Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Alignment - None/Static/Dynamic

I think Alignment is very useful, especially in a cRPG where character actions or dialog responses are necessarily presented within a fairly narrow range. In that case at least it gives the writers a sense for how many types of responses should be on offer or what they should be trying to account for as a baseline for variety there. For me the alignment system in D&D/FR is more about the cosmology of the setting and where characters go when they die, rather than a rigid code of conduct or philosophy on life though. Shifting alignments can be a bit heavy handed, unless the DM is really on top of things.

I think when players find the system unsatisfactory in cRPG, the issue has a bit more to do with the fact that what they're being given in terms of dialog responses just isn't variable enough. I think what is needed is maybe something more like an Affect system, rather than an Alignment system, or at least some way to translate how the one fits into the other.

I feel like most RPGs tend to offer a few generic responses to a given situation/convo prompt that can usually be described as one of the of following...

Kind
Cruel
Indifferent
Sardonic

Then there is often some version of Honest vs Dishonest or Dissembling (whether to tell the truth, lie, or go with something in the middle, like changing the subject or returning the question with another question etc.)

Also, there might be a final response option that is class/background/race specific, which probably overrides all the above in the case of BG3, since there is usually only one option for that and it frequently displays last. The player is strongly encouraged by the meta to explore those convo options which seem especially unique to their Character, or which might give access to information that wouldn't be accessible otherwise. How any of that grafts onto abstract ideas like Good vs Evil or Law vs Chaos is probably anyone's guess though, since how the player is responding compared to how they're rationalizing those responses is pretty murky territory, and the DM is a computer here.

I guess the long and the short of it for me, is that they should use Alignment to help support the cosmology and the pantheon, and less for controlling the player's ethos or sense of general D&D morality. The problem with the later, just like in the real world, is that players can't prognosticate in advance what the ultimate consequences of their actions will be. A seemingly Lawful response, might result in total Chaos down the line, or a seemingly Good action might result in Evil ends, without the player really understanding why. So it's stuck only at intentionality.

Even a simple ethical model like utility, with the greatest good for the greatest number, can easily fail if you just stretch the timeline a bit and spin out the consequences for long enough. It only ever works with the qualifying caveat "right now" hehe. And of course there's not a lot of room for fatalism or deterministic thinking here either, in a game where the Will is so etched into everything at the foundations. I think it would be refreshing to see a Chaotic character who refuses to accept responsibility for their choices because 'the universe is random, and didn't you know?' or a Lawful character who refuses to accept responsibility because 'the gears were already in motion, long before I got here'. I guess Xan gave us a pessimistic take on the later, but that's still pretty rare in these game. Chaotic Neutral was always the trickiest, and the manuals were really at pains to describe it as anything other than 'kinda crazy' which left a bit to be desired.

Anyhow, I think they should describe Alignment in terms of the deities, and use them as examples rather using descriptions like we found in older editions. You know stuff like LN = "The solider who always follows orders" or CN = "the madman" or CG = "basically, Robin Hood" etc.

I agree with the OP though, that when you don't have anything to go off of, how a character should respond based on their character, becomes kind of capricious and all over the place. My dialog responses here, are pretty inconsistent and often made on a whim. Whereas when I choose an Alignment as part of Char creation I tend to play to type a bit more.