The cool thing about an open-ended RPG like Daggerfall is that you can role-play literally anything you want in the context of the game. The multitude of options means that you're not limited by the gameplay mechanics. Also, because the graphics weren't hyper-realistic and you didn't have to see every little action played out in a preset animation, most of the game's events were left to your imagination. Therefore you will eventually start using your imagination to sculpt out a detailed story for your character, despite that very little of that story would actually manifest itself on your computer screen.

So in that spirit, I'm sure most of us do a bunch of stuff in Daggerfall that's done purely for role-playing purposes. There's doubtlessly a few things that we all do, and then each of us probably has one or two unique little role-playing actions that we do.

In this thread, I think it'd be great if we could all share some of the things we do in Daggerfall to become more immersed in the game world.

I'll start by listing a few things that I do:

1. I join only the factions that make sense for my character. For example, if my Battlemage joins a knightly order (which is dedicated to upholding law and order), it's highly unlikely that he'll join the Thieve's Guild or Dark Brotherhood, since those factions undermine the law and order so cherished by the knights. I'd only join both if I wanted my character to be a two-faced, double-agent mercenary type. I also make sure that my factions fit with my class concept.

For example, my current Battlemage is in the Mage's Guild, the Temple of Dibella, and the Fighter's Guild, and he will eventually join a knightly order. He only joined the Mage's Guild because he knows that he needs the magical protection that only they can provide if he's to battle creatures like Liches, Vampires, and Daedra. He's in the Fighter's Guild because, well, he loves to fight and he needs training. He joined the Temple of Dibella, but I just imagine that he's actually joined the Order of the Lily, which protects the members of Dibella. He had barely survived an encounter with a particularly powerful Lich, and he trusted his horse to carry his broken body to the nearest town. He woke up surrounded by the scantily clad Priestesses of Dibella that had healed him, and the rest is history B)

2. I take my time and enjoy myself. I don't just go from quest to quest, teleporting and killing. Weeks on end of nothing but combat and travel would burn out even the hardiest of adventurers! Therefore, after a dungeon quest (which usually involves a LOT of killing), I'll return to the guild, get paid, and head straight for the nearest tavern for some booze and boobs. I'll spend a few days in-game just chillin' before going back to work for the guild.

3. I employ the services of the many "working girls" of the Iliac Bay. As far as I can tell, every single tavern has at least one prosttute (you can spot them because they're scantily clad or even naked). So what I'll do is pay for a room, then go into the room that the prosttute is in. After removing all my character's clothes, I'll "rest until healed". The reason I do that is because, just like in real life, sometimes it takes five minutes, and sometimes it takes five hours.

4. I only use magic in such a way that makes sense for my character. If I'm playing a pure Mage character, I'll go wild casting all sorts of uber-powerful spells. With an assassin or thief, I'll only use the school of Illusion. My current character, a Nord "Warlord" (custom battlemage), hates magic and those who use it. However, he's not an idiot - he knows that he NEEDS magic if he's to stand a chance against Liches, Vampires, and Daedra. Therefore, the only spell he uses is Spell Reflection, because he loves the irony in letting his enemies die at the hands of their own sorcery. He doesn't use a shield spell, however, so he occasionally does come out of a dungeon quite bloody and battered. He doesn't mind that, though, as the girls over at the House of Dibella are always more than willing to bind his wounds B)

5. I dress appropriately at all times. If it's winter in the Wrothgarian mountains, my male character is wearing boots, pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a cloak. If I'm adventuring in the Alik'r Desert, my outfit might consist of short boots, breeches and a pair of gold armbands (which REALLY looks cool). Or I might wear sandals and a short skirt.

There are also quest-specific factors that determine my character's dress. I'll only put on armor if I'm about to enter a dungeon, because I doubt that a freelance mercenary would want to move around in that uncomfortable pile of metal all the time. If I'm hanging out in town and I'm attacked by assassins or orcs or whatever, then that's too bad. I don't have time to put on a bunch of armor, so I have to face them with just my weapon. On the other hand, if I'm performing a quest that requires stealth or discretion, I'll don an earth-colored robe and put the hood up to conceal my identity.



So what kind of stuff do you guys do in Daggerfall to get more immersed in the game world? Or am I the only one here who gets that into it? :nerd:

I do a lot with clothing, dressing appropriately for the weather, etc. I always take off my armor when I enter town, and usually switch to a smaller, less intimidating weapon, if I have the option. I have hometowns that I frequent, and try to make it a different area for each character.

I tend to specialize my characters--I don't let them get into a lot of fluff, with inappropriate guilds, skills, and the like. Even within a guild, I usually refuse quests that don't fit my character as well, or I'm just not in the mood for. Heh, sometimes, if I am playing a character who dislikes a certain guild, have asked them for nonmember quests that I had no intention of completing, just to spite them.

I will say though, there is one roleplaying aspect I have to date failed at: being a good person. I almost always end up robbing a few stores, and then killing any guards that annoy me. I don't know why, because it's not like anyone ever hurts for money in DF. Well, it's something I'll swear to work on for the next character I make, which is due soon.

That's true, it IS hard to resist the temptation to rob The Odd Blades of Daggerfall and steal hundreds of thousands of GP's worth of daedric gear.

As long as I'm not in any knightly orders, though, I'm generally cool with it. The other guilds only seem to have a problem with criminals if the crime is targeted at them.

BTW, I do the hometown thing too, but to a lesser extent. My character will stay in the same town for a few months or even a couple years, then move on to a town in a different region.

Maybe you will now think, that I am completely insane, but I talk to the NPCs. You have to try it, it really makes fun! It's like I am wandering around in Arena and well, I actually ask the NPCs who they are and if there are any rumors. If they say, "just usual business in camlorn" I ll answer like "just usual business? thats crappy, I wanted to know if there are any artifacts around you stupid ****"

My level of role-playing in DF varies. But one thing that I have done is played the "wanted man" theme to the hilt. I accomplished this by a bit of manipulation of quests; always keeping open quests, or sufficiently negative reputation with certain guilds, that generate periodic attackers. I have carried this to extremes at times, but for the most part I would settle for having to work at finding safe places to rest. B)

It would be pretty gnarly to have Mages, Fighters, Knights, Thieves, and Assassins all trying to kill you. And if you get Gortwog angry enough, he'll send orcs after you until you finally succumb to death.

That's kind of a cool idea. I've never tried that.