system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Elder Scrolls] Would Ulfric and the Stormcloaks have been able to defeat the Empire without the help of the Dragonborn?
gpt
No, he would have probably died at Helgen. 

The entire intro sequence is related to the Dragonborn. Without their involvement, Tullius executes Ulfric, and the Stormcloaks lose their unifying element. 

Even if you continue on from after Helgen, the prospects aren't great. Tullius has captured Ulfric once, and his presence in Skyrim only escalates from there. Without a quick victory, Ulfric risks drawing the actual attention of the Imperial Legion, which he admits he can't beat. And it's the LDB that gives him that quick victory.