Redeeming Alignment
This new edition of Redeeming Alignment is here to do the impossible: salvage a system that’s been sparking arguments at every game table for over half a century. Alignment has always been one of those love-it-or-hate-it elements of tabletop roleplaying, straddling the line between vague philosophy and rigid mechanics. Is your character Chaotic Neutral because they’re a quirky free spirit or because you want an excuse to set things on fire? Does Lawful Good mean Lawful nice, or is it Lawful judgmental? Alignment means everything, and it means nothing. It’s all vibes, no substance, until now.
This book tackles the beast head-on by taking alignment and tying it directly to mechanics, finally making it more than an abstract thought exercise. The goal isn’t to throw out the baby with the bathwater but to give the system a reason to exist beyond its historical baggage. Concepts like Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos are hugely subjective, shaped by cultural biases and misinterpretations. Too often, alignment has been wielded not as a tool for roleplaying but as a blunt instrument to justify bad behavior or reinforce tired stereotypes. This book aims to redeem it, literally and figuratively.
Let’s face it: the version of alignment you’ve seen in official rulebooks is a mess. It’s so broad and vague that everyone’s interpretation is valid, and yet no one is actually wrong. That’s fine for creative debates and endless forum threads, but it’s a nightmare for creating consistent mechanics and meaningful character development. This book doesn’t pretend to offer the “right” answer because there isn’t one. What it does offer is a framework for turning alignment into something practical, usable, and (dare I say it?) interesting.
You’re not going to find an overly philosophical manifesto here, nor is this a backhanded apology for why alignment works “just fine” if you squint at it hard enough. This is a straightforward attempt to codify the concepts behind alignment and make them work in a structured rules system. Whether you’re tired of explaining why your Chaotic Good bard can’t punch someone or you’ve always wondered what “Neutral Evil” even means when you strip away the clichés, this book is for you.
You might not agree with everything I’ve written, and that’s okay. This isn’t a plea for universal consensus. It’s an invitation to think critically about a system that’s been frustrating and fascinating players for decades. If alignment has ever left you scratching your head, at least now you’ll have something concrete to work with.
Redeeming Alignment isn’t about forcing everyone to play by one interpretation. It’s about giving you the tools to decide what works at your table. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll stop someone from using Chaotic Neutral as a personality disorder.
253 pages. PDF and epub files included.
This new edition of Redeeming Alignment is here to do the impossible: salvage a system that’s been sparking arguments at every game table for over half a century. Alignment has always been one of those love-it-or-hate-it elements of tabletop roleplaying, straddling the line between vague philosophy and rigid mechanics. Is your character Chaotic Neutral because they’re a quirky free spirit or because you want an excuse to set things on fire? Does Lawful Good mean Lawful nice, or is it Lawful judgmental? Alignment means everything, and it means nothing. It’s all vibes, no substance, until now.
This book tackles the beast head-on by taking alignment and tying it directly to mechanics, finally making it more than an abstract thought exercise. The goal isn’t to throw out the baby with the bathwater but to give the system a reason to exist beyond its historical baggage. Concepts like Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos are hugely subjective, shaped by cultural biases and misinterpretations. Too often, alignment has been wielded not as a tool for roleplaying but as a blunt instrument to justify bad behavior or reinforce tired stereotypes. This book aims to redeem it, literally and figuratively.
Let’s face it: the version of alignment you’ve seen in official rulebooks is a mess. It’s so broad and vague that everyone’s interpretation is valid, and yet no one is actually wrong. That’s fine for creative debates and endless forum threads, but it’s a nightmare for creating consistent mechanics and meaningful character development. This book doesn’t pretend to offer the “right” answer because there isn’t one. What it does offer is a framework for turning alignment into something practical, usable, and (dare I say it?) interesting.
You’re not going to find an overly philosophical manifesto here, nor is this a backhanded apology for why alignment works “just fine” if you squint at it hard enough. This is a straightforward attempt to codify the concepts behind alignment and make them work in a structured rules system. Whether you’re tired of explaining why your Chaotic Good bard can’t punch someone or you’ve always wondered what “Neutral Evil” even means when you strip away the clichés, this book is for you.
You might not agree with everything I’ve written, and that’s okay. This isn’t a plea for universal consensus. It’s an invitation to think critically about a system that’s been frustrating and fascinating players for decades. If alignment has ever left you scratching your head, at least now you’ll have something concrete to work with.
Redeeming Alignment isn’t about forcing everyone to play by one interpretation. It’s about giving you the tools to decide what works at your table. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll stop someone from using Chaotic Neutral as a personality disorder.
253 pages. PDF and epub files included.
This new edition of Redeeming Alignment is here to do the impossible: salvage a system that’s been sparking arguments at every game table for over half a century. Alignment has always been one of those love-it-or-hate-it elements of tabletop roleplaying, straddling the line between vague philosophy and rigid mechanics. Is your character Chaotic Neutral because they’re a quirky free spirit or because you want an excuse to set things on fire? Does Lawful Good mean Lawful nice, or is it Lawful judgmental? Alignment means everything, and it means nothing. It’s all vibes, no substance, until now.
This book tackles the beast head-on by taking alignment and tying it directly to mechanics, finally making it more than an abstract thought exercise. The goal isn’t to throw out the baby with the bathwater but to give the system a reason to exist beyond its historical baggage. Concepts like Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos are hugely subjective, shaped by cultural biases and misinterpretations. Too often, alignment has been wielded not as a tool for roleplaying but as a blunt instrument to justify bad behavior or reinforce tired stereotypes. This book aims to redeem it, literally and figuratively.
Let’s face it: the version of alignment you’ve seen in official rulebooks is a mess. It’s so broad and vague that everyone’s interpretation is valid, and yet no one is actually wrong. That’s fine for creative debates and endless forum threads, but it’s a nightmare for creating consistent mechanics and meaningful character development. This book doesn’t pretend to offer the “right” answer because there isn’t one. What it does offer is a framework for turning alignment into something practical, usable, and (dare I say it?) interesting.
You’re not going to find an overly philosophical manifesto here, nor is this a backhanded apology for why alignment works “just fine” if you squint at it hard enough. This is a straightforward attempt to codify the concepts behind alignment and make them work in a structured rules system. Whether you’re tired of explaining why your Chaotic Good bard can’t punch someone or you’ve always wondered what “Neutral Evil” even means when you strip away the clichés, this book is for you.
You might not agree with everything I’ve written, and that’s okay. This isn’t a plea for universal consensus. It’s an invitation to think critically about a system that’s been frustrating and fascinating players for decades. If alignment has ever left you scratching your head, at least now you’ll have something concrete to work with.
Redeeming Alignment isn’t about forcing everyone to play by one interpretation. It’s about giving you the tools to decide what works at your table. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll stop someone from using Chaotic Neutral as a personality disorder.
253 pages. PDF and epub files included.