Let there be evil in the world
Jun 8, 2018 14:07:20 GMT -8
Post by mrcj on Jun 8, 2018 14:07:20 GMT -8
There was a glancing discussion that touched on this last week. The idea that pirates actually boarded boats and took people's stuff. Stu mentioned that Black Beard only was in 2 battles. Probably true enough. Blackbeard was a successful pirate and probably successful because he avoided having to fire a shot. yet pirates were feared, why was that? Maybe because Henry Morgan on the other hand had a history of running around the Caribbean and beyond basically murdering people on sea and land. As one of a group of privateers who carried a letter of marque he was hired specifically to attack and destroy Spanish shipping, something he and others did with ruthless efficiency.
Transitioning, it is fine in a game world where everything is different shades of grey. For me, if Iago is just a misunderstood soldier who was treated badly as a child, that story should be richer? But really it is flabbier, because Iago is just an evil bastard. We can only go to The Wicked well so many times before that greyness is tiresome. Two people can watch Jim Carey as the Grinch and come away with different feelings about that character. One person hates that movie and the other person is a moron. No, save your steaming bowl of duck poop and give me the way more classy Chuck Jones and Boris Karloff and its compact story of redemption.
Does this thing have a point? Yes/maybe! Here it is.
Playing in areas of greyness is great but to maintain dramatic tension it helps to have guideposts and certainty and contrast. Example: Goblins are evil and should be attacked on sight. Why? Because they will murder you and eat your baby. Then in the game they really do. To them that may not be evil, but if you are against murder and baby eating, then you bet it is. Down the road, if you find a goblin who is a little less into murder and baby eating that grey is the interesting contrast as opposed to the bland landscape.
And that is my non-nonsensical thought.
Transitioning, it is fine in a game world where everything is different shades of grey. For me, if Iago is just a misunderstood soldier who was treated badly as a child, that story should be richer? But really it is flabbier, because Iago is just an evil bastard. We can only go to The Wicked well so many times before that greyness is tiresome. Two people can watch Jim Carey as the Grinch and come away with different feelings about that character. One person hates that movie and the other person is a moron. No, save your steaming bowl of duck poop and give me the way more classy Chuck Jones and Boris Karloff and its compact story of redemption.
Does this thing have a point? Yes/maybe! Here it is.
Playing in areas of greyness is great but to maintain dramatic tension it helps to have guideposts and certainty and contrast. Example: Goblins are evil and should be attacked on sight. Why? Because they will murder you and eat your baby. Then in the game they really do. To them that may not be evil, but if you are against murder and baby eating, then you bet it is. Down the road, if you find a goblin who is a little less into murder and baby eating that grey is the interesting contrast as opposed to the bland landscape.
And that is my non-nonsensical thought.