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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 8443789" data-attributes="member: 6801845">TLDR: the video just uses different alignment systems to talk about how to set up moral conflicts. I'm not convinced moral conflicts are particularly interesting.Having watched the video, it's really about setting up conflicts and how to use alignment.  However I have to say that I disagree that alignment conflicts are interesting.  It's too simplistic for me  while also not being universally "interesting" or "fun".  I guess maybe it always feels a bit "cheap"?  Not sure, it's a concept that's hard to put into text.Let me put this another way.  Using the video's definition, at it's core D&D alignment best falls into the restrictive category.  Not that it's actually prescriptive in 5E but in the sense that it starts with a set of ideals and concepts that restrict what kind of actions would fall into that alignment category.  We don't have specific elements or actions spelled out, it's kind of a judgement call whether something is good, evil, lawful or chaotic.  We don't have Star Trek's prime directive non intervention clause that gets ignored every other episode depending on the series.  It's not cumulative because you decide the alignment at character creation, although if the DM allows shifting alignment based on the game it can be.As a DM, I can always set up trolley car problems.  Situations where there is no good choice, no matter what you do either 10 people die or 2 people die.  Add in the twist of 10 strangers or the 2 people being your parents for extra funsies.  No thanks.  To me, that's setting up people to fail.I remember playing Living Greyhawk (the 3.x open game system) and for whatever reason a bunch of the authors though it was "thought provoking and edgy" to throw fun situations like forcing the players to choose between a literal demon and devil.  In another case you were forced to help an obviously bad guy perform an evil deed or the mod was over in about 15 minutes.  That's not edgy to me, it's just a giant middle finger to people who want to play heroic good aligned PCs.  When we played we fought both the demon and the devil (our DM empathized and gave us the 3rd option) and in the latter case we went home after 15 minutes instead of playing D&D for the day.The problem I see is that too many DMs think they're good at setting this stuff up when really it's just a railroaded conclusion that has no good choice.  Instead of feeling conflicted I just feel like I might as well flip a coin.  No matter what I choose, there's no good answer.  I remember a DM laughing gleefully because he caused a fight to start between 2 LG factions by ignoring my PC completely who tried to stop the conflict.So it's rare for me to set up these kind of conflicts.  It's a game, it's escapism.  There are always going to be times in real life where no matter what choice we make the outcome isn't going to be good.  So it's rare that I set up these kind of conflicts and when I do it's almost never reduced to simplistic binary alignment choices.  There will (almost always) be at least a 3rd rail for that trolley car.  Maybe that 3rd rail means that the trolley car I'm driving has a significant chance to crash and burn, meaning that I die instead of anyone else, but at least it's my choice.It also doesn't boil down to something as simple as alignment.  I take into consideration the cumulative experiences and decisions made by the party up to this pointInstead I use cumulative alignment, associations, experiences and other ties along with multiple solutions.  You can make a deal with the devil, knowing there will be a cost.  Or you can tell the devil to go back to hell, your next challenge will just be more difficult.  Maybe you can figure out a way to coerce the devil to help you without paying any price whatsoever.  Most of the time though the conflicts arise because of connections with people and bonds that people have formed.  Even then there will be multiple ways of solving the issue.When it comes to alignment in D&D, it's just one descriptor of many.  A useful shortcut for monsters and NPCs that barely have 15 seconds of fame, something I may use for inspiration for PCs and more complex NPCs or ignore entirely.</blockquote>

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