There have been a lot of posts about wanting things to be different... and how we'd go about them if the scripting were up to us.

Would you organize the Blades without Esbern and Delphine if you could? What would the Blades' new purpose be? Would they still be a network of highly effective warriors and scholars who traded information and collected knowledge (in much the same way that the Thalmor do, btw) and advised the rulers they protected? Would you repurpose them somehow that was better suited to modern Skyrim and the weakened Empire?

Is it time to make your bid for the highest throne in the Empire, Dovahkiin? No one has more of the dragonblood than you have, regardless of how careful the Emperor thinks his bloodline has been traced back.

Now that Alduin is put down do you believe that you are still Skyrim's protector or is she now on her own?

If the Dovahkiin is here to protect Skyrim, what are you going to do? Who is her next greatest enemy?

If you believe you're not here to protect Skyrim then what are you doing now that you're retired?

I'd personally put the Blades back together from some of the cleverest and sneakiest friends I've made in Skyrim and I'd put Esbern and Delphine on warning that I'll be back to Sky Haven and it wont be to make nice or with Paarthurnax's head in a bag. They work for me or they leave. I would bring the Blades back in support of either the Emperor or Ulfric (either side makes the same commitment from me, as the Dragonborn who does not wish to be Emperor) and we would be the guardians of the independent interests of the countries that make up the Empire so that every country has a level of communication and protection from an Empire that would give parts of countries away to the Thalmor to "make peace" and would sell away one of our gods, the one the Emperor is supposed to be descended from, in fact, to please our enemies. I do believe that the Empire and the lazy ineffective government that it represents has become the greatest enemy of the peoples of the Empire in the face of the continuing threat posed by the Aldmeri Dominion. It's time they looked over their shoulders once in awhile and time they started waking up in prisons where they were being tortured for information and tortured for possible information.

Here's a spot to go about inspiring the rest of us... what next for you and how would you do it?

If it were up to me, I'd hand Esbern and Delphine over to Elenwen (the Thalmor Ambassador) and watch as the Thalmor and the Empire behead those insufferable wankers. Then I'd revel at the end of a dead era.

Oh the possibilities.

Who is the next great enemy? Now that's easily answered: The Aldmeri Dominion!

At first, I thought it would be good if the Empire and the Stormcloak reconciled their differences and combined forces in order to present a stronger front to the Thalmor. However, considering all that has taken place and the civil war, I highly doubt that Skyrim would actually ally itself with Cyrodiil and the Empire.

As for the Blades, I had high respect for this group in Oblivion and I would try to install them again as a special forces group. I would also sent a delegation to Hammerfell and see if we can forge an allegiance with their resistance. It is also high time that Skyrim realizes that it's not just a home for Nords, but all races. If they recognize the other races and form a tighter community, then that would mean more would be willing to join the cause against the Thalmor.

Esbern and Delphine? They could be regular Blades and take orders from someone else. Their knowledge might be helpful at times, but if they EVER suggest to me again that Paarthurnax must be killed, I will smack them both! lol

I would "remove" Esbern and Delphine, and start rebuilding the Blades for the next great war.

Before being captured and stuck in a smelly wagon, my character was on there way to Disney Land.
So eventually they are going to pick up where they left off in that pursuit.

Lead a resistance movement against the Thalmor using all the pull I got from my quests. Assassinate head Thalmor leaders? Got my brotherhood. Steal important documents/artifacts? My Thieves ready at command. Lead an assault on Thalmor fortresses and ambush patrols? My werewolf-infused companions are at the ready, along with anyone else I've made friends with. I can provide way better funding than any conventional army to, I'd use the Alik'r and Redguard to spearhead my army as they've proven themselves more than capable of handling the Thalmor. I myself could probably decimate a small army of elves with storm call+my own abilities and weapons so I'd be fully capable of handling a lot.


Would probably get a bunch of recruits from the stormcloaks/imperials anyway, people who hate the Thalmor and would rather fight them.

I would help ulfric prepare for the thalmor and would go visit other provinces looking for their aid against those high elf ponces

I'm gonna swell the Empires ranks with fresh recruits, shiney new armor and weapons and a burning Hatred of the Thalmor.
I would fix Tamriel and then Nirn.

Because of your avatar I always read your posts in the female Altmer voice. "Insufferable wankers"

To be honest if my character were to make a rational decision she would probably support the Stormcloaks. As it is she supports the Empire because (1) Stormcloak soldiers killed Lydia and (2) I had already asked Legate Rikke about joining the legion, and she told me to clear out the fort, and then I could *NOT* get Tullius to even TALK to me to until I had cleared out the fort, talked to Rikke, and actually joined the Legion. So basically I was forced to either break the main quest or join the legion.

If my primary Dovahkiin could remake the world:

-- I would have a heart to heart with Delphine. I'd let her know in no uncertain terms that either she works for me or there's going to be real problems. I suspect that she'd be pigheadded enough that I'd have to dispose of her.

-- The above would go for Esbern. I haven't spoken to him as much about Parthy so maybe he won't be as pigheaded as Delphine. I'd make it clear I'd love him around as a reasearcher / keeper of knowledge / etc. but he would need to work for me or there would be problems. See resolution to Delphine above if needed.

-- I would remake the Blades with or without Delphine's & Esbern's help. They would be composed of all of my "battle worthy" friends & companions. They would be part special forces and part "forbidden lore keepers". They all would have the best gear that $ or smithing / enchanting / alchemy could produce.

-- As for the Civil War I would try to broker a lasting peace. Whether that means the "Empire" wins or the "Dovahkiin" wins I don't care. I suspect that Ulfric & his people wouldn't be smart enough to make the alliances needed to keep our enemies at bay. So if the DK has to wipe out the stormcloaks or if he could bully them into peace [either way] would be fine with him.

-- As for my enemies [once the Dragons are gone and the Civil War isn't waging] the Thalmor would be the only ones that I'd be concerned about. I'd use whatever influence I could muster to make sure Skyrim was allied with the Empire and any other provinces possible to resist the Thalmor. I'd be sponsoring as many covert ops as possible to undermine the Thalmor and hope that I could provoke them into doing something really stupid.


Edit: Most of my "Evil" and probably even "Neutral" characters would have ambitions of being Emperor Talos the 2nd When the Thalmor are brought to heel then the Empire would be back to its glory days ...

Aren't Esbern and Delphine the last of the Blades? If you don't have them, you have a new organization that may claim to be the Blades - but you wouldn't have any of the training or lore that goes with Delphine and Esbern's knowlege of the organization. Not everything can be found in books..

get ulfric to surrender to tullius but only as a part of a secret alliance to eventually overthrow the thalmor. inlist the aid of nearby countries, recruit a sizeable army, retake the imperial city then launch an offensive against summerset isles.

I would not take the throne as High King or a Jarlship. I would let Skyrim carry on as it had for centuries.

I would not kill Paarthanax (and will not in any of my games). I would emplore Paarthanax to round up any dragons he could that would co-exist with the humanoids of Skyrim. They could join in it's defense or mind their own business, but I wouldn't tolerate any random attacks.

I would loosely back the Stormcloaks, but any Imperial forces would be allowed to switch sides or leave.

I would offer the Empire the opportunity to form a Confederation, but Skyrim would not be a jewel in the Empire's crown. I would offer Hammerfell the option of joining the Confederation.

The Thalmore would be expelled from Skyrim and would not be attacked as long as they didn't attack Skyrim or it's partner states.

The opression of non-Nords would not be tolerated on a large scale. If any non-Nord is willing to work and follow the rules they would be allowed to stay.

I would not tell the High King/Queen nor the Jarls what to do. I wouldn't punish them for bad decisions, but they would be held accountable for horrible decisions. I would do away with the tradition of any sitting Jarl having to answer challenges to duels. That's OK in a primitive society, but in a more structured one like Skyrim an older, weaker Jarl who is wise/intelligent is preferable to a younger one who is merely stronger. A moot with a vote of no confidence is more appropriate.

As a semi-godlike being I would merely monitor and only correct the most grievous situations.


I haven't done the Paarthanax v Blades MQ yet (close I think ), but from what I've read the Blades would have to undergo a major overhaul.

They aren't the last of those fetchers, they're the only ones known to you. There could be more, in hiding.

I'm going to go from a personal/"selfish" side:

I'd choose either faction in the civil war. Other than a change in methods to get things done, it would have little difference to me which side wins.

for the empire: I'd use my influence as archmage, harbinger of the companions, and Dovahkiin, to influence Imperial policy and militarization.

for the stormcloaks: I'd lead Ulfric's faction to victory, then immediately challenge him for the title of "High King". I'd absolutely destroy him, call a moot, and, due to my official and unofficial powers and titles, would become the elected High King. I'd waltz into Whiterun, stab Vignar in the face, reinstate Balgruuf, travel to Markarth, order the reinstatement of Igmund as Jarl. I would kill any influential characters who oppose me, dispose of the useless Jarls like the Jarl of Riften, and bring Maven in, who, considering her ties and partnership to MY Thieves Guild, and her supposed but false claims to have sway in MY Dark Brotherhood, I'm more than certain I could keep her in line. I'd create a more standard military uniform and leave the old stormcloak atire to the guards of Eastmarch, and reinstate the uniforms of the guards of Whiterun, Markarth, Morthal, Falkreath, and Solitude. For military uniforms, I'm thinking perhaps steel plate and scale armor, with the nice old symbol for Dovahkiin on a tabard overlay. I'd order immediate improvements to the Grey Quarter in Windhelm, open the doors of Skyrim's cities to Khajits, and open military recruitment to all races, and, of course, demand an oath of allegience to ME. Not the Jarls. ME. I'd also immediately send out peace feelers to the Empire, and given my rather respectible set of achievements would probably achieve some form of ceasfire or armistice or even a non-aggression pact. An open alliance would be more long term, as time must pass for old wounds to heal, and rushing these things can do more harm than good. I would bring back Talos worship, and order the internment of all Thalmor operatives, officials, and soldiers in Skyrim. Perhaps I would keep them in an internment camp but treat them hospitably. Perhaps I'll organize death camps and process them. Who knows? I'm unpredictable like that.

With the defeat of Alduin, I too would sit Esbern and Delphine down and explain things to them. I highly doubt the conversation would ever come to blows. Perhaps stubborn and bitter disagreement, but there's no chance they would try to harm me after everything I've done, and given the oaths they swore. I would expand Blades membership and extend invitations to all the companions I met in my travels. Like the new Kingdom of Skyrim military, they would swear an oath of loyalty to me and me alone. I'd use Solitude's key harbor to extend trade to Hammerfell and also construct my Skyrim Navy. I would welcome Altmer and Bosmer immigrants to Skyrim, but put them through a thorough screening process to ensure none are Thalmor agents. To fund all this after a civil war, I would be forced to institute a small Kingdom tax, payable by all citizens of Skyrim, in addition to a small levy on the Jarls personally. (this tax idea is optional depending on how desperately it is needed)

Most importantly, i would establish a council, with representatives of each of the nine holds appointed by joint agreement of me and the respective Jarl (for example, Balgruuf and I have to agree on the candidate).

Last but certainly not least, I would become a vampire, and thus immortal, to ensure no successor be corrupted, no replacement indifferent, no son or daughter enacting policies against my design. I would serve. No one would stand in my way. No one would reshape my vision of my kingdom. I would rule. Indefinitely.

To go with the original theme of the post, here's what I'd change. Feel free to comment everybody.

Daedric Quests

* There would always be a "Good" option to complete them.

Civil War

* After Alduin, you can call a King's moot where you can elect either Ulfric or Elisif as High King OR forward yourself. If you are Thane of all the Jarldoms you can easily win.

Dark Brotherhood

* Nazir always offers a "jerkass victim."

* The Emperor's cousin is revealed to be a real scumbag, trading with pirates and offering ships to be sunk.

* You can let the innocent guy go for real.

* The gourmet is a scumbag as well.

Thieves Guild

* There is an option to wipe out the Thieves Guild ala the Dark Brotherhood.

* You can enter the thieves guild by simply paying your way in.

* You can pay off the debts of the various creditors.

* Joining the Nightingales is optional.

* After you're Guildmaster, you can say how you're going to change the Guild. Offering a Good, Evil, or Neutral option.

College

* There's a quest to discover the TRUE cause of the Collapse.

* You can be a jerk to the Thalmor spy.

* As archmage, you can order the college to support one side of the other (which will mean very little in the story but will help cement their control over Skyrim according to Ulfric or Tullius after the war).

* Better robes for the Archmage.

Followers

* Give everyone a backstory.

* Marriage dialogue for everyone.

Companions

* Remove the "beat people up" quest as it demenas the companions.

* You can cure Aela.

I would fully disagree and agree at the same time. Neither Esbern nor Delphine are old enough to be part of the original Blades, and are therefore really not any better prepared to pickup and move on as warriors who serve and protect the Dragonborn anyway.

With both of them steadfastly standing on the "we only kill dragons" square I have to wonder how much, if any part at all, they played in the more famous and less known part the Blades played in information gathering and spying anyway. Both of them have skills and information that could be useful and still really has no bearing on the Blades that would be being built as a different organization with a different job description anyway.

If they won't play my way then they can go play elsewhere and not call themselves Blades, or they can come play with us and learn along with us what the new Blades are about and how we go about doing business. There is no room in any army for soldiers who do not do as they are commanded to do. If they continued to make problems they'd just be dead.

Beleive me, I tried it. Delphine comes back even if you FusRoDah her off the cliff outside of Sky Haven under a dragon attack. (come on, it can't be only me who has cruel fantasies of calling Ohdaving to just finish her like a sacrifice.)

The Blades need to be representative of the whole Empire, including all of the races in Skyrim, even the ones that the Stormcloaks have a hard time trusting or being friendly with. To have the Dragonborn allied to him I think Ulfric would go a long way towards accepting that we can self manage from within the Blades organization. It's either that or deal with saying "Yes mayam," or "What was that? Did you hear something? It must have been my imagination."

I actually agree with all of those (that I've come across - still haven't finished the MQ so I don't know everything that happens, but the suggestions seem reasonable. ) except the curing Aela one. That has to be her choice and she seems to like hunting in general. Now, if you marry her then I could see 'forcing' or tricking her into being cured so you can spend eternity with your wife.

I have a sneaking suspicion that we might be able to take down the TG (and Black-Briars) and the Thalmor in an expansion (or two) for three reasons:

1) The Black-Briars are tagged "essential" (at least the ones I've tried to kill - I reloaded a Save afterward ) as are the members of the TG.
2) The Thalmor seem to be almost unilaterally hated and they pose a threat to Skyrim that shouldn't be ingnored by Bethesda.
3) Spoiler about Diplomatic Immunity quest:

omgosh... so much here. I think when dealing with Daedra there really isn't any way to separate their allignment from the quest allignment. Deal with the devil and... well... you're likely to get burned. I agree. It would be nice also to be able to raid the Thalmor Embassy more than once. I have to settle for hunting them down on the roads. With malice. Interesting option. It does beg the question why be a thief if you're unwilling to use thieving skills... and still... money should be money at the end of the day. Again, I'm not sure you can play dirty and not get dirty... a "good neutral or evil" option for the thieves' guild would presuppose that taking other's belongings in any form or fashion can be good or that it's flatly evil. I've always held that thieves in particular live in a world of grays... "I was liberating all that excess wealth from that lady who don't needs it as much as I really really needs it." I'm happy with the fact that the thieves continue on and am only unhappy with the fact that some of them still talk to me like the Blades members do. I wanna slap Vex and ask her if she really thinks she's got what it takes to back up her smack talkin' to the slayer of The World Eater... and Dirge... well, don't get me started on the ways I could make him cry like a girl and beg me to just please let him get a breath in before I hit him again. I think this would really gum up the game. I'm not going to pretend that there aren't NPC's that I'd prefer marriage with over some of my other allowable options in the game, and still... not everyone WANTS to be married. You can only offer Aela a cure. She can and always should have the choice to accept it or reject it. This is the most real and truest example of your good/neutral/evil allignment frustration, it seems to me. The real good guys accept that not everyone can be led to the light, and that forcing others never actually works out in the end. She likes being a wolf. As a good guy now you have to decide if that means you can let her live and walk away or if you have to kill her because she's an abomination against good. You don't get to "save" her if she doesn't want to be saved, it's a serious allignment deviation for you.

I read that as meaning we can refuse and possibly fight the Daedric princes - more boss fights.

Fable II and III do that (maybe 1 also - I came late to the Fable series and haven't played 1 yet ). I'd say 99.5% of the NPCs are marryable; however some are straight, some are homosixual (male and female) and some are bi-sixual, but in the big picture almost all are marryable.

Dovahkiin, world dictator for life! The nations would all be brought under the rule of the Dovahkiin, the thalmor would be decimated for being the scum they are, and as a DB member i would be safe from assassination by them. The blades would be brought back as my personal guard, only they would be clad in ebony and known forever more as the Nightslayers, Bane of Dragons.

hmmm... well... for one thing, Maven might be Jarl, so taking her or her children who become different titled positions out of the game would be problematic in that respect... I'd have to say I liked her better as a Jarl than the one she replaces. No one will suggest that Maven is a doormat without looking over their shoulder and lowering their voices for fear of being overheard.

Spoiler info: Lots of peeps were there... and we already know that particular person has lots of connections "back in Cyradiil." I was more surprised at myself that I'd been there twice before I realized this bit of information. LOL

I'd love to take on the Thalmor. Are you listening, Beth? LOVE LOVE LOVE... I'd be all in on it at any price for the DLC.

Well, Bethesda could always write more code in to replace her as Jarl just as they did for her to replace the other one. I vote for Mjoll, but, of course that would change the environment/tone of Riften and a lot of people like the seediness of it.

I didn't spend a lot of time wandering around the party so I didn't recognize some of the others, but Maven I spotted immediately - I really dislike her. On another playthrough I'll wander around more.

I'm sure (I'll forego my normal vulgar statement of certainty here. ) we'll get to do something against the Thalmor in the future. I would almost prefer a new rev of TES because I think an expansion might not be big enough...unless they make a huge one and charge like $30 (or $40? I got the GOTY of Fallout 3 so IDK what Bethesda normally charges for expansion packs) for it. Even as big as like The Pit and Point Lookout were for Fallout 3 I think most would be disappointed if a Thalmor expansion were that 'small'. If it's an expansion I hope it's not one wherein we have to complete it before we can return to Skyrim proper - I prefer to mix running around in an expansion area with lollygagging in the old area(s)...yeah, I said it.

That's a crime. I'm calling the guards.

Perhaps, we can come to some kind of arrangement. (Persuade)