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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 3468262" data-attributes="member: 42582">There was an interesting alignment thread recently on <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=318119" target="_blank">rpg.net</a>.It does highlight one implication of the D&D alignment system: it is tricky to properly classify the alignment of someone who is strongly in-group loyal, but out-group hostile.A heroic campaign world like Forgotten Realms deals with this problem by making all the out-groups Evil also (Orcs, Red Wizards, Bane-ites etc), so that the hostility of the Noble Knights towards their enemies doesn't raise doubts about those characters' goodness. This sort of campaign world ignores the real-world grittiness of racism, xenophobia, the tendency of Knightly armies to rape and pillage, etc.The movie Excalibur offers a similar model of how Good can be handled.A campaign world like Greyhawk tries to handle the issue by making everyone much more neutral than other worlds. But many see this as less heroic, and the default D&D module seems to peg the average person as Good rather than Neutral. I think the easiest way to develop a gritty game is just to drop alignment.</blockquote>