tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post6992633878901205227..comments2024-03-19T00:05:32.681-04:00Comments on Applied Phantasticality: Dual Threefold Alignment SystemGordon Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post-64083292426824803292013-01-14T12:29:31.192-05:002013-01-14T12:29:31.192-05:00Then again, maybe I'll just let alignment gove...Then again, maybe I'll just let alignment govern behavior <em>and</em> cosmic allegiance. Full circle. But unlike some schools of thought, I'll just let Law equal Good and Chaos equal Evil. I want to keep it as simple as possible. (Personal preferences for societal laws and whether they are upheld or flouted will be immaterial. Alignment will pertain to following one's conscience.)Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post-80253461369384103392013-01-14T11:43:32.542-05:002013-01-14T11:43:32.542-05:00That's what led me to stop worrying and love t...That's what led me to stop worrying and love the bomb, which is to say, I'll probably continue to use Law/Neutrality/Chaos, but I'll interpret them as described here -- http://appliedphantasticality.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-good-bad-etc.html -- and use alignment strictly as a meta-rule governing behavior and reactions rather than a cosmic force that brands one permanently. I'd prefer to let players wonder about the metaphysics of their universe than have all the answers anyway.Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post-81233884564023448732013-01-14T02:26:43.849-05:002013-01-14T02:26:43.849-05:00Touche, in a general, real world sense. But I thin...Touche, in a general, real world sense. But I think in terms of emulating source material (fantasy literature), these terms are clear enough and, more importantly, more playable. The point is that a heroic society wouldn't have slavery in its laws, while a villainous would. Muddying the waters with historical antecedents and/or anti-heroic examples detracts from my objective - to recast the alignment framework in a light that is more intuitive and supportive of roleplaying. Each person's mileage varies, however, and so the terms and connotations I ascribe may be meaningless to others. At the end of the day, we're playing games with funny dice and graph paper, so what works for you should be kept, and anything else modified or scrapped.<br /><br />Good discussion though.Tedankhamenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00181643018957592969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post-84386683541464186522013-01-13T17:32:05.776-05:002013-01-13T17:32:05.776-05:00"Heroic" and "Villainous" coul..."Heroic" and "Villainous" could be as nebulous as "Good" and "Evil" if you consider that one person's act of heroism could be another person's act of villainy. It all depends on the point of view. The same could be said of my Law-Abiding versus Criminal, of course. If the laws being abided are evil (slavery prior to the American Civil War, for instance), then criminal activity in opposition to those laws (such as operating the Underground Railroad) would be considered good. That's why I dislike alignments so much. As with almost every other role-playing game created since <b><i>D&D</i></b> (there are a few exceptions), I think it's generally better to let actions dictate how one is regarded, rather than letting alignments dictate actions. I like your system of Law-upholding, Law-abiding, and Law-breaking, though.Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1197678759994283970.post-74898009107839246212013-01-13T00:38:34.017-05:002013-01-13T00:38:34.017-05:00I've had this thought, but used 'Law-uphol...I've had this thought, but used 'Law-upholding', 'Law-abiding', and 'Law-breaking' to better guide PC/NPC action. The first group are like paladins, actively enforcing the law, the second group largely follows it without feeling the need to promulgate it, while the last have no qualms about breaking society's rules for their own purpose or just for fun. I would argue that 'apathetic' might be a poor fit with a game of action.<br /><br />I've also replaced the 'Good/Neutral/Evil' tripod with 'Heroic/Average/Villainous' to better describe character action than the nebulous terms 'good' or 'evil'.<br /><br />It's funny how type of minor rebranding can have such major effects on how we understand a game and play it.Tedankhamenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00181643018957592969noreply@blogger.com