So this game takes place 140 ( correct that number if it's wrong) years after the eruption in Vvardenfell and the invasion of Morrowind by the Argonians. Skyrim is divided by Pro, and Anti, Empire forces. Obviously the Empires grip isn't very strong on the other Provinces of Tamriel( they can't even keep the Nords on their side). There's definitely plenty of room for conflicting political views and racial tensions.

So how do you think the political atmosphere in Skyrim will be handled, and how do you hope it will be handled?

Edit: I forgot to mention it, with the Empire gone and no definite ruler of Skyrim, do you think Chaos will ensue, or will some form of law still exist and be enforced?

I've no clue really, one would expect an Imperial legion stationed in the area and or occupying a city or two, BUT these seems more like the Nords affair then imperial forces being present, so there may just be Nordic dissidents/Rebels in one area, and loyalists in another, truth be told I never expect Nords to have such a tiffle, being one of the strongest provinces in Tamriel and at one point being the leading power before the Empire, I'd never expect them to fraction and B**** at each other with regards to whats the right way or not. Cyrodill should have been chopped up and shared among the Argonians, Redguards, and Bretons since they are more or less neutral to each other. Skyrim has too many outside enemies to roam around freely.

I thought things would be handled the Nordic way, a screaming man with an axe.

Divided we fall, eh? I'm predicting that you end up uniting Skyrim and you destroy the dragons, and Skyrim comes out of it strong and powerfull. Under which banner you unite them though, that'll be interesting.

Well, if BGS get this right, it'll go a long way towards a great game.

I'm hopeful that we get:

1. Interesting and substantial interplay between Dunmer and Nords. And I hope it's not all just "Me Nord hate Dunmer invading Skyrim". I can imagine that there are some Nords who would be more understanding of the need to accommodate Dunmer refugees, given that Vvardenfell exploded and the Argonians have invaded. Indeed, this could provide further political complexity just among the Nords: those who just want to get rid of the Dunmer, and those who want to provide some sort of haven for the Dunmer.

2. The Nordic clans are not just divided into pro- and anti-Empire. I'd like to see some nuance, like we had in Morrowind. Perhaps one clan is pro-Empire, but this is something more like advocating an empire of Men to rule over Tamriel, and they see this Empire as having its true seat of power in Skyrim, rather than Cyrodiil. Perhaps another clan is pro-Empire, but that is because of the trade and security benefits that it brings; other things, like aspects of Imperial culture, the clan opposes. Perhaps another clan is anti-Empire, but they are fairly non-violent in their opposition; they mostly adopt a policy of isolation, only fighting back against the Empire when they see the Empire as encroaching upon their territory. And so on....

3. Finally, I'd like to see the Guilds tie in to this political context. The overarching narratives behind the Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild, Mages Guild (or whatever their equivalents will be) should be grounded in the social and political context of Skyrim. Perhaps one of the Guildmasters in the Fighters Guild is vigorously opposed to resettling the Dunmer, and so a lot of his quests require you to extort Dunmer in refugee camps; another Guildmaster, however, is opposed to this, and his quests will be more about helping the Dunmer fight for themselves against xenophobic Nords.

All just for example, of course.

Hopefully nothing like New Vegas's system where they attack you on sight if you try to go anywhere in the quests. That was annoying.

Well it's a century and a few decades later, the Nords should have mostly accepted the surge of Dunmer refugees, most humans don't have long memories either, and nobody would remember when the Dunmer first arrived. The Dunmer and Argonians though......Dunmer have long lives, and longer memories. Alot of the refugees would still be alive, and the rest would have learned about it from their parents. We'll hopefully see ummm "disagreements" ( :biggrin: ) between the Dark elves and Argonians.

I'm hoping that they implement individual bounties for every town or region. No more of this crap where I steal a spoon in Chorrol and hear "STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM" in Leyawiin.

I think it'll be one heck of a ride. What I imagine the MQ will be is: You start off either helping the Rebels (Presumably the "bad guys") or the Loyalists (Presumably the "good guys") for a while in the plot, than you find out you're the Dragonborn or w/e, then you've gotta balance fighting Dragons and saving Skyrim's stability (This is where I hope the Radiant Story will shine; maybe something like if you neglect dragon slaying a dragon totally wrecks a village, but if you neglect the power divide you may lose control of a city to the enemy, etc.) until you defeat Alduin, at which point everyone will probably love you so much everyone just decides to go with whatever side you're on. I would also like to see the guilds have some kind of influence as well.

Also, kind of off topic, but how did the Empire get so screwed up anyways? Yeah, I know with no Emperor things got a bit dicey, but I would've imagined Ocato doing a better job, and even if the provinces started defecting, it's not like the lack of an Emperor made the legion suddenly svck/implode randomly; couldn't they have just re-claimed the provinces? Yeah...

There's a little hint on this Skyrim map. Solitude is labeled "empire." Windhelm is labeled "rebels."
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/2858/skyrimmap.png

I like that idea, but if you commit three murders in Chorrol, eventually word will get around and the guards of Leyawiin will be told to arrest you. But really, even in todays world, if I stole a chocolate bar from a store in my home town the police in a city an hours drive away won't have their police actively searching for me.

Right! Well, sorry, I forgot about that - feel very silly now.

But I still think there's scope for some interesting interplay between Nords and Dunmer. After all, old hostilities and perceived injustices can fester a long time in a society's collective consciousness. It might not play out around the Dunmer refugees seeking a safe haven in Skyrim, but rather Nords feeling aggrieved about how the Dunmer were accommodated, or about how the Dunmer managed to found a society in Skyrim.

There's a Dunmer city in Skyrim, so they're doing relatively well, and they're not taking over Nord cities by any means. But still, Dunmer and Nords aren't the best of friends, and suddenly giving shelter to somebody who's had a violent past with your people, when you have the chance to squash them and have the final word. Alot of Nords will likely see it that way.

Well, I think it remains to be seen what that Dunmer city will be like, and how it features in Skyrim. Is it a city built by the Dunmer? Or is it a city that the Dunmer took over? Did the Dunmer city come to exist (whether built or taken over) by force, by deceit, or what?

Also the city might not be a rich one - perhaps the majority of Nords largely refuse to trade with them, or something like that. And while the Dunmer might be a minority in Skyrim, they might be taking an expansionist mindset, and trying to gain more land from the Nords...

:tops: Good points, I didn't think of that. There's so much potential in this game for a living world, I really hope they do it well!

Given the political ummm... 'inbalance' in Skyrim at this point of time it may also open some guild questlines right up. Undoubtedly the opposing groups in the civil war will want help from the Fighters Guild, magic guilds, and definitely the assassins guild (DB?). Maybe as guildmaster you will even be able to lend your support to one group or another, tipping the balance in their favour. Or as a quest you will have been hired by one group to help them in an assault on the other, and whether you help them or sabotage them is up to you, with repurcussions later.