In Defense of Alignment

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A lot of the discourse I see on alignment seems to veer one of two ways:

1. Alignment is outdated and restricting, putting a stranglehold on players that dictates how their characters should act in particular situations.
2. Alignment doesn't really add anything to the game.

I'll try to tackle these in some sort of organized chaos.

Is alignment outdated? By edition standards, yes. Fifth Edition has undeniably removed any semblance of significance that alignment may have on the game. At this point, alignment is strictly a barometer for general disposition that gives DMs a shorthand on "how should the character think about things?"

Spells and features that target "evil" or "good" actually target specific creature types instead. Clerics and Paladins can lose their powers for ticking off their deities or breaking their oaths, but these things are generally very tangentially connected to alignment.

Among old school gamers, alignment lives on (with exceptions). Not only is it still observed, it still has a purpose. It serves as an unshakable cosmic paradigm that has tangible effects on the world. Magic is used to identify, ward, and punish creatures of certain alignments. Being aligned you a common language, united purpose. The punishment for betrayal is profound.

Alignment gives you an entirely different world due to its resounding implications. In a world with alignment, killing your enemy is a just and noble act. This means that where your players focus on an encounter with opposing alignment creatures that they can safely kill is going to be much different than it would in a world of moral grays.

The tone changes drastically. Time is managed more in accordance to what the game is supposed to be about if you want to focus less on adopting kobold stepchildren and more on finding treasure.

Alignment languages are the typical punching bag, often derided as being nonsensical at best, disruptive at worst. I have trouble understanding why people find it so odd that, in a fantastical cosmologically ordered universe, it's possible to have a way of communicating with people who are on your side. Is it weird? Absolutely! Is there any reason it should be inconceivable? I don't think so.

I enjoy the notion that any civilization in their right mind would seek to use the process of elimination to single out who is an agent of chaos. And when it comes to punishments for changing alignment, I enjoy having a measure in place that makes players think through the ramifications of their actions.

I wouldn't use alignment for every game. I haven't even used it in most games. I believe there is certainly a place for games with a moral gray area that distribute tons of emotional weight on the players. I'm just seriously finding myself at odds with the rising anti-alignment sentiments.

Yes, we're going to kill the prisoners. Yes, we're going to burn the goblin nursery. It's not because we're hateful or cruel, it's because this is war.

Comments

  1. Curtis HooperDecember 21, 2020 at 9:08 AM

    Alignment is a better mechanic when it means actual alignment with a cosmic force of law/chaos, and very helpful as a DM roleplaying hint in monster stat blocks. It lost most of its value when it became a quasi-personality test with two-axis good/evil/law/chaos, except again, perhaps as a DM prompt in monster stat blocks.

    I really like how it's re-purposed in Lion & Dragon to mean conforming to the doctrine of the church. This is perhaps the closest ever realistic application, with lawfulness implying an orientation towards the Logos.

    In a pagan-esque, Tolkienesque setting, alignment should be thrown out the window. (Adventures in Middle Earth / The One Ring does this, but adds back Corruption (like Dark side of the Force in Star Wars games) to give "evil" a real bite.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A.F.W JuniorDecember 25, 2020 at 6:29 PM

    Alignment is your Team in the cosmological war.

    ReplyDelete

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