That's right, but the problem is the inconsistency with the rest of game, and parts of same scene.
Captain woman is tsun, but Tullius is too dere - said "final" words and just went away without ordering to execute Ulfric. It could be consistent in one of ways (exclusive):

way 1: Protagonist goes to the block, apologetic imperial confirms without apologies (saying like "heh, you unlucky criminal scum"), Ulfric is decapitated right from the start, everyone is srs

way 2: Desicion on protagonist is delayed because he isn't in the list, Ulfric waits to be the last for a flashy end of the show, first go random Stormcloaks.


Creative inability.

Ulfric didn't get killed straight away because there was a preacher preaching rights, and one stormcloak soldier interupted it. He was the first to die because he interupted. You were next probably because, as people have said, the thalmor wanted it. And yes, tulius would react to the elven orders, because he knows what the thalmor could do to him.

Also, Ulfric couldn't "Shout apart" the gag. The whole shouting Toryg apart thing was just an overexaduration by the common folk and guards.

The body, as I remember from my playthrough, slumped to the side before I was called up. As for where all the heads would go? They rounded up about 20 stormcloak soldiers. Do you really think they don't have extra baskets, or perhaps they don't actually care about all the lose heads everywhere. They do live in skyrim after all.

And I think the stormcloaks you see in the tower were the rebels about to get executed before the dragon attacked.

Loads of people gave out about the Oblivion starting dungeon too.
And about the game...etc...yawn.

I did find it odd that they didn't just execute Ulfric on the spot. I mean, Tullius doesn't give a damn what the elves want, so why would he stall it?

As for the PC? Well, remember, we're in rags, our hands our bound, and we just witnessed what happened to Lokir who tried to escape. I think our PC's mindset was 'Do I die screaming and running like Lokir? Or do I die silent, with dignity?'

Heh. Well, my pc just stands there and waits for whatever happens to save her. Since this is exactly what's happened in every main TES title from the beginning....

And after watching through the whole thing the first time, yes, the next toon, I saved just before entering the Keep - and go on from there after using showracemenu in the console (which I realize isn't an option for those of you on game consoles....)

I remember Ulfric to use some shouts during attack on Solitude. Even Fus creates a serious pressure that should be epic just at mouth, not to say about fire/cold shouts. Breaking a cloth to say final words doesn't sound too artificial for me.

Yes, but his knees stay where they were. The protagonist in fact puts his knees on dead Stormcloak's legs somehow. I expected dragging a decapitated body out of place before it. Unfinished? Changed? Only devs know, and we have the final product as it is.
Maybe i'll try to do a small mod to change it when CK is out.

You asume he knows the fire/frost shouts, maybe he only knew the pushing ones from the time he was at high hrothgar. Ether way, the cloth he is gaged with looks increadably thick, and perhaps the gag was designed with stopping him talking all together rather than making sure his mouth was just covered (As in, they put an apple or tomato in his mouth that was too big to swallow or talk with)

As for the knees, I don't know how you can notice that. Rikke seems to drag her foot off and the body slumps in the same directions, then your charicter seems to look elsewhere. Perhaps while your charicter is looking away the body slumps down one of the steps or gets pulled away. Either way that seems to be the only problem in your list I'm having problems with, but it is a video game after all don't forget! One little detail shouldn't ruin it all in a game with magic and near-enough pixies.

I'm personally ok with Skyrim, because my main facepalm happened before release, when reading about "the only one Dragonborn" and imagining the Chosen One type of plot again, and I like crafting even at its strange state. And it's a TES game, noone else does anything like that and most of annoying stuff most probably can be modded.

Yes. Let's not compete in assumptions, it's pointless.

Well, all of the characters have to be protected in idiotic ways due to the story! I'm sure if we looked at any game there would be moments that would make you scratch your head as to why things didn't go as they logically should have. The only way I could see the introduction going a different course is if Ulfric shouted to make everyone stagger back before the first execution, and then Alduin came.

I don't know how anyone who RPs, or has common sense, could join the Imperials after being put on the block and nearly executed. That bit is really awful writing.

Same reasons good guys team up with bad guys sometimes. Situational necessity, or simple professionalism. Read a good spy novel and you'll see scenes where "enemy" spies are hanging out together, talking shop. They don't pull guns because circumstances have changed and they have no reason to kill each other any more. Vengeance can be a powerful motivator, but it doesn't motivate every character. It's actually far more "sensible" to work with the Imperials and not blame the entire Empire for one hotheaded captain making a dumb call under pressure.

Exactly. Props.

Plus, they characterised the Imperial you follow (Hadvar) as feeling bad for your apparent demise, and then he legitimately attempts to help you out. Partially redeems the Imperials; You've encountered one [censored]-bag of an Imperial, and one kind guy. Then you've got Rolof, who's only "good" quality is that he spoke to you on the carriage-trip, but seems like a nice guy. Total coin flip really.

They are suppose to be, but there are a total of 4 Stormcloaks not counting Ralof and Ulfric, and 3 of them die before you get to the keep...Those other Stormcloaks just popped into existence. They could not have been there before the execution, because it was an Imperial base, and they could not have rushed in during Alduin's attack, because there were too many Imperials around.

I don't think killing them came into the scenario. The point was that the poster would struggle if they were innocent and not simply just walk calmly to their beheading.

what are you going to do? run? like the horse thief? headbutt them? really nothing you CAN do but walk meekly to your death.

also when he lands on the tower at first, alduin uses a shout that makes it cloudy and rain fire, which lasts about five seconds. the better question is how did such a skimpy legion patrol manage to capture (and control) the storm cloaks and a guy with the voice. seemed to me like there were only two soldiers on the carriages. why didn't ulfric use pull his gag down and use the voice to get the upper hand?

Asking "Why am I being executed" would be a nice start.

I agree 100% almost EVERY thought you had I had aswell

Ulfric could have just Fus...Ro DAH!'ed the cloth off it would have been alot better.

The scene did svck.Thats the only part stopping me from starting my new character.

The scene is very well written and awesome.

There are problems with it however. The fact that Alduin interupts the execution makes no sense. It should have been Parthunaxx or a friendly dragon, or better yet the dragon born and ulfric and his men should have started a fight, mebbe Ulfric used the thuum to shout away his mouthband and toppling all the people (including the fat executioner with the axe, where the stormcloaks would have rushed in and freed themselves on it (alongside the dragonborn) or the dragonborn would have used flames from his hands to burn the bindings off and freeing himself and fellow stormcloaks.

I always rp that the dragonborn when he sits down to be executed prepares to quickly remove his head and then free himself on the axe blade that now either sits in the chopping block except for the top sharp side or simply (legolas style) makes the blade free his hands rather than his head from his body. And that alduin knows this and has come to make sure the dragonborn gets killed.

The alternative that Alduin saves the dragonborn is CRAZY

It seems to be a common thing for programmers to disable player controls because they cannot think of ways to make the player go along with the story.

My moment starts at the carriage ride. 6 stormcloaks and me and the thief with just hands bound, only four imperials guarding the whole two carriages. I take care of the driver of our carriage, the guy sitting across from me pulls ulfrics gag down so he can shout the imperial soldier off his horse etc. By the time the general got of his horse at least half of us would be free and armed, and heading for the general.
I'm pretty sure that's the general on his horse at the front. I'd have liked that carriage ride more, then Alduin shows up and destroys Helgen anyway and you get to watch from a distance.

Of course character gen should be done right a the start of the game like they used to.

-.- I stopped reading half way through, to many words............

Bad argument. How can they prove their innocence to you when they attack you on sight? The Prisoner was simply bound in the intro, so he wasn't doing anything. Bandits automatically attack you, so that's basically self defense. There were plenty a friendly people in dungeon you simply confused as bandits, but you have the option of talking to them.

How do you imagine the start event to be logical and breathtaking? Let's share ideas for possible mod and make a scenario.

(i'm not sure about making a thread in "mods" forum, because i won't start doing anything before CK)

The serious problem of modding Skyrim i already see is that all dialogs in original game are voiced, and some players may even have subtitles disabled, so any dialogue mod would look out of place: just some standing in silence...
Also, there's some special animation there... but that's sure for "mods" thread, let's discuss a possible scenario here.


p.s.

Actually, yes. In fact, i frequently calm named npc's and try to talk with them. Even Conjurers/Necromancers who perform some rituals outdoor. RPG isn't about how do you kill "bad guys". How about not killing, but talking? About magic or crypts or trading... I remember to find quite a lot of trainers in Morrowind who were agressive by default. In Skyrim, i've never found any dialogs with enemies.

I have a save right before you create your character so I can at least skip the carriage ride.

ugh... just before there'll be 4th or 5th comment like that one - i've never mentioned carriage part, and yes, there's forced autosave after it that i used most of time, too. Please stop bringing it up...