Esoteric Ebb - Alignment

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Learn more about the importance of your alignment in Esoteric Ebb:

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An Esoteric Campaign - Alignment

You can start by asking: why even use alignments?

In modern TTRPGs, the mechanics of alignment (or the like) are more or less fading away. I don't have any statistics on it, but I'd wager that very few people actually play with them these days. Partly I'd say due to a moralist argument of anti-determinism - that sentient beings are not born to be good or evil or anything else, and that we have full culpability over our own actions. And also partly because alignment can be really, really annoying.

Not as annoying as these apples, though.

By default, a 5e setting has an omnipotent force that determines each creature's placement on a matrix: good to evil and lawful to chaotic. Usually a player only encounters this (if ever) when making a character. You choose where you're at on the matrix. An argument for alignment is that it's a tool to help craft an interesting personality, or understand what kind of actions a character would take in any given situation. Do you follow the laws of the land, or do you break them? Do you protect the innocent with your life, or are you rude to people in the service industry? Just glance at your alignment, and you'll know.

But what happens when we make things more of a gray zone? What happens when multiple laws contradict each other? When ostensibly evil actions can lead to a greater good? All the classic examples have been debated to death, but I've never seemed to be very happy with any answers. Mainly because it's a flawed discussion to begin with - because it all depends on that previously mentioned omnipotent force.

You know, the DM.

If your fantasy world has actual objective alignments, then that means there's an objective truth. Whatever the DM says, is good. If your DM has a really strange world view, then you can end up with some very wacky alignment. So in my eyes, the number one reason why alignment just doesn't work in practical play, is that it requires the DM to have an incredibly strong grip on their beliefs. And, of course, the fact that every single one of your players will probably disagree with them at some point. That means I don't use alignment in Ebb, right?

Oh no, I do. I use alignment a lot. Mainly because I find it absolutely fascinating.

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