The Gaming Outpost

News: Still no work on Ki. I am feeling a lot better, but still not good enough to do anything substantial. Depending on how the day goes I may or may not have a column tomorrow. We’ll see how the day goes.



Essay: Ethics are simply codes of behavior put into place to keep relations between the members of a society smooth. So long as the rules are followed, life should go well. Barring the occasional natural disaster of course.



Ethical codes consist of three types of rules. They are; common sense rules (don’t steal from your neighbor), fussbudget rules (no nudity, it upsets the kids), and rules for the sake of having a rule (never steal your neighbor’s apples while buck naked). The last are pretty much covered by other rules, but somebody decided a specific situation needed a specific rule. I’m sure you could all find examples of a rule for the sake of having a rule in your local legal codes.



The common sense rules are there for one reason, to keep relations between the members of a group peaceful. Stealing from your neighbor could lead to some sort of retaliation. Which leads to you retaliating against his retaliation, allies on both sides getting drawn in, and society collapsing in on itself. As examples consider Somalia and Afghanistan. Prohibitions against theft, murder, slander, etc. serve to keep life peaceful and calm for the most part. When members of a society follow these rules, the society remains united and strong, able to withstand the trials and travails of life.



The fussbudget rules get put in because somebody, or a group of people, decided that something they didn’t like needed a rule against it. Take for example the attempts to get a movie banned in some municipality, because said flick dealt with a certain subject. An old fussbudget rule is the one against public nudity. Offends public sensibility is the usual rationale, with “harm to children” following close behind. This rule ignores the fact that people must learn to be chary of the human body, and that children are not as fragile as some think.



The last set of rules get put in usually because somebody thought he had to be seen doing something. Or, somebody thought a rule was needed for some dang reason. Such as laws against throwing rocks off highway overpasses. You’d think that laws against vandalism (if the rock doesn’t hit anybody) or against aggravated assault (if it does) would cover everything, but some folks need a specific rule for a specific situation. Sometimes the last two categories overlap in the same rule.



What does all this have to do with RPGs?



Do the societies in your games have a formal code of ethics? How were the codes put together? Which of the three types of rules do the codes include? How is the code taught to members of the society? Is it taught at all, or are members of the society expected to learn as they go? How strictly are the codes enforced? Who does the code benefit? Was the code promulgated to benefit society as a whole, or to benefit certain members of that society? How well do people follow the code?



How you answer these questions for each society in your campaign can determine in large part how that society functions. Its morality et. al. A code of ethics that is loosely enforced and loosely followed could indicate a chaotic society, while one that is followed and enforced rigorously usually means a lawful one.



End Note: If it seems incomplete to you, you’re not alone. I have a lot more to say on the subject of ethics, but an expanded, comprehensive look at the subject must wait for another day. When “Ethics in RPGs” is ready I’ll submit it to our editor for his approval as a pay article.



And on that same subject, who here would like to see me write an article combining my essays on stories in RPG settings? Would be pay, and include things I left out of the original essay. Yes, there would be a cross over with Ethics in RPGS.



Coming Up: I’m drawing a blank, damn it. What ever I come up with, I will try to make it more comprehensive, and include more on incorporating the subject matter into an RPG. Suggestions from you, good reader, on what to cover would be good. With tomorrow being Turkey Day here in the U.S., there may not be a Writing Practice, but there will be one on Friday. Till then.



Alan, who’s rating this as a “10″ because M.J. Young is doing it for his articles. Call it blatant self promotion:)