Gaming "Homebrewing"

So when I play games like Elder Scrolls, Fallout or any other open world rpg I tend to create my own "homebrew rules".
Like when I'm playing Skyrim for example, I make it a point that I can only carry a certain number of weaponry on me. Mainly one bow, one primary weapon, and possibly two side weapons. It irks me to run around with 6 "Enchanted Warhammers of Cosmic Ass-Bleeding" or even 4,000 potions or tomes on me. I like to make it as realistic as possible. I'll even make it a point to find an inn when I reach a settlement or city and purchase a room to rest. Even if the game doesn't feature a fatigue mechanism, I will often put that into the game myself.

Does anyone else get this? Does anyone else here do this?

If so, what are some "homebrews" you make up for your favorite video games?

I have done this in the past. I remember when Borderlands first came out I restricted myself on how much ammo I could use from a weapon. If an assault rifle had a 200 magazine, I'd restrict myself to using 30 rounds from it before I'd force myself to reload.

In Fallout 4, there is a hardcore mode that actually adds weight to your ammunition if I remember correctly. And you have to like eat and stuff.

Another thing I would do often was to start a new game of Pokemon and then after getting my starter from Oak, I would then go and catch a wild Somewhere between Pallet and Viridian. After I had acquired the wild pokemon, I would then release my starter and play the game as thought the pokemon I caught was my starter. It was a whole new challenge and gave me the feel that my character was a trainer who started from scratch rather than being given a free pokemon.

I only carry items that I can equip. I'm pretty particular about weapons I use in those games, so I generally try to store or sell things quickly.

Same. If I came across an item like a bow or something, I would check it's attack strength against the current bow I'd be using and keep the better one.

And if my character was a swordsman, I'd make sure to only use swords. It wouldn't matter how strong a blunt weapon or an axe was that I'd come across, I wouldn't trade my sword for it.

This feels like an appropriate moment to mention Nuzlocke challenges where every Pokémon that faints is considered dead and has to be released.
I used to play those or other Pokémon challenges all the time a few years ago.

Oh yes, I used to do these too. They're a lot of fun but also a lot of work. I used to Monotype challenges too. Aside from the starter you pick, you also choose a type of pokemon and vow to only catch and train that type. That was a challenge at times because I would use a randomizer to choose my type for me and if it chose Fire or Water then I would be stuck with the Starter of that type for a while before coming across any others. And I'd be almost completely screwed if it picked Psychic or Ghost or something else less common in the early parts of the game.

I've definitely done similar things (like requiring myself to rest every day for 8 hrs, hunt/eat, etc.), in all the Bethesda games probably beginning with Oblivion (with Morrowind I was too busy jumping EVERYWHERE). Usually playing through once with no restrictions, and then after checking out the story, going in with immersive mods and self rp restrictions. But I enjoy the collecting (hoarding?) part of the game too much to ever enforce reasonable item carrying standards on myself.

"Aw crap, I have 53 skulls on me! Guess I need to swing by the shack..."

When playing Diablo II, I used to refuse to repair items, instead forcing myself to simply use it until it broke.

But even in non-roleplaying games (if one considers Diablo an RPG which is a real stretch), I'll make up silly rules or backstories for characters. For example, in a sport game, I often name players on my team after real-life friends and then give them attributes similar to their real life abilities (i.e. fast, good shooter, lots of endurance, etc.)

Speaking of Skyrim, I would often go grocery shopping whenever I was near a city and stock my household larder(s), and occasionally take my family from our home in Solitude to vacation at Lakeview for camping/hiking/fishing. I cooked whatever I felt like making (instead of making things for bonuses), and my lavender dumplings were to die for.

My friend and I had a meta game with X-com enemy unknown. If you oped'in one of my soldiers would have your name. Then I would post battle reports on Facebook, where Brian did 3 headshot and Peter died a horrible death by alien attack

It's not exactly a rule, but I love interacting with NPCs in games and playing out my characters' relationships with them. Just silly things like visiting NPC friends before going on adventure, leaving them items as gifts (and as compensation for stepping into their gardens), never selling items that they themselves give after quests, just spending time doing nothing near them. And I usually end up very attached to the starting areas and tend to return here to do nothing but chat with tutorial characters. :D

And in games with team building or companions, I usually refuse to let much harm befall any of them, even if their AI is set on making the character run straight into the fire. My self-inflicted rule for games that have named characters is "everybody survives". Can't play any Ironman challenges thanks to that. XD

This sort of reminds me of back when I played Oblvion all the time. Like it was another life for me. I kept a calendar of all the Tamrielic holidays and would celebrate/observe accordingly (prayers at church, offerings to shrines, drinking in taverns, etc.)
I also had the Fighter's Stronghold DLC, which was a castle that also came with a couple of Battlehorn Guards. These guards could be instructed to follow you one at a time as a companion. I would give them names and keep a log of their dates of service and their demise.

e.g. "Roland of Battlehorn. Served 23rd of Rain's Hand 3E466 - 15th of Sun's Dawn 3E466. Mauled by Troll."

It's been a long time since I last played Oblivion, but I remember there was a quest about recreating an order of knights (?) - you had to gather some artifacts, then recruit people, talk to... someone... in the sky. I don't remember much about its storyline, but back then I've grown very attached to this order and kept spending time just sitting in its headquarters and watching NPCs. (And then an Oblivion gate spawned in its backyard.) I think it might've been a DLC as well.

And now I kinda miss the game. XD

Knights of the Nine is what it was called and it was a DLC :)

I RP in Skyrim by taking/buying/stealing all the cheese. I may be RPing me.

Thank you! I've been trying to find its name, but since I played it long ago - and in Russian, - it was a bit difficult to do. XD