I've said this before, but I just think that is SO cool. What a smart wife you have.

I tend to stick to doing things that make sense for the history I've given the character. I have an old RPG book with jobs and so on listed by number, so I roll a dice to give myself a social class, a day job, and a race. After that, I'm locked into whatever is reasonable for a person of that background to do. An argonian netminder is probably going to be more comfortable near rivers and streams. A Nord farmer may not know how to read or swim. A Dunmer alchemist probably would boycott Ulfric's city. Khajiit would probably favor the caravans unwalled towns where their kind are more welcome. If you're poor, certain parts of town or even some towns might not be welcoming, so you avoid them. If you're rich, you probably wouldn't be caught dead in the slums. As far as quests, the only ones to take are the ones that come from those who would hang around your social class and quests that a person with your skills can do (if you're illiterate, you can't take a quest from a journal or be a bard).

I started doing that stuff in Oblivion and it's kinda fun.

I can't use potions, change armor or apply poisons once combat has begun.
I change into fur armour when it's snowing.
Never fast travel.
I do the eating thing as well, and I find an inn to spend the night but I don't sleep. I would but I don't like the well rested thing, so I just sit by the fire. I pretend the dragonborn just doesn't need sleep.

You could always become a werewolf. You won't get the well rested bonus, it's an ability you never have to use but you'll gain immunity to disease.

Thanks for the tip.

Wow, what a good idea. Imagine how fit you would be if you did all these damn games. You can walk a long way in the two Fallout 3D games as well.

I won't have to take time off to actually climb the hill out side my backdoor. Actually me and the guy who runs the local store are gonna do a little 18K 1000 meter rise stroll in a couple of days. S' wonderful, up to the mountain lake and back. Very Skyrim.

I never sleep, I only eat to regain health, I always steal everthing I can instead of paying, I kill anyone that gets in my way, companions get a second chance for getting in the way, third screw up, I kill them if I can. I always kill every animal I see [especially rabbits] I always keep unique items and weapons.

1.I never fast travel
2.I always play on master
3.I eat food a lot to seem more realistic i guess
4.When i start new game i usually do the same quest in order

Fo me, it depends all on how i decided to roll the character - apart from "standard" rules many are using (sleep at night, no fast trvel, etc) - i follow the rules i think my char would follow if it had his own thoughts.

Also, every new char i decide to develop, i try an unusual combo of skills/perks to level at max since it's just the way i love to play and i think my char would use. For the rest, leveling happens at the pace i find the things (i assume that any char would learn some enchanting/smithing/speechcraft/... so i go ahead with them based on what i find around, no powerleveling allowed)

Example: last char is an heavy armor/shield/destro caster. So i use destro magic, shields and heavy armor. What i get up is based on what encounters i find around.

Next char would be a no-armor/dual wield swordmaster. Probably going with alteration magic to backup the absence of armor. His order doesn't allow to go around without a hood, so he would have one everyitme. Also is forced to use 1hand swords, and 2 of them (only magic permitted is alteration as i said). No restoration magic (forbidden by the order) but they have good nature knowledge, so alchemy is the way to go.

EDIT: all my chars go for quests at random, depending on the mood (they're all wanderers) so random skill-ups are permitted - it think of them as natural way of growing metteing new people and doing new experiences.

My character always has to take a bath and change into civilian clothes before entering a city. Being an Argonian is enough to get suspicious looks, imagine if she had marched into towns smelling of death and decay while wearing an armour with buckets of blood dried on it. Srsly?

Also, the weapons have to be hidden away (un-eqipped) under the clothes (daggers, short swords and maybe one handed axes) or if it's too big (anything else) to get it out of sight then it must be dropped/placed down before entering a city. Same logics as with the armour and washing, entering a town with a sharpened dagger/axe/sword/hammer/whatever hanging from your waist/back is like announcing to the world that you're dangerous and everyone should keep an eye out on you. Just in case.

Skooma and any type of poison can only be smuggled within the walls in small amount. 3-4 bottles of Skooma at max and 8 vials of poison at max. This also means no poison making in cities/settlements, only when you are alone in your own house with an alchemical table, out in the wilderness (the old hag's house) or within an unlawful company (DB Sanctuary).

Honorable opponents don't get their body looted unless they have an item I need to continue with my mission (quest item), that means no taking weapon, stripping away clothes or picking coins. As a member of the DB my Argonian's victims are sacrifices to Sithis but I decide if they go with honor (keeping their equipment and belogings after their death) or (if they were rats) go with nothing. Stuff taken from dishonorable folks is filthy by association so you either dump all their belongings on the ground or if you find something deemed valuable for your adventures then it must be taken to the nearest patch of water and dropped in it for cleansing. Only after that can the character use it.

Sleep at night either in home or a rented room. If in the middle of adventuring, take a nap the next day (hey, sometimes and adventurer has no choice but to go a night without sleep).
Eat 3 meals a day
Walk in town
Wear regular clothes in town, but don't change in the middle of the street. First thing, go to an inn (or home if I have one there), rent my room for the day, and change there. If only in town for a brief visit, I don't bother changing.
Take off head gear in town, as soon as I enter.
Undress to sleep or swim (if there were "night shirts" I'd use them)
No fast travel
Set time ratio to 5- actually considering it, I think I may change it to 6. The reason is just that it meshes a bit better with RL time. At 6, 1 hour in game = 10 minutes and 1 day = 4 hours, where at 5, it's 1 hour = 12 minutes, and 1 day = 4.8 hours.
If it's not really late when I get into town and have completed all my errands (i.e. still too early to go to bed) I'll hang out at the inn, drinking mead or ale and listening to the bard. I also often ask for them to play, "The Dragonborn Comes".

For my assassins:
I don't kill for free. I will only kill someone if I'm getting paid, or if it's necessary for my survival.

Note: Rules aren't hard and fast. I put these rules into place to enchance the gaming experience. Anytime they start becoming tedious or annoying, I'll skip them, and generally go back to them later, when they no longer feel tedious.

Those that others have applied to their style(s) of play.
- No fast travel (not even carriage rides). I want a simple excursion, a Point-A-to-Point-B journey, to be immersive. To explore, be sidetracked, be a bit richer and more experienced by the time I arrive at my destination.
- Consumption of food and drink (Breakfast upon waking, dinner later in the day, and perhaps hot soup whilst in, or hunkering down from, inclimate weather. All washed down with ale or mead.)
- And I do not hunt for my food - I scavenge for it. Or buy it. Either wrapping it up and stowing it, or consuming it on the spot.
- Also, if my character is not a hunter. Then that means that he wouldn't know how to skin animals for their pelts (no matter how valuable they are). Applies to stripping valuable clothing off of bodies. Enchanted/unenchanted armour/weapons/jewelry are exempt from the rule.
- Warrior characters do what burly warriors/mercs would do: mine, chop wood, brawl, etc. They do not cast magic, use bows or compulsively sneak. Lockpicking, scroll-usage, alchemy [for health/stamina ingredients/potions] are exempt from the rule. Jack of (nearly)all trades, master of none.
- Sleep accordingly (meaning, 6-8 on a normal day, or 8-10 whilst adventuring and losing track of time. If I wake earlier in the morning, I then take a 1-2 hour respite by mid-day/early afternoon. And get a good night's rest at an inn, or encampment.)
- Upon entering an inn, I purchase a meal, find a seat, and then read books I've collected, or anolyze objects whilst listening to the bard play. I unwind for the day. Or, if I'm just dropping in, asking for the latest gossip, chat up a regular or two, and then be on my way.
- No helmet worn in cities/towns.
- Upon arriving, and expecting to loiter extensively, in cities/towns - I find a place to change into normal clothing (ex. rented room). Then suit up before leaving.
- Before leaving town, I prepare and purchase supplies for the journey to wherever/whomever. Hitting up every vendor for potions/weapons/armour, and to unload my pack.
- If I acquire a companion and they die - then they stay dead. One time, Jenassa (Dunmer Rogue) was mauled by a bear and two spriggans in some spring. After I dealt with them, I found her floating lifelessly in the water. So, out of respect,... I dragged her out of the spring, propped her body up against a tree, stood and stared at her for but a brief moment before departing.
- One weapon. One armour type. (ex. Two-Handed axes, and Light Armour only). No using a weapon or piece of armour for the sake of DMG and/or DR.. unless it fits within my parameters. Made the mistake of mix-matching up both Heavy and Light armour pieces, and one-handed axes instead of only two-handed.

Stop covering yourself in urine.

Seriously? I don't know, maybe they sense weakness. Casting a magic spell (even on self) will aggravate mobs.

Hold my breath when underwater ingame.



That`s quite touching. I did that with a long-term female adventurer in a dungeon after a terribly hard fight.

I follow only one rule enjoy yourself it's just a game

I always store things in my house on different places acording to their types. Heavy armor in a chest, robes in a wardrobe, dragon masks in another place, etc.

I don't cast any magics, I don't do anything. Doubt it's weakness, I can 1hit KO every bear cept snow bear. It's probably urine then..

I usually tend to not fast travel, I only do when I forget something I needed and I'm halfway to my destination

thanks to an earlier bladewatcher pen/paper thread:

i have been using my printed map/notes on my restarted nord loyalist and i can say that it's been very fun. i really like how it forces me to not know where i am on the map except for using my own judgment and the game itself. as well, now that i've played enough of the game to know my n,s,e, and w, i don't miss the compass. or, the crosshair. though, i do like seeing new locations when they pop up.

with my nord who doesn't have lockpicking as a major or minor i am only able to open novice locks until he pays for training to a certain level, and, so forth. i keep track of my unopened chests and will be visiting them later if it's warranted.

it's really made this roleplay a lot more fun, since, it's so much more realistic.

I actually had one of my habits get removed: In oblivion, I used to always jump before fast traveling, that is now impossible in Skyrim
(even though it is more realistic)

Started only bringing 10 total poisions/potions. Limted gear. Two rings/One neck piece. No Fast Travel. No HUD ( It's fun, enemies could be hard or easy I won't know until the exchange of dmg.)

I'm debating wether to use the carriages anymore, mainly because...it auto fast travels. Imagine if it traveled and you can sight see on it, you could have the option to be woken up at the destination. My friend and I discussed about random encounters on the carriages travel. And the option to get off of it would be cool but this is like asking if we could get the option to attack from the horse.

Very interesting, I never thought about using the map hanging from my wall. For lockpicking I would only bring 15 at a time, stash the rest at my house(since my lockpicking kit carries that amount) and if I break several from a difficult chest so be it.

Seems most other folks' rules are somehow related to roleplaying more "realistically".
Oh sure, I've got a load of weird rules... but mine are just the product of Obsessive Compulsive Insanity, greed or near-crippling pragmatism.

#1. I'm not left-handed (as Inigo Montoya once said). No matter what I wield in my left hand, I need an equal or bigger weapon in my right.
#2. I always use both hand triggers for two-handed spells, even though they can't be dual-cast.
#3. I never "buy" anything. I will only trade for items of equal or greater value... or just sell. If I leave the shop with less money than I started with, I've failed and must reload.
#4. I won't ever go to prison (unless exploiting an item-stacking glitch) NOR pay the guards... so I avoid getting a bounty. When I get one... well, it is either reload or killing spree...
#5. If I get an opportunity to backstab a guard without being caught, I generally take it (irrespective of ethical persuasion). A habit I picked up in Morrowind with those rude Ordinators and had ever since. I also like to move the bodies into compromising / humourous positions. Also Alik'r. They all die. All of them. And their stupid curved swords.
#6. I store food. All the food. I never eat any though. I just collect endless amounts of it in case I can cook something interesting later (but never do).
#7. When I'm going somewhere I've not been to before, I reference a map on the Elder Scrolls Wiki to discern its location... approximate its angle on the compass relative to where I am.... then run in a straight line. Best done on horseback to prevent pesky mountains getting in the way. Been doing this since Morrowind, when it was rather more... essential. Also, I'm surprisingly accurate with the angle.
#8. With every single character, I have the same item organisation arrangement in each potential purchasable home. For instance, the bedside table to the left of the bed in the Whiterun home is where Soul Gems go. The bedside table to the right holds my collection of Dwemer junk. The dresser nearby holds enchanted loot, while the one by the door holds the unenchanted loot. The Statuette of Dibella (once I find it) always goes on the nearby chair... etc. Arguably, MOST of my play-time is spent trying to organise my loot.
#9. I sprint everywhere I can... but I never let stamina completely run out, and once it runs down enough, I let it recharge to just below full before using it again.
#10. I don't wear heavy armour. Ever. Not even with warrior characters. NOTHING justifies being slowed down.
#11. When I see a bird circling overhead, I try to shoot it with fireballs... just in case it is a Cliff Racer. Just in case.
#12. All venison must be harvested. (This takes me back to my Oblivion days, rampaging across Cyrodill, punching deer to death, and promptly getting very lost)
#13. While I'm casual about killing goats and obsessive about killing deer / bunnies... I never kill a fox if I can help it. On the few occasions when I've accidentally killed a fox (e.g. it was chasing the rabbit I just fireballed)... I raise it from the dead, or just hold a little funeral for it. To be honest, my characters having harmless wild animals as undead thralls is quite a common thing. Even made a zombie chicken once.


I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now.

The major one I follow while on the road is that I always hide the bodies of those I kill, no matter what I have to stop and take the time to hide the corpse even though I know I wasn't caught.

Funny. I usually drag / blast corpses into the open.... so I can pickpocket / backstab the people who come to stand around them and tut.