The Dark Side

[Proseksword]

Well, I think you can tell from my handle, I LOVE playing Coalition characters (favorite O.C.C.:Coalition Ranger), and my favorite alignment is aberrant. That being said, I can't really get into playing a Diabolic, Miscreant, or Anarchist Character. I've slaughtered my fair share of D-bee women and children, but they don't really count, since they aren't human, right?

[Mech-Viper Prime]

i played evil character that were some really sickos , that normally went into is really twisted stuff, but it was mostly to get a reaction out of my few players.

[Cybermancer]

I am confused. I thought all rifts characters ended up evil....

What an odd perception. I've had characters that went from Unprincipled to Scrupulous in Rifts.

[Cybermancer]

You honestly have to be in an all good and similar alignment group of meta game to have it work. Otherwise you always fall. It's the nature of the game.

Well, that's your experience with it but obviously it's not mine. To wit, I don't always fail nor do I see it as the nature of the game.

[Jay05]

I've chosen to play evil characters (abberant) which can actually work in an otherwise good alligned group. But never miscreat or diabolic. (Well, unless you count the character I had years ago who was a multiple personality (in HU2) His personalities went from Unpri to Diabolic. And as a gm I've played all. (part of the job.) And honestly I enjoy being able to do things in game that in reality I would never truely consider. It's fun.

[Anthar]

I've never played an evil character, I just don't have it in me. However, when I put my GM hat on it's a different story altogether.

[taalismn]

I plead insanity...Stress made me use my troop carrier's guns on BOTH the police squad AND the helpless villagers...They were ALL out to get me...the dog, too...

[Jay05]

LMAO! That is insane! But funny as hell in this context.

[wildhood]

GM of the game group I m in is starting evil game, I would play but I still got to work on Joint forces: Greenland game I m doing soon.

[Lt Gargoyle]

Evil characters can be fun to play. But I find truly evil campaigns require a good GM to run it. And a group has to have a common reason to work together.

As a GM I allow the players to play whatever alignment they want if I do not have a preset up campaign. However I do not stop internal player conflict. So they can shoot each other in the back of the head.

I think the best fun we ever had was when our gm brought another group he gmed and they fought it out after several month of tracking the evil group down. It was fun chasing them as we were always right behind them. Thank the paladin and cleric for having to stay and help those the evil group tortured.

I prefer to play Anarchist or Unprincipled in the Palladium settings.

[Wildfire]

Me and my players who are all GMs as well have no problem playing very base and evil chars. heck I either play the courageous Cyber knight or the evil marading villan.

The best Evil game was started by players playing the heroic good guys with an HU2 Angel (Powers Unlimited 2) mega hero leading the charge. he was aided by a few nut balls (two crazys named Hanz and Franz and a Juicer) an evil god type character seduced the juicer and made a deal to make him as powerful as the Angel as the only the angel could kill this evil god (or so the god believed) and the Juicer convinced the crazies to help him and they mowed down the angel and all his followers from behind and only the angel survived due to certain powers but when he could get up all the newly minted evil characters were gone.

The game then went on with all the other players making evil characters and having them play them oput 1 game night and then having all the players except the angel PC make new good aligned characters to chase down the evil band.
While this was fun the best was playingthe evil characters as the most vile was troll witch who was aligned with the evil god being so vile and disgusting as this was the same player who had the angel.

[Ziggurat the Eternal]

Aberrant is as evil as I can get, I can't betray friends/allies/people I don't hate so much. I also always keep my word. Always. Leads to quite some fun roleplaying, as in one particular game I played.
I was, at the beginning, the rival of one of the other PC's and swore to kill him. As time went on we were forced to work together and learned to respect each other and our abilities. We were the best dynamic duo ever, as our powers were direct opposites, and thus complemented each other well in battle. At the end, when we were forced to face the Big Bad alone, we teamed up and through the power of friendship, we defeated him. He mentioned how we used to be enemies, and he never would have expected this would be how it ended. I reminded him that I swore to help him accomplish his goal, and that I had, because I always keep my word.

I then reminded him that I once swore to kill him, and with a look of surprise on his face, I struck him down where he stood. I then went back to the party and told them all of how he died bravely in battle, and in doing so saved my life, and allowed me to defeat our enemy.

The look on everyone's face was amazing. Absolutely Priceless.

[Blight]

I am confused. I thought all rifts characters ended up evil....

"They either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain." Harvy Dent Former D.A. of Gotham(1971 to 2008)

[Lt Gargoyle]

Aberrant is as evil as I can get, I can't betray friends/allies/people I don't hate so much. I also always keep my word. Always. Leads to quite some fun roleplaying, as in one particular game I played.
I was, at the beginning, the rival of one of the other PC's and swore to kill him. As time went on we were forced to work together and learned to respect each other and our abilities. We were the best dynamic duo ever, as our powers were direct opposites, and thus complemented each other well in battle. At the end, when we were forced to face the Big Bad alone, we teamed up and through the power of friendship, we defeated him. He mentioned how we used to be enemies, and he never would have expected this would be how it ended. I reminded him that I swore to help him accomplish his goal, and that I had, because I always keep my word.

I then reminded him that I once swore to kill him, and with a look of surprise on his face, I struck him down where he stood. I then went back to the party and told them all of how he died bravely in battle, and in doing so saved my life, and allowed me to defeat our enemy.

The look on everyone's face was amazing. Absolutely Priceless.

That would have been a fun game to watch.

[Ziggurat the Eternal]

Our games are always fun, I especially enjoy our current one, it has a lot of philosophy and thought provoking actions and statements.
It shows real promise, and I can't wait to see where it goes, as I have already done some hardcore stuff, and NOT been called out on it. This is in a group playing total goody two shoes. Just goes to show you that circumstances change everything. And the backstory is pretty Ballin' which helps.

I usually play a good guy, with an aberrant alignment. Some of the other characters were kinda leery of this at first, but I pull it off.

[Ice Dragon]

Define evil.

One of my characters slipped down the path of evil, since he hasn't had the experiance and the moral education to deduct, what is good and what is evil. The other characters are doing this, so it must be Ok. In the end he redeemed himself and works now for the Light Sight .

[dark brandon]

Well, I think you can tell from my handle, I LOVE playing Coalition characters (favorite O.C.C.:Coalition Ranger), and my favorite alignment is aberrant. That being said, I can't really get into playing a Diabolic, Miscreant, or Anarchist Character. I've slaughtered my fair share of D-bee women and children, but they don't really count, since they aren't human, right?

Right.

[dark brandon]

we usually play evil/self-serving alignments. Usually.

Playing evil isn't hard, as long as you realize evil doesn't mean insane. Playing evil isn't hard as long as you realize they have feelings too. They can love, respect, enjoy...as much as a good character can. They can have rules and follow them just as much as a good character can. A properly played Evil character can be just as easy to "predict" his choices as a good character can.

"The path to hell is paved in good intentions" Is something I remember whenever I play an evil character. Most don't think of themselves as evil. Most usually believe in the "greater good" and rarely think of themselves as evil. Only my selfish characters will ever consider themselves "evil", and really they are just selfish.

[Rallan]

Playing evil for evil's sake never really appealed to me, at least not in serious campaigns. There's only so much looting and pillaging and jaywalking you can do before it gets a bit same ol' same ol'. And thanks to the way Rifts Earth is such a violent, fractured, lawless place, there's generally not too much scope for more grandiose tricksy scheming evil. It's hard to be an evil overlord and plot global destruction when civilization in your neck of the woods consists of one high-tech city ran as a police state and surrounded by a thousand miles of demons who'd rather eat you than be your henchmen.

[Ziggurat the Eternal]

if you don't play evil as 'chaotic stupid' then it works well.

I agree, and this is the best I've statement on the matter I have ever seen.

[taalismn]

I prefer to play Anarchist or Unprincipled in the Palladium settings.

Yeah..I like to have the option of bugging out of a bad situation, a bad contract, and a bad employer, as well as the options to beat the stuffing out of somebody else, then loot their stuff with a clear conscience...

[Killer Cyborg]

I tried, but rifts doesnt lend itself to the niceties. I did have a character that went from miscreant to lawful evil..erm I mean abberant. Most of my characters start off unprincipled or scrup and fall a category or 2 hehe. You honestly have to be in an all good and similar alignment group of meta game to have it work. Otherwise you always fall. It's the nature of the game.

I'm guessing that you're mistaking how the alignments work.
And/or you have a kind of nasty GM.

[Killer Cyborg]

Evil campaigns are fairly fun, but they usually come to an end when I kill everybody.

[taalismn]

And what do we do with rare and inspiring things?
We crush them.

[Danger]

Being evil doesn't necessarily mean you have to be murderous or psychotic. You could just be...self-serving in a 'I don't care what happens to anyone else' sort of way.

[Killer Cyborg]

I tried, but rifts doesnt lend itself to the niceties. I did have a character that went from miscreant to lawful evil..erm I mean abberant. Most of my characters start off unprincipled or scrup and fall a category or 2 hehe. You honestly have to be in an all good and similar alignment group of meta game to have it work. Otherwise you always fall. It's the nature of the game.

I'm guessing that you're mistaking how the alignments work.
And/or you have a kind of nasty GM.

Not really. I would say we are around the avg mark for violance/evil presence. But the normal every day adventurer is going to see monsters, demons, rape, theft, murder, and wanton violence on an almost daily basis. The only real way to avoid this is to settle down in a nice quiet and peaceful town/city, but then your not an adventurer, and on top of that, it's not likely to last.

You lost me.
You count seeing those things as being evil?

The coalition has the best chance of it lasting, but they are purposely teaching their citizens, and more importantly their children to HATE everything thats not human and actively trying to kill anything that doesnt seem human. Thats going to be a really nasty civilization in 100 years...

Sure, but there are plenty of non-evil people in the CS.
There's even sections of the book that address this.

If your not a coalition citizen, your constantly being forced to fight for your life, and your friends/families lives.

Eh. Not constantly, not in many/most places.
Just to interject.

If your in a major city, it might not be a regular thing, but it's still there. And now that Tolkeen is gone, there is nothing really stopping the coalition from starting up genocide against the rest of NA. Yes, Rifts is definately a dark and violent world. Thats why when you come across a set of TRUE and good heroes, it's rare an inspiring. Thats alot of the power that comes from being a cyberknight.

None of this, to me, adds up to most characters being evil.

[LunarYoma]

evil is not realyl evil, it just had a bad PR person.

[Lt Gargoyle]

I prefer to play Anarchist or Unprincipled in the Palladium settings.

Yeah..I like to have the option of bugging out of a bad situation, a bad contract, and a bad employer, as well as the options to beat the stuffing out of somebody else, then loot their stuff with a clear conscience...

yea that too. I have always found those to be closer to my own personality and I can get away with an evil action every once in a while. I may not stick the knife in your back but it does not mean I will warn you about the knife poised for your back.

[Rallan]

Dark Brandon is right. Being evil doesnt mean being mindless or stupid. Sometimes it's best for you to be good if for no other reason than to not draw attention to yourself.

I finally broke the alignment barrier for abberant in a town that I was sloughtering. They were harboring a fugitave. Well he was a fugitive from me anyway. I had burned down several houses and buildings and had resorted to having my minions wrangle up the majority of the town and watch as I tortured them to death one at a time untill they told me where he was. The cyberknight had been wittling away at me for years with his banter of good/right and wrong. Turns out I was unwittingly avoiding killing kids and elderly. Well on purpose anyway. Who knew? All this time I just thought it was because they bled out too fast. Since that time I have slowly converted to abberant "with miscreant tendencies."

Turns out you were playing Miscreant or Diabolic right from the start old chap. Seriously dude, putting random households to the torture and justifying them because they just randomly happened not to have women or children in them? The whole "let's randomly torture people" is something that'd grab you an evil alignment in the real world without even trying. CONGRATULATIONS YOU WIN A PRIZE!

[Killer Cyborg]

You lost me.
You count seeing those things as being evil?

No, I am saying when you see demons and monsters running around in the world it effects you. When you see them and others commiting rape, theft, and murder, it effects you. When you are constantly surrounded by wanton violence it effects you. How could it not?

"Affecting you" doesn't equal "turns you evil."

Sure, but there are plenty of non-evil people in the CS.
There's even sections of the book that address this.

I agree. There are some. But it's unquestioningly the minority.

You should probably reread those parts of the books.

Eh. Not constantly, not in many/most places.
Just to interject.

Not always constantly, but eventually yes. In alot of places, almost constantly. Small towns lack the means to defend themselves against any major threat, which in the rifts world could be anything. Small towns are doomed from the start untill they get up large enough to put up a fight.

Not true.
One of the central themes of Rifts, at least in the early books, was that many/most small towns have some sort of defender(s) to protect them from threats.

It's very common for them to be destroyed and the survivors move on and try to find someplace else. Only small communities that are spread out, well hidden, and with a smart populace will remain for the most part undisturbed, but eventually even they have problems.

It all depends on what area you're in, and what else is competing for that area.
You could have an open community in the middle of the plains and stay unmolested for year.
Or you could have a hidden community in the middle of the woods, and be constantly raided.
It's all about location and competition.

None of this, to me, adds up to most characters being evil.

It doesnt make you automatically evil. But it does slowly change you. Without realizing it, your numb to alot of it, and become less caring. Eventually you notice you do things that you normally would never do and often it just hits you, and you had been doing it for a while without realizing it.

Thats how it works.

That's how it can work.
Big difference.
Nurses, cops, and firemen suffer from burnout in fairly high percentages, and/or post-traumatic stress, but I wouldn't say that a large pecentage of them is evil because of it.

[Killer Cyborg]

"Affecting you" doesn't equal "turns you evil."

No, it slowly turns you from good. It starts putting you in the "neutral" alignments that are, in essence transitional. Where you go depends on what you do, where you go, and who your with.

Or you stay good alignment, and just deal with it.

You should probably reread those parts of the books.

No, I have read them. Back in 60-80PA or before, I would say your right, but at 109+ I would say that they have def become the minority. Now that the last nation in NA capable of standing against the coalition is gone, nobody would stand against them and they have become a very bloodthirsty nation.

Source?

Your right, there are small towns everywhere, most have some defenders, and location/competition can buy you time or shorten your time. But eventually every town is tested. Some more than others, but it really doesnt take much to destroy a small town. A clever enemy can do it without even ever engaging the defenders. Very very few have a decent mage/psychic and group of juices or what have you to defend them. Most have 15-20people with SDC and some light MD weapons and maybe some light mdc armor. And thats a larger town (500-1000 people.) A clever enemy could wreak serious damage on a town like that, much less larger threat.

Yup.
Doesn't mean the townsfolk would be evil, though.

That's how it can work.
Big difference.
Nurses, cops, and firemen suffer from burnout in fairly high percentages, and/or post-traumatic stress, but I wouldn't say that a large pecentage of them is evil because of it.

Have you ever been treated by a 30 year career nurse? They very much so have a "you'll get over it" attitude. "Oh, your stomach hurts? You'll get over it, just take your damn medicine and go to sleep so I can get back to my magazine."

I personally know a nurse who's been working for over 30 years, and I can tell you that whatever her professional personality is (I've never been treated by her), she sure isn't evil.
In fact, I wouldn't even put her at Anarchist or Unprincipled.

Perfect example of how being there twisted the person into what she is now. It doesnt happen overnight, but it does happen. Often without your even knowing it. Does that make her evil? Certainly not. If your life was in danger, she would be there fighting to save you with the cold calculating mind of someone thats been there a hundred times before. But she's not really good anymore either, just doing what she's paid to do untill her shift ends. If you died after her shift and were replaced before she got to work that next day, she probably wouldnt even notice, or it would be an after thought.

Does that mean everyone is going to be evil? No, it just means that most are not good, which is why the balance is overwhelmingly in evils favor when you look at the big picture.

You don't have to like your job in order to be of Good alignment, and you don't even have to be polite.
I'll tell you, though, nurses do notice when patients die, even after 30 years. They can't afford to cry about it every time, but that doesn't mean that they're Selfish or Evil.
Actually sit down and READ Palladium's alignment system.
Look at their examples for each alignment.
Compare the nurse you're talking about with the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson, whichever one is used as an example of a Good alignment by Palladium's standards.
You don't have to be a boy scout or a Pollyanna to be Good.

[Mech-Viper Prime]

personally I have always be fond of having out stuffed animals to children, the biggest joy i get is knowing they have a fusion block in them and around bedtime they go off, the fun times my evil character has caused with that one its all most as fun as fusion blocks in first aid kits and handing them out to stupid villagers then waiting a couple of days after and shaping changing into someone else and going back and acting outraged about this act of evil.

[taalismn]

Being evil doesn't necessarily mean you have to be murderous or psychotic. You could just be...self-serving in a 'I don't care what happens to anyone else' sort of way.

Or coldly pragmatic....
Like shooting somebody enough to wound them...then using them to lure in other people trying to rescue them...then shooting them as well...
especially if they're medics...
Of course, there the argument can be made..."I am depriving the enemy of assets, I am tying down their manpower, and crippling their ability to recoup losses and return effectives to the battlefield...."

[runebeo]

We played a short evil campaign where we were gargoyles fighting NGR. Playing as gargoyles were got a different outlook on them, sure they were human eating monster but to them its all about protecting their race and families, they see humans as just their natural prey not worthy of their respect. We learned that as tough as a gargoyles is, its not a match for a NGR aircraft with it superior speed, firepower and range. From that experience we designed a new weapon system from the Gargoyle Nation with low powered wing lasers with good range and wrist harpoon gun to reel in their prey and latch onto aircrafts.