[Torment backers trying to steal our MCA!]

Is there anyone on here who isn't backing both games? I'm equally excited about both, and I certainly don't see it as some kind of competition between them.

[The Nuances of Evil]

Some interesting posts (and some slightly disturbing ones). I think it's worth considering why evil occurs (in real life), and why there is more opportunity for evil to occur in fantasy settings.

 

Civilised society tends to have laws and conventions in place that prevent really spectacular evil occurring on too regular a basis. That's why when truly grotesque acts of evil do occur (school shootings in the USA, serial killers etc) they tend to attract a lot of attention. Other activities that could be classified as 'evil' (organised crime, political corruption, sexual abuse) are always happening behind the scenes, but only tend to attract attention when a well known figure is caught out.

 

Evil tends to happen on a larger scale when civil society breaks down. The most obvious examples are in wartime (civilians killed, raped etc) or when a country has no stable government, and a state of anarchy exists (such as in the Congo, where there are numerous 'evil' acts being committed on a wide scale every day).

 

The fantasy setting can incorporate both of these scenarios. Most fantasy rpgs contain both functioning civil societies, and locations where there is no law and order or which are afflicted by war. Players might encounter a variety of 'evil' characters in both of these settings; venal officials, corrupt power hungry politicians and organised criminals in the former, amoral mercenaries, greedy bandits, and heartless soldiers in the latter.

 

The main difference between the fantasy setting and real life is that in reality (or certainly in my opinion) there are no 'dark forces' that are meddling in human existence. In the fantasy setting, truly spectacular evil is more likely because of the influence of the supernatural. Demons possessions, vengeful gods, dark magic rituals steeped in the blood of innocents... all of these are staples of the fantasy world, and I'd certainly expect a number of these familiar fantasy tropes to appear in PE.

 

To link this back to my initial post - I would like to see all of these types of evil appear in PE, and for them to be done well. Certainly, some characters will be evil because 'The Dark Lord of Sacrifice made me do it', but others should be evil because they are human (or mortal, given the setting), and because all mortals are fallible, weak, and given to temptation.

[Magic Weapons in Project Eternity]

Magic weapons should be rare and unique. In AD&D based games magic weapons soon become de-valued - every enemy has a 'Short Sword + 1', which undermines the idea of magic being something unique and wondrous.

 

In PE i'd like to see:

 

Every magic weapon has a name. An ACTUAL name like 'Excalibur'  or 'Flesh-thrasher', 'not 'the Bastard Sword of Burning +3'.

 

Every magic weapon has a back-story or legend attached to it.

 

Acquiring magic weapons should be tough. They should either have a specific quest attached, or should only be obtained from very high level bosses, not from the body of some dead bandit or goblin.

 

I'd also like to see more 'cursed' weapons i.e weapons that are very powerful but have a downside to using. E.G A magic berserker's axe that makes you crazed with bloodlust at first hint of trouble, a talking sword that makes it impossible to sneak, a possessed dagger that slowly changes your personality etc.

 

 

[The Nuances of Evil]

I've read a few forum posts about the desire for there to be more playability for 'evil' characters, but I think it's worth considering how characters like this (and evil npcs) should be designed.

 

For, me too many evil characters in RPGs fall into a limited number of easily recognisable categories, some of which are rather tired and stereotyped:

 

Firstly, characters who loudly identify themselves with the forces of 'evil'. E.G - T'anarii and Baatezu  from Planescape, worshippers of evil gods, or whole races (Drow, for example) who essentially walk around proclaiming 'I am evil' with their every word and deed. 

 

Secondly, characters who are consciously amoral, motivated by greed or lust for power, and who again openly revel in their own perfidy. Edwin from Baldur's Gate would be a good example.

 

Thirdly, outright sociopathic characters, who will happily kill, butcher and steal without any underlying morality or motivation.

 

 

While each of these evil 'types' has its place, I would like to see some more nuanced 'evil' characters, with different and more complex motivations and character traits.

 

Some thoughts:

 

Many evil characters are not aware that they are evil, and would perhaps even characterise themselves or their actions as 'good' or at least 'necessary'. To use a historical example, many Nazis would fall into this category - committing evil actions whilst somehow believing that they are acting for the greater good.

 

Evil characters are just as capable of falling in love or developing deep and lasting friendships as any other character - not all of their relationships have to be based on cynicism and self advancement.

 

There are limits to 'evil'. An evil character might not have problem murdering a totally innocent adult man for profit or even for fun, but might balk at harming women and children. The same character might have no problem killing for pay, but might consider a religiously motivated human sacrifice to be an abomination.

 

Evil characters can be redeemable. It's interesting that a lot of RPGs have a mechanism whereby the player character's alignment can change, but very few (correct me if I'm wrong), have a way to change the alignment of NPCs. There are a number of perfectly feasible and realistic ways by which the alignment of an evil character could shift - religious conversion, falling in love for the first time, spending a lot of time with a powerful and charismatic 'good' character, a bout of introspective depression,  or even brain damage from one too many knocks on the head. It would be very satisfying for a 'good' player character to gradually, perhaps over the course of a whole game 'convert' an evil character to their way of thinking (or visa versa - an evil PC causing a good character to 'fall').

 

I sincerely hope that Project Eternity has some well thought out, complex and nuanced 'evil characters', rather than a few cardboard cut-outs with a penchant for killing and a maniacal laugh...