I've noticed from the very beginning, and especially since the character preset screens came out, that many people have their entire character completely planned out.

They know their name, gender, race, specific appearances, preferences, fighting style, major skills, back story, personality, character quirks, etc.

Some people even know all that for three or four characters, or more.

I see posts such as, "My female Dunmer spellsword, Gandaelia, doesn't like vegetables, especially those harvested from central and northern Skyrim, where the soil is not as fertile and therefore the veggies aren't as savory, so this topic doesn't apply to her. My Imperial Scout, Gargand, however, enjoys cooking as a hobby, but avoids fish because of certain allergies he has to pink and gray salmon. He can tell the difference if he tries hard enough, but usually he doesn't risk it when he is out in the wilderness, for he knows he has to get back to his Breton wife, Mylia, in their 16 foot by 18 foot cabin 400 feet south outside of Winterhold."

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy immersion and roleplaying, when the game actually rolls around.

And I understand the need for something Skyrim-related to do.

But aren't you afraid that you are going to get the game, fire it up, start making your character and your character will just seem boring because you already know every little minute detail about him or her?

I eventually decided that I wasn't going to start planning a character or back story until a week or two before the game comes out, that way it's still fresh and exciting in my mind.

It's hard for me to role-play. I prefer to play how I feel. I want to be myself, not some other character.

i agree, i think people put too much into that before they've played the game, my character develops as i play the game, i sometimes go in depth on second run throughs because i know the game and can tailor experiences for my character

As your name implies, you just continue to break traditions and age-old standards! :biggrin:

Nope. I actually create my characters in different games (DnD, Pathfinder) and then transfer them as well as possible over to TES. Take my dunmer, Penthos, for example.

In DnD, he was a dark elf warlock with split personalities, one of which resided in his familiar, Draven a spectral raven.
In Skyrim he will be a dunmer shadowmage who is fighting his inner dragonsoul, and he will have a spectral wolf companion named Draven (at least until I find out what other companion animals can be summoned)

There are plenty of other details about his personality that are concrete and unchanging, but this is a character that exists across different games, in the minds of many different people. (My DnD friends)
It makes it really cool when a few of my friends can come over and ask, "What's Penthos up to in Skyrim?"

This. :rofl: I enjoy rollplaying a style, pick a roll and try to stay within it. But all the elaborate backstory is well beyound my ability to plan or stick to. I'd end up being allergic to the most helpful and widely used reagent, rendering all health potions unusable. Or have so complicated a family history that I'm my own grandfather. I usually just play as a Breton Spellsword, or Nord Crusader, and that's as far as I go.

Knowing details about your own character is never bad I think. You can start out as a blank slate or a well developed essay, either way you still have plenty of room for character development and those who have details about their character beforehand just have a little extra spicing upon their grand dish of Skyrim.

I do plan out my characters, which makes me feel like a total loser who should kill himself bake cookies! :vaultboy:

It's all opinions and personal preferences, but to me ( and I mean to me, I certainly wouldn't expect anyone else to agree), saying it might be boring because you know the character is like saying why bother reading a second Sherlock Holmes story? You've read one, you know how he will react, why read any more? Because it's about the case, the setting, as much as the character. Same with a game. I know a rough draft draft of her personality, how she might react to some situations, but I haven't seen which situations she will be faced with.

Picking out names and race for my first two characters is the furthest down the road I'll go before actually having the controller in my hand.

Ragnar Havel: Nord
Sekou Trayvond: Redguard

I am only making one character that's going to take me no longer than 15 minutes to customize and I will not limit myself to something like sneak and archery, I will use whatever I please. That's my plan.