Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-90.196.132.34-20130316015738/@comment-5307230-20130319110841

This is just for realism's sake and maybe roleplaying:

I would say just use anything normal (non-enchanted weapons and armor.) Whatever you can afford, just no enchants/upgrades. You will need stronger weapons later to even have a chance of scratching anything, so go ahead and level up your smithing simply to make the higher non-enchanted armor and weapons. Go no higher than Steel or maybe Orcish. (But no daedric, dragonbone, etc.) No enchants or upgrades!!! At highest difficulties these armors will not protect you very much without upgrading them. You will die.

Don't use health, stamina or magicka potions. Do not level alchemy or enchanting.

Shouts are fine, as they are not overly powerful and are often quests in the game, so go ahead and use them. If you really want to challenge yourself, only use Unrelenting Force and Whirlwind Sprint. Kill Paarthunax ASAP so the Greybeards refuse to help you later on when you ask about word walls. Find them yourself.

Followers are fine, just use one of the weaker ones like Sven or one that doesn't level very far and can be killed.

Do not become a vampire, vanpire lord, or a werewolf. I would also say don't join the Dawnguard as the crossbows are somewhat overpowered.

Do not use shields, rings, or amulets/necklaces.

Do everything you can to piss beneficial groups off so they refuse to help you and not give you better items/services/living areas/discounts.

Become wanted in towns whenever you can to decrease your gold supply paying off fines so you aren't always with extra gold to buy stuff. Or, don't pay off your fines and go to jail to stunt your skill progressions.

There is no way to prevent yourself from skilling up, so as some of the above posters said, don't give yourself any perks.

Don't use a horse or fast travelling. Lol. If you must fast travel, hire the wagoneers so you spend gold.

Other than that, can't think of much else.