I think those are the names.

I am getting the game soon and I was wondering which side is better for newbies to TES.

Join the Imperials if you're a boot-licking coward.

Otherwise...

Join the Stormcloaks

Stormcloaks.

Empire is going down a path that would lead to enslavement or total culling of the races 'lesser' than the elves.

And throughout the questline, my interactions with Ulfric lead me to believe that he honestly is fighting for what he believes in. He doesn't like the other races and doesn't treat them with respect, but you don't see him actively persecuting them. He's tolerant of them, while the Empire and Thalmor would arrest and kill you just for thinking Talos is a god.

He wants to preserve his land's culture and traditions. While the Empire capitulates to the Aldmarri out of fear.

Why don't you travel around and ask about Ulfric. It soon becomes clear why he really fights.

I tend to dislike people trying to execute me for crossing a border. Stormcloak.

Yeah yeah, people claim he's power hungry, racist, etc. But firsthand personal experience trumps biased third party opinion.

And if that's not enough. We all know what the Thalmor want to do and that the Empire is letting them do it, and Ulfric is the only one doing a danged thing about it.

Ulfric is a tool . Read a report on him I stole from the Thalmor . He's an asset ... or just an @$$ hehe

I don't have a huge amount of hours in, and I'm nowhere near having to choose sides. However, I came across a few Imperial soldiers leading a prisoner near Whiterun.

I asked what was going on, and she said he was going to be "interrogated" for worshipping Talos. I told her that I have the right to worship whomever I want, and they attacked me. I slaughtered them all, took their elven armor, freed the prisoner, and pretty much made up my mind that I think I'll be siding with the stormcloaks.

wearing elevn armour ? they were thalmor then right ...

Seriously...? Ulfric's the tool but you say nothing about how the Empire has been tools of the Thalmor for 26+ years...

Hmm, seems my ignorance convinced me to dislike the wrong side. Apologies for the noobish question, but what/who is Thalmor?

One thing I love about TES in general and Skyrim in particular is how unreliable your sources of information tend to be. Like in real-life, you can only truly judge a man for yourself. Yes, it's clear he doesn't have much love for elves, but while Ulfric's prejudice is mild compared to the empire, which actively kidnaps, tortures, and executes people based on who they worship in the privacy of their own home... not just the guys that openly preach the divinty of Talos, they have you go into people's houses to search for hidden Talos amulets so they can arrest them. Ulfric, on the other hand, simply allocates his resources on a nords-first basis, allowing the elves in his territory to live their lives how they'd like, he just doesn't offer them anything in the way of public support. Hell, the empire is willing to execute you, the player character, just for being someplace near where Ulfric was at... and they're the ones you want to throw your support behind?

SPOILER... As for charges of being power hungry, when you win the civil war in his favor, the first thing he does is announce that he will not be taking the title of high-king for himself, as it was assumed he would do, he announces that he will await the decision of the moot. He could have easily taken power then, but he chose to allow the democratic process a chance to work. It was a political calculation, to be sure, but it's not the move of a man who just wants power, it's the move of a man who wants to rule over a healed and unified land.

that is true , but the thalmor merely use ulfric to keep the empire distabilized while they recoup for great war #2 . Ulfric is a smutz and so are the stormcloaks and their supporters. With entrance of a new drgon born , with actaully dragon powers , something Tiber Septim didnt have , the empire will have a chance to fight the thalmor again and crush the elves . All the SCs are doing is messing that up. And when it comes down to it Ulfric tiny little view is him becoming the emporor after high king . He is just as bad as the thalmor . Dont want to blame Ulfric for the racism of his people ( racism being the big problem with the thalmor ) but how can you not blame him for the grey quater . Ulfric is like Saddam Hueisan ... plain and simple . A thalmor place puppet to fill a whole and serve their interest until it runs out then they will squash him like the bug he is


edit:Thalmor are part of the Aldmeri Dominion , blight on tamerial and enemy to the empire .

edit: the moot is a formality and only goes by it because he knows he'll be elected based on conquest .

I'd be inclined not to push newbies in any particular direction, since it's more fun to explore the concepts on your own.

I'm a Dunmer...Of course I dont agree with Ulfric and his racism...but we gotta be honest with ourselves. Ulfric's racism is the least of my problems. The Thalmor arent just bent of wiping out the non-elves...Their also moving to rule over all non-Altmer as well. As of right now, the Empire has NO chance of defeating the Thalmor. Thanks to Titus Mede II, the Empire barely has any allies and they also lost their strongest allies, Hammerfell.

Arguably that would still happen even if the Empire won. But they probably weren't counting on him winning the war. They probably expected the empire to put him down, but be weakened from the effort, allowing them to strike and take over. Not for Ulfric to win and begin preparing his nation to strike at them.

The Dragonborn is powerful, but in a large scale war he's just one man.

I think Ulfric should look for methods to counteract or dispel magics, that way they can neutralize the Thalmor's greatest power. And maybe look for a way to capture and control dragons. Domesticating them and utilizing their powers would be an unbelievably powerful asset.

Imperials

*cough* drgaon born to enlists dragons *cough*