During April and May, the alignment system proved to be very successful. Everyone seemed to like it, whether it was the neutral characters killing one another or the good characters enjoying some impromptu dinner theater. This past event, however, it hit a bit of a sour note. While I don't plan on changing any rules as a result of this, I do feel partly responsible for failing to be more clear about what neutrality entails. Here, then, is a more detailed warning about what it means to play a neutral character. Please note the emphasized points.
The neutral character option is designed to accommodate a very specific player demographic. These players often describe themselves as "hardcore" and favor a more realistic, more competitive play style in which other PCs can be enemies. They often gravitate toward dark or monstrous character options that make for questionable protagonists. In fact, the original name for neutral characters was "antihero," which was only dropped for the sake of simplicity. In a nutshell, being neutral means you're not one of the good guys, but you're also not so evil that you're unfit to live amongst the other PCs. You're somewhere in between, hence, neutral.
It should go without saying that being neutral is not for the faint of heart or the thin-skinned. Playing a neutral character means being able to separate in-play and out-of-play actions more so than most. If you play a neutral character, you should be able to take grief from another PC and have a good laugh with that PC's player afterwards. On the other hand, if you have trouble separating your feelings about a person from your feelings about their character, you should stick with a good character. This will help ensure everyone has fun, yourself most of all.
More generally, your red armband is a heavily loaded game cue that conveys your acceptance of a social contract. By wearing one, you're telling other game participants that you're cool with PvP, that you understand everything that could (and most likely will) happen to you, that you'll roll with the punches without getting angry, and that you'll have fun even when you're not winning. Just by tying a colored piece of cloth to your arm, you're saying:
- I accept that I will be attacked, killed, and robbed by other neutral PCs, often by those more powerful than me, repeatedly, and/or without any real motive. I accept that this may happen while I'm at my most vulnerable (e.g., right after a fight, asleep), and that I may have little or no recourse when it does.
- I accept that I will be mistrusted and accused of doing these things myself, even if I haven't.
- When I have done these things, I accept that I will often be caught and face disproportionate in-play consequences, even when I feel I've committed the perfect crime.
- I accept that I will be betrayed by other neutral PCs who are supposedly friends of mine.
- I accept that I must grow eyes in the back of my head, because I never know who might attack next or when they might strike.
- I understand that PvP is often a contentious form of gameplay. Because of this, I promise to follow game rules impeccably and take accusations of cheating very seriously so as to avoid unnecessary out-of-play drama.
The bottom line is, if you can't say all of these things and mean them, don't be neutral. If you're already neutral, let plot know that you'd like to unflag and wait out your three events, or else ask to retire your character and start fresh. Most people take issue with these sorts of things happening to their character, and there's no shame in wanting to have fun. That's why good is the default option. Being neutral is a tough pill to swallow, and many people who think they can handle it find out too late how easily it can destroy their fun.
If you think you can say these things, make sure you mean it. It's easy to say you want to be neutral, but far more difficult to pull it off with your fun intact. If there's even the slightest doubt, give it some more thought. Don't flag until you're absolutely sure it's what you want.
As always, we want everyone to have fun, and the alignment system is easily our best attempt at allowing that to happen while including PvP. But it only works when players are very honest with themselves about what they will enjoy. At one point or another, those who are neutral have a choice to be so. All we ask is, when you decide, make sure it's the right choice for you.