Why can't I do anything about the Silver-Bloods and Black-briars?

[AstralFire]

I don't mind breadcrumbing, tbh. I'm irked by the fact that my only option is 'do it or don't', especially when they offered a satisfactory alternative with the Thieves' Guild and built up so much of the story of Markarth and Riften around these families. Edited May 26, 2012 by AstralFire

[fraquar]

Yeah, I have the option of talking down the mercenaries at Karthwasten or taking them down, I take them down every time. Thats not railroading - thats a choice. I choose to butcher the Silver-Bloods dirty hands.

 

Not being able to remove a Stone of Barenziah from your inventory unless you join the TG - thats railroading. There is simply no other alternative - they exist solely to coerce you to do the TG questline - and coercion is what railroading is all about, trying to make you do something you wouldn't otherwise do.

[RedRavyn]

Oh, breadcrumming is fine by me, too, AstralFire. In a world as large and complex as Skyrim, with so many things tucked away into corners that you might otherwise never find, this is a good way to offer a player some alternatives to just following the painfully obvious questlines. However, forcing you to accept a quest, with no option of turning it down or getting it out of your journal, is bad game design.

 

It's similar to the issue with skill training books, where you have to take the boost in a skill if you as much as hit the "E" key accidentally when trying to grab something next to one. Maybe I want to save those books for later, when leveling up a skill is more difficult and time-consuming. Or, maybe I don't want to use skill books at all for role-playing purposes (maybe my character can't read), or I'm trying to avoid rapid leveling.

 

I really don't think Bethesda had the time to completely flesh out the stories of the Silver-Bloods and Black-Briars. There's also the matter of the feud between the Gray-Manes and Battle-Borns. So many potentially interesting storylines have just been either left hanging or were never fully exploited. Perhaps DLCs will address some of this. We can only hope. I detest the Silver Blood family and the Black-Briar family (with the exception of Ingun -- I sort of like her), but I'd love to see more involvement in the game with both families. There's even a potential Romeo and Juliet story brewing in Whiterun between Olfina Gray-Mane and Jon Battle-Born that was never developed past just overhearing a conversation between her and Anoriath.

[fraquar]

I don't detest the Black-Briar family, they are just taking advantage of a weak situation - a weak Jarl, and even weaker Thieves Guild, a weak DB and the rebellion.

 

Don't know enough about the Silver-Blood family to completely detest them - though hiring mercenaries to take over a privately owned mine and force it's sale says a lot.

[BrettM]

I sort of liked Ingun as well, until I happened to trigger some remark of hers about Maven trying to make her stick with the family business of politics and corruption instead of following the "darker path" she desires. Then I noticed that all the ingredients she asks you to replace for her are poisons. Looks like she is dreaming of joining the Dark Brotherhood and being more hands-on evil instead of just pulling strings from behind the scenes.

[Perraine]

Hmmm ... I don't think Ingun is a puppy drowner like her brother, or the self centered megalomaniac b***h like her mother, but I could definetly see her standing in a dark room chanting "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble" ... A bit worrisome that one ...

[BS375]

Hello! (sorry my english is not good)

I play now skyrim over 1000 h. and yes. Nothing you can do has no direct results to the world. but the civil war has.

Not nice. Then the Jarl from riverrun says things double and the Mage dont listen to him. (remmber the frist Quest from Alvo the Smith.

Thant´s not free.

Or the srceam mercy. the mod fix it. The mage system becoms smaller and smaller. The civilwar quest is trash. kill all only a few otherquest in there...

Hey you have the free choose where you walk but this dont change the World you play in. This is instanz.

Without you as a community i dont play it 2 or 3 times.

And i testet to open some TG quest places , no go. it dont work. Byrin?? tg from marcetplaces spawn in ( the big statue with the dimantseyes.) or the hideout. dont open the last door.

And the TG are no thives. do you now why?

When where are thieves and the Shopholder dont pay i break in and dont surpress him. ARGH sry but some quest are only the half where could.

[modder3434]

when people criticize a game for "railroading" it and controlling and constricting the freedom a player has they forget that if their wasn't any railroading or "play it like this here...and here..." then people would criticize that the game lacks direction.

 

also Maven black-Briar becomes Jarl of Riften if the Empire wins and Silver-blood becomes jarl in markarth if the rebels win.

Edited June 6, 2012 by modder3434