Advice For Game Masters Part 5
10-07-01
Posted by
The Old Druid
Recent horror in New York and Washington D.C. (and the ones to come in other lands) have led my mind to once again contemplate the nature of chaotic evil. I usually struggle with fellow gamers that wishfully believe that all evil is by nature unsophisticated, naïve, and incapable of intelligent deliberate thoughts and logical processes beyond the stereotypical dumb bad-guy role. I remind players that “chaotic evil” is not necessarily “chaotic stupid!” If evil were by nature stupid then lawful good would easily conquer it and dominate all the planes of existence, but we know that is not the case.
I’ll keep the definitions short. Chaos is loosely defined as a condition of great disorder or confusion, a disorderly mass or state, unpredictable behavior, or formless primordial space. Evil is defined as causing ruin, injury, and pain; harmful, or marked by anger or spite; malicious, or that which causes harm misfortune or destruction. I find these definitions very subjective, but not inaccurate. Life has a great tendency to be our personal perspective first, and then maybe (given time and trust) we will try to understand the other person’s perspective.
Fantasy world Humans usually do not see or encounter Black Elves, Vampires, or Were Wolves (or any chaotic evil creatures), don’t know much about them, and typically deem them as single minded, fanatical, evil, and uncaring creatures -just hard targets in the night. Large groups of people, who are fundamentally different in their thoughts, motives, and actions, tend to view their neighbors with great suspicion and distrust regardless of the type of real or fantasy world. Mountains, oceans, and other geographic obstacles tend to create different languages, religions, and social orders. One group of people (nation or country) typically finds it hard to believe why another group of people (their neighbors above or below ground) could ever find the motives required to act, govern, or behave the way they do. Try to forget about New York for a moment, and image how the English felt about the Scandinavians after the attack on Lindisfarne, Northumbria in 793 ad.
The “chaotic evil” Vikings came raiding from the sea’s mist in order to murder, rape, and steal, but today after 1,200 years of perspective most people view the Vikings with educated eyes, and know them as a complex and invigorating social force that dramatically affected their world both positively and negatively. Try explaining your “facts” about the Vikings to the English at Lindisfarne or anywhere else. I’m not trying to make a direct comparison with recent events here. When a group of players get a mindset and arbitrarily dismiss a social group like Black Elves, Nazis, Vampires, or Vikings as “chaotic stupid” because of the player’s subjective feelings and a lack of knowledge, then it becomes easier for the players in question to simply play what is comfortable for them. They don’t have to put any real effort towards expanding the game’s possibilities by applying themselves beyond their “so called” comfort zone. The enemy is forever stupid and unknown - better off dead anyway! That’s the easy way out!
If you want to run a chaotic evil campaign, like the E-Mail Campaign I’m trying to start up with a group of 6-7 players as Black Elves, then the GM’s attention must turn to all the details that must always be addressed - even if the players are going to be lawful good Humans. The GM must consider the dynamics of the society, the realities of the social order and structure, food sources and distribution, overland maps, city designs, deity worship, travel options, money, equipment lists, weapons, armor, magick, social classes, healing spells, legends and lore, etc. The GM must dive into the depths of the “chaotic evil”, strip away with illusions, and find a way to make the set up (the game) work. The mindless bad guys eventually form logical processes, a social order, recognizable faces, real personalities, and an understandable mission – a campaign worth playing. You must cross the line and assume the mantle of evil, and in the process begin to understand it a little.
Once the GM has designed the “whole enchilada” in detail, there will be some obvious differences between the lawful good society and the chaotic evil society, but both now work logically and efficiently within the GM’s mind. The subjective assumptions are replaced with hard facts and knowledge (even if based on fantasy). Now the chaotic evil society begins to make rational sense, the motives are listed out plainly for all to see and digest, and the historical circumstances are understood. When the unknown variables (suspicions) are eventually replaced with understandable, logical, and rational facts, the face of evil slowly begins to become a recognizable face; even a face to hypothetically or intellectually admire and embrace as a player.
As a GameMaster or Player you can experiment and experience these types of issues in ways that are not readily available to the average Joe or Josephine, who are limited to the typical mass media devices. Non-gamers aren’t necessarily restricted in their information opportunities through the mass media of today (ignoring propaganda techniques), but they are missing the luxurious perspective gained from the emersion into the nature of evil offered to FRP gamers. Gamers have the extra opportunity to experience EVIL first hand, survive it, and in the process hopefully better understand it and to come to terms with it. This is my added contribution to recent articles on why gaming is not a waste of time. I consider this type of endeavor a grand opportunity not available to the non-gamers.
Think about it: the actor who plays Adolph Hitler, Count Dracula, or Attila the Hun must “get inside” the mind of the character in order to be convincing to the audience. Their perceived insanity, in order to be portrayed correctly, must be studied and practiced like everything else in order to look convincing for the critics across the game table. You don’t consider Attila the Hun to be chaotic evil? If you were a Roman soldier fighting him, what would you think about him? How often do we have an opportunity to “get inside” the mind of the enemy and role-play that perspective? Could I role-play a convincing and competent Nazi SS Officer, survive until the war was over, and make my way to Paraguay? Could I role-play Osama bin Laden and stay alive while the entire USA Military and Intelligence forces are hunting me down? What would be going through my mind if I were a Vampire living in New York City today? Would I as a role-player not protest my heart felt innocence as loudly as Osama bin Laden? Wouldn’t I also run away into the mountains in fear of reprisals from the “Evil Satan”- the USA? These minds that I’ve used as examples might subjectively seem chaotic and evil (like the Black Elf society I’m developing), but they still function in a logical and systematic way even if you do not like or understand them. We are all from the same human community!. Do you still think of chaotic evil as simple or shallow now that you have thought about it for a few moments? If you always hunt Nazis or Vampires, then try being one once or twice.
I would need to study and research these “characters” for some time before trying to role-play them. I would need to step into their shoes (as distasteful as that seems), study, practice, and assume a seemingly correct manner, disposition, and personality style in order to role-play well. Could you be capable of stepping inside the shoes of a chaotic evil bastard and be truly convincing at the game table? Would you be willing to stretch your role-playing skills and try it?
Some players are desperately looking for a change in pace to their normal gaming to the point that they will embrace a chaotic evil character regardless of the game’s quality – “Oh! You want me to play a Vampire?” “Sure no problem, sign me up dude!” The player’s motives might be that they will NOT have to think too much, care too much, or do anything “demanding” except perhaps kill Humans – a new and exciting target. I believe in quality over quantity, so I couldn’t make a shoddy game, and therefore I might inadvertently force the players to learn a little more about their chaotic evil characters than the mere essentials for successfully killing other life forms. Hopefully the extra work of learning something new would be welcomed by the player, or they might just endure the extra “crap” in order to enjoy the thrills of killing something different. I sincerely hope that player’s motives are a little higher placed than that.
I hope that FRPG players and GMs are learning more about the real world and human nature through their fantasy worlds by experimenting with alignments and stretching their role-playing skills. Isn’t that why we game anyway? Do we fantasy game to escape our daily horror and in the process willingly extend that horror, or is game play just our form of therapy – an escape to simply escape? Do we develop our “alter egos” from a walking dead status to a hero status so we can kill those “things” faster and more efficiently? Is that our measure of psychological or personal progress?
No, I believe that imagination, learning, and game play are essential ingredients in what makes a person a human being, if not a better human being. Mental escape, no matter what form it takes, is essential for sanity in an insane world. Think about these concepts as you see the doomed airplanes repeatedly plow into the World Trade Center buildings 20 times each night on the TV before you go to bed. Those images are now burned into our minds. Real horror makes fantasy horror look like a walk in the damn park! Prayer is in order!
Michael G. Kimbriel
a.k.a. The Old Druid
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