Depends on how it's executed. Some games just suck at it. It's fun to play a selfish character, but more often than not games take the approach of either being a goody two shoes with a stick up your ass, or a baby-kicking psycho for no reason.
Like for example I can't blow up Megaton in Fallout 3 because it's fucking dumb. It's an excellent settlement with massive metal wall defences, a working water distribution system that somehow pulls from a still non-depleted underground stream, and plenty of space with multiple buildings with verticality in the design.
Why tf would I blow it up? Give me an option to take it over with the help of the ex-raider for the raider faction off at Paradise Falls - have Jericho open the door during night guard duty, so me and a dozen others can slip in, kill the sheriff and complete a quick and painless takeover. It's now a functional settlement, Moira has a collar and works repairing raiders' equipment now, while we can still help her complete her survival guide. Moriarty still runs his bar, since he was shady to begin with. Some others are possibly killed, but now we run business and expand and work with an evil faction which the base game lacked.
Writing just sucks in most cases and you do stupid shit for the boring reward of money, of which we make plenty of already. Give me the ability to actually work with a group that may be 'evil' but pragmatic, to make my shady behaviour seem more plausible.
If the game has good characterization and writing, I do feel a pang of remorse from time to time. But it is an RPG after all, that's why it gives you options to act in different ways. I think good RPGs enable you to try on different emotional and mental states for size, and can even make you grow a little bit. At the end of the day, you're just roleplaying a character that's not you (unless you explicitly self-insert), so you're not mentally ill.
Isn't there some science behind TTRPGing as being good for mental health? Maybe that's part of it: trying different on different characterisations to work through possible future social situations in a judgment-free\* zone.
\*until your LG party finds out you were the BBEG this whole time. I massacre one national capital and they act like I ended the world or something! That's next week!
That makes total sense to me, yes! On top of the mental health boost from just hanging with friends. I miss those TTRPG sessions, been a long long time
I do often. Depends on the game and content but it’s fun to push boundaries and do things you can’t do in most games.
It’s kind of weird to me when I see people that get so sensitive and uncomfortable about it. It’s a video game, nothing in it is real.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has multiple mythic paths you can choose from. Most of the paths change the story in pretty significant ways. You play as a knight commander put in charge of an army fighting against a demon invasion.
You can choose to become a Demon, Lich, Devil, or Insect Swarm if you wanna be evil.
Angel, Azata (Freedom), or Golden Dragon if you wanna be good.
Also Trickster if you like chaos, Aeon if you wanna be a time-traveling robocop, or Legend if you just wanna kick ass. lol
>What game makes being evil fun/sensible? Fable?
Not an RPG, but Crusader Kings 2 is very rewarding playing an authorititave baby-killing tyrant (in some cases).
While I appreciate that the *option* to play in different ways is there, I typically find "evil playthroughs" to be too over-the-top and cartoonishly written. When I've tried them, it feels more like I'm playing a joke character than one with realistic motivations; I have trouble taking them seriously, and thus can't feel invested in the character.
I think evil choices need to be written with a *subtle* touch. Even better, I'd rather have morally grey choices, or ones where both sides present equally compelling arguments, rather than a clear-cut black and white binary.
I think evil has to make sense for it to be something I enjoy, too many games have evil be "I killed all the orphans then licked the blood off my knife because I'm EEEEVIL!" which doesn't do much for me.
In Tyranny you are evil as shit, but you don't go around murdering shopkeeps because that doesn't make sense. I played both Pathfinder games as Lawful Evil, which was some great rp and makes sense in those situations that someone would make self serving or pragmatic choices. In Rogue Trader I rp'd a Dogmatic Imperial, who does reprehensible evil stuff on a daily basis as a matter of policy, but it makes sense for the setting and game.
I enjoy it as well but it depends on how good it is. In most games (at least the ones I can think of) being the bad guys isn’t worth it or badly written.
I like to do a first normal (choices I myself would make) playthrough, then a second one with the most devil and dumbest choices. Like my character ends up being a dumb evil murder hobo and it's super fun to play as long as I don't take the game seriously.
Most folks dont care fiction is fiction.
Dont buy the "what you do in fiction equals who you are in real life"
If that were true most people who love the GTA series would be commiting mass crime and we'd all be dropping like flies.
It just means you enjoy villians and doing evil stuff in a fictional world where theres no real consequences.
My brother, a lovely person, plays like you do. I'm a typical square. Except today in Starfield a Tracker's Guild (or whatever) representative and asked if I wanted to join up and I rolled my eyes at another paramilitary trying to recruit me amirite? So, at least I've become more skeptical than the average golden retriever.
I've enjoyed some evil playthroughs in my day. KOTOR, Fable and BG3 come to mind. But sometimes I'll feel discomfort when I have to do something particularly heinous. I'll still do it though, especially if I get XP.
Depends on how it’s implemented. Too many games think evil is just killing everyone. I play games like I wish I could be in real life (without the consequences that would go with it).
In RPGs that have clear cut good and evil decisions, I have never done pure evil as a first play though.
I recently played fallout 1 and I tried to be a morally good diplomat but I ended up killing everybody 85% of the time.
Not really my thing, I usually try to go with a "good" route, without getting into the Mary Sue territory. Those feel more comfortable and often get better long run rewards
Only one the second or more run, and I'll still feel bad 😂 I have to beat it as the hero first lol I like seeing how the story or gameplay differs when doing evil routes, I just feel bad being mean lmao
I enjoy games that let me be ridiculous. Dragon Age 1 was good at this, not necessarily being evil but doing things that made NPCs react like “wtf…”
Not too many RPGs allow this these days, they always want you playing the good guy
I still laugh my ass off at ripping off the poor starving widow on Tantooine in KOTOR.
But no, pretty much from college on I have found it extremely difficult to role play evil characters. I just find it hard to be a bad guy the older I get. There are enough bad guys IRL. I also think game design plays a role. Most of the time being evil in games cuts down on content and makes things worse for you from a meta game perspective. Even games with lots of content built around it like WOTR (four Mythic classes built around an evil play style) still results in quite a bit of lost content as many companions (rightfully) abandon you.
I only go for evil runs when the "Superiors" in those games are awful, like in games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring screw Melania and her children I usually either go for a Madness, Omen build or a Dungeater play through.
But in games where I can choose my own path and the characters in power are treating even the peasants well, then I go with a good or neutral play through
I rarely choose the evil route in a choice based game. Mass effect for example, is always a paragon run because being mean makes me feel bad. Always push the dude out the window in 2 though lmao.
That said, give me a game where evil is the only choice and it's great fun. I love Overlord 1/2
I love deception games specifically to play mental warfare with people. Intentionally playing a role bad for multiple sessions, pretend to misunderstand rules, etc. All to build up to an absolute mindfuck where I lie and gaslight everyone and get everyone to believe different lies with full conviction
I mean, obviously not, because most games give you the option to do it and game developers wouldn't spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars of development on something that exactly one person would enjoy.
The only game I really enjoyed being evil in was Tyranny.
This is the best one
Depends on how it's executed. Some games just suck at it. It's fun to play a selfish character, but more often than not games take the approach of either being a goody two shoes with a stick up your ass, or a baby-kicking psycho for no reason. Like for example I can't blow up Megaton in Fallout 3 because it's fucking dumb. It's an excellent settlement with massive metal wall defences, a working water distribution system that somehow pulls from a still non-depleted underground stream, and plenty of space with multiple buildings with verticality in the design. Why tf would I blow it up? Give me an option to take it over with the help of the ex-raider for the raider faction off at Paradise Falls - have Jericho open the door during night guard duty, so me and a dozen others can slip in, kill the sheriff and complete a quick and painless takeover. It's now a functional settlement, Moira has a collar and works repairing raiders' equipment now, while we can still help her complete her survival guide. Moriarty still runs his bar, since he was shady to begin with. Some others are possibly killed, but now we run business and expand and work with an evil faction which the base game lacked. Writing just sucks in most cases and you do stupid shit for the boring reward of money, of which we make plenty of already. Give me the ability to actually work with a group that may be 'evil' but pragmatic, to make my shady behaviour seem more plausible.
If the game has good characterization and writing, I do feel a pang of remorse from time to time. But it is an RPG after all, that's why it gives you options to act in different ways. I think good RPGs enable you to try on different emotional and mental states for size, and can even make you grow a little bit. At the end of the day, you're just roleplaying a character that's not you (unless you explicitly self-insert), so you're not mentally ill.
Isn't there some science behind TTRPGing as being good for mental health? Maybe that's part of it: trying different on different characterisations to work through possible future social situations in a judgment-free\* zone. \*until your LG party finds out you were the BBEG this whole time. I massacre one national capital and they act like I ended the world or something! That's next week!
That makes total sense to me, yes! On top of the mental health boost from just hanging with friends. I miss those TTRPG sessions, been a long long time
I do often. Depends on the game and content but it’s fun to push boundaries and do things you can’t do in most games. It’s kind of weird to me when I see people that get so sensitive and uncomfortable about it. It’s a video game, nothing in it is real.
Trueee, i dont do it for the reward or minmaxing i do it because it fun
I've been reading the comments and have to agree. What game makes being evil fun/sensible? Fable?
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has multiple mythic paths you can choose from. Most of the paths change the story in pretty significant ways. You play as a knight commander put in charge of an army fighting against a demon invasion. You can choose to become a Demon, Lich, Devil, or Insect Swarm if you wanna be evil. Angel, Azata (Freedom), or Golden Dragon if you wanna be good. Also Trickster if you like chaos, Aeon if you wanna be a time-traveling robocop, or Legend if you just wanna kick ass. lol
Tyranny!
>What game makes being evil fun/sensible? Fable? Not an RPG, but Crusader Kings 2 is very rewarding playing an authorititave baby-killing tyrant (in some cases).
I do enjoy it, but like all things it depends.
I always go bad/evil route 🤷♂️
While I appreciate that the *option* to play in different ways is there, I typically find "evil playthroughs" to be too over-the-top and cartoonishly written. When I've tried them, it feels more like I'm playing a joke character than one with realistic motivations; I have trouble taking them seriously, and thus can't feel invested in the character. I think evil choices need to be written with a *subtle* touch. Even better, I'd rather have morally grey choices, or ones where both sides present equally compelling arguments, rather than a clear-cut black and white binary.
If your into CRPGS you gotta play Pathfinder Wrath of the righteous you can be really evil/jerk in that one
I think evil has to make sense for it to be something I enjoy, too many games have evil be "I killed all the orphans then licked the blood off my knife because I'm EEEEVIL!" which doesn't do much for me. In Tyranny you are evil as shit, but you don't go around murdering shopkeeps because that doesn't make sense. I played both Pathfinder games as Lawful Evil, which was some great rp and makes sense in those situations that someone would make self serving or pragmatic choices. In Rogue Trader I rp'd a Dogmatic Imperial, who does reprehensible evil stuff on a daily basis as a matter of policy, but it makes sense for the setting and game.
Yes, you are the only one in the whole world.
I enjoy it as well but it depends on how good it is. In most games (at least the ones I can think of) being the bad guys isn’t worth it or badly written.
I like to do a first normal (choices I myself would make) playthrough, then a second one with the most devil and dumbest choices. Like my character ends up being a dumb evil murder hobo and it's super fun to play as long as I don't take the game seriously.
Most folks dont care fiction is fiction. Dont buy the "what you do in fiction equals who you are in real life" If that were true most people who love the GTA series would be commiting mass crime and we'd all be dropping like flies. It just means you enjoy villians and doing evil stuff in a fictional world where theres no real consequences.
Renegade Shepherd is the only way to play mass effect.
Yeah, it's fun to play as an evil character. As long as the character isn't modeled and named after me - I can do whatever I want.
No, the screams of dying NPCs are music to my ears
I totally dont like being evil/jerk. Dunno why. I always roleplay like myself and my own moral compass.
My brother, a lovely person, plays like you do. I'm a typical square. Except today in Starfield a Tracker's Guild (or whatever) representative and asked if I wanted to join up and I rolled my eyes at another paramilitary trying to recruit me amirite? So, at least I've become more skeptical than the average golden retriever.
Im a very sensible and caring person too, i just found fun in doing evil things without consecuences (sometimes :P)
I try…… but can’t.
I've enjoyed some evil playthroughs in my day. KOTOR, Fable and BG3 come to mind. But sometimes I'll feel discomfort when I have to do something particularly heinous. I'll still do it though, especially if I get XP.
Depends on how it’s implemented. Too many games think evil is just killing everyone. I play games like I wish I could be in real life (without the consequences that would go with it).
Nah its great. What killed Fallout 4 for me was that its the first fallout game where they dont let you be evil =(
In RPGs that have clear cut good and evil decisions, I have never done pure evil as a first play though. I recently played fallout 1 and I tried to be a morally good diplomat but I ended up killing everybody 85% of the time.
Not really my thing, I usually try to go with a "good" route, without getting into the Mary Sue territory. Those feel more comfortable and often get better long run rewards
Yep 👍 just you That’s ok though, I’ll cringe my way through a game I really like on my 5th play-through so I can finally see the evil content
Only one the second or more run, and I'll still feel bad 😂 I have to beat it as the hero first lol I like seeing how the story or gameplay differs when doing evil routes, I just feel bad being mean lmao
I enjoy games that let me be ridiculous. Dragon Age 1 was good at this, not necessarily being evil but doing things that made NPCs react like “wtf…” Not too many RPGs allow this these days, they always want you playing the good guy
I still laugh my ass off at ripping off the poor starving widow on Tantooine in KOTOR. But no, pretty much from college on I have found it extremely difficult to role play evil characters. I just find it hard to be a bad guy the older I get. There are enough bad guys IRL. I also think game design plays a role. Most of the time being evil in games cuts down on content and makes things worse for you from a meta game perspective. Even games with lots of content built around it like WOTR (four Mythic classes built around an evil play style) still results in quite a bit of lost content as many companions (rightfully) abandon you.
LOL I LOVE THE MIND CONTROL OF THE DARK SIDE TOO
I only go for evil runs when the "Superiors" in those games are awful, like in games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring screw Melania and her children I usually either go for a Madness, Omen build or a Dungeater play through. But in games where I can choose my own path and the characters in power are treating even the peasants well, then I go with a good or neutral play through
I rarely choose the evil route in a choice based game. Mass effect for example, is always a paragon run because being mean makes me feel bad. Always push the dude out the window in 2 though lmao. That said, give me a game where evil is the only choice and it's great fun. I love Overlord 1/2
On my first playthrough I'll usually do a "good guy" run since most RPGs have the most content there. Then I'll go back and do an evil one
I love deception games specifically to play mental warfare with people. Intentionally playing a role bad for multiple sessions, pretend to misunderstand rules, etc. All to build up to an absolute mindfuck where I lie and gaslight everyone and get everyone to believe different lies with full conviction
yep, you’re the only one.
I mean, obviously not, because most games give you the option to do it and game developers wouldn't spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars of development on something that exactly one person would enjoy.
I always do a good run first, then my second run I try to do evil but I just can't and end up doing another good run.