Posted by Nivek on September 1, 2000 at 16:55:13:
In Reply to: Why not? (warm and fuzzy text inside) posted by Zepachu on September 1, 2000 at 15:53:01:
> BTW: I think I might take more pictures of my left eye, and maybe a picture of my right, and have them collide and stuff.. Would be fun, huh? > I think they should rewrite the helpfiles accordingly: > Good Chaotic: You like to help those less fortunate... or do you? > Neutral Chaotic: You don't care about anything, or anyone... right? > Evil Chaotic: You should take time out to kill little girls and small puppy dogs... don't you think? > My stupid point is... the Chaotic entries should be extremely short... They're way too descriptive, and in their description of how to be chaotic they're imposing some sort of limitation, which kind of defeats the whole purpose. > On a whole, people figure, then, that being chaotic just means you have a quirky attitude, or you are constantly wanted, or you are defiant.. > I have fun playing Chaotic characters, and I assume I am doing it right since only one of my barons was uninducted, then reinducted... I think of it like this. On a Philosophy exam about three or four years ago the professor asked quite simply... > Why? > I had just taken two midterms, was doing well in the class, and totally didn't care. > My initial response in my head was, "Why ask why?"... But I wrote down... > Why not? > I got an A on that exam. I was in such a fog that I didn't realize until later how everyone else was freaking out... > Bleh... As Nepenthe says, "think outside the box." > He says that doesn't he? *shrugs* > Zep... Zep... Zepachu! > BTW: Thanks for not deleting the threads below where we (ok, I) drifted off. > > > Not to interrupt the wonderful Zepachu/Ekirhal public displays of affection, and the Zepachu vs. Zepachu debate on what eye picture to use on his website, but.... > > A while ago, I posted a group of mini-roles (../messages/33682.html) which outlined three characters I thought could be considered chaotic nuetral, or at least true neutral with chaotic leanings. Several people responded with what alignments they thought the roles pointed towards, and a lot of decisions came up leaning towards chaos. (Out of 27 ethos calls, 3 Lawful, 11 Neutral, 13 Chaotic) > > This was prompted several recent threads here on the topic of chaos, my own experience playing a character I called Chaotic Neutral (Ingvar), and the helpfile on "Chaotic Neutral". > > (Helpfile: "Chaotic Neutral: There is no order to anything, even their own actions. Good and Evil are irrelevant when making a decision. They are almost totally unreliable, except for the fact that you can rely on them being like this. The true coin-flipper, they rely on fate and chance to lead them.") > > It's my opinion that the helpfile describes one way to play Chaotic Neutral, but it more accurately describes how to play a Baron. To cite one of my examples from the post, what about a principled anarchist? I would think that someone who believes that any semblance of law/order in society constitutes an attack on his/her personal freedom (laws ultimately restrict one's personal choices) would be chaotic neutral. This person (who isn't far from Ingvar) could be logical, even predictable, about how they run their lives, and could well be reliable. This person more or less wants to be left alone to pursue their interests. They wouldn't necessarily believe in fate/luck any more than the next guy. They'd be a horrible Baron, but I can't think of an alignment that would better suit them. > > So my question: Do the helpfiles accurately describe the chaotic alignments well? Or are they just holdovers from old D&D 'definitions'? > > I think they miss the center, and fail to really embrace what chaos (in terms of personal ethos) is about. I also think they might be responsible for the number of CFers who mistake "silly" for "chaotic". > > Agree? Disagree?
>
> I absolutely agree with you... they don't accurately describe what living a chaotic life is. Again, this trickles down into people that completely rely on helpfiles (and don't push the envelope) and they act.. as you so eloquently put it.. "silly."