The game doesn't give any clues at all, to that Cailan might have been a poor king.
Now I'm fairly convinced it is the Bioware writers' intention, that Cailan is to be cast as a not so very able regent. But they fail to give us any hard evidence to that effect, in game.
On the contrary, it seems to me they give plenty reason to suspect Cailan might be a good King:
Just consider Loghain's opinion of Cailan. Well we all know, even the Loghain fans, that Loghain's judgement is so abyssmally poor that he is, with almost 100% accuracy, always wrong. Ergo, Cailan is a great king because he 'must' also be wrong about Cailan.
More seriously: Ferelden seem to have managed well enough during his reign, despite the attempts at manipulation by the Loghains. The worst damage that that very ambitious and treacherous peasant woman Anora and her disgusting father seem to have managed, up to the start of the game, is raising Howe in influence and power. And that is of course bad indeed. But one has to imagine that Cailan, even if he must have become wise and disillusioned regarding his wife by then, still trusted Loghain, for his previous involvement with his father. In fact we know this, by his exhibition of trust at Ostagar.
But ultimately, this and his infatuation with "glory" are the only visible fails by Cailan, and they cannot be considered great, as a personal defects, even though the consequences are great. Though, of course, a truly wise, and great king would have gotten rid of the Loghains, long before. ...And wouldn't have exposed himself on the battlefield.
Cailan's instincts regarding contacts with Orlais seem very sound and enlightened. Maybe it will also give him an opportunity to get rid of his horrible wife. In fact, his instincts regarding the battle at Ostagar are also rather sound, proving that he is potentially a much better general than Loghain. Only he doesn't trust himself as a general. He trusts Loghain. But a great general, great in the sense of Sun Tzu, would have had additional reinforcements from Orlais and Eamon before the battle.
This is one of the little facts that expose that Loghain really isn't any good general at all. He has been successful up to the point of Ostagar. But there, and after, events are far beyond such a small and inept man as Loghain. He is perceived as a great general, yes, due to previous events, by luck or set on the preparations by Maric. And he is able to inspire his soldiers to loyalty and faith. He is even a charismatic and good speaker, (something which apparently works on some gamers as well as his followers
). But all that alone doesn't make up a good general.
Clues to the opposite are prevalent in-game and pretty damning though. We all know and can agree on his judgement. A person with such terribly poor judgement can never be a good general. It's simply impossible. He can, conceivably, have his moments of success, due to sheer luck, or the fact that someone else (Maric) has provided the right background.
He completely fails to understand the most important principle that makes a great general: That victory in battle cannot be achieved on the field. On the contrary, he seems to rely entirely on his illusionary abilities to manage a battle to victory. That seem even to be the full extent of what he thinks a general really does. But a battle cannot be won in the field. It can only be lost in the field. So, really, he is trusting in his enemies to lose the battle! His reputation is founded on him being lucky, so far. Truly a poor general, potentionally a disastrous such.
For all the loyalty he inspires, he also fails when it comes to managing his men. His second in command, for example, is an unquestioning yes-sayer, a robotically obedient servant. A good general, never mind a great, would never have such a person close to him in command. Cauthrien, herself even, also considers her only role to be unquestioning and 100% loyal. This is a dysfunctional and badly mismanaged army. The legacy of Loghain's incompetence again.
A truly great general wins his battles long before the clash in the field. Before, is the only time you can truly win. Cailan's instincts there, true to his genes, are very sound. Unfortunately, he ends up trusting Loghain, rather than himself.
So to summarize: The game doesn't give enough evidence to conclude whether Cailan is a poor king or not. The developers seem to hint that he is supposed to be at least less than average. The events, in game play, seem to hint that he is in fact a rather decent regent with some faults (mainly trusting the Loghains), much just like his father, Maric, or his brother, Alistair.
Regarding Loghain: We all (fans & haters & indifferent) know beyond any doubt that Loghain is a complete 100% disaster, from the start, as attempting to be a regent. Nor can he be a success, regarding his lack of qualities. The man is simply conceited and rash passion, unenlighted and very narrowminded. He even fails to realize that his "beloved" Ferelden is the people who live there, not some concept of "independence" of a set of brightly colored banns on his treasured map. Does he even understand what independence truly is? Or the purpose of it? Has he even asked the question why his rule would be preferable to Orlais'? (not that Ferelden is in any danger of falling to Orlais, anyway)
As a general: I have not seen anyone, before, point out the fact that Loghain is also, (in the concept of Sun Tzu, at least, which I believe all experts still today agree is perfectly valid) a very poor general, despite the in-game evidence for that being so conclusive. But really, that conclusion shouldn't be a surprise really, given Loghain's personality. A man like Loghain simply can't be a good general. ...Either. He's just a dumb peasant having risen to power and reputation, thanks to his passions, a war, Maric, and a good deal of luck.
I think this point well illustrate that you can't really use the prevailing opinions, of in-game society or persons, as hints to how to understand the "real" situation, in-game. Your player character has to come to that understanding him/herself.
Modifié par Solica, 23 janvier 2010 - 01:46 .
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