While stating what is below i want it understood that i dont expect that a game in this stage of developement is capable of fulfilling all of what i wish for, and i count on the players to bring as much of this as possible into the game world.
e‧vil - [ee-vuh l]
–adjective
1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.
2. harmful; injurious: evil laws.
3. characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.
4. due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.
5. marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition.
–noun
6. that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct: to choose the lesser of two evils.
7. the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.
8. the wicked or immoral part of someone or something: The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.
9. harm; mischief; misfortune: to wish one evil.
10. anything causing injury or harm: Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.
11. a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence: the evils of alcohol.
12. a disease, as king's evil.
–adverb
13. in an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.
—Idiom
14. the evil one, the devil; Satan.
The reason I offer this is because much of what is done in the name of evil does fall under the definition of evil. Suno much of what you are saying here,
“Evil guilds should maybe have a leader, someone to command a small army, or wait and plan out some sort of attack that will endanger some peoples' lives and actually make an impact on Yliakum - something that the local guards won't be able to stop. Compare this with pickpocketing.”
expresses the difference between chaotic evil and lawful evil. Lawful evil is scheming insidious uses and manipulates the law etc. Pickpockets and serial duelists are more chaotic or neutral evil. However I agree that much of what is done in PS and called evil is really just doofyness.
The Problem of evil as defined above in relation to PS is difficult to define in few words.
1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.
There is no moral structure to oppose. In the real world for instance, Charles Manson may be seen as evil only because he opposes a dominant Christian paradigm (which incidentally is semi present in Yliakum due to bleed over from players to characters) that exists in his culture. There is no clear articulated paradigm to stand in opposition to in Yliakum so even “good guys” seem to react in random chaotic ways to any self styled evil.
2. Harmful; injurious: evil laws.
Those who are committing random acts of violence and theft are fine under this definition. There are no clearly articulated laws in place, whether good or ill, no known evil rulers officially recognized. [Dark Empire has good thematic development and writing and represents a relatively mature lawful evil.] The current rarity of evil Npcs and even the current state of npc development make it difficult to have a sense of being legitimized as an evil character or even an evil guild.
3. Characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.
Some of roleplaying this is being done, and done well, poisonings diseases and the like happen all the time in Yliakum and sometimes stir things up for a while. The danger of overdoing these things or doing them only decently and often is that is has diminishing returns over time.
Here I would like to see a crystal eclipse or something of the sort, a time of darkness for evil to coalesce around. Evil characters might accrue wickedness and actually alter the terrain near them negatively.
4. due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.
Evil is a title you EARN many guilds and the characters that are in them basically just hang a sign around their neck that reads evil and assume that is enough to actually roleplay being evil (sad to say same is true for good). Evil characters need to be the best of roleplayers not the weakest. I am not being critical of anyone currently playing evil in saying this, I mean instead that now that you are “evil” you have to respect that role and it cannot be done without a sincere pursuit of knowledge of the settings. If you think of your favorite evil characters in movies they are often the best actors as well, the same should be true here.
–noun
5. marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition.
Krook, nuff said.
6. that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct.
I feel that evil conduct is rarely played well, and I feel this is primarily due to unwillingness of players to put their characters in peril to another’s story’s harm. Better planning on the part of the evil guilds and characters, as well as greater OOC relations with the heads of “good” guilds would help with this.
7. the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.
Does PS mythology even contain this? Is there a force in nature which compels evil? If so is it clearly defined in a dichotomy? One thing many of us struggle with it the difference between monotheism and polytheism. In Christianity all that gets somewhat confused but basically there is god and then there is an evil force that arises from pride and challenges the established order. How does a person define good and evil when in a polytheistic mode? Much of what we would call good and evil on earth is due to a clear simple dichotomy. Good and evil is more difficult to define and much more relativistic in Yliakum because the forces players currently know about in character have elements of their personalities we would likely attribute to good and evil, but in this mythology each entity has equivalence.
8. the wicked or immoral part of someone or something: The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.
I have seen many people play out internal conflicts of this type and a few do it very well. Again the danger of this is too many doing it poorly.
9. harm; mischief; misfortune: to wish one evil.
Consensual stalking roleplayed and a million other evils
10. anything causing injury or harm: Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.
More evil locations and items would be a blessing for rpers wishing to do evil. Hydlaa should very like not be the hub of good that it now is, but Ojaveda may well be a fine place to begin to generate a “culture of evil.” This culture is needed if evil is to be taken seriously or be consequential. This raises the idea that evil turns on itself, but while this is so, even chaotic evil organizations exist. An organization wherein the strongest and most brutal rule might be a good way to get your dueling out and promote an as
11. a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence: the evils of alcohol.
More of this would be good drunkards addicts fanatics etc . . .
12. a disease, as king's evil.
Aye.
–adverb
13. in an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.
As in, Evil in PS is currently evil
—Idiom
14. the evil one, the devil; Satan.
Yes please.
I was a bit rushed i will clarify later.
