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.
Certainly, excellent points worth considering, that a lot of good-aligned characters do not have access to nor is the post asking people to change their play styles as that would be utterly selfish and self-serving. But what I am proposing is representation on a mechanical level, as someone who's involved with the
Red Wizards of Hazlan, we have been truly lucky that Brimstone has presented us with domain heavy events.
However, when the DMs are gone, they're humans and what they do for us is a kindness and a privilege we can't expect them to be there twenty-four seven, do the lights go out? As a lot of what is presented requires a storyteller and as written often doesn't translate to what happens and let us not forget it is a game and we work within the boundaries set.
Tools such as a more inclusive
drug system, or
NPC or hostile mob slavery would draw more attention to the profitability and appeal, a gateway to more role-play. This isn't about good vs evil from an OOC level but a way to encourage more RP. For every drug dealer trafficking in Red Smack there will be someone trying to put an end to the lab, for every person who'd chain someone, another to break the link.
This isn't about who has it worse, or who has it best, but what potential we can find in
mechanically supporting a role-play style.
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.
PlatointheCave as a person with more experience than I, between time on the server and recent escapades with Rhea, you've exposed villainous role-play to countless characters and bought a meaningful sense of dread to the oftentimes hidden underbelly of the Core. However, I disagree and that's fine.
1.
People are what they're exposed to if you go to Vallaki you can expect xenophobic garda who are at their wits end with the near ceaseless deluge of outlanders invading their countryside, with very few options beyond violence. Or at the Mist-Camp waiting to hear about the next tragedy, pining over lost loved ones and friends between dungeons of course. But at the end of the day, we are in
Ravenloft, people will or should be exposed to the nature of the setting.
But we are also playing a video game, and we'd be remiss not to use that side of it. Let's not forget that feeling when we find a really good item or that ding as we reach the next level. The mechanics are the rails this train runs on, and we already do so much to support the setting more won't hurt, but encourage to interact with it. I know and played on other servers you get exp for exploring seeing more of the map than you've seen before, I'd intentionally go out of my way to find new locations for this benefit but would often time stay and than read up about its lore and history, wanted to than become involved with it.
People like to hold something tangible, that isn't a bad thing its a representation of what I'm doing or been doing, and most of the time I find from my own experience that they then get involved with it on a more character level, have you ever had that item on you or apart of your outfit that just said 'this is my character'. This translate directly to role-play.
2. PCs are what we deal with for the majority of the time, and if you're on an awkward timezone you may never see an event, and characters cannot ignore their environment either nor should they lack the ability to interact with it on such a level. Even as written Ravenloft is a setting that perverts hope and warps dreams, with systems such as the dark powers offering power to those that fall, paving the way for the next evil.
I think evil is fine where its at too, but I also think it can be
improved.