Three points:
Selling a character into slavery may work when there are subsequent expectations that that player will have to work for those who have enslaved them. This falls apart when you consider that a character sold into slavery in Hazlan or Har'Akir will be expected... to sit around waiting for NPCs to tell them what to do. On the other hand, yes, there are sometimes players of Mulan at the Red Academy, and yes, sometimes they do take player slaves; but all that happens without the need for a mechanical implementation; roleplay is our watchword and it more than suffices here.
Secondly, any actual implementation of slavery as you describe it either requires significant mechanical overhead (to chain two players so that they may not go a certain distance from the other) or is extremely damaging to immersion, say by being able to teleport another player to your side. That also makes it rife for abuses; the development team on PotM is quite conservative about creating new systems, especially when the benefits are not perceived to outweigh the costs.
The ability to craft illicit substances is on its face interesting and perhaps something we can consider as a part of either brewing or a forthcoming (probably) cooking system, but as opium is not particularly difficult to acquire in game and there are already delivery quests for illicit goods, I don't see this as a priority.
For PCs though each there would probably be some DM supervision and oversight, right?
Having played extremes of each kind of PC, I think both have their challenges. As with any PC here, the trick is to find and get connected with the like-minded (or to a DM who has something in mind that can use your PC to facilitate).
What I see as common with players is they want it to be easier for their particular concept: "I want to play slave (or slaver). I want to play a smuggler." If it's a novel concept you haven't seen on the server much, this means a group isn't likely around to support you, so you will either have to get this going entirely on your own, or hope a DM buys into it. So talk to one before you have the concept firmly and inflexibly in mind. Maybe as is it won't fit, but with a few tweaks the DM can make it work.
Lastly, I also find that things look different from the outside than in. Recently and on other occasions, Iridni has ranted ICly about how those not in the Kinship have such skewed prejudices about how it works...skewed in mutually contradictory ways. If you like to play evil PCs and think good PCs have it easy, try playing a good PC instead and seeing what the challenges are. And visa versa.
Above all, however, remember that most successful PCs are collaborative. No matter how wonderful the concept you have in mind, if you can't get other PCs to play with you, it's going to flop.
I think some very crucial points are being very overlooked here.
Personally, I think there are some extremely good reasons for playing evil here. First and foremost, the faction association, and the power that comes with it.
Playing evil as a loner is exceedingly difficult - perhaps even impossible. Playing evil and wanting to be socially accepted amongst other characters is also extremely difficult - and that is probably to be expected. To demand otherwise is to demand a change in the playing style of others, to change their IC behaviour to suit your own experience, and that is not okay.
On the other hand, playing as evil in a faction is extremely rewarding. It is also extremely powerful.
Let us have no illusions. The Red Wizards, the Garda, The Red Vardo and others of perhaps a more secretive nature are extremely powerful organisations, on paper and beyond. Red Wizards and the Garda have extreme power in their domains, political and otherwise, and can wield that power that can affect the lives of other players in fashions that other players simply are not afford. Not to say this is a bad thing, but this is in fact something that other players cannot do, good aligned or otherwise. They are also exceedingly evil organisations. The Red Vardo also has exceeding power in the underworld as well.
Red Wizard students can become nobility, something not afforded to good aligned characters. One of the most evil characters in recent history, Baron Laurier, became a baron through his evil deeds. Dread has utilised evil to become powerful politically several times over with utmost success.
Simply put, evil 'does' get shortcuts. They can access powerful groups and organisations, do exceedingly evil things to win their approval, and earn political power as a result. It is not 'mechanical' power perhaps but as a thing that can shape the server, it is something good aligned characters do not get access to. In this setting, evil has the power over each domain, and that is the gateway for evil characters that good characters are forced to either survive, evade, or go up against. Considering these evil organisations still exist and still rule after all this time (which is frankly integral to the server) then its fair to say that good has some pretty darn big obstacles they're not overcoming any time soon.
With regards to Hazlan, it is an evil aligned stronghold that good aligned characters would be reckless or deperate to go to if they had the intention of causing problems. In this domain, an ordained Red Wizard can claim enormous clout, something a good aligned character cannot (at least openly) claim in any domain anywhere in the setting by virtue of their deeds, supported domains or otherwise. Maybe that means that its hard to play with others as a result, but being a prince or princess of evil wasn't ever going to be easy.
There are good aligned factions. Mechanically wise, these can be pretty powerful factions thanks to their members - WFK, Morninglordians, and others. Politically? Not nearly so much, if at all. They -survive-, they do not -rule-. That is the crucial difference here.
I've played plenty of evil and found it rewarding.
Black magic men, zealots, traitorous bastards and even some driven to evil by others.
Yes, you closure more. Or rather, you closure to death more. Sure, you can't hang out at the mist camp and do whatever people do there, but there's plenty of places evil and neutral gather to plot, sneer and break the laws of nature. There's spaces where it is elevated. There's plenty to pursue in the server to tempt and damn.
I have two thoughts about it not being worth it:
1. If your primary concern is playing a character to 20, doing dungeons and getting gear, then a lot of evil isn't for you in the first place. Flavours of less obvious, ambitious or more lawful evil could manage, but evil tends to do things that breed conflict - I'd call it story. You have enough conflict and you're either gonna be done and closure, or dead and closure. I don't play primarily for the things listed above. Plenty of people don't. It's fine if you do but I'd argue that added mechanical incentive to play evil in order to entice players that favour the things listed in point one would result in a large number of people being frustrated by violent ends to their characters.
2. The dominance of evil need not be represented by PCs. It's inherent to the setting. Laws are unjust all over, evil people are in charge and good can't do squat about it.
I think evil is fun and fine where it's at.
Except when a level 20 wizard norp kills you in timestop please stop that.
Spoiler: show
I guess for me I am worried if I play an evil character I will just get dunked on by some random paladin with smite when I try to mess with folk in the crypts when I am like level 5, but personally I have never played a bad character, so I don't know how realistic that is.
[/size]I guess for me I am worried if I play an evil character I will just get dunked on by some random paladin with smite when I try to mess with folk in the crypts when I am like level 5, but personally I have never played a bad character, so I don't know how realistic that is.
If you are a 5th level good PC, you can't put yourself in that kind of position either. That is, you can't find a group of evil adventurers (say in the Drain) and start messing with them and be certain you won't get "dunked" on :) Evil or good...don't solo!
Anecdotally, here's an example of how day-to-day life for good PCs can be more difficult. My good PC was out at night, and I needed to log but was trying to get her back to the Mist Camp before doing so. Booking it in Ethereal Jaunt to the Tser Pool...when here's a dead PC and his ghost.
Evil Suspiria could have grabbed the approximately 8,000 gold on the ground, possibly eaten the corpse to get swol, and been on her merry way. What is a truly good PC obligated to do? Pick up the corpse--which was approximately at Midway Haven--and decide between carrying it all the way back to Vallaki or going on to the Village of Barovia. (Mind you, OOCly what I really wanted to do was neither and keep going so as not to be IRL late!)
Similarly, evil PCs can use motivations like this to manipulate good PCs. A vampire for example, forced a near-death Iridni to come out of the ethereal by torturing a bystander until she did. Suspiria can just worry about self-preservation.
More generally, the current fetch quests are much more lucrative for evil PCs when trying to get a PC off the ground. Sus made tons of cash doing them because she could double up both ways. Given an ECL that makes fighting anything of equivalent level impossible for her, this was super important so she could get basic gear.
DP checks are another mechanical way for evil PCs to be rewarded that good PCs have nothing comparable.
Although not off limits to good PCs, traps are a very strong mechanic that generally fit neutral to evil PCs better.
Something that could be improved crafting wise and made exclusive to evil are poisons.
But I think everything Plato said is on the money. Exordium, too, although I would say that evil PCs often being more memorable is fair. If a player creates a PC for "selfless reasons. The stories of evil PCs are important and deserve being told, but at the same time, the dual purpose of evil PCs is to let the good guys shine. You should not play an evil PC expecting to 'win', or even to survive. You should play an evil PC because you want to see how he's brought down"...that kind of thing does deserve to have some recognition and incentive, once the good guys win.
How many of the heroes who finish off Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel do you remember?
Cheers for the scaling Destinysdesire.
Iridni, I don't think most goodies play like you do. I see good guys walk past corpses all the time, sometimes stealing their money and weapons if they are worth taking.
Cheers for the scaling Destinysdesire.
Iridni, I don't think most goodies play like you do. I see good guys walk past corpses all the time, sometimes stealing their money and weapons if they are worth taking.
Then they're not good. If that happens, screenshot, report and alignment will be adjusted accordingly.
Cheers for the scaling Destinysdesire.
Iridni, I don't think most goodies play like you do. I see good guys walk past corpses all the time, sometimes stealing their money and weapons if they are worth taking.
Then they're not good. If that happens, screenshot, report and alignment will be adjusted accordingly.
I would, but I have more pressing matters to do with my time.
Like scratching my arse.
Cheers for the scaling Destinysdesire.
Iridni, I don't think most goodies play like you do. I see good guys walk past corpses all the time, sometimes stealing their money and weapons if they are worth taking.
Then they're not good. If that happens, screenshot, report and alignment will be adjusted accordingly.
I would, but I have more pressing matters to do with my time.
Like scratching my arse.
If you wont do nothing about it, then you dont really deserve to complain about it either. Either that or its just made up. An addition to that, I really dont believe that claim of 'most' either.