RPing in Skyrim

[thesapien]

I can't help it.

I can't not do it.

Even when not playing, I'll see my cat sneak to a squirrel, chase it up a tree, and three more squirrels appear all shouting at my cat who can't take the noise and leaves.

I RP everything, even myself.

[Xeronova]

 

... My Dead-is-Dead roleplaying character, on the other hand, provides very thoughtful, slow and intense game sessions. Once he dies, I can't restart him and must start another character. So I take my time to ensure that he's well equipped and has a companion (to avoid dying)...

 

 

Glad to see I'm not the only person that has a "dead-is-dead" mentality on their characters. I'm happy my Imperial paladin just hit level 27 with no deaths on Expert.

 

To the OP: Role-playing is just what the name implies: You give your character a role and they play it. Do you want your character to be a savage brute or a refined gentleman? Will he join the Dark Brotherhood, or the Mage's college? Will he steal items just for the sake of stealing?

 

For example, here's the way I RP'd my Imperial:

 

"The nerve of those soldiers, coralling me in with those.... Stormcloaks. Don't they know who I am? I am Malkavius Falinus, court scribe & apprentice Enchanter for the city of Cheydinhaal in Cyrodiil. No matter now, as my caravan was sacked by bandits and I was left for dead anyway; none of my regal garb or Imperial papers were left to verify my identity. 'The soldiers are just doing their duty,' I kept telling myself. I repeated it so much that I lulled myself into a slumber while we made our way to Helgen. Maybe someone there may be able to listen to reason..."

 

Not the best literature, but it puts me in the mindframe to keep the persona of my avatar active as I play thorugh with him/her.

[TactlessNinja]

Nice to see a few responses. I decided to give it a try, but slowly, as in just making my character walk around a lot more, rest, eat, I even removed heavy gear to safely submerge myself underwater without 'drowning' lol. Admittedly, the only problem I have with is the walking, it feels so slow. Of course it's going to be slower than running around all the time but usually I'm certain if I had the choice, I would walk much faster than this game lets me :3. I'll probably move onto creating a background for my character at the moment, as I really don't feel like starting over anew.

 

I remember when I was in my early teens, I used to literally RP easily on RTS's all the time, like building towns/settlements, naming Generals, units and ranking people in terms of importance and such, good times. Very different now though, obviously.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Metal-Gear-REX

[a7x5631]

Discipline is the biggest part of it. Download mods that remove enemies from the compass, quest markers and locations. Do NOT use fast travel, even if you have the location discovered and it would be convenient. Only use your map if you're extremely lost. I've traveled without fast travel and carriages and have enjoyed every minute of it. You get a lot more out of the game doing this. Also, while traveling toward Winterhold (or other northern locations with snow storms), stop at a campfire or an entrance in a cave to keep warm. Edited January 15, 2012 by a7x5631

[BlackCompany]

I built a Nord named Ragnar (before I heard the bard song, obviously and because I love that name.) Former mercenary in Highrock and Cyrodiil. Drinker, carouser, warrior and rough-yet-gentle with the ladies. Strong, powerful...and stubborn to a fault. Steadfastly refuses to use magic. Relies on his weapons, shield and trusted companion - a warhound he bought for a steal outside Markarth, named Vigilance. Damn he loves that hound.

 

Me, personally...I'm an imperial sort of dude. Not Ragnar, though. Fiercely loyal to Skyrim, he is Stormcloak through and through. Doesn't even particularly like Ulfric; but he likes the empire less, since they caved to the demands of the Thalmor...after losing all those lives to defy those same demands.

 

Ragnar has never problem he can't fight his way through. Especially since he's never tried to work through a problem in any other fashion. (I chose this persona the moment it became readily apparent that Skyrim's fiction is both shallow and violent and it would fit best.) Ragnar uses Dragon Shouts because they come natural. He opens his mouth (which being a Nord and a Mercenary he is particularly good at doing) and stuff happens. No wiggling fingers, strange words or singing himself with fire in the learning of it. But spells? Not Ragnar - not ever.

 

He eats, he drinks (boy, does he drink - ask him about the 'drinking competition' in Whiterun) and he fights. He does these things well and at great length. No, the game does not force me to visit the taverns in cities. Or sleep. Or eat. But I do these things. Regularly. I do them because its fun and because I, myself, have the discipline to pace my own development in areas such as smithing. Lvl 35 before I could smith dragon armor, and "back" in Skyrim for (I jest not) 4 in game months at that point.

 

Felt good to be back in front of a smithy, since he left one to become a mercenary all those long years ago. Felt even better sporting his dragon trophies on his back.

 

Some Role Play pointers:

 

-Choose an attitude/world view for your character, especially in regards to things in Skyrim. Magic, you say: Pah! Why fiddle with fire? A headless corpse never threatened anyone, and it takes a lot less work. Sneaking: Never met a corpse I snuck up on first. Shields? Aye, only thing better than having one in front of your nose is ramming one into your enemy's nose.

 

-Decide his/her vices: Drink? Intentionally spend too much on it. Throw money at every barkeep and tavern broad in the game, on purpose. Good food? Never eat raw - cook or buy it cooked. Wild game hunter? Sneak up on prey with a bow. Refuse to 'chase it down' and instead, stalk and hunt game for food. Take your time.

 

-Decide professions and work at them: Smithing: That takes time. For every item you smith, wait two in game hours (or four, or a day). This makes it seem like your character is passing time in the town, at the forge. And slows your profits to a crawl, too. Good all round.

 

-Decide will and won't based on world view: Will fight. Will not sneak. Will cast healing spells. Never Necromancy. Stuff like that. Then, instead of caving in difficult situations, FIND ANOTHER, more CREATIVE, solution. For instance, Ragnar could easily have used his Flames spell on Draugr. But he didn't. Not even once.

Edited February 10, 2012 by BlackCompany

[becauseIhadto]

Clear problems with the game for RPing:

-Lack of follower depth (loved my companions in Dragon Age)

-Lack of NPCs in general

-Lack of dialogue options

 

Great aspects of the game that support RPing:

-The leveling system and skills

-Overlapping function of skills

-Flexibility of the quest system -- even if it is really buggy

 

 

 

Things a person can do to enhance their RPing experience:

 

----Run multiple characters. This is important: Skyrim is huge. There is no believable individual who will become the leader of every guild faction, explore every dungeon, and finish every job available. RPing means making choices, and sometimes, that means turning down a quest or not dealing with a character. Metagaming reasoning: This also allows you to experience as much of Skyrim as possible, especially in regards to skills, quests, and races.

e.g.,

I'm currently running:

Tornus (Redguard, m, knight/cleric)

Wrognar (Orsimer, m, mercenary and weapons master)

Sonja (Nord, f, ranger)

Justine (Imperial, f, pure wizard)

Dar'Sinyat (Khajit, m, rogue/assassin)

--Will likely have a several more by the time I'm onto a different RPG. This list is also missing the five characters I've already retired.

 

 

----Create a back story for your character. Prejudices, motivations, family history, philosophy, and so on. Determine their worldview and knowledge: are they well-versed in history, a child who grew up on the legends of their people, or an ignorant mercenary with no concern for such things?

e.g.,

My newest character is Justine. Her mother, an Imperial Legate, met her father, a noble of High Rock, during the Great War. Despite the peace brought by the White-Gold Concordat, her mother's actions during the war had earned the attention of Thalmor agents. As a child, she was swept to the Imperial City by her nursemaid -- her parents usurped and their lands stolen by distant relatives, puppets of the Aldmeri Dominion. Justine spent her youth as a student of the Synod, her nursemaid -- now godmother -- working in Leyawin to raise the money for her tuition.

 

Justine was a shrewd student whose poor background was a development from affluence. She has a keen understanding of social situations and is a talented magic user with a knack for picking locks. Though honouring a basic sense of morality instilled by her parents and godmother, her exposure to the harshness of life has bred a willingness to explore extreme solutions.

 

Her godmother, however, had worked long and hard -- time had caught up, and she too died before Justine's tutelage was complete. Unable to afford to continue her studies in the Imperial City, Justine set off for Skyrim after a former classmate told her about a college in the north that was accepting talented students with no charge. Her course clear, the daughter of slain parents set off to finally gain the power necessary to retake the legacy that had been stolen more than twenty years ago.

 

 

----Based on your character's history, choose quests and explore in that mindset. You can also extend this to every choice you make in the game: what loot do you keep? How do you approach combat? Which *order* are you going to do some quests in? Do you pick locks? Do you sneak?

e.g.,

In terms of gameplay, with this character I'll be playing all the way through the main quest, Civil War, Mage's College, Dark Brotherhood, as well as make a point of dungeon exploration in terms of "scholarly pursuits" and magical artifacts. She will join the Imperial side during the Civil War, but not before becoming the Thane of the Holds that are already friendly to the Imperials. Her political acumen suggests it is better to wait until the Holds loyal to Ulfric have been conquered to curry their favour so as to avoid developing a duplicitous reputation. In order to find a suitable long-term follower and develop an initial connection to organized crime -- a necessity for any politician -- she will join the Thieves' Guild and put in some minor work for them. Once developed initially in the Thieves' Guild, Justine's exposure to the underworld will lead her to seek contact with the Dark Brotherhood, and her morality will motivate her to control their activity by becoming the Listener.

 

 

----Download mods designed with realism and immersion in mind. Put either one of these words in the search field on the Nexus and you'll get some interesting hits. I use several mods geared towards this purpose, such as:

Enhanced Dynamic Weather System, More Snow, More Rain, Immersive Skyrim Thunder v5

Every City has Various Guards TS Edition

Lost Art of the Blacksmith, Val's Crafting Meltdown, Maker's Mark Ingots

Lore Friendly Armor Pack, Scout Armor, Lord Armor, Bucklers, Fur Hoods

Weapons of the Third Era, JaySus Swords

Equipable Map

Combat Realism

Balanced Magic, Midas Magic

Imperials Wear Heavy Armor, Dark Elven Equipment - Thalmor Standalone Edition, Stormcloaks - Tartan and Chainmail

Sounds of Skyrim, audio replacements by john129pats, Malukah instead of the "female even toned" bard, and Lore-friendly Irish Flute Music

--I'm missing a bunch here, just take a gander on the Nexus and you'll find some amazing contributions.

Edited February 11, 2012 by becauseIhadto