> From: pvk@oz.net > > If acts and people are officially stamped good or evil, > then there's not so much to learn and understand, compared to stories > where people make their own decisions and then experience the results.
From: Marc Gacy <mgacy@maad.com> Devil's advocate, here: No dwarf can ever have a friendly reaction to a dragon, and vice versa. Almost all halflings are "good" people.
Decisions, and reactions. Halflings do get +1 reactions from every inteligent race. This does seem like a bit of a departure from the rigid alignment system in D&D. Everything about evil is so situational and related to interpersonal behaviour. Not really fuel for creating a new monster or arch villan, but truthful and insightful. I think the real concern is a D&D system that limits a character's ability to gain experience. A sneaky rotten character should get exp for behaving that way. They should lose exp for being "good." There is an inheirent unease with making a rigorous definition of evil. By doing so one may, however un-intentionaly, restrict the freedom one enjoys in playing their character. Better to keep it loose and open to interpretation. Based on the individual's decisions, and reactions. But that still leaves my desire for a new bad guy. A monster if you will. One with a unique name, that will take pride in it's own reputation for being evil. Heck, now that I have reflected on it some more, perhaps just an evil method of operation. Pillage and plunder is a classic that comes to mind. In a tentative stab at something new; how about Horde and Conceal. It does fit with the whole theme of big mazes containing fogotten treasure. Or what about Buried with the Dead, something more along the lines of ancient Egypt. Maybe Repressed Knowledge? Something that may appeal to the more modern reader as instinctively worth figthing against, and at the same time containing the hint of reward.
David Michael Grouchy II ===== Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com. Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body "unsubscribe tft"