The Alignment Wars - my stance in the trenches

[Celebrim]

"In that vein, perhaps one could see Chaos as being more Liberal, and Lawful as more Conservative."

You certainly could say that, and I think there is some truth to it, but lets not get started on what 'Liberal' and 'Conservative' mean because they would quickly have to shut down the thread.

"...I have strong dislike towards the alignment system as well.

My stance is that it leads to a monochromatic perseption of the game world, withdrawing characters from its suspension of disbelief. I also dislike having a game mechanic dictate constant behaviour of a character, it again withtracts from a possible better roleplaying experience."

Ok, let me see if I can parse some meaning out of that. You have a strong dislike for the alignment system because it leads to a monochromatic perception of the game world, which destroys your suspension of disbelief? Leaving aside the question of whether a two axis alignment system is 'monochromatic' and whether those two axis have no grey or nuetral areas in them, isn't this the same as saying that you believe that the real world is not monochromatic in its morality? Isn't that not a criticism of the alignment system, but a debatable opinion about the morality of the real world? I mean, might not some people conceivably see the world in terms of good and evil, and might therefore their suspension of belief be destroyed were not that division portrayed? One problem I have with this sort of criticism, is that the moral principal it is based on is describable in terms of the very system it claims is so unrealistic.

And for that matter, how is inconstancy in the behavior of characters a superior or more realistic roleplaying experience? I'm not suggesting that any game mechanic need straight jacket a player, nor am I suggesting that a good roleplayer needs a mechanic to enforce good role play, but it does seem to me that good roleplay dictates your character behave in some internally consitant and predictable fashion (even if 'unpredictablity' is one of your character's traits). Do you think that real people are completely inconstant, and if so, isn't that also a debatable moral opinion? Might not some people believe that most people have definable personality traits which they seldom (if ever) violate?

The reason that you need a mechanic to encourage consistant role play is the same reason you need mechanics to represent fatigue. If you do not provide a mechanic for fatigue, you will find your players declaring 'I walk for 40 hours straight in a blizzard over the mountain pass with a bleeding wound. Can I make it in 24 hours and still swing my sword with full vigor? Well there are no rules that say I can't!!!' People will tend to forget their physical limitations if the mechanics don't remind them of them when it is conveinent to do so to solve a problem. Likewise, most people have mental and emotional constraints that prevent them from acting with full violition, and role players are inclined to forget this when conveinent if you don't provide mechanics to remind them.