Handofbane Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Semi-rant, but I have to get this verbalized. Normally I enjoy playing both the good guy and bad guy type runs of games. I even enjoyed working with Caesar's Legion in New Vegas. Bethesda has managed the impossible, and made me actually halt a character and completely restart because I actually felt dirty after joining the Stormcloaks. I could tell from the beginning that it would be questionable joining up with Ulfric, especially after first entering Windhelm and talking to the Dunmer as well as the old Nord who was lobbying for some equal treatment for them. I am not sure if this means giving Bethesda credit for writing such a despicable character, or that they just overdid every stereotypical bigot they could into one man then wrapped it in a quasi-noble cause for "freedom from the oppressors!" I guess I could ask though - after the quest line, or later in it, is Ulfric considered essential? Because that would be the only way I could see playing through much of that side of things - to be able to pull a von Stauffenberg near the end, and free Skyrim from him, passing leadership to someone a bit more.... well, sane. Congratulations Bethesda, you finally wrote a character I truly could not find any connection with at all, and only wish death upon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachdonin Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Congratulations Bethesda, you finally wrote a character I truly could not find any connection with at all, and only wish death upon. I don't know... After Almalexia's rant at the end of Tribunal, i seriously wanted to smack the woman (And did). And this comes grom a guy who has had his arm broken simply because he refused to fight back against a very, very irate woman. But i agree, everything about Ulfric makes my skin crawl. He created the very circumstances he uses to rally others to his cause, he espouses cultural identity and freedom while stamping out that of others... Really, he goes well beyond the idea of a stereotypical biggot and pushed it more towards the nature of some historical figures whose names are best not mentioned in polite company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shantih Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Bethesda has managed the impossible, and made me actually halt a character and completely restart because I actually felt dirty after joining the Stormcloaks. You're not alone. Of course in my books that is a good thing. It's certainly not everyday that you see such a character in videogames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justwannaddl Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I think Skyrim and the civil war was designed to give the impression that the empire is doomed no matter what happens. The imperials are running around in circles oppressing its people in order to keep itself together and the stormcloaks are full of racists and isolationists happy to let bandits kill any caravan not carrying a nord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrynor Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Yeah, same here, my level 31 Nord gal got rebooted because I didn't particulary enjoy Ulfric after joining up, and I made a point of joining the legion ASAP with the replay and removing Ulfric's head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beriallord Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Its not about me liking Alfred Stormcloak as it is me hating the Empire even more. And Skyrim is racist, and its a fact, and its not just Alfred Stormcloak. Honestly the atmosphere of the game would be too boring if it was all sunshine and rainbows and everybody getting along with everyone else. And I usually support the Rebels over an Empire, even if neither side is exactly innocent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JechtStrife109 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 the thing that got me about Ulfric is something that I read in a book called the "Bear of Markarth"it says something like:'Before a peace treaty could be resolved with the Forsworn, a militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak sieged the gates of their capital, Markarth. What happened during that battle was war, but what happened after the battle was over is nothing short of war crimes.'this is what made me not like Ulfric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shantih Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 And I usually support the Rebels over an Empire, even if neither side is exactly innocent. I'm the same (rooting for the underdog and all that) but I had to reconsider my choice in this case (I wanted the character I played to be a "good" guy). So I'm happy that what could have been a no brainer turned into a moral conundrum. I think that it's really nice to see some moral ambiguity in a TES game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco856 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I helped the Stormcloaks, though I didn't like it. I then used the console and killed Ulfric...would like to see a mod where we can completely undermine everything Ulfric does, while still driving out the Empire and the Thalmor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachdonin Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I think Skyrim and the civil war was designed to give the impression that the empire is doomed no matter what happens. I'm not sure where people get this impression. Rome got pretty beaten at several points in its history, most notably during the civil was just after Julius's death, and came back stronger than ever. The Empire may be down, but i'd hardly say its beaten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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