one and give intellect to another only to side with the third house or group something Luke that would be interesting.

One thing I will give Skyrim is the fact that I actually feel godlike and uber. With Oblivion in the end I felt like nothing more then a glorified errand boy and someone else took all the credit.

^This. Anyone can kill a dragon. But only the dragonborn can prevent it from being resurrected, where the absorbing phase is done with no interaction at all after the dragon is dead. What's so special about that? So he has a great ability to learn shouts, so what? Bach had a great ability in understanding and creating music, but it didn't make him a demigod. Some are born into being emperors and whatnot, it doesn't make them anything else than flesh and blood still vulnerable to a dagger or poison.

Yeah, I prefer RPGs where I don't feel like a superhero, where I can still get killed by low level enemies if I choose to not roleplay and make use of my skills in a proper fashion. I should get pretty powerful indeed, with better skills and improved stats. But not to the point where only dragons can hurt me - that just makes the game boring. And that, unfortunately, still happens in Skyrim way too fast if you play the leveling up game - which in well balanced RPGs doesn't make you a demigod even if you keep leveling up.

Yeah it would be cool if they added a way to "fail" the game and have to suffer the end of the world. As for the five houses thing I agree. I mean you are the dovakiin, you'd think you would gain a bunch of followers and worshippers throughout the game other than those two blades and those few dull companions.

Edit: Also, although Fallout NV has different endings, only one of them is canon.

I would love branching faction quest, I think that should also have something to do with a reputation system and this game really needs one that would help the world reflect on your actions. We would also need a faction reputation system as well.

I did not know that about NV interesting where can I find the cannon ending after I beat the game, just give me a source please, I have not beaten it yet.

I really don't see what stops you from playing the game the way you want. You mentioned the Thieves' Guild as an example. You can, should you choose, just go into the Ragged Flagon and start killing people. Nothing is stopping you from doing that. You just won't have anyone assign you a quest to do it.

There is nothing in Skyrim that prevents you from playing the game your way (again, if anyone comes in with the "Spellmaking is goooooone!" complaints, heads will roll).

I am one of those people.

Spellmaking is gone, sadly.

Actually I'm not sure as I read it a long time ago and now people are saying that there is no canon inding -.- The one I read said that the canon ending would be the NCR controlling the mohave with the brotherhood helping patrol, the great kahns in utah, the boomers still independent but trade with NCR, Nightkin are cured etc. Basically all the "Good" endings.

Actually, there is... Everyone in there is flagged as essential.

Edit: You can't kill Maven Blackbriar either and if you do unflag her it messes up other quest lines.

Everyone? I thought I remembered killing one of the minor thieves for funsies.

Edit: And you actually complain about killing an NPC having an effect on being able to do quests on the same thread where you say that you should be able to fail the game?

Well maybe some of the unimportant ones aren't essential but come on it's either all of them or none of them.

All I needed was the NCR or Nightkin good ending I skipped the rest of your post there.

So all the good endings to figure.