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How often do you play as the asshole in RPGs?

Ocelot

Learned
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
Messages
363
Pretty straightforward question. How often do you go out of your way to be the ultimate evil asshole in RPGs? And what games do a really good job at making this option viable and fun instead of punishing you for being evil?

As someone with the good guy syndrome, I used to exclusively play as the righteous guy in every single RPG when I was still getting into the genre and had a hard time not being mindlessly benevolent. Over time I actually started role-playing different characters, realizing how dumb it was on my behalf to always go the holier-than-thou way.

From my limited experience I know that KOTOR 2, Fallout NV and Mass Effect do a great job at letting you being an evil asshole. Mass effect in particular has a very simplified "moral" system that punishes you if you are too neutral so being an asshole there works wonders. What other games should I play if I want to cure my good guy syndrome for good?
 

Jack Of Owls

Arcane
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
4,271
Location
Massachusettes
Rarely do I play evil in RPGs but I when I do I tend to go all out and become the best I can be at being a total evil shit. The most evil character I ever played in an RPG was after I had put about 100+ hours into Oblivion (with mods) and I had taken my original, good-guy character as far as I felt I could go with him within polite do-gooders society, so I downloaded a mod called "Malevolence" where you are actively encouraged to play evil. There was one power you acquired where you could murder someone and drain them of their essence or lifeforce as they lay screaming and dying and channel it into one of your own stats. I would lure innocent guards into secluded woods and murder them, enjoying the increase in my stats. I felt like a most prolific and talented gay serial killer, but not like those dum dums who get caught like Dahmer. Confident that I could continue this behavior indefinitely with total impunity because of a "no psychic guards" mod I had installed, the body count rose higher and higher. Then one day I waltzed into a nearby town, and was arrested by the guards as they boomed, "COME WITH US, CITIZEN!" "No problem" I thought. I'll just grease someone's palm at the local jailhouse with a little gold, and I'll be on my merry murderous way. Little did I know that the mod author of Malevolence changed a small but significant mechanic. I was given no trial and taken to the gallows and summarily hanged by the neck til dead. My character finally retired, I never played evil this way again. Crime does not pay, boys n gurls. That's your lesson from your Uncle Jack here signing off, as I sing, "Gooooood Niiiiiight!"
 
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Biscotti

Arbiter
Patron
Joined
Nov 24, 2015
Messages
561
Location
Belgium
I often try going for evil characters, but end up going the good route anyway cause I don't wanna LARP as a complete dick. Guess I'm just too much of a moralfag.
That said though, my favorite characters are along the lines of chaotic good, because the goody two shoes archetype is pretty obnoxious as well.
 

fantadomat

Arcane
Edgy Vatnik Wumao
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
37,083
Location
Bulgaria
I play as neutral,some quests i am evil some i am good. Depends on the mood. Most games don't really have interesting evil plays. Evil is far too cartoony for my taste in most games.
Sranchammer what do you mean by race war,the ork communists?
 

Commissar Draco

Codexia Comrade Colonel Commissar
Patron
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
20,856
Location
Привислинский край
Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
I am playing as righteous individual which makes me act and/or be seen by games as evil asshole; for example Choosing Zerka and General Vaklu in KOTOR2 or becoming Emperor in Jade Empire or Sympathizing with Leaden Key or Theodias in PoE. Not my fault that game developers are in majority libruls and that their vision of goodness is opaque or nonsensical like giving planet to herd of hippie weaklings so it will be bombed the moment I left or making Onderon open borders and multiculti or allowing country to shatter and fall to anarchy etc... :hero:
 

dragonul09

Arcane
Edgy
Joined
Dec 19, 2014
Messages
1,445
As bad as Bioware has become they still had some nice evil moments in their past games

Killing Mordin and Wrex was very satisfying






Curing the genophage and let those reptilian niggers to pillage again? Not on my watch.
 

Viata

Arcane
Joined
Nov 11, 2014
Messages
9,885
Location
Water Play Catarinense
I only play evil characters. Unless the game requires me to play whatever the fuck they want me to get the important plot(Planescape: Torment, for example).
 

undecaf

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
3,517
Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2
Not nearly as often as I'd want to, but I tend to play an opportunist when ever the game allows me to.
 

Starwars

Arcane
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
2,829
Location
Sweden
I almost always only play evil/asshole on replays, so that already limits what games I do it in a bit.

One of my favorite characters was a goodie goodie character in NWN2, and then when she got to MotB she fell into evilness. Made a lot of sense after going through alll the shit you do in NWN2, and finally killing the King of Shadows, only to end up in another really shitty situation.
 

PorkBarrellGuy

Guest
Occasionally, if I'm in a mood I'll go asshole-mode in some of my games. Fallout 2 had a few highly entertaining asshole moments, but the game was heavily biased towards playing a good character (I think Per Jorner pointed out that you can be a shameless opportunist in FO2 and end up with great karma). Hordes of the Underdark is mildly entertaining to play through as an evil character. Arcanum and PS:T were already mentioned... what else? Oh, sometimes being a dick in Grim Dawn is kind of rewarding/entertaining though due to its nature there isn't much actual RP to be had, just some minor C&C at points.

Problem is most rpgs and Games never reward you for playing the good guy paladin type.

What? I find it's usually the exact opposite - heavy bias towards rewarding "good guy" decisions.
 

Morkar Left

Guest
I always want to play evil in a second playthrough. I never do.
If a game is made to be the evil one I enjoy it, though.
 

PorkBarrellGuy

Guest
Yes I play LG characters in RPGs all the time.
LG isn't necessarily "asshole", though apparently it's not uncommon for writers/players to go Lawful Stupid with their LG-ish routes. I tend to think of habitual CG players as being assholes, though.
 

Lhynn

Arcane
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
9,823
I play as a good guy thats also an asshole, its great.
 

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