Intent
Differentiate characters by segregating them into different categories that define how in-game events affect them physically. Characters can also be distinguished by limiting their abilities based on these same categories.
Also Known As
Not applicable.
Related Patterns
Faction, Idiom
Motivation
The goals of Alignment are easy to misconstrue. This is because many games present alignment as a common characteristic that specifies how a player should portray his character. Alignments are usually specified with connotive words rather than numbers, the most common of which are “Good” and “Evil.” To extend the field of aligned behaviors to a wider range of possibilities, many games specify a number of alignment characteristics, each of which must be assigned values. In addition to “Good” and
“Evil,” a game might require a player to decide between “Lawful” and “Chaotic” or
“Social” and “Antisocial,” etc.
Because of these moralistic names, it is easy to come to the conclusion that a game having alignments is actually trying to persuade players to portray their characters in certain ways. The text might even say this. However, the Alignment pattern does nothing to promote role-play in any mechanical way (such as by rewarding players for doing so). Thus, the pattern cannot really be described as a mechanical means of promoting role-play. (Note that the Faction pattern, which is similar to the Alignment pattern, does provide rewards for role-playing characters according to specified belief systems. Alignment and Faction are often used together, so it is easy to confuse the two.)
The Alignment pattern is useful, though. One must simply recognize that the actual design goal which Alignment satisfies has nothing to do with promoting role-play.
Rather, its purpose is to differentiate characters by assigning various physical effects to some in-game events based on alignment categories. It can also be used to distinguish characters by constraining character abilities based on their alignment category. A character’s alignment might therefore limit the character to a subset of a game’s career choices. For example, a player wishing to play a “White Witch” might be required to select a Good alignment. Selecting this option might simultaneously preclude the
character from ever becoming a “Black Witch.” A game might even view Good and Evil as physical properties that can be detected and manipulated. Thus, a “White Witch” might have specialized skills that have different effects based on the target’s alignment. She might get a palpable sensation whenever evil approached, for example.
Or, she might be able to summon a “Radiance of Goodness” to aid her Good companions, hinder her Evil foes, or both.
Applicability
As a role-playing aid that gives guidance to players concerning the manner in which they should portray their characters, the Alignment pattern does a poor job. Other patterns, such as the Faction and Idiom patterns satisfy this goal to a far better degree.
It is highly recommended that you understand these patterns before deciding to use the Alignment pattern as a role-playing guide.
As a means of differentiating characters based on pre-specified categories, the Alignment pattern excels. Use the Alignment pattern if your goals include:
1) A desire to define a fixed set of broad categories into which each character is placed.
2) A desire to have in-game effects vary from one character to another based on his assigned category.
3) A desire to limit player options based on the category to which a character is assigned.
Note that goals 1 and 3 can be satisfied by the Class design pattern. If you do not want to vary the in-game effects of character actions based on a character’s alignment, you might want to consider that pattern instead.
The Alignment pattern tends to work well with the Skill and Gift patterns, but is less harmonious with the Traits pattern. The reason is simple. If you want to vary the in-game effects of various actions based on alignment, you need to specify exactly how those effects vary. Pre-defined skills and gifts provide this opportunity in that each requires its own description. The traits pattern, on the other hand, demands a more general rule describing how each player-specified trait interacts with the various alignments. It is telling that none of the games analyzed in researching this book used both the Trait and Alignment patterns together.
The Alignment pattern mimics the Faction pattern in structure, in that both require characters to be placed in groups. Consequently, many games combine the Alignment and Faction patterns. Player options are constrained by a character’s alignment, in-game effects vary based on the alignment, and the alignment serves as a faction promoting conflict between the different categories.
Consequences
The Alignment pattern essentially adds a characteristic to each character that interacts with the game-world reality as if it were a physical property. It can often be detected,
Miscellaneous Patterns (Alignment) 109
leveraged, and manipulated as in various ways by game rules specifically designed to do so. Although alignments are often identified by moralistic words such as “Good,”
“Lawful,” “Evil,” “Antisocial,” and the like, they do not provide any mechanical effect to encourage players to role-play in any particular way (although many players will do so anyway because they closely associate a character’s alignment with his behavior patterns).
Since the alignment pattern seeks to vary the effects of actions based on a character’s alignment category, it can add a large burden to the game-writer’s shoulders. The set of possible alignments essentially spans the entire game and has far-reaching
consequences. It is likely that a large portion of the skills and gifts contained within a game’s text will have alignment-based effects. Each of these effects requires its own discussion to clarify the differences. This means that the various skill and gift
descriptions will be lengthier than if no variable effects existed. You might decide to lessen your workload by having relatively few skills with alignment-based effects.
However, if you do so, you probably should reconsider using the Alignment pattern.
After all, why complicate your game for something that will only have a minor impact?
Implementation Concerns
If you decide to use the Alignment pattern, you need to concern yourself with categories to which you are going to assign characters. The whole “Good” versus “Evil”
alignment concept has been explored by a great many games. So, you may want to avoid using these alignment categories in your own games to differentiate it from its predecessors.
Note that a game exploring the dangers and moral dilemmas faced by mountain climbers might categorize characters as “High Altitude Acclimated,” “Moderate Altitude Acclimated,” and “Sea-Level Acclimated.” After all, these are broad categories that limit player options and the specific category would define the effects that a high-altitude environment would have on a particular character. By spending sufficient time at a given altitude, a character may gradually change from one category to another. So, it satisfies the pattern in a way that completely strips out all moralistic judgment of character behavior.
Samples
A game with an alignment system might segment alignments into two aspects:
Goodness and Sociability. These would be set as Good or Evil and Social or Antisocial.
Such a system might provide the following definitions:
Social
A Social character befriends others through his trustworthy acts. He helps any other character in desperate need if possible. Social characters also expect others to aid them in their needful times.
Antisocial
An Antisocial character uses other party members to suit his needs. He quickly picks fights with those standing in his way. Of course, he may act highly social as long as it serves his needs.
Good
A Good character has mercy on those who ask and deserve it. He serves justice and demonstrates kindness to all he meets. Good characters defend townships from evil invasions. They save fair princesses from evil wizards. A good character would attempt to slay any slavering, vicious, hungry ogre threatening a nearby orphanage. Conversely, a Good-aligned character more easily gets help when needed. Defending a town from an angry ogre endears a character to those townsfolk saved.
Evil
An Evil character delights in the misery of others. He strives for personal power and allows no sense of mercy or justice to interfere with gaining it. Glory, pleasure, power, and wealth are the major aims of an Evil character but his methods may seem perfectly innocent on the surface.
Such a game might then restrict characters to certain classes (see the Class pattern) based on their alignments. For example: