From: mikec@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Civita)
Subject: Re: Inter-Party Conflicts
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 00:29:23 GMT

In article <2356@isgtec.isgtec.com> robert@isgtec.com (Robert Osborne) writes:
>
>BJP108@psuvm.psu.edu (Brian Panulla) writes:
>
>> In fact, I experimented with an evil cleric once (Lawful, cleric of Wee Jas).
>> everything was going well until one of the other players (an evil mage named
>> "Gargamel") began to needle me about me being in charge. I couldn't take it
>> after a while, and pulled the same stunt the their did in the earlier post:
>> I found a chest full of yellow mold. I didn't tell Gargamel about it. He opened
>> the chest. I had already taken precautions, so I didn't die with half of the
>> party.
>
>I don't understand this at all.   What could you possibly gain by the
>sudden death of half the party?  Why do most people play evil characters
>like rabid pit bulls; frothing at the mouth and killing everything in
>their path?   Is that how your DM runs the bad guys?

I just started DMing and evil party, complete with an Anti-Paladin. I LOVE
the chest full of yellow mold, although maybe it was a bit of overkill.;-)
My evil characters act as a well diciplined unit of adventurers when they
need each others strength. the fun of evil characters is that they are NEVER
satisfied until they have everything. A good character says "I want to be the
leader, but for the GOOD of the party, I'll follow." An evil says, "I want
to be the leader, I'll wait for my oportunity." The cleric did what any 
successful evil leader does, scrag anybody who appears as a threat to their
leadership. the next time someone tries to question my leadership, they better
be READY. And, to answer your question, I do play wevil characters as
frothing at the mouth pit bulls, but INTELLIGENT, frothing at the mouth
pit bulls. They are evil, ruthless, amoral, scheming, sneaky, and willing
to throw their own mother out as cannon fodder if it gets them what they want.
In fact, they are willing to kill any and everybody except themselves, to
achieve their goals.
>
>> party. A single evil character can add much flavor to a game, but the entire
>> group?

I do not let evil characters adventure with good PCs. I will sometimes
slip an evil NPC in, disaguised as a good character, to screw with them.
One evil in a group of neutrals is always a good flavor, too. I like evil
PCs because as a DM, this lets me play those good, guardian, POWERFUL
monsters that no good party has any reason to ever fight with. Right now
these PC are in the forest, fighting the good denizens of the wood,
who are trying, unsuccesfully, to keep the defilers at bay. Brownies,
grigs, pixies, and several humans who have taken as their life's work, the
defense of nature, and the woods. Wait until they meet their first
shedu, or lammasu, it will be fun!
>
>When the DM makes all evil characters psychotic butchers who get off on death
>and torture their players are robbed of a lot of the fun that comes with
>distinctive villians.

All villain have their own modus operandi, and I DON'T use any kind of
cardboard cutout for my villain. All my PCs are not bloodthirsty
butchers and torturers (although if you get them drunk, you can take
a pretty good 'stab' at it;-)), but they are ALL "Out For Number One".
I like to see inter-party conflict, I love to see a good thread of
'screw you-screw you back' running between characters in the same party.
I love to see artfully executed assasinations, I love to listen to my
PCs think up horrible ways to convince a captured enemy to 'cooperate',
These are a few of my favorite things;-);-);-);-).

I am not as twisted as I may sound right now (close, but not quite;-)),
and this affection for the abovementioned abominations will certainly
wane as I continue to DM these characters, but it is definately a nice
break from the "one for all, and all for one" school. Call me a true 
neutral, I guess. ;-)

Mike
>