tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post8780470742949857104..comments2024-03-23T04:06:43.528-04:00Comments on The Retired Adventurer: Abolishing AlignmentJohn Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-63488265085249546002012-02-09T01:00:00.371-05:002012-02-09T01:00:00.371-05:00It might be of value for new players to help shape...It might be of value for new players to help shape their conception of what is heroic and not, I'll agree there, though I'd rather there were more useful tools provided to D&D for that purpose.<br /><br />Still, one of the best campaigns for characterisation that you and I ever played was the Shadowrun game where Rob was Shane Amarillo and I played my grandson, and we didn't have alignment for that. Nor am I sure that categorising Amarillo as "chaotic good" or Jack Liberty as "chaotic evil" (which would be my categorisations) would have done more than deflated any chance they had of being friends. <br /><br />As someone who plays chaotic evil characters fairly frequently yourself, I'm sure you know how frustrating it can be when you tell people out of game that you're CE and they start jockeying in character to deal with it, as if you had it stamped on your forehead in game. The lack of rigid categories in the Shadowrun game really allowed us to explore that relationship without preconceptions about how they should relate to one another.John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-31871076048002144902012-02-08T18:56:19.070-05:002012-02-08T18:56:19.070-05:00I do not like alignment as a psuedo-mechanic, but ...I do not like alignment as a psuedo-mechanic, but I do like it as a roleplaying tool. In fact, the second paragraph of this post illustrates very well why I like it; there is nothing either in your descriptions of Wayland here or back then that is unreasonable to me for a "Lawful Evil" character. I am not suggesting that the characterization was in any way dependant on alignment, but I find the system (pre-4th edition, anyway) to be both flexible and inspiring enough as a "seed" - especially for new players! - that it is worth having around and even writing at the top of a character sheet. <br /><br />As for 'detect evil' and such, I am in agreement.Curtishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185271247888431135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-77156320420384501132012-02-08T13:49:08.129-05:002012-02-08T13:49:08.129-05:00Solution: original sin. 'Detect Evil' defa...Solution: original sin. 'Detect Evil' defaults to 'Detect Human.'<br /><br />I like the idea of using it as a 'Detect Covenant' spell: Muslims would be able to determine whether or not they're Muslim, Dhimmi or infidels. Christians would we able to tell whether their own political affiliation within the church (based on who tonsured or ordained them) counts (Detect Excommunicate). Punks would cast Detect Sellout. Jungians would cast Detect Projection of the Shadow.huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-82908910375202551652012-02-06T22:11:37.338-05:002012-02-06T22:11:37.338-05:00A well written piece. I stopped using alignment by...A well written piece. I stopped using alignment by gradually forgetting I was supposed to use it in my early teens. I do however feel Im not getting some D&D subtlety when someone whose D&D insights are sound still uses it. Evil and Goodness are driving forces of the old Romances but I find it hard to imagine *any* D&D adventurers are roleplayed like those characters and the extreme plot coaxing improbabilities and coincidences are anathema to the modern hip D&Der. In short I dont get alignment (for adult gamers).Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-47881273761315959472012-02-06T20:46:18.788-05:002012-02-06T20:46:18.788-05:00Yeah, it's yet another problem with Detect Evi...Yeah, it's yet another problem with Detect Evil working on people who cheat on their taxes.John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17318244888477546773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323276912086013429.post-20221241002562991932012-02-06T20:26:32.823-05:002012-02-06T20:26:32.823-05:00Completely agreed. For my purposes (which usually...Completely agreed. For my purposes (which usually run toward a Gothic take on fantasy) "Detect Evil" is a spell that can ruin a good, old-fashioned mystery. I want no part of that.Jack Guignolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05226738666709754348noreply@blogger.com