The Enneagram of Personality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality)
I was reading through this the other day and thought it had potential as an interesting "alignment" system for a game. Each of the different types has room for a lot of different concepts within it, and none of them really restrict you on a "good vs evil" scale.
Thoughts?
I personally hate the Enneagram, but I also hate alignment systems, so maybe you're on to something here.
Are you thinking about this from a purely fluff perspective, or would "detect eights" be a class feature? :P
It's gonna be somewhat crunchy, but mostly fluffy.
Basically I'm thinking that each of the major deities in my game is going to represent a single alignment, and each character will have the favour of one of the deities. This favour will give some mechanical benefits, but also causes them to have a similar "alignment" to their deity.
All I can say is good luck on this. I detest alignments so I can't really give much input here.
It occurred to me as I read your post that I had no actual reason for including an alignment system, other than "that's just the way its done". I shall have to ponder this more. In the mean time people can continue to discuss.
I dislike the alignment system, but there is a bit of (unintentional) CRUNCH in the 4E PHB that has been overlooked by a lot of folks that can replace the alignment system with ease.
Basically, I made my players pick 9 distinct personality characteristics, as defined by the questions proposed under personality. For your reference (pg 23-24, 4E PHB) -
[ic]Personality
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a game of heroic extremes,
populated by legendary heroes and unrepentant villains.
Your character needs only a few personality
traits that you can use as roleplaying touchstones, key
traits that you can focus on and that are fun to play. A
complex background and extensive motivations aren't
necessary, although you can flesh out your character's
personality as much as you like.
A typical D&D adventure offers many opportunities
for your character's personality to shine. Those roleplaying
opportunities usually arise in three kinds of
situations: social interactions, decision points, and dire
straits. The following sections pose questions to help you
choose personality traits for your character, which you
can write on your character sheet. Select one personality
trait for each kind of situation. If you already have a
personality in mind for your character, you can skip this
section; the information here is for inspiration only.[/ic]
Social Interactions
When you communicate with a nonplayer character
outside combat and try to influence that individual,
that's a social interaction. You might try to persuade a
guardian monster to let you pass, negotiate with a merchant
lord to increase the pay offered for a dangerous
mission, or question a surly centaur about the goblins
that ambush travelers in the forest. The DM plays the
part of any NPC you talk to, while you and the other
players decide what your characters say, even speaking
in character if you like.
1 How do others perceive you in social interactions?
Cheerful OR Talkative OR Reserved OR Charming OR Witty OR Relaxed
2 How optimistic are you?
Enthusiastic OR Hopeful OR Fatalistic OR Grim OR Self-assured OR Brooding
3 How trusting are you?
Gullible OR Open-minded OR Skeptical OR Suspicious OR Naive OR Trusting
Decision Points
When you face tough choices in an adventure, your
character's personality can influence the decisions
you make. Do you try to sneak past the dragon's cave,
approach openly to parley, or storm in with blades
drawn and spells blazing? Which of the six stone
doors in the entry hall do you open first? Do you save
the captives from the trap or pursue the slavers? When
your group tries to decide what to do next, how do you
approach such conversations?
4 How assertive are you at a decision point?
Humble OR Adaptable OR Commanding OR Timid OR Easygoing OR Impatient
5 How conscientious are you about following rules?
Scrupulous OR Pragmatic OR Dutiful OR Honest OR Flexible OR Wild
6 How empathetic are you?
Kind OR Stern OR Thoughtful OR Protective OR Hard-hearted OR Oblivious
Dire Straits
Some of the most memorable demonstrations of a
character's personality appear in dire straits. A character
retorts to a villain's threat with a trademark
one-liner, shouts a famous battle cry, leaps into harm's
way to protect others, or turns and flees in the face of
overwhelming odds. Every battle, hazard, or other dire
situation offers opportunities for roleplaying, especially
if things go awry. When your character lands in
a dire situation, how does he or she usually react?
Do you follow a code? Do you follow your heart? Do you
look out for yourself or others?
7 How courageous are you in dire straits?
Brave OR Competitive OR Steady OR Cautious OR Reckless OR Fierce
8 How do you feel when faced by setbacks?
Stoic OR Driven OR Happy-go-lucky OR Vengeful OR Bold OR Impassioned
9 How are your nerves?
Calm OR Skittish OR Restless OR Impulsive OR Patient OR Unshakable
Okay. Enneagram. Here's some fun stuff!
I really have a fondness for these types of personality classification systems. I consider it a guilty pleasure, only one or two steps above the "Rate You Skills In Bed!" quizzes in magazines marketed to empty-headed adolescents, but there you have it. There's some value to using these sorts of personality classifications in-game, but it's
so easy to overdo it that I advise you to investigate with caution.
I think you're on the path to enlightenment when you say:
QuoteIt occurred to me as I read your post that I had no actual reason for including an alignment system, other than "that's just the way its done".
G[/b]ood vs.
Evil is a huge, important deal. In a certain type of game meant to capitalize on this theme, it's useful to have a stat called Alignment, to specify exactly what side you're on.
Of course, in games that don't like to emphasize that cosmic struggle of moral forces, Alignment feels clumsy, tacked-on, and unnecessary. Because, in those cases, it is.
The reason I don't see Enneagrams as effective Alignment-substitutes is that while it's easy to encapsulate an eternal struggle between Order and Chaos, or between Good and Evil, it's much harder to conceive of a similar struggle between Type-Seven-Personalities and Type-Fours. It's not black-and-white enough to fill that role.
I would encourage certain types of players (read: "players who are a lot like LC") to consider reading about the Enneagram, the Meyers-Briggs Personality Typing system, or any number of other classification methods, if they're interested in brainstorming personality traits for the characters they're playing. But it's not for everybody, and I can't imagine it functioning very well as a game mechanic in any case.
Just stay away from the magazine quizzes, I guess.
[blockquote=LC]The reason I don't see Enneagrams as effective Alignment-substitutes is that while it's easy to encapsulate an eternal struggle between Order and Chaos, or between Good and Evil, it's much harder to conceive of a similar struggle between Type-Seven-Personalities and Type-Fours. It's not black-and-white enough to fill that role.
I would encourage certain types of players (read: "players who are a lot like LC") to consider reading about the Enneagram, the Meyers-Briggs Personality Typing system, or any number of other classification methods, if they're interested in brainstorming personality traits for the characters they're playing. But it's not for everybody, and I can't imagine it functioning very well as a game mechanic in any case.
Just stay away from the magazine quizzes, I guess. [/blockquote]
Mm. Have to agree with you on most of this, though I am not going to go through my alignment rant in full.
I actually do use some of the five factor model of trait theory as it is refreshingly honest enough to admit it is a descriptor, not a dynamic theory. I got into the habit of scoring OCEAN (Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extravsion, Agreeablenes, and Neuroticism) a 1-100 for my NPC's, and sometime putting a few words next to it.
It and many trait theory variants are great for describing NPC's. I often like to scribble somehting about the depth of the NPC, as well.