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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Alignments
Message-ID: <5410@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 14-May-85 02:47:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5410
Posted: Tue May 14 02:47:38 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 17-May-85 00:37:14 EDT
References: <5121@ukc.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Distribution: net
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 32
Summary: 

In article <5121@ukc.UUCP> ncg@ukc.UUCP (Nige Gale) writes:
>
>Alignments is a clumsy way of imposing a personality upon the
>character.
>
Agreed, with the emphasis on the "clumsy".
>Without alignments, the party becomes a profit-making unit, and
>characters are good or evil as it suits the players at the time,
>and will inevitably fall victim to munchkinism.

Depends on the players.  Bad players need, shall we say, help in their role
playing.  Good players don't.  Some of us are saddled with bad players, some
are fortunate enough to consort with good ones, most have to deal with a 
few of both.  The problem with alignments as a device for channeling the
players' attention away from gold/magic/EP lust is that the munchkins just
ignore it anyway, choosing an alignment that generally lets them get away
with such behavior without being nuked for transgressing the alignment's
principles.  (Neutrals can do a lot of stuff without getting in trouble;
the stuff they really shouldn't do is the interesting, frequently counter-
productive stuff that makes frp games a joy.)  Absolutely forcing players
to come up with a character's beliefs and morality before using it can
help, if you don't like the religion idea.  If the player is unimaginative
and seems to be shying away from interesting quirks in favor of bland
acquisitiveness, saddle him with some foibles, or leftover tasks which must
be performed, or interesting enemies.  (As a side note, few things are more
interesting than when a very clever player's character decides to make a
munchkin's character's life miserable.  You'd be surprised what a fascinating
character the poor munchkin can become under some prodding.)
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher