Thieves at Heart: Quest Line Petition to Bethseda

[asustudent1]

Dear Bethseda:

 

 

After truly enjoying many of main quest lines in Oblivion, it was greatly dissapointing to see your implementation of the thieves. stormcloaks, and imperial quest lines. In Oblivion, working for the thieves guild was enjoyable. The grey fox had a certain sense of "Thieves Honor" so to speak. You didn't feel like an angel working for the Grey Fox, but at least you didn't feel like the brutish bully of a thug you do in Skyrim. This game should revolve around the player, and the larger quest lines are imperative for all players; players should have choices and be able to follow Bethsedas open world concepts.

 

Two Words- Maven Blackbriar. Even before I started questing for the thieves guild, I wanted to stick a dagger in her back. Then I found out I had to work for her during the thieves guild quest. I was instantly furious, paused my quest and went online to ensure that I would later have a chance to kill her.

 

To my and thousands (if not millions) of other SKyrim fans, I found out I would be unable to kill or even damage her reputation in any way (except for one scantly clad horse quest which I had already completed).

 

This woman is a serious *censored*, and I am sure you designed her that way. However, to implement her into not only the thieves guild quest but the imperial line is the biggest sham of Elder Scrolls I have seen to date. The player should be able to choose what kind of thief they want to be. Like the grey fox, many of us want to be a thief with a certain sense of grandeur or adventure. In skyrim, your nothing more than a bully, a thug, a burglar, etc. These quest lines force the player into something they must do if they want to complete that quest line or reward. They are but a single river flowing one direction, when it should be a river with many forks and choices in the road.

 

I literally wanted to quit the thieves guild quest the second I found out I would be helping her. Then I later found out that when I work the imperial quest she becomes jarl YUCK. After completing the stormcloaks quest with my first character, it was my biggest regret to have to serve Ulfric. That arrogant self righteous coward who barely shows his face in battle, the man who sent his armies to attack whiterun instead of challenging Whiterun's Jarl (whom most people like). THerefore, I was much happier to start a 2nd character and work for the imperials thinking I would not serve the Ulfric slime. However, I then put Maven Blackbriar upon the Riften Throne, and that was the end of all gratitude for the Imperial quest line.

 

Literally, the entire Skyrim storyline had been ruined for many fans. Join the thieves guild and empower Maven Black *censored*. Join the Imperials and serve Maven Black Briar. Join the stormcloaks and empower Ulfric Slime.

 

These are the main quests (arguably) of Skyrim- Dragons, Mages, Companions, Thieves, Brotherhood, Imperial, and Stormcloak. And the thieves, imperials, and stormcloaks have turned out to be such trash. No player wants to serve Maven blackbriar, and few Ulfric.

 

You should at least give the players the option of turning agaisn't Maven. You may say Maven represents evil or what the thieves guild is all about. Then it is hypocritical and ironic to not allow an "evil" character to turn agaisnt an evil Maven. It is preposterous to force players into serving a character they cant stand with multiple main quest lines; to not give players a choice of what kind of thief or what kind of imperial they want to be

 

The base concept behind Skyrim is a free world. The player should be able to do what he wants when he wants. However, bethseda implement "Quest line" or "storyline" characters, which are unkillable. The few staunch defenders of Bethseda have argued it would affect or break the game if characters like Maven were killable.

 

Then you should not implement these characters into major storylines. Or you weave a possible alternative into these storylines. You let players backstab Maven, or Ulfric towards the end of the line. Something...........anything...............Because quite literally. I wanted to quit Skyrim when I found out I would be serving up Maven Blackbriar in both the Thieves GUild and Imperial quest lines. It enfuriated me, and it has enfuriated thousands and thousands of other fans.What I wouldn't give to work with the grey fox. Yes I said work with, beacause you felt like the Grey Fox was more of a mentor and friend. Whereas in Skyrim you are a mere servant to slime like Maven and Ulfric (you feel like a dog being forced to serve a character for the sake of the quest line).

 

The thieves guild was intriguing and exciting with a sense of adventure. In Skyrim, we are serving (not working with or working for) the likes of Maven Blackbriar. Instead of feeling like a mischevious, clever, exciting Oblivion thief, we feel like an absolute thug and bully in Skyrim. Instead of having a choice as to what kind of thief we would like to be, we are conscripted into nothing more than ogres with clubs bullying people into paying debts. Even many of the lore books in skyrim (in game books), thieves have a whole different persona and aura about them. The Virtuous Thief, etc, etc. We dont read books of the thief who went from person to person bullying them into paying debts.

 

Bethseda this is hypocrisy and poor design in every way. I dont know whether its through laziness to not implement alternative routes to Maven et all, or through poor design. There is no sense of grandeur, adventure, excitement whatsoever working within these quest lines. If you can explain this in any way, the fans encourage you to please do so. I guarantee we can counter any point you attempt to justify for such bad storytelling and poor player choice implementation. At the very least, come out and admit that this was a mistake. Bethseda you need to change this, as it disappoints many fans and violates your own basic fundamentals for the game.

[runicNomad]

Got to agree with everything you have stated. Still Bethesda can not stop forcing us to work for people we dislike. Maven as a Jarl how exactly is that good or even cool. Maven as a the main link int he thieves guild. How about I grow the thieves guild to a place where I can toss her ass to the wind... uh huh. Ulfric the guy makes me sick too and I hate the empire honestly.

Not too sure why the main quest lines always revolve around horrible characters in these titles. They seem to be the same all of them and Maven as Jarl how in the world. She is an assassin and a fiend. I too was hoping I could knock her off or toss her to the wind once I got enough rep with the guild of thieves.

 

There is no honor on any of the sides honestly...

shrug. maybe with the ck there can be something added but its the base of the game so anything will just be a side alteration unless its a full on redo of the main quest.

It is why I often leave the main quest for the end and ignore it because I just like exploring and being in an open world.

[Marthos]

Why did Bethesda do these things ?

 

 

The answer is simple, they did it to invoke a response from you.

 

Beth have always given hard choices in their games, we'd hardly be posting away as we are if everything was just fine and dandy would we ?

 

 

 

Don't worry though, I hate Mavern Blackbrier too, and that cow Delphine.

[djinx187]

How would the guild have any sort of power if they didn't act that way and use those means to achieve an end. Seriously who would be scared of people who just stole a few things here and there? I wouldn't be. You can choose to be a thief and not run with the guild or you can run with the guild. You run with the guild you get jobs and get paid to do them. It is that simple. Yeah you work for people you don't like but that comes with the whole joining the guild and getting assigned a job. The guild in Skyrim feels like an actual thieves guild. In Oblivion the guild feels like a bunch of people who happen to adventure then snatch some stuff from random places. I'll give you the poor player choice thing but not the story telling. I actually like the story behind the thieves guild and how it shows how it works more so then the oblivion version of it.

I actually like Maven and how she fits in the game world but yeah she is a b**** but it works.

 

I never actually seen Maven get empowered or what not from you through the whole quest line. You do a job for her and she pays you. Which happens to serve both people quite well. She gets what she wants and you benefit from it. It also shows where she is within the thieves guild not as leader but a client. Same thing with her connection to the DB.

 

Really brought up the Thief of Virtue? The guy screwed up a job and hit on a non attractive women of power to get away. That's really the same as I don't know persuading the guards to look away when you get caught stealing instead of paying with coin he paid with something else. (Pretty sure there was a mod for something like that in oblivion though lol)

 

Just remember not everybody thinks the same way you do about the thieves guild.

 

Think of the thieves guild as the mob. Sometimes stealing isn't what they need to do sometimes it's not about getting the coin but sending the message that they shouldn't be messed with. There is more the being a thief then just stealing and pickpocketing. Blackmail, Extortion, Embezzlement, Fraud, pretty much anything you need to to get that money

Edited December 20, 2011 by djinx187

[candycommander]

There's a difference between being a thief with a code and being a bully who takes your lunch money.

 

Or since you're a thief you could, oh i don't know, STEAL their money??

Edited December 20, 2011 by candycommander

[Thoreai]

I do miss the "robin hood" style thiefs guild from oblivion, just as i miss the Dark Brotherhood dark mystical atmosphere...both of these guilds were pretty much reduced to thugs in skyrim.

 

I can understand that there are hard times for people and everyone is trying to make a coin from what they can, but it kinda killed the atmosphere of these guilds.

 

I did enjoyed the Thiefs guild quest for some part though, but yeah i really hated to be under some Maven Blackbriar who never evoked in me being a person with influences...i was just being pissed to get quests from someone who just b*tches on anything but has no character that would make me respect it and the same was with DB and pretty much all guild quests...no memorable characters.