Skyrim Civil War: Whose side are you on?

[TheConverter15]

Thought it might be quite interesting to see the amount of people going to the Stormcloaks or the Imperials in Skyrim. So, whose side are you on?

Personally I'm a Stormcloak

[Voss]

I still think the game predisposes the player toward stormcloaks, simply by the starting circumstances. That said, the Nords are a terrible bunch of horrible racists.

Personally I think there should be a third option for any Mer.

[nigsylbd]

I'm finding it a surprisingly hard choice. Initially I planned on being a Stormcloak but its not as black and white as it seems at first glance (big , oppressive imperials versus plucky Nord freedom fighters).

Does anyone know if there's a difference in quests/rewards etc between the two factions?

[Voss]

The prove yourself quest is a little different (but both have it).

The imperials don't seem to want you to drown in icy sea. I can't actually see that happening, but from a realistic point of view, the stormcloak 'proving' quest is an absolute death sentence- swim an arctic sea unprotected to go fight something you can find easily a few miles outside of town. The imperials just want you to clear a nearby fort of bandits

The following quest is exactly the same, however, which actually makes little sense

as it means the quality of your side's intelligence service goes down if you join them

[Ozorik]

I sided with the stormcloaks, both because of the start and also because I am anti-Imperial anyway.

I have got stuck though. An earlier quest means that the Markath guards really don't like me any more and sneaking in seems to be impossible; it looks as though I will need to go to prison to advance the Storm cloak quest line. I only killed 20 or so guards so that should be a light sentence.....right?

[Freak Ona Leash]

Stormcloaks. The Imperials are asses. Oh, and the Stormcloaks encourage my hatred for the Forsworn and Thalmor. I don't care who oppressed whom ninethy bajillion years ago: the Forsworn are dickwads and I hate the Thalmor so much, I don't even eat their corpses when I werewolf them to death.

[Nazguire]

Once you talk to a few of the Jarls, Ulfric and the Legate, you get a far better understanding of the civil war. I personally sided with the Legion after doing this, and don't regret the choice. Ulfric Stormcloak is essentially Horus; did all the military conquering, got too big for his boots, started to think he was the real deal, and started a rebellion right down the middle of the Province.
At the end of the day he doesn't want the High King throne for any selfless reason. He wants it because he craves power. The White Gold Concordat is just something he is using to justify the civil war to his followers, enemies and himself as to why he wants the throne.

[Memnos]

Ulfric's a selfish, power mad jerk. I sided with the Imperials not out of any real love for them, but simply because the rebellion had to end.

I also would like to punch the Thalmor. I don't normally think any race should go a-conquering, but the Thalmor deserve it.

[sycopat]

I sided with the stormcloaks. A lot of Nords are horrible racists, but they never tried to cut my head off because I was an admin error.

However I've regretted it since.

Specifically since reading the Thalmor dossier on Ulfric and finding out he's been compromised by them. I really wish there was something to do with that other than feel bad for picking the wrong side. Wait and see for DLC I guess.

[75hastings69]

I've gone Stormcloaks, simply because they didn't try and behead me right at the beginning of the game!

[Deamon-forge]

i have not picked, but have finished the main quest line. but as 75hastings69 have said prob go Stormcloaks at some point due to the other dudes wanting my head in a basket!

[Latro_]

i'm staying pretty netural at the moment so i dont get locked out of any cities/missions. At the end its all about the stormcloaks though, imperials seem well up em selves.

[Sotek]

My orc is going stormcloaks as lets face it might makes right, my dark elf is going imperial as necromancy, necrophilia are fine (reference to skingrad from TESIV!) but racism is bad!

[nazrag]

I joined the damn Imperials because I was allready in their damn city, and couldn't be bothered to go look for the damn rebells

[Wyrmwood]

Thus far, my Orc - Kromlek - has remained neutral amid the rebellion. He escaped Helgen with that Imperial, but he need to get a much better picture of what is going on before he decides.

[Fist of Crimson]

Haven't joined yet but plan to be a Stormcloak. Same reason as several others: I tend to hold a grudge when people try to lop my head off!

[eldargal]

I waited and made my choice after getting some idea of the people involved, having never played an ES game before (well Oblivion for like two hours). I chose Imperial, simply because their ruler wasn't a puppet of the people she claimed to fight. Also she was a she, so a big plus.

Now:

I've taken Windhel, and killed Ulfric but nothing seems to have changed, they told me there were Stormcloak camps in the mountains but hwnever I go to one they are either all dead or one of them is immortal. Not sure if I'm supposed to do anything more or not.

[BorderKing]

I went with the Stormcloaks, but only because I couldn't decide, and because I was a Nord I thought I'd be patriotic. However, I didn't really want to join them as they are a bunch of racists and I didn't want to join the Imperials as they are past their sell by date, and are a shadow of what they used to be.

However, the game did make me hate the poncy Thalmor though and I kill them where ever I can as they are just sooooooooooooooo up themselves.

[Freak Ona Leash]

Having now discovered that Ulfric Stormcloak is a pawn of the Thalmor, I have decided upon the everpresent third option in situations like this: kill everyone.

[witchunter180]

I chose the imperials. My mindset, and the role I play in the game is that I'm still the Nereverine from mowrrowind. So as a result, I want to see the empire kept together. Next playthrough, I'll do stormcloaks though.