Huge gamesas fan. Fallout especially and really getting into TES. No other RPGs. And I'm wondering how do I roleplay? Like really? How can I get the best out of my role-play? What can I do and not do? Can I get a few tips. Thanks fans!

Cheers

First and foremost, avoid having one character who does everything.
I always run 4 different builds . Each has a purpose and each is enjoyable for different reasons. Though no one character will do and see everything, I get to experience the entire game through each.
Note: These are base types, though not locked in to hamper oneself:

1. Male Nord Tracker/Cartographer. He lives off the land and doesn't do a single quest. Not one. Wears Light Armour and wields a 1H Axe and Bow. He also utilizes a torch for blocking. Simply roleplaying as a bystander in the province, occasionally helping a local met on the roads, charting the province as he goes. Has a penchant for freeing any and all prisoners seen, then smiting the escorts, no matter who. LOVE that guy.

2. Male Bosmer Rascal/Fisherman. He's my rogue type, wearing only clothing and dual-wielding daggers. Good at heart but can't keep his mits off all those shiny baubles strewn about the world.
*Note: He recently drowned under the ice...I don't want to talk about it*

3. Female Breton Seeker/Healer. Working her way around the Holds, studiously making her own charts of ingredient locales. She's my Mage build focusing on Restoration and Alchemy. With only enchanted robes and clothing, a dagger rests on the hip for times when those with ill-intent come too close.

4. Female Redguard Vindictor. This lass has a chip the size of Ysgramor on her shoulder. She's working the main storyline with nary a minute to stop and take names. My tank build, but only wearing Steel Plate and wielding a 2H blade. She'll most likely join the Companions at some point. Undecided on that.

It's YOUR game, so play it as you choose. To limit oneself is self-defeating, as is having one character do everything.
Sparse out the duties and interests and you'll always have a character ready to suit your current mood.
One person's opinion.

One way is to actually role play. It's not a set of skills and attributes. It's not just leveling up. Try to be in the world:

1) Behave as you would if you really were in that world. Don't kill strangers just to see what happens. Don't steal stuff unless that's what your character does. Spend time in taverns listening to the locals or take a stroll in the country to watch the sunset. Create a moral code and try to stick to it. Let it define your goals and interactions and even the quests you accept.

2) Better for some - behave as another person with different motivations and goals. Murder people for money if that's your thing. Become a hunter and sell pelts or a highway robber who steals gold. Be a total sissy and run from every challenge. Be a smith, a trader or a craftsman. Create your own goals. In Morrowind I became a top skooma dealer. That was my idea. Your choice, not the game's.

3) Live with the consequences of your mistakes. I lost a key and abandoned a questline. No big deal, I'll make my bread elsewhere in the world. I left the Companions because the deal they offered simply didn't fit how I wanted to play. The only reload I did was near the start to avoid being dragon born - I had no idea that would come so early. Everything else is part of the experience...

4) And do treat it as an experience rather than just a game: suspend disbelief - NPCs are people not just quest-givers or item carriers. Animals and creatures live in the world and are part of it, not just "mobs" to be cut down for the challenge or xp. I frequently run away from fights I hadn't planned. Not worth the risk to my horse anyway.

5) Develop your skills, don't simply accumulate them. Become a talented archer or a crafty thief. A great swordsman or a powerful wizard. There's no need to be the best at everything. Use the perks and leveling to improve the skills you think you will use, but don't become obsessed with acquiring them or increasing your stats. They are not a set of challenges or a barometer of your success. They are just there to help you along with whatever path you choose to take in the world.

6) Don't listen to other players (maybe me included, lol). This isn't WoW; you don't need to hear people boasting of their "level 50 Conjurer" and then measure your own 'success' in the game by that standard. Just be in the world and forget about what the others say.

Exactly! Main reason why I left WoW's lame RP. This is a world you're looking at, not just a bunch of pixels on a screen. I've seen a wolf attack a rabbit, then shortly thereafter get mauled by a bear. Two giants took down a dragon as I watched from a distance. There is so much involvement in the game itself that you don't need to concern yourself with anything other than the world itself.

I played as a level 1 character for about 24 hours total time on the character before I even realized I could increase my health three or four times.

So, all in all, just be yourself (or someone else) and enjoy that lifestyle.

Turn off your compass and your crosshair. Set the HUD opacity way down (like 30% or so). Avoid fast-travel. Increase your field of view. Wander. Talk to everyone, choosing every one of their dialog options. Don't join guilds just to join them. Some people are honest and won't have anything to do with the thieves's guild. Some people don't like magic and won't join the College of Winterhold. Etc. If you miss out on something with one character, you can always do it on another. You never REALLY miss out on anything.

Re: Nefarious One's post: Note also that trying to do everything will make your character weaker at the higher levels. Specialize and stick to it. If you want to try out something different, create a new character.

I love this!!! Have a couple of ideas for characters and their professions and stick the them even if it means not playing any quests

I have recently started and have just pottered about to sort out and tweak the graphics.

Is the game immersive and detailed enough to play like this and keep you entertained? I am not very creative and don't know what the game is capable of yet. Could you suggest some ideas? Utter scum bag characters to 'geeky' to angelics etc?

Thanks!!!