Stormcloaks are too mainstream.
- Thread starter Evil Top Hat
- Start date
Is there a better reason when you've got two groups of stupid jerks pummeling each other with weapons?orangeban said:
I sided with the Imperials but Tullius yelled at me because I pretty much gave Ulfric everything he wanted in the negotiations. I was like, I don't care what I give him, because I'm just going to conquer it all back for you after I get done with this dragon business.
ok as far as i recall the lore Skyrim was originally Elven land, like all of tamriel, it was the home of the Snow Elves, known better now as the Falmor. after them it was the Dwarves, who vanished. Skyrim needs the Empire, without it, the Aldmarii will invade and they will win, they took half of Hammerfall, Half of Cyrodil, they control Elyswere, the Summerset Isles, Morrowind and Vvadenfall and i think Black Marsh. the Empire still exists because of 2 things the Redguards holding the Red Desert and the Emperor being a tactical genius.
and as a Elf, FUCK the Stormcloaks and their Racist bullshit.
oohhhhh yea, i forgot something
a paraphrase from an NPC
"everyone still has their shrine to Talos despite the ban, it was when Ulfric up and got all bitchy that the Empire HAD to step in to avoid war"
BAM. the Thalmor in Skyrim is Ulfric's fault.
and as a Elf, FUCK the Stormcloaks and their Racist bullshit.
oohhhhh yea, i forgot something
a paraphrase from an NPC
"everyone still has their shrine to Talos despite the ban, it was when Ulfric up and got all bitchy that the Empire HAD to step in to avoid war"
BAM. the Thalmor in Skyrim is Ulfric's fault.
Except the Stormcloaks wouldn't be joining the Empire and Hammerfell; Hammerfell seceeded, like it said in the article that you just quoted.Dectomax said:
Furthermore, the fact that the Thalmor would be able to take either the Empire or an independent Skyrim is a total lie. The Altmer wouldn't be able to handle either faction at the rate things are going now, especially since both the Stormcloaks and the Imperials are both fully aware that as soon as this Civil War ends, the Dominion is next on the chopping block.
The bottom line, to put each faction into layman's terms, is this:
The Stormcloaks are Nationalist Libertarian Conservatives, looking to preserve their culture and their worship of Talos through independence and ethical superiority.
The Imperials are Imperialist Authoritarian Liberals, looking to coordinated and impartial government in order to solve their problems, while maintaining a tight hold on dissidents with capital punishment.
Frankly, it doesn't matter who you think would win, because either/or would be able to take the Dominion no problem, especially based on the in-game writing.
The spoiler contains my personal opinion on which faction I'd work with. It is not necessary to quote, and it has some spoilers about the Civil War.
Personally, it's hard for me to make a choice. I've always been one for independence and self-sufficiency, but at the same time there's always the problem of leaving small-scale politicians in control of a formerly-diverse region. While I'd like to say that the Nords will get over their racism once they put the White-Gold Concordat behind them, there's always the issue of favoritism, especially after that political purge that follows Stormcloak conquests.
Of course, there's also the problem of Imperial conquests and their replacement Jarls. Maven takes total control of Riften if the Imperials win, which is a bit of a problem if you know what Riften is like. This also lends itself to the theory that the Imperials are Affably Evil rather than just doing what needs to be done: they're callous, and it shows, particularly if they win. Sure, Tullius is a personable guy, but you aren't fighting to elect one person to power or another. No, you're fighting for a set of ideals. The fact that Tullius is more likeable or more down-to-earth than Ulfric has nothing to do with why you're fighting, because if the Imperials win, he's leaving to go fight the Thalmor. The Nords will again, be placed under the boot of an oppressive Empire.
Sure, the Stormcloaks get stuck with Ulfric, but one person only lasts so long. The ideals of the Nordic Nation will inevitably change. Racism will die out, with just as much certainty that the White-Gold Concordat will be repealed.
I agree with Stormcloak philosophy more, but I'm playing through both storylines, so my actual choice is somewhat diminished by the fact that I chose both.
Of course, there's also the problem of Imperial conquests and their replacement Jarls. Maven takes total control of Riften if the Imperials win, which is a bit of a problem if you know what Riften is like. This also lends itself to the theory that the Imperials are Affably Evil rather than just doing what needs to be done: they're callous, and it shows, particularly if they win. Sure, Tullius is a personable guy, but you aren't fighting to elect one person to power or another. No, you're fighting for a set of ideals. The fact that Tullius is more likeable or more down-to-earth than Ulfric has nothing to do with why you're fighting, because if the Imperials win, he's leaving to go fight the Thalmor. The Nords will again, be placed under the boot of an oppressive Empire.
Sure, the Stormcloaks get stuck with Ulfric, but one person only lasts so long. The ideals of the Nordic Nation will inevitably change. Racism will die out, with just as much certainty that the White-Gold Concordat will be repealed.
I agree with Stormcloak philosophy more, but I'm playing through both storylines, so my actual choice is somewhat diminished by the fact that I chose both.
It doesn't matter who you run off with at the start, you can pick either faction regardless. I went with the Stormcloak guy by accident too, and there are literally no consequences for doing so.Jakisall said:
as long as we dont start seeing elven internment camps i think we'll be okPuzzlenaut said:
ot: i think everyone misunderstands the Nords distrust towards other races as racism, and hatred. Ulric's a man fighting for his people, he cant go letting other races with hidden agendas getting in too close too him or other high ranking members.
also, remember that Imperials are more often then not racist as well, just cuz you figure out how most effectively to assimilate a group of people, doesn't meen you're not destroying they're culture or that you love them. It just that you're the better jerk.
and about the queen who says Ulric killed the king unjustly, SHE WANTS THE THRONE TOO. Yeah, cuz she has no reason to lie too you. video games cant lie right?
lastly, to sum this all up in hopefully a more consise manner, HOW CAN YOU BE RACIST, AND A PUPPET OF ELVEN INTERESTS? if you ask me, Ulric is the type that'd never let his enemy an inch of peace, as long as they attempted to rest on his homeland. In war time, national pride is essential, and the imperials just dont have it any more, the stripping of their gods was the stripping of their power, and the Thalmer knew that. It will take someone more stuborn then intelligent to defeat them imo.
I've got to about 50ish on destruction, so I'm not too sure how it is further on, but being able to sith up a dragons day with rapid-fire lightning bolts up the jacksy is always fun.Zetion said:
if nothing else, being able to dualcast lightning bolt and launch a corpse over whiterun is always a joy to behold, so is dealing a non fatal blow with ice spike:
"yo, enemy dude, youve got a giant spike of ice penetrating your skull and groin, you going to do anyything about it?"
"nah, its cool"
also, watching an enemy on fire run off a cliff or an electrocuted enemy just plain disintergrate is AWESOME.
(plus, dualcasting a destruction spell with the impact perk basically stunlocks an enemy until it dies or you run out of magicka, so the lack or armor is no problem either)
oh, and you get a perk from alteration that means you get more armor from running around naked, than if you actually wore anything
the main problem I have is not "accidentally" buggering up quests because the person I'm trying to help won't stop getting in range of a conga line of chain lightning.
(also, the fact that the spells have unique ways of gaining skill levels means you actually get into the mindset of a mage as you try and gain as much power as possible with the minimum effort in ridiculously contrived ways, such as my "lets play telekinetic catch with a dwemer gyro in the hall of elements" training, or "equilibrium = less health but more magicka, healing = more health but less magicka, therefore equilibrium + healing = free resto skill levels")
seriously, being a mage is amazing, and thinking of interesting ways of using the spells is its own reward, I was thrilled the first time I realised that it was possible to set oil on fire for a room enveloping inferno, or using my telekinesis as a gravity gun, sure you lack the flashy finishing attacks from melee classes (unless you use the bound weapons), but fuck that, I can turn a fancy restauraunt into a tavern brawl, with my mind, and then turn invisible and sneak away without getting a single drop of blood on my robes
and if all that fails, I guess you can always become a battlemage
Ulfric is kind of a dick, but I'm curious to see what will happen if yet another major piece of the empire secedes.
I seriously hope that the next TES game has the empire dissolve and the Thalmor take over everything. Maybe they'd have another "rebel vs. superpower" scenario where you can attempt to overthrow the Thalmor.
That what be kinda cool.
Anyways, I digress, the Empire is pretty much the best choice for Skyrim, but I'm just curious about the Stormcloaks' side of it.
Besides, I'll just go with the Empire on my next playthrough.
I seriously hope that the next TES game has the empire dissolve and the Thalmor take over everything. Maybe they'd have another "rebel vs. superpower" scenario where you can attempt to overthrow the Thalmor.
That what be kinda cool.
Anyways, I digress, the Empire is pretty much the best choice for Skyrim, but I'm just curious about the Stormcloaks' side of it.
Besides, I'll just go with the Empire on my next playthrough.
Sided with Stormcloaks. Earned the first hat and pickpocketed the second from Mr. Stone-fist. Now I have 2 bitchin' bear hatsMuphin_Mann said:
It's a shame they don't work on the mannequins
well in their defense, if a giant walking talking lizard walks into your house, speaking a thick eastern european accent, and begins eyeing your valuables, would you be comfortable?pffh said:
crap apparently i'm racist towards argonians, i'm just like my father.
I don't know if the Imperials trying to cut off your head qualifies them as "bad guys"...you start out as a prisoner in the last to TES games, too, and the Imperials were often nice guys.Ace of Spades said:
Yeah, but you're just a prisoner in previous games, not about to get your head removed.aristos_achaion said:
If you're a prisoner, eh, you can get over being locked up. Eventually.
But if someone tries to murder you "just to be on the safe side" with no trial or defense of any kind, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't take that personally. I know I would
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Also, coming from someone who is mildly interested in Skyrim (gonna pick it up when the inevitable GOTY version with all the contend and bugfixes comes out), is it possible to complete the game (or the main story, or whatever passes for a main story in these games), without choosing a side? Or can you SWITCH sides partly through it?
actually they also said they don't want a StormCloaks victory if I remember correctly. They just want the war to last as long as it can. Weakening both sides.seraphy said:
Been thinking about who to join for a while and I think I made up my mind. Imperials.
There's a lot of parallels to the US civil war here. On the one side you've got a massive, crumbling union of states (Imperial city was captured, War of 1812) struggling desperately to remain in control of its territory in order to defend against outside (european) influence. While it is brutal and ugly it is the only entity which can uphold the law, and therefore a necessary evil.
On the other you've got a ragtag group of rugged naturalists who are more religious, nationalistic and xenophobic, fighting for their way of life (the south).
Sure the empire may not be "good" or barely even worth fighting for but anyone with any knowledge of geopolitics knows that skyrim will in the end be someones *****, whether it is the elves (who take over after the rebels take over) or the imperials.
There's a lot of parallels to the US civil war here. On the one side you've got a massive, crumbling union of states (Imperial city was captured, War of 1812) struggling desperately to remain in control of its territory in order to defend against outside (european) influence. While it is brutal and ugly it is the only entity which can uphold the law, and therefore a necessary evil.
On the other you've got a ragtag group of rugged naturalists who are more religious, nationalistic and xenophobic, fighting for their way of life (the south).
Sure the empire may not be "good" or barely even worth fighting for but anyone with any knowledge of geopolitics knows that skyrim will in the end be someones *****, whether it is the elves (who take over after the rebels take over) or the imperials.
On my second playthrough I promised I would roll with the stormcloaks, but I couldn't justify it. Ulfic is a moron, and Hadvar is just too cool of a dude to kill. The Imperials are in the right on this issue, Ulfric is just being incredibly destructive.