I've already had multiple characters in Skyrim, but I never managed to actually finish the game with any of them (the farthest I got with any playthrough was the quest where the Greybeards send you off to retrieve a certain artifact).

I finally realized that the reason why I had such a hard time playing for long was because I wasn't really invested in my characters at all. I didn't create any interesting backstories for them or have any unique playstyles in order to distinguish them from one another. I pretty much just played Skyrim in the most superficial way possible (rushing through quests, not taking time to explore, not doing miscellaneous jobs, etc...)

It's been awhile since I've played the game, so I might as well start a new character I'd actually care about. Any suggestions from all you hardcoe roleplayers?

I wrote this specifically for people in your situation: http://j-u-i-c-e.hubpages.com/_esforum/hub/skyrim-interesting-character-builds.

eh, this is all really just personal preference, but i'll give some feedback.

first thing you should do, write a short backstory for your character, this can honestly take as little as 10 minutes, or alot longer if you really want to get into it. one of mine? a high elf that was captured by the stormcloaks for being a "thalmor" prior to them being captured by the imperials. just gives you a good sense of why you are there when the game starts. the more you put into it the more fun you can have, but I write short stories as a hobby anyways so it's not a big effort for me.

Fast travel as little as possible, not only do you see alot more of the content and interesting things in the world, but it actually makes you feel like you're traveling across the country and accomplishing something. I try not to even ride horses because I like to pick flowers and get annoyed having to get off to fight the occasional wolf etc.

otherwise, just make a basic set of rules for yourself and follow them. My high elf is a mage, never uses weapons, and is working on getting illusion powerful because he is coming due to become a vampire.

i think those are great fundamental aspects of rping. very nice and thanx for the links.

for me, i know that rping is a very personal aspect of gaming because of all the investment we can have in our characters.

and, that's why i have included DiD characters. in my opinion, it truly takes serious and strict rping to the max level. for me, the rping is a way to make gaming more real and what's more real than not reloading after your heavily invested character dies? why go out of my way to personalize a character that i can act out through them and then throw myself right back into a non-immerse reality by reloading.

DiD is not for everyone, but, everyone can give it a try.

i was going to play dead is dead until i walked around a corner and got one hit by a soul gem turret. i don't mind dying when i make a play mistake or something like that, but really? a random firebolt that completly killed me with no warning? no thanks.

reduce the difficulty for your first couple runs.

just like everything else, you get better with practice.

after my DiD runs i am much better on regular playthroughs.

I never create a character backstory,I tried before but to me it felt like the character became too defined,not allowing freedom of choice.
Instead I meet the character at the beginning of the game and just travel with them.I learn about my character as we go along,letting them tell me who they are.
I find this much more enjoyable and often times surprising at some of there disisions and actions in the game.

it's interesting you say that because it's the reason i now save my strict rping for DiD and have a hybrid all-powerful character for my regular gameplay.

with the hybrid i play every day however i feel like playing. magic, assassin, hero, hunter, jerk, whatever. i truly develop him on a daily basis.

i use DiD to play out my specific preplanned characters with strict rping.

The best decision I made was to set myself strict RP criteria. Enables you to really immerse yourself in the game.

I'm currently playing as a monk / priest of Arkay. Specializing in restoration, alteration and one handed combat (mace). Along with destruction and illusion as support. Robes only, wards and Mage armour take on significant importance.

Gave him q back story which limits what he can accomplish. In this instance he is trying to beat his drinking habit (must sleep in an Inn once a day, in said Inn I'll drink all the ale they have on sale). He won't loot the living, won't use lock picks, or steal / murder and he tries to refrain from killing wild animals (if possible). He is a good guy.

Details like that help as you'll find money an issue ([censored] Black Briar Mead), and they help to insure your not OP. Plus use things realistically, so no 10 health potions mid battle; you'll find you begin to respect enemies a little more.

I find this keeps the game fresh. He is my fourth toon and I've yet to start the main quest, yet I've spent hundred of hours in this game.

Hope it helps.

Well read the stuff in my signature. My character Rashir Nashida is a person is truly alive. For me it's that I got a muse and a thought. I wanted to create him. His backstory was created through inspiration. And he continues to be explored through this.

My first playthrough was unplanned. I just did what I felt was right for him, which lead to him becoming an Argonian Spellsword Stormcloak, the Dovahkiin, a sneak theif/assassin and a werewolf. I'm sure I could RP that if I wanted to, and come up with a story as to how it happened.

My second playthrough was different, more planned. He came to Skyrim to join with the Imperials, not to mention all the hunting opportunities. I completely ignored the attack at Helgen as if it didn't happen to him. Instead, he avoided the arrest, but saw it happen and he was in Riverwood by the time Alduin attacked. Once I got to Riverwood with Hadvar, I acted as if I was there already and started my story there. I played the main quest until I completed Dragon Rising just to allow the odd dragon attack and went to join the Imperials. I've not even looked back at the main quest and don't plan to yet. He doesn't believe he is the Dragonborn, and doesn't like fighting dragons because he doesn't like the feeling of absorbing the souls, so refuses to go to High Hrothgar; though he does look up at HH from before going up by Whiterun Stables, so he is curious about it. High Hrothgar can be seen from Whiterun, so it hard for him not to. During his time with the Imperials, he developed Gigantasophobia (Fear of giants) after being chased from Dawnstar to Whiterun by one, which he uses as a motivator to develop his hunting skills enough to take them down to get at the Mammoths they guard. I can see him collecting Giants Toes as trophies.

My third playthrough is probably as planned out, even down to what's going to happen throughout his time in Skyrim. He joined one of the two guilds that were formed with the Mages Guild being disbanded, can't remember their names, but he didn't get on with anyone there. They tested him as a way to get rid of him, hoping something would keep him out of the way. They sent him after an artifact that they knew didn't exist. He got caught in the arrest and had pretty much accepted his fate. Because I've only just started this playthrough, I've not really done too much beyond Helgen but He's going to ignore the Dragon Stone and anything beyond informing the Jarl of Whiterun of the dragon attack at Helgen. He'll have a revelation about his formers guild mates and seek out the College of Winterhold where he'll find his home. He'll travel back and forth between Solitude and the College, so he can also work on his speechcraft with the Bards. He'll eventually be tempted by Daedric Artifacts and power which will corrupt him. I'm still working out his full story, but I got a while before I have to think too much about it. That's just the basic outline of his story.

I like too maybe mix up a bit of the lore as well.

Example, I made a Redguard who grew up in Sentinel. His father was a wealthy lord and........... well, to save you alot of time, ill just skip too my point.

I always liked too imagine that the Thalmor were still trying to attack Hammerfell. Kind of on the Down low after the treaty. Sending scouts and stuff. Anyways one day, a group of Redguard ships came into the Sentinel port. Turns out, those ships were crawling with Thalmor and, in an attempt to take Sentinel, began too attack. The attack was stopped, thanks in large part to a certain Redguard noble.

Anyways, shortly after, everyone wondered how the Thalmor got Redguard ships. Turns out, our certain Redguard nobles father staged a sort of coup, and in return, he was promised infinte wealth. After finding this out, our Redguard nobles father was captured and killed, and our hero was next. After just narrowly escaping the Castle by pulling a Jack Sparrow of the side, he then eventually proceeds too Skyrim, to perhaps start a new life. (Not sure if Sentinel has castles, Thats just how I Imagine it looks )

Long story short, I like to slightly mess with the lore.

I echo what a lot of people have already said.
Set limits on yourself appropriate to the character you design.

Me, I've got a slew of characters I jump back and forth from. And I've done my best to design them all to look and operate as differently as possible.
A few are my beginning characters, that is ones I made shortly after getting the game where I wasn't so much roleplaying as I was just trying to finish faction quests ect.

Aijrat is a female wild Khajiit. She is terrified of the Nord cities, and instead prefers to make her home in the wilderness. She wears furs and hides of the animals she kills with her bow and dagger/hand axe combo and magic is something that frightens her. She will (reluctantly) use enchanted items she finds, but lacks the skill entirely to make her own. She also cannot read.

Dren Redoran is a Dunmer who lived in Windhelm his whole life. He grew tired of the hateful ways his kind was treated by the Nords. And so, having no money or possessions, managed to scraqe enough gold together to travel to travel to a dwemer ruin, seeking treasure enough to uplift himself from his squalid conditions. Instead he found a catalyst, something in the ruin activated and nearly killed him, leaving him with terrible power (Shock mage, I used weapons till I was lv 6, now strictly shock magic) and the will to use it on those who wronged him. Any Nords (and as his mind slips further, anyone really) caught on the roads are never heard from again.

Basically don't be afraid to handicap yourself. This game even on Master is just not that hard, so you really aren't hurting yourself that much by refusing to loot a draugr tomb out of respect for the dead, or not killing this, or not taking that.
Cause once you have reached the top most of the games fun is gone. You will get there, limiting yourself only means it will take a little longer.

my first play through i just leveled up every thing and beat every thing there was well guild and main quest wise.

2nd playthrough i was an argonian mage with master destruction expert conjeration, adept illusion, and aprentus restoration and head of the mages guild.

now my third play through is the first time i've ver actually rped before.
i'm a khajit named Ro'Jaro and after the dragon attack in helgon i wound up in riften and joined the thiefs guild it toke me 74 days before i rose the ranks and became the guild leader. and though out all this time my character found that he was doing a lot more killing than he was stealing. and after becoming guild leader after hering the rumers of the kid in windhelm trying to sumon the DB he decided to go to to windhelm and check it out for him self. talks to the kid and decide that all the killing he did he was starting to like it so he took the kids contract and killed the old ady back in riften made his way back to tell the kid she was dead. then left and decided with all his skill in stealth bows, lockpicks and and one haded he decided he wanted to be come an assassin.

his firs plan of action was to go from town to town and listen in on any one who might want some one dead. made his way to whiterun to start of his search. but when he got there it was late and decided to rent a room at the inn. after falling aslleep he woke up in the shake and a darkbrotherhood memeber told him to kill one of the 3 other people in the room cause the old lady was a DB contract as repayment for taking it before the db did. he couldn't decide which to kill so he killed all three then was offered to join the DB and after leaving the shack made a B line strait for the DB sanctuary.


so far i've only done the first 3 small contracts you get from the red gaurd ( i can't rember his name atm for some reason)



i have no shouts at all and have not done one quest for the maine quest line.

i could have writen that out better but i'm about to pass out

That was great!
Gave me ideas I hadn't even thought about.
Thank you!

uhh writing a backstory sounds like a homework assignment. my first character (nord - stormcloak) i played for completion; did every quest and maxed every skill. then when i got bored of doing radiant quests i started a new character. i had gone heavy armor/two-handed + smithing/enchanting for my first guy. so my second guy i wanted to be a mage/alchemist. so i made an imperial because i liked the Imperial Luck trait. Then I went to the College of Winterhold and started practicing magic. All this time I avoided dragons and civil war because I was so obsessed with magic. However I was beginning to get frustrated with my slow progression and i needed money. when i overheard a conversation in windhelm about aventus aretino, I was intrigued. I needed money, and the family could provide it. so i began my descent into darkness. i didn't forget what i learned at the college but instead began focusing my energies on alchemy, almost exclusively. i made a pilgrammage to the guardian stones and switched to the thief stone. it was a turning point in my life. afterwards i wasted no time and began completing as many quick jobs as i could, dirty or no. i needed to fund my thirst for alchemy. i needed to buy ingredients and to train. my obsession grew frantic. i started losing track of time. i had no place to call home. my compulsion to max out the alchemy tree had not waned. indeed, even after investigating the tragic events involving the shatter-shields, none of it mattered, because the ring would be mine. and so would muiri.