Last month, I broke a six year game hiatus and bought Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
. I've been playing for about a month now. And I am finding the playing of it to be incredible. Without being spoilery - The basic set up is
that a Roman like power has taken a sudden and increased interest in
policing the northernmost edge of their territories, Skyrim, home to a Norse type people called the Nords. This is building towards a
civil war, and apparently I'll have to pick a side at some point.
My
character started off avoiding both favors and conflicts, just
exploring and staying out of the way of big events, but because of mistreatment at the hands of the "Imperials," I
found I didn't mind stealing from them or local Jarls who were obviously in their
pocket. Gradually, my character is coming to
sympathize with the Nords and tries not to steal from Nords or harm
Nords. I say "tries," because I did steal some coins from a table in an
inn, only to hear the innkeeper tell a maid that she wishes she could
afford to keep her on full time. I felt guilty and spent the a good deal
on breakfast there the next morning.
Then,
I needed to practice lockpicking. It was night, I was outdoors, and
figured I'd pick a stable door. I had no interest in thievery, just saw
it as a low risk chance to bone up on my skills. I was spotted,
panicked, and stole a horse. I felt guilty, tried to take it back, panicked again, then
rode off on it. I stumbled on a bridge and fell in a swift current, was
knocked unconscious and the horse was killed, smashed on a rock. Man, I felt bad about that horse.
I've decided I won't back up to the last save. My character lives with their mistakes. So I felt terrible that I'd stolen a horse and killed it a half mile later. But that's what I did.
Then two
weeks ago, I entered someone's house, sat at their table, and tried to talk. I
accidentally hit the wrong button and stole some food off their table
in their view. I put it back, then put back more than I intended, so
took my food back again. The woman cried thief and attacked me with a
dagger. I ran back, trying to get away and very deliberately not drawing
my weapon. But my trigger happy hireling, obviously defending me,
whipped out her sword and cut the woman down. At which point a blood
curdling shriek to my left made me aware that we had murdered an
innocent woman in view of her little boy. He cried "oh my gods know" and
ran out into the street. And we rode out of town fast.
So,
my "basically good" character has stolen from a poor innkeeper, stolen
and killed a horse, and cut down a woman in front of her son. And feels
terrible about
it.
And yesterday I got my housecarl Lydia killed. The fact that I didn't like her (and she doesn't seem to have liked me) makes the guilt worse.
And yesterday I got my housecarl Lydia killed. The fact that I didn't like her (and she doesn't seem to have liked me) makes the guilt worse.
I'm going to be playing it for a long time.
