Stormcloaks are too mainstream.

[Evil Top Hat]

It seems from the many polls that have been taken on the subject, that most Skyrim players seem to be going with the Stormcloaks, and I can't figure out why. In the following post, I will make four points, after reading, feel free to respond and argue with my points.

1) The White-Gold concordat will surely be broken soon, and it will not be long before war with the Ald'meri Dominion resurfaces. If the Stormcloaks take hold of Skyrim, how can they even hope to defend themselves? The Ald'meri Dominion are an incredibly powerful force, how is a team of rag tag rebels ever going to defend Skyrim, especially after having just emerged from such a costly war?

2) Ulfric Stormcloak cannot run Skyrim. Have you seen Windhelm? The place is a total mess. The entire place is more like a stony slum than a city. The streets are filth ridden and the people are starving. Riften is even worse, the guard know exactly where the thieves guild are hiding, but apparently Ulfric doesn't want to waste reinforcements. He can't even manage his section of Skyrim well enough to eradicate a group of pick pockets. How will he ever run an entire continent of Tamriel?

3) Ulfric is a total manchild, and only cares about power. Main story spoilers coming up.

Spoiler

During the peace treaty with the Imperials, he acted like a child. he kicked up a fuss because he didn't want to be in the same room as a Thalmore, and then proceeded to demand city after city to be surrendered to the Stormcloaks, whilst ranting away at the Imperials with his bile about "true sons of Skyrim". Even in the face of the total destruction of Skyrim, he continued to act like a child, and to furhter his own power.

4) Last, but not least, the Stormcloaks are racist nationalists, that think the fact that they are the "correct" race means that they should be allowed Skyrim, and that other races should not have authority or power, because they aren't the right race. Homeland or no homeland, these guys are basically the Skyrim equivalent of the BNP.

 

[Shockolate]

I don't play Skyrim, but the Stormcloaks is a badass name for a group.

Yes, I'm shallow.

 

[MrLlamaLlama]

But...

They give you a bitchin' hat which is the top half of a bear's head. In my eyes all is forgiven.

 

[orangeban]

You're right, Stormcloaks are too mainstream. Now, Forsworn on the other hand, they're pretty indie.

Seriously though, I've never been a fan of the Stormcloaks. Even at the start I sided with the Imperials (because I though Hadvar seemed like a nice guy, which I admit isn't the best reason).

While I agree that the Empire needs a shake-up, right when everyone is on the brink of starting another war with the Thalmor and right when Morrowind is falling apart is not the time for a revolution, especially not Ulfric's, whose only respectable goal is to legalize Talos worship, and whose other goals are mostly nationalistic in nature.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I was going to join them but when I went to Windhelm and saw how much of a slum it is and how they treat none Nords (i.e my character) I went to sign up to the legion instead.

 

[pffh]

And Skyrim isn't even the original Nord homeland they took it from the original inhabitants. They are originally from another continent north of Tamriel.

 

[Actual]

I'm not very far through the storyline, so I don't have all the facts.

To your part 1. how do you know the concordat will be broken. So far I've only seen proof of the empire completely bowing to all Thalmar demands allowing them to run around like gestapo arresting/disappearing/executing any people who speak out against them or continue to practice their religion.

Part 2. You're right the Stormcloak areas are a bit shitty but don't forget that Ulfric is fighting a guerilla war against a vastly more powerful foe, he needs every man and all his attention on the fight or he doesn' stand a chance. Taking men away from the war effort to hunt bandits and thieves would be suicide.

Part 4. Yes they are racist but at least they just ignore other races or treat them with disgust, at least they're not going out of their way to murder them, unlike the Empire who will kill you if you worship your God.

Also, they didn't try to cut my head off for no damn reason, fuck the Empire, seriously.

 

[pffh]

Also, they didn't try to cut my head off for no damn reason, fuck the Empire, seriously.

Let me quote myself:

To all the people that keep saying that the empire wanted to execute you for no reason think about the circumstances of your capture. You were captured by an ambush set for Ulfric so of course they'll assume you're with him and can't take any chances by simply letting you go otherwise they would have to let every idiot that's allied with the stormcloaks but not famous enough to be on the wanted list go when captured.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Most people go with the Stormcloaks because the Imperial Legion tries to cut your head off at the beginning of the game. They're supposed to be the bad guys. It might be reasonable that they would assume I'm with the Stormcloaks, but even so, in that situation, I'd do everything in my power to see them burn.

 

[orangeban]

Part 4. Yes they are racist but at least they just ignore other races or treat them with disgust, at least they're not going out of their way to murder them, unlike the Empire who will kill you if you worship your God.

But at least the Empire has a reason for outlawing Talos other than being massive dicks. If they didn't do it the Aldmeri Dominion would crush them. The Stormcloaks are merely using the nationalistic rhetoric to drum up Nordic anger against foreigners (which includes Imperials remember)

 

[Actual]

To all the people that keep saying that the empire wanted to execute you for no reason think about the circumstances of your capture. You were captured by an ambush set for Ulfric so of course they'll assume you're with him and can't take any chances by simply letting you go otherwise they would have to let every idiot that's allied with the stormcloaks but not famous enough to be on the wanted list go when captured.

No, it's said in the intro that you were arrested crossing the border, nothing is mentioned about an ambush so you must assume we were just thrown in with the prisoner convoy. The guy sitting next to you was arrested for horse theft, he had absolutely nothing to do with the Stormcloaks yet he was executed. It seems that the punishment for all crimes in the Empire is execution.

 

[orangeban]

To all the people that keep saying that the empire wanted to execute you for no reason think about the circumstances of your capture. You were captured by an ambush set for Ulfric so of course they'll assume you're with him and can't take any chances by simply letting you go otherwise they would have to let every idiot that's allied with the stormcloaks but not famous enough to be on the wanted list go when captured.

No, it's said in the intro that you were arrested crossing the border, nothing is mentioned about an ambush so you must assume we were just thrown in with the prisoner convoy. The guy sitting next to you was arrested for horse theft, he had absolutely nothing to do with the Stormcloaks yet he was executed. It seems that the punishment for all crimes in the Empire is execution.

At the beginning of the game Ralof clearly says something along the lines of, "You fell right into the Imperial ambush to huh?"

The horse thief also fell into the ambush, so they assume you are both Stormcloak agents.

 

[merck88]

You're right, Stormcloaks are too mainstream. Now, Forsworn on the other hand, they're pretty indie.

Yeah the Forsworn are so underground. Stormcloaks sold out ever sense they signed with Ulfric.

 

[Evil Top Hat]

To your part 1. how do you know the concordat will be broken. So far I've only seen proof of the empire completely bowing to all Thalmar demands allowing them to run around like gestapo arresting/disappearing/executing any people who speak out against them or continue to practice their religion.

This may be a very minor spoiler, but the Ald'meri dominion don't want peace. They have entered into the peace treaty with the Imperials so that they can manipulate them into becoming merely a puppet of the Ald'meri Dominion. They plan to sit back and watch both sides in the civil war pick away at each other, then when both are weakened, they plan to swoop in and clean things up, taking Skyrim for themselves. After that happens, the rest of the Empire will be doomed. Even if the Dominion don't attack the remaining Empire forces directly, they will indirectly control the Empire diplomatically, through treaties and manipulation. The reason that the Empire currently bow to these demands is because they have no choice. They cannot afford to fight two wars at the same time.

Part 2. You're right the Stormcloak areas are a bit shitty but don't forget that Ulfric is fighting a guerilla war against a vastly more powerful foe, he needs every man and all his attention on the fight or he doesn' stand a chance. Taking men away from the war effort to hunt bandits and thieves would be suicide.

True, it's hard to run a city during a war, but the fact that Ulfric can't run the city during the war shows that he wouldn't be able to if he were controlling all of Skyrim. Ulfric is not incompetent because he cannot run his cities optimally during the war, it's understandable that they are run down slums. However, like it or not, a rundown slum is a rundown slum, and if he cannot manage his tiny section of Skyrim, he will not be able to run the whole of it.

Part 4. Yes they are racist but at least they just ignore other races or treat them with disgust, at least they're not going out of their way to murder them, unlike the Empire who will kill you if you worship your God.

Racism is still racism. Even if they tolerate the other races, they are still racist, and it is still a problem. As for Talos worship, the only reason why the Empire kill those that worship him is that the Dominion force them to, and they have no choice. Maybe if the Stormcloaks ended their war with the Empire, the Empire would have more forces to spare and more resources to fight the corrupt Dominion, and wouldn't be forced to bow to their demands.

 

[Shirastro]

I went with neither (well i followed the imperial dude at the beginning but haven't joined either faction later on.

Empire is just a shadow of it's former glory and the Storm-cloaks just irritate me so much.
The whole "we must fight for our beliefs and our homeland" crap is so childish.

 

[The Lugz]

so,

Spoiler

i actually freed the forsworn king from that mine on my lizard paladin.. i'm not quite sure what repercussions that will have yet!
( they already took one city ) it's going to cause big aaa problems isn't it..

yah, my whole post is a spoiler! lol

 

[steevee]

For the Empire!

The Empire has done so much for Tamriel, and are the only thing that stopped the Thalmor. The Stormcloaks are a petty nationalistic terrorist organisation run by an absoloute douchebag. I plan on killing every single one of them after I'm sure it wont affect my game too much. The Thalmor too. The Empire will reign for another thousand years! Being reinvigorated with another Dovakin, so it started, so it shall be reborn.

Plus I'm totally moving to Cyrodil after I'm done with the Dragons, Skyrim is chilly.

 

[DEAD34345]

In my eyes the empire has already lost to the Ald'meri Dominion, I mean they were so close to being completely obliterated they surrendered their god. The only reason the Elves allow the Empire and the emperor to exist at all is because it's easier to control them that way, and as soon as they think it would be advantageous to them they will step in and deliver the killing-blow.

Skyrim on the other hand might be strong and isolated enough to hold off against the dominion, but if they stick with the empire they have effectively already lost, since the empire is nothing more than an Ald'meri puppet now. I don't agree with Ulfric and the Stormcloaks entirely, but I'd rather have those slightly-racist Nords in power than the extremely-racist, enslavers of all man (and beast) kind Elves in power.

 

[Evil Top Hat]

The Empire is weak, a true Nord would rather die than give up their beliefs.

What about the rest of Skyrim that doesn't want to doom the entire province to slavery just because they aren't allowed to worship a god anymore? If the Stormcloaks allied with the Empire instead of fighting them, then maybe the Dominion could be fought off and the nords could have their rights back? The Stormcloaks fail the realise that THEY are part of the reason that Talos worship is outlawed, and that THEY are part of the reason why the Empire cannot afford to keep fighting the Dominion, and why they have to give in to the Dominions demands. Without the Stormcloak's the Empire would stand a chance against the Dominion, but because of them, they don't.

I went with neither

And by doing so you allow war to continue, crippling Skyrim to the point where neither side of the war effort has even the slightest chance of being able to stand up the the Ald'meri Dominion.

The point I'm trying to make is that the Empire are certainly not perfect, but they are Skyrim's only hope, the lesser of the evils.

In my eyes the empire has already lost to the Ald'meri Dominion, I mean they were so close to being completely obliterated they surrendered their god.

Skyrim on the other hand might be strong and isolated enough to hold off against the dominion

This is a very good point, but it relies on the idea that the Stormcloak's stand a chance against the Ald'meri, and if they can't defeat a fraction of this crippled empire, they could not stand up to the might of the Ald'meri Dominion. Siding with the Imperials will probably just hand victory to the Dominion, but there is hope that the Imperials will be able to liberate themselves.