Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
why I play evil characters
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Zelda Themelin" data-source="post: 143812" data-attributes="member: 167"><p>In terms of alignment, my favourites are N, CN and CG crudely put. However, I do play other types of characters</p><p>too, however excluding LG paladins and anything elvish. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I actually use alignments pretty loosely, more guidelines, though in fantasy worlds IMO there must be some absolutes for </p><p>good/evil/law/chaos, which are not only culturally relative. However, this need not be some limited and easily abusable alignmentperspective out of player's book. </p><p></p><p>Expect consequences for truly antisocial behaviour, and this can be culturally relative. There are grey areas, but there are some deeds and mindsets that are not amongh those grey areas. I call them 'passions'. Certain 'passions' and deeds done under certain ones or 'owned by certain passion by default' are inherently tainted by more 'supernatural' alignment resonance. So, in terms of alignment, somebody could be NE, but still effectually neutral. But that's my system, loose one, to keep some meaning of fantasy good/evil in game. These effects depend on the game world, they are not universal in my every fantasy game.</p><p></p><p>Evil doesn't fascinate me at all. I prefer not to play evil characters, since I do that 'too well', and am too succesful, and I've many times been assigned by dm to play 'traitor'. It usually ends to great destruction in some twisted and nightmarish way, other players remember for years to come. I truly hate to 'win' in rpg or larp that way. Yep, one of those was larp, where my character sheet stated: "You are the bad guy. Your purpose in this game is to make other characters' life as misarable as possible". You know the actors, who complain they are stuck with villain roles, well, it was so for me for years. I guess, this was becuse I waa trustworhy, I always wanted to other players to have fun, and not end game prematuraly with some needless backstabbing. I didn't actually complain, but I did start to miss playing hero for once, instead of these grey-anti-heroes or villains.</p><p></p><p>I'd still like to do that, but not in world/by dm:s who punish for being good/innocent and make it Sooo hard. It really should not be universal rule, since if it were, many fantasy books, movies or mythic stories would have very different endings indeed.</p><p>Also, there is certain type of evil I never again play, mostly because it never was fun in the first place.</p><p></p><p>Cartoony evil has it's places too, sometimes it just is more dramatic in a fun way, that keeps game going into right direction.</p><p></p><p>I've run my share of 'evil' games too. In my games, evil characters were still humans, and true darkest evil wasn't anything fun, and didn't even look that way, if one got good clear look at it. That's one way to potray evil. It's 'true evil is out there to make you a victim'.</p><p></p><p>There is another way to potray evil, I call it seductive evil. It's 'true evil is out there to make you powerful'.</p><p>Oh, and how I've suffered of this dm-type. I guess, that's why I want to use that less appealing side of evil myself.</p><p></p><p>I don't really like it, that sometimes evil becomes so fun, it is not evil anymore. It just 'dark is cool' and 'good is stupid' and</p><p>'evil's have better orgies than good ones'. I've known too many people in real life, who believe 'evil' to be like that.</p><p>Unsuccesful, weak and bitter people most of them. As if social competition wouldn't be as hurting and hard among antisocial</p><p>abusers in the end.</p><p></p><p>Alignment issues are more complicated, if other psychological issues are taken into account. You can be chaotic evil, and still totally obsessed over person, item or goal. True obsession, is not lawful trait, it's form of insanity. And there is not reason why chaotic person would always act 'chaotic', that woudn't be very chaotic, now would it, it? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>I allow 'evil' or even evil characters, but that's always a choice to make, and it depends a lot on campaing I am going to run, and what kind of character that player has in mind.</p><p></p><p>Exception: I'd accept NE assassin pleyed by immature 'I kill people' player any day compared to that supposingly LG paladin,</p><p>who's player totally tries to ruin game for everybody else. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zelda Themelin, post: 143812, member: 167"] In terms of alignment, my favourites are N, CN and CG crudely put. However, I do play other types of characters too, however excluding LG paladins and anything elvish. :) I actually use alignments pretty loosely, more guidelines, though in fantasy worlds IMO there must be some absolutes for good/evil/law/chaos, which are not only culturally relative. However, this need not be some limited and easily abusable alignmentperspective out of player's book. Expect consequences for truly antisocial behaviour, and this can be culturally relative. There are grey areas, but there are some deeds and mindsets that are not amongh those grey areas. I call them 'passions'. Certain 'passions' and deeds done under certain ones or 'owned by certain passion by default' are inherently tainted by more 'supernatural' alignment resonance. So, in terms of alignment, somebody could be NE, but still effectually neutral. But that's my system, loose one, to keep some meaning of fantasy good/evil in game. These effects depend on the game world, they are not universal in my every fantasy game. Evil doesn't fascinate me at all. I prefer not to play evil characters, since I do that 'too well', and am too succesful, and I've many times been assigned by dm to play 'traitor'. It usually ends to great destruction in some twisted and nightmarish way, other players remember for years to come. I truly hate to 'win' in rpg or larp that way. Yep, one of those was larp, where my character sheet stated: "You are the bad guy. Your purpose in this game is to make other characters' life as misarable as possible". You know the actors, who complain they are stuck with villain roles, well, it was so for me for years. I guess, this was becuse I waa trustworhy, I always wanted to other players to have fun, and not end game prematuraly with some needless backstabbing. I didn't actually complain, but I did start to miss playing hero for once, instead of these grey-anti-heroes or villains. I'd still like to do that, but not in world/by dm:s who punish for being good/innocent and make it Sooo hard. It really should not be universal rule, since if it were, many fantasy books, movies or mythic stories would have very different endings indeed. Also, there is certain type of evil I never again play, mostly because it never was fun in the first place. Cartoony evil has it's places too, sometimes it just is more dramatic in a fun way, that keeps game going into right direction. I've run my share of 'evil' games too. In my games, evil characters were still humans, and true darkest evil wasn't anything fun, and didn't even look that way, if one got good clear look at it. That's one way to potray evil. It's 'true evil is out there to make you a victim'. There is another way to potray evil, I call it seductive evil. It's 'true evil is out there to make you powerful'. Oh, and how I've suffered of this dm-type. I guess, that's why I want to use that less appealing side of evil myself. I don't really like it, that sometimes evil becomes so fun, it is not evil anymore. It just 'dark is cool' and 'good is stupid' and 'evil's have better orgies than good ones'. I've known too many people in real life, who believe 'evil' to be like that. Unsuccesful, weak and bitter people most of them. As if social competition wouldn't be as hurting and hard among antisocial abusers in the end. Alignment issues are more complicated, if other psychological issues are taken into account. You can be chaotic evil, and still totally obsessed over person, item or goal. True obsession, is not lawful trait, it's form of insanity. And there is not reason why chaotic person would always act 'chaotic', that woudn't be very chaotic, now would it, it? :D I allow 'evil' or even evil characters, but that's always a choice to make, and it depends a lot on campaing I am going to run, and what kind of character that player has in mind. Exception: I'd accept NE assassin pleyed by immature 'I kill people' player any day compared to that supposingly LG paladin, who's player totally tries to ruin game for everybody else. :D [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
why I play evil characters
Top