Allignment Problems in my Campaign: Chaotic Neutral or just Annoying...

Vaxalon · Mar 12, 2002

Dareoon Dalandrove said:
So you wouldn't allow someone who can play that alignment well to use it? That seems wronge.

That's right. I won't let someone write CN on his character sheet, play CE, and try to weasel out of the consequences of playing an evil character.

buzzard · Mar 12, 2002

I have a decent CN player in my campaign. He bristles when the party is assigned something by an authority figure, and generally has to be convinced that riches are in store for him if he comes along. However he never avoids coming along. He also never avoids helping the party. He just favors some members who he feels have been more useful to him. Also he dislikes the paladin, but go figure. CN does not preclude decent role playing, it's just too often used as an excuse to play a lunatic.
I'd say just either outlaw the alignment if th players abuse it, or enforce real consequences for abusing it. You know, like being chained up on the wall of the dungeon by the lawful authorities while the other lawful characters leave them to rot because it is justified.

buzzard

Dareoon Dalandrove · Mar 12, 2002

Vaxalon said:
That's right. I won't let someone write CN on his character sheet, play CE, and try to weasel out of the consequences of playing an evil character.

Excuse me but did you read my post? What I asked was if someone plays a CN character well (not a CE character pretending to be a CN) would you still bann them from playing it?

Dareoon Dalandrove · Mar 12, 2002

Also have those of you who are Dms and are thinking about banning the Alignment have you ever played a CN (once again not CE) character?

Psion · Mar 12, 2002

Dareoon Dalandrove said:
Also have those of you who are Dms and are thinking about banning the Alignment have you ever played a CN (once again not CE) character?

Sure. But my character had goals and motivations. My character just wasn't a qixotic roustabout that avoided all possible involvement of any semblance of an adventure that the GM set forth. Which is entirely too common amongst oft times players of CN characters.

Zappo · Mar 12, 2002

Nothing wrong with CN... as long as it is CN and not some kind of chaotic stupid.

BTW, I don't ban any alignment IMC. If a player asks if he can make a CE character, I'll simply tell him that it's fine and that should someone offer him 20000 GP to murder all other PCs while they sleep or something like that, I'll expect him to accept at once and do it. No need for the DM to ban anything. The other players will.

I have lots of fun when I can get my hands on a player who takes CN alignment and then proceeds to burn down taverns and killing random persons.

kengar · Mar 12, 2002

It's true that CN probably sees the most abuse of any alignment in terms of players taking it as a license to be a freak. It's also true that it is possible to roleplay CN well. In the campaign I am currently DM-ing, I have banned all non-good alignments for PC's. The reason is simple; one of the players in the last campaign was a CN rogue and behaved like a lunatic. He is playing a rogue again and I simply don't need that headache again. I'm sure some folks really roleplay their CN characters and have good "in-character" reasons for choosing that alignment, but 9 out of 10 CN characters are made that way to avoid roleplaying and free the player up to do whatever they think will get them what they want.

Bottom line: CN is (almost ALWAYS) a munchkin alignment and banning it is often the easiest way out for a DM.

Vanor · Mar 12, 2002

I almost hate to say this, and ruin what is shaping up to be a lovely alignement debate...

But it sounds to me like the problem is the player, not the character.

5) For some reason the last campaign I ran lasted 6 months (which I believe is a long time to run a campaign when all your players are horny teenagers trying to be "rebels" every day of their lives) and that campaign did not have the "chaotic Neutral" guys involved.

He also mentioned that the CN guy offten starts rules debates. It sounds to me like you have a problem player and not a problem with a CN character.

Altho I do agree, that far to offten CN is someone's way of playing a evil PC in a game where the DM doesn't allow evil PC's.

Sir Osis of Liver · Mar 12, 2002

Really the biggest problem with alignment, is it's so hard to properly interperate, i don't think my opions on alignment are 100% acuarte, i think they're pretty good and more importantly i'm on the same basic page with my dm and the other players in my group. What you really need to do is have a serios dicussion on the topic and make sure every one gets to gether as to what each alignment means. After that if some one violates thier alignment then they should be prepared for the conciquences.

Personnaly nothing sowers a game for me quicker than having the DM start banning stuff, especially when it so strongly impacts on character concept and roleplay. As a DM i sure as heck wouldn't think of doing that sort of thing to my players. The DM is god rule is all well and good, but to a certain extent it's one of the worst concepts the game has ever spawned.

I've played my share of CN characters and many of the other alignments as well. in fact i find the hardest alignments to play currectly are the lawful ones, especially LN. I prefer CN and CG to loose the optoin to play one of my favored alignments would suck.

Gizzard · Mar 12, 2002

Certain alignments are problematical; anything involving Chaos inherently opposes 1) the group nature of an adventuring party ("All for one and one for all!") 2) the laws of society ("Dont burn down Inns because they wont serve you.")

Its possible for people to play the Chaos alignments in an interesting, enjoyable way; but it is more common for players to abuse them. I dont see any problem with restricting alignments in a campaign to avoid this problem. It generally makes the game flow more smoothly for the DM and Lawful players, which is a good enough reason to do it.