Wow, what a pleasant surprise to see such helpful responses. They are enough to give me a new burst of inspiration to continue on !
Ok, you are not the only person who said something that borders on snide sarcasm, but even if you're joking, remember that there is a specific reason why I called the thread "perspective from a complete newbie."
That's the mindset from which I'm playing the game, and the reason for that was explained in post 1.
Please try and understand...in most games, you're usually given clear objectives as to what to do. But in so called open-ended games like Morrowind, even though you have objectives, you can do whatever you want. However, if you're brand new to Morrowind, you're better off sticking to the main quest line at least for the early quests until you know the land better.
In SH 3, after GWX, you can also "do whatever you want." But you have the seemingly endless expanse of the ocean at your disposal !
Can't you guys see how from the perspective of a new person, this "do whatever you want" objective style is more than a bit daunting. That person wouldn't know where the "Hot spots" you guys keep referring to are. He/She wouldn't know where to go find the hot spots with convoys, enemy ship patrols etc. Therefore the "Do whatever you want !" mission style is daunting in the beginning.
You guys have been extremely helpful otherwise, and the maturity of the people on this board is refreshing compared to what most game-related boards are like.