One problem with all (I think) Main Quest Delayers is that you have to commit a crime and be sent to jail to start the Main Quest. But what about the lawful good paladin types? Would be nice if you could be framed and arrested for a crime you didn't commit and would make for an excellent quest mod finding out who did it and go Charles Bronson on them.
Any makers of currently supported MQDs that would consider this?

Interesting idea. But would it have to be part of a Main Quest Delayer? As far as I know, those MQDs you're speaking of simply need you to be put in jail at some point during your journeys. So wouldn't it be possible to simply make a quest mod that, at some point, has you framed for a big theft or something and sends you to jail?

Because if that were the case, there might be already some mods around that do that... although I don't know of any. But anyway, if there's no need for it to be part of a MQD, more modders might pick up on the idea.

(For the record, I believe that there is at least one alternative start mod that doesn't require you to go to jail. You pick up the amulet from the body of the prisoner whom the amulet was given to by the Emperor.)

Of course! :facepalm: Six months away from the game and the community and I feel like a noob again...
I'll ask the Mod Psychics.

I started using http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3973, which not only works pretty much flawlessly with all mods that rely on the Cgen quest(haven't found any that have problems with it), but lets you delay the main quest, and start it up by taking a note off of a dead guy near a shrine south of... can't remember how to spell the name of the town. The one you have to go to to take the amulet. It's somewhat hard to miss the guy when you find the shrine, and the shrine isn't really hard to find, nor is it really far south, but I don't know if the guy is a quest item, so he might vanish after a cell respawn.

I can name at least one mod that doesn't require you to be arrested to start the main quest: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23757. It's by far the best one out there, IMO: you can start in numerous locations, with a variety of wealth levels, start as a guildmember, a vampire, or even a wanted criminal. The MQ doesn't start until either you're arrested (you can toggle this) or until you liberate Kvatch (whereupon Jauffre will hire you to find/rescue Martin).

No, the knight is hand-placed. He'll still be there (and much smellier) when you retire your character.

Oblivion Prelude: Kvatch, a WIP mod I'm currently developing will allow you to start the MQ in ways other than going to prison. One way allows you to find a dead messenger on his way to warn the Emperor about an assassination attempt. The other way (and probably the fun one) involves you taking part in the Daedric invasion of Kvatch.

The bad news is: its still a WIP, and I have no idea when it will be completed. Unless you're willing to wait, the alternate start mods suggested above my post will probably provide what you're looking for.

Are Alternative Start Revamped and Start Choices compatible with FCOM?

http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11495 doesn't make you go to prison either. It too allows you to start with various wealth levels and lets you choose which port city you arrive in. The location of the AOK is told to you in a 'dream' (messagebox about a dream, actually), and you can travel to that location and pick it up when you want to to start the MQ. It should be perfectly compatible with FCOM (just load ASAbS after all the FCOM files).

I saw that on the FCOM Compatibilities page at UESP Wiki (as a compatible option), but I find the post-liberating Kvatch option the most intriguing.

Thanks, many good suggestions, but I agree with Tomlong that the post-liberating Kvatch option of Start Choices sounds the most intriguing. In my previous game I used CDM-Character Generation Overhaul, but it supposed that the Emperor was not yet dead, which led to problems with all the books and dialogue about the Emperor being killed.

BTW; can anyone confirm that the Kvatch option of Start Choices works correctly? There has been some reports on Nexus that Jaufrrey will not have the right dialogue. And of course the release thread on this forum has been purged. :angry:

Ouch, maybe I will have to try Alternative Start Revamped then. I wish someone would just make an alternate start plugin just for the post-liberation Kvatch path. My PC is unjustly locked away!

I don't know about ASR, but Start Choices is. I've used both, but I went with SC well before I upgraded to a full FCOM setup.


I don't know about incorrect dialogue. When you complete the liberation of Kvatch, a messenger will find you with a message from Jauffre. I'm fairly sure he has some unvoiced dialogue for that situation; I know when you bring Martin back, the MQ kicks off as normal.

What happens with Alternative Start Arrive by Ship if you save Kvatch?

I'm using Start Choices for my current setup and I can confirm it's:
- Compatible with FCOM
- Compatible with RL
- No bugs so far
- Kvatch initiation to the main quest is working 100% as I have just tested for you.
You must close Kvatch Gate and free the prisoners from Kvatch Chapel then go to some town, wait 24 hours; then you get a messenger from Weynon Priory with a written letter.

+ when the main quest is not yet initiated you dont hear any rumor about emporor death nor get any scroll or journal mentioning this fact.

You save Kvatch. Having played at least one character up to that point with this particular mod, I started in Anvil. Did a bunch of stuff there, then headed out. Got to Kvatch, it's own quest triggered normally. No dialogue about Martin was given, and I wasn't told to go there to get him until after I'd been to the sewer to pick up the amulet and talk to Jauffre. The exchange with Jauffre in Weynon Priory is a bit awkward, but once you're past that everything fits.

Thanks for reply and good news. Sounds like Start Choices will be my choice too.

I too advocate for start choices - the best I've used.

It also gives good roleplayer options. You can start in any town with varying amounts of wealth/background, and even own a house (the vanilla ones) right off. So if you want to play as a regular citizen of the empire you can, or as wanted by the law - that too. As I recall even start off in certain factions, but not sure. anyway - the most choices.

And yes books and written material about the emporer - hard to avoid that - gotta turn a blind eye.

Also certain quests mods that require the original character beginnings those too. Not many and the one I use Kragenir - Povuholo is addressing that issue anyway.

I had Alternative arrival by ship, but I changed now to Start Choices. No main quest for me. That is too much "xbox or playstation style" for me. Fun just first time. I dont like the fact at the "bad guys" allways wait until you are in place when they will start an invasion in Cirodyl, for you can allways be THE HERO :clap: :clap: :clap:

That is fortunately very easy to patch - load up all mods in TES4EDIT, find all REFRs to the 2-3 books about the dead emperor and Copy as disabled override into a custom patch.
When Emperor is dead deactivate the patch.
That worked well when I used CDM's delayer in my previous game, but patching dialogue relating to the Emperor's death was more complicated. Some dialogue got messed up and led to crashes, so I gave up on that. Was mostly characters in Guard faction that talked about Uriel, though, and my Thief character avoided talking to them anyway.

I would prefer to have the main quest completed instead of delayed. I am looking at Alt start with main quest cut off http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2978. You start outside Greyland. Not ideal as I would like the Oblivion crises over but can't be picky at this point. I saw that Blade of Mercy mentioned a mod he has that lets him do the main quest in a few minutes but he never answere dany of my posts as to what it was.

You can always just not deliver the amulet to delay the quest.