Playing with rules

[Adam Belmont]

The idea of this thread is to know if you play Skyrim with certain rules like:
- Never buy leather or leather strips from vendors, I only make it with wolf pelts, deer hide and etc...
- Sleep once a day and eat 3 times a day.
- Never fast travel or use the carriage for longer travels.

With my mage for example i've created rules like:
- Never use magic in cities or for training. Magic is dangerous so it must be used with caution.
- Never run on shops, houses or castles.

I play with my own alignment system and my mage is "neutral good" alignment which means I can never take a course of action that could be evil.

I have some rules with my wood elf archer as well:
- Never buy leather or leather strips from vendors, I only make it with wolf pelts, deer hide and etc...
- My elf alignment is "good"
- My bow must be always on my back when visiting cities.

Those are some examples, there's other rules I follow with my characters, now I want to know if you play with rules or if you think this is madness give your opinion as well!

 

[kyleekay]

I really like the bit about not using magic in the cities. I never thought of that, despite the guards always telling me to cool it with the destruction magic.

I just started RPing in-game recently.

-I use similar rules for eating and sleeping, and if I'm in the wilderness with no nearby camps to clear when my characters need sleep, I just use the Wait option to symbolize it.
- I allow use of the carriages.
-Always wear clothes in the city.
-If going to visit a Jarl, try to look nice (circlet, necklace, fine clothes, etc)
-If my character has chosen a side for the civil war, do not buy or sell any items from vendors who support the opposite side.
-Only take quests that match my character persona. So if my character wouldn't help random citizens with their go fetch quests, I skip them (unless it's necessary to become thane)
-Only buy a house if it's something my character would do.
-Only carry at most, two sets of armor, 1 clothing set, and 2 weapons. (followers are my pack mules. I figure Lydia can handle it , right? )
-Try to avoid purchasing weapons. Make them or use looted ones.

That's all I can think of right now... I'll add more later if more comes to mind.

 

[Twiffle]

im Rping the 3rd Emissary of the Aldmeri Dominion,
My rule is, if its a Nord kill it, , ,

 

[Pete]

Some of my rules

Do what the bad guys do - no more than one healing potion per combat with one enemy. Only one other potion / poison per enemy. If not directly engaged you can drink a few more. Resets with new enemy or when dragon starts flying around again.

Never change armor once battle commences (no time to change); caught with your pants down -- run! Sneaking with regular clothes gives no armor penalty, but if your caught.... better have illusion / alteration skills? This is why my vampires always have vampire robes & armor. Works wonders.

Limit the # of weapons and armor you carry to a realistic quantity. Ball park it with weight values. If you are on one side of the civil war you must wear that armor when doing their quests. Same when you are in a guild.

 

[OckhamsFolly]

I play with a lot of BigWooly's rules, toned down because I'm not as hard core as he is.

Some unique ones:

Eat meat, but not raw meat (salmon is an exception)
Wait when Smithing
Can't randomly mix alchemy ingredients even if I the player know they share a property

And an unspoken rule I'm sure a lot of people follow:

Aesthetics are king!

Sometimes I wish that Banded Iron didn't look so adventurous, though...

 

[Moris]

If I'm playing a religious, Talos worshipping Nord:

Always wear an amulet of Talos.
Never rob burial urns or anything of value within a barrow, except off dedicated evil bad guys, such as dragon priests.
Never loot the bodies of those who are not enemies; even then, have respect for an adversary who fought well and with honor, and leave his body untouched.
Pray daily (or as often at possible) at a shrine of Talos and always leave an offering.
Never take the soul of another person, unless they are clearly and irredeemably evil.
If you are left with an inheritance, or find that another well-loved npc has died, visit the Hall of the Dead where they are interred, and leave an offering for them.
Never deny your worship. When asked, always own up to it.

 

[Psiberzerker]

I don't play with Rules so much as follow guidelines for a more immersive experience. For instance, I don't generally Fast Travel, except for taking Carriages, not because it's OP (it isn't) but because I can't perceive the mechanism behind it. No problem when there was Mark, and Recall, teleportation, I get it, but when I can just look at a map, and be there X amount of hours later, it just smacks of Dora to me, so I don't do it.

I try not to hide in the menus during combat, chugging potions, and planning strategy far to late. Going in, fine, there's a good chance this Fort isn't un-inhabited, or I hear a Dragon's roar in the distance, might be time to take those True Shots that've been piling up, and between fights to recover, of course. I pick them up, so might as well use them, but that's not the same as stopping time for an instaheal, and full stamina bar. That right there is the most powerful feature in the game, you ask me.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

When not on my horse, I only ever walk.

Sure it's slow, but in reality, one can't simply jog for infinite amounts of time.

 

[Moris]

When not on my horse, I only ever walk.

Sure it's slow, but in reality, one can't simply jog for infinite amounts of time.

Having seen those ultramarathoners run 100 km at twice my racing speed, I wonder. The dragonborn surely has more stamina than even some elite humans from our realm.

However, I must agree that, even with the requisite perks, even the Dragonborn should not be able to jog forever wearing armor and carrying 300 lbs worth of junk.

 

[Cazimir]

Tried to do the eating and sleeping thing before, but I never remember. Anyway, my current rules are as follows.

-Dagger and bow are the only weapons I can use.
-No magic use whatsoever. My character was not born with such skill.
-Never wear anything besides Light Armor and clothing. Clothing is for cities and home.
-Never loot the bodies of friendly NPCs. Treat them with respect.
-Avoid interactions with Daedra and higher beings in general.

 

[Skulli]

If my assassin is on a mission from Mother, I am not allowed to interact with any NPC on my way to the target unless the quest demands it.

She is single minded and focused on the taking of a human life, and must avoid contact with the civilians if possible.

 

[Kalin of High Rock]

Um, rules. Let's see, I've got a few of those. Neutral/Good vampire living is rough.


- Help those in need.
- Never initiate violence without first thoroughly exploring peaceful alternatives.
- Kill only if doing so will protect the innocent.
- Show mercy whenever possible, even if the person's a creep.
- Never, ever steal. Under any circumstances.
- The Vigil of Stendaar and The Dawn Guard are good men and women. They are not to be harmed, even in self defense.


- Never use black soul gems. Period.
- Don't "wait". Go to a tavern. Go to an inn. Go to sleep. Do something else and come back.

And of course, there's the vampire specific stuff.

- Avoid day light.
- If you must go outside in daylight, feed before doing so.
- If you must go outside in daylight, wear a hood.
- Don't feed off the unwilling.
- Avoid using vampire lord form. Must not give in to the dark side.

 

[Wildroses]

All my characters have to eat, sleep and drink. Three meals of 0.5 and three drinks per day. If they acquire dogs, pets, followers, spouses, children, housecarls or stewards, they have to feed them as well. I also tend to restrict perk trees. I will only let them put perks into certain trees, or decide that if they are going to have one perk in a tree, they have to have them all. I also can only play good characters. I have a character flaw which makes it difficult for me to be mean to pixel people.

After that, my rules for characters tend to vary from character to character. I've done some who are trying to be NPCS and aren't allowed to do ANY quests except safe boring ones for the purpose of marriage, or to persuade a Jarl to let you buy land.

I have one character I have forced to rest and recover for several days after dying, and may only wait after reading. She has discovered that sitting around for days is boring and Skyrim doesn't have enough books.

Another I am playing dead is dead style. She has poured perks into smithing, archery, one handed, and alchemy and must always have a follower. She's also a greedy spendthrift who has to buy all the pretty things and jewellery she sees, so she has to keep adventuring just for the cash. She's only allowed to improve weapons and armour too, she may not make them.

I just started one I want to make a professional alchemist and healer. She's only allowed to sell potions she creates. She's allowed to buy whatever she likes, and use whatever she likes that she loots from crypts and bodies (but only armour looted from females can be worn). I've also decided to forbid her followers (unless quests make her) apart from animals (in fact I started her by making every location discovered and fast travelling to Meeko's shack, then Windhelm, pretended they'd just gotten off a boat together and undiscovered all the locations). She may only attack using daggers, fire spells and conjuring atronauchs, but she may not put any perks in those trees. They all have to be in speech, alchemy and restoration. I'm not putting any penalty on dying for this one as a challenging playstyle so far. Her backstory had her go to the College of Winterhold to try and finish her restoration training. I'm thinking of enforcing some college/study type rules for her, but I haven't decided on them yet.

 

[Adam Belmont]

Um, rules. Let's see, I've got a few of those. Neutral/Good vampire living is rough.


- Help those in need.
- Never initiate violence without first thoroughly exploring peaceful alternatives.
- Kill only if doing so will protect the innocent.
- Show mercy whenever possible, even if the person's a creep.
- Never, ever steal. Under any circumstances.
- The Vigil of Stendaar and The Dawn Guard are good men and women. They are not to be harmed, even in self defense.


- Never use black soul gems. Period.
- Don't "wait". Go to a tavern. Go to an inn. Go to sleep. Do something else and come back.

And of course, there's the vampire specific stuff.

- Avoid day light.
- If you must go outside in daylight, feed before doing so.
- If you must go outside in daylight, wear a hood.
- Don't feed off the unwilling.
- Avoid using vampire lord form. Must not give in to the dark side.

This is a "Louis de Pointe du Lac" kind of vampire, must be hard.

Anyway, this thread is giving me so much ideas, there are some rules I've been reading that I never thought about. Skyrim is a game with infinite possibilities if you have passion for role-playing and/or a good imagination.

 

[Ru;indil]

Let's see my rules. I am a Companion Werewolf so I do the honorable and glorious acts.Sometimes not though.

-Never steal
-Kill all Falmer. Never leave behind even one in a dungeon
-If a NPC dies, then let it be. No reloads. That's my playstyle.
-If I am in a specific city and want to go to another city that is far away , I use carriages. No fast-travels.
For e.g : Riften to Solitude , I use the carriage. Whiterun to Falkreath , I don't (As they are not far)
-Do not kill innocents (Unless they bug me off like Heimskr and Nazeem).
-Always destroy the Brotherhood.
-Be Alchemical. I mean , never eat and always drink potions.
-No waits. Only sleeps (Unless I am in the wilderness).
-Help people.
-Do not bully kids.

That's it lol .

 

[Twiffle]

I have just started a new playthrough with some rules of my own.

1. Walk everywhere, and i mean everywhere, no carriages no fast travel.
2. I dont eat, but i never use potions either, I love Respo tree so i use healing only, if i die, , Tough
3. I dont use any other magic (for this build)
4. Only help people in need. (Rescues, bandits etc etc)
5. No stealing, so no Thieves Guild.
6. No murders, so destroy the Dark brotherhood.
7. Companions quest for its Noble alignment.
8. Main Quest and Join Imperials.
9. Only carry 1 weapon and Armor set, Radiant Rainment outfit for the cities.
10. And finally, i always carry lots of Flowers, if i have to kill someone i leave a flower on them for respect.


This is my first attempt at something like this, so its not exactly very strict in comparison to some, but i am enjoying it tremendously, putting a new angle on the game, well for me,

 

[Kalin of High Rock]

This is a "Louis de Pointe du Lac" kind of vampire, must be hard.

Well, I think I'm a bit more cheerful than old Luie, but yes. The reluctant/benevolent vampire can be difficult. But it is fun, and interesting.

 

[JClarke1953]

I tried the sleeping thing, and sometimes I remember, especially if I arrive to early in a city/town to do a job, or to sell. Then I'll go to an inn, unless it's close to morning.

The char I'm using now, well, she will lay out anyone who starts something, and then after, loot the corpse. They won't be needing the stuff. Then if it's possible, I'll dump the body over a cliff or into a river.

I've not considered having my char change clothes, as I didn't think it'd make a difference. But then, once in the College, all she had on was her under garments, and Urag told her to put some clothes on.

The Forsworn and Falmer will die at her hand's, casting the Lord's so she can watch head's roll. Even though she's adopted children, she's left them with her follower (Lydia), and has decided it's easier to go alone. I/she too has decided that if an NPC is killed, even tho' I could back up to a save, we'll, it takes too much time. And she is tiring of giving the follower potions, or using precious time to heal or go back a bit to keep the follower alive.

She runs a lot, as even tho' she can easily afford a horse, she prefers the feel of the path under her feet, her eye's ever watching for bandits, thug's and the occasional assassin. And when she approaches other's on her travels, woe be to those who tell her; "That's close enough!". The next thing she hears is their cries as she and her Lord's send them to Oblivion.

She's a tease as well, wearing the Amulet of Mara, then cutting off any conversation when it's noticed. She hates the Thalmor, and feels deep inside they have so,etching to do about the returning of the Dragon's. She doesn't worry about the god's so much, but she will free a Thalmor prisoner she sees on the road, killing and looting the Thalmor and guard bodies.

She will help if she decides it's really needed (such as killing the Giant harassing an Orc village), and gives gold to the poor. But even tho' she has two girl's in Breezehome, she'd rather be hunting Thalmor, Falmor, Draugr, or Forsworn. The Dragon's she knows will find her, and they are her's.

She's yet to pick a side, yet has eliminated a Fort of bandit's and Stormcloaks for Elisif, for whom she carries a deep hidden love. And is afraid she may have to "settle" for what love she can find. The sight of Vampire's killing her friend's in Riverwood has saddened her, and she knows it's only a matter of time before going to the Dawnguard. She knows danger lies beyond that meeting, yet will face it like she has since her escape in Helgen.

Her focus is on her mission, her job, and woe be to beast or human who gets in her way.

 

[Gehenna]

I tend to replay the same character again and again. She's my "do everything and experience all questlines" character, so I make very few rules for myself. Really the only thing that I do, since she's a vampire lord, is never, ever eat food. She gets all sustenance from blood. She will begrudgingly eat ingredients to learn alchemy effects, but doesn't like it. I also tend to make her wear a hood a lot, and armor that covers her entire body (ie no cleavage peeking out of the vampire armor.. the hood or cloak needs to cover that. Don't need sunburned vampire boobies.)

Before Dawnguard, I'd play this character as a werewolf and she would only eat meat items, cooked or raw. All other food items I'd sell.

 

[LucasNL]

*first post*

Most of my rules are already mentioned by someone else but I'll post them anyway:
- Sleep every night. (at least 7 hours)
- Eat 2 times a day. (1 piece of bread/fruit in the morning, 1 piece of meat/bowl of soup in the evening)
- No running inside.
- No helmets/masks inside the city/buildings.
- No drawn weapons/magic inside the city/buildings.
- Dress like your character would.

For my current good guy nord:

- No stealing/killing innocent people.
- Don't take any quest wich involves commiting crimes.
- Be nice to the people who helped you and help them too.
- Take some time off every now and then. (go deer-hunting on the planes of whiterun even though I'm not an archer)