Lack of Evil

[Rictinta]

I keep noticing the lack of evil characters around FK. Sometimes they will come back for awhile; plots will be made, and the roleplay between good and evil starts rising again, and then people disappear, or go back to their good characters. I really hope that it is not the disappearing act, and more so that people are just going back to their good characters, so that we are not losing players. However, today, I was playing my evil, who is my main, and little things happen throughout the game, like losing levels, or dying, and other such things, that make evil life extremely difficult without other players. Not to mention, it is increasingly difficult to maintain an evil character without being able to roleplay and meet up with others, and continue such roleplays.

So my question to everyone is: What keeps you from playing an evil character? Or hoping on your current evil?

I've had quite a large turn out to evil rp get togethers, but not to questing adventures and such. So I am just curious what makes everyone jump to good characters, so that I might try and put together options and reinvoke the evil players once again. We used to have such a great base of evil players, and it's died, so I'd like to just hear what prevents you from playing yours.

[Atraos]

Play mine all the time, pop on down to Skullport and come say Hi.

Salvilas

[Nysan]

Personally, my main goodie is more time consuming. As much as I would like to play all of my alts, I have to prioritize what time I have. Nysan and my other evils are not gone, they are just stuck in line waiting for their numbers to be called.

[Lysha]

Playing evil just gets boring to me and I just don't seem to "get it". I can't get into the evil mindset, unfortunately.

[Kallias]

So my question to everyone is: What keeps you from playing an evil character? Or hoping on your current evil?

For the same reason DnD games rarely are evil campaigns. Much of DnD requires party cohesion and mutual goals. A neutral characters mesh well with good characters because good characters treat them well. Evil characters have a stigma with neutral characters. While a good character doing good deeds around a neutral brings respect and good relationships - an evil character doing evil deeds around a neutral beings the same status they bring onto themselves, which is negative.

Evil doesn't work well in parties. Maybe if they're all of the same religion, or same close knit gang - but evils of different walks of life just don't work. DnD is about heroes, not about villains. You can force DnD to be about villains, but it isn't how the game was intended.

[Anguin]

In the past, playing an evil or amoral character tended to have a detrimental effect on me in RL. After about three months, I found I was not enjoying the game. I've tended to shy away from evil characters since then. However, I've never tried an evil character on a MUD.

[Vantaniael]

It's usually harder to catch evils, but I usually find this balances out, those who put the time in to keep evils around usually turn out to be more interesting, and thus the roelplay all the more rewarding.

[Brar]

Only one stupid reason... Time

Barely having time to play, I tend to focus on chaging minds character, not the one who ressemble me the most

But having my little old drow back to life will surely change things a bit

[Mele]

I actually don't even think this is true, no offense!

I play my evil at least every other day, usually every day. Every time there is a pretty good amount of other evils on and around! Five plus.

Maybe it's a playtime of day thing for you? :)

[Orplar]

I agree. It really just depends on my mood. Your welcome to send me a pm to set up somethings. Otherwise Ill try and keep an eye out. Im pretty sure I have more evils than goodies.

[Laroremas]

For the same reason DnD games rarely are evil campaigns.

Quoted for truth.

Also, I've run into a few occasions on my evil alternative wherein while trying to search for a trainer for a particular thing(often times the only trainer for that thing in game), I get denied entry to the place because of my alignment. Pretty shitty.

[Selveem]

I do play a few evils, but not as often as my Neutrals or Goodies. For me, I get bored. I prefer Neutrals because I like to be able to interact with both alignments. We are not the sort of MUD that has a huge player base. We do have a decent, steady one, but not one that can be spoken to of having 15 of each alignment on at all times. For me, it comes down to a broad range of selection that I might have as company. Just because I like a player doesn't mean my character's going to get along with theirs, either. Character ethos, quirks, and other factors are a big thing, too.

By no stretch of the imagination am I going to say I don't really appreciate and enjoy that there are people out there who play evils really well. That I don't enjoy the friction created by long term rivalries or full-on enemies. It's great to have Zareth, who is a snobby little bastard run into Mazikeen who he would regard as beneath him only to find himself on equal footing and watching the banter play out only to find out they each have something they need from each other. Seeing that rivalry develop as they choose how little they want to give in exchange for what they need. It's all great fun, really. I think many players who rarely play evils get caught up in the physical fighting aspect.

The idea that you're going to get into a lot of fights, have few allies, and fewer friends is disconcerting to some players as they play their characters. As an evil, you've got to be very selective as to who you consider a real friend (if you ever find one, even!). You've got to be very diplomatic, crafty or very strong to get what you want, it seems. Truly, it doesn't seem the alignment for the meek, but there are some who I've seen pull it off by being a servant of another who is powerful and being afforded their protection. It's diverse, complex, and highly attention oriented.

Because of these things, I'd like to thank the players who have the patience and devotion to play evils. You add a layer to the game that would make it very bland, otherwise. Every hero needs an arch enemy and every neutral needs a fence to dance on.

[Selveem]

Also, I've run into a few occasions on my evil alternative wherein while trying to search for a trainer for a particular thing(often times the only trainer for that thing in game), I get denied entry to the place because of my alignment.

Or race, or faith, etc. I know where you're coming from. It's been a very big gripe of mine for quite some time. It'd be nice if there was another drive such as what Dalvyn did for spells. To clean up and add more skills/spells trainers in the game that make them accessible to all.

[Laroremas]

Race is definitely understandable. But when mobs can determine your faith(especially if your symbol is concealed) or your alignment (when really, they probably couldn't unless they had detect [insert alignment here] on all day), it tends to make less sense. But I think this is an issue for another thread. Sorry for potentially derailing it. =P

[Nysan]

For the same reason DnD games rarely are evil campaigns.

And some people wonder why I enjoyed the Ravenloft setting so much. Evil atmosphere was such a nice change of pace.