A Question of Class, s/Question/Rant/ Options

[Cardboard Box]

I'm trying to get into Skyrim, but the operative word is 'try', because Bethesda, no doubt advised by Sheogorath, decided to throw out half of the character creation system.

"Hi, I'm ___, the ____ ____. That means I'm intrinsically better with this, that, and the other from the get-go, because that was what I did before I got thrown in jail."

Fast-forward to Skyrim.

"Hi, I'm ____, the ____. I'm not especially skilled in anything, because I didn't exist before I was almost beheaded in Helgen. I'm just a one-dimensional pair of hands for some kid at a computer to drive around the countryside killing people and things."

You get my problem? (and no, the stones outside Riverwood are not enough.)

Classes provide limits and shape what you do, and when; Bethesda for some reason threw all that out the window. I'm literally struggling to connect with my character, since I have lost the mechanism by which she would have gained her drive. As it is, she's barely more than a Minecraft skin.

Does anyone know of - since Skyrim Nexus' search is © UselessCo - any good mods that bring classes back? Or failing that, any tips and tricks on developing a skill set and sticking to it?

[Renee]

You get my problem? (and no, the stones outside Riverwood are not enough.)

Oh yes, I get your problem. This is one of the few things people complain about in Skyrim that I actually agree with. It's not just classes, it's the entire system of Attributes, numbers, starting bonuses. "100/100/100" (Health, Magicka, and Stamina) for ALL starting characters? ... It's about as shallow as it gets!

The reason it bugs me is because some of us grew up with classes and more definitive attributes. Arguably they aren't necessary for roleplaying, but they are traditional RPG cues that add to the experience of creating and RPing a character. It's as if Bethesda go lazy or confused about how to implement Classes for TES: V. Rather than tackling these issues, they decided just to gut the entire system.

I have a pretty good idea why they did this, too. I believe in the year 2011, the average gamer coming up is bombarded with so many games nowadays, they haven't got time to figure out what to do with a bunch of arbitrary information. They just wanna game, beat stuff up, and ultimately "beat the game". Collect their Trophies or Achievements, and move on. Beth seems to be aiming for the masses, and the masses don't mind if traditional stuff is thrown out.

Classes provide limits and shape what you do, and when; Bethesda for some reason threw all that out the window. I'm literally struggling to connect with my character, since I have lost the mechanism by which she would have gained her drive. As it is, she's barely more than a Minecraft skin.

Wow that sucks. There are a lot of reasons I've been able to connect with all my Skyrim characters, but I doubt they'll be of any help to you. The fact that Skyrim is so different from Oblivion (and demands a different style of RP) is #1 for me. I love Smithing. I love the fact that roughly half the fauna in Skyrim is non-hostile. I love 'da cold air', and sparse landscapes. My favorite weather is an overcast, drizzly sky. Love the auroras at night, too. The combat in Skyrim is more engaging, imo, and the fact that the magic system is not as fleshed means my character actually needs to think to survive, even if he/she is high-leveled.

Everybody in this thread has provided some good answers, too. I tend to choose skills & spells and stick to them, to some extent (just as you said). When I get my PC I'll definitely be checking out that Character Overhaul mod Grits just spoke about. Matter of fact, let me stick that info in my 'Modding Notepad folder' before I forget.