...Am I really going to do this to myself? Am I honestly going to embark on a new serial blog, running in tandem with my other serial blog? Have I seriously learned nothing from the draining, time-consuming process of writing and incredibly protracted management of Enduring Final Fantasy VII?
I guess not.
Welcome, one and all, to the prologue for my new blog series, entitled 'A Month in Skyrim'. My intention is to write a journal-style entry every day for the next thirty days, as I get to grips with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and lose myself in its world and characters. The inspiration for this has come directly from fellow Giant Bomb user AndyMacneil, who's been writing some awesome accounts of his latest playthrough of Morrowind. If you haven't read them, go and do so now - they're bloody brilliant (also, try and goad him to write more, because I miss his updates). I knew I wanted to document my time with Skyrim in some special way, and this first-person, diary-like approach is undoubtedly the best way to capture the essence of experiencing a game like this. I plan to write something every day from today until February 4th about my time in Skyrim. Nothing too long, probably just a couple of paragraphs covering each day. It's probably worth noting that future instalments of this blog will probably include quest spoilers, so And don't worry, this won't impact too much on Enduring Final Fantasy VII - I still have every intention to keep that series in progress as well, with Episode Nineteen coming tomorrow. For now, though, let's get this underway!
Day Zero - Here Begins My Journal
Before I get this series properly off the ground, I wanted to shed a little light on how I intend to play the game and why I want to play it that way. That's what this prologue is for.
I decided a long time ago that I was going to play Skyrim as a Nord. My reasons for doing so are largely trivial, but pretty important to me personally - in Elder Scrolls games, I like to play for the first time as a race befitting the provincial setting. I played Morrowind as a Dark Elf, and Oblivion as an Imperial. It seems only fitting I continue that trend in Skyrim. My character is going to be a male Nord, named Lenahd Retsmek. I haven't created him yet, so I can't confirm what he'll look like. All I know is, he's going to have a bad-ass beard. Can't be a Nord without a bad-ass beard.
As for how I'm going to approach Skyrim in terms of playstyle, I have no set plan. All my decisions as to where I go and what I do are probably going to be made on impulse. All I know is, I want to avoid doing the things I habitually do in games of this type. I don't want to focus too much on the main quest, because I'd rather explore the province and my own pace and try to write my own story through my character's actions. Speaking of actions, I'm also going to try and play a character with traits that I wouldn't ordinarily focus on. To this day, I've yet to really dabble in the magic side of an Elder Scrolls game, so although I don't intend to play an out-and-out mage, I will probably take a more vested interest in magic than I did in either Morrowind or Oblivion. Other than that, though, I can't really offer any insight into how Lenahd's development is going to pan out.
Thanks very much for reading this inaugural entry. I hope you'll join me as I carve my own path of adventure through the province of Skyrim. Come back tomorrow to find out how I spent my first few hours with the game.
Dan
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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360)
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