So ... I fiddled around with my Prefs.ini and with my graphics card's settings ... and after a few crashes, I lost all my save games. I was about 1/3 of the way through the game.

I reset my settings and start a new playthrough.

I choose a khajiit. He's a thief-mage who specialises in archery, bound weapons, light armour, pickpocketing, lock picking, and speech (and possibly enchantment, in the future). Yeah, quite a spread.

After the dragon attack at Helgen, he circles back around to retrieve some of his, and others', belongings, and then goes east, over the mountains. I imagine he spends a few weeks eking out an existence: in the tundra, where he waylays bandits in a ruin-[censored]-homestead (he has to survive some way, right?); then moves to the Rift woodlands, surviving against trolls and sabretooth cats the only way he can, which is to run away; and finally rejoins civilisation in Riften.

This playthrough's been a lot more interesting. I know what I'm doing now, so no wasted RP/development opportunities.

How are your successive playthroughs? Better or worse than the first?

Edit: Bethesda, I can't believe you're censoring the Latin KUM with a C.

Well I haven't gotten to the second playthrough yet but after finishing the main quest and the guild quests that I wanted to do, I am enjoying the game a whole lot more. Mainly because I am playing alot slower now, using carragies instead of fast travel and appreciating alot of the smaller details.

Well at first it was better...until the game started lagging and crashing 24/7

My first character was an Argonian, and I intially planned on a light armored warrior with some stealthy ambushing thrown in. By the time I'd finished my first dungeon I was well on the way to being a pure mage, which is what I settled on. I quite enjoy my argonian wizard, but I've had more fun with my second character, a breton warrior who doesn't use any ranged attacks.

I haven't started my second play-through yet either, mainly because I just haven't had a lot of time to play...

I wish I could pause time...

Better. Much more familiar with the mechanics of the game now. That first character... wooo... was he a pain to level.

Playing on an xbox as of now, the first one was more surprising. Mods will make subsequent playthroughs better, though.

What's your plan for dragons?

The same. My first playthrough was a breton who mastered all fighter skills but two handed, who maxed enchanting and alchemy, and also had room for sneak. So he's a perfect warrior/assassin who can cast spells for free, or using awesome staffs instead. My new character is an orc for it's berserk power, and I'm making him more or less identical. So far I'm just neglecting the dragon smithing perk.

My second playthroughs simply different. My first character was a dunmer assassin mage. more epic and powerful, making entire villages fighting eachother in the streets and cutting the throats of anyone lucky enough to survive, taking down ancient dragons with bow or magic. Basically wreaking unstoppable havoc.

My second character is much more humble. A bosmer thief/merchant. only 150 health. probably gonna stay that way. i started much the same way, i stayed in riverwood till i was caught stealing and headed east towards riften where *i had heard there was a thieves guild* Im enjoying him a lot more, much more of a challenge and a fresh play style. stealing. very good with a bow. Dabbles in alteration magic. Plus i really dont like to do every guild with the same character.

Havent done the main questline with either character yet. haha. probably gonna make a nord next and do that. Im enjoying my second time almooooosst as much as my first. i cleared over 80% of the locations with my first though so a good deal of revisiting. just with different reasons usually.

My first character was Nord 2h warrior, I like it a lot and is my most played character.
Second was Altmer pure mage. Like it as well but can't really be compared to the above.
Third was Imperial sneak warrior with bow emphasis. Again, mainly just to try different things out.

Wait till they come down, of course.

The random dragon in Windhelm has no plans to land. Know why? Look at the layout of Windhelm, and find a spot for it to land.

I had to reload a save cause I had no ranged attacks when one attacked Windhelm as I was leveling something...alchemy ...? When it came down it was always perched on some rooftop somewhere. That annoying spot that melees can't get to.

I'm not on my second playthrough yet, but I'm having lots of fun planning my character. I'm feeling either an Argonian Paladin (One Handed, Heavy Armour, Restoration) or an Orc Stormtrooper (Two Handed, Heavy Armour, Smithing).

Everything seems much quicker. I powered through the first part of the MQ so I could use shouts and it went by so fast. On my first playthrough, every time I got to a new town I would do a whole bunch of the sidequests while the main reason I went there was put on the back burner.

Now I'm more direct and I have a better idea of where to put perks. I feel like I'm much stronger at lower levels because of it.

I actually haven't had as much trouble with dragons as I would have expected, even with one out in the wild. I do need to maximize damage output when they're on the ground but I've got Mjoll to help me with that.

Better due to the accidental breaking of the game.. well not breaking but I was dual wielding and found Elemental Fury which just ate any and all foes in my path. (I could have stopped using it but I was amused at the time).

My first playthrough is never a well designed character, its more of a test run. He/she usually lasts about an hour just so I can get a feel for the game and plan out early RP opportunities.