Imperials or Stormcloaks, what one?

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Tsundora

Breton Trash
Yeah, there’s not really a “wrong” choice, but I do what a lot of people do and choose the Stormcloaks if I play a Nord and I choose the Empire with any other race. It’s doesn’t have any consequence it’s just really a way to flesh out your character.
Generally, I prefer the Stormcloaks because they’re more fun. They feel like more of a big family rather than an army and I think Ulfric is cooler and definitely more passionate than Tullius, but Tullius is level-headed, definitely knows what he’s doing and sometimes I can’t say the same for Ulfric. Passion is blinding.
I also really don’t like the racist Nords that support the Stormcloaks so that’s to be considered.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Since I always do it first to get it over with (frankly, I just don't care anymore), I always go Imperial. That way I don't have to listen to the obnoxious Stormcloak dialogue. Besides, I like Balgruuf and Maven.
 
That is why I put the /sarcasm at the end. Stormcloak supporters simply believe that if you do not actively commit criminal acts/force removal, then the mere act of allowing the Dunmer to stay negates any and all accusations, perceived or not.

I honestly find the Stormcloaks to be "racist" in that they are focused on a clearly nord cause. Most people other than the nords seem to have issues other than Thalmor/WGC. Dunmer have their own religion and do not worship Talos in the first place, so a Stormcloak victory mostly benefits the Nords in the first place, making it a Nord issue, which makes some supporters (like Rolff) complain when the Dunmer do not care about the Civil War.
I'm also a little confused by their attitude as it does not seem in keeping with Nords historically speaking.

I would say that depends on your definition of 'Historical'. I do find it kind of confusing since they talk about freedom of religion, but they do not seem to care about anyone but Talos, who they do have in THEIR OWN pantheon under the name Ysmir.


Interesting that you mention Ysmir ... the last part of the Greybeards' recognition of the new Dragonborn is "You are Ysmir now - Dragon of the North ... hearken to it" ... as it is a TITLE, not just their name for Talos of Atmora.)
 
Since I always do it first to get it over with (frankly, I just don't care anymore), I always go Imperial. That way I don't have to listen to the obnoxious Stormcloak dialogue. Besides, I like Balgruuf and Maven.

Maven's stuck-up, "holier-than-thou" attitude gets on my nerves SOOOOOOOOO much. That's yet ANOTHER reason I join the Stormcloaks!
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Since I always do it first to get it over with (frankly, I just don't care anymore), I always go Imperial. That way I don't have to listen to the obnoxious Stormcloak dialogue. Besides, I like Balgruuf and Maven.

Maven's stuck-up, "holier-than-thou" attitude gets on my nerves SOOOOOOOOO much. That's yet ANOTHER reason I join the Stormcloaks!
Given how much power she has, it doesn't bother me. With her money and influence, I think she's entitled to be a little bit of a bitch.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Since I always do it first to get it over with (frankly, I just don't care anymore), I always go Imperial. That way I don't have to listen to the obnoxious Stormcloak dialogue. Besides, I like Balgruuf and Maven.

Maven's stuck-up, "holier-than-thou" attitude gets on my nerves SOOOOOOOOO much. That's yet ANOTHER reason I join the Stormcloaks!
Given how much power she has, it doesn't bother me. With her money and influence, I think she's entitled to be a little bit of a bitch.

A LITTLE BIT?! Even Taarie at Radiant Raiments in Solitude is less of one. (And her sense of fashion isn't that great either.)

The other Jarls (I use that phrase because Maven can BECOME one) have just as much power and influence. All Maven's got to add to that is a bunch of has-been thieves who can't even deal with a few mercenaries (and are led by a backstabbing prick) and a few assassins who can't take on a defenseless beggar (among other targets) by themselves so they end up enlisting the Dragonborn shortly after he/she is mistaken for one by an orphan.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Maven's stuck-up, "holier-than-thou" attitude gets on my nerves SOOOOOOOOO much. That's yet ANOTHER reason I join the Stormcloaks!
Given how much power she has, it doesn't bother me. With her money and influence, I think she's entitled to be a little bit of a bitch.

A LITTLE BIT?! Even Taarie at Radiant Raiments in Solitude is less of one. (And her sense of fashion isn't that great either.)

The other Jarls (I use that phrase because Maven can BECOME one) have just as much power and influence. All Maven's got to add to that is a bunch of has-been thieves who can't even deal with a few mercenaries (and are led by a backstabbing prick) and a few assassins who can't take on a defenseless beggar (among other targets) by themselves so they end up enlisting the Dragonborn shortly after he/she is mistaken for one by an orphan.
So. I still like Maven and her influence far outweighs the Jarls or even Elisif. Her fingers are in enough pies that nobody crosses her.
 

Jurgarik Greycloak

Techno master of Tamriel.
Join the *Stormcloaks*.
A) The combat between Ulfric and Torygg was fair, as far as I'm concerned. (I mean, WE can use shouts in combat, so why couldn't someone like Ulfric, challenging for the role of High King?)
B) If you're starting out, you want to make MONEY. The IMPERIALS have the more expensive armor, and since last I checked, intentionally killing your fellow soldiers was a BAD thing (pretty much treachery) then it would be wise to have that armor on the ENEMY ... So if you're not an Imperial, you're a Stormcloak. (Galmar Stone-fist, Ulfric's second-in-command, even says: "If he's not with us, he's against us." Side note: if you weren't aware, that's actually a modification of a quote from the BIBLE: "He that is not with me is against me." (Matthew, 12:30.)
C) Being denied the right to worship one of your gods? That's EXACTLY what the Imperials have done, outlawing the worship of Talos. If I was a citizen of Tamriel, I wouldn't want MY right to worship a particular higher being taken away by some stuffed shirt Imperial.
D) The Imperials have these allies called the THALMOR -- the absolute snobbiest High Elves in all of Tamriel. Not exactly pleasant company. I wouldn't want any of them as friends/associates/shield-brothers.

There's my 2 cents and common sense.

common sense is never truly common. Some issues I have with these:

A) The Combat between Ulfric and Torygg is only fair because we really know nothing about it. All we know is Ulfric challenged Torygg to a duel because of the public face Torygg showed people. Stentor outright tells us that Torygg would have considered or even called for independence had Ulfric asked him to, which brings into question his motivations. Either he did not know any of this, which makes him a moron and not a ruler who would make the best choices, or he did know all of it and did not care, only using the death of Torygg to make a statement that he will kill anyone who disagrees with him. It is entirely possible that the imperials have some law/protocol for this that was not followed, thus making the duel illegal from their point of view.
B) This is one I will split into two parts because there are technically two points here:
B-1) Imperial armor is only useful for sale right out of helgen. After that, it is far less valuable than the actual value would have you believe. The fact that a whole set of heavy imperial armor is heavy for the value makes even making it not worth it. You also have to consider that you actually get more money the higher your speech skill is, so it is actually worth to make money more on the small stuff you get, gems, jewelry and the like. I would rather have 100 garnets in my inventory which only takes up about 10 weight than 10 sets of imperial heavy armor that weighs around 520 weight. Also, merchants have a limited amount of gold in their inventories that is actually available. Then there is the fact that depending on skill, you may not have much need for hoarding gold. My Nord usually has a good amount of gold since he makes his own armor and weapons, meaning that is one less need for money, nor does he cast spells, so one less need for money, reducing him to potions food and lodging. This means he tends to have thousands of gold. the only armor/weapons my characters usually take from people are enchanted ones I plan to disenchant or sell if I have the enchant or the enchanter I have
B-2) This whole "if not with us, then against us" mentality is a reason the stormcloaks are morons, in my opinion. It makes me question why Ulfric is replacing Jarls of the lands he 'liberates'. The only logical conclusion I can come up with is that knows he might not win the Moot without stacking the deck in his favor. Why would he need to do this if his goal was simply to win Skyrim's Independence from the Empire? Why not kill Tullius in battle and conquer all the forts, leaving Skyrim to rule itself as it pleases? To Ulfric, a Skyrim without him in charge is not an independent Skyrim.​
C) Yeah, I present Lokir of Rorikstead and Froki Whetted-Blade as counter evidence. Lokir, in his panic on the way to Helgen, calls out for the 'divines' individually: Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. What is confusing is that Shor, the head of the NORDIC Pantheon comes out of the mouth of the same guy that calls out for The Eight/Nine Divines (aka the Imperial Pantheon). It also does not help that Mara and Dibella are, essentially ripped straight from the Nordic pantheon. Froki outright calls Kynareth Kyne, and hates the "the temple divines" meaning the imperial panteon. Also, considering that most citizens have their own lives that hardly involve religion, the Stormcloaks look more like loonies wanting to be free to worship an imperial god while dragons are flying around frying people and destroying lives.
D) Biggest failure in Logic I have seen yet from you. Ulfric's Dossier in the Thalmor Embassy, specifically Elenwen's Solar where most people are not allowed, mentions the Thalmor helping the Stormcloaks indirectly, which makes sense as to why Elenwen was at Helgen. She was in fact their to get Ulfric away from Tullius knowing that if Ulfric died, the Rebellion goes with and the Thalmor have a higher risk of losing the next round of the great war to the empire. Ondolemar even outright calls the peace a 'calm between storms' and you even find out tullius hates the Thalmor if you get him at the Thalmor party during the quest Diplomatic Immunity.

In terms of Common Sense itself, it is only common to people with the same experiences and beliefs as you. For me, I would rather use the term 'common sense' for things that actually call for a 'this is a thing that most people agree is good or bad' such as eating human flesh or a suspicious mushroom is bad for your health, while wearing armor in combat is good for your health. for political decision, I as a person am the kind of guy who wants all the information I can get before making a proper decision. That, or let Roleplaying my characters make the decision for me.
 
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Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Stormcloaks, be a rebel!
There's a big difference between rebelling and being a rebel. The Stormcloaks may be rebelling (as well as repellent, reductive and ridiculous), but they are most definitely not rebels.
 

gaming_amy

I play as khajiit, because khajiit likes to sneak.
I tried both parties, and I think both are equally bad or at least morally grey in their own way. Right now my neighbor is playing Skyrim for the first time and I'm curious about what she will choose. We've had completely different thoughts about the Thieves' Guild, for example. I was expecting her to like it (because I liked it a lot) because she was excited when I told her about them, but right now she hates it and complains about their quests all the time.
 

Ancano

High Justiciar
Ancano here, wanted to remind everyone about the Thalmor Summer Fundraising Program. Help make the Dominion Great again! Now accepting former/unused Talos coins, amulets, rings, shrines, masks, anything of value that we can mel- I.. I mean liberate and help advance our agenda in Skyrim. Please donate such items to the Thalmor Embassy. All participates receive one free pass to this year's Thalmor Halloween block-party at the Embassy.
 
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Ancano

High Justiciar
I tried both parties, and I think both are equally bad or at least morally grey in their own way. Right now my neighbor is playing Skyrim for the first time and I'm curious about what she will choose. We've had completely different thoughts about the Thieves' Guild, for example. I was expecting her to like it (because I liked it a lot) because she was excited when I told her about them, but right now she hates it and complains about their quests all the time.

I can somewhat emphasize with this as I liked Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood better from Oblivion, where I felt that quests for each of these factions were better made for them. For example, Thieves Guild in Skyrim is more like, "the mob" or "mafia" rather than a legitimate Thieves Guild. Dark Brotherhood was alright I guess however I think the tie in with the Empire was too strong and it felt more like I was playing as a hired gun rather than as an assassin/cultist. If that makes any sense.
 

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