In another discussion topic, there was talk about whether or not, in role playing, the character was "oneself."

It occurs to me that it might be an amusing exercise to create a character who was as close as possible to oneself, and see how one fared. For most of us, I think that Magic would be out of the question, so that would leave choosing from the remaining skills. The idea would be to try to choose skills that come as close as possible to actual real-world experience.

In my case, I used to be a runner, so Athletics and Acrobatics are reasonable. I would get Marksman, because in my teens I was actually an archer; I owned my own semi-recurved bow, and my brother and I made our own arrows. I have some Hand-to-hand training. I worked in Retail for a while: Mercantile. I'm a craftsman: Armorer. Everybody could get Speechcraft, as it's what we're doing here.

For Specialization, I'd simply go with where the majority of my skills fell, which is Stealth. And I'd go with the Attributes where the most skills were, which are Speed and Personality. My birthsign is The Lover, which corresponds to my actual birth month (February.) I'm a Nord (approximately.)

I think the Emperor is going to take one look at me and hand the Amulet to Baurus.

I would be pretty much all magic. Probably the default mage class. My birthsign is the Tower. As far as race goes, I am part German, part Pole. So I suppose Nord is the nearest approximation for me. Though in my heart I would say I am a wood elf.

I also think the Emp would take one look at me and give the Amulet to Baurus as well!

I actually tried something a little like this once, as I had always roleplayed as unique characters and did not like the idea of being myself in a game. But I was very stubborn about certain things, so when I did decide to give it a shot, it was under my rules. Basically, I made a character as if I was transported to Tamriel and actually converted into a lore-friendly version of myself that grew up in Tamriel.

Within a matter of hours, this character had taken on a life of her own and wasn't really like me at all.

So, yeah, I'd say it was a failure. I don't want to be myself most of the time in the real world, I can't bring myself to choose to do so in a fantasy world where I have the opportunity to be someone else.

I done it a couple of times, to explore the world, but when I Role Play as myself I don't go by my real life stats, if I did you will have a very fragile character, instead I do a "What If I was born and raised in this place. So I go Breton, I'm Hispanic and there are like no races that are well Hispanic-y , and because I'm a rather small person, and Breton's are rather small in Skyrim and Morrowind :3

I will like SubRosa, be almost all magic, I will probably focus on destruction and restoration based on my personality. I was born December, so my birthsign is The Thief, If the Emperor were to take a good luck at me...yea he is giving the amulet to Baurus!

If I were to use my real life skills, they will be sleeping, eating, speechcraft, and playing WoW, I will probably end up being a scholar of sorts.

I figured you would be the mage.

I think my character would be viable to play, but the truth is that I don't find him very interesting. I don't want to play myself!

I thought of this too not long ago

Well, I′d be a Nord obviously. I have some H2H training and that goes well with Athletics and Acrobatics. I usually work in the woods on weekends so Blunt (Axe) would suit me well. I have a genuine copy of a Mongolian bow and I can use it pretty well so I would add Marksman to my build along with Sneak as I also hunt, but not with the bow mind you.
Finally I would add Illusion to my Oblivion build as I like to make people think what I want them to think and it′s useful when hunting as well, making the prey think you′re not there

I would have Strength and Intelligence as favored attributes. You′d think I′d have Agility due to Marksman and Sneak, but what good is a hunter without his brain?

I think if I woke up in that prison cell, and then those events unfolded, I most likely run straight to the Imperial City and try to find a job and a place to live. While I'd like to imagine I'd be creeping through dungeons and fighting monsters and taking on dangerous, life-threatening quests, I honestly don't think I would. I hate to admit it, but I'd be too scared. Maybe, after a few years of practice with the bow and sword, and perhaps learning some spells and getting physically and mentally stronger, that would change...

Ethereal makes a point. I think few of us coming straight from this world would go off to fight liches and minotaurs the first thing we did.
In fact, knowing about the scaling issue we would never level up knowing what monsters would appear!

Haha! That's almost like people that never want to graduate and leave school, or who chase degree after degree right into their 40's -- they don't want Real Life to level up and force them to purse the J word.

You can say you to me, buddy!

Heh. Even though I'm well past my school years, there's a part of my brain that will always be a kid. So, believe me, I'm not judging!

We did that in the Morrowind forum a while back. It's easier in Oblivion, as you only need to choose 7 skills, but there are also less skills to choose from, hmm.

I'd be an Imperial with Intelligence and Luck as favored attributes, born under the Thief (in December), specializing in Stealth, with Speechcraft, Sneak, Athletics, Acrobatics and Hand-to-Hand as majors. The other two would probably turn out to be Marksman and Armorer. I like tinkering and we used to "train" with bows, slings and throwing weapons as kids more than with "stick swords".

I would probably want to go to Weynon Priory (most likely bribing a guard to escort me after seeing the first wolf), maybe even Kvatch, but there's no way I'd be stepping into any Oblivion gates.
I'd probably end up as an unadventurous scholar. Shame about all those major skills I'd never use, but safety first.

I'm a Nord, but I have a proper beard, so does that mean I have to be Sheogorath? (Not the dead guy in the SI, he didn't get to finish growing his).

Since I write mods that change the world, I guess I'd specialize in Alteration. I know some basic chemistry, so Alchemy shouldn't be hard to pick up, if I can remember the different rules on Nirn. And Armorer, since I like to fix my own stuff. I have no abilities with any weapons, or hand-to-hand, so magic would be all the offense I could manage, assuming I could learn some. I imagine a lot would depend on whether my fortify magicka potions would actually provide me any, starting from zero, or if I get a starter spell I could learn from.

I've played a pacifist character in the game, so I'm here to tell you that it's possible to get around without getting killed. Many of the main roads between cities have legion riders patrolling them, and it's quite feasible to walk along with one of them. You can safely travel with escort between the IC, Chorrol and Skingrad, and most of the road to Cheydinhal. You can also team up with one of the NPCs who travel the road on a regular schedule. Two determined city-dwellers can easily take down a wolf or imp with their fists, by working together. (Here, let me hide behind you, er, guard your back!)

I grew up on a farm, so I think I'd probably be drawn to the area around Skingrad. Tomatoes and wine. Somebody needs to grow some wheat around there, set up a small mill, and go into the pasta business.

I would love to visit you in your vineyard glargg! Maybe you could provide me with some before I head back to my frozen town of Bruma where I′d feel most at home?

The area around Skingrad is really nice and would probably serve as my area of choice during the summer.

This is really interesting. I definitely wouldn't have marksman. I tried archery once IRL and ended up nearly hitting the cows in the next field, rather than my target. The bow was swiftly taken off me!

I'd like to think I'd have hand-to-hand. I've punched two men on two separate occasions for not knowing what the word "no" meant. One who was trying to force me to drink a tequila, the other... well you can guess. They understood perfectly after my little display of hand-to-hand, funny that.
I want to get into living history re-enactment soon, so we'll see if I'm as good with a sword and shield!

Mercantile might be another? I'm pretty good with money and finding a bargain.

As for places to live, I'd choose Anvil probably, or Leyawiin. I know I always say that, but I love bodies of water, particularly the sea. In Cyrodiil I feel it would be no different. My profession in Cyrodiil would probably be dressmaker. I'm pretty handy with sewing irl, so I guess I've got armourer as a skill too

This is interesting. We all pretty much understand that we wouldn't be "adventurers" in Cyrodiil, but we see that there actually are "realistic" things we could do.

If you think about it, Cyrodiil wouldn't be a very believable place without all those "ordinary" people living in the towns and working in their various trades. War and adventure are overrated.

I would be an abject coward. I would spend my entire game reading, writing and gardening. Since photography doesn't exist in this universe I guess I would turn to painting as well.

One thing I would not do is fight monsters.

A guy could get hurt, you know

That's why the legion guys earn the Big Septims.

Another day, another Septim

I doubt if I could, or would want to play as myself in the game. But, there is no question that some of my beliefs and experiences have impacted the game play of my characters. I live in a quiet cul-de-sac in metro Atlanta, GA, but was born and raised on the mean side of Queens, NYC. My characters tend to be very materialistic (value comfort; money; homes), yet live a pragmatic and street-wise existence. Early in the game, my first character had an issue with the pirates on the waterfront and devised a scheme for them to take themselves out, without any provocation except for her silly warnings. She just knew in her spirit it was not wise to allow this individual to continually disrupt her stroll when entering and leaving her own home. Although they are not republican, they do believe in the Bush doctrine. In the mean, twisted environment of Cyrodil, many have appeared as statistics in her journal, simply based upon a perceived threat to her well being. They would never intentionally harm anyone that didn't have it coming to them, but tend to act proactively, and find themselves seated in chapel in repentance when required. Basically, good spirits trying to survive a mean and twisted world.

Who pays those people anyway? There was a tax collector in Morrowind but I don't recall seeing any in Oblivion, or a Census Office for tyhat matter. How does the Empire raise money?

(While researching this post I discovered a faction I've never heard of before. It's called the Aleswell - People Serethi Sisters Dislike faction. I find that hilarious).

Good question. They don't even bother to take the wolf hides. Maybe the innkeepers pay them to keep the roads open.

As for tax collectors, we know what happened to the one in Morrowind, and good riddance.


The developers had a great sense of humor. TES games are a treasure.

I don't think I would ever play myself. I think it would be a terrible experience largely due to the fact that the entire point of a game, particularly an RPG is to play a Role.
However much I would like to be for all of it's "fantasy appeal" - I am not born under the sign of the thief and destined to become the Great Whatever of AwesomeSauce, but Niamh is, maybe.
She is my avatar and functions as a conduit for all of my imagination to pass through and achieve life, of a sort. Me stepping into her world would be a disaster for both of us, equalled only by me hearing a knock at the door and finding that she had turned up in mine, with Vilja in tow.

For me we exist in different worlds and that's how it should be, there is "the fourth wall" between us and that cannot and should not be broken by either of us intruding upon the other's space.
I like her world but it's her world, not mine.