Alignment, one of the biggest divisive issues in gaming.
Argued about, not just in games that use the alignment system, but among all
gamers. The thing is, I think a lot of people have a very narrow view of what
alignment represents. They see alignment as a cage that traps a player into
being a certain thing all the time. Personally, I think that misses some
fundamental points and I’m going to touch on few of them today.
The first thing I want to talk about is the fact that a
lot of people think your alignment determines what you do. The truth of the
matter is that what you do determines your alignment. This is one of the
reasons the first thing I do is
determine how he would react to certain situations when working on a new
character. Seeing what he would do when tough choices need to be made helps me
make a determination as to what alignment he might be.
I really enjoy one of the alternate methods proposed in
Pathfinder Unchained. These alternate alignment rules start all players at True Neutral, except in cases where the class has
alignment restrictions. From there the character’s actions determine their
placement on the alignment scale. This allows the player to settle into the
alignment that closest suits the character’s actions.
Speaking of actions, some think that every little action
determines alignment movement. Really, it is the tough moral challenges and
dilemmas. Not paying your fine once doesn’t change the fact that you’re lawful.
Turning yourself in for a crime you didn’t commit to try and prove your innocence would shift you toward being lawful. The
tough moral decisions, the things that could be detrimental to you even if you
do them, these are the things that make us who we are.
The last thing I want to talk about is alignment and
personality. Too often people feel you can only play an alignment one way. As
much as I hate the sentiment, because usually it means people want to be a jerk
to the rest of the party, Lawful Good does not equal Lawful Nice. Your chaotic
evil character is allowed to love animals. He’s allowed to have a wife and kid.
Your alignment does not equal your personality; it may in cases influence it
but it does not determine it. I’ve even already taken a stab at non-psychotic
ways to play Chaotic Neutral.
Alignment may not be for you and that’s fine. There are
plenty of games that don’t use it. And the same alternative rules sections
posits ways to remove alignment. But if you do want to use the alignment system
or you’re even on the fence about it, maybe these musings will help you get a
better grip on how you can use alignment in your game.
Do you use alignment? Would these ideas make you
reconsider using alignment if you don’t? How have you used alignment in your
game? Do you enforce alignment shifts only on major moral dilemmas, or for
every little action?
Looking at gaming ideas from another angle is what the
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happy to give more personalized advice on any gaming topic.
It jut seems to me that if Alignment is so open ended then what is the point? It really requires a strict definition to have any meaning.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons it doesn't have a strict definition is because our on morality isn't as black and white. So in my game I might think of something as being an evil act that you wouldn't in your game. The agreed upon morality of the group will be different at every table. There are very few things that the developers have decided to say this is definitively good and this is definitively evil so that each group can decide on what their morality is. But then once the morality is chosen its pretty simple to figure out where on the moral axis you stand.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for meaning. In pathfinder and to some extend D&D there is a war going on in the outer planes. The choices you make that lead you to a life of good or evil, order or chaos but you squarely on one side of this war, even if the character doesn't realize it. Hell and the Heavens are scrambling for more souls to join their armies so the choices you make aren't just important to you in the here and now on earth. They matter after you die as well. They are of the utmost importants and have true meaning to the cosmic balance.
@Ian Shannon - The point is that alignment is how others perceive you currently.
ReplyDeleteBut your actions would influence that perception.
Your alignment does not dictate what you can or can't do, it merely reflects what you have done.
As it lists, an evil character can still love animals or have a family. Infact to those animals or family the character may not even be viewed as evil.
But to the rest of the world you could still be the one that sold out the entire town so you could get that very family out safely or the one that let a bunch of poor defenseless peasants die just so you could get away with the loot.