I've done gameplay challenges before in the Sims 2 and 3, but this is the first time I've ever done a challenge on a console game. I think folks are going to love this, though.

The Premise

Nords stubbonly hate magic, but Skyrim is teeming with it. Can you survive a vanilla game without it?

Rules

Make a Nord character, male or female. Name them whatever you want.

You may use Shouts, since they are required at times to progress in the game.

Nord racial powers and passive abilities do not count as magic.

You may not use any potions except for Healing and Cure Disease (unless a quest specifically requires it, eg. Vaermina's Torpor). Those potions are considered to be medicine rather than magic for the purpose of this challenge.

You may use shrines.

No Standing Stones.

No alchemy (you must buy/steal your medicine). This includes eating ingredients.

No making or using enchanted items, especially dragon masks and unique artifacts.

No training or use of any magic classes (Destruction, Restoration, Alteration, etc.). Any training you receive as a quest reward or from picking up a book doesn't count.

No spending perk points on magic skills.

No staves of any kind.

No joining the College of Winterhold.

No magic-using followers.

So, our characters cannot eat?

This is pretty easy. About 4 of my warrior characters have been like this.

My current Orc warrior character plays by these rules and I have to say it's quite a challenging playstyle. Not something I will try again as I will probably go back to my preferred mage type characters again, but I've enjoyed playing like this just for the change in style.

Doesn't say that in the rules, but it's a question I would like to know the answer to.

I have had a couple characters that only use food to eat, not as "healing points", with no magic at all. My werewolf character was one.

Right now I have a spellsword and a sword and board, but as Wolf uses Dawnbreaker, he wouldn't count... Oh and the DG armor has an enchant on it if worn head to toe. Wouldn't suit his Role play to change ( and as he has corrupt files, I don't know how long I'll be playing anyway.)

How is this a challenge? Dragonbro is wolverine. Plus the game was designed around the concept of using shouts as the main source of magic.

Do silver swords count?

I'm sure they would be ok. I think where the challenge lies is not being able to use restoration or enchanting, well that's what I found anyway.

Okay thanks Craig. I like the idea of this challenge but how do we finish the game with out joining the College as it's required to complete the main quest?

You also get the option to shout.

It isn't. You can go straight to Septimus.

Yeah, and how do you know that you must see him if you don't talk to the Librarian of the College?

As a first time player? I don't. But I don't see first time players coming here to undertake this kind of a challenge. Personally I'd go with Shadow's method and shout, but a rule is a rule.

Good start, but I've played a game with stronger restrictions. No potions, not allowed to sell, no ruin looting, no enchantments, and stuff like that. Basically, money came from quests or chopping wood only.

It was an okay game, to be honest, but it was rather dull. Fights took longer to complete since I was under-powered for the level most of the time. Aside from creating bullet sponges, it was about as realistic as I could get it.

You should be able to use standing stones. Every person is born under a sign and gets some abilities. Alchemy is fine too as long as you don't use potions that increase your magic.

Because you have played the game numerous times already maybe.

So, because you know what to do and where to go, all your characters do too? New characters do not know this if they haven't talked to the librarian.

But all of my Nords already use alchemy and magic to varying degrees.

I'm fairly certain it's not the first time I'm telling you I don't like metagaming any more than you do. I wouldn't force my character to 'accidentally' discover Septimus' outpost. But as I've noticed, other people are usually less restrictive and they have an option to bypass the College. Instead of derailing the thread, can we ask the OP to modify the problematic rule?

The point I think he was making is that all things in Mundus are teeming with magic, even plants so when you eat food you're essentially eating something filled with magic.

ha same here, I don't know why people feel like magic is a must or one can't survive without potions or followers.

OP you should try my barbarian build, it's similar but a step beyond.

Nord, no magic, no potions of any kind, no armor (wore ragged trousers and boots), battleaxe or other 2 hand for combat and bows to hunt for food and furs, only meat and mead to heal (I didn't use soups but it's food so you could), no followers unless forced to during quests, no alchemy (can eat raw ingredients like hawks feather for cures), no enchanting, can use the grindstone to sharpen your axe or bow and can smith furs into leather armor for money, no weapons beyond steel.

My turn: I suggest, naked, no weapons or any kind, no food, no ingredients, no alchemy, no drinks of any kind, no magic of any kind except the shouts you have to use sometimes during quests, no followers excepts when they are forced on you, no sleep so that you don't get any bonus, what else?

ha my barbarian build isn't that bare, it's basic but still gives you the basic needs for survival...weapon, food, living off the land and earning money on the side. I actually enjoyed this build as it was challenging but also immersive, my battleaxe became my brother and the experience felt very realistic with real danger in each fight. I used an Iron battleaxe for most of the game until Eorlund forged me a Skyforge steel axe which evened the odds for the tougher enemies.

I didn't use every perk either, in both 2 hand and archery I stayed away from the top tiers as those are cheap imo. I also couldn't rest after awhile as I became a beast.

Talking about it now makes me want to start a new barbarian but I'm really trying to avoid the restartitis as I already have 10 active characters and can't keep up with them all

I've done this before...twice, in fact. The second time I did it was on my two handed assassin (giant [censored] battleaxe) who never once snuck around anywhere and never once even used a shout...in fact, he wasn't even Dragonborn. When he finally was retired at about the 175 hour mark, his sneak skill was still at 15.

Now granted, my assassin was guilty of 18 murders before he retired from the DB (all unrelated to the guild). He just could not leave any witnesses alive. Many a chicken and goats lost their live to him. They were delicious.

Yes, this makes me want to try it again. When I'm finished with my current elf, I just may do it again.

No challenge there, even when I make a mage character they end up playing that way :/