Ruin Explorer
Legend
I think it's just about trusting the specific player and their vision of a character.
Like, I admit I wouldn't let any rando who rolled up to my game play CE. In fact if that was their first request I would look upon them with distrust. But for an experienced player who has shown themselves to be helpful, and can explain their vision of how they'd be playing this character? Not a problem.
Also, I don't think the safety rails on NE are any higher than CE, really. I think you're conflating "safety rails" with things bad/troublesome players seek out. CE is risky with unfamiliar players because a lot of people want to play to cause havoc, whereas the players who want to play NE generally aren't looking to cause havoc, but rather to do a lot of evil cackling and suggesting diabolical plans (even if they get shot down). But that's not "safety rails". There's nothing to stop a player playing NE in a way that causes all the havoc CE can. It's just about what's more likely from the player's desires/goals (not the PC's).
I mean I think this is kind of an issue with a lot of alignments which cause trouble. It's not the alignment, per se, it's the players it attracts. There is an element of chicken and egg too, in that some players, esp. less experienced ones, or ones who've only ever played one alignment and never DM'd, or players who don't consciously think about being cooperative, if they somehow end up playing an unfamiliar alignment, can really cause a problem. But even then it's usually not the alignment. There isn't an alignment in the game that cannot be played in a way that causes havoc. NG is probably the hardest, but if you want to go maximum peacenik, like, you're always doing subdual damage, always trying to take everyone prisoner and reform them, absolutely refusing to do anything in any way "mean", that can be legit NG, but can also be a real problem. Every L or C alignment can create havoc extremely easily.
I guess the solution to most alignments is players need to make creating a character who will work well as part of a group as a serious goal. But again, this can be a problem with any alignment. I'd much rather have a jolly, cooperative, even if wild-eyed CE PC in the group I'm DMing for than a "stubborn loner" of literally any alignment.
(I must admit my own sins here - when I was 17 or so I made a PC for Castle Falkenstein who was precisely a "stubborn loner" (an ornery cowboy who was going to refuse to bow or do any etiquette at all in a game obsessed with courtly bollocks), and in retrospect it's because I hated the setting and shouldn't have agreed to play the game at all. Luckily we didn't really play it much so I never got a chance to cause a big problem.)
