Haha, I went North a bit just for kicks to see how bad it was. I returned a ghost. I'll leave that for later.

Thanks all for advice.

-Make absolutely certain to read what the game throws at you. The best strategy guide is usually listening to the NPCs/system messages. An added bonus is that you won't embarrass yourself by asking certain questions that are common knowledge. We're here to help, and that includes proactively.
-Pay attention to the landscape-certain monsters prefer certain places. The corollary to this is that certain creatures you can find 4 minutes from startup are entirely inappropriate to face until later in the game. Sure, you'll hear stories of some wasteland badass pulling it off, but that's generally people who are either playing with mods or have specialized their character quite a lot.
-Don't knock any weapon, no matter how useless it seems. BB guns are awesome for conserving ammunition when facing Mantis Nymphs or detonating mines from a distance, and mines themselves remain useful throughout a playthrough, almost regardless of skill. But remember that some weapons will likely be stupidly ineffective if your skill is too low (I'm looking at you, Missile Launcher/Gattling Laser/AMR/Fat Man/Minigun/Super Sledge/Ballistic Fist.).
-Stick to raising ONE weapon skill until it's about 80. Then start picking up whatever secondary skills fit your roleplay.

Hope this helps!

-Nukeknockout

Biest advice for a new player? When you get to Sloan, listen to the "Danger Ahead" signs.

I played in hardcoe mode and some skills in my oppinion are crucials: Lockpick, Science, Speech.

Don't come to the forums until you've played the game through at least once. IMO, the game is never better than the first time through when you don't know diddly squat about what's going to happen or what you should do.

Beware of the deathclaws(i aint [censored] with you, they are a lot stronger then in fallout 3)
Dont go north from goodspings nor from sloan
Give the unarmed/melee weaps. skills a shot theyre a lot of fun(at least for me)
Dont trust ncr propaganda and give caesar a visit (when its time, youll know)

When you first start out, and you get up on the hill with the water tower, you can see those lights in Vegas, so bright, so close, like they're just out of reach, taunting you...

Do not- I repeat do not- try to just head straight there.

If you want to become ridiculously overpowered, don't worry about it, with the DLC's you will.
If you don't want to become ridiculously overpowered then get Old World Blues and immediatly get the Logans Loophole trait.

Save up on Hydra and only use it if you break 3 limbs while in combat.

Deathclaws ignore armor.

Energy weapons are generally awful.