10-18-2019, 09:18 AM | #21 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lexington, KY
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Re: Evil Player characters/PvP games
For me, the biggest problem with evil PCs is the ease and glee with which many players jump to the conclusion that, "I'm evil, therefore I must screw over the other PCs every chance I get." That's stupidly short-sighted. A well-designed evil character will have their own agenda, sure, but it's one that they can pursue in the company of allies who may or may not be evil (i.e., the other PCs).
In one campaign that my wife GMed, one of the players proposed playing an evil character, but one that needed the rest of the party to reach his own goals. His ultimate goal was finding a way to cheat death and become immortal--a sort of alchemical lich--but for that he needed to work with other adventurers in order to survive long enough to accumulate the vast resources (and personal power and experience) he needed to attain his goal. As long as the other PCs didn't directly oppose his long-term goal, he had zero reason to turn on them, or even to reveal his secret agenda or alignment. In fact, it made him the most dedicated team player in the party. In a game where the core conceit is going on adventures as a team because nobody can accomplish everything solo, enlightened self interest demands that PCs of ALL alignments learn play well with others, or else everyone suffers. But not all players can be trusted to understand that idea, much less lean into it, so it's often easier to just ban evil PCs and save yourself a massive headache. OTOH, nominally good and neutral characters can be massive jerks, too. I've met far too many PCs, in both in organized play and home games, who I'd gladly trade for a polite, well-behaved devil in a heartbeat... |
10-18-2019, 09:29 AM | #22 | |
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Re: Evil Player characters/PvP games
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10-19-2019, 04:29 AM | #23 |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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Re: Evil Player characters/PvP games
I'm just saying I wouldn't be comfortable with a player playing Jeffrey Epstein.
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“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius |
10-19-2019, 02:25 PM | #24 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Denver, CO
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Re: Evil Player characters/PvP games
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In my homebrew world, various cultures have variously opressive views about women and there is a slave-owning country. The High Elves are working on raising the standard of living for Humans by taking those in their care and curing them of all ills both physical and mental. Mental illness includes being unhappy with the clearly superior Elves being in charge. I hadn't thought of this in the context of evil players, but it really does muddy the waters. |
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Tags |
gm preferences, roleplaying |
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