I have done this since I started playing TES IV: Oblivion and then later done the same thing in TES III: Morrowind and TES V: Skyrim. I feel like ther isn't many of us that choose this kind of playstyle and rp'ing so that's why I wanted to share it. I'm not saying this is something you probably haven't heard of or never done, but I just feel that I'm a bit alone in doing what I do. I might not be so please respond with "who" you play as and why. This is a bit weird and I understand if you can't really grasp the idea of what I'm talking about... I'm basically talking about the person called "Dovahkiin", not the rp'ing style of not using shouts and not doing the main quest (but the ideas are very much the same). I'm also saying that I don't take titles and think of myself as a leader of any guild. Again, I'm not saying I'm unique or anything. I just want to share my thoughts on this.

Short story: I look upon myself as an npc who is not the dragonborn or any hero of any kind. A unique nnpc who could for example have been one of the people you killed in a bandit camp. (comic sans for you, lazy man/lady)

This is what I do:
I rp as a character that lives in the 4th Era, year 201 (and obviously many years after that as well, if they aren't dead ofc) and I chose not to think of myself as the Dragonborn, Harbinger, Arch Mage, Listener, Thieves guild leader, Thane or any kind of extremely high ranked person or chosen individual. I chose not to make a story that involves Helgen or any other way that crashes extremely with the Dragonborn. I usually make up a story that I was already born in Skyrim (and never is and oustsider/prisoner), traveled there or heard rumors of dragons and such. My story has already started before the events of Helgen and I usually just wipe out and put it as "non-canon" for my character, because I'm forced to be there.

Why do I chose to not be the Dragonborn, a Guild Leader or the hero everyone need? Because I'm not and I don't feel like my character is mine if someone calls him Dovahkiin/Dragonborn and put names on me and make me a person who is famous in all the places where imense lore about the nords and Skyrim is found. I feel like the Dragonborn is already a person, the nord in the background of this forum. That is who the Dovahkiin is to me, a nord with a mission to save the world (lame, but that's kind of how the Nerevarine (a dunmer, imo) was to me, and how the Champion of Cyrodiil (an Imperial) was as well). I look upon the Dragonborn as a person that I'm not, but I live in his world without interacting with him. I have never really felt that I'm the hero and that I was the Nerevarine, the CoC or the Dragonborn when I read lore about them. I think of them as characters (repeating the same over and over again, but this is important) that I can't be, but I understand that some chose to think so. I'm not saying Bethesda did a bad job (they did an awesome job), but that's just how I, I guess. If I roleplay a nord I might do some parts of the mainquest for a certain item (the ox head for example!), but even then, I still think of my self as a lone wolf who likes to hunt deer and elk to "survive" (yeah, even though I just kicked the ass of a demi-god/dragon thing called Alduin). I like to think this way, because I really want to write a fan-fiction or at least do something with the character that makes him someone who doesn't collide with lore. And with an attitude that says that I'm the hero then he can't be a unique person who for example died at the hands of a troll.



These are my loose rules:
- I don't use shouts (I never really like them or the Dragonborn lore that much. I don't hate it, but I'm not a big fan of Man-dragons and shouting)
- I don't use artifacts that the Dragonborn (not me) probably have in his chest or inventory. I don't use Aedric artifacts like Auriel's Bow and Daedric artifacts like Spellbreaker or the Wabbajack.
- I collect as much as possible, but chose to think that I don't actually have them in my possesion, in my chests or whatever.
- Don't take everything that happens to you as a part of your characters lore/story. Forget about Helgen, forget about Alduin, forget about the day you killed Lord Hufflepuff the Mighty.
- Find other ways and try to ignore as much "Hero-stuff" as possible, unless you want to aquire a certain item.
- Make up a good backstory, age, name and look for your person.


...and that's it! If you read all this, then I salute you and there will be cheese. Not yet, though.
So, what do you think, fellow forum people?

Well my new story works like that !
Simple Hunter.

Well that might change however..

Here's the story:
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1392412-female-werewolf-nord-finally/

A lot of people tend to use that RP'ing style of "being just another guy/gal"- I may have to try it at some point. But, at the moment, I've started another character (an Argonian) who I will RP as a criminal whom often ends up in jail and breaking free whilst killing/releasing other prisoners (jailbreaking).

It's an interesting way to play for sure, but I couldn't do it on any character - I don't feel the game really allows for that kind of freedom without missing out on pretty much most of the core content.

Nice, I like it. My nord is a werewolf as well. A quite nice one, though. Haven't killed a single person who doesn't deserve it (yet)...

I need to hear it more often! People often say: "Here's my dragonborn!" or "Here's my arch mage Lord Snackfilter with his thieves guild armor". When, I think about it, though...I haven't said a word about it myself either so that's probably the reason why I don't hear too much about them.

I hate the fact that there are people who:

Finished Civil War , Arch mages , DB leaders , TG leaders , Companions Harbringers.
Ahh !

I greatly support OP way of play And you can do some of 'hero stuff' and still be normal guy, If you do it as a team of semi-professionals. Bringing down dragon single-handedly is hero stuff, but bringing the same dragon down as a team is not a big deal, just a normal day to day job That is how I do most quests.

Don't know if you'd count this, but one of my characters was a sort of merchant-didn't kill anyone, only leveled up smithing, enchanting, alchemy, and speech.

I don't see anything weird about it, it's called RPing. I have never had a character that finished all quests in the same playthrough, most of them didn't join any guilds at all, and only like 2 of them finished the main questline, in both Skyrim in Oblivion. Morrowind was different though since it had a much greater variety in guilds and houses you could join.

Since Skyrim doesn't let you own a home as much cooler as a huge badass castle or similar, that's the only way the Dragonborn and YOU could feel, just an other guy or gal.

ofc! I like doing some heroic stuff. Your example is perfect

I have one like that as well. A khajiit merchant who later became mercenary and took some more dangerous jobs like killing bandits and such.

But since you did all those questlines, did you still think as if you really were the leader of all those factions? I'm mostly feeling alone with thinking so much about not being someone very important. I'm not alone at all, but I feel like there's far more than rp'ing in what do and think. I might just overthink it all...

I plan on retiring my character one day and turn him to the life of a traveling trader. No longer seeking battle and glory but rather the simple life of traveling and trading all the goods i've amassed in my adventurer days.
Not sure how much play time i'll get doing this but its a nice way to end my warriors glorious life, quietly strolling into the sunset..

Speaking of retiring characters, I plan to do the same with my first character on Skyrim- but I am going to send him out with a bang by making him finally break and join the ranks of those who fervently worship the Daedric Princes. I shall be sending him out on a crime spree with the Blade of Mehrunes Dagon "wreaking havoc across Skyrim" as Dagon commanded me to do; and I've no doubt that upon this final quest of faithfulness, I shall meet my demise and forever leave my character either dead or left to rot in the dungeons of Castle Dour.