As already stated, you start as a prisoner (like in the past games). Because I really loved the way it was in Morrowind, I think it would be cool if your character is accompanied by guards out of his/her cell.

"Time to go, I hope you prayed to the nine that this will be quick."

They lead him/her to the administrator/ the guards captain/ the executioner of the village you're held prisoned in.

"Ah, there you are. We need to compare the datas for the records...no worries, you'll die soon enough. So...your name is....[Insert Name Window]...right, and you're an [Race Menu opens]... my records say you're very handy with [skill/class/birthsign/whatever windows open]. Ok, I think that's it...guards? Lead the way."

They bring him/her to the execution place (scaffod, gallows, chop block) where the executioner and a crowd of villagers are waiting.

"My dear brothers and sisters, this [RACE] was arrested for crimes against the kingdom of skyrim. The court says, he/she will therefore be executed on this day. May the nine forgive you your crimes. Executioner? On my signal..."

The silence is suddenly disturbed by a deep, mighty roar and fire raining from the skies.

"A dragon! By the nine, the rumors were true! RUN!"

All people run away, leaving you behind. By chance, you're beeing freed by the destruction the dragon causes (Fire will burn the gallows rope...or your rope shackles will loose). But because you hadn't enough bad luck yet, the dragon lands directly in front of you and starts shouting the dragon words for "Fire". Yes, you may recognize this and the following as the plot fo the first gameplay trailer. It's pure purpose, because I really like the idea on how this can work with the beginning.

As the dragon ends it's shout, you're wondering that you weren't consumed by it's flames completely and you realize, that you could actually understand what the dragon was saying (harry potter reference ftw). Something deep inside tells you that you need to repeat those words in order to stay alive. So you shout your very first dragonshout. The dragon is surprised by this action and gets hurt pretty badly. This is your chance to grab a weapon (maybe the axe of the chop block your should have been executed on) and finish the dragon with one of the new finishers.
The dead dragon hits the ground and suddenly starts to be consumed by flames. Strange lights flow around you as you consume your first dragon soul.

The villagers and guards are shocked. You were acutally able to kill that beast!

"Did you see that? He's a dragonborn!"

The crowd start to sing: "DOVAHKIIN DOVAHKIIN! NAAL OK ZIN LOS VAHRIIN...!"

The guards captain/administrator comes to you and say: "This will change everything...the appearance of the dragons is a bad sign. And your arrival...the nine must have sent you! You must go and search for an old man called Esbern immediately! He was rumoring that the dragons came back...he may have answers for this. I'll sent messangers to the other cities and villages. May the nine guide you!"

EDIT: "The Terror of Death"'s post below mentioned Esbern beeing around at the beginning...so I'm adding an alternative plot, where after the dragon's death, Esbern will show up and explain that your character is a Dragonborn and only you can stop the invasion. This credit goes to "The Terror of Death".

And that would be the part where you can decide wheter on following the main quest or not.

I don't think you'll, lorewise, prevent the incoming dragon attack by just not accepting a quest...
Yeah I know, Todd mentioned that the fightable dragons will start appearing at a specific level/part of the mainquest. But therefore...all of that game screams about the dovahkiin gameplay.
I expect the beginning to have something to do with the mainquest.

In Oblivion, the start of the Oblivion crises couldn't be avoided too because Uriel Septim was killed in the tutorial.

I know some of you guys don't want to do the mainquest first...but seriously...do you really think you can avoid ALL of that and play a skyrim without any hint of it's main storyline?
I know it was possible in Morrowind, but there was old Dagoth Ur planing his plot hidden inside the red mountain. This time, like in Oblivion, they're beeing attacked.

Press X for Jason.

I doubt the average citizen would know about the Dragonborn prophecy.

Uhh...what?

I like your idea up to the point where the dragon comes, not many people plan on the doing the main plot but this intro forces you into it.

playing as esbern to save yourself from execution

Uhh...what?

That's some point we could argue on. I don't think you'll, lorewise, prevent the incoming dragon attack by just not accepting a quest...
Yeah I know, Todd mentioned that the fightable dragons will start appearing at a specific level/part of the mainquest. But therefore...all of that game screams about the dovahkiin gameplay.
I expect the beginning to have something to do with the mainquest.

In Oblivion, the start of the Oblivion crises couldn't be avoided too because Uriel Septim was killed in the tutorial.

I know some of you guys don't want to do the mainquest first...but seriously...do you really think you can avoid ALL of that and play a skyrim without any hint of it's main storyline?
I know it was possible in Morrowind, but there was old Dagoth Ur planing his plot hidden inside the red mountain. This time, like in Oblivion, they're beeing attacked.

This is true, the opening is bound to have the beginning of the main quest involved as it is: the MAIN quest, the main story of the game. Doesn't mean your character can't turn round when everyone is chanting 'DOVAKIIN, DOVAKIIN!' and says 'screw this I just wanna be a chef' and walks off to bake some sweetrolls...

http://tinyurl.com/6dp9s5r

Never say you couldn't. If the guards captain say you need to visit old esbern, you still can turn around and say "Bite me"

I'm sooo sorry (..not) to not know all of those stupid internet memes. To me, your post was just random spam. Now please back to topic.

I know it's not going to happen but I'd love no tutorial, or at least make it optional like new vegas. There was something about coming off the boat in Morrowind, filling in the census and the guy just be all like ok your free to go. I remember standing in the middle of the town and going ok what do I do? (Was playing at my mates) and he was like anything, just go and do whatever you feel like doing, talk to people and find stuff out. That feeling was overwhelming and awesome.

The discussion about beeing the Dovahkiin in the Thread http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1206570-will-your-first-character-be-the-dovahkiin/page__st__20 and an idea which was in my mind for weeks now made me starting this Thread.

How do you imagine the startup of the game?

This is my imagination of how it will be:



The plot, as mentioned before, is pretty similar as the one of the trailer. This came in my mind when I saw the nordic, standard dovahkiin running away from the dragon. I thought here "he doesn't accept or know that he's a dovahkiin yet...so he's running away."
When cornered at the cliff, he could only desperately draw his sword...and after beeing hit by flames without bigger damage, he realizes what he actually is.

Another thought was, that the plot of the trailer actually IS the tutorial after beeing freed at your execution place. You run away and the dragon feels that you're a dragonborn, so he's chasing after you. You finish it, and then the villagers come by...

What do you think? And most important...what's YOUR idea for the start?

EDIT: I'll quote myself here because I want to prevent this thread beeing turned into a discussion on "how my idea forces somebody to do the mainquest":

Highly unlikely, I would wager that the one staging your execution knows that your character is the Dragonborn which is why he wants you dead, we already know that the last of the Blades are being hunted down for reasons unknown, it would be my guess that they are being hunted down because of their ties to those with the title of Dragonborn as they were charged with the protection of such people so it is obvious that somebody fears the return of the Dragonborn, perhaps somebody in a position of power who fears that you may foil his plan to take the throne of Skyrim and thus frames you with the murder of the King? Anyhow with people actively trying to hunt you and the last of the Blades down it wouldnt be wise to acknowledge your status as Dragonborn in public so I doubt the rest of Skyrim will know who you are until at least the main quest is over or at least until after you are ready to take the fight to the Dragons.

Most likely the game will start off with you being led to your execution, however before you have the chance to meet your maker a Dragon attacks (or something like that) and Esbern helps you escape during the carnage, something happens and your character almost instinctively lets off a Dragonshout, after the dust settles Esbern tells you that you are the Dragonborn and takes you under his wing to train you in secret.