I think there ought to be a LOT of people whom you can form rivalries with.

Dragonborn or not, you're not some kind of GOD... you're a mortal with a unique power. That doesn't mean there's nobody out there who could DO the same job as you, it just means they'd have to do it DIFFERENTLY. You may be the -one- the dragon's fear... but if someone ELSE starts killing them, you'd better believe that the dragons are going to start re-assessing their priorities.

The generic, lame-ass One Man Army hero-type is old. It's tired. There's no depth to the world, when you're the single driving force behind it.

There's a difference between the story revolving around the character, and the character being the center of the story.

Heated rivalries and bitter foes wouldn't make the game any less fun or meaningful. They would be just one more aspect of any given quest. If you don't do -this-... someone else just might. Hell, I for one feel that factions and guilds ought to be DYNAMIC. People should join, and leave, and raise and lower in rank... all as a part of the world. And these people, for whom life is always a contest of survival...

... so there's this prophecy about the Dragon Born? Yeah... big deal. It's not like I'm the Nerevarine. Or the one destined to Rule Cyrodiil. Or the Tiger-Dragon King.

You're just this guy. And you can live, or die, like any other damned fool.

Why should that make you so special, that nobody can compare? To me, -that- would be the ultimate in getting old quick.

like pokemon? sweet!

This is pretty much how I feel as well. It's rather boring when we're the only one doing anything in the world. I'm fine with us being the big hero, but we shouldn't be the only hero. Dynamic factions and guilds sound amazing as well, and I hope instead of just focusing on us the faction acts as if weither we join or not that it's alive and functioning. I dont really remember if I've ever seen anyone else besides us in a guild hall, and the people in there are usually just standing around or training a little.

With all the improvements to questing, factions could be very fun to join, and they could look as if they're functioning establisments this time around. I'm looking forward to it.

My thoughts exactly, could be a great addition to a guild questline.

Imagine if factions had characters who liked you, and who hated you... and on occasion some hated character would show up in the Guildhall and say: "Hey, you! I was given a job to do... and I don't much like it, but I was told I should bring you with me. I hate to admit it, but I could use the help Get in my way, though, and I might just stab you by mistake."

It wouldn't even be -your- quest... it would be HIS... and it just so happens to net you a little bit of clout with the guildmaster for helping out. You could say no, and it wouldn't really HURT too much... but you doing it would be a favor to the guild.

These kinds of things would add a great deal of character to otherwise flat institutions where everything is about gaining rank instead of doing jobs and going on missions, which is what they ought to be for.

Then you could kill them... Problem solved, no more rival.

I do like the idea of other adventurers (rival or not aside). Going about their business "adventuring". exploring dungeons and fighting monsters and what not. If one of them became a recurring character I doubt I'd complain about it, so long as they are not invincible. If a rivalry were to form from it I think it could be rather entertaining and if your not the rival type you could just bury them in an unmarked grave somewhere. IF you can best them in combat of course.

That would be a great way to make a faction feel more alive, for sure. With their dynamic questing, I think this would be pretty easy to pull off. Have the quest look for a npc you're not on good turns with, set the goal for you to help him retreave artifact a, and then give a little reward like a share of the gold or a little clout.

Then after a few more quests which you compete against him you'd get a final one once you've interacted with your rival enough times that would kinda act like the climix of that rivalry. Like the guy you were rivals with got killed, and they want you to go after the person who did it. Or your rival has gone missing and you have to find them now. Or even you're both up for the spot of head of the guild, and you have to compete one last time to see who gets' the spot.

Just a little side quest for a faction that would breath some life into them.

Bethesda did do something like this with the Fighter's guild quest in Oblivion, it was great. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Maglir

Would definitely be cool if they made the rival character more deeply involved with a faction or miscellaneous quests. Maybe a rival for the position of a city's champion - but you could choose to end up working with them?

Morag Tong vs. Dark Brotherhood? And you get to choose (only one) to support.

:woot:

It would be a nice addition for when you join a guild, maybe an annoying wood elf rival.

Hopefully they are involved in several quests though for an overarching storyline.

Rival Mages, Rival Thieves, Rival Assassins....great possibilities.

Ah yes, I forgot about that anoying guy. Definitly more things like that, maybe make it feel more dynamic and it would be perfect.

I also think this would be a cool way to get a few conpanions here or there. If you end up working with them and you both respect each other in the end you could ask them to come adventuring with you. Then with dynamic quests he could actually ask to go to a few places here or there for some rare loot he heard about that pertain's to his fighting style. So it feels like you're actually conpanions, instead of them being just free body guards and pack mules.

Or even if you don't decide to take them along, after the climix of the rivalry, there still could be random dynamic quests that would lead you back towards you're rival to compete again for old times sake.

I'm really hoping they can make full use of this dynamic questing tool they've been braging up for a while now.

DM of the rings

That as well. Just because you made a rival after joining a guild doesnt mean we should only run into them when doing guild related stuff. Its a big world out there, but if there's a wide spread rumor spreading all over Skyrim about something big going down, odds are we're not going to be the only one going to check it out. Rivals involved in several random quests along with guild related things would allow the rival to feel like a real person we're competing against, and not just a staged apponant to try and make the guild quests a little more entertaining with a side story.