Any room for kindness?

[Tulana]

Hi guys. I may log in soon to attempt playing again. I'm still at newbie level, so maybe I should be asking this in the Newbie forum. Is there any kindness in the world of Zalanthas? Does anyone get a kick out of roleplaying random kind deeds? Or is it just a dog eat dog world?

[Dunetrade55]

Depends on your background and race, and what appears kind may be setting you up for future issues or debts. It's ok, just make sure every act of kindness is appropriately selfish on SOME level, in my opinion.

[Raptor_Dan]

If I'm playing a char that -thinks- they're good, they're going to be kind just to reinforce their own beliefs, or make themselves feel good.

Kindness exists in game, I've seen many chars be kind. The world itself is not kind, and these chars go against the grain, and often receive a lot of suspicion for their actions. Prepare ahead of time for that.

[evilcabbage]

allow the cabbage to kindly bring you under his wing...

and gently, with love, insert a bone shiv in between the third and fourth lumbar.

it's okay.

i do it with kindness.

[Suhuy]

I think acts of kindness are fine. And they don't always have to be sneaky or underhanded or with any ulterior motives. Of course, this is a world where for every act of kindness there are twenty acts of downright deceit and cruelty. And that's fine, because it is the overall setting of the game. The problem is (and it's just my opinion) that the popular trend now is for cruelty to outweigh any kindness, however small, at a level that's disproportionate even for the harsh desert world of Zalanthas.

[Dunetrade55]

I think acts of kindness are fine. And they don't always have to be sneaky or underhanded or with any ulterior motives. Of course, this is a world where for every act of kindness there are twenty acts of downright deceit and cruelty. And that's fine, because it is the overall setting of the game. The problem is (and it's just my opinion) that the popular trend now is for cruelty to outweigh any kindness, however small, at a level that's disproportionate even for the harsh desert world of Zalanthas.

I perform acts of kindness all the time. I just tell myself it's all part of my devious, dastardly plan. When something else happens as a result, well, obviously it worked. (HINT: There was no plan)

[Dakota]

Hi guys. I may log in soon to attempt playing again. I'm still at newbie level, so maybe I should be asking this in the Newbie forum. Is there any kindness in the world of Zalanthas? Does anyone get a kick out of roleplaying random kind deeds? Or is it just a dog eat dog world?

dibs on boots.

[Beethoven]

I have a lot of nice characters, with a great deal of empathy. They are legitimately kind to some people, and have no qualms about fucking over or killing others--or, at the very least, they're willing to get past those qualms for the sake of their own survival or the survival of those they care about. It doesn't have to all be dog eat dog, but I do like to include some of that mentality even in my kindest PCs.

There's no requirement to be that way, however, just as long as your kind PC is aware of the kind of society they live in and not bizarrely shocked when people screw each other over.

[Delirium]

You can be gritty and kind, the two are not mutually exclusive. As Beethoven said, just remember the reality of the dog eat dog world you live in.

Think mother wolf and cubs, not hippie commune.

[Refugee]

I think it's a world where someone who would kick a starving child out of his way in the street could also choose to risk his life to save some stranger from a scrab, and not think there was anything strange about either.

[Beethoven]

I think it's a world where someone who would kick a starving child out of his way in the street could also choose to risk his life to save some stranger from a scrab, and not think there was anything strange about either.

+1

[Reiloth]

I've had characters who were kind to one person and absolutely terrible to another. I think in a world with such loose morals (no real universal moral compass or religious moral compass), someone can dip their toes into both spectrums without being a hypocrite. So, i'll have my rough and tumble ranger who's got a soft spot for kids, because they remind him of himself. Or i'll have a Noble who is an absolute turd to Commoners but has a fascination with a certain tribe, so he's actually genuinely 'kind' to them.

So yes -- I do think there is kindness in the world. While your PCs might wish to be kind to everyone, they would likely find out in their past (or they will find out through actual play) that there are people out there who will -not- be kind to them, despite anything they attempt to appease them. These people may even have enough power to harm them, or even have them killed. It could be -because- they are kind, that these people wish to snub them out.

It evinces cowardice from the powerless, and stalwart indignation from those that wish to make a stand. So pure kindness, unadulterated compassion, I think is really rare in Zalanthas. I think it typically gets bred out of you as a kid. You are born innocent and without the 'stains' that come with aging, but in a harsh place like Zalanthas, you would learn very quickly that true kindness is a weakness that others exploit. So, actually, i've seen that very sheltered people (some tribals, or middle-class Allanaki) tend to be much more kind and naive, because they are less experienced with the world as a whole, or have less of a complete understanding of their place within it. People from the Labyrinth, or the 'poor caste', are usually quite familiar with their place in the world, and understand that kindness is typically a way to disarm you into making a mistake. There's a reason Elves have 'Tests of Trust', and it's mostly because they are constantly paranoid that people are attempting to take advantage of their trust, so they guard it with a chastity belt.

I suppose, in closing, just keep in mind you shouldn't make a PC that's kind for the sake of being kind, because you enjoy being kind IRL. Just as well, you shouldn't make a PC that is cruel because you enjoy being cruel IRL. You should make a PC where it makes sense for them to be kind or cruel, based on their personality, background, and outlook.

[Patuk]

Yes, there is room for kindness. Zalanthans are people, not cartoonish movie villains.

[Desertman]

Yes, there is room for kindness. Zalanthans are people, not cartoonish movie villains.

+1

[Reiloth]

Yes, there is room for kindness. Zalanthans are people, not and cartoonish movie villains.

FTFY

[Barzalene]

While there is plenty of room for kindness, I don't think kindness should be indiscriminate.

[valeria]

I think the setting is very oppressive and so people are often nasty, brutish, and with short lives. But societies are never homogeneous. These are aspects of the setting, not requirements for each character. People, even in horrible settings, are often wildly variable.

As long as you don't expect "justice" or being treated well, it's fine to play a nice character. Just don't expect the setting to adjust to you.

[ShaLeah]

I'm gonna sit this one out.

[whitt]

I'm gonna sit this one out.

That's kind of you.   

[ShaLeah]

I'm gonna sit this one out.

That's kind of you.   

Yar

[Yam]

I doubt that pure altruism exists in humans in the Real World let alone in the Known World. However I think self-interested "altruism" would be pretty common.

If you have plenty of water and find someone thirsting to death in the desert, you'll probably give them a sip with the subconscious expectation that they might reciprocate. Armageddonn is harsh, but humans are still human. However when passing the throngs of wasting beggars in Meleth's Circle you probably wouldn't even think about sharing water because they're already half dead and essentially useless to you. Some poor sap in the desert might be useful in the future while a dime-a-dozen, dehydrated beggar will probably never be able to reciprocate your favor.

[Pale Horse]

Despite the tag for the game, in the actual setting of Zalanthas there would absolutely be kindness and people whom you would consider "nice" from any perspective.  Human variance is human variance and it will show up all the time.

That said, we're products of our environment as well as breeding.  Zalanthas is a harsh environment, be it in the wilderness or in the pockets of civilization.  Acts of altruism might well be held back for fear of unwanted consequences, despite what an individual might feel.  Bandits abound.  Everyone is looking for an angle, and advantage for themselves or for those/those things closest to them and that angle might be found in a manner that is against the interest of you and those/those things you hold dear.

It's the same as any situation you have in reality, just..distilled and with a greater risk to your ability to survive or that of your group.  Think Middle Eastern societies of the time period that is anologus to the period we see IG.  It's a harsh world where death is everywhere.  Doing things to "poke the reaper" invites harsh consequences brought on you, either by the nature of what you are doing or by those around you seeing what you are doing and how it endangers them as well and they move to prevent this threat..namely you.

Amplify this more, because there is no moderating/unifying belief to connect different tribes/cultures, like Islam was in our world.  There are some beliefs in Zalanthas that are universal but they are mostly the negative sorts.  That universal negativism only adds to the "lack of kindness" you might experience.

So, yes, there is kindness in the world but I would argue that is would not be as recognizable to those brought up in a Western society (if we are all actually from Zalanthas instead of a group of nerds playing like we were), and only allowed in certain circumstances or by those in a position where they feel "safe" enough to show it.  Additionally, I do agree that some people take the "murder, corruption, betrayal" schtick to an unbelievable level.  But, it is a game and if someone is playing to be that "unbelievable, jerky-type character0", they're free to do so.

[Dar]

Was Leon: The Professional a kind man?

[evilcabbage]

leon was absolutely an amazingly kind man.

he saved a little girls life and left all of his money to her.

[nauta]

Code Select Expand


>get kindness zalanthas
You get your handful of kindness from a harsh desert planet.
>put kindness zalanthas
There's no more room for that here.
>think shit
You think:
 "Shit."
>drop kindness
There's no more room for that here.
>quit
But you are too excited to leave just yet!