Alignment and Realism

I recently came upon a discussion on RPGnet which included a comment about moral relativity that really pissed me off. So, you'll need to indulge me for a moment while I rant.

For some reason, there's a perception that a game with moral absolutes is somehow less realistic than one featuring moral relativism. The notion there is that the rampaging Orcs have a reason why they're trying to rape, loot and pillage their way across the kingdom, from their point of view it's 'good', and so that's okay. Clearly, this is more realistic than a game where they're doing these things because they're Eeevil.

Well, duh.

The thing is, though, that whether they have a reason for what they're doing has very little to do with moral relativism. Whether they see what they're doing as good or evil is also irrelevant. It is, after all, possible to sincerely believe that you're doing good while, in fact, being completely wrong. If nothing else, that can make for very effective tragedy.

The other thing to bear in mind is this: it really doesn't matter why the rampaging orc wants to kill you and take your stuff. He might have a very good reason for doing so. Assuming you aren't suicidal, you're going to want to stop him. And that may well require killing him.

All that said, the use of an alignment system in role-playing games almost necessarily makes them less realistic. The reason for this is that it's just easier to play to your alignment, and this means that character morality becomes rather simpler.

There's another issue at play here, too. If players just ran their characters without regard to their alignment, and the DM tracked the alignments of the group, a great many PCs (if not most) would rapidly gravitate towards a Chaotic Neutral alignment. The average PC shows next to no concern for society as a whole (and goes to great lengths to avoid taxes - which is a definate sign of Chaotic behaviour), and tends towards a distinctly mercenary bent ("I expect to be well paid" is Neutral, not Good).

Of course, many PCs require a particular alignment to retain their powers, and so they don't play their characters freely, but take pains to stay in the 'right' box. And many people are uncomfortable with the notion that their characters might be anything other than Good (because, hey, they're not bad people). So, they play to stick within the lines. And, yes, that hurts realism.

Of course, alignment concerns really only apply to PCs. The average NPC is on stage for a single encounter. And there just isn't time for detailed analyses of the exact alignment of the third orc on the right as he swings his axe at the barbarian. The only characters who exist long enough for alignment to be shown in any detail are the PCs.

I don't know if that's at all helpful, to be honest.

On a related note, it would be nice to see characters who have clearly defined moral codes. As opposed to the usual attitude of "what's in it for me?". A character who isn't Chaotic Good because the player needed to put something in the Alignment box, but who has taken that stance because he truly believes that only in a loose society can people flourish, or has seen too many people destroyed by oppressive taxes (or even completely fair and just taxes) and has dedicated himself to removing that burden. Or a Lawful Good character who is absolutely committed to building a Utopian society where all can live in peace, free from the tyranny of evil men.

Or, better still, a Lawful Evil character who is absolutely committed to building a Utopian society where all can live in peace, free from the tyranny of evil men, but who is absolutely willing to crush the right of others to protest his reforms, by violent and fatal means, if necessary.