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Mechanics
Here's a little about how the game works. As you can see above, it's a first-person dungeon crawler with a bunch of buttons and a sword. Lesson over
The top of the screen has a compass; the bottom has your name, a little picture of you that changes colors based on your status and that you can click to view your stats and inventory, and some bars representing health (green), stamina (red), and magic points (blue, but poor dumb Talin's is empty).
Next to those are eight buttons. The top row has Draw/Sheathe Weapon (crossed swords), View Map (map parchment), Thief Abilities (hand taking a gold piece), and Status (Staff of Caduceus which is for messengers not doctors unless you're in America like Bethesda and me). The bottom row has Spells (starburst, greyed out here), Logbook (note parchment), Use Item (a hand gripping a staff), and Camp (a campfire).
Next to those is a box where text goes if you need to pick from a list, like if you click Use Item or Spells. Most of the time it's blank, especially early on, but later you might have dozens of spells and potions to scroll through to find what you want. Thankfully the game pauses action while you hunt for your Mark of Shield or whatever.
You can move with the mouse, but fucking don't. The arrow keys move, and holding Control causes the character to strafe instead of turning. With a little practice this is easy to do with your left pinkie. You can jump straight up with J, or forward with Shift-J. You open doors, search bodies, or get items by clicking on them when the mouse cursor is an X, which means they have to be kinda centered in view. You can also get mods or programs to remap the controls if you want, but it's not supported in the game itself. It was a simpler time, before the WADS came and standardized everything.
There are canals or pits in some (okay, pretty much all) dungeons, and you can climb walls by walking at them as dead-on as you can manage. Swimming is tiring (draining Stamina) and you can't attack when in water, so if there's a goblin on the other side of that canal, try to jump it rather than climb up to his toes - he can and will knock you back down. He will also laugh at you and say, "Awww, you're all wet!" This is what passes for clever in goblin society.
Sword-murdering is done by moving the mouse quickly with the right mouse button held. There are multiple kinds of attacks, and the way you waggle your penetrator at your foes determines the attack you perform.
Side-to-side motions swing directly across, attacking with no bonus or penalty. Leftwards or rightwards / forehand or backhand has no effect.
Diagonal downwards motions bring the sword cutting down as well, giving a small (-5%) penalty to accuracy but a small (+2) bonus to damage.
Top-to-bottom motions deliver an overhead chop that has a large (-10%) accuracy penalty but a correspondingly large (+4) damage bonus.
Bottom-to-top motions stab at the enemy. Stabs are easy to hit with (+10%) but don't have as much force behind them (-4). Stabs also are unlikely to be parried, but don't parry well themselves. It's a niche move but occasionally comes up big.
Fists or axes or blunt weapons work the same way. Staffstabbers are just as viable as any other playstyle, if you're into that kind of thing. Fists are not recommended though.
Bows are fired by right-clicking on the thing what needs arrows in it. Sometimes the aim isn't perfect, especially if you're aiming toward the edges of the screen, so center your target if at all possible. They don't have arrows you need to restock, but like all weapons and armor, they wear down over time and need repairs. If it makes you happy you can think of that like an arrow supply?
Magic attack spells are aimed by choosing a spell, then clicking a target. Magic defense or heal spells are used by just choosing them from the Cast Spell list.
Monsters show up all the dang time, and you really need to be listening for them to do well in Arena. They chitter, scrape, and moan around as they get close, and listening carefully can alert you to a rat behind you crucial seconds before it bites you and fills you full of plague. Also maybe a skeleton will just one-shot you, they're jerks
You will need to defend yourself with weapons, armor, spells, basically whatever the heck you can use to survive. So, what can we use?
Well, that depends.
Establishing the Elder Scrolls tradition, there are three types of class to choose from: Warrior, Thief, and Mage. Each has its eponymous class as well as 5 variations, for a total of 18 classes to choose from. I'll list the base for each division, then how each variation differs. All variations level a little slower than their base class, but not enough to really matter.
For reference, here's what "all" means.
Weapons (all can be enchanted and made of special materials): (1H) Dagger, Tanto, Shortsword, Wakizashi, Broadsword, Mace, Saber, Longsword, Katana,
(2H) Short Bow, Long Bow, Staff, War Axe, Flail, Battle Axe, Claymore, War Hammer, Dai-Katana
Armor (only Plate can be enchanted and made of special materials): Leather, Chain, Plate
Shields (all can be enchanted and made of special materials): Buckler, Round, Kite, Tower
Thiefin' skills can be used by all classes, but some are better than others. The best class (Burglar) is used as a measuring stick here; a Burglar with 100% skill will succeed twice as often as a Thief with 50%, or four times as often as a Warrior with 25%. Eventually everybody can have the stats to steal and pickpocket reliably, but for the 25% classes, that comes so far in the future that you'll have the money to do without it.
Critical Strikes deal three times the damage of a regular strike.
There are also 8 magic item slots; four that can be enchanted or made of special materials to reduce AC, and four that can hold charges of spells so that even the dopiest Barbarian can launch some fire out in a pinch.
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Warrior
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Shields: All
Health: Great (d20/level)
Thiefin': Poor (25%)
Leveling Speed: Average
Great at smacking things around and getting smacked in return. Kind of one-note, but it's a hell of a note.
Archer
Armor: Leather or Chain
Health: Good (d16)
Critical Strike: 3%/level with ranged weapons
Can't use the heaviest armors, but extra effective with bows. Memory leaks can make bows a bad option during extended dungeon crawls, though, so save and quit if it seems like you can't fire as fast as usual.
Barbarian
Armor: Leather or Chain
Health: Amazing (d30)
Immune to Poison
Can't use the heaviest armors, but has the health to take even more hits. This comes in handy when getting blasted with magic, but a Warrior who picks up spell-resistant armor will win out. At lower levels, it's a good thing potions are weightless!
Knight
Armor: Chain or Plate
Health: Very Good (d18)
Immune to Paralysis
Repairs gear
Can't use the lightest armor for some reason. Never has to pay a dime to repair things, though, which saves a ton of money and time over the course of the game, and removes a major worry in the late game if you tend to use an artifact weapon or armor - they disappear when their durability runs out. Immunity to Paralysis means one enchantment you can use for something else.
Monk
Armor: NONE
Shields: NONE
Health: Okay (d14)
Dodging: Increases by level
Critical Strike: 1.5%/level with melee weapons
Spell resistance (can save vs spell to resist entirely)
Really, really bad. Seriously, don't. Don't even waste a vote on this, I will literally ignore it. The dodging bonus isn't enough to outweigh the lack of all armor and shields. If you like spell resistance, there are much better ways to get it.
Ranger
Shields: Buckler, Round, or Kite
Health: Very Good (d18)
Damage against Living enemies: Increases by level
Travel Time: 25% of normal
Losing out on Tower shields to gain a damage bonus is a solid trade, albeit not much of a change. Travel time is almost completely irrelevant, unless you're going for some kind of challenge game maybe?
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Thief
Weapons: Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Saber, Short Bow, War Axe
Armor: Leather
Shields: Buckler
Health: Okay (d14)
Thiefin': Good (67%)
Leveling Speed: Fast
Critical Strike: 2%/level
A general use critical strike and good thiefly abilities make thieves tricky and versatile. You can get a big leg up in the early game by stealing things you can't afford yet, and breaking into houses is by far the easiest and quickest way to grind for experience. Armor is a real problem, though, and it's a good thing you can steal potions.
Acrobat
Weapons: +Tanto, -Saber, -War Axe
Shields: None
Health: Fair (d12)
Thiefin': Okay (50%)
Critical Strike: 1%/level
Dodging: Improved
Climb Speed: Improved
Run Speed: Improved
Jump Distance: Improved
Not bad. Losing the Saber is a bummer, but it's neat being able to climb and jump worth a damn. Definitely makes for a tougher late game, though, losing on the enchantment opportunity of a shield.
Assassin
Weapons: All
Shields: None
Health: Bad (d8)
Thiefin': Fair (40%)
Critical Strike: 3%/level with melee
Glass cannon, anyone? Dropping a Dai-Katana crit on something will always ruin its day, but you will be loading saved games a lot. Steal those potions, friend.
Bard
Weapons: +Mace
Armor: Leather or Chain
Shields: Buckler, Round, Kite
Health: Bad (d8)
Thiefin': Okay (50%)
Critical Strike: 1%/level
Magic Points: INT*1
Jack of all trades, master of none. The only non-mage who can cast spells, the Bard makes for a tough early game; not enough magic points to cast many spells, not enough armor and health to go toe-to-toe without careful buffing. With care, planning, some five-fingered discounts, and some levels under their belt, Bards can do everything.
Burglar
Weapons: +Tanto, -Broadsword, -Saber, -War Axe
Shields: None
Health: Middling (d10)
Thiefin': Amazing (100%)
Critical Strike: 1%/level
That's a nice everything you have there. It'd be a shame if something...happened to it. Burglars take what they want, when they want it. No lock holds them back, no house is safe from their plundering fingers. Unless they have some tough guards. Then the Burglar folds like paper.
Rogue
Weapons: All
Armor: Leather or Chain
Shields: Buckler, Round, Kite
Health: Bad (d8)
Thiefin': Okay (50%)
Critical Strike: 1%/level
Like a warrior, but with thievery! Or at least it would be, if they hadn't accidentally ruined the hit points/level. That bug pretty much tosses the Rogue in the dumpster immediately.
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Mage
Weapons: Dagger, Staff
Armor: None
Shields: Buckler
Health: Awful (d6)
Thiefin': Poor (25%)
Magic Points: INT*2
Leveling Speed: Slow
Low health and terrible armor options, but you don't pick a Mage because you want to hit dudes with swords. You want to blast them with spells! And after a couple of levels, you will! But first you have to survive a dungeon or two of hitting dudes with a stick.
Battle Mage
Weapons: All
Armor: Leather
Shields: Buckler, Round
Health: Middling (d10)
Magic Points: INT*1.75
Discounts on some attack spells
A Mage, but tougher and better armed. Slightly lower magic points, but honestly it's hard to recommend a normal Mage over this class.
Healer
Weapons: +Mace, +Flail
Armor: Leather or Chain
Shields: Buckler, Round
Health: Poor (d8)
Healing Rate: Improved
Discounts on some defense spells
A Mage, but tougher and better armored. Was supposed to have reduced magic points like the Battle Mage...but doesn't. Very powerful class, albeit a little low in killing power.
Nightblade
Weapons: +Shortsword, +Saber, +Short Bow
Armor: Leather
Shields: Buckler
Health: Poor (d8)
Thiefin': Okay (50%)
Magic Points: INT*1.5
Critical Strike: 1%/level
A Mage/Thief that offers very good ability in both fields. A Saber and Buckler make for a perfectly feasible thief-level fighter, plus you have the magic to buff and blast when necessary. Unfortunately, with the slowest possible leveling speed, it can be a slog to get your power where you need it to be. Rob them houses and murder them pets, my friend!
Spellsword
Weapons: All
Armor: Leather or Chain
Shields: None
Health: Fair (d12)
Magic Points: INT*1.5
Not that different from a Battle Mage, really. If you want to rip into battle with a two-handed weapon supported by spells, go with the Spellsword; if you prefer an enchanted shield, pick Battle Mage. The Health and Magic point differences, while significant, aren't really a gamechanger either way.
Sorcerer
Weapons: All
Armor: Leather or Chain
Shields: None
Health: Awful (d6)
Magic Points: INT*3
Magic Point Recovery: Absorption only ((INT+WIL)/2 chance to absorb an enemy spell)
Oddball enough to justify a break from alphabetizing. The Sorcerer, like the Atronach starsign in later Elder Scrolls games, trades the ability to regenerate Magic points naturally for a spell absorption effect. The Sorcerer's large mana battery means lots of spells can be cast, or higher-level spells than other casters, but only potions or absorbing spells will refill that bar afterward. In the early game this means a lot of potions; in the late game, this means a near-immunity to magic as long as you have the space to hold your foe's spells. A very different playstyle, but a fun one once you get the hang of it.
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A secondary concern is your race/gender combination. Each race comes from a different province, and has slightly different stats and a bonus ability or two; males tend to have higher physical stats while females tend to have higher mental stats. Vidya games, amirite?
Any race can play as any class, but if the starting stats don't mesh well, the game will be generally tougher. On the other hand, the bonus abilities might tempt you toward certain races. Go for it! Just, you know...save often.
Black Marsh Argonians
Lizard-mammal-people who excel at swimming fast and also swimming far. Men are speedy but fragile, women are average across the board.
High Rock Bretons
Pseudo-celts with magic in their blood. All Bretons have spell resistance, a step up from the Monk's version of the ability - half damage from all spells, zero damage on a save. Both males and females are smart but fragile.
Morrowind Dark Elves
Goth and Byronic as all hell, Dark Elves have a small bonus to hit and damage with all weapons. Men are strong, quick, and smart, but weak-willed; women are smart but weak-willed. Yes, that means the male is strictly better; no, I don't like it either. Presumably one of their pluses was supposed to be a minus, but as it stands, male Dark Elves have the best stats in the game by a landslide, a total of +30 where almost everyone else has +0.
Summurset High Elves
Tall, elegant, golden-skinned people who are sexy and they know it 
High Elves are immune to paralysis, but all are weak and fragile. Men are extra-smart, women are smart and charming.
Elsweyr Khajiit
People of the desert who tattoo their faces and claim to have cat ancestry. Remember what I said about lore retcons? Later Elder Scrolls games call these the Ohmes breed of Khajiit and set up a whole moon-based astrology thing about them. Also they become coke fiends. Khajiit climb, jump, and run like Acrobats, and are all quick and lucky but fragile and weak-willed.
Skyrim Nords
Tall nordic people from the cold mountains, all Nords have spell resistance against cold damage just like Bretons have against all magic. Females are lucky but dumb 
whereas males are strong and hardy but dumb, weak-willed, and slow. This is the other exception to the +0 stats thing - Nord males are at a whopping -10 overall.
Hammerfell Redguards
Dark-skinned people with a knack for melee combat, all Redguards gain a bonus to hit and damage with melee weapons. Males are quick and tough but dumb, whereas women are all those things plus even quicker but weaker.
Valenwood Wood Elves
Elves, but from the woods, believe it or not. They gain a bonus to hit and damage with bows. Males are quick but frail and unlucky; females are average in all statistics.
Imperials are not available for play in Arena. In fact, they go out of their way to say the Imperial Province has no specific race because the Empire is 
multi-cultural.
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Statistics
So what statistics are there? I'll let the manual explain:
Strength: STR
This governs how strong you are. It affects how much damage you
do in combat and is a factor in determining your fatigue points.
Strength also affects how much you can carry and not be encumbered,
and how far you can jump. It is essential that any warrior class
have a high Strength.
Intelligence: INT
This governs how smart you are. It affects the total amount of spell
points you get to cast spells with. Intelligence affects your chances in
negotiating for items and other purchases. It also affects your
chances of figuring out a lock in case you wish to pick it. It is essential
that any mage or thief has a high Intelligence.
Willpower: WIL
This governs how mentally tough you are. It affects your ability to
withstand or resist spells. It affects your ability to negotiate successfully
with shop owners and innkeepers. It is vital that any character
wishing to be adequately defended against spells should have a high
Willpower.
Agility: AGI
This governs how nimble you are. It directly affects your chances of
hitting an enemy with a melee weapon, your chance of getting hit in
hand to hand melee, and your chance of getting hit by targeted spells.
It also affects your chance to steal an item or pick a lock. It is essential
for thief class characters to have a high Agility.
Speed: SPD
This governs how fast you are. It directly affects your movement rate
in and out of combat, and the fire rate if you are using a missile
weapon. It is important that any class characters have a high Speed.
Endurance: END
This governs how healthy you are. It directly affects your hit points,
your healing rate, and is a factor in determining your fatigue points.
It also affects your resistance to poisons and other drugs that you
may come into contact with while adventuring. It is essential that
warrior class characters have a high Endurance.
Personality: PER
This governs how charming and socially acceptable you are. It directly
affects your ability to negotiate with other people you may meet in
your travels. It is essential for any person wishing to interact with
others have a high Personality.
Luck: LUC
This governs how fate affects you. It is a powerful modifier to any
action you may take, whether it be attacking, defending, stealing, or
anything else. It is important, but not essential, for any character
class to have a high Luck. Remember, just as in other stats your character
can be ‘lucky’ or ‘unlucky’ depending upon your luck score.
The average is 50.
Leveling by accruing experience gives you more stat points to assign, as well as more health. It also slashes the cost of all spells for spellcasters and improves your combat performance all around in little ways. Levels good, stats good, disease and death bad.
Also you pick a head when you make a character, but I'll take care of that for the thread because a bunch of them just look super dumb
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That's more than enough of that for now. I need a hero. I'm holding out for one. If you have a preference, please vote! Voting puts the "Let's" in "Let's Play". So does playing along if it looks like fun to you. Please give me a race/gender/class combination and maybe even a name, and I'll see about getting the courtier of your choice out of the Imperial Dungeons alive! My personal vote, in case you're curious, is a female High Elf Bard, but I'll happily play anything except Monk or Rogue, because they're just not fun.
And all the ones you don't choose will be left to die. Welp, that's life in the great Arena they call Tamriel - it's all wine and circuses until suddenly you die in a prison. 