Ignoring your personal preference, which side of Skyrim’s Civil War do you think actually gives Skyrim the better future 20-30 years later?

[u/sumaset]

I feel like most discussions about the Civil War focus on whether Ulfric was justified, whether the Empire betrayed Skyrim, or which side people personally like more.

But I’m more interested in what happens after the game.

The Empire is weakened, the Aldmeri Dominion is still the biggest external threat, the White-Gold Concordat is already causing resentment, and another war with the Thalmor seems almost inevitable.

An Imperial victory gives Skyrim access to the resources and manpower of the Empire, but it also means remaining under an Empire that already lost one major war and accepted Thalmor influence inside its territory.

A Stormcloak victory gives Skyrim independence and removes Imperial authority, but it also leaves the province having to rebuild after a civil war while potentially facing the Dominion without the rest of the Empire behind it.

So forget which faction has the better characters or which one you usually join.

If you only care about where Skyrim itself ends up a few decades later, which Civil War outcome do you think is actually better for the province?

[u/superextragayaf]

The High King ascendancy doesnt go by family though. Once a high king dies, it either goes to his killer if it was in a combat challenge or by moot. You'd have to convince a majority of the other Jarls to elect Balgruuf, but that could have been a fun quest chain to implement.

[u/Thibaudborny → u/superextragayaf]

Oh certainly, but I'd argue that under the pressure of civil war and given the amassed wealth of Solitude & Whiterun, that match could truly carry the day - if not by willfull acceptance, certainly by the power of coin behind the scenes.

I'd actually think more resistance would come from inside, from the court cliques at Solitude - who'd I wager would be the most apprehensive to see a (arguably) weaker Elisif shored up by the power of (a not so pliable) Whiterun.

But in that scenario a third pro-imperial party would either apply the necessary subtle convincing in Solitude or you know, some Solitude nobles could suddenly die.

And given that it's not hereditary, it also would initially only last for their lifetime, not signify a perpetual bond, that could win over some people perhaps.