I also find it enjoyable to imagine your life after fulfilling your Dragonborn duties and death. For my main character, he lives as a model citizen, but is a cold blooded killer in secret, so when he dies, his personality splits and becomes a Divine and a Daedra.

The one point I disagree with is knowing everything about your character before beginning the game. Danger and adventure changes a person. One can be an honorable soldier one day and next, become a mercenary surviving on blood money. The line between these extremes are very thin. Or perhaps that character came to Skyrim in order to discover who he really was in the first place.

Sky High brings out a great point: role playing the character adds immeasurably to your experience.

It is absolutely essential to create a birth to initial capture (game start) story in your mind. This story should include loves, hates and why you left home. This forms your core being and governs your characters mores. Think of things like starvation that necessitated cannibalism, imperial raid on your village, etc... Don't forget to consider your character's racial bigotry - as it is a real part of Skyrim.

The first time player may want to consider visiting various cities and factions to get a basic feel for things (use the carriage for that). Experiment with magic and various weapons. Then start a new character and get intense. After that game plays out, start a new character of a different race and begin anew.

I honestly believe a character should never join a faction that's opposed their beliefs - as the moral contradiction is ultimately self destructive. I consider higher level NPC's of factions as very perceptive of members and would ferret out a liar.

I agree with Sky High. My character is generaly a good man, but he joined the theives guild to get back at them. But he ended up not getting back at them because he relized that they were sort of like a family and when the other bad peeps stepped out of line the theives guild corrected them.

Another thing I would like to add is that I even eat Breakfest, Lunch and Dinner ingame. It can be hard to remember but it helps your RPing. And if you dont have the extra coin to buy the food chop wood and sell it. Also, I never ever fast travel and I always go to sleep at night, unless im out night hunting. I usualy rent a room at an inn or sleep in a bandits bed roll.

RPing is the hole point of Skyrim. Skyrim gives you so many RP experiences and abilities so use them!

I like the idea of sleeping at night. It's something I've always minded to do. If you're running places, it's good to check out little crevaces and corners around the road, there are usually hidden camps just out of view. I even found a horse at one of these camps, which proceeded to follow me wherever I went.

RPing sounds like a blast.. but it would seem tough to stay "in character" throughout the masses of a game like skyrim..
Like at first.. i wanted to see ALL the game had to offer, so I did every quest possible (or most of the faction quests) and when i was playing i started thinking about how my character made ZERO sense. For example: I did a quest for the companions where I had to rescue some farmer boy from a cave and return him home. No more than 10 minutes later I was slaying a retard (narfi) for the dark brotherhood.. LOL I might try role playing real soon. otherwise i'll get bored with the game.

i am finding this to be very true, my character is an elf and i guess i see her as having trouble "fitting in" with the nords and being genuinely excited to see other elves around skyrim, trying to connect and being more trusting with them...

ive put some though into this, it seems fun but also maybe a little too detailed. Such as having your character eat the right meals and always sleeping at night. I love questing at night, but i guess i still dont get it all the way even though its something im thinking about trying im just completely new to it. Is it time consuming to RP? Do you post every activity you do? I know i could come up with a story for my character easily but its the rest im still a little lost on

I don't know. I read previous forums, where postings said it was all down to personal preference.
My character, for example, will seek out camps and inns for a place to sleep right around 7:00PM (there are beds in some dungeons as well, so it's nice to have a rest especially if you don't feel like using potions to heal yourself after a harsh battle).Also, she eats when she's only minorly injured.
Whenever she enters a city, she'll change to a piece of clothing and boots and even unequips her weapons.
She doesn't follow a strict breakfast, lunch, dinner routine; but I'll make her eat a piece of bread and some wine (3 or 4 bottles) if her journal says she'll like to eat something.

Edit: So really, it's just how you like it. You're playing for yourself, so there's no logic behind playing by someone else's rules. I've used the forums for insight and opinion, maybe even a little advice, but really, I've been deciding the character's personality since she got arrested by the Imperials.

I like role playing with my battle-mage elf, however in order to get every shout in the game you must join many factions to get the associated shout therefore making it less like my character's personality, which annoys me

Yes, keeping yourself in-character by not joining some factions is hard. I try to keep him but i can't, the good factions after all are the Companions and College of Winterhold. The bad ones are Theives Guild and Dark Brotherhood, but the Theives are not as bad as the Dark Brotherhood.

i think skyrim is complex enough that there aren't any "good" or "bad" factions. The Dark Brotherhood are assassins, and have their own set of morals, which in a world like skyrim makes sense! if you guys are RPing then forget your morals from school and think like skyrim.

I made an all round character to try and started a new one. I think that what makes it fun is playing him as you would act were you in his place, not imitating some generic personality. but thats just me.

My guy is know for being Dragon-born and harbinger of the Companion's, as well as destroyer of the Dark Brotherhood, but isn't known for being the leader of the Thieve's Guild, so he seems perfect, but that is just his cover-up half. It isn't fake about being harbinger and destroyer, but that is what he is known for, so it makes a good cover for his crime life. He has become very interesting as I have played him out.

My current character doesn't have much of a backstory... I like the idea of eating breakfast lunch and dinner, though. I'd have to get a longer days mod, or I'd surely forget, or just not have enough time in the day!

My first playthrough, I had what I now know is considered a "god" character—I said yes to everything. Joined every faction and did every quest I came across, good, bad, and ugly. I wanted to experience it all, with total disregard to what my character would realistically do.

But one of my current characters has a backstory. I also have a detailed game-story for her, as I'm writing a fanfic that takes place over the course of the game. Of course, I can't play out the entire story in-game, but keeping it in the back of my mind as I play is giving the game an entirely new level.

My other current character doesn't have a backstory, but I am playing the game with great consideration to her race and alignment. She's a Bosmer, so I'm making her an archer and conjurer of familiars. I was also very intrigued to discover this tidbit of Bosmer lore: "As part of their Green Pact, they are religiously carnivorous and cannibalistic, but do not harm vegetation of Valenwood (though they are not averse to using wooden or plant-derived products created by others)." As such, she will not pick any flowers, mushrooms, or other plants for use in potions, nor will she eat anything but meat. Should be an interesting challenge.

I am enjoying playing these characters much more than that first "god" character. Roleplaying truly does make Skyrim a better and fuller experience!

type "set timescale to X" in your console command. default is 20 meaning that 1 hour real time is 20 in game. I have mine set at 7 and I think its a nice balance.