From the beginning I've supported the Empire in its cause, but recent events have caused me to wonder if the Empire is veering off the right path. Their broken promises, them giving up to the Thalmor, the whole dam Civil War; To me thats proof its not what it was before. I'm wondering if it even matters who you side with in the Civil War. Is the Empire really right, I'm not sure, but I know they have no right to meddle in Skyrims affairs. Skyrim is a province allied to the Empire, a completely separate province which the Empire has no real power over, and yet the Empire sticks its nose in its problems.

I'm beginning to favor the Stormcloaks efforts to succede for this reason: If Skyrim leaves the Empire, Skyrim will likely ally itself with Hammerfell, and with those two powerful provinces allied, many other smaller provinces, seeing their power, will likely join their alliance and leave the Empire, which would obviously destroy the Empire. The Geat War II would be fought and in the end the provinces would simply go about their own business, and each would try to keep the peace with eachother. Even if you side with the Empire, the provinces will likely leave in the after math of the Great War II, and Tamriel would become as it was before Talos came along. Its possible a new Empire would arise with Skyrim or Hammerfell at the head, more or less an alliance of provinces with the most powerful leading them. Cyrodil is out of the question as no one would want the Imperials leading them again.

I'm seeing this whole thing as the Empire's last grasp to hold on to its power, which its losing rapidly. I myself have no intention to help it pull its self out of the hole its dug itself into. Maybe its time for a new stronger Empire or Alliance of provinces to be forged out of the burning embers of that last Empire. People may say the Empire needs Skyrim to beat the Thalmor, but with Skyrim and Hammerfell combined I think they dont need the Empire anymore, seeing as how a ragtag group of guerilla fighters can beat the Imperial Legion while being outnumbered and under equiped, and Hammerfell can hold back the might of the Thalmor alone when it was abandoned by the Empire. I'm still not sure as who to support in the Civil War, but I'm leaning heavily to the Stormcloaks, seeing what a Tamriel would be without the current Empire. Empires rise and fall, and sometimes stronger Empires are forged out of the remnants of the last.

This has been discussed in great length.

Neither side is right its a matter of opinion and personal belief.

What I do is choose based on my character I choose which side they relate to more. Or I choose to not have then join either side.

Both the Empire and the Stormcloaks are right and wrong, the only true enemy is the Thalmor and everyone know this (as you can cleary see in anyside of the civil war)

and about the Stormcloaks making an alliance with hammerfell, i can only see it happening if any of the two provinces atacks or be atacked by the thalmor (you see in-game Ulfric already trying to making an alliance with them but they don't even answer his letters, maybe this can be too because they are waiting to see who will win before throwing their bone to either side but i don't know, just speculation )

Hey, and why dragons are left out of this? They are right, they were rightful rulers of Skyrim, they should rule it!

I have always supported the Stormcloaks and i will do it for my reasons

The Stormcloaks are fighting to preserve their homeland, something that bears a striking similarity to the problems in Scandinavia currently, with the muslim immigrants spreading like wildfire it seems our culture is dying as well. Therefore I support the Stromcloaks and wish we had our own Stormcloaks here.

I understand its matter of choosing between the lesser of two evils, but can the Empire really hold itself together after the Great War II? I liked the Empire when Uriel Septim ran it, but now I see more cons than pros to supporting the Empire. Which has the best long term ending?

Bethesda Game Studios is the really right one.

After BGS, it'd be Akatosh
After Akatosh, Talos.

I myself am a Stormcloak supporter. As biased my opinions may be, I can say that Stormcloaks has a better future. An honorable future at least.

For more than a century the Empire did literally nothing to stop the Aldmeri Dominion, right when Summerset Isle cut off all contact with the Empire and proclaimed itself Alinor.

When Valenwood joined the Aldmeri Dominion, the Empire did absolutely nothing to recover it.

When the Aldmeri Dominion claimed success to Masser and Secunda's incident, the Empire did absolutely nothing to refute it.

When the Elsweyr Confederacy split and favored the Aldmeri Dominion, the Empire did absolutely nothing to stop it.

Only when Cyrodiil was attacked did the Empire do something about it.

When the Empire signed WGC, the Empire did absolutely nothing to make Hammerfell understand their situation and preserve the alliance

When Hammerfell proved that the Aldmeri Dominion CAN be fought back, the Empire did absolutely nothing about WGC

When Skyrim wants to break off, the Empire did many things to stop it.

Notice how the Empire does not care for any other province but Cyrodiil. Skyrim is the Empire's source of warriors. Without Skyrim, the Empire is weak. Without the Empire, Skyrim can ally itself with Hammerfell without the Empire's bad reputation weighing it down.

Well I hate the Thalmor... so there's that.

The Empire is trying it's dammnest to keep things together and gain strength to fight back against the Thalmor while the Stormcloaks are throwing temper tantrums and making things worse. The Empire needs to stand together, divided they will fall.

The whole Talos thing is another mess. While I don't agree with it's banning you have to look at it from the Empires view. If the Stormcloaks and other Nords would just chill (heh) and wait it out then everything would be fine.

Imperials vs. Stormcloaks
Round 44353279627

FIGHT

^ This.
Just play the game and make your own decision. The answer is not in a forum.

An empire is only as good as its leader and in the there is no leader I see in Skyrim worthy to lead an empire. There might be a more suitable leader elsewhere but its not here.

The Empire isn't exactly thrilled about them either. Talk to any Imperial about them and you'll see.

the problem that makes the empire do notthing is the damn internal conflicts between the nobility + the Elder Council + the Emperor since the fall of the Septim dinasty and the Oblivion Crysis, maybe as Talos said in morrowind, it's time to the empire fall, so a new direction can be taken, and a new, powerfull and just empire can rise or a coallition of free nations, whaver suits better Tamriel and it's people

While I think the Empire has the right idea, and that killing each other only serves the Thalmor in the longrun, I will always support the Stormcloaks for no other reason than the fact that I love Talos. If the Redguards are able to hold the Thalmor off singlehandedly, and Cyrodiil can be forced into bending knee, maybe it's time the seat of the Empire changed hands.

Yeah this is true the only reason that the empire is under the Thalmor is because of submission it was either that or destruction of the empire. So for now the Dominion has precedent over the empire until either the empire breaks free or until the Thalmor shatter the Mundas breaking existence for all.

Well, I may end up sitting this little conflict out for now. See which one holds the best future. I'm still not too convinced the Empire can last now that nearly over half of it has left. How many provinces still remain part of the Empire? High Rock, Daggerfall, most of Morrowind, and Skyrim is currently in "debate" and may well succede also. I can hardly call that an Empire anymore.

A strong leader can still come and either retake or unite the lands. But there is another the option the Dominion can take over every nation and that can be the birth of a new empire a new world order with or without the Thalmor at the helm. An Altmer society governing the lands might not be such a bad bad thing its not them that's oppressive that wants the land to be deadlocked then crumble it, that's the extremist Thalmor faction.

Is Daggerfall even a province? I thought Tamriel consists of: Summerset Isle, Valenwood, Black Marsh, Morrowind, Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Hammerfell and High Rock?

Sorry my bad, Daggerfall is not a province. Even less of an Empire than.

I don't know...I keep trying to beat it out of that wandering farmer who tells me that he's going to join the 'right side', but he just won't say.

Well tbh, I support Stormcloaks because it's my common sense of justice and whatever.

I mean as I stated before this war was provoked and started by really silly reasons which were just an excuse for Beth to start a war so they can have more stuff in Skyrim. I will not get into details again because we spoke about this many times.
All in all, if the Empire really wants to defeat Thalmor, they should've used different approach to proud Nords. But nooooo; "You will do what we say. Or die." - It's rather obvious what will happen.

No side is 'right'. There's only the side that appeals to you.

/thread

In short, we are right. In a good RPG, the side that we choose, is the right side and typically both sides have pros and cons. That's what makes it so fun, when the choices aren't so black and white.

You make some interesting points, but I have to disagree on 'the Empire has no rights in Skyrim' thing.
You cant get much more Empire than Skyrim.
A founding province, possibly the home province of Tiber Septim, Skyrim has always been a part of the Empire.

Of course, its debatable wether this Mede Empire has the same claim on Skyrim as the Septim one did, but historically Skyrim is and always has been a part of the Empire.