Good or evil?
Necomancer
Member Posts: 622
I've been on this forum for some time and I've been noticed alot more players then I thought tend to play evil parties. This trend seems to follow the fact that the evil NPCs in Baldur's Gate 1 tend to be more powerful then alot of the good NPCs. For example, Dorn is well overpowered while the dwarf who's name escapes me actually regenerates HP. Viconia is, if not the best cleric, certainly the most popular and Edwin's special item gives him better casting abilities then other casters.
So, what I'm asking is, are you usually good, or evil, and why? Usually, I, myself am good, for the following reasons.
1)Playing good is generally easier, though I'd not mind if someone added a mod for more bounty hunters for a party with a reputation that got too high.
2)To me, it makes for a better story. The internal struggle of having a lord of murder for a father that constantly haunts your dreams and desires makes for a good narrative whereas the story of simply giving into your base urges and murdering everything ever seems a bit more shallow to me.
3)It makes sense to me that someone raised by a man like Gorian would have decent morals and heroic desires. Arguably one could say nature should overcome this, but in the battle of nurture vs nature I've always thought nature is what we start with and nurture changes what we are as we grow, therefore, to me, nurture is more powerful.
4)I have to admit, sometimes I get much too immersed in the games I play, and I actually end up feeling *bad* when I play evil characters. I know its just a game, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be enough.
Mind you, I still murder noober every chance I get.
That guy is a putz.
So, what I'm asking is, are you usually good, or evil, and why? Usually, I, myself am good, for the following reasons.
1)Playing good is generally easier, though I'd not mind if someone added a mod for more bounty hunters for a party with a reputation that got too high.
2)To me, it makes for a better story. The internal struggle of having a lord of murder for a father that constantly haunts your dreams and desires makes for a good narrative whereas the story of simply giving into your base urges and murdering everything ever seems a bit more shallow to me.
3)It makes sense to me that someone raised by a man like Gorian would have decent morals and heroic desires. Arguably one could say nature should overcome this, but in the battle of nurture vs nature I've always thought nature is what we start with and nurture changes what we are as we grow, therefore, to me, nurture is more powerful.
4)I have to admit, sometimes I get much too immersed in the games I play, and I actually end up feeling *bad* when I play evil characters. I know its just a game, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be enough.
Mind you, I still murder noober every chance I get.
That guy is a putz.
- Good or evil?122 votes
- Evil! Evil plain and simple!17.21%
- Good! Good also plain and simple!36.89%
- I'm a damn dirty neutral.21.31%
- I try to mix it up alittle.24.59%
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Comments
1) Many good/neutral-but-good-leaning NPCs annoy me, so clicking on them spoils my enjoyment of the game. There are far less evil/evil-leaning NPCs that annoy me and instead have excellent voicesets that increase my enjoyment of the game. I frankly don't care if an NPC is oh-so-powerful; all NPCs can be made useful with the right gear and party composition and the game isn't so hard that certain overpowered NPCs are neccessary and you can't possibly win without them. I've played evil long before Dorn and Baeloth existed; I rarely have Viconia in my parties; Xzar and Eldoth belong to my favorite NPCs in the series (along with not-really-that-OP-Edwin) because I like their voices, banters and personalities.
2) I am a bhaalspawn. If I like it or not, there is something dark inside me. It doesn't mean I have to be a psychopath who slaughters everything and everyone. Obviously, charname wasn't like that while growing up, but there were probably tendencies (i.e. being interested instead of afraid when hearing scary/violent stories; conning Winthrop to get extra dessert, letting the dragon kill and eat the knight when playing with toys...) and Gorion tried to overcome this with his guidance. Life in Candlekeep hasn't challenged charname or demanded to take a side in a moral conflict - the personality has not yet surfaced. Outside of Candlekeep and confronted with a challenge, with no Gorion around, the true nature comes to light.
3) It isn't realistic that charname, after going through the trauma of losing home and father, and being hunted by assassins wherever he goes, would happily volunteer to help every stranger he meets. He has bigger problems than someone's lost ring or sword or boots. It is also not realistic that charname would slaughter all the people asking for help on sight, but turning them down/agreeing and then keeping their (useful) items makes sense in this situation.
4) I get at least somewhat close to spend the ridicolous amounts of gold I gather.
Also it's nice to be associated with such a fine group of gentlemen.
I also managed to jury-rig the Mur'Neth NPC mod to work with EE, which gives me another thief, and an awesome ooze-man one at that. Sadly his voice doesn't work yet... *strange gargling sounds*
Sometimes also I like to take Kivan on an evil playthrough and give him the Helm of Opposite Alignment.
In some games I'm unconcerned about roleplaying and I just enjoy the party for what it offers tactically.
But when I do roleplay, I now have each character behave independently according to their bio/alignment/class/banters+scripted relationships. That can produce some surprising twists in how the game unfolds.
All that said, I don't really enjoy playing an all-out evil party. If I were really there as myself, I'd be a do-gooder hero. But if that is all one ever roleplays, then you'll miss out on some really wonderful characters in the game. And it is just a fantasy game that depends on combat strategies. So I would never want to restrict myself to just good or neutral aligned characters in the party.
If the PC is a Neutral type that feels every individual is responsible for him or herself, that makes more sense of recruiting both good and evil characters.
What bothers me more is evil-to-evil interaction, with NPCs that should - after travelling and fighting together for weeks, if not months - be friends or at least have a certain respect for their companions. Eldoth is the only evil NPC who uses the compliment banter (to female NPCs) at random (Viconia only compliments Shar-Teel) - yet all other evil NPCs, Eldoth included, will use insults at each other, just like at neutral and good NPCs. It just makes no sense to me. Kagain and Dorn seem to get along well in the banter after the Simmeon fight; in BG2, Edwin and Korgan have something resembling a friendship, Xzar is very social and friendly in general. Why would they all insult each other and, with few exceptions, never use their existing compliment lines at anyone?
Same problem with charname, who probably picked evil party members because they seem like decent people (or at least useful) to him - yet the re-join dialogues have no option to reflect this. They come out as "urgh, yeah, I want you to join the party again BUT I DON'T LIKE YOU" at best. I'd like to have Xzar re-join with "yes, I realize we make a great team because you are DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS and that is awesome", not "yes, but keep your mouth shut, you nutjob".
evil get stupid option and neutral gets almost total neglected in bg.... only on the newer biowere games neutrality aligment get more voice and interesting endings... (dragon age games)
there is no neutral ending in bg.... the world of BG is black and white....
Yet, I very much like some of the evil characters for their abilities and determination. I like trying Dorn's blackguard abilities, and I especially like Viconia for the dark mysterious atmosphere she gives to the game,
let alone her magic resistance, great for a cleric. So I will pick up evil characters in a Neutral or even relatively Good party.
I've been thinking about how I might be able to play a (partly) evil party and still enjoy the game as I experience their abilities and character. I still probably won't kill absolutely innocent characters or bystanders (unless it is essential to get past them), but I will get those thieves who sometimes try to pickpocket or manipulate the party (How many of you are dying the get that guy in the gambling tent at the Beregost Carnival? I almost want a mod to make that possible). Their evil play I think would be to steal anything useful that they can get away with, to bully others, and to deceive and not live up to agreements.
Sort of like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
And I try to play a strong personality, who does help others (for a reward), but ultimately is in for himself and you better not try to cross my path or wrong me. I do keep my word, I respect my close friends, but I do not hesitate to punish those that lie to me or want to deceive me. You are a jerk to me? You WILL pay for it. Maybe that's the reason why I like Dorn and find Jon Irenicus an overly sympathetic sociopath.
However, I do not play Stupid Evil. I do not kill when I don't have a really good reason for it and I don't break the law. I help lesser people, because one day, they will be my servants and they will pay me again. And again. Take my good reputation as an investment into future.
'How would things have turned out if Gorion had raised Sarevok instead of you?'
'I dunno. Maybe he would have been more successful.'
What I have yet to play even once is neutral. Mostly because the game itself doesn't seem to care about Neutral; there are no 'Neutral' Bhaalspawn dreams, for example, which means the closest you can come is 'schizophrenic', alternately rescuing kittens and murdering peasants.
Damn...I gotta try it.
*slap*
NO! STOP IT! BAD MATHMICK DON'T TAKE SIDES HERE! *slap*
I would play as neutral more often but there's little motivation for neutral in BG 2. I can't see a chaotic or true neutral character hold such a grudge that s/he would abandon all else to track down Irenicus. I also didn't like Imoen so I don't see him/her going through so much to save her.