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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6418097" data-attributes="member: 2067">I don't think that's inaccurate, but I think we differ on whether or not this is actually a problem. "Good" just describes one kind of belief. "Evil" describes another. PS presents a universe where neither can be said to be more true or worthy than the other. I think the more natural response, in PS, if the demon sees fit to give an honest reply, is "Because it is what we all ought to be doing." In fact, that's probably what a lot of PS characters of any stripe reply when asked why they did something. That's part of living according to your beliefs -- you behave as you think people ought to behave. CE, as a foundation for a coherent belief system, might indicate that a pursuit of personal pleasure, even at the expense of others, is how to live one's life truthfully and honestly. To do otherwise would be to deny that hedonic pleasure, and for no worthy purpose. The demon has a telos, it knows exactly what its life is for, its own pleasure, and its purpose is greater than any other purpose, at least in its mind. The fact that this is called "Chaotic Evil" is only labeling (which is part of why PS isn't inextricable from the concept of alignment). The archon has its own telos, it knows exactly what its life is for, to preserve the contented and free lives of as many beings as it is able to. This is the greatest purpose, according to that archon. The fact that this is called "Lawful Good" doesn't make the archon's belief any more true than the demon. The archon's purpose has virtues, but is flawed. The demon's purpose is ruthless, but not without its appeals. A PC could reasonably hold and fight for either of those beliefs. Sure. What's in question in PS is whether or not "engaging with the necessary conditions of meaningful social life" is actually any sort of worthy goal for existence. A demon might argue that, of course, it's not -- if the purpose of existence is to cultivate and engage in hedonic pleasure, spending time refraining from doing whatever you feel like at the moment is standing in the way of that goal, and so social life is basically a waste of time unless one is getting personal delight from it.Player Characters. By facing game challenges, living according to their belief and transforming the multiverse, they prioritize their own "wants" over that of competing systems. In fact, this describes PS quite well: a state of conflict that can be resolved in play if the players succeed. By extension, their antagonists as well. This is also the purpose behind the factions: competing systems of belief that set up inherent conflicts in the setting that the PC's can resolve to the favor of whatever they throw their lot in with. If the PC's throw their lot in with the demons (or a faction that espouses a similar philosophy -- perhaps certain stripes of Sensate, for instance!), you can be quite assured that, if they are successful, NPC's that they've influenced across the multiverse will be acting according to their personal wants now, and, indeed, the very heavens may be torn asunder, or the destruction of the multiverse well and truly started. This goal may even be desirable: this was what the PC's always believed was going to happen anyway.</blockquote>

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