I had a blackguard in bgee, that i roleplay to made the pact after gorion died. It seems his only option to save himself from Armored Figure's attack. After that he starts to gather evil npc, because he beleive nobody sorry for them if they die. So his only goal is to stop the threat any cost for greater good I really dont know what should be his proper allignement.
Its funny, the villains are often the best part of movies or games for me. Whenever someone asks about my favorite characters, I often give a list of villains. But I cannot bring myself to play evil. I enjoy watching villains, seeing their motivations, hearing the hammy laughter (where applicable), but in the end I always root for the heroes. The villains are entertaining to watch, but hurt to play. I weave myself into the world of every story I experience, I'm pretty sure I am incapable of detaching myself from these worlds enough not want to make them better when a medium allows me to interact with them.
I think what puts me the most about playing evil is helping evil be victorious. The most satisfying part about watching evil characters is when they ultimately get their comeuppance for all their deeds. With an evil protagonist, you can't really have that.
I often find myself curious as to why so many players enjoy playing evilly aligned characters. I have tried this myself, thinking that I must be missing out on the fun, but I never get far.
I am heavily into role-playing my characters. I always try to let them make their own decisions. But when it comes to an evil character, my own sense of right and wrong always gets in the way.
Arguing with your character is not role-playing.
“What do you mean you’d rather keep that wedding ring for the few gold that it might bring you. Give it back to the poor woman. Perhaps it will help ease her suffering as she deals with the knowledge that her husband is truly dead.”
“Put that sword down! Yes I know that Noober is irritating. But he is just lonely. If you put up with his prattle a bit longer, he will go away.”
“You want to help Dorn do what at the wedding??”
Now I don’t mean to say that my characters are all law abiding do-gooders. Far from it. They often have their own motivations for doing all manner of inappropriate or evil acts. But truly embracing a consistently evil character is different.
I’d love to hear from other players about what motivates them to choose this type of character. Perhaps it will help motivate me to, “embrace the dark side,” in one of my own play-throughs. There is after all content that I never get to experience due to my limiting myself to certain alignments.
Completely agree! Whenever people say something about "blowing steam of negativity" or "true RP of something they are not" - it is hard for me to believe it. Probably I take those game worlds too seriously and for me restoring piece and harmony is like making someone's life better, even if that "someone" a bunch of pixels on the screen. In RL if I feel miserable for any reason, I do not try to project my misery on others by hitting them or destroying their property. Seeing someone else broken would not help me a bit (and nobility or self-sacrifice has nothing to do with the feeling). While some world restored to it's glory or happy person (yes, pixels) thanking me for help can brighten to mood.
Why spread misery if there is a place where problems are solvable and you CAN solve them?
If suffering in the game were portrayed more realistically I'd be totally unable to play evil. But as Baldur's Gate has, at least to me, a very cartoonish aspect, there's usually an abstract layer to my experience which allows me to play a role I'd be unable to IRL, or even in a game that portrayed harm and suffering on a visceral level. But, as I mentioned earlier, in recent years I've had runs where I found myself feeling sympathetic towards the game world. That was ratcheted up several notches when I discovered Wilson (I'm a sucker for animals, and my partner has made it worse by always asking me if I've 'rescued Wilson yet'). I'm not always in the mood for an evil run these days. So I totally understand people who can't tolerate playing evil. On the other hand, playing evil, when I'm in the mood for it, isn't a projection of my real-life frustrations or some real darkness inside me that I subconsciously wish I could unleash upon the world. It's just fun to role-play from a completely different perspective than my real life persona, in a world where there are no real consequences.
I have a tendency of giving my characters a "nobody loves me" feeling because Charname is an orphan who had been raised in a very strict place. Fortunately that can be applied to any alignment, so a LG has a strong sense of justice, NG does good without being attached to anything, CG giving more value to inviduals and less value to groups and laws, TN not giving a damn or just doing it for personal reasons... but I can't play real evil without feeling lots of remorse: remorse because I let Edwin kill Dynaheir, because I didn't rescue the boy in the abandoned lighthouse, because I killed Prism just for the money... in BG/BG2 it really makes me feel depressed. On the other hand, it's nice to have an evil character in the party who acts as the odd one out. Shar teel and her endless anger, viconia who needs to prove that she is stronger , xzar and montaron with their schemes... it's fun having them around, but when it comes to charnamenit's a totally different feeling for me.
I had a blackguard in bgee, that i roleplay to made the pact after gorion died. It seems his only option to save himself from Armored Figure's attack. After that he starts to gather evil npc, because he beleive nobody sorry for them if they die. So his only goal is to stop the threat any cost for greater good I really dont know what should be his proper allignement.
@Danacm I actually find that quite interesting as I can imagine it as someone that might not see what they are doing as 'evil', just getting to the heart of what needs, in their eyes, to be done, and darn the torpedoes. A blackguard could fit with that quite easily I am thinking, ignoring some things with an eye to a larger personal issue or concern.
But surely... You have already succumbed to it? You deny it. You think you are all so good... And oh sooo heroic...
But no... You are evil... Just not Evil... Not yet.
You see, a hero must defeat the odds stacked against them. Overcome barriers and obstacles put before them. This could be climbing treacherous mountains, collecting the rare ingredients to cure a plague or saving a cat from a tree.
But lets face it... It is most likely that a hero will need to defeat a monster... And that means killing it.
Perhaps killing a slime like @Kamigoroshi or a shroom like @lolien would make you feel like you are simply cleaning up the mess... That kind of life-form is beneath you... Sticking your sword into zombies like @Zaghoul perhaps makes you feel like your doing the world a service and honouring the dead. You start sending kobolds to their maker destroying huge clans in your wake, you call it pest control. Your fireballs scorch the green grass and turn the skin of green orcs and goblins a bubbling charred black, in turn filling the greenskin orphanages. You twist the knife in men like @Shandyr and show no mercy to ladies like @Ravenslight because that would show weakness. You fling arrows from afar, because space-elves like @mlnevese are to dangerous to encounter face to face but you would gladly stab a dragon in the back if you could. And rob them... Yes take the hard earned gold of others because you would spend it oh so wisely... Like more powerful weapons and spells.
If you were truly good, you would find another way. Sentience is awash in the realms, even slimes and shrooms have it, plus communication is easy. The only unifying factor is that all living things want to live (even already long dead things)
The lemming like monsters of your imagination that skewer themselves onto your weapon do not exist. If you asked the odd oddball that you run into at the bottom of a dungeon, I can hazard a guess that at least 4 out of 5 would say "Oooh! Thats a big sword, let me hold this door open for you!" Perhaps you would have thought of this yourself if you were not gleefully romping through the forest and killing bears like @OrlonKronsteen just for the xp!
You are not good. As soon as you have killed another, even in self-defence, you have selfishly decided that your life is more important. And that their life was not.
Oh... "But the kobolds attacked me!" line holds no sympathy with me. The fact that you walked away means the little kobolds at home will go hungry and the eggs wont hatch...
You are evil.
And you know what? I bet you have attacked and killed many a time before simply because you just assumed that the wizard with the red circle around his feet was somehow bent on your imminent destruction...
Yes, you are evil.
Now.
Why deny it? Be truthful.
Embrace the Evil. Be selfish. Become powerful. Have AMBITION.
The realms are awash with reluctant heroes. Take command. DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT!
Do not follow the moral compass of others... WHY SHOULD THEY GET THE COMPASS!
TAKE THAT COMPASS AND MAKE THEM EAT IT!
USE THE MAP AS YOUR TOILET PAPER!
LET OTHERS READ IT AND COWER AT THE LANDS YOU LAID WASTE!
MAKE THE RULES!
DESTROY THOSE THAT DO NOT FOLLOW!
BECOME THE RULER, THE KING, THE CONQUER, THE EMPEROR, BECAUSE ONLY THE WEAK AND THE GOOD SERVE OTHERS!
FOLLOW ME AND WE CAN RULE THIS GALAXY AS FATHER AND SON ! ! ! !
...
Are we related? Can't remember... But can I say, the girls love the bad boys. Power is a natural aphrodisiac...
...
I hope this answered your question... Call me if you need any of the finer points re-iterated in bold...
In the wise words of Wedge Antilles, "Circular thinking. I'm honorable because I kill the enemy, and I kill the enemy for the honor. There's nothing there, Cheriss. Here's the truth: I kill the enemy so someone, somewhere — probably someone I've never met and never will meet — will be happy. [...] I told you how I lost my parents. Nothing I ever do can make up for that loss. But if I put myself in the way of people just as bad as the ones who killed my family, if I burn them down, then someone else they would have hurt gets to stay happy. That's the only honorable thing about my profession. It's not the killing. It's making the galaxy a little better. "
I always play smart characters that are somewhat evil, but not smart evil. My goal is never to become an evil overlord and take over things. I don't want to become a slaver, I don't care about the strongholds or even the gold. I wanna be the hero but my kind of hero. I play my characters in a passionate way. I can't play good and have never been able to simply because it means restricting my options. I do good but I never am good.
The evil I play is always the kind that is best described as passionate:
- I kill hard enemies because I can and because they might have good loot - I help damsels in distress if I feel like it - I protect cities and kingdoms because it's a great source of prestige, power and fame - I switch sides if I think it's safe and fun or profitable - I have Minsc kill Edwin because he is an idiot - I save Aerie because she sounds sweet and is cute but when she starts telling me her stories I dump her - I never travel with dumb evil NPC's because that's quite frankly not very safe nor smart - I am nice to companions I like and, neutral to the ones I find useful and asshole to the useless ones - I break into all houses but don't always steal, sometimes I am just curious - I solve problems diplomatically when that's more interesting, otherwise I slash through them - I play nice with authority most of the time - I don't make deals with devils - I don't back stab my friends - I choose freedom at the end - And most importantly, I never pick an option because it seems good or evil, only because it feels natural
Almost all decisions I make are safe and passionate. If something is exciting but unsafe I don't do it. If something is safe and profitable but not exciting, I might do it or I might not. If something is exciting and safe but will cost me lots of gold, I do it
And because that's the way I always play evil (pure selfishness), all RPG's I have ever played have more than enough options for me and Baldur's Gate always delivers.
I always play smart characters that are somewhat evil, but not smart evil. My goal is never to become an evil overlord and take over things. I don't want to become a slaver, I don't care about the strongholds or even the gold. I wanna be the hero but my kind of hero. I play my characters in a passionate way. I can't play good and have never been able to simply because it means restricting my options. I do good but I never am good.
The evil I play is always the kind that is best described as passionate:
- I kill hard enemies because I can and because they might have good loot - I help damsels in distress if I feel like it - I protect cities and kingdoms because it's a great source of prestige, power and fame - I switch sides if I think it's safe and fun or profitable - I have Minsc kill Edwin because he is an idiot - I save Aerie because she sounds sweet and is cute but when she starts telling me her stories I dump her - I never travel with dumb evil NPC's because that's quite frankly not very safe nor smart - I am nice to companions I like and, neutral to the ones I find useful and asshole to the useless ones - I break into all houses but don't always steal, sometimes I am just curious - I solve problems diplomatically when that's more interesting, otherwise I slash through them - I play nice with authority most of the time - I don't make deals with devils - I don't back stab my friends - I choose freedom at the end - And most importantly, I never pick an option because it seems good or evil, only because it feels natural
Almost all decisions I make are safe and passionate. If something is exciting but unsafe I don't do it. If something is safe and profitable but not exciting, I might do it or I might not. If something is exciting and safe but will cost me lots of gold, I do it
And because that's the way I always play evil (pure selfishness), all RPG's I have ever played have more than enough options for me and Baldur's Gate always delivers.
Yes. You serve yourself. You look down on others. You are better than them.
Yes. Now put your hand on your heart and feel the contempt breed inside you. Nurse it. Cherish it. Call it passion if you must...
Let it bloom into hate. For they will hate you first, oh great user, player, pimp.
You will win the good fight and they will despise you for it. Take the gold, take the spoils but do not take their love for you need it not, for your heart is black. I salute you unloved wretch!
Now spill your pain across the lands, let others feel the sting of your spiteful malice. For you are a wasp, and where the detritus of troubles fall, you will feast on the sugary carcass, and revel in its riches.
Yes. You serve yourself. You look down on others. You are better than them.
Yes. Now put your hand on your heart and feel the contempt breed inside you. Nurse it. Cherish it. Call it passion if you must...
Let it bloom into hate. For they will hate you first, oh great user, player, pimp.
You will win the good fight and they will despise you for it. Take the gold, take the spoils but do not take their love for you need it not, for your heart is black. I salute you unloved wretch!
Now spill your pain across the lands, let others feel the sting of your spiteful malice. For you are a wasp, and where the detritus of troubles fall, you will feast on the sugary carcass, and revel in its riches.
But I don't want any of that! I'd rather ... just ... SING!!!
If he wants to be the most handsome in spite of being wrapped in those mouldering bandages, he's going to have to kill practically everyone! ... ah, yes, I see, that *is* his plan.
Yes... If I ever run a pub... I will sell alcoholic beverages at reasonable prices and call it the Twisted Cookie! And just like Starbucks I will pay my staff using tips alone and avoid paying tax! I will use @Nimran 's decapitated head as an emblem on each of my cups! (I would have used the lady of pain but Starbucks got there first...)
If he wants to be the most handsome in spite of being wrapped in those mouldering bandages, he's going to have to kill practically everyone! ... ah, yes, I see, that *is* his plan.
@Shandyr , @Gallowglass beauty is something that leads to Evil. The virgin soil should be ploughed and replaced with the fiery furnaces of industry. The trees shall be felled for fuel and the waters poisoned with waste.
Beauty is a fuel for evil because it can be corrupted so easily.
Yes. You serve yourself. You look down on others. You are better than them.
Yes. Now put your hand on your heart and feel the contempt breed inside you. Nurse it. Cherish it. Call it passion if you must...
Let it bloom into hate. For they will hate you first, oh great user, player, pimp.
You will win the good fight and they will despise you for it. Take the gold, take the spoils but do not take their love for you need it not, for your heart is black. I salute you unloved wretch!
Now spill your pain across the lands, let others feel the sting of your spiteful malice. For you are a wasp, and where the detritus of troubles fall, you will feast on the sugary carcass, and revel in its riches.
But I don't want any of that! I'd rather ... just ... SING!!!
I like singing. People sing to me all the time. If you want to hit the high notes, I have a fully equipped torture chamber you are welcome to use. However I recommend booking in advance. It is quite small and heavily used. To many people in there at once can make it a bit poky...
@Anduin You will of course be using The Twisted Cookie as a business front for the the back operation, the place where your "high energy plankton" is developed into the most tastiest flour, shipped around the world with your special mug emblem. As your cups are already green with a cookie shaped badge, ya GOTS to make a special cookie for the pub as well. Use the same high energy "hangover reducing" flour (as a selling point), from grandma's special old world recipe for the cookie you call 'twistedlent green'.
Lawd, probably need to slow the mind down a bit now.
Comments
On the other hand, it's nice to have an evil character in the party who acts as the odd one out. Shar teel and her endless anger, viconia who needs to prove that she is stronger , xzar and montaron with their schemes... it's fun having them around, but when it comes to charnamenit's a totally different feeling for me.
A blackguard could fit with that quite easily I am thinking, ignoring some things with an eye to a larger personal issue or concern.
Tagging @groundhogs.
Nice cookie crumbs...
*Urrrk!?!*
Who would PUT a suspiciously CURLY black hair in a TRAIL of CoOkIe CrUMbS!
Some people are just twisted...
or called @Nimran
Aaaah... Yes... The allure of evil.
But surely... You have already succumbed to it? You deny it. You think you are all so good...
And oh sooo heroic...
But no... You are evil... Just not Evil... Not yet.
You see, a hero must defeat the odds stacked against them. Overcome barriers and obstacles put before them. This could be climbing treacherous mountains, collecting the rare ingredients to cure a plague or saving a cat from a tree.
But lets face it... It is most likely that a hero will need to defeat a monster... And that means killing it.
Perhaps killing a slime like @Kamigoroshi or a shroom like @lolien would make you feel like you are simply cleaning up the mess... That kind of life-form is beneath you... Sticking your sword into zombies like @Zaghoul perhaps makes you feel like your doing the world a service and honouring the dead. You start sending kobolds to their maker destroying huge clans in your wake, you call it pest control. Your fireballs scorch the green grass and turn the skin of green orcs and goblins a bubbling charred black, in turn filling the greenskin orphanages. You twist the knife in men like @Shandyr and show no mercy to ladies like @Ravenslight because that would show weakness. You fling arrows from afar, because space-elves like @mlnevese are to dangerous to encounter face to face but you would gladly stab a dragon in the back if you could. And rob them... Yes take the hard earned gold of others because you would spend it oh so wisely... Like more powerful weapons and spells.
If you were truly good, you would find another way. Sentience is awash in the realms, even slimes and shrooms have it, plus communication is easy. The only unifying factor is that all living things want to live (even already long dead things)
The lemming like monsters of your imagination that skewer themselves onto your weapon do not exist. If you asked the odd oddball that you run into at the bottom of a dungeon, I can hazard a guess that at least 4 out of 5 would say "Oooh! Thats a big sword, let me hold this door open for you!" Perhaps you would have thought of this yourself if you were not gleefully romping through the forest and killing bears like @OrlonKronsteen just for the xp!
You are not good. As soon as you have killed another, even in self-defence, you have selfishly decided that your life is more important. And that their life was not.
Oh... "But the kobolds attacked me!" line holds no sympathy with me. The fact that you walked away means the little kobolds at home will go hungry and the eggs wont hatch...
You are evil.
And you know what? I bet you have attacked and killed many a time before simply because you just assumed that the wizard with the red circle around his feet was somehow bent on your imminent destruction...
Yes, you are evil.
Now.
Why deny it? Be truthful.
Embrace the Evil. Be selfish. Become powerful. Have AMBITION.
The realms are awash with reluctant heroes. Take command. DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT!
Do not follow the moral compass of others... WHY SHOULD THEY GET THE COMPASS!
TAKE THAT COMPASS AND MAKE THEM EAT IT!
USE THE MAP AS YOUR TOILET PAPER!
LET OTHERS READ IT AND COWER AT THE LANDS YOU LAID WASTE!
MAKE THE RULES!
DESTROY THOSE THAT DO NOT FOLLOW!
BECOME THE RULER, THE KING, THE CONQUER, THE EMPEROR, BECAUSE ONLY THE WEAK AND THE GOOD SERVE OTHERS!
FOLLOW ME AND WE CAN RULE THIS GALAXY AS FATHER AND SON ! ! ! !
...
Are we related? Can't remember... But can I say, the girls love the bad boys. Power is a natural aphrodisiac...
...
I hope this answered your question... Call me if you need any of the finer points re-iterated in bold...
It all begins to come clearer...
You have indeed given me much to ponder, O sagacious denizen of the Nine!
Evil can never understand.
or called Nimran"
I do good but I never am good.
The evil I play is always the kind that is best described as passionate:
- I kill hard enemies because I can and because they might have good loot
- I help damsels in distress if I feel like it
- I protect cities and kingdoms because it's a great source of prestige, power and fame
- I switch sides if I think it's safe and fun or profitable
- I have Minsc kill Edwin because he is an idiot
- I save Aerie because she sounds sweet and is cute but when she starts telling me her stories I dump her
- I never travel with dumb evil NPC's because that's quite frankly not very safe nor smart
- I am nice to companions I like and, neutral to the ones I find useful and asshole to the useless ones
- I break into all houses but don't always steal, sometimes I am just curious
- I solve problems diplomatically when that's more interesting, otherwise I slash through them
- I play nice with authority most of the time
- I don't make deals with devils
- I don't back stab my friends
- I choose freedom at the end
- And most importantly, I never pick an option because it seems good or evil, only because it feels natural
Almost all decisions I make are safe and passionate. If something is exciting but unsafe I don't do it. If something is safe and profitable but not exciting, I might do it or I might not. If something is exciting and safe but will cost me lots of gold, I do it
And because that's the way I always play evil (pure selfishness), all RPG's I have ever played have more than enough options for me and Baldur's Gate always delivers.
Yes. Now put your hand on your heart and feel the contempt breed inside you. Nurse it. Cherish it. Call it passion if you must...
Let it bloom into hate. For they will hate you first, oh great user, player, pimp.
You will win the good fight and they will despise you for it. Take the gold, take the spoils but do not take their love for you need it not, for your heart is black. I salute you unloved wretch!
Now spill your pain across the lands, let others feel the sting of your spiteful malice. For you are a wasp, and where the detritus of troubles fall, you will feast on the sugary carcass, and revel in its riches.
Beauty is a fuel for evil because it can be corrupted so easily. I like singing. People sing to me all the time. If you want to hit the high notes, I have a fully equipped torture chamber you are welcome to use. However I recommend booking in advance. It is quite small and heavily used. To many people in there at once can make it a bit poky...
Which one? I got several copies.
Lawd, probably need to slow the mind down a bit now.