I know being a ruler is not really part of RPG games but I think being a Jarl raiding bandit hideouts and having access to weapons would be cool. Of course you couldn't just sit and do nothing all day

intresting

Not rule a hold. Becoming Jarl would require you to sit on your throne and hold court for the majority of the day, and deal with the small matters of running a hold. TES have never been about that kind of political power.

I'd like to see more power for the Thanes though. We're told that it's mostly an honorary position, but surely we should have some sort of additional power? The ability to take a group of guards to deal with a threat against the hold, for example. The guards are supposed to have a few lines of dialogue for the Thane of their city - "everything's to your liking, Thane?" - but apparently those lines are never said for some reason or another.

I think something like this really needs to be core gameplay for it to be handled right. As as option off to the side it just isn't going to get fleshed out much, which I think will leave it feeling tacked on and underwhelming. This being said, I'd be entirely behind a rulership game like this with an Elder Scrolls setting.

I think the Thane of a hold should be able to get access to misc and radiant quests that you wouldn't normally get, for example there could be a quest where the Thane must settle a domestic dispute, by going to the two people disputing and listening to their side of the story and then deciding which side should win. Alternatively Thanes could also get discounts in shops of heir hold, say 10%. Just a couple of thoughts.

I think Thanes should have radiant quests for the courts they are a part of. I also think Guards and local citizens should have additional dialog to recognize your title in the local court.

No.

Best Regards.

Only if I can have Cicero as a jester and beat the hell out of him with a wand whenever he doesn't make me laugh.

No. I'd like to give advice to the Jarls though. And own businesses.

Two very different games, but.....Mount and Blade: Warband

If my petty cash wasn't so low I'd be playing it right now. Damn you, GPU.

Nah, no thanks.

This sums up my thoughts quite nicely.

At the very least, some added verbal recognition would be nice. After all, the guards still ask me, "Is that fur coming out of your ears?" Even tho I killed my wolf spirit immediately after the Companions' questline.

Being a thane should make you really something special (they made you being the dragonborn nothing special so that should they improve too).
Being a Jarl is a horrible idea because it would require you to sit in your poopy throne most of the time.
Ok, imagine there being players out there who could roleplay and enjoy that

I sometimes run around with my mage character and they tell me to keep my hands off them.
Yeah, not have stolen one thing but I'm a thief

Are you in sneak mode when they say that to you?

I'd agree for more power, or weight behind the char named as Thane, but I'd also rather a revamp of how the character becomes than. not helping out the locals or a deadbeat jarl, but actually committing a feat beneficial for the hold.

Better question, can you run while in sneak mode?

Agreed. Let's say Thane was a real life title. By Skyrim's system I could become one in my town by. Helping old ladies cross the street, planting trees and bagging people's groceries.

We're both in the same boat then, buddy! LoL

I don't really think thanes are supposed to have power, per se. If I understand correctly, a real-life thane was basically just a minor nobleman who held land in exchange for military service to a lord. Sort of like the Anglo-Saxon version of a vassal.

Which would make sense in Skyrim's terms. You do something good for the jarl, he lets you buy a house so you own land. There's your thane.

I said held power because as Thanes you can tell the Guards to shove off. effectively you're Power in the hold as a thane is 2nd that too the Jarl's themselves. too bad their are epic Daggerfall Random missions like protect the Jarl from Imperial/Stormcloak/DB assassins.
or commandeering a troop of guards to clear out a cave or fend off Bandit attacks on the villages, oh one can dream

You would receive a letter via courier informing you of an inevitable attack, on say Riverwood, & that your assistance is required immediately. That would be ideal for me.

Or you could have your spidersenses tingeling....
Oh, wrong game.
That wouldn't be that good because by the time you'd have gotten the letter the town would have already been defended or destroyed.
They could tell you something like :" We are sorry, the town you were/are a thane of (remember, you can be everyone's thane) is destroyed"

But wouldn't it be just like every other quest/misc objective & be "on hold" until you get around to it? Sure, it kills the urgency factor, but that's just the way that Skyrim plays out.