Seviche's Rules for Roleplaying

[Seviche]

The following guidelines are nothing more than an attempt to self-impose order and reality on an otherwise irrational game. I'm attempting to add a little real-life to the game and act as if my character actually lives there. The guidelines really only apply to non-combat situations such as traveling, equipment, looting, city life, and fashion guidelines. Yes, fashion. You'll understand when you read it.

 

Seviche's Rules for Roleplaying

 

Travel:

 

1) The player may not use fast travel. Ever. If you left your horse at the entrance to Bleak Falls Barrows and you emerge from the other side; you must run back around the mountain or go back out through the entrance to get to your horse.

 

2) The player may use the carriages/wagons to go to a new city or for travel between cities. You do have to pay for the trip, after all.

 

3) The player may not run if any heavy armor is equipped. A player may sprint, but they must otherwise walk if not in a dungeon or in combat.

 

4) A player not in heavy armor may run at will.

 

5) A heavy-armor using player may fashion a "running suit" for travel (it is assumed that the player knows how to pack their armor for travel). The suit should not be light armor as that defeats the equipment rules in the next section. If the player enters combat when traveling wearing the running suit, then they must finish the combat in said suit. Players may stop and change into their heavy armor if they see combat approaching. Use your brain for this.

• a) Being charged by enemies is not "seeing combat approaching." Sorry bub, if they see you and attack, you're already in combat.
  
• b) A dragon flying around but not attacking the player is considered impending combat, but only if the player actively hunts and attempts to kill the dragon. This means the player is in combat and may run as normal.
  
• c) Donning your armor with the intention of dodging the Dragon is unacceptable, you coward. Grow a pair!

Equipment:

 

1) The player may only have one set of primary-wear armor in their inventory or equipped. Necklaces, rings, and circlets of 2-pounds or less are exempt from this rule. See the looting section for exceptions to this rule. Enjoy your jingly bag of jewelry!

 

2) The player may only carry one type of primary weapon. For example, if the player uses two-handed weapons, he or she may only carry one two-handed weapon. A mage may only carry one staff. A dual-wielder may only carry the two weapons they normally use. The only exception to this rule is the player may also carry an additional dagger as an additional side weapon (it is assumed that every person carries a knife on them that isn't a weapon). Yes, if you dual wield daggers you may carry three of them. Bully for you. Exceptions are covered under the looting rule.

• a) A bow is not considered a primary weapon no matter how much killing you do with it. You may still only carry one of them.
  
• b) Arrows are exempt from any rules. Enjoy your quiver the size of a Toyota truck! Or, find a weight mod and apply your own guidelines.

3) A mining pick and wood-chopping axe are exempt from this rule as they're crafting equipment. You can still only carry one of each unless you're collecting them all. Like pokemon. In which case you're in the wrong game.

 

Looting:

 

1) A player that does not own a home or horse may only loot objects of 1 weight unit (pound, or whatever the game uses) or less. This represents the fact that travel on-foot is, by its very nature, traveling light.

• a) Crafting materials are exempted from this rule.
  
• b) A mod that allows you to melt down, or break down, equipment into their constituent parts does not make weapons and gear "crafting materials." Nice try.
  
• c) If the dungeon/ encounter area does have a place to break down loot into crafting materials, then feel free to do so and leave with the crafting materials. Killing everyone in Whiterun and using the forge to break down the mountain of equipment into crafting materials would be an excellent example of this.
  
• d) If you do wipe out Whiterun for the crafting materials, I want screenshots. Or a youtube video. Seriously.

2) A player may pretty much ignore these guidelines once they own a horse or a house. A house means the player doesn't have to carry all the food they own and is equipped for dungeon delving. A horse just means the player can easily haul bulky equipment back to town for sale.

• a) A player without a horse and operating out of a city where they do not own a house is again restricted by the Looting Rule #1.

3) A follower does not count as a horse or a house and must follow the same rules as you do within reason. Lydia ain't never gonna wear that running suit. Seriously.

 

4) Even if the player owns a horse and a house, they are still limited by the Equipment rules. All looted equipment in excess of the basic kit the player normally uses must be stored at home/ sold/ disposed of before the player can venture out again.

• a) Quest items do not count. Seriously, do I even have to mention this?

City Life:

 

1) The player must walk at all times in the city unless they have a compelling (read: quest) reason to do so. Running in the city is disturbing the peace so don't do it.

• a) Combat is a compelling reason to run.
  
• b) Being chased by the city guard is an EXCELLENT reason to run as well.

2) Do whatever you want in your own house, you savage. Put your feet up on the furniture, run up and down the stairs as much as you want, as your mom doesn't live with you any longer. Go nuts.

 

Fashion:

 

1) The player must act as if their clothes identify them to the various factions that exist and must not wear the armor of a competing faction in the city they are in. Examples:

• a) Don't wear Stormcloak gear in an Imperial Faction city or camp. The opposite applies.
  
• b) Brotherhood of Assassins and Thieves Guild gear are verboten as city wear in all cities, including Riften. The Jarl and the Black-Briars like to pretend that things aren't how they really are, so plausible deniability requires that you "Don't Scare the Straights" by wearing your Guild gear in town.
  
• c) Necromancer gear is out as well for obvious reasons.

2) Don't be nekkid. Just don't.

 

These are just the basic guidelines that I use when playing Skyrim. They make for a slower-placed and more focused game. They also give you a reason to actually buy a horse, other than to just buy one for tanking dragons. Seriously, horses will tank dragons. It's scary.

 

Feel free to post suggestions, ask for clarifications, or discuss further self-imposed limitations.

 

Here's something to discuss: If a player owns a horse, should they be allowed to fast-travel between villages and cities? Seeing as horses can outrun most random encounters (wolves and bandits), this could be seen as a viable caveat for Travel Rule #1.

 

Try these rules out and let me know if you enjoy it!

Edited December 5, 2011 by Seviche

[SickFak]

I just don't fast travel... quite enough for me.

[Seviche]

I just don't fast travel... quite enough for me.

Right on! Did you buy a horse?

[RenownedWolfman]

I actually may try this, looks like it could be fun.

[WarKirby3333]

3) The player may not run if any heavy armor is equipped. A player may sprint, but they must otherwise walk if not in a dungeon or in combat.

 

what?

this is just retarded.

the game imposes speed and stamina penalties on you for wearing heavy armor, for a reason. this rule is arbitrary and makes no sense, it would slow down the game to complete boredom.

 

to be honest, i'm not a fan of most of them. I like roleplay, it's why i try to create explicitly focused characters and go for appropruiate quest lines. But all this walking everywhere doesn't make the game slower paced. it turns it into a "holding W simulator". the fact that the default walking speed is inhumanly slow is one good reason for that.

Edited December 5, 2011 by WarKirby3333

[Bellmaethorion]

I'm getting in to more realistic gameplay, and a few of these suggestions are nice, but a few seem off.

 

I can't really agree with only carrying one primary weapon, Roman soldiers would carry three spears, as well as a shield, sword, and possibly more beside.

Only looting 1 pound items seems off too, there's always been delvers who'd go into ruins to gather what they can and sell it; if this is your intention upon entering a dungeon, why would this be prohibited?

 

Adding to the rules, what about not moving to a location because you know a certain quest you want the reward of is there, until you hear rumors about it or have good reason to explore near there.

 

As for fast travelling with horses, I'd generally not do so, unless it's in a situation where you travel between the same two places several times for a single quest, I've had this happen a few times, the game really is made to use fast travelling; and the map+journal, random quests on the other side of skyrim in the middle of nowhere without getting any real directions...

[Seviche]

3) The player may not run if any heavy armor is equipped. A player may sprint, but they must otherwise walk if not in a dungeon or in combat.

 

what?

this is just retarded.

the game imposes speed and stamina penalties on you for wearing heavy armor, for a reason. this rule is arbitrary and makes no sense, it would slow down the game to complete boredom.

Simple, heavy armor isn't meant for traveling. Heavy armor is meant for combat. You want to travel any distance, you're going to walk there. You want to jog? Don't do it in 60+ pounds of plate metal. It's also to encourage you to buy a horse, an item for which there is no real reason to purchase... except that you want a horse.

 

to be honest, i'm not a fan of most of them. I like roleplay, it's why i try to create explicitly focused characters and go for appropruiate quest lines. But all this walking everywhere doesn't make the game slower paced. it turns it into a "holding W simulator". the fact that the default walking speed is inhumanly slow is one good reason for that.

Well, you could press the "c" button and give your "w" key a rest. Again, these rules aren't for everyone. It's the way I play when I want to add more realism (as I see it) to the game.

[Seviche]

I'm getting in to more realistic gameplay, and a few of these suggestions are nice, but a few seem off.

 

I can't really agree with only carrying one primary weapon, Roman soldiers would carry three spears, as well as a shield, sword, and possibly more beside.

Only looting 1 pound items seems off too, there's always been delvers who'd go into ruins to gather what they can and sell it; if this is your intention upon entering a dungeon, why would this be prohibited?

Until you are assumed to be carrying just what you need for delving (as in you have alternate storage for your camping supplies) you can't carry bulky loot. Thus the limit. This is also the same for the weapons. The key is you have no home and no horse and no ability to really keep/ carry tons of bulky stuff. Romans had baggage trains and support personnel with them. You don't. You're one dude (or dudette) trying to survive.

[zyg0tic]

No fast travel is a cool idea until you are doing the first steps of the main quest for the tenth time.

 

I use fast travel but I dont use it all the time. I only use it when I know the trip will be boring, have no challenge and I dont need to collect anything. The game consumes enough time as it is.

[Shantih]

Interesting suggestions but I don't like some of your ideas regarding Heavy Armours.

 

I think sprinting (and swimming) shouldn't be allowed with heavy armours but the "running suit" doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You may not be wearing the heavy armour, but carrying a plate mail in your backpack is not much of an improvement (it may be less cumbersome but it still weighs the same).

 

When I'm playing pen and paper RPGs I tend to rely on heavy armours in certain circumstances and have characters use light armours on most occasions. If your character is going to take part in a large battle in an open field then it's a good idea to get a strong and heavy armour but if you need to be move around and be light on your feet then you're better off with leather or no armour at all.

 

That's where horses come into play. You can have a character on a horse wearing a heavy armour and still be able to move very fast. It's fine as long as you remember that in medieval times when armours became too heavy they started using a winch to get knights on their horses... ;)

 

I don't think walking around is much of an improvement because it only makes the game incredibly slow paced. It's a personal bias but I don't see how it makes it more immersive. In real life I don't mind running or walking very fast when I'm in a hurry and I don't see why I shouldn't do that in a game (unless my character has a good reason not to be running of course).

 

I never fast travel in these games. That tends to ruin immersion and any involvement I may have in the game environment.

 

Regarding fashion, I think it's fun for a character to be naked -when it makes sense. NPCs will comment on that and it can be hilarious. Being naked should be required in order to swim... Of course swimming with a backpack and a two handed weapon (or a bow for that matter) doesn't really make much sense.

 

I'm waiting for the Creation Kit to do something about faction outfits. Skyrim needs a faction disguise mod. :happy: