So I'm an avid power-gamer, always have been. Ever since Morrowind I was easily able to find EVERY single way to quickly level my character, getting all skills and attributes up to 100, then wanting to play the game....but I never had the drive to keep playing after all my skills were maxed....even though I had only done a handfull of quests lol. So what I'm wanting to do this time is actually play the game with no power-leveling at all..so I can actually enjoy it. Here are some rules I'm going to follow.

1) No fast travel, I downloaded a mod that allows carriage travel between all the cities, and a couple of boats, so it'll be more natural, and more like Morrowind.

2) No trainers, obvious one here....I used to train 5 skills EVERY level, then pick-pocket the gold right back, getting my pick-pocket to 100 VERY quickly lol.

3) No buying mats to level enchanting, alchemy, and smith. Everything will be soul-trapped myself, or mined/gathered.

4) No reloading on pick-pocket failures. This'll make picking pockets much more challenging, and actually risky. The temptation to hit f9 5 times till you get it is too great lol. I'll stick to picking bandit's pockets and such to start out.

What else can you guys recommend for having a deeper experience? Nothing too hardcoe (eating/drinking/walking everywhere, etc).

No grinding the smithing skill would be an obvious one.

Go slowly. Don't always run everywhere, it takes my characters 3 days to go anywhere. That's a more hardcoe one though.

Yeah walking everywhere seems extreme, must be immensely satisfying when you actually reach a far away destination though.

Sadly on xbox this is immensely difficult to do, hard to tell when you're walking and when you're just running slowly, also hard holding the joystick in that one position for hours on end.

Walking is out.....lol. I want to play my game, not slowly walk through it. I live in Alaska...I see enough real beautiful scenery to not need to slow down to see it in Skyrim

I did this with my latest character.

I took the NPC's of skyrim as individuals, had a full understanding of each of them. I desired to help them all, lived by a genuine code of honour - anything for the empire and for the good of skyrim's people. I'm only level 23, I've had hours of paced enjoyment. Gaining full RP enjoyment from it. It's well worth it, it's the only way to play IMO.

This is what I do in every playthrough, even my original one. I made sure to talk to every single NPC and help them on quests as long as they weren't evil or illegal.

Think about what your character would do. This is the biggest part of role playing. It helps if you make the character have a believable personality. Don't stick with the stereotypical personality traits just because your character is a certain class. My RP/main character Gutslit does buy filled soul gems rather than filling them himself because he hates the idea of taking a soul. He should know that buying them is just the same thing, but he doesn't see it that way.

For example a Khajiit theif who steals from the rich to give to the poor.

Actually, I think eating and sleeping makes the RP easier, so I recommend it. But you don't have to be hardcoe about it if you don't want to. Try eating once a day or so, preferably sitting down at an inn, listening to NPCs talking. Sleep when you've done something exhausting, or a few hours most nights, if you feel like it.

Walk indoors and when in town. Watch and listen to what's happening around you.

Don't go for the best armor as soon as possible. Go for something that fits your character. Change clothes every once in a while, I mean, would you really wear a full set of heavy armor when shopping or going to bed?

Make a simple backstory to decide what kind of person your character is, and stick to it. Afraid of darkness? Hates cats? Loves mead and beef? Comfortable and luxury-loving, or likes a more simple life filled with hard, honest work? Law-abiding or completely immoral?

Use followers and see them as your friends.

Fall in love and get married - not for the achievement, but because you think the NPC is a good match for your character.

Go hunting or gathering, enjoy the scenery and take cover if it starts to rain.

Turn the music off.

I think one meal a day is fine. In fact often times I'll only eat dinner and a snack, sometimes lunch. I haven't had breakfast for years.

Wulfgar The-Wild, raised by wolves (awesome cliche!) - as my character now gets given gifts from people, often food and mead. I always drink a few bottles of mead before sleeping in the game - possible read through a book on a chair then sleep.

I don't often eat really, though I do sometimes cook and tend to eat before sleeping. I somehow manage to finish quests about 11pm most nights, sometimes don't come back for days - and finally arrive at 1am. and sleep usually until about 7:15 am.

I wear ulfric's clothes, and always carry the blades sword with blades boots and gauntlets in city.

In mission I tend to go with the set up of orc helmet, ebony armour, blades boots and gauntlets. flawless elven war axe or blades sword smithed to perfection.

I used to take my helmet off in citys also not as a RP thing after a long quest I would like to go to the Bannard Mare and listen to the age of aggression and relax. Try not to fast travel as much, I still use it so I can sell goods but I forgot about carriages so I will use them from now on. I don't do food or sleep, well sometimes I will have some honningbrew when I'm resting but not always.
I wear Daedric and a Dragon priest mask, I don't like it. Dawnguard full armour is much better so my follower wears that.