http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

Many people have said part of the reason TES games've had such shallow NPCs is due to the sheer number of them. What if they only did ~50, and allowed the rest of the characters to fade into the "ambience" essentially. Less dialogue for most, more for a select number. Dunbar's is actually 150 but for a game I think a smaller number is reasonable, but it's a rough number and you get the idea.

Obviously real human relationships are a whole different thing, but just drawing from the theme here, would you prefer a minority of the characters to be much more in depth for a sacrifice of some or most dialogue for the majority? I think I would. I don't really need to be able to talk to every guard about five different subjects, I don't need as many small quests and short dialogues with random townspeople.

How many memorable characters can you think of right now from Skyrim? My list is pretty small - definitely smaller than 50 let alone 150 - and I'm guessing so are yours.

Maybe it'd be a good idea. A lot of games operate like this, and no one's really complaining.

For me the lack of memorable characters comes from few having any true conviction. I never feel like they truly believe what they're saying or that they're this character. Say what you will about Jersey Shore but at least when I watch it I feel like they truly believe what they're doing is right, or the best way to live.

The only character who truly feels like he is that character is Ulfric, and even then he tends to have a very calm demeanor which sometimes shatters that image of this traitor who killed the king.

Jarl Bullgruff or however you say his name is cool.

I prefer to keep the amount of npcs there are, yet add more fleshed out characters.

Have you played fallout new Vegas? If you've been on the strip, im sure you would be disappointed, or were. Very few npcs and even fewer memorable ones. Skyrim just needs to gradually have more npcs added, and a lot of them more fleshed out. Followers however, aren't a big deal. I'd rather have quest givers or town folk be more fleshed out than a mercenary with a huge backstory.