Glargg.....your not really down with the whole competitive thing are you? It's a competition! If you make an advantage available, especially a pivotal one like smithing, we can't but not use it! It's like handing out energy drinks at an athletics meet......who's not gonna take it? I don't WANT to use smithing, but I wouldn't risk throwing the comp by not using it....if it's there!

But it's a moot point.......since smithing is definitely out!

I compete with myself, it being a single player game. I see this as being kind of like golf. It's each of us against the course, rather than against each other, and we're honor-bound to play fair. Winner is the one who best defeats the course.

I don't know about you, but I already have my character created and saved, ready to go. She has a name and a face. She's somebody.

Well in a sense you know.....it's not actually a single player game as soon as we kinda do it all together. It's as close as we can get to being MMO without actually having that facility. Yeah ok it's a bit exostential and all that, but never the less I kind if think of my gaming buddies being there in that same environment when we game together. Like as if there is only ONE Skyrim and we're all in it..... Cosey

I'm undecided about char. I know you think this is mad! But see....if I ask Ulda to compete for me....well, she doesn't know about stuff and has to role play finding it all as she goes....then there's the cart travel. I don't like her using it cos to me it breaches RP ( it wouldn't if Beth had made touring carriages like the mod). However, If I go in personally, like I did for Round 5......well that's different, cos "Rick" only sees carriages as a mechanism and I don't have to RP finding things, I have my knowledge and my list of Round Rules and no hold ups ( but, yes I do still sleep 6 hours per night and have to search out a suitable bedroll to do it just like Ulda would).

I voted. 1, 2, 1, 1
I think we should all play by the same rules, but if you want to up the difficulty, have at it. Same with playing time. If you want to play until your eyes bleed, go ahead! I have recommended rules for perks for a few competitions, so I am glad this is finally getting traction. For this competition, as its "stealth" not thief or assassin, I think we should have perks to thief stone skills, plus one handed (archery included, as this is changed with the USKP). Thieves, assassins, scouts, hunters could all be stealth characters. However, I would also support no perks to any of the crafting skills, including alchemy. As for quest lines, I could make a case for the companions, but I'm okay restricting it for this round.

I don't know about anyone else, but it has been made obvious to me that smithing creates overpowered characters. Characters in tin foil armor that can't be hurt, and do massive damages with butter knives. Makes me think that the only way to play this game is as a warrior/smith if you go DiD, eh?

The problem is that I DON'T WANT to play as a warrior/smith when I'm trying to play a thief or a mage or a psychotic bartender...

Well Neil......we are not of course having smithing. So, what are you suggesting. We should down rate the difficulty to make it more survivable. Do it on adept? Apart from being really boring if no one dies, the challenge will be taken away.

Yeah it's gonna be tough without smithing up a good tinfoil overcoat, but that's the whole point isn't it........survival skills in the face of deadly dangers and unfavourable odds.......

Competitive souls (against the game rather than individuals) like me have always played the game the wrong way around.. I know that.

I set the thing to Legendary then find ways to make it survivable. Actually of course the slider is there to adjust the game difficulty to your build. So you build your weak, but fun to play char......THEN ramp up the difficulty until it become just challenging, but quite possible to play. That may be just 'Expert' and that's ok!

Sah: "I call upon you Lady Nocturnal, Queen of Murk and Empress of Shadow... hear my voice!"

Nocturnal: "Ah, Sah...... I was wondering when I'd hear from you again. Need something do we?"

"My Lady, I've come before you to throw myself upon your mercy ."

"You're already mine, Sah...... Your terms were struck long ago. What could you possibly offer me now?"

"this one is hear about the Oath!.......this one wishes to transact the Oath; ...........to serve you in Dead is Dead."

"Dead is Dead......... stealth? How interesting....... Very well, the conditions are acceptable....... You may proceed, I'd suggest you refrain from disappointing me Sah."

"Lady Nocturnal, this one accepts your terms. She dedicates herself to you. this one will honor our agreement in this life and the next until your conditions have been met."

Name: Sah

Game Name: Sah

Race: Nord

Gender: Female

Age: >cough< years old

rotten little thief

Who let that bloody Nightingale in here?......some one get a net please!

And by Sithis, SHUT that window it's making a draught........

Honestly, I wasn't suggesting anything, merely stating an observation... Although, I DO have a thought for some other time. DiD on Master, in the buff. No crafting, i.e. smithing, alchemy, or enchanting (other than to recharge acquired weapons). No perks, no armor, no clothing, no jewelry. I mean, if you want to see how talented you REALLY are, why not do it without all those possessions that make you tough, eh? You'll soon find out that way if you're really bad to the bone, or just good at using possessions.

Like a wolf in the wild, depending one's abilities to survive...

http://theruckerarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/uploaded-images/Expedition1873ApacheWarriors6.jpg a picture of some warriors who didn't depend on possessions... these are Apache, once known as the finest light cavalry in the world.

neil, sounds like a Naked Nord challenge. Use only the weapons you find, no Smithing, and of course naked because that witch stole your clothes. (Or so you keep telling people. Maybe some of them will believe you. Hopefully your spouse will.) Objective: find your stolen axe.

Damnable witches!

Well now. This is the main thread....is it not!

Good...then I am in the right place it seems. This.....will.....be different.

"Sir Rick"....honourable, galant knight. Rescuing maidens with a theatrical flair
........DIED in Irkingthand....ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha

The world is better without his softness, his weakness, his feelings.
Poor gentle fool, living in his white silk lined little world
How I despise his simplicity, his optimism, his love

This is the cold reality....there are others here, waiting, hoping for their chance.....
Ulda is it! Quiet Suka
Xara too....at least she had potential...Pah!
They....will...not.....emerge!

Let me tell you something while I stroll around in here. Something you...probably don't understand properly.
In the beginning there was the void. You may think of it as...space, but it was so much less than that. No time, no size, no light Nothing! It was magnificent and pure. It's essence was Sithis. This whole...place, and All of you in it are an.......impurity.
Do you see? White light is a mish mash of every colour shining out, sullying the pure void.
It is my job to extinguish those impurities....to restore the void.....that's not so bad is it?
Please don't think of me as evil....ha ha ha.....that's just a human concept for your inadequacies
Think of me as....the Angel of Sithis

I'm coming....soon!

I had a car like that once...

Everyone should play at the same difficulty. Neil's right - without smithing (and enchanting) the game becomes a lot more difficult. I'll be surprised if anyone gets too far in this.

I voted 1, 2, 1, 2.

The only perk trees that we should use are those under the sign of the Thief. I say let us use archery + dagger, but you can't put perks in them and without smithing and perks they won't be strong.

Dark Brotherhood + Thieves Guild obviously. I say those two are probably enough, plus whatever other individual quests you want to do.

I don't have any strong opinions on scoring, but heavily weighted towards backstabs, sneak shots (are those recorded?), etc.

Nervous humour Neil?......how quaint !

Nervous?

Hmmm... I was nervous once. As I recall, I found out my girl friend's husband was a hitman for the mob...

Once, there was a farmer who owned a small farm in Missouri. One day his wife wanted him to take her to Texas to visit her brother for a few days, and reluctantly, he agreed. Her brother owned a very large ranch, and had plenty of room, so they stayed with him in his ranch house.

The first morning they were there, the farmer and his brother-in-law were up at the crack of dawn, and standing on the front porch of the ranch house to enjoy the morning air. The Texan raised his arm and pointed out at the horizon. "Everything you see out there is mine, I own it. I often get into my car at dawn, and driving as fast as I can, I drive all day long around the borders of my ranch. Just as the sunsets, I arrive back here at the house, never having been off of my property all day long. What do you think about that?"

The farmer from Missouri spat out his wad of chew, and said "Yeah, I had a car like that once. Maybe we can get it fixed for you after breakfast."