Game Skyrim Forum

I was having this discussion the other day with a friend about the identity of the Imperial race. While I feel it would make sense that the Imperials have some sense of cultural and racial identity, the fact that they weren't recognised as their own race until Morrowind interested me. There's also their other name, "Cryod" with "Imperial" becoming the accepted nomenclature of course due to their Empire. However, would they still be called Imperials now that their empire encompasses at most one and a half foreign Provinces? Would they want to keep the name, a name outsiders would most likely call them by as a jape?

And from an outside perspective, would you prefer Imperials to again not 'exist' as a race and instead have a Imperial identity apply to all peoples living in Cyrodiil? Would you like the game to acknowledge the lore of Cyrodiil and split the Imperial race into their two distinct cultural variations - Nibenese and Colovian? They are supposed to be considerably different to each other culturally, and physically there are differences, too.

Just a question I thought I'd share here.

EDIT: Changed the wording for the third answer as it seemed not to allow for much leeway in hindsight.

I wouldn't say 'Post Empire', as i sincerely hope to see the Empire surge back from the brink of defeat... But i do, personally, prefer calling the Cyrods.

As far as most of the cultures of Tamriel go, the Cyrods are more homogeneous than others. Whereas the Nords are arranged by Clans, Holds and even whether or not they wear clothes, the Dunmer are arranged by House and Tribe, and the Bretons are arranged by whatever they please in any given moment... The Cyrods have only ever really been divided by Colovian and Nibenese.

In general, i think they were a worthwhile addition to the game. The idea that the Imperial heartland was a happy-go-lucky cultural melting pot without it's own identity never sat well with me. While i don't view Empires as inherently bad, they do exhibit their own culture and cultural spread, and have to have their own identity to do that.

Similarly, i'm all for cultural and sub-race distinctions, but i don't think it's something that could honestly be limited to the Cyrods. Nords, Argonians, Khajiit and Dunmer already have ample distinctions to develop that idea as well, so it's something that probably has universal value.

That's the third answer.

If they did something with them, I'll be in favor of having the Imperials in the games, but given what we got in Oblivion I'm mostly wondering "What was the point of adding them?"

Maybe there are a race, maybe not. In a way, I like the concept of them not being a race - but I'd rather have them as two or more sub-races!

Stereotyping, much!

Dwemer, Orsimer, Altmer, Bosmer, Manmer, Chimer - we're all Elves, I guess.

Really?

oh, ok!

Though I find them boring. I like the idea of Imperials and an Empire. Oblivion really dropped the ball not fleshing them out. It just made them a boring and bland race.

Far too much for me

Half the fun is playing against type

I don't mind races having advantages that nudge them towards a particular style of play but please nothing that forces them into it

I am an Orsimer, and an author, amateur herbalist/healer, and history enthusiast

There's no point in having the Bretons and Cyrods be separate races since they're all Nedes with possibly some Elf or Nord ancestry here or there.

We've had this discussion before and arrived at the conclusion that fitting each race into little categories does the very thing you're trying to prevent.

I have no clue, lore-wise, but voted "Not a Race." An Empire seldom is a singular race. But there are 2 races that "Imperials" include, the Colovians and Nibenese. Even with that, I don't see them combined into one race, but 2 separate races. I see "Imperial" and think, "Faction." That's my ignorant viewpoint

I debated between the "Not a race" and "Colovians and Nibenese" choices, but that "Faction" thing helped me choose. It's like saying Stormcloaks and Thalmor are races