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<blockquote data-quote="pickin_grinnin" data-source="post: 6550311" data-attributes="member: 6697674">I don't require my players to pick an alignment, unless they are playing a class where it matters.&nbsp; I just require them to play their character consistently and logically, with the understanding that sometimes people do things they normally wouldn't, and sometimes people change over time.&nbsp; To me, alignment restrictions often keep people from playing their characters with complex personalities.Even if you play with alignments, remember that people who do bad things are not always inherently bad people, and people who ARE bad people often don't view themselves that way.&nbsp; Within the alignment system of D&amp;D (and Pathfinder), it is quite possible that a neutral character may consistently do bad things within certain situations.&nbsp; For some people, the basic survival instinct (or need to protect a loved one) can override their sense of what is right and wrong, in certain situations.&nbsp; Good, evil, and neutrality may refer to motivation more than action, if you choose to interpret it that way.&nbsp; I can think of a number of people I have known in real life who have done a lot of really bad things, yet believe that they made ethical and moral choices, given their circumstances.&nbsp; I have also known people who made choices that they feel very guilty about, but were ultimately the right choices to make in those circumstances.&nbsp; A lot of people are also easily influenced by the norms of the subculture in which they find themselves.&nbsp; Crowd/herd behavior can be a strong motivator, as can the need to be accepted by their peers.&nbsp; Some people have ethics and morals that are specific to their roles - they may do things within their professions that they could never justify in the everyday lives.&nbsp; That's why you get odd situations like a bloodthirsty dictator who treats his family and pets with nothing but love.In the Golden Age of Piracy (and even today), people became pirates for all sorts of reasons.&nbsp; Some were kidnapped and forced to serve on pirate crews. Some were just in it for the money.&nbsp; Some were sanctioned by monarchs and preyed on ships from other nations.&nbsp; For some, it was the only way to get out of a life of terrible poverty.&nbsp; Though their actions were what we would tend to consider evil, their motivations - and the ethics of the subculture - didn't necessarily put them in the &quot;bad, horrible people&quot; class.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pickin_grinnin, post: 6550311, member: 6697674"] I don't require my players to pick an alignment, unless they are playing a class where it matters. I just require them to play their character consistently and logically, with the understanding that sometimes people do things they normally wouldn't, and sometimes people change over time. To me, alignment restrictions often keep people from playing their characters with complex personalities. Even if you play with alignments, remember that people who do bad things are not always inherently bad people, and people who ARE bad people often don't view themselves that way. Within the alignment system of D&D (and Pathfinder), it is quite possible that a neutral character may consistently do bad things within certain situations. For some people, the basic survival instinct (or need to protect a loved one) can override their sense of what is right and wrong, in certain situations. Good, evil, and neutrality may refer to motivation more than action, if you choose to interpret it that way. I can think of a number of people I have known in real life who have done a lot of really bad things, yet believe that they made ethical and moral choices, given their circumstances. I have also known people who made choices that they feel very guilty about, but were ultimately the right choices to make in those circumstances. A lot of people are also easily influenced by the norms of the subculture in which they find themselves. Crowd/herd behavior can be a strong motivator, as can the need to be accepted by their peers. Some people have ethics and morals that are specific to their roles - they may do things within their professions that they could never justify in the everyday lives. That's why you get odd situations like a bloodthirsty dictator who treats his family and pets with nothing but love. In the Golden Age of Piracy (and even today), people became pirates for all sorts of reasons. Some were kidnapped and forced to serve on pirate crews. Some were just in it for the money. Some were sanctioned by monarchs and preyed on ships from other nations. For some, it was the only way to get out of a life of terrible poverty. Though their actions were what we would tend to consider evil, their motivations - and the ethics of the subculture - didn't necessarily put them in the "bad, horrible people" class. [/QUOTE]

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