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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SavageCole" data-source="post: 6311763" data-attributes="member: 6750284">Using alignment as training wheels to help someone play a persona different than them makes sense, but it is very simplistic and like many crutches can often be a barrier to good roleplay.  Alignment has an axis of three discrete values for Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic, when these are really continuous variables and often issue dependent for a character. I might be very law-abiding about certain rules, e.g. practice swordsmanship every day, never attack an unarmed man, obey all orders, but then less so about being loyal to my spouse, honest in my business dealings, etc.  What is good and what is evil is so subjective that this combined with the same problem of having three discrete values (Good, Neutral, Evil) constrains the development and play of a rich personality.  Game of Thrones is a great of example of characters being capable of heroic good one minute and sinister evil the next.   Real life provides similar examples. The days of white hats/black hats and other over simplified substitutes for a complex character persona are behind us.  With that said, I like the tongue-in-cheek value of alignment in d&d.  It's part of the history of the game and may well help struggling roleplayers play make believe.  My argument is that its an awkward constraint and barrier to roleplay .... and that it shouldn't be used mechanically to control a player/character that no longer needs these training wheels.</blockquote>

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