Decisions, decisions….

Which fraction to join? My PC is a Breton and my natural inclination is to side with rebels (Stormcloaks) BUT, from what I am hearing from other races, they seems to pursue "Skyrim for Nords only" policy. Empire, on the other hand, is much more cosmopolitan but they appear to rule Skyrim with a heavy hand AND they tried to chop my frigging head off!

I would suggest to take your time and speak with the leaders of both sides before deciding.

You can also get a bit more perspective by speaking with the various Jarls, and there are some interesting quests in Markarth that provide deeper understanding of the background of this war.

Yeah what ^he^ said. Take your time and talk to people, including folks in taverns and around the cities to see what they think about the war. Honestly, I'm completely torn between the 2, with a slight leaning towards Stormcloaks, since I liked Ralof in the beginning, that's really the only thing pulling me towards the rebels. It's a tough decision to make for sure. And actually, in terms of roleplaying, my character may just stay out of the conflict completely. I just haven't decided yet.

I was leaning toward the Stormcloaks from the beginning, in large part because the Imperials tried to chop off my head!

However, playing as a dunmer, when I visited Windhelm the first time I got to experience a bit of Nord racism and I decided to help my dark elf brothers and sisters rise up and occupy Windhelm.

Either that or return to the city under cover of night and send some of the NPCs who called me a "greyskin maggot" to sleep with the fishes.

There are no real consequences to choosing a side (or remaining neutral) so you can safely pick whatever side feels right for your character.
However if you plan on doing the dark brotherhood quest chain i would suggest joining the stormcloaks.

So far, it's "plague on both of your houses" for me. And, unless something changes radically, it's likely to stay this way.
Haven't seen any quest line about helping Dark Elves in Windhelm. Are you just role playing CC?

I thought I read in a forum post (by some player) that if you join the Stormcloaks it …



But I didn't want to risk any spoilers by hunting down the quest line in Wiki. It seems unlikely that would be true so I haven't worried about it much. Anyone know?

I am leaning towards Stormcloaks. In the past I thought the Empire brought more peace and stability to everyone. But I dislike the Thalamor and wasn't happy with that truce. I am also not sure if the empire will stay strong and it may be better to look to our own.

Undecided … it is a tough choice. I think I have a bad taste in my mouth considering they were going to cut off my head … and that female captain … ohh I hated her.

Both sides are just sides, not good nor bad sides. This is in and of itself good. So you can decide for yourself which faction to join based on your roleplaying preferences.

The first character I finished with was an orc fighter who I envisioned as having served previously in the legion and the chopping of heads thing was obviously just a misunderstanding. He was a simple guy with a simple understanding of what was going on. Eventually he bought the most expensive house he could in Solitude and enjoyed walking around town to the accolades of various people who commented on his exploits. Plus he married a hot orc chick!

Originally Posted by zahratustra
Haven't seen any quest line about helping Dark Elves in Windhelm. Are you just role playing CC?