Steve Jackson Is Right!

Okay, while writing my previous post about gaming, I was doing a bit of online checking and rang into an article by Steve Jackson (the game designer) on

HOW TO TRANSLATE D & D MONSTERS INTO FANTASY TRIP MONSTERS.

That’s probably not of much use to folks since The Fantasy Trip is no longer published (so far as I know), but in skimming the article my eye was caught by his treatment of the problematic concept of "Alignment":

Alignment is
not used at all in TFT, but can still be used as a guide to
"personality." Chaotics may do anything they please; true chaotics are
rare. Lawfuls will follow a strict code of behavior, though you may not
agree with it or even know what it is. Evils will behave selfishly and
attack if they can. Goods will not attack unless they perceive you as
evil; anything that threatens them is likely to be considered evil.
Neutrals will act for their own convenience, which will usually mean
letting others alone – but many "neutral" creatures are hungry. The average party of player-characters, incidentally, considers itself to be lawful good and is actually chaotic neutral [emphasis added].

ROFL! Truere words were never spoken!

(See my previous comments about characters doing juvenilely immoral things and wanting simply to aggrandize their characters.)

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

3 thoughts on “Steve Jackson Is Right!”

  2. I guess the members of my old group were more honest. Several regularly played chaotic neutral, and rarely would anyone play lawful good (except for me, occasionally). Mostly I played neutral good, and worked to keep the rest of the party out of trouble (the party’s conscience!).

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