I would think governmental/polity alignment would vary greatly from the behavioral alignment archetypes you see in D&D etc..
Yes, that can be explained by acknowledging that collective government ideologies can be different to individual archetypes. Therefore, PCs on a particular world might be bound by the ideologies of a particular government, but the PCs (individual players) might be loyal or disloyal to that government, and the PCs behaviours could be aligned to particular archetypes, prompting different reactions between governments and individual npcs.
Maybe having some kind of variety of Jungian archetypes would be better in Traveller, than an alignment system. An alignment between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is more creationist, because it assumes some entity as being the arbiter or final judge of behaviours. Psychological archetypes might be more atheistic because archetypes recognises different favourable behaviours, while at the same time, explain that each archetype has a shadow quality that reveals weaknesses or hidden aspects of personality, that can reveal themselves, and dominate any particular outcome.
- Ruler (Shadow: Tyrant)
- Creator/ Artist (Shadow: Critic)
- Sage (Shadow: Deceiver/ Skeptic)
- Innocent (Shadow: Victim)
- Explorer (Shadow: Vagabond/Addict)
- Rebel (Shadow: Outlaw)
- Hero (Shadow: Fool)
- Wizard/Mystic (Shadow: Manipulator)
- Jester (Shadow: Clown/Saboteur)
- Everyman (Shadow: Nobody/Conformist)
- Lover (Shadow: The Possessive)
- Caregiver/Mother (Shadow: Martyr)
Source:
The 12 Archetypes And Their Shadows (With Examples) (notebookandpenguin.com)
Not all these archetypes are useful for adventuring, so they might still need to be tweaked somehow, to make them playable. However, the ‘skeptic’, the ‘victim’, the ‘vagabond’ and the ‘nobody’ (from that list) might well correlate with some of the ‘darker’ themes gamers I know might feel they need to explore in a non-DnD RPG.
yes, there is a reputation system that is called "The referee remembers the action that the PCs did."
Yes, "The referee remembers the action that the PCs did" seems to be the only way forward in the referee administering any given reputation system. DnD alignment IMO, is an implementation of a reputation system. Still needs the referee/DM to remember what, on balance, is going on.
I wouldn't go there. After all, what D&D alignment are you, or, say, your aunt, or your cat? Too simplistic isn't it. Even reputation as a mechanic is not great since you cannot really know what someone truly thinks of you.
Personally, I don't see any merit in these things being treated quantitatively in an RPG, as they can be better explored and expressed through player actions and goals, along with the consequences.
Reputation isn’t simply a can/cannot do game mechanic. It also can explain that certain NPCs will treat a PC favourably because of their rapport thru having identical alignments. Can also prompt provocation when those alignments are opposite. This suggests that some PCs might be able to resolve the challenges presented in an adventure, simply because their reputation is more favourable to the situation.
Also, gamers aren't always good actors. To role play properly, perhaps people need to be good actors and, without that ability, something like alignment/reputation gives something a player can use to unlock their own inner actor.
If players need rules for their character's behaviour, you can poach & adapt from other games :
- The Virtue/Vice system from Pendragon.
- The Passions from Mythras/RQ6. Not limited to alignments, it include your loyalties, hatred, etc.
- Champion/Hero Games disdvantages (mostly the social ones, they can be used for codes of honor like Bushido, or for oaths of loyalty). On top of that it works with 3d6, which makes it easy enough to adapt to Traveller or use as is.
Thanks for the alternate suggestions. I shall look into them. The main gripe I have with the DnD system is that it is unchangeable from birth to death, and doesn’t reflect that beliefs and attitudes may change as campaign situations alter and different beliefs emerge. Eg, a lawful good PC citizen suddenly becomes an unlawful computer hacker, to expose the “sickness” of their homeworld, once it is realised that their loyalties were somewhat betrayed by secretive corruption.
Yes alignment can drift if not updated. Same with hit points, weight carried, spare bullets, money, and rations. Little different really, other motivation to administer these things as "rules of thumb" or specific measurable quantities.
Fast forward to the 57th century with tens of thousands of different human worlds there will be many systems of morality and ethics.
Yes, good point. DnD assumes a bedrock of feudal stability which Traveller cannot quite so easily assume because of the vastness and diversity.
Player Characters in every game system out there do illegal and morally sketchy things to get the job done. Yes, even the most 'Awful Should' Paladin out there does crap that really ought to get their buttocks hauled up in front of a tribunal.
Yes, well, “getting the job done” is not necessarily a mark of the occasions when individual integrity, reputation and fame gets enhanced.
My local DnD DM says that Paladins don't necessarily have to be Lawful Good. I've forgotten what justification he provided, but he did give a good example of what he meant.
.. but if you want to go there the game can support it.
I do want to explore how I can “go there” in a Traveller Universe. It is part of science fiction. Some of the old questions about origins or life, superior intelligences, supernatural powers, entities that can corrupt, etc, that originally get explored in medieval settings, reappear in science and science fiction settings, because people question that, if these things do not have obvious answers on Earth, they might well be answered somewhere else in the universe. -- this is perhaps were even I find Traveller rule systems a bit "sterile" and devoid of the kind of science fiction romanticism found in Star Trek, etc.
