MadCap's Tabletop Tales - "Promote Synergy, You Jerk!"

One of the biggest problems you can have in playing just about any tabletop game is conflicts within the party. This is probably the biggest problem in Dungeons & Dragons, what with alignments conflicting and all.  Generally, a house rule is that nobody plays an evil character - largely because all of one of the evil alignments (Lawful Evil) can even work with good or neutral characters with any success.  But even those of good and neutral alignments can, and often do, conflict in their methods and ideology. To me, that's one of the great things about certain tabletop games, particularly D&D itself.

However...

It can be a real pain in the butt to both DM and Player alike.  What's one to do?  In D&D, this can be solved by setting limits on which alignments characters can play. In my experience, this generally doesn't cause a great deal of problems with players. Most I play with will happy make a character within the confines given them by the DM.  Ripley, as a DM, generally doesn't make any restrictions on alignment, but is rather cautious about accepting evil characters, particularly after she allowed them for one campaign and it went...well, less than wonderful (a tale for another time).

But then you have games like Vampire The Masquerade and Shadowrun, that don't really have a system of alignments. Sure, they have Humanity and Essence, but there's nothing that really restricts the player to a single moral code.  In fact, particularly in Masquerade, you have a game where not only is disruption between the players allowed...but is sometimes encouraged depending on the situation.  So again, the question is, what's one to do?

As a DM...I have no idea, because I've rarely been the man behind the shield.  As a player, work with the others in your group.  Try to work on having a mix that won't be clashing on every single issue. Don't make a character that is there to be your expy of the badass that you want to be. That doesn't mean you can't be a badass, but you're not that one anime character. You know the one. The one with the deep and intricate backstory who's lived forever and become the greatest warrior alive, etc. etc. all those clichés.

And again, that's not to say that you can't be a complete badass. But don't be that complete badass who's going to be that way for the sake of being that way. Don't be the guy who's going to keep things from the party simply because "it's in character" for you to do so. For the first couple of adventures, I could see this being the case. But after that...why are you with this group still if you don't trust them? Why do you stick around if you don't want to work together as a team?

Granted, of course, things like that are house rules - there's not a rule that says the players have to work together (even in D&D), just that it's a great idea if you do. And it is, because that's how the game should be played. There is literally no reason for you to go around not working together as a team, because if you're all working against each other then there's literally no reason for the team to trust you or work with you and, if you go so far as betraying the team, there's no reason for them to not just kill you and hang you in a tree.

So yes, summation. Work with other PCs, not against them, regardless of the game. And if you're just itching for PvP, go play an MMO.

For the latest from the MadCapMunchkin, be sure to follow him on Twitter @MadCapMunchkin.