[DF] Dragonlance

[maximara]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Alignment can be a great trope, but it needs to be integrated into the setting as in Three Hearts and Three Lions or George and the Dragon (not sure about the Elric books). If its just a vague "goodies or baddies?" plus mechanics which imply it is a cosmic force, it fails.

The thing is in AD&D1st Alignment, was a cosmic force as each alignment had its own language.

"For King and Country" pointed out that " Each and every intelligent being would be motivated by some absolute cause which would be perceived by all as the same thing. Thus, a paladin not only would believe himself to be good, but would be seen as good even by his enemies."

By AD&D1 standards James Bond would be an evil character (the 00 denotes him as an assassin) but he certainly not see "that woe and suffering are desirable ends in and of themselves." Few evil characters do.

Also many times the official alignments just didn't make sense. Take Tiamat, for example. She is given LE in 1ed MM and yet 1ed Deities and Demigods effectively tells she is the Babylon Tiamat - whose domain was Chaos.

The Greek section is similarly bonkers. Many of the deiteis given "good" alignments were evident Neutral in later editions. Hades got Neutral Evil but that isn't supported in the actual mythology either.