Any other pertinent info I need?
Elder Scrolls is the typical sandbox game. You sort of do what you want. X3:Reunion/Terran Conflict would be the space sim equiv. There is enough tools to run around and do things and create your own fun, yet, there are stories/quests to follow if you want to.
Typically the game is action RPG. You don't roll dice so much like many other RPGs, but rather get into the mix, much like a game like Borderlands. You click the mouse to swing your sword or to cast your fireball. You hit depending if you actually hit the person (within melee range, or your aim your fireball on the screen and hit the target by properly leading them)... Not because you rolled an 18 or higher on a 20 sided dice.
It's almost the sword/arrow/magic version of Borderlands, but has a larger scope. Borderlands is "tiny" and concentrated compared to an elder scrolls. But the games are sort of similar but in a different theme. Elder Scrolls feels like an RPG game, but you play it as if its an action game...
The scope and "feel" of the game is more epic... Where you know you aren't going to finish the game in 4 hours and its non stop action packed. Typically there is alot of downtime, and exploring. You will feel like noob in a large world where you have to figure out whats going on and take a certain path.
Here is a quest walkthrough from Oblivion the last Elders scrolls, and as you can see, you have different options:
1.You are confronted by Glarthir; he tells you to meet him behind the Great Chapel of Julianos at midnight.
2.Meet him, and he'll share his thoughts about a conspiracy against him. He identifies Bernadette Peneles as a spy.
3.He instructs you to monitor her actions without her knowing your presence.
4.Speak to a guard about Glarthir, and they'll comment on his mental instability. You are to report to a guard if he gets too suspicious.
5.Return to Glarthir with your findings, and he'll give you 150 gold. He'll then tell you to do the same with Toutius Sextius. Return again, and he'll give you another 150 gold if you report that Toutius is not spying on him or if you claimed that Bernadette wasn't spying on him. Your reward will be 200 gold if you confirm Glarthir's suspicions about both Toutius Sextius and Bernadette Peneles. Then, he'll tell you to monitor Davide Surilie.
6.After monitoring Davide, you will get 300 gold and Glarthir will tell you to kill all the "spies". If you accept, he promises 1000 gold for your troubles. Each target will make an attempt to alert authorities, so expect minor bounties. (Though Frenzy spells come in handy during this stage of the quest.) If you have told him that all three were not spying on him, he'll attack you instead.
7.After the killings, return to Glarthir who will be very relieved and reward you.
Option 1: Follow the quest exactly, find out there are no spies, the guy goes berserk on you, you kill him, but get some money in the process.
Option 2: Turn him into a guard, get no bounty but no deaths occur.
Option 3: Kill these "spies" (which are figments of his imagination) and you get into trouble as they are innocent people, but get the most rewards.
During this quest you literally have to follow these people around watching their daily duties, farming a field, walking to the tavern to get a bite to eat, etc etc etc. Its very long, and could take hours of time doing the quest.