Skyrim as a Non-Nord

[Muad'dib Meatball]

I have a hard time getting into it. I have tried twice (starting a third) to play as a different race and every time I get drawn back to nords. It just doesn't seem right to me to be around so much ancient nordic lore and ruins and not have that special connection as a nord player. Anyone else have difficulties immersing yourself as another race? Any experiances to share?

[76561198119391273]

I just sticked with nords because I couldn't get an equally good looking character with any other races.

[raubrey]

I don't have much problem in general but I do find being a non-nord dragonborn kinda odd. I stil do it though and chalk it up to the gods having a sense of humor (for the somewhat pompus and xenophobic Nords) if I'm altmer or kajhiit in particular.

I also like some of the character creators -- you can be a nord but diversify yourself a bit.

[Muad'dib Meatball]

Originally posted by raubrey:

I don't have much problem in general but I do find being a non-nord dragonborn kinda odd. I stil do it though and chalk it up to the gods having a sense of humor (for the somewhat pompus and xenophobic Nords) if I'm altmer or kajhiit in particular.

I also like some of the character creators -- you can be a nord but diversify yourself a bit.

I'm actualy trying a kajhiit right now. I like them as far as lore and how different it is form a normal human character. I hope to stick with it this time, as you said, maybe the gods are trolling.

[76561198133591931]

I either play as a Nord or a Breton. I feel comfortable with Bretons because they're basically Reachmen. Therefore Skyrim friendly.

[Trenburger]

The canon is a male nord warrior (kinda obvious really), but who cares? Just play what you like. I have one file where I play the game for "real", a male nord warrior who does only good deeds, and never bad ones like joining the dark brotherhood, but instead to destroy them. On my other accounts, I play as different races like khajits and argonians but never the main quest as it wouldnt make much sense, but i find it more fun to not play as the dragonborn but as some argonian assassin whio just kills everybody.

[JustOnePepsi]

My dragonborn is usually Khajiit.

In fact, I've never played as a Nord. In any of the Elder Scrolls games.

[7FOUR]

I generally like to do my first playthrough of an Elder Scrolls game as the race that's typically native to whatever region it takes place in, but after that all bets are off. In fact my absolute favorite race to play as is Argonian. In my headcanon, every hero since the Nerevarine has been an Argonian wizard (read: lizard wizard) of same lineage that just happened to accidentally stumble into what should have been someone else's epic story, shrugged, and just went along with it whilst incidentally becoming the head of every major institution in the process.

[Jesse]

I usually play Nord or Imperial. Because human. I also prefer puting a good spin on my character, i.e. when the Dunmer in Windhelm asks 'Do you hate the Dark Elves, too?' I always reply no. BUT I also go power hungry and just do literally what-ever-the-♥♥♥♥ I want. That isn't even roleplaying, that's just me. :)

[Noble Ten]

I usally play as Imperial, So that does make me a foriegner in Skyrim and I amd fine with that. Well the game begins with you being caught on the Skyrim/Cyrodiil border. So it makes sense in my case.

Other foriegners not bordering Skyrim can make do with an adventuring background, or even regard it as Fate! as you were lured to Skyrim for the Dragons as the Dragonborn.

[Skyrimnut]

I've made a very convincing playthrough for myself justifying an Altmer Paladin as dragonborn. It took a lot of delving into lore, but it has been my best playthrough. EVER. His backstory is ginormously huge; spanning two centuries.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/72850/discussions/0/613937943004326954/

I think the Aedra ultimately decide who to give the gift to. Men have been botching up this whole "Dragonborn" business since St. Alessia. Let's see if an Altmer does better. LOL I'm teasing, Nords make great dragonborns.

[darinbob]

Orcs are also native in the region, a very suitable native character. There's also a very large number of Dunmer after the evacuation from Vvardenfell to Skyrim, they're not just visitors.

There are also the people showing up there because of being in the Imperial army, the Khajiit traders, Argonian ex-slaves and low cost workers, Bretons are just over the hills and basically more civilized versions of the Forsworn, Hammerfell and Cyrodil are both just across the border, and so on.

Being stricly a lore purist you can be any race and make it make sense and never feel out of place.

As for Dragonborn, most of them in the last thousand years weren't even Nords or descended from Tiber Septim. The only difference really is that there happen to be more Nords who remember that being Dragonborn is more than just being an emperor.

[Msc. Tøm]

I never had this problem, I was able to play fine as a argonanian.

[Muad'dib Meatball]

Thanks for your replies guys! I decided to go with a khajiit, and so far it's pretty fun having an entirely different RP than a nord human. Hopefully I can keep the feeling up longer than previous attmpts.

[Dux]

I suffer from a similar problem, it just doesn't feel right picking a race not of the land the game is based on. I was Dunmer in Morrowind, Imperial in Oblivion and I'm a Nord in Skyrim. I try other races too of course, but usually in side saves I don't give much importance to.
I guess it feels weird for me to have different races achieve notority by taking hero roles that don't fit them. Indoril Nerevar being Dunmer it only makes sense for the Nerevarine to be Dunmer too since he (or she, but should be a he because Nerevar was male) is meant to be his reincarnation.
As for the Champion of Cyrodiil an Imperial makes sense too, the gender doesn't really matter in this case as both work well, even though Sheogorath in Skyrim has the appearance of an Imperial male. But not important seeing as Daedric Princes are shapeshifters, Boethiah for example is always jumping between male and female.
In Skyrim Nord is a must, the Nord culture is everywhere and ingrained in the land itself as well as everything the Dragonborn represents is entwined with it and the land. Male or female it doesn't really matter even though Bethesda always represents the Dragonborn as a Nord male. A female would be equally fitting in my opinion.

[JustOnePepsi]

Originally posted by R'hllor, The Lord of Light:

Thanks for your replies guys! I decided to go with a khajiit, and so far it's pretty fun having an entirely different RP than a nord human. Hopefully I can keep the feeling up longer than previous attmpts.

Hey, if you're playing a Khajiit, you should get the Khajiit Speak mod! :D

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/14513/?