I am an exception to your observation. I played Morrowind when it was current, way back when I was in high school. I played Oblivion from launch up to The Shivering Isles, as well. My first character was a Nord. In Morrowind, he was too big for much of the armor and some of it wouldn't show up on him, at all, but it all came together in Bloodmoon.
When I played Oblivion, I was very critical, because I felt Cyrodil was very boring, compared to Morrowind. Gone were the days of true exploration and finding true artifacts. Gone were they days of reading and actually having consequences for your actions. Oblivion felt very lazy, to me. The empire seemed weak compared to what I had faced becoming the Nerevarine. It was like the game held your hand.
Skyrim was refreshing, but I realize it can never go back to how it was in Morrowind. At least in Skyrim, when you go to a place you are too weak for, you die, horribly. In oblivion, everything was leveled and nothing was ever hard.
Still, I never respected the Empire. I still remember my beastly Nord that owned Morrowind through blood and effort. When i found out Skyrim would be in Nord homeland, I was elated.
It is interesting to see such exceptions when they appear! For me, it all was a completely blank slate. I barely had any idea of what the game was even about when I got it, admittedly. I'd never played any ES games prior and I mostly was drawn to the idea of such a massive open world RPG structure to run around in. I've always favored RPGs and action games, and the promise that Skyrim would blend both genres seamlessly sold me. I continue to be quite glad that the boyfriend surprised me with the game.
I think also for me, being a student of Roman history, I was drawn to the Imperials in that regard. Their aesthetic was intriguing and alluring, and I was interested to see just how it all would unfold from that side. First impressions are usually the most lasting and I'll admit I didn't take too well to Ulfric from the start. Something about him rubbed me the completely wrong way and I wanted to stay far removed from him and everything bearing his name.
Again, it's very interesting to hear from people who have played through a huge swathe of the series, especially when they side with the Stormcloaks. When I've spoken to others, there is a certain nostalgia detectable and a true desire to support the Empire despite the state of Tamriel currently. It just reminds me of how emotional the series has been for so many and it lights a fire under my butt to continue acquiring the older games and playing them as soon as possible.
I think the fall of the Thalmor and the Dominion will benefit all of Tamriel, and that the Storm Cloaks, as patriotic and insensitive as they may be, have the right idea. The Emprire, as great as is once was, faltered when it signed that treaty. The Dominion must fall.
I agree (and I believe most Imperial supporters would too) that the Thalmor needs to go - it and the Dominion. As I always say, no one likes the Thalmor except the Thalmor, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Obviously the Stormcloaks speak boldly of the day when the Thalmor will be routed, but truly the Imperial NPCs will speak just as candidly at times of their disgust with the overall circumstances and in a very similar vein. Tullius apparently even confirms in "Season Unending" that the present conflict in Skyrim is but "an interlude" before the next showdown with the Thalmor, lamenting the loss and rerouting of resources (in Skyrim's civil war) for such an undertaking. It's something that the Nords in the Legion are certainly cognisant of, and they make it part of their stated raison d'être in the Imperial army. No one enthusiastically, lovingly, embraces the terms of the Concordat (except the Thalmor). But the existence of multiple vantage points on it all is quite clear.
I wish the racial issues were handled differently. I did not care for the bullying and segregation when I entered Windhelm, and did my best to subside it. I don't agree with Ulfric's segregation of the dunmer, but I don't think he's Hitler, either. It's unfortunate, but it doesn't really matter, in the big picture, to me.
It's true, things could be outright violent and pervasively so in Windhelm when it comes to the treatment of the Dunmer. I have to wonder, though, just how close things are to that point at the time we encounter the city. Once again, it seems like Ulfric is a character who
could have had much more pointing in his favor if he wasn't designed to be such a problematic figure. I could see him having had tried to foster goodwill and curry favor among the Dunmer years ago, when he first took over as Jarl - cynical or not, a politically minded individual like him would know the kind of fruit that could bear over time and it's interesting to me that he is essentially written to own the current situation in Windhelm. But there is nothing to suggest that he attempted as much. Even though he didn't start the policy, he's enforced it with no indication of rescinding it. And that by itself speaks to his character in a variety of ways. Even though I really don't like him, I do find him fascinating.
I appreciate long, well thought out posts much more than accusing, hateful ones that lack substance. Your participation is very welcome, though we may disagree.
That said, I feel the safer choice is the empire, and that most will side with it, especially since most players don't roll a nord. It's much harder to sympathize with the Storm ==Cloaks when you are not a nord.
Indeed, as much as I may disagree, I too appreciate insight from people who side Stormcloak because it is good to be aware of the arguments to both sides. I'm fairly stubborn as it is, but the researcher that I am likes to be informed as much as possible. And talking with people on here tends to make me dig and redig into the lore for relevant information, as well as reconsider things I've seen in the game. It's a beneficial activity, methinks.